RSPB Bird Reports
ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
November 2008
Eleven Black-throated Divers were off Hunda on 2nd and one in nearby Water Sound on 17th where our resident White-billed Diver was reported on four dates. Double-figure counts of Slavonian Grebes were received from the Swannay Loch (25 on 4th) and the Harray Loch (15 on 16th) while a Red-necked Grebe was in Echnaloch Bay on 2nd. A late Manx Shearwater was off North Ronaldsay on 1st while small numbers of Sooty Shearwaters continued to be noted until 17th.
The biggest Whooper Swan gathering was on Sanday’s North Loch where there were 80 on 4th and 16th. The first of the winter’s Greylag Goose censuses was carried out on 1st/2nd revealing an overall total of 53828, 800 down on the November ’07 count. Pink-footed Geese are also wintering in increasing numbers, 750 being counted in Tankerness on 12th. The Greenland White-fronted Goose flock at The Loons, Birsay peaked at 67 on 16th while singles were also seen at Twatt on 9th and Deepdale, Stromness on 12th. Much rarer were the Taiga Bean Goose on North Ronaldsay on 7th and the Snow Goose in South Ronaldsay on 3rd. No counts of the South Walls Barnacle Goose flock were forthcoming but up to 90 were at the Loch of Skaill, 14 on Papay, 13 in Costa and 12 on North Ronaldsay. A Canada Goose spent the early part of the month on North Ronaldsay and a Brent Goose, the same period in Costa.
The only Shelducks reported were from the Oyce of Quindry with one on 5th and up to three there later in the month. 250 was a good count of Teal at the Loch of Bosquoy on 16th while a Green-winged Teal was at the Tankerness Loch on 28th. North Loch, Sanday continued to be the main magnet for Pintail with 75 there on 4th while the main Scaup stronghold, the Stenness Loch, held 266 on 16th. 14 Velvet Scoter were counted from the Hatston Pier on 2nd with two-three also noted in Water Sound and off Weethick, Tankerness. The rarer Common Scoter was reported from North Ronaldsay (maximum three on 13th), Weethick (one on 25th) and, unusually from the Stenness Loch (two on 16th). A Smew over Evie Bay on 1st was an early arrival while Goosanders were noted at the Loch of Bosquoy (two on 16th) and the Harray Loch (one on 28th).
Common Buzzard sightings were concentrated in South Ronaldsay, Rendall and Rousay, in each of which two birds were reported; others were at Gyre, Orphir on 3rd and in the Quanterness/Saverock area of St.Ola where one was watched feeding on road-killed Rabbit. A Rough-legged Buzzard was a good find in Hoy on 5th.
Golden Plover flocks included up to 2000 in the Widewall area of South Ronaldsay and 1500 in Deerness. 810 Sanderlings were counted at their favourite resort, Scuthvie, Sanday, on 16th. The largest concentration of Purple Sandpipers was 324 on Papay on 9th although 255 were on North Ronaldsay on 15th, up to 80 on Egilsay and 50 on Copinsay. A Little Stint was found near the Brig o’ Waithe on 30th, a very late date for this passage wader that is not usually seen after late September. A Ruff was near Herston on 6th. North Ronaldsay reported up to three Jack Snipe up to 8th but the only others were two on Greeny Hill on 9th and one at Hoxa on 13th. It was a good month for Woodcock. North Ronaldsay recorded an arrival of 84 on 7th bringing back memories of when nearby Fair Isle used to have an export trade of this species to the USA! Elsewhere, there were eight in Rendall on 5th and up to four at eighteen other localities including some on open moorland. Bar-tailed Godwit flocks peaked at 57 at Widewall and 50 at Mill Sand but, apart from up to 18 Black-tailed Godwits at the Brig o’ Waithe early in the month, the only other records of this species were six at Loch of Banks on 9th and one near St.Margaret’s Hope on 21st. An enormous flock of 1100 Curlews was counted near the Hope, also on 21st while Burray’s wintering Whimbrel was noted on three dates. The astonishing October influx of Grey Phalaropes was still apparent early in the month with up to 90 in the No.3 Barrier – Hoxa area on 2nd/3rd; North Ronaldsay had singles on 3rd, 5th and 9th.
