RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
OