RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
MAY 2011

Although there were no reports of lingering Slavonian Grebes, a single Red-necked Grebe was found in Echnaloch Bay on 3rd.  Storm Petrels will be back at their breeding sites by now, but the only sighting was of one off Birsay on 25th.  Similarly, Manx Shearwaters will be back at their small colony on Hoy but the only ones seen were from North Ronaldsay where they were noted on five dates with a maximum of eight on 29th.

Whooper Swans, some of them undoubtedly injured, were noted at Loch of Skaill, Loch of Graemston and Loch of Banks (two).  13 Pink-footed Geese were on North Ronaldsay on 1st with up to 17 there 18th-29th.  Four Snow Geese flew over Marness on 11th and one was on North Ronaldsay 27th-29th, that island also reporting up to three Barnacle Geese late in the month.  An unusual visitor to the Brodgar Pools was a Pale-bellied Brent Goose from 22nd while a Canada Goose was seen on the Tankerness Loch on 6th.

Shelduck broods began to appear, the earliest being one at Herston on 18th.  A Green-winged Teal was on North Ronaldsay on 6th but perhaps even more unusual was the concentration of Garganey there with birds present from 9th-31st with a peak of five on 10th; one was also at Loch of Banks on 15th.  Small numbers of Scaup lingered; two pairs were on the Skaill Loch to the end of the month, a pair was in Widewall Bay on 24th while one was on North Ronaldsay 23rd-31st.  The only concentration of Long-tailed Ducks was 20 at No.4 Barrier on 9th.  One-three Common Scoters were in five localities but none were seen after 13th.  The Red-breasted Merganser gathering in The Bush, Stenness numbered 52 on 9th and 44 on 12th.

It was quite a good month for unusual raptors.  Ospreys were seen over Rendall/Firth on 3rd, North Ronaldsay on 9th, in the Orphir Hills on 12th, over Flotta on 29th and over the Black Craig on 31st.  A White-tailed Eagle was over Rendall on 1st, Birsay on 2nd; and Stenness and Stromness on 3rd when the flypast was enjoyed by RSPB staff from their office garden!  Two, an adult and an immature, were on Rousay the next day while one was in the Rousay-Wyre-Rendall area on 24th/25th.  Marsh Harriers were seen on North Ronaldsay on four dates, on Rousay and over Birsay on 3rd, on Westray on 5th, over Fara on 13th and in Burray on 27th.  Black Kites are extremely rare visitors but one was on North  Ronaldsay on 2nd then over the Black Craig, Stromness on 4th.  What may have been a different bird was then seen flying from Egilsay to Shapinsay on 21st, from Fara to Flotta on 28th and in Tankerness next day.  Sparrowhawk passage on North Ronaldsay peaked at five on 2nd while a Common Buzzard was an unusual visitor to Papay on 4th.

One – two Quail were noted on North Ronaldsay from 6th with an influx elsewhere from 17th when birds were noted in Westray, Papay, Sandwick, Rendall (up to three) and Deerness.

The late May passage of High Arctic waders is often spectacular in Orkney, the species to particularly feature this year being Ringed Plover.  No fewer than 603 were in the Mill Sand area on 29th, 360 having been on North Ronaldsay on 26th and 240 in Deerness on 28th; there were several other counts of up to 100 at this time.  Dotterels were seen only on North Ronaldsay with six on 1st, declining to three on 3rd then two more on 8th/9th.  Observers feel that our local Lapwing numbers are down, perhaps as a result of the hard winter; the first chicks were reported in Harray on 1st. 

Knot numbers peaked at 128 on North Ronaldsay on 18th and at 76 on Papay on 31st.  A phenomenal 622 Sanderlings were on North Ronaldsay on 12th the next highest counts being 160 at Grobust, Westray on 20th and 71 on Papay on 23rd.  157 Purple Sandpipers remained on North Ronaldsay on 1st but only one by 31st; up to 45 were on Papay during the first half of the month.  Dunlin passage was best seen on Papay where numbers peaked at 200 on 21st.  North Ronaldsay reported one-two Little Stints 14th-24th and single Curlew Sandpipers on five dates after 14th. A Ruff was on North Ronaldsay on 5th and another on Papay on 18th.

