RSPB Bird Reports
ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
MAY 2010
Up to 15 Great Northern Divers were noted at various sites while a single Black-throated Diver was in Waulkmill Bay on 24th and a White-billed Diver was reported off Mull Head, Deerness on 13th.
Up to four Whooper Swans were noted in five localities while there were two unusual gatherings of Mute Swans, 45 at Mill Dam, Shapinsay on 2nd (a record for that site) and 23 on Birsay beach on 31st. Pink-footed Goose passage was still in evidence early in the month; 37 arrived at Mill Dam on 1st (before promptly falling asleep!) while up to 350 were at The Loons with a peak on 4th. The small wintering party of Barnacle Geese left Papay on 2nd while three were in Costa on 1st and seven at The Loons on 4th. 24 Brent Geese flew through Eynhallow Sound on 6th when two arrived on North Ronaldsay. A Canada Goose was also on North Ronaldsay on 8th.
The only Garganeys of the spring were single drakes at The Loons on 6th and on North Ronaldsay on 9th, the latter island’s wintering Ring-necked Duck being last seen on that date too. Scaup were prominent early in the month with, on 2nd, 80 on the Harray Loch at Brodgar and 50 on the Skaill Loch; two on North Ronaldsay on 24th were unusual there. Perhaps the month’s most remarkable find was a female King Eider found wandering through a gull colony on Westray on 21st; this species is only a very scarce visitor to Orkney and this is the first female seen since the winter of 1982/83. There were some impressive pre-migration flocks of Long-tailed Ducks with 1000 off Egilsay’s west coast on 5th when over 400 were also in St. Mary’s Bay. Tor Ness Loch on Hoy was an unusual site for a late Goldeneye on 26th and a drake Goosander was found on Yinstay Loch, Tankerness on 23rd. The usual build-up of Red-breasted Mergansers was noted in The Bush to the south of the Brig o’ Waithe with up to 140 present between 1st and 9th.
Perhaps the species that most caught the imagination this month was the White-tailed Sea Eagle. A juvenile flew north through the West Mainland on 11th, passed over Egilsay and was seen on Faray before returning to the Rendall Hills where it was joined by an adult on 15th, the two birds being seen talon-grappling. It is, in fact, possible that three (and perhaps even four) birds were involved as both tagged and untagged juveniles and adults were reported; no reports were received after 20th. Other scarce raptors involved an Osprey over Papay on 27th ; Marsh Harriers on Sanday on 17th, North Ronaldsay on 29th and in Birsay on 31st; and a Goshawk over Trumland, Rousay on 15th.
A Quail was heard calling at Mill Dam, Shapinsay in the early hours of 20th. Two Common Cranes were watched in a cultivated field at Woodwick Bay on 21st and 22nd and may have been the birds seen in Costa on 25th, on Sanday on 30th and on North Ronaldsay next day. In addition one that flew over Binscarth and Refuge on 23rd may have been that which took up residence near Kierfiold House between 25th-29th.
Four Dotterels were found at Bossack, Tankerness on 9th when three were also on Faray; a small ‘trip’ of this species was also seen near the Covenanters’ Memorial on 16th. North Ronaldsay recorded a peak of 111 Purple Sandpipers on 15th while 70 were still on Auskerry on 23rd. One of the features of the month were the concentrations of small, High Arctic waders staging in Orkney before making the last push to their breeding grounds. Ringed Plover counts included 285 on North Ronaldsay , 200 on Sanday and Papay and 100 in Deerness all between 23rd-27th. At the same time 550 Dunlin were in Papay’s North Wick with up to 200 at Mar Wick while Sanderling numbers involved 320 at Scuthvie, Sanday, 250 on Papay and 99 on North Ronaldsay. Turnstones followed a similar pattern with a maximum of 529 on North Ronaldsay on 15th, 350 at West Ayre, Sanday on 19th and 300 on Papay on 23rd. There were a couple of remarkable sightings of Knots on passage on 12th as a flock of 120 flew through Eynhallow Sound and one of almost 200 whistled westwards through the Orphir Hills. More unusual small waders included a Little Stint on Papay on 31st, Single Curlew Sandpipers in Birsay Bay on 30th and on Papay next day and single Ruffs, again on Papay, on 13th and 19th.
Black-tailed Godwit passage was most obvious early in the month with 18 on Papay, 13 at Howan, Sandwick and up to seven at Twatt but resumed in the last few days with two parties of three on Sanday, four at Herston and nine on North Ronaldsay. The biggest gathering of Bar-tailed Godwits was 110 at West Ayre, Sanday. An outstanding feature of May was the continuation of April’s heavy Whimbrel passage with 51 at Graemeshall Burn, Holm on 2nd, birds noted all day over South Ronaldsay on 7th, 30 on North Ronaldsay 8th and fourteen reports of up to ten. Common Sandpipers returned to their breeding sites with obvious migrants on North Ronaldsay on three dates and at Graemeshall Loch on 28th. There were six reports of Greenshanks and two of Green Sandpipers, at the Peedie Sea on 6th and The Shunan on 16th. However, it was the usually very scarce Wood Sandpiper that caught attention with, after 9th, one-two on North Ronaldsay, Westray, South Ronaldsay, Graemeshall and The Loons.
