The Autumn continued to be relatively quiet. The garden had the
usual crowd of House Sparrow and Starlings, plus a Dunnock, a Robin and Wren and the resident ringed
female Blackbird.
On the 3rd a flock of six Fieldfares were on the heather patch in the morning taking shelter from the wind.
Not quite Burray, but not too far away on Lamb's Holm (short drive over Barrier 3 and 2) news broke on the 8th that a first year male Blue Rock Thrush had been seen in the quarry. Its appearance caused a bit of excitement and it stayed until the 15th giving most of the local birders the chance to see it as well as a number of visiting birders who saw it on their way up to Papay Westray to see the Stellar's Eider. I went along to the quarry at first light on the 10th to see if I could see it but after and hour and a half of nothing I had to leave to attend the local Remembrance Sunday service on Burray. With news of a sighting circulating towards the end of the service I decided to give it another go so it was home for a quick change and back to the quarry. After about half an hour I spotted it and then had some good views for the couple of hours.
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| Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) |
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| Blue Rock Thrush |
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| Blue Rock Thrush |
This species is the national bird of Malta and is usually found in Southern Europe, Northwest Africa and from central Asia to Northern China and Malaysia.
The 13th saw the first frost of the Autumn/Winter.
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