RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
June 2005

Late Great Northern Divers were seen in three localities up to 23rd but much rarer was a White-billed Diver off North Ronaldsay on 1st. The first seabird movement of the summer was noted off North Ronaldsay on 26th when 15 Storm Petrels and eight Manx Shearwaters were counted; other Storm Petrels were seen in Scapa Flow on 15th and off Swona on 29th when was also found as a Peregrine kill on that island. The Noup, Westray Gannet colony continues to grow; 27 nests were counted during the month.

Three late Whooper Swans were noted, at St.Peter’s Pool on 3rd, North Ronaldsay on 17th and the Skaill Loch next day while the long-staying Canada Goose remained at Sanday’s North Loch. The best place to see breeding ducks was the Mill Dam on Shapinsay where Pintail (one brood), Shoveler (eight broods), Gadwall (two broods), Pochard (two broods), Wigeon (two pairs) and Ruddy Ducks (six drakes and three ducks) were all regularly on show. Also there, on 10th, was a drake Garganey while another was at The Loons next day. The duck Blue-winged Teal, found in May and mated to a drake Shoveler, remained at Brodgar until 7th. A pair of summer-plumaged Long-tailed Ducks were in the Brodgar area on 11th and 18th, the latter date proving to be a good one for ducks with a duck Scaup at Brodgar, two drake Goosanders at the Brig o’ Waithe and 34 Goldeneye and a duck Velvet Scoter on the Skaill Loch. There was also an interesting concentration of 32 moulting drake Red-breasted Mergansers at the Ayre Loch, St. Mary’s on 13th

An Osprey was over Finstown on 2nd with other sightings in Stenness, Birsay and Rendall on 16th/17th. Late migrant Sparrowhawks were on North Ronaldsay on 8th and 15th and there was a Marsh Harrier there on 23rd. By the end of the month, 10 calling male Corncrakes had been located, a disappointing year. Water Rails are a very scarce breeder in Orkney and one at Tuskerbister on the Germiston Road was in a new locality.

Egilsay was the place to be for breeding waders with Curlew (37pairs), Redshank (42 pairs), Oystercatcher (83 pairs), Lapwing (51 pairs) and Snipe (64 drumming males); all the totals were substantially up on 2004 except Snipe, phenomenal totals for a small island. As June progressed, Golden Plover numbers began to build up on North Ronaldsay with 145 by 29th; the only Grey Plover reported was one there on 5th. North Ronaldsay also provided the highest counts of Knot (25 on 5th), Turnstone (38 on 26th) and Black-tailed Godwit (48 on 8th), The Loons also holding up to 16 of the latter during the first half of the month. The largest flock of Sanderlings was of 30 on Evie Sands on 9th and of Bar-tailed Godwits, 19 at Sanday’s North Loch on 13th. One-two Whimbrels were seen on North Ronaldsay and Sanday on four dates while more unusual waders included two Ruff at The Loons on 11th, a Greenshank in Stenness on 2nd and a Red-necked Phalarope on North Ronaldsay on 8th with two there on 17th.

The only Little Gull was at Shapinsay’s Mill Dam from 10thto 22nd but much rarer was a Laughing Gull in St.Margaret’s Hope and on Burray from 28th; the latter was only the 2nd record of this North American gull in Orkney. Left over from last winter’s invasion were three Iceland Gulls (in Stromness, Birsay and North Ronaldsay) and three Glaucous Gulls (in Birsay, Egilsay and North Ronaldsay). Our breeding seabirds seem to have picked up after a very late start but it remains to be seen just how successful a breeding season it will be; there are fears that they may give up before rearing their young. Arctic Terns are certainly very late, although 150 chicks were found amongst a colony of 1000 adults on Swona on 29th, most birds still being on eggs.

Passage Wood Pigeons were on North Ronaldsay on 5th and 17th where up to six Collared Doves were also present. Cuckoos continued to be conspicuous eight records, five of them on Hoy and the others in Rendall, Firth and Hoy. Short-eared Owls were also conspicuous in their moorland breeding areas but away from these, birds were also seen on North Ronaldsay on three dates and on Swona on 29th. There were ten sightings of Swifts concentrated around 7th/8th, 16th and 29th/30th; ten over Swona on 29th was the maximum count. Extremely rare in an Orkney context was a Nightjar found exhausted in Herston on 13th; it was cared for that day and released in suitable habitat in Firth that evening. Away from their normal breeding sites, House Martins were seen on North Ronaldsay (one-three on five dates) and Hoy(one-two on three dates). There have been no reports of breeding Sand Martins this summer but a concentration of reports from the Barnhouse Hide area suggested that birds may be nesting in the vicinity. A male Grey-headed Wagtail was a fine sight on North Ronaldsay on 7th; this is the Scandinavian race of Yellow Wagtail and another Yellow Wagtail not racially identified was there on 9th. As well as waders (see above), Egilsay is an amazing place for Skylarks and no fewer than 100 breeding pairs were counted there this summer.

A few migrant Dunnocks lingered on North Ronaldsay until 4th while also there were a Black Redstart (on 5th), a Bluethroat (on 18th) and a Garden Warbler (on 5th). Single Blackcaps lingered on that island until 17th while another was in Rendall on 18th. North Ronaldsay also held the most Chiffchaffs with three on 2nd and one-two to the month’s end; other were on Hoy on 5th and in Rendall on 7th. Concentrations of breeding Willow Warblers on Hoy included four singing birds in Berriedale and four in the White Glen plantation; migrants were on North Roanldsay on three dates. One-two Spotted Flycatchers passed through North Ronaldsay up to 17th the only other being one at Marwick on 3rd.

A single Jackdaw and a single Carrion Crow were on North Ronaldsay on 16th while there was a large roost of 60 Hooded Crows at the Hoy Lodge plantation on 7th. A singing male Golden Oriole was a surprising but delightful find in Rendall on 20th. Two Goldfinches were in Stenness on 8th and two more on North Ronaldsay on 20th while the only Siskins were in Rendall (four on 5th and one on 7th). Lesser Redpolls were sighted on North Ronaldsay on three dates, in Rendall on three dates and in Outertown, Stromness on 21st; a Common Redpoll was on Hoy on 15th. The minor irruption of Crossbills continued with up to eight in Rendall, and on Hoy and one at Crantit. A very late Snow Bunting was on North Ronaldsay but even more unusual was a Yellowhammer on Hoy on 5th and 7th.

Eric Meek

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