Hard going on Holy Island

I was tempted over again to this rarity hotspot but the bird I'd come to see had vanished. Still, it wasn't all bad news and there was a small handful of good birds that I hadn't seen for a while, namely: Yellow-browed Warbler, Merlin, Brambling and European Turtle Dove. The last of these posed beautiful (at the second time of asking) and I got a lovely shot of it; the YBW showed well too (eventually and only after a lengthy search) and the Merlin was seen perched briefly before disappearing. I got to know the island a bit better and this will stand me in good stead, hopefully, for when I next return.

The best bird by far was the European Turtle Dove - a semi-rarity these days, sadly - and this one posed really well for the camera; I think I was also quite lucky to see it with it having played hard to get for many of my co-spotters.