RSPB Bird Reports
ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
FEBRUARY 2010
Perfect weather conditions on 21st allowed a very high count of 170 Great Northern Divers to be made off Quanterness on 21st; up to 40 were also seen off Rerwick during the month. 15 Red-throated Divers off Marwick Head on 3rd was a high count for the time of year but the only Black-throated Divers reported were two at Sandoyne on 13th. The freezing conditions pushed most Slavonian Grebes off inland waters but some good counts were made on the sea with 37 between Sandoyne and Glims Holm on 13th and ten off Quanterness on 21st. The only Red-necked Grebes were two off Sandoyne on 13th while a Great Crested Grebe was a rare visitor to Kirk Sound on 27th/28th. The wintering Party of Little Grebes at the Brig o’ Waithe numbered seven on 28th when there were also two on the Mill Burn, Rendall; another ‘salt-water’ record was of one at Garson on 18th.
Fulmars returned to our cliffs in large numbers and included a ‘blue’ bird at Breck Ness on 20th. Shags also returned and partly built nests were being attended at both Herston Head and Marwick Head on 7th/8th. Double-figure counts of Grey Herons were made at Graemeshall (max 16 on 21st), Egilsay (14 on 15th) and Widewall Bay (13 on 28th) but much rarer was the Bittern at Graemeshall on 1st/2nd, like January’s Sanday bird, part of a considerable influx into eastern Britain as birds fled freezing conditions on the Continent.
The highest count of Greenland White-fronted Geese was of 63 at The Loons on 18th. Three Taiga Bean Geese were found in Birsay on 27th and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose in Deerness on the same date with two in Holm the following day. Away from South Walls, the only Barnacle Geese reported were eight at the Loch of Skaill on 18th.
As Shelducks continued to return some good counts were made with 49 at the Oyce of Quindry on 25th, 38 at the Dead Sand, Stenness on 27th, 28 at Mill Sand on 11th and 27 at The Ouse, Shapinsay on 20th. A Green-winged Teal remained at the Loch of Tankerness almost all month but was often elusive. Sanday’s Loch of Rummie again provided the highest Pintail count with 36 on 18th but the Loch of Brockan – Oyce of Isbister area of Sandwick also held good numbers with 28 on 18th. Four Shovelers remained on the sea off Finstown on 20th while the Stenness Loch Scaup flock numbered 183 on 21st. There were 28 Velvet Scoters off Quanterness on 21st, ten having been seen at Sandoyne on 13th and up to two off Rerwick. Up to three Common Scoters were in the Inganess – Rerwick area all month while others included five in Widewall Bay (all month), four at Warebeth, Stromness on 20th and one in Veantrow Bay, Shapinsay on 7th. The fish cages off Quanterness attracted a massive flock of Eiders, 700 being counted on 21st. The male and female Goosanders in the Graemeshall – St. Mary’s area remained until at least 5th while a pair were located on the Loch of Brockan late in the month. The ‘red-head’ Smew returned to the Loch of Skaill on 27th.
Away from breeding areas, Buzzards were reported from Widewall (one – two mid-month), Egilsay on 12th and Shapinsay (16th-20th when found dead). A Goshawk was reported from Dale, Costa on 19th, late winter/early spring having become the time to see this species. The Gyr Falcon that was seen in the Stromness area on single dates in December and January was seen again there on 3rd.
The very obliging Water Rail remained at Dale until all month, the only other report being of one at Otterswick, Sanday on 11th. The expected late February influx of Oystercatchers occurred on cue, if not a little earlier than usual. 185 had gathered at the Brig o’ Waithe by 16th and, on 21st, 436 were counted around the Stenness Loch; up to 130 were reported from other sites. The only Grey Plovers were three at Scuthvie, Sanday on 13th and one at Oyce of Quindry on 15th. The largest flock of Golden Plovers was one of 400 at Start, Sanday on 15th although two days earlier, eight had been found back on breeding areas on two of the high tops of Hoy. Good counts of Ringed Plover included 96 near the Loch of Tankerness on 3rd and 90 at Ness Point, Stromness on 5th. Knot seemed to be in short supply, the only reports being of singles in the Mill Sand – St. Peter’s Pool area on 10th. 120 Purple Sandpipers were at Warebeth on 20th with 160 on Egilsay next day while a colour-ringed Ruff at Marwick on 28th is probably the same Dutch bird that has wintered in the West Mainland in recent years. The highest Snipe count was of 90 on Egilsay on 13th although 70 were at the Finstown Ouse on 14th and 60 at Herston on 3rd/4th. However, only two Jack Snipe were seen, together at St. Margaret’s Hope on 23rd. Single Woodcock were reported from five sites with two at Swannay on 23rd and three at Durkadale on 14th. The Widewall Bay flock of Bar-tailed Godwits numbered 90 on 4th, 70 being counted at Tres Ness, Sanday on 28th. The only Black-tailed Godwit was one at Mill Sand on 28th. Widewall provided the biggest Curlew count with 900 on 20th although 740 at Marwick on 12th were also worthy of note. The overwintering Whimbrel on Burray was present all month.
