RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
OCTOBER 2004

Waxwing Lyrical about a Bullfinch Bonanza!

What a month! Everyone sits up and takes notice when a spectacular irruptive migrant reaches the islands and this month gave us two - Waxwings and Bullfinches. The first Waxwings were two on Hoy on 13th and numbers quickly picked up to produce flocks of at least 80 on Hoy and in Finstown, up to 35 in various flocks around Kirkwall, up to 25 in Stromness, 20 in Costa, 17 in Holm, 15 in Orphir and up to 10 in lots of other localities. As usual their favourite food was Cotoneaster berries, followed by Whitebeam, with birds going onto Rose hips when pushed. Eye-catching as the Waxwings were, it was perhaps the Bullfinches that attracted the most comment as these splendid Northern birds, much bigger and brighter than those of the same species that nest further south in Britain, began to arrive from 11th on. Never has there been as big an arrival of Bullfinches in Orkney before as numbers picked up to produce flocks of up to 30 in Costa, up to 25 on North Ronaldsay (with peaks on 17th and 30th), 25 on Hoy, 17 in St.Margaret’s Hope, 11 in Stromness and many of up to 10 elsewhere. Particularly interesting was the fact that these Bullfinches called unlike any Bullfinches we have had in the islands before, giving a note like a toy trumpet rather than the usual ‘phew’. The theory is that these birds have been coming to us from a long way to the east rather than just from Scandinavia where our usual Bullfinch irruptions originate.

Great Northern Diver numbers began to build for the winter with 10 off both Egilsay and No.2 Barrier on 17th. Calm weather allowed for some good counts of Slavonian Grebes with a record 49 on the Harray Loch on 17th when 16 were in Waulkmill Bay and 12 on the Swannay Loch; 15 were in Echnaloch Bay on 25th. North Ronaldsay produced the month’s only Sooty Shearwater (one on 3rd) and Manx Shearwaters (two on 18th and 19th). Some big Shag concentrations involved 780 off Sower on 29th and 300 in Widewall Bay on 24th. Our wintering Whooper Swans began to arrive from Iceland with a large flock of 146 on Stronsay on 13th and up to 30 elsewhere. The first of the autumn’s Greylag Goose censuses gave a total of 12500 in the West Mainland compared to 9000 at the same time last year. Pink-footed Geese continued to pass through but the tendency for an increasing flock to winter in the East Mainland was illustrated by a count of 380 in Tankerness on 16th while 95 were at the Birsay Loons on 18th. Also at The Loons, the Greenland White-fronted Goose flock numbered 68 on 18th, two also being seen at Skaill at that time. The Barnacle Goose flock on South Walls began to climb towards its usual four-figure total while passage flocks of up to 60 were noted in a number of locations from 5th on. Pale-bellied Brent Geese were noted in Rendall on 19th, at Widewall (four) on 27th and at Tenston on 31st while two Taiga Bean Geese were in South Ronaldsay from 11th-25th and single Canada Geese were on Sanday (5th) and Stronsay (13th). Two Shelduck at the Tankerness Loch should have been elsewhere on that date. There were huge numbers of Wigeon to be seen (a flock of 1300 on Sanday’s Bea Loch being notable) so finding a drake American Wigeon amongst them at Echnaloch on 17th was doing well. Teal were present in good numbers too with 569 on North Ronaldsay on 4th and 455 at the Tankerness Loch on 17th. Last month’s unusual numbers of Pintail were not repeated but North Ronaldsay still had up to 18 while there 12 at Swannay and eight at Sabiston. The Stenness Loch Scaup flock numbered 222 on the first WeBS count of the winter, 81 Red-breasted Mergansers there on the same date being of note when 770 Pochard were at Boardhouse. Small numbers of Long-tailed Ducks began to arrive from 2nd and up to four Velvet Scoters were in Echnaloch Bay and one-two Ruddy Ducks were at The Loons and the Tankerness Loch.

Sparrowhawks were conspicuous early in the month and again around 16th and undoubtedly included Continental immigrants. A Marsh Harrier was still to be seen at The Loons on 18th while at least 14 Hen Harriers came in to the Durkadale roost on 23rd. Buzzards were seen on Hoy, two on 14th and at Binscarth, in Rendall and at Windwick 24th-31st. A Water Rail was calling on Westray on 6th when one was found on Papay where there were three two days later.

The largest Golden Plover flocks involved 110 in Deerness on 1st and 100 on North Ronaldsay on 5th/6th while another good wader count on the latter island was of 253 Knot on 24th and a Curlew Sandpiper was there on 2nd. There were two Ruff, also on North Ronaldsay on 1st/2nd while four were in Toab on 6th and four near Dounby on 15th. A rare wader from North America, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, was found in South Ronaldsay on 2nd being joined by a second next day. Up to nine Black-tailed Godwits were on Sanday on 5th/6th with one at Widewall on 8th and three at the Tankerness Loch on 17th. Snipe arrived in large numbers, the biggest concentrations being 210 in Holm on 30th, 130 on Papay on 3rd and up to 120 on North Ronaldsay on 16th and 20th. North Ronaldsay also recorded 11 Jack Snipe on 1st/2nd while one-two occurred in six other localities during the month. Two Woodcock on North Ronaldsay on 1st/2nd and one in Rendall on 2nd/3rd were early, up to four on North Ronaldsay and singles at six other sites during the last week of the month being more typical. An almost white Redshank continued to be seen in the Brodgar area early in the month while a leucistic bird was also present in the Stromness area. A Grey Phalarope was reported from Sanday on 12th.

Five Arctic Skuas off North Ronaldsay on 15th were late, while unusual gulls involved a Mediterranean Gull off No.4 Barrier on 9th, a Ring-billed Gull on North Ronaldsay on 28th and Glaucous Gulls on Papay on 6th and at Herston on 16th. Nine Little Auks were seen from North Ronaldsay on 18th with one on 20th while another was off Finstown on 30th.

