A wee mosey out west yesterday managed to turn up a few birds in what were really very poor conditions to bring down migrants. All told I had a flock of Meadow pipits that were noisy and mobile and over twenty five strong... Skail loch was a bit wind swept but I had fine views of Slavonian grebes in there splendid and splendid is the word, summer plumage. The beach had a golden lab two collies and a bitsa, needless to say there were bugger all birds. Marwick bay started with great promise with a Male Wheatear on the dyke right beside me as I took my helmet off. The beach had a poor smattering of the usual subjects but no white winged gulls. The walk to the cliffs certainly had a few common migrants about tho with Mippits and wagtails a plenty. The field besides the track and the rocks at the geos held another four Wheatears in m/f pairs. Marwick head really held only Fulmars and roosting Kittiwakes. The Kitty wakes all streamed off the faces at one point. I don’t know what spooked them but they circled a couple of times and mostly settled back. Lower ledges held one or two razor bills but no Guillemots at all. A look out to sea soon revealed small numbers of guillies sitting in lines, maybe a few hundred in all. I did manage three Puffins tho these circled and landed out of sight below me some where. Jackdaws were very evident and the pair of ravens were about. The usual few gannets wheeled and dived as they do. There was no sign of Artics or Bonxies. They are starting to get sporadically reported now and there’s a report of birds settling on nesting territories so its all starting to heat up despite the cold!! That was about that I had another three Wheatears on the road back but little else of note.