A very early Lesser Black-backed Gull was in Stromness on 1st. Two Iceland Gulls remained in Stromness Harbour for most of the month while others were seen at Evie Bay on 14th, on Egilsay on 21st and at the Skaill Loch on 28th. The fine, calm weather attracted 9000 Guillemots ashore on Marwick Head on 9th; most had gone by 11th/12th but thousands had returned by 13th only to have left again by 18th. The only Razorbills reported were seven of Rerwick on 21st. A Little Auk was off Marwick on 5th while three were seen in central Scapa Flow on 12th.
The largest Rock Dove flock was 450 at the Loch of Brockan on 13th/14th while the only Long-eared Owls were two in South Ronaldsay during the latter part of the month. Up to five Waxwings were in Stromness between 8th – 11th with three near Finstown on 11th and another there on 21st; a few days previously, a large influx had been noted in southern Sweden. Spring-like weather on 10th induced lots of Skylarks to start singing in the Widewall area although other birds still remained in their winter flocks, for example 70 on Eglisay on 15th. Pied Wagtails began to become more conspicuous towards the end of the month as birds returned from their winter quarters but the only Grey Wagtail reported was one in Kirkwall on 28th.
The January Mistle Thrush at Quoyangry, South Ronaldsay remained until 3rd although what may have been the same bird was in the Hope on 17th; another was seen at Kirkwall Airport on 3rd. Fieldfares were conspicuous with 195 at Loch of Tankerness on 3rd, 180 at Mirkady, Deerness on 10th and several other reports of up to 100 suggesting some passage though the islands. Redwings were not quite so numerous but 120 remained at Herston 8th-12th and 70 were in Tankerness on 21st. A male and a female Blackcap frequented a Kirkwall garden at the end of the month while a Chiffchaff was seen in Toab on 1st and another at Redland, Firth on 28th Goldcrests were heard in song at Langskaill, Toab and Herston on 21st.
A real surprise was the report, accompanied by photographs, of up to four Coal Tits coming to a Lyness garden during the first week of the month. There were some good Jackdaw flocks, the largest being 90 at East Moss, Holm and at Newark Bay, South Ronaldsay; two ‘Nordic’ Jackdaws were found amongst a small flock at Ocklester, Holm on 21st. The Deerness Tree Sparrow was seen again late in the month.
A Brambling was in Stromness on 26th, a Goldfinch in Finstown on 14th, 21st and 28th and a Siskin at St. Mary’s on 18th. Three Common Redpolls were found at Redland, Firth on 28th. Twite flocks were somewhat reduced in size but 500 were at Landseer, Holm on 21st and at Dale, Costa on 22nd and up to 400 on Egilsay. Linnets are always less numerous in their winter flocks but up to 200 were present at Dale and 150 at the Finstown school bird crop. The largest Snow Bunting flocks were 50 at Yonbell, Sandwick on 18th and 100 at Marwick on 27th while the highest concentration of Reed Buntings was of up to 100 at Dale during the month.
Brian Murray’s musings about the longevity of different bird species (The Orcadian, 25th February) prompted me to turn to the details provided by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in their five-yearly round-up of the information provided by the bird ringing scheme that they administer. The oldest birds of various species as known from British ringing records (up to 2006) are shown below in years and months:
Mute Swan |
26.9 | Great Black-backed Gull |
24.4 |
Greylag Goose |
18.8 | Arctic Tern |
29.1 |
Eider |
35.6 | Guillemot |
31.9 |
Fulmar |
40.10 | Razorbill |
41.11 |
Gannet |
37.4 | Puffin |
30 |
Shag |
30.6 | Skylark |
9 |
Hen Harrier |
15.9 | Swallow |
11.1 |
Golden Eagle |
15.10 | Pied Wagtail |
11.3 |
Oystercatcher |
36.2 | Robin |
8.4 |
Lapwing |
21.1 | Blackbird |
14.2 |
Curlew |
31.5 | Goldcrest |
4.1 |
Bonxie |
32.11 | Rook |
22.1 |
Kittiwake |
28.6 | Hooded Crow |
17.1 |
Common Gull |
22.6 | House Sparrow |
12 |
Eric Meek
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