A great start to the month with 4 harbour porpoises and a basking shark in Rackwick Bay, Hoy, on 2/8.

Most of August occupied off site with a short holiday and British Birdwatching Fair commitments.

Back home in late August sparrowhawks being seen almost daily, along with short-eared owls and hen harriers.

A juvenile merlin hunting meadow pipits over Gerraquoy on 26/8.

Another solitary swift at Liddel on 27/8, and best of all, a very unusual record of 2 common hawker dragonflies, hawking around inside the gloup at Halcro Head.

The white-billed diver still around at the month end – it’s been at the bottom of our road for the whole of July and August!!