RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
JULY 2004

During the course of the month more information was gathered more evidence on the dire situation as regards our breeding seabirds. JNCC’s monitoring of various cliff-nesting colonies indicates that very few, if any, Kittiwake chicks are going to fledge this year while Guillemot breeding success has been cut from a normal 70% to about 30%. The only substantial Arctic Tern colonies still ongoing when last visited were those on the Golta on Flotta and on Swona; virtually every other colony has failed to produce any young. Arctic Skuas are drastically reduced in numbers and very few pairs seem to have managed to fledge chicks. Even that species that everyone loves to hate, the Bonxie, has suffered badly too. Despite popular belief, Bonxies are no longer increasing in numbers and, in fact, the colony on Hoy that holds 95% of Orkney’s population, is this year much reduced and has reared very few chicks. Another sign that all is not well came from a beached bird survey carried out between Houton and Ireland that found 70 corpses, at a time of year when 10 would have been more usual.

On the brighter side, our Hen Harriers have had an excellent season. With some 65 nesting attempts and 80 young reared, this has been the best season since 1980. It could have been even better had it not been for some really wet spells soon after the main hatching period that caused the loss of several broods. The same bad weather also caused the loss of several Merlin nests so that that species had only an average season. Our pair of Marsh Harrier seems to battle through the weather no matter what but this year reared only two young rather than their usual three. It has been a disappointing summer for Corncrakes with only 16 calling males compared to 31 last year. This situation is reflected in Caithness and Sutherland in contrast to areas further south and may well reflect the very poor weather during the period when birds should have been arriving from their African wintering grounds.

A Great Northern Diver off Sandwick, South Ronaldsay was an unusual record for July. Two Slavonian Grebes have summered on a Mainland loch inviting speculation as to whether they have attempted to nest. The first Sooty Shearwaters of the autumn were off North Ronaldsay on 7th and 26th while up to 16 Manx Shearwaters per day were seen there too. Mist-netting of Storm Petrels proved rather disappointing on North Ronaldsay with only up to nine per night but a Leach’s Petrel was among the catch on 6th.

A party of 13 Gadwall at Graemeshall, Holm on 25th was indicative of how this species is currently colonising Orkney as a nesting species. A Goldeneye on the Skaill Loch on 18th was on a slightly unusual date while 17 Red-breasted Mergansers at Widewall on 3rd probably involved birds gathering to moult. Much more unusual was a drake Goosander at the Brig o’ Waithe on 27th. An Osprey was watched over Rendall on 15th while wandering Buzzards were seen on Rousay,Egilsay and in Orphir.

As the month progressed, wader migration began to get under way. Golden Plovers built up to 549 on North Ronaldsay by 15th while other species’ counts from their involved peaks of 31 Knot on 1st (with 15 also in Tankerness on 25th), 134 Sanderling on 15th, 85 Turnstones on 19th and 14 Purple Sandpipers on 15th after the first returners had been seen on 3rd. The largest day-count of Whimbrels came from Egilsay with 26 on 30th while the main concentration of Bar-tailed Godwits was in Tankerness with 21 on 25th. Black-tailed Godwits, however, were confined to North Ronaldsay with peaks of four on 12th and three on 30th. Greenshanks were recorded from North Ronaldsay on 24th and Tankerness (two) next day while one-two Green Sandpipers were seen on North Ronaldsay, Durkadale and Costa after 23rd. A single Curlew Sandpiper was on North Ronaldsay on 30th while Red-necked Phalaropes were seen there on 2nd/3rd and again from 27th.

The light passage of Collared Doves that North Ronaldsay sees in summer was represented by records of up to four there on 1st/2nd with another on 26th. A juvenile Cuckoo at Saverock on 19th must have been reared not too far away, not a common occurrence on Orkney. Swifts were well-reported during the month with double-figure counts of 54 on North Ronaldsay on 16th, 20 in Rendall on 22nd and 20 in Deerness on 26th and lots of other reports of up to eight. Two Sand Martins were in Stenness on 1st but we still lack a definite breeding report for this summer. House Martins, on the other hand, have done well with 27 nests known including two on Sanday and three on Westray and the first instance of birds using an artificial nest-box.

A Black Redstart was on Sanday on about 24th while an intriguing report was of two newly-fledged Fieldfares on Burray on 6th – where had they been reared? A very unseasonal Redwing was on North Ronaldsay on 2nd while a Grasshopper Warbler sang in Rendall from 5th-8th and a Whitethroat was in the same area on 31st. Lesser Whitethroats were proved to have bred in Finstown with adults feeding young from 19th, only the second time this species has nested in the islands. Chiffchaffs were in Rendall from 1st to 6th and on North Ronaldsay on 2nd. Spotted Flycatchers have bred in Finstown while another was on North Ronaldsay on 18th. The hoped-for Crossbill irruption didn’t really materialise although up to 14 occurred in Rendall on three dates with records of one – three from four other localities. Finally, Redpolls were seen feeding young at Durkadale on 22nd.

E.R.Meek

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