RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
JANUARY 2008

There was only one record of a Black-throated Diver in January, a bird at Sandoyne on 12th.  Red-necked Grebes are very scarce winter visitors but, on 7th, two were in their usual locality of Sandoyne and one off No.3 Barrier.  Little Grebes were reported from their usual wintering localities but one at Herston was unusual.  Fulmars began to return in numbers to their breeding cliffs during the month and there was a count of 3540 passing Costa Head in an hour on 8th. Herons were widely dispersed but eight on the west coast of Papay on 5th and 11 at Widewall Bay on 22nd were of note.

Shapinsay again provided the highest counts of Whooper Swans with 85 on 12th while 25 were at Bea Loch, Sanday on 13th and up to 15 at four other sites.  Greenland White-fronted Geese peaked at 82 at The Loons on 16th while a single bird was on North Ronaldsay most of the month.  The European White-fronted Goose was relocated in Firth on 26th. A Tundra Bean Goose was at Dale, Costa on 14th. 70 Pink-footed Geese, a large flock for the West Mainland, were at The Loons on 16th wile 600 in Deerness and 450 on Shapinsay on 28th and 29th were in more usual localities.  A Canada Goose that appeared on Papay on 28th December remained until early January while another was on North Ronaldsay most of the month.  North Ronaldsay also reported a Pale-bellied Brent Goose for the whole month too.  No counts of the South Walls Barnacle Goose flock were available for January but over 600, presumably of these birds, visited the Herston area on 26th; the flock at Skaill, Sandwick numbered 70 on 14th while 45 were at The Loons on 16th and 17 at Breck, Rendall on 26th.  The Snow Goose first found in Firth in December re-appeared there on 5th and was seen at Quanterness on 31st.

Shelducks returning from their moulting grounds peaked at 36 in Widewall Bay on 30th; no more than two were reported from elsewhere.  Good Teal counts included a peak of 490 at Shapinsay’s Mill Dam on 24th, 130 at Loch of Banks on 14th and 190 at the Sabiston Loch on 20th.  A Green-winged Teal was at the Loch of Tankerness until at least 12th.  16 Pintail were counted on North Loch, Sanday on 13th while up to 13 were on North Ronaldsay.  The Loch of Stenness Scaup flock numbered 224 on 12th.  There were no exceptional counts of Velvet Scoters during the month but single Common Scoters were at Inganess on 12th and in Holm Sound next day with a count of six off Mirkady, Deerness on 22nd.  The Inganess Surf Scoter was seen on 1st and 12th while a young drake was watched off the North Ronaldsay pier on 21st.  A drake Goosander was on the Bosquoy Loch on 12th while the elusive Loch of Skaill Smew remained until the end of the month occasionally commuting to the Loch of Clumly Quarry Pool.  The Quoyloo Brewery Pool Ruddy Duck was again seen on 9th.

A Water Rail was flushed at the Harray Loch’s Lochside picnic site on 29th but the sighting of the month was undoubtedly the two Cranes that were first seen at Quanternees during the morning of 5th and later were relocated at Fea Hill, Tankerness in the evening. 

Common Buzzards were in Orphir on 5th and Heddle on 9th while the Rough-legged Buzzard that was found in Rendall in December remained there all month. 

The largest Golden Plover flock was 900 at Banks on 26th while, unusually, one was back on moorland at Heddle Hill on 20th.  73 Ringed Plovers at Newark Bay, South Ronaldsay on 12th was a good count.  Purple Sandpipers peaked at 205 on North Ronaldsay on 23rd while other large counts came from Scuthvie, Sanday (155 on 13th), North Wick, Papay (147 on 7th) and Evie Sands (100 on 27th).  Scuthvie again provided the highest Sanderling count with 390 on 13th while 70 Dunlins were at the Skaill Loch on 26th.  The lone Ruff at Graemston Loch, South Ronaldsay on 7th was later joined by five more on 29th.  Single Jack Snipe were reported from six localities including two on open moorland while two were at the Wasdale Loch on 13th.  Woodcock remained widespread with one-two seen at fifteen sites.  Widewall Bay provided the highest Bar-tailed Godwit count with 76 on 11th; a single Black-tailed Godwit was at Skaill, Sandwick on 12th.  The wintering Whimbrel on Burray was relocated on 29th.  There was a count of over 1000 Curlews at the Loch of Bosquoy on 20th while the largest concentration of Redshanks was 235 at Widewall Bay on 12th.  Scuthvie, Sanday provided the highest Turnstone count with 225 on 13th although counts of 100-110 came from Birsay Bay, Newark Bay, South Ronaldsay and from Evie Sands.  The Grey Phalarope that appeared in Newark Bay, Deerness in December remained until 12th. 

The immature Mediterranean Gull was seen again at the Peedie Sea on 17th and 28th.  During foul weather on 13th, a large gathering of 995 Herring Gulls and 660 Great Black-backed Gulls came ashore on North Ronaldsay.  Single Glaucous Gulls were reported from seven localities while there were two on North Ronaldsay on 14th.  Iceland Gulls appeared in very similar numbers with singles at seven sites and two at Newark Bay, Deerness on 26th although there was also a record of four white-winged gulls, probably Icelands at Car Ness (viewed from the ferry) on 29th. One-two Little Auks were seen off North Ronaldsay, Sandoyne and in the Pentland Firth.

The largest Rock Dove flock was 300 at Skaill, Sandwick on 26th.  14 Skylarks on North Ronaldsay on 27th may have been the first hint of early passage.  Single Meadow Pipits were reported from several sites while the flock at Gyre Orphir numbered 15 on 21st.  Two Rock Pipits were at Neigarth, Evie (1.5 km from the shore) on 10th. A Grey Wagtail was in Kirkwall on 12th while up to three Pied Wagtails were reported wintering at several sites, especially in Stromness and Kirkwall.

A Robin was reported on three dates on North Ronaldsay, an unusual locality in winter, while that island also provided the largest Redwing count, 18 on 10th.  40 Filedfares at Heddle on 9th was the largest flock of that species.  Single Chiffchaffs were found at Stembister, Toab and Langskaill, Tamkerness on 22nd while a warbler that was either a Yellow-browed Warbler or a Hume’s Warbler was seen briefly at Hestily, South Ronaldsay on 7th but, unfortunately, despite much searching couldn’t be relocated.

Carrion Crows were noted at Twatt (two) on 14th, Evie on 19th and Sandwick on 23rd.  Three Jackdaws in a flock of 13 near Tormiston on 16th showed the white neck patches characteristic of the Nordic race.

Up to 72 Greenfinches were counted in Finstown during the month.  Up to six Goldfinches also occurred there with another in Stromness on 8th/9th and two at the Rousay pier on 22nd.  A single Bullfinch was at Crafty, Firth on 22nd and a single Linnet was reported from North Ronaldsay on 24th/25th.  The biggest Twite flock was at Queena, Sandwick on 21st while up to 300 were at Graemeston, South Ronaldsay during the month and 260 on Shapinsay and 250 at Dale, Costa on 7th.  100 Snow Buntings passed over the Lochside picnic site, Harray on 28th while elsewhere there were 90 in Rendall on 20th, 61 on North Ronaldsay on 22nd and 60 at Dale on 13th.  The highest concentration of Reed Buntings was 40 at Dale on 7th.

Eric Meek

Back to RSPB Bird Reports Menu