Papay Beach (litter) Clean & bird counts

A small group of mainly young folk carried out a 'bag the bruck' (collecting litter) event from beaches and shorelines of Papa Westray, whilst a bird count of the island also take place the following weekend. Over 20 bags of beach litter were collected for disposal, including discarded fishing gear, plastic of various forms and even a helmet! While out collecting rubbish, a beautiful flock of Whooper Swans flew in from the sea, just arriving from Iceland, and landed on the island's main loch. Other migratory birds recorded during the island bird count included Greylag Goose (Icelandic population), Golden Plover, Purple Sandpiper and Great Northern Diver. Over 2,200 waterbirds were counted. One usually prominent species, Northern Fulmar, was largely absent ... Fulmars breed around Papa Westray's coastline, but all disappear by October; they will be back from November onwards.