A Pomarine Skua was off North Ronaldsay on 1st and a very late Bonxie there next day. The Mediterranean Gull was seen again at the Peedie Sea on 26th. Iceland Gulls were noted on North Ronaldsay on 11th, in Stromness Harbour from 22nd and at the Oyce of Isbister on 30th. Reports of Glaucous Gulls came from Birsay (11th), North Ronaldsay (12th & 15th), Burwick (27th) and Egilsay (29th).
Barn Owls are extremely rare visitors so that two in one month is exceptional; one was in Stenness on 1st and another near No.4 Barrier on 16th, both apparently being of the pale-breasted race. One-two Long-eared Owls were noted on North Ronaldsay, Sanday, Rendall, St.Ola, Stromness and Burray during the month. An unusual visitor to an Evie garden on 9th was a Hoopoe but, unfortunately, its stay was very brief.
A Richard’s Pipit was at Graemston, South Ronaldsay on 2nd while another was on North Ronaldsay on the very late dates of 21st-25th. Rarer still was an Olive-backed Pipit on the same island on 8th. 150 Rock Pipits feeding in Newark Bay, Deerness on 16th was an exceptional concentration. Grey Wagtails were in Stenness on 1st and 4th and in Kirkwall on 23rd.
The Waxwing irruption that began at the very end of October turned into one of the best seen in recent years. Maximum flock sizes involved 40 in Kirkwall, 35 in Finstown and 24 in Stromness and on North Ronaldsay with many other reports of up to 11. At least 250 birds must have been involved and perhaps many more.
A small arrival of Robins occurred on North Ronaldsay on 6th/7th when 16 were recorded. One-two Stonechats and Black Redstarts were also there between 6th-20th while a very late Common Redstart was seen on 12th. Larger thrushes also arrived on 6th with 156 Blackbirds, 221 Fieldfares and 231 Redwings on North Ronaldsay and smaller numbers elsewhere.
Blackcaps were widely reported with one-two at ten localities and including a bird with a Dutch ring in Rendall on 30th. A Pallas’s Warbler appeared on North Ronaldsay on 6th to be followed, next day, by a Hume’s Yellow-browed Warbler, only the second Orkney record of this species from the mountains of southern Siberia. North Ronaldsay logged seven Chiffchaffs on 2nd with the last bird there on 20th; one-two were noted at ten other sites to 30th. Small numbers of Goldcrests were involved in the migrant ‘fall’ of 6th, 27 being on North Ronaldsay on that date. A Firecrest was on Stronsay on 10th and that island also reported a Red-breasted Flycatcher on 5th.
A Long-tailed Tit, a decidedly rare visitor, was found in Swannay on 4th while the Coal Tit invasion continued and apparently ended with two in the Hope on 5th. Probably associated with these arrivals of titmice was a Treecreeper that was found in Orphir’s Gyre Plantation on 2nd. The month’s only Carrion Crow was one at Widewall on 15th.
Up to six Bramblings occurred in Finstown and four in Rendall with up to three at three other sites. Goldfinches were quite well reported with nine in Burray on 30th, up to four in Finstown and one-two at three other localities. Common Redpolls were noted at eleven localities, up to ten in Russadale and six on North Ronaldsay being the largest gatherings; most were of the Greenland race but some were reported as Mealy Redpolls. As is so often the case, the Dale bird crops in Costa produced that largest Linnet flock, 150 being there on 4th. The largest Twite flock of recent years gathered near Windwick, South Ronaldsay, almost 1000 being counted on 24th; elsewhere 500 were at Dale, 280 at Bu, Orphir and 250 at Skaill, Deerness and at Castlehill, Sanday. A few Crossbills continued to pass through with one-four at Hestily, in Rendall and in Deerness. It was a good month for Snow Buntings with 200 in Burray (7th) and 100 at Kettletoft, Sanday (1st) and several other reports of up to 70. Two Lapland Buntings were on North Ronaldsay on 6th and one on 12th while another was seen in South Ronaldsay on 11th. Finally, a Yellowhammer was on North Ronaldsay on 16th.
E.R.Meek
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