RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
JUNE 2011

Small numbers of Great Northern Divers lingered with seven off Howequoy Head, Holm on 12th and up to five off North Ronaldsay on 4th and 7th.  Two Black-throated Divers were in Hunda Sound on 9th and 12th while a much rarer White-billed Diver was off the Broch of Gurness on 7th.  A Slavonian Grebe in its superb summer plumage was on the Loch of Bosquoy from mid-month. 

Up to four Manx Shearwaters were noted off North Ronaldsay on four dates while another was in the Pentland Firth on 25th.  The only Storm Petrels seen were three off North Ronaldsay on 17th and one on 29th.  The Gannet colony on the Noup Cliffs held 600 pairs on 20th, its exponential increase since its establishment in 2003 having slowed at last.

Unusual geese don’t usually figure large in June reports but North Ronaldsay held up to five Pink-footed Geese during the first half of the month with a Taiga Bean Goose also there from 2nd – 11th.  Two Barnacle Geese were noted on the same island on 9th with seven on Papay on 15th.  A Snow Goose was at Crairie, Tankerness on 12th and a Brent Goose at The Ouse,Westray on 8th.

North Ronaldsay recorded Garganey on twelve dates to 23rd while others were reported from the Graemeshall Loch on 3rd and 5th, from Loch of Banks on 5th and from The Loons on 13th.  A most unusual find was of two drake Ring-necked Ducks, vagrants from North America at the Loch of Bosquoy from 14th to the end of the month.  The only Scaup reported was one on North Ronaldsay on 7th and the only Long-tailed Duck, one on the Harray Loch on 9th.  Up to three Common Scoters frequented the Holm Sound area to 12th while six were off North Ronaldsay on 6th.  Goosanders are infrequent visitors, especially in mid-summer, but a drake was on the Finstown Ouse on 2nd and five on the Wasdale Loch on 4th.

It was a good month for unusual raptors with Honey Buzzards over Fara on 9th and Marwick on 18th and a Red Kite over Outertown, Stromness on 10th.  There were five sightings of Ospreys in the West Mainland between 4th and 20th while a Marsh Harrier was present in the same area from mid-month. Montagu’s Harrier has only been seen in Orkney twice before so that a report of a possible male in the Tingwall area on 11th had many hopes raised; unfortunately, it wasn’t seen again.  Five pairs of Common Buzzards are now breeding in the West Mainland, the only report away from there being of one in the Airport-Cannigal area.  Finally, a Hobby was an unusual visitor to Rackwick on 14th and 17th.

A Spotted Crake, a very scarce visitor, was heard calling at The Loons between 11th and 18th.  Quails were also heard calling on North Ronaldsay on four dates, on Egilsay on two and on Westray on 30th when birds were heard near Pierowall and near Cleaton House. 

A late passage of Ringed Plovers brought 300 to North Ronaldsay on 4th when 70 were also counted on Papay.  Return movements of Golden Plover were apparent late in the month with a peak of 196 on North Ronaldsay on 28th when the first (22) were noted on Papay.  Up to 80 Knots were noted on Papay and 47 on the nearby Holm of Papay early in the month while 45 were on North Ronaldsay on 29th.  The peak count of Sanderlings was 183 on North Ronaldsay on 3rd and 70 on Papay next day.  The only Purple Sandpipers were two-three on North Ronaldsay 8th-12th and one on Papay on 15th.  Scarcer waders included a Curlew Sandpiper on North Ronaldsay on 14th and 17th and a Little Stint there on 4th with another in Birsay Bay on 12th.  Even more unusual were a Temminck’s Stint at The Shunan on 26th/27th and a Pectoral Sandpiper at the Loch of Tankerness on 5th.