Up to three Black-tailed Godwits were on North Ronaldsay on nine dates with three at Swartmill Loch, Westray on 5th.  Whimbrel passage continued all month with up to 15 on North Ronaldsay 1st-11th and 10 on 22nd; elsewhere up to five occurred at some ten sites.  Single Greenshanks occurred on North Ronaldsay on 6th and 20th with Green Sandpipers there on 1st and 3rd.  The same island also reported one-two Wood Sandpipers 3rd-18th while other records involved two on Papay on 3rd and one flying west over the Firth hills on 13th.  Five Common Sandpipers were at Rackwick on 2nd and numbers on North Ronaldsay peaked at four on 8th.  Turnstone passage is often spectacular in May, North Ronaldsay logging 1041 on the rather early date of 9th but with lower peaks of 883 on 22nd and 659 on 26th.  A Red-necked Phalarope was seen on North Ronaldsay on 23rd and 26th/27th.

Two Long-tailed Skuas were seen over Quoyangry, South Ronaldsay on 29th, one being reported from Copinsay about the same time.  The only Little Gulls were singles on North Ronaldsay on 12th and 20th.  There was a small influx of Iceland Gulls 2nd-9th with reports from five localities with others on South Ronaldsay and at Yesnaby on 29th/30th.  As ever, Glaucous Gulls were scarcer with only two reports, at Loch of Tankerness on 1st and Stromness on 30th.  Away from their regular breeding site, Little Terns were noted at Evie jetty (five on 13th) and in Widewall Bay (one on 30th).

A Turtle Dove was seen on North Ronaldsay on ten dates.  Cuckoos are getting commoner every year and there were reports from some twenty localities during the month, mainly single calling males but with up to three in Russadale and two in the Cottascarth area. Two Long-eared Owls arrived on North Ronaldsay on 7th, one remaining to 11th.  A Swift was there 1st-3rd with others in Stromness on 4th and over Liddel Loch, South Ronaldsay on 7th.  A Wryneck was found dead at Dale, Costa on 5th and another was on North Ronaldsay on 12th.  Following on from an April sighting in Holm, two more Hoopoes were seen, on Papay 6th-9th and in Evie 18th-20th.

There was a belated report of a Waxwing in Stromness on 30th April, another being seen in the Hope on 4th.  Sand Martins are on the increase and there were reports of birds breeding in several new colonies; the largest concentrations were of 42 at Graemeshall Loch on 6th and 30 at Birsay village on 8th.  Two House Martins that returned to Harray on 3rd were already nest-building by 5th; North Ronaldsay recorded a maximum of eight.
North Ronaldsay logged up to eight Tree Pipits with a peak on 9th; only two others were seen, in South Ronaldsay on 9th and on Papay on 16th.  Yellow Wagtails were seen in Swannay on 11th, North Ronaldsay on 12th and in Costa on 25th.  One-two White Wagtails were seen in three localities on 8th/9th while a late migrant was in Deerness on 27th.

Single Bluethroats were noted on North Ronaldsay on 8th and Papay on 28th while Black Redstarts were on North Ronaldsay between 3rd-6th and on 12th and on Westray on 10th.  Common Redstarts were on North Ronaldsay on nine dates, the only other being one at St.Mary’s on 30th.  Stonechats remain very scarce after the harsh winter but pairs with young were found in Rendall and Orphir and a male was seen at Herston on 29th.  The only Whinchats were one-two on North Ronaldsay up to 11th and one in Deerness on 9th. North Ronaldsay Wheatear numbers peaked at 99 on 2nd and 80 on 9th with a late influx of 77, presumably Greenland birds, on 26th.