A Turtle Dove arrived on Papay on 6th and another in Harray about the same time. October is the month for seeing Long-eared Owls and up to four were in Deerness around 21st and one-two at six other sites mainly after mid-month. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers were investigating fence posts on Westray on 5th. A few Swallows lingered until mid-month, the last being one at Herston on 14th. A Richard’s Pipit was a visitor from Central Siberia to North Ronaldsay on 1st while a Tree Pipit was there the next day. A Rock Pipit ventured inland to Dale, Costa on 19th. North Ronaldsay produced three records of Grey Wagtails and another was in Finstown on 30th. 72 Pied Wagtails were counted in a pre-roost gathering at the Peedie Sea on 1st.

There were no big falls of Robins this October, 14 on North Ronaldsay on 30th being the largest count. A single Bluethroat occurred there on 1st together with two Black Redstarts; other Black Redstarts occurred on Shapinsay on 21st, in the Hope on 24th and again on North Ronaldsay on 28th. Few Common Redstarts occurred with one-three in three localities before 16th while the only Whinchats were on North Ronaldsay on 1st, 20th and 24th. Three Stonechats on North Ronaldsay on 4th and one-two on Papay 2nd-4th were indicative of some movement in this normally rather sedentary species. Wheatears thinned out during the course of the month with the only ones after 16th being one-two on North Ronaldsay up to 31st. Amongst the larger thrushes, Fieldfares began arriving from 11th but it was 20th when the largest immigration occurred with a single flock of 1000 over Mousland and 500 in each of Rendall and Stenness. Redwings peaked at the same time with 1500 in Rendall and 1000 on North Ronaldsay. The same period also saw the peak numbers of Song Thrushes and Blackbirds with 106 and 250 respectively on North Ronaldsay. There were seven records of one-two Ring Ouzels while the always-scarce Mistle Thrush was recorded from North Ronaldsay on 2nd and 23rd and on Egilsay, also on 23rd.

Two Barred Warblers were at Windwick on 1st then no more until one in Finstown on 30th. The only Common Whitethroat was one on Hoy on 11th while Lesser Whitethroats were similarly in short supply with only one-three on North Ronaldsay on three dates and one in Tankerness on 23rd. Two Garden Warblers occurred on North Ronaldsay on 1st, the only other being one on Hoy on 11th. Blackcaps are a characteristic October bird, the migrant fall of 20th bringing 53 to North Ronaldsay with up to a dozen in numerous other localities. It was a good month for Phylloscopus warblers with six species being seen. Late Willow Warblers were seen on North Ronaldsay on 1st, Westray on 6th and at Herston on 23rd. Chiffchaffs were noted from many sites the peak count being 28 on North Ronaldsay on 28th; birds of the Siberian race, tristis, were noted at several localities including Rendall on 18th and 26th. Six Yellow-browed Warblers were on North Ronaldsay on 1st with others at Windwick (two) and Rendall over the next couple of days; others appeared in Kirkwall and Rendall on 18th/19th to be followed by others at two South Ronaldsay localities on 30th. Rarer still were a Radde’s Warbler on North Ronaldsay on 1st, Pallas’s Warblers in Tankerness from 27th and Herston from 29th and a Western Bonelli’s Warbler , also at Herston from 29th. Goldcrest peaked at 23 on North Ronaldsay on 16th and at least 20 were in Finstown on 27th while a Firecrest was a good find in Toab on 17th.A Spotted Flycatcher on North Ronaldsay on North Ronaldsay on 1st was late as was a Pied Flycatcher in Rendall from 2nd-16th. Better still were two Red-breasted Flycatchers on North Ronaldsay on 1st with singles on Papay from 6th and at Herston on 29th.

Any of the titmouse family are a rare sight in Orkney so that six Long-tailed Tits on Hoy on 26th were a really good find. Jackdaw flocks were in evidence with 60 at Windwick on 11th and 40 over Burray on 30th while a single Carrion Crow was with the Hooded Crow roost at Durkadale on 25th. In these days of somewhat decreased numbers, 150 House Sparrows at Crantit was a good count. The largest Chaffinch flock was of 35 on Hoy on 14th so that this species was outnumbered by Bramblings of which there were 50 at Herston on 20th, a peak of 46 on North Ronaldsay on 15th and 30 in Costa on 9th as well as many reports of smaller numbers. 60 Greenfinches were in Toab on 1st while a very odd finch consorting with Greenfinches in Rendall was thought to be a hybrid Greenfinch x Scarlet Rosefinch. A pure Scarlet Rosefinch was seen in Costa from 10th-15th. Siskins were in very short supply, there being only six records of one-two birds after 13th. Good Twite flocks included 200 in Costa and on Stronsay on 10th and 13th. A scatter of redpoll records during the month were believed to refer mainly to Mealy Redpolls, the largest group being eight in Rendall on 23rd; a single Lesser Redpoll was in Costa on 17th and 20th. Two Arctic Redpolls occurred on North Ronaldsay on 18th and single Hawfinches were in Burray on 25th and in Holm on 30th.

One-three Lapland Buntings occurred on Papay and North Ronaldsay up to 19th. The largest Snow Bunting flock was that that peaked at 120 on North Ronaldsay on 17th but others included 21 on Papay on 2nd, 35 over Orphir on 29th and 60 over Rendall on 31st. 50 Reed Buntings at Swannay on 17th was the largest gathering of that species but decidedly rarer were the single Little Buntings on North Ronaldsay on 1st, 5th and 14th/15th and the Yellowhammer in Tankerness on 29th.

E.R.Meek

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