RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
MAY 2005

Great Northern Divers were still prominent early in the month with an impressive flock of 142 off Orakirk, Orphir on 2nd; lingering birds were seen elsewhere up to 29th. The only Black-throated Diver reported was one in Hoy’s Bay of Quoys on 22nd. There was only a single record, too, of Manx Shearwater – off North Ronaldsay on 9th. The Noup, Westray Gannet colony held 10 nests on 26th while the Hoy Heron colony, previously feared extinct, held a single nest on 30th.

A few Whooper Swans lingered until mid-month and an injured bird was still on North Loch, Sanday on 29th closely associated with a long-staying Canada Goose. The only Barnacle Goose was one on the Skaill Loch on 4th but a few Pink-footed Geese were reported (maximum nine on Westray on 15th) while a gander is again paired to a Greylag Goose and nesting on the Birsay Moors RSPB Reserve. Eight Garganeys were reported during the month on North Ronaldsay , Westray, in Holm, Birsay and at Brodgar. Much rarer was a female Blue-winged Teal at Brodgar from 27th; only the 11th record for Orkney, this bird is mated to a drake Shoveler! 31 Scaup were still on the Harray Loch at Brodgar on 5th while others were seen off North Ronaldsay on 11th and off Hoy on 21st. Pochard are always scarce breeders in Orkney so it was pleasing to see two broods on Shapinsay’s Mill Dam on 27th. Long-tailed Ducks remained conspicuous early in the month with flocks of 70 and 80 off Hoy on 5th. The drake Surf Scoter was still present off Tankerness on 2nd in the company of two Velvet Scoters. A Smew was a most unusual visitor to North Ronaldsay on 4th while a Goosander was there from 6th to 12th. The Mill Dam had a monopoly on records of Ruddy Ducks with a peak of nine on 20th.

An immature White-tailed Eagle was on Eday on 25th but scarcer still was the sighting of an immature Golden Eagle over the Orphir Hills on 3rd. Single Buzzards were on Rousay on 18th and at Binscarth on 22nd, the only record away from the Hoy breeding sites. A male Marsh Harrier appeared on its breeding site on 7th but failed to attract a female; the only other record was of an immature male at Loch of Banks on 20th. Sparrowhawk passage was apparent on North Ronaldsay up to 25th with a peak of four on 12th.

By the end of the month there had been only four reports of Corncrakes. A Red-legged Partridge was seen in Tankerness on 15th. Dotterels passed through North Ronaldsay up to 19th with four records of parties of up to five. Summer-plumaged Knot are always a fine sight, up to 38 being seen on North Ronaldsay during the month, 20 at Brodgar on 9th (still two on 31st), over 200 on Westray, 100 in Deerness and 80 on Stronsay on 16th/17th. A marked passage of Dunlins was apparent at the end of the month with 80 between Houton and Ireland on 28th and 20 at Birsay next day. Sanderlings were also conspicuous with 80 at Westray’s Ouse on 17th and over 200 on Sanday and 65 at Birsay on 29th. The only Purple Sandpipers reported were on North Ronaldsay and Westray with maxima of 30 on 15th and 50 on 7th respectively; two were still present on the former on 29th. A single Ruff was in the same locality on 2nd. 36 Bar-tailed Godwits remained on Sanday on 29th while North Ronalday had recorded a peak of 13 Black-tailed Godwits on 12th; two were also on Stronsay on 4th and one on Westray on 16th. Small numbers of Whimbrel were still on the move during the first half of the month with a peak of 12 on North Ronaldsay on 12th and the last there on 23rd. Single Greenshanks were in Stenness from 10th, on North Ronaldsay on 14th and on Stronsay on 17th. A single Wood Sandpiper visited North Ronaldsay on 14th and a Common Sandpiper was there on 24th by which time small numbers had settled on their breeding sites on the Mainland and Hoy.

Arctic Skuas are conspicuous by their absence on their usual breeding areas and Bonxies are apparently much reduced in numbers too, none of which augers well for the success of our seabird breeding season this year. A single Long-tailed Skua off North Ronaldsay on 27th lightened the gloom! There were five records of single Little Gulls from North Ronaldsay (two), Sanday, Shapinsay and Harray while one-two were at the Ayre Loch, St. Mary’s from11th and there was an unusual record of five off Eday on 5th. Up to three Iceland Gulls remained in the Quanterness, St.Ola area up until 5th with others on Hoy on 10th and in Birsay on the very late date of 29th. Even more Glaucous Gulls lingered with seven records during the month, the last being singles in the Birsay and Sandwick areas on 26th. Considerable numbers of Arctic Terns appeared with 1066 counted on North Ronaldsay on 11th and over 1000 off Shapinsay on 21st; however, few seem to be settling to breed although several hundred were on site near The Noup, Westray on 26th. The only Little Tern reported was one at No.4 Barrier on 16th/17th.

Light Wood Pigeon passage was evident on North Ronaldsay up to 23rd with singles on Herston on 15th and 23rd. Small numbers of Collared Doves also passed through, North Ronaldsay recording a peak of seven on 23rd. There was a good showing of Cuckoos with 12 reports from Hoy, the Mainland and North Ronaldsay after the first in Stenness on 1st. A Long-eared Owl on North Ronaldsay on 23rd was the only one this month while that island also recorded an unusual peak of four Short-eared Owls on 12th. A Bee-eater was a spectacular find on Shapinsay on 26th; this species is a classic ‘overshoot’ migrant, a bird that has failed to stop in its usual Mediterranean breeding area during its northward flight from African wintering grounds. There were five records of one-two Swifts between 23rd and 26th. 11 Sand Martins were reported from widely scattered localities with similar numbers of House Martins away from the few breeding sites where birds were settling down. 52 Swallows were on North Ronaldsay on 12th and a similar number were reported feeding in the lee of trees at Swanbister, Orphir during atrocious weather on 28th. A late returning Waxwing was in Rendall on 14th. The only Tree Pipit of the month was on North Ronaldsay on 1st and that island provided three of the six records of White Wagtails (between 5th and 20th), the others being on South Ronaldsay on 1st and 8th and at Ireland on 3rd.

Small numbers of Dunnocks passed through North Ronaldsay with peaks of five on 1st and three on 25th. In a poor spring for small migrant song-birds from the Continent, the only record of a Bluethroat came from North Ronaldsay on 31st. The same island provided three records of Black Redstarts and one of Common Redstart while one-two Ring Ouzels from the April influx remained there until 9th. An arrival of Northern Wheatears was apparent in the West Mainland on 15th, North Ronaldsay recording a peak of 47 on 19th while the only Whinchat was one on Papa Westray on 24th. Late Fieldfares were on North Ronaldsay on 1st/2nd and on Westray on 26th while the only Redwings were three singles on North Ronaldsay, the last on 24th.

Grasshopper Warblers were at dale, Costa on 4th ,in Rendall on 5th and 10th-12th and at St. Margaret’s Hope on 16th. Sedge Warblers were late in arriving with one in Orphir on 3rd then none until 10th; numbers also appeared to be low although at least six were at Wideford Burn, St.Ola on 14th. One-two Lesser Whitethroats were on North Ronaldsay between 19th and 23rd while one had been on Papa Westray on 5th and another was in Herston on 24th/25th. Single Common Whitethroats occurred in Orphir on 14th and on North Ronaldsay and in Rendall between 19th-23rd. The only Garden Warblers were singles on North Ronaldsay on 22nd and 24th and there were few Blackcaps with only one-two on North Ronaldsay on four dates and another at Binscarth on 22nd. Few breeding Willow Warblers were reported, perhaps another reflection of the very cold spring; migrants on North Ronaldsay numbered no more than six on 2nd and five on 19th. However, there were perhaps a few more Chiffchaffs than usual with singing birds in Birsay ad St.Ola and seven other records of up to four. The first Spotted Flycatchers were two on North Ronaldsay on 19th with a peak of four there on 23rd; others were seen on Westray, South Ronaldsay and in Costa on 25th/26th. The only Pied Flycatcher was one on North Ronaldsay on 19th.

Two Great Grey Shrikes were reported from Oyce of Quindry, South Ronaldsay on the very unusual date of 15th. The light passage of corvids continued on North Ronaldsay with one-two Jackdaws on 5th and 23rd and one-two Rooks on 12th and 24th. The passage of Carrion Crows was, however, unprecedented, with an arrival of 53 birds there on 12th and two on 21st; others were seen on Shapinsay on 6th, Westray (up to six 15th-17th) and South Ronaldsay on 24th.

A few Chaffinches and Bramblings lingered on North Ronaldsay until 13th while there was also one-two Bramblings in Finstown and at Herston from 1st-3rd. Goldfinches appeared on North Ronaldsay and in Finstown on 1st/2nd while a few Siskins were reported from Tankerness on 3rd and from Rendall on four dates up to 26th. Common Redpolls were seen on North Ronaldsay on 7th and 11th and on Westray (four) on 5th while a Lesser Redpoll was in Tankerness on 12th; unspecified redpolls were also reported from Rendall on three dates and in Herston from 2nd-5th. Two-three Crossbills were found in Rendall from 27th and at least two others in Hoy on 30th (one as a Sparrowhawk kill!); this is a very early date for this species to be seen and may herald a forthcoming irruption. Two Scarlet Rosefinches appeared (on Hoy and North Ronaldsay) on the very typical dates of 26th and 29th. A late returning Northern Bullfinch was on North Ronaldsay from 2nd-4th while a Hawfinch was seen there from 20th. There was a scatter of late Snow Buntings with one-two in Birsay on 10th/11th, Sanday and Hoy on 16th, Westray on 18th and on North Ronaldsay where the peak was five on 26th and the last, one on 29th. Finally, a Yellowhammer on North Ronaldsay on 30th was a most unusual spring record.

Eric Meek

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