One-two Ring Ouzels were on North Ronaldsay 3rd-9th with others in Evie on 8th and Deerness on 29th. The only Fieldfares were one-four on North Ronaldsay between 6th-12th and, similarly, the only Redwing was one there on 6th.

Single Grasshopper Warblers were reported from North Ronaldsay 1st-3rd and singing birds from Flotta on 21st, Happy Valley on 28th and Stembister on 31st.  Sedge Warblers are our commonest breeding warbler and seem to be very abundant this year; nine were on North Ronaldsay on 10th, seven were singing at a Rendall site during the month and four were in song around Papay’s St.Tredwell Loch on 14th. The only Reed Warbler was one on North Ronaldsay on 14th.  An Icterine Warbler was at North Flaws, South Ronaldsay on 11th/12th and one-two on North Ronaldsay 26th-30th.  Single Subalpine Warblers were on North Ronaldsay 1st-5th and on 11th.  Although a Lesser Whitethroat was in South Ronaldsay on 1st, it was the migrant influx of 8th/9th that brought them to the fore with up to 18 on North Ronaldsay ands reports from five other sites; another was on Copinsay late in the month.  Common Whitethroats were decidedly scarcer with up to six on North Ronaldsay (peak on 9th) and singles at Heddle on 11th and Hestily on 27th. North Ronaldsay reported up to four Garden Warblers early in the month, singles being seen at three other sites.  Similarly, Blackcaps peaked at ten on North Ronaldsay on 2nd and three in Rendall on 12th with singles at five other sites.  Up to 11 Chiffchaffs occurred on North Ronaldsay early in the month (with five reports elsewhere) and the same island recorded up to 18 Willow Warblers with a peak on 9th when five were on Papay.  Single Wood Warblers were noted on six dates on North Ronaldsay the only other being one at Berriedale, Hoy on 11th.

The early May migrant arrival brought up to three Spotted Flycatchers to North Ronaldsay with a similar number between 26th-30th; the only others were singles at Cottascarth on 12th and at Grindigar and Herston on 30th.  North Ronaldsay logged single Pied Flycatchers on 4th, 26th and 29th.  Two Coal Tits were in the Wee Fea plantation on Hoy on 12th continuing hopes that they may again breed.  Two Red-backed Shrikes appeared in the East Mainland late in the month, at Barns of Ayre on 26th and at Roy the next day.  The unusually large Carrion Crow passage through North Ronaldsay continued with a peak of 13 on 9th; the only others were singles on Papay on 3rd and Stenness on 12th.  There was an unusual number of Tree Sparrow records with two at The Shunan early in the month, one in Kirkwall from 23rd and another on Copinsay late in the month.

North Ronaldsay was the only place to record Bramblings with singles on three dates.  The two Goldfinches in the Heddle Road disappeared from 5th but one returned on 22nd again raising hopes of nesting; others were seen in Dounby on 3rd, North Ronaldsay on 12th and Toab on 30th.  Siskins were noted at three sites in the first few days of the month to be followed by one at Herston on 24th then an influx of five to North Ronaldsay on 31st when two were at the OIC Offices in Kirkwall, the male in full song!  Common Redpolls were on North Ronaldsay on ten dates and Lesser Redpolls there on four; other unidentified redpolls were in Rendall on four dates and on Flotta on 25th.  A trickle of Crossbills passed through the islands with one-three at six localities.  A fine male Scarlet Rosefinch was found outside the Finstown polling booth on election day on 5th; others were on North Ronaldsay and Copinsay between 26th-30th.  Hawfinches tend to be April birds but one was at Sower, Orphir on 1st, at The Shunan on 15th and in Herston next day.  Finally, the final remnants of last autumn’s Lapland Bunting influx returned northwards with up to five on North Ronaldsay up to 5th and one at the Loch of Skaill on 1st.

Eric Meek

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