Whimbrel continued to pass through North Ronaldsay all month at up to five per day although the only others were one in Burray on 6th and two at the Harray Loch next day.  Black-tailed Godwits were conspicuous, especially in the West Mainland, with a peak of 16 at Loch of Banks on 17th, a peak of 30 at The Shunan on 27th when 12 were also at Loch of Bosquoy and 23 at Brodgar on 28th.  A migrant Common Sandpiper was on North Ronaldsay on 27th while an elusive Wood Sandpiper was at The Shunan on 10th and 15th.  Red-necked Phalaropes were reported from Loch of Banks on 10th, North Ronaldsay and The Shunan on 11th and at The Loons on 21st.

A Long-tailed Skua was seen at Marwick on 1st and a Pomarine Skua in Eynhallow Sound on 8th.  An immature Little Gull was on the Harray Loch on 7th and a very late Iceland Gull in Sandwick on 3rd.  Although considerable concentrations of Arctic Terns were reported, for example 300 in Wyre Sound and 440 in Echnaloch Bay on 1st, it appears, once again, to be a disastrous breeding season for this species.  Four pairs of Little Terns appear to be nesting at their regular site while one-two were also reported from North Ronaldsay and South Ronaldsay.

Up to four Wood Pigeons and up to ten Collared Doves were logged passing through North Ronaldsay.  Reports of Cuckoos became fewer as birds stopped calling but, nevertheless, they were noted at six localities up to 24th.  For the second year in succession, Long-eared Owls have bred successfully on the Mainland, this year rearing three chicks.  It was a good month for seeing Swifts, the fourteen reports including 22 on North Ronaldsay on 28th and 21 passing Barth Head, South Ronaldsay next day.

Reports of Shore Larks have become very scarce in recent years so that one on North Ronaldsay on 17th was of real note.  45 House Martins fed over the Peedie Sea on 1st, a good concentration while a very rare Red-rumped Swallow was on Sanday on 9th.  Single Yellow Wagtails were seen on North Ronaldsay on 6th and on Papay on 24th/25th while a White Wagtail was also on North Ronaldsay on 6th.  Nightingales are very rare in Orkney so that one on North Ronaldsay on 17th and 19th was a really good find.  North Ronaldsay also reported a Fieldfare on 10th.

Singing Grasshopper Warblers were noted in five West Mainland localities during the month.  However, it was North Ronaldsay that had the complete monopoly on more unusual warblers.  That island saw a Reed Warbler on 6th/7th; amazingly, two Blyth’s Reed Warblers on 7th and 23rd; a Marsh Warbler on 18th and an Icterine Warbler from 8th-11th.  In addition, Lesser Whitethroats were also noted on 8th and 12th, up to three Common Whitethroats to 17th and three single Garden Warblers to 26th.  Single Blackcaps were also noted there on five dates to 13th, two also being seen in St. Ola late in the month.  Chiffchaffs were reported from five localities with up to three on North Ronaldsay and singles elsewhere.  A few migrant Willow Warblers continue to pass through North Ronaldsay until 9th.

Up to three Spotted Flycatchers were on North Ronaldsay until 18th, the only other report being of one on Papay on 3rd.  A Pied Flycatcher was on North Ronaldsay on 6th while that island also saw the month’s only Red-backed Shrikes, on 10th, 16th and 17th (two).  Two Coal Tits in the Hoy Lodge plantation on 16th raised hopes of breeding there.  A report of a starling-sized, black-and-yellow bird, removed from a car radiator grill at a Stromness garage in mid-May, must have referred to a Golden Oriole!

Three Tree Sparrows on Papay on 3rd must have been migrants but the continued run of sightings at The Shunan during the month suggested that nesting might be taking place nearby.  A Brambling was on North Ronaldsay on 17th while Siskins were recorded there almost daily with peaks of eight on 12th and seven on 26th; one-two were seen in six other localities. One-two Common Redpolls were seen on North Ronaldsay on nine dates and one-two Lesser Redpolls on 9th/10th.  Redpolls, unattributable to species, were noted at The Shunan, Russadale (up to three) and Trumland, Rousay.  One-two Crossbills occurred on North Ronaldsay after 9th with one on Hoy on 17th, three at Marwick on 18th and eight at Hatston on 19th.

Eric Meek

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