RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
FEBRUARY 2006

Single Black-throated Divers were seen off Dingieshowe on 2nd and in Echnaloch Bay on 5th but six off North Ronaldsay on 22nd were more unusual. On the same date, North Ronaldsay also logged 14 Red-throated Divers and five Great Northern Divers but the largest gathering of the latter species was 21 in Shapinsay Sound on 6th. The well-known wintering party of Little Grebes at the Brig o’ Waithe numbered four on 1st while there were 10 Slavonian Grebes in Echnaloch Bay on 5th with 18 in the Bay of Isbister on 18th. Huge numbers of Fulmars were on the move on 4th, up to 670-0 per hour passing the Brough of Birsay. A large gathering of 700 Shags was counted between Stromness and Hoy while the largest gathering of Herons was 15 in Widewall Bay on 11th. The wintering Little Egret departed the West Mainland and was seen at Westray’s Burness Loch on 23rd/24th.

31 Whooper Swans at Stembister, Toab on 5th was the month’s largest count. Pink-footed Geese were conspicuous with 1400 in Tankerness and 300 in Deerness on 21st, 450 flying north over Orphir on 21st and several other reports of up to 150. A single Tundra Bean Goose was at Rerwick, Tankerness on 6th when a White-fronted Goose was also found. Up to 130 Barnacle Geese were in the Skaill, Sandwick area during the month with five other sightings of up to 23 being reported. A single Brent Goose was at Voan, Stenness on 5th. The usual Shelduck gathering grounds held good numbers with 45 in Widewall Bay, 31 at the Mill Sand and 23 at The Ouse, Shapinsay. 28 Gadwall on the Stenness Loch on 10th was a good count. Up to 19 Pintail were on North Ronaldsay and 11 on the Harray Loch the latter locality also hosting 57 Shoveler, an unusually large concentration, on 10th. 400 Long-tailed Ducks were off Hoy on 1st while Shapinsay Sound held 22 Common Scoters and 15 Velvet Scoters on 6th; the male Surf Scoter was relocated off Rerwick on 5th. Single Goosanders were seen on the Harray Loch on 10th and 22nd while the long-staying drake Smew on the Skaill Loch was joined by a female on 10th.

Buzzards were regularly reported from the Firth/Harray area with apparently two pairs involved. The Rough-legged Buzzard remained in the Lyde area until at least mid-month while another rare raptor, a Goshawk, was seen in Harray on 10th. Longhouse, St.Ola continued to provide good Pheasant counts with a peak of 42 on 26th while a Water Rail was there on the same date. 22 Moorhens at Bain, Sandwick was another high count. Oystercatchers continued to pour back into the islands, especially towards the end of the month but apart from one very good count of 2100 at the Boardhouse Loch on 1st, Golden Plovers were down in numbers. 60 Ringed Plovers at Warebeth, Stromness were notable. Away from their regular north isles haunts, there were 12 Knot at the Mill Sand on 5th and nine at St.Peter’s Pool on 26th while Sanderling peaked at 16 at the latter site on 26th. Papay’s North Wick continued to provide good counts of Purple Sandpipers with 260 there on 26th; 220 were also near the Brough of Birsay on 4th. North Wick also attracted up to 120 Dunlins towards the end of the month while the inland site at the south end of the Boardhouse Loch again held 80 on 1st. There were four reports of up to four Woodcocks in the west Mainland with another on North Ronaldsay on 9th but there were only two Jack Snipe, at Burness, Firth on 21st and on North Ronaldsay on 28th. There were good numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits at the usual sites with up to 120 at St.Peter’s Pool, 56 in Widewall Bay and 40 at the Mill Sand. However, amongst the waders, pride of place must go to the Spotted Redshank found by Stenness Village on 10th and to the Temminck’s Stint that remained on North Ronaldsay until 6th.

A Mediterranean Gull appeared on North Ronaldsay on 15th/16th and the first Lesser Black-backed Gull of the spring was at the Peedie Sea on 23rd. The Stromness Ring-billed Gull was seen again on 6th while the only Iceland Gull of the month was in Stromness on 12th. Glaucous Gulls, however, were conspicuous with nine widely scattered reports of one-two during the month.

Short-eared Owls became more visible during February with three together hunting at Nutland, Firth on 21st. There were five reports of one-two Long-eared Owls from Herston, St.Ola and two localities in Firth. Skylarks continued to be attracted to ‘bird crops’ the largest concentration being 52 at Brodgar on 9th. Pied Wagtails continued to remain scarce, the only reports being of three at Scapa on 10th and one in Stromness on 21st.

150 Fieldfares were in the Heddle area on 26th, the next largest flock having been 57 in Cosat on 20th. 110 Redwings were by the Lyde Road on 1st and 75 on the Stoneyhill Road on 10th. Carrion Crows were reported from Skaill, Sandwick on 6th, from Burwick (mated to a Hooded Crow) on 10th and from Heddle on 5th and 14th.

55 Chaffinches at Finstown on 25th was by far the largest count of that species; the only Bramblings were up to three in Rendall all month and one in Firth on 2nd. The peak count of Twite at the Dale bird crops was 200 on 22nd while 30 Linnets were counted there on 11th and 22nd. Two Common Redpolls were at Longhouse on 5th with two at Dale on 28th. The Brodgar Snow Bunting flock numbered 150 on 1st while a decidedly unusual record was of a Yellowhammer, at Cottascarth, on 17th.

E.R.Meek

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