RSPB Bird Reports
ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
JULY 2010
A White-billed Diver was reported from the Broch of Gurness on 2nd, an unusual date for this very rare visitor from the High Arctic. A few Manx Shearwaters began to move with Marwick reporting one on 9th and three on 27th while two were off Papay on 6th. Single Storm Petrels passed North Ronaldsay on 7th and 13th while 47 were trapped at the Whalebone, Birsay between 23rd and 25th , two Leach’s Petrels also being caught there. A Little Egret was seen at Orr Shun near Dounby on 23rd.
Two Barnacle Geese were on North Ronaldsay on 6th and perhaps the same birds on Papay from 16th to 31st. A tight flock of 45 Common Scoters flew north past Stroma and out into the Pentland Firth on 10th, an unusually large concentration for anywhere in the Orkney area. A Goldeneye was seen off Herston on 30th.
The freshly moulted tail feather of a Honey Buzzard was found at Redland, Firth on 11th but the bird itself eluded observation! A Golden Eagle, an extremely rare visitor these days, was reported over Outertown, Stromness on 22nd and over Brodgar on 26th.
Twenty-two calling Corncrakes have been located this summer, slightly up on last year’s figure. A pair of Golden Plovers reared four young on Papay, a new island for this species to be nesting; 426 migrants were counted on North Ronaldsay on 14th, 350 on Sanday on 11th and 300 on Westray on 19th. 100 Knot were counted on North Ronaldsay on 12th and 134 at two sites on Westray on 15th. The Swartmill Loch on Westray is currently very attractive to waders and 300 Dunlin were there on 19th, 90 having been at Marwick on 16th. North Ronaldsay provided the highest Sanderling figure with 248 on 19th although another favoured spot, Scuthvie on Sanday, held 150 on 25th. Four Purple Sandpipers had returned to North Ronaldsay by 22nd and eight to Papay by 29th. North Ronaldsay’s Pectoral Sandpiper, first seen on 30th June, remained until 1st while other unusual waders included single Little Stints on Westray on 19th and Papay on 23rd and a Curlew Sandpiper on Papay also on 23rd. The Bay of Tuquoy on Westray held 100 Bar-tailed Godwits on 6th with a similar number on Papay on 13th. Up to 11 Black-tailed Godwits occurred on North Ronaldsay with a peak on 4th/5th while The Shunan held a maximum of nine on 29th and up to five were seen at three other sites. Return passage of Whimbrels really got under way after 7th with up to nine on Flotta, eight on Papay, up to seven on North Ronaldsay and birds reported from six other sites. Four Greenshanks were noted between 14th and 26th and three Green Sandpipers between 2nd and 22nd. Wood Sandpipers, usually much scarcer, were noted in Deerness up to 17th and in Toab on 28th. Common Sandpipers breed around our loch shores but birds on North Ronaldsay on 13th and 16th (two)and in Stromness on 27th were likely to be migrants. Single Red-necked Phalaropes were reported from North Ronaldsay on 4th and Westray on 13th.
A Pomarine Skua passed Marwick on 10th while another was seen, unusually inland, at The Shunan on 29th. A Little Gull was on North Ronaldsay on 6th and a Sabine’s Gull was reported in the Pentland Firth (from the MV Hamnavoe) on 31st. Three pairs of Little Terns were feeding young at their south isles breeding site on 7th and another was on North Ronaldsay on 10th. Most of our breeding Arctic Terns began to fail early in the month while 1500 had built up on Start Island, Sanday by 10th, some making what was presumably a second attempt to nest but soon failing again.
The only report of a Cuckoo was in Sandwick on 19th. A Long-eared Owl chick that had been reared in the West Mainland hills, only the second in the last thirty years, was found injured with a broken bone in its wing. It was nursed back to health and released at the end of the month. There were widespread reports of Swifts with peaks of eight at The Noup, Westray on 11th and nine on North Ronaldsay on 13th with one – three at eleven other sites. Sand Martins are becoming commoner as a breeding species with, as well as the existing West Mainland colonies, nesting being reported from two sites on Westray, on Burray and on South Ronaldsay; breeding also took place for the first time on North Ronaldsay where a maximum of 32 occurred on 19th. Grey Wagtails were confirmed as breeding at Ireland, Stenness where a pair were carrying food on 1st; another was seen at Happy Valley on 24th. A mixed pair of Pied x White Wagtails bred in Holm, a rare occurrence, White Wagtails only usually being migrants in Orkney.
Grasshopper Warblers have been occurring with increasing frequency in recent years but breeding has never been proved; however, on 25th and 26th a bird was seen carrying food in Rendall, finally confirming that nesting is occurring. On 3rd, a male Blackcap was in song at Happy Valley and a female was seen briefly, strongly suggesting that this species might be nesting too. A Whitethroat was in song for a day on 23rd at Hestily, South Ronaldsay. One – two Chiffchaffs were noted on North Ronaldsay up to 10th but none there after. A most unusual record was of a Pied Flycatcher taking refuge aboard the MV Hamnavoe during its Pentland Firth crossing on 2nd.
Another breeding ‘first’ involved Coal Tits; four, including three recently fledged juveniles were seen in the White Glen plantation, Hoy on 19th with another juvenile in the Bu Hill plantation on 23rd. A cock Red-backed Shrike was at Roos Loch, Sanday on 15th and another on Papay on 19th. A Carrion Crow was at Swannay on 16th and 18th.
Two juvenile Redpolls were in the White Glen plantation on 19th and two males, a female and two juveniles, identified as Lesser Redpolls, at the Sourin Manse, Rousay a few days later, both records suggesting breeding nearby. One – six Siskins were noted in Finstown, in Rendall, in the White Glen plantation and on North Ronaldsay up to 19th. For the third summer in a row Crossbills were noted in some numbers in the islands. Although not such a big irruption as in 2008 and 2009, birds were noted in fifteen localities including 32 flying south over Moan, Firth on 9th, at least 20 in the White Glen plantation on 19th, fifteen over Evie on 18th and up to 12 in Finstown. Finally, a Scarlet Rosefinch was a most unusual visitor to a bird feeder in the East Mainland on 12th.
Eric MeekBack to RSPB Bird Reports Menu