Tails of the unexpected

Balls of fluff - Long-tailed Tit (Graeme Duncan)

Rare and delightful (Graeme Duncan)

On the move, Long-tailed Tits (Graeme Duncan)

Monday 29th October comments: It’s been another exciting period on the Farnes as the wind switched bringing with it invaders from the north. On Sunday Brownsman was alive with the calls of Long-tailed Tits – six to be precise, as they descended into the vegetation around the cottage.

These ‘balls of fluff’ are rare on the Farnes, having been recorded in only ten years since they were first recorded on the islands in 1965. These delightful visitors eventually departed west, reaching Inner Farne later in the day. Alongside these, two Waxwings flew west, part of an ever increasing national influx – watch those berry bushes near you!

However today has been dominated by one species; the Little Auk. The north winds have pushed good numbers into the southern North Sea and the team spent the majority of the day counting them as they flew north. The day total reached almost 5,000 – an impressive total and sight by any standards. Over the next few days, we suspect we’ll be seeing a few more on the sea, so if you’re visiting, keep those eyes peeled.

Today’s highlights: Great Northern Diver 6, Black-throated Diver 1N, Red-throated Diver 9N, Manx Shearwater 1N, Shelduck 5N, Common Scoter 591, Goldeneye 3N, Teal 22N, Wigeon 53N, Peregrine, Merlin 2, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Woodcock 3, Little Auks 4,903N, Puffin 6N, Little Gull 5 N, various common migrants including Chiffchaff 4, Blackcap 3 and Twite 2.