Arctic Skuas have been one of the seabirds hit hardest by the food shortages of recent years but large numbers were noted on Eday during the month. Long-tailed Skuas are very scarce visitors but nine were seen in Hoy Sound on 3rd and one on the moors between Dounby and Evie on 15th. The Stromness Iceland Gull remained until 11th and another was seen at the Graemeshall Loch on 2nd. The only Glaucous Gull was one on North Ronaldsay on 14th. Four Little Terns had returned to their South Isles breeding site by 8th with four pairs there late in the month; another was seen on North Ronaldsay on 12th.
A Stock Dove was a scarce visitor to the Airport area on 2nd-4th but, at least in appearance, was eclipsed by a Hoopoe at Grimbister, Firth on 15th/16th and a Golden Oriole at Dale, Costa on 29th. It was a really good month for Cuckoos with twenty-three reports, mainly of single calling males; this species has been getting commoner in recent years and now seems to be a regular breeder in Orkney. Short-eared Owls were much in evidence, perhaps indicative of a good year for Orkney Voles. There were only three reports of Long-eared Owls, on North Ronaldsay on 9th and 14th and on Burray on 30th. Only two Swifts made it this far north, to North Ronaldsay on 15th and to Graemeshall on 25th.
The strong passage of White Wagtails noted in late April continued into May with, during the first week, up to 53 in Birsay Bay, 30 at Brodgar, 18 at Mar Wick and up to seven at five other sites; single lingered at a few sites until 19th. A Tree Pipit was on Papay on 7th.
Swallows have been getting noticeably commoner in Orkney in recent years but a report from Egilsay suggests a 50% decline this summer; however, 100 were hawking over the Graemeshall Loch on 25th. Sand Martins, likewise, have been increasing in numbers with breeding colonies being the source of up to 30 over the Skaill Loch on 4th and 13 at the Palace on 2nd. Another contender for ‘bird of the month’ had to be the superb Red-rumped Swallow found in the Hope on 25th and remaining until the end of the month as it performed head-high fly-pasts at the doctor’s surgery!
Wheatear numbers peaked at 59 on North Ronaldsay presumably as northern migrants passed through. A single Bluethroat was found on that island on 22nd while Black Redstarts appeared on Copinsay and South Ronaldsay on 15th with another at Cottascarth on 24th. There were four reports of late Redwings up to 14th while single Ring Ouzels were found at Cottascarth on 16th and Rousay on 31st.
At least two Grasshopper Warblers were singing in Rendall for most of the month and single Reed Warblers were on North Ronaldsay on 8th and 11th. Three Lesser Whitethroats were noted between 11th – 16th and five Common Whitethroats between 15th-20th. Up to four Blackcaps were logged on North Ronaldsay with one – two in Sanday, Birsay and the Hope. Willow Warblers returned in force to their breeding sites with up to three obvious migrants at a number of east coast sites. Chiffchaffs are only an occasional breeder in Orkney but several continued to sing at Hestily, South Ronaldsay all month with one-two migrants at another five sites. The only Pied Flycatcher was a male at Rackwick on 13th and the only Spotted Flycatchers, singles at Hestily on 18th and on North Ronaldsay on 22nd. There were three reports of Red-backed Shrikes during the last week, on Hoy on 26th, in Deerness on 27th and in the West Mainland on 29th.
One-two Rooks and Jackdaws moved through North Ronaldsay but the passage of Carrion Crows there was more obvious with a peak of ten on 17th; others were noted in Evie on 9th and the Muckle Skerry on 17th. The largest gathering of Ravens was 62 at West Ayre, Sanday on 19th.
A Brambling was seen at Herston on 3rd with another on North Ronaldsay on 15th. Following on from the first breeding of Goldfinches in Orkney in 2009, reported sightings continue to increase with one- three in eight localities. It was a good month for Siskins with as many as 30 in a Rousay garden on 9th, up to 15 in Rendall and nine reports of up to seven. Single Common Redpolls were seen on North Ronaldsay on 16th and 19th and on Papay on 31st while up to four unidentified redpolls were noted in Rendall during the month. Twite had mainly dispersed to breeding areas during April but 70 were still at Ness, Stromness on 1st. Eight Crossbills were in Rendall on 15th the same date as four on Copinsay, two of which flew in from the east; another was at Binscarth on 20th. Late Snow Buntings lingered on North Ronaldsay until 18th and on Papay until 26th but one of the finds of the month was the lovely male Rustic Bunting on Papay on 31st.
Eric Meek
Back to RSPB Bird Reports Menu