RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
August 2008

23 Great Northern Divers were counted during a boat-based survey of Scapa Flow on 3rd, five Black-throated Divers and 37 Red-throated Divers being found the same day.  The adult White-billed Diver that appeared in Water Sound in July remained throughout the month.  Early returning Slavonian Grebes involved up to four in Echnaloch Bay and two on the Harray Loch during the month. 

Manx Shearwaters passed North Ronaldsay throughout the month with a peak of 32 on 27th.  Sooty Shearwaters peaked there on the same date with 21 while two Great Shearwaters were seen, also on 27th.  An amazing 306 Storm Petrels were found in central Scapa Flow on 3rd with 80 being trapped in Birsay on 1st and 82 on North Ronaldsay on 3rd and a further 95 at the latter locality on the following night..  Up to three Leach’s Petrels were noted on North Ronaldsay and two were in the Flow on 3rd.   Herons were very conspicuous with up to 18 at Finstown Ouse, 14 in Woodwick Bay and 13 at The Loons, Birsay.

An early Pink-footed Goose was on Shapinsay on 28th, that same island recording 450 Teal and 300 Wigeon at the Mill Dam on 27th.  Up to four Velvet Scoters were in Echanloch Bay during the month and four Goosanders at the Ayre Loch, St. Mary’s on 11th. 

From 22nd on, Buzzards were seen in Birsay, South Ronaldsay, Burray, Rousay, Shapinsay, Sanday and North Ronaldsay, all areas well away from known breeding localities.  Rarer raptors included a Hobby in Tankerness on 8th and an Osprey at the Hundland Loch on 30th.

A pair of Water Rails with two tiny chicks made a fine sight at Shapinsay’s Mill Dam on 20th, a rare example of proved breeding of this species.  Up to 900 Golden Plovers assembled on North Ronaldsay.  The Pacific Golden Plover found there in July remained until 6th and then what was thought to be a different bird was present from 25th to 31st.  Passage of Knot was conspicuous with a peak of 146 on North Ronaldsay on 17th while up to 140 were in Widewall Bay with a peak on 7th; elsewhere, up to 31 were in Stenness and 10 in Birsay Bay.  Scuthvie, Sanday again provided the largest Sanderling count with 210 on 3rd while North Ronaldsay recorded 152 next day; up to 13 were seen in four other localities.  55 Purple Sandpipers was the maximum count on North Ronaldsay on 1st, the only others noted being two on Copinsay on 24th.  More unusual waders included a Curlew Sandpiper on North Ronaldsay on 15th, a Little Stint there on 19th and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper also on that island from 6th to 19th; a Pectoral Sandpiper was at Lea Shun, Stronsay on 31st. 

There was a good passage of Ruff, especially after mid-month, with up to 11 on North Ronaldsay, up to 10 at Mill Dam, Shapinsay, up to seven at the Mill Dam of Rango and up to three elsewhere.  A most unusual record was of a Woodcock on a small island in the Stenness Loch on 29th.  Black-tailed Godwit passage peaked at 26 on North Ronaldsay on 29th when 36 were at Shapinsay’s Mill Dam; 15 were at The Loons on 21st, 16 at The Shunan on 30th and up to six at Deepdale, Rango and on Stronsay.  By far the largest count of Bar-tailed Godwits was of 320 at Cata Sand, Sanday on 15th.  Moulting flocks of Curlews included gatherings of 350 at each of Water Sound and Quoyer, Harray on 29th.  Whimbrel passage was most noticeable early in the month with 18 over North Ronaldsay on 2nd and 16 on 3rd when 35 passed over Stronsay; up to six were noted at five other sites.  As usual, Greenshanks were the most conspicuous of the more unusual passage waders with up to four at fourteen sites.  The much scarcer Spotted Redshank was more numerous than usual with up to three at Loch of Banks and Mill Dam of Rango (peaking in the last week of the month) and singles on North Ronaldsay and at Voy, Sandwick.  Small numbers of Green Sandpipers passed through all month with birds noted at ten localities but with never more than two together.  Wood Sandpiper is a much scarcer species but one was at Mill Dam, Shapinsay on 19th/20th, one on North Ronaldsay after 23rd, one at Loch of Skaill and Rango between 21st and 27th and another at Burness, Firth on 25th.  Although an Orkney breeding species, Common Sandpipers are only occasionally seen after local birds have left; singles were on North Ronaldsay on three dates and another on Copinsay on 24th.  North Ronaldsay provided the largest Turnstone counts with 488 on 2nd and 474 on 17th.

A Pomarine Skua was seen off Eday on 13th.  A Little Gull was on North Ronaldsay on 14th while two juveniles were in Evie Bay o 22nd.  An almost albino Black-headed Gull was in Stenness from 10th.  Lingering white gulls included an immature Iceland Gull watching the County Show from a Kirkwall roof-top on 9th and immature Glaucous Gulls in Stromness on 6th and at Eday Pier on 17th.  An amazingly late breeding record for an Arctic Tern involved an adult and a very newly fledged chick on the rock stacks at Skipi Geo, Birsay on 26th. 

 A flock of 811 Rock Doves was counted in South Ronaldsay on 29th while single Collared Doves passed through North Ronaldsay on 14th and 17th.  Cuckoos were much in evidence with one in Tankerness on 13th, one in Rendall next day, birds on Sanday on three dates with two on 18th and two in Deerness from 24th.  There have been more records of Nightjars in Orkney this year than ever before and the run continued with one coming in from the sea at North Ronaldsay on 16th.  Just as rare, however, was the Bee-eater that was first seen on Shapinsay on 31st July and remained around Balfour Village on 1st.  Some 15 Swifts were noted during the month with a concentration after 24th.

Up to five Short-eared Owls around Stove, Sanday suggested that breeding had occurred there.  An adult female Great Spotted Woodpecker visited a bird-feeder in Deerness on 31st raising hopes that this might be an irruption year for this species.  That other strange member of the woodpecker family, the Wryneck, was noted on North Ronaldsay on 18th, 19th (2) and 30th with another on Stronsay on 31st.  Swallows seem to have had a very good breeding season with large numbers of fledged juveniles in many places.  With them, about 11 Sand Martins occurred, mainly on North Ronaldsay but with one in Birsay on 17th and two in Holm on 26th.

There was a most unusual report of two Red-throated Pipits in Stromness on 13th which, if confirmed, will be the first record of this species in Orkney in several years.  The only Grey Wagtails were one in Quoyloo on 7th and one over Finstown on 30th but the much rarer Citrine Wagtail, a vagrant from northern Russia and Siberia, appeared on North Ronaldsay (2nd-8th) and in Stenness where one landed in the school car park on 10th!  White Wagtails are difficult to identify in autumn but 11 arrived on North Ronaldsay on 30th and some would undoubtedly have been amongst the 100 Pied/White Wagtails in South Ronaldsay the previous day. 

A large arrival of Wheatears was witnessed on North Ronaldsay on 28th when 194 were logged, 73 being counted between Sandside and the Mull Head, Deerness next day.  Seven Whinchats arrived on North Ronaldsay on 18th/19th when singles also occurred on Stronsay.  Redstarts are scarce migrants these days so that even up to two on North Ronaldsay between 17th-20th and one on Sanday at the same time were of note. A Robin arrived on North Ronaldsay on 31st and a Song Thrush there on 23rd.  Early Fieldfares were on the same island on 1st/2nd and on Stronsay on 3rd while one found dead at Billia Croo, Stromness on 16th had probably arrived at the same time.

One-two migrant Sedge Warblers were noted on North Ronaldsay up to 19th while two at Brodgar on 21st were quite late.  The trapping and ringing of an adult Reed Warbler together with several juveniles at Graemeshall, Holm between 2nd and 20th strongly suggested that breeding had occurred, a first for Orkney; migrants were noted on North Ronaldsay on 1st, 19th and 20th (2).  A Marsh Warbler was on North Ronaldsay on 18th and an Icterine Warbler at Windwick, South Ronaldsay on the same date.  Barred Warblers are often a feature of early autumn migrant arrivals and the species duly obliged with two on North Ronaldsay on 17th and another near Windwick the following day.  Up to three Whitethroats were on North Ronaldsay 17th-20th and another on Copinsay on 24th while an arrival of 13 Garden Warblers on North Ronaldsay on 17th/18th was mirrored elsewhere with one-two at five other sites.  Wood Warblers are decidedly scarce migrants so that one-two on North Ronaldsay and singles on Sanday and Stronsay between 16th-19th were of note.  Even rarer, however, were the two Greenish Warblers that occurred, on Stronsay on 17th and on North Ronaldsay next day.  Apart from one Chiffchaff on Sanday on 17th, all others were on North Ronaldsay, up to three occurring with a peak on 18th.  An arrival of 26 Willow Warblers occurred on North Ronaldsay on 18th/19th with similar numbers on Stronsay but there were only four records from elsewhere. Two Pied Flycatchers arrived on North Ronaldsay on 18th/19th with three on 31st, two also appearing on Stronsay on 21st.  A single Spotted Flycatcher was on North Ronaldsay on 19th. 

The Hammars Hill, Evie Raven roost attracted an astonishing 240 birds on 29th.  The only Carrion Crow reported was at Ore Farm, Hoy on 18th/19th.  The Rose-coloured Starling irruption continued with records of birds on Sanday on18th and in Deerness on 25th and 27th.

Linnets do not seem to have been very noticeable this summer so that large flocks of 250 at Brodgar on 27th and 180 in Holm on 30th were surprising.  Amongst small numbers of Siskins reported in Finstown and Rendall there were sightings of very young juveniles at both, suggesting that breeding had occurred very close by.  A Common Redpoll of the Greenland race was on North Ronaldsay on 30th while Lesser Redpolls were seen in Rendall from 2nd-5th, on 21st and 31st.  The Crossbill irruption didn’t build up to hoped-for levels but up to four occurred at six localities and a party of nine passed over Rysa, Hoy on 19th.  However, perhaps the most noteworthy event of the month was the continuing arrival of the very rare Two-barred Crossbills with one remaining in Firth on 1st, another remaining in Rendall until 2nd, one on Stronsay on 3rd/4th, one-two on North Ronaldsay between 6th-11th and a party of four at Windwick on 7th.  A Scarlet Rosefinch was on North Ronaldsay on 30th and an early Lapland Bunting there the same day.

Eric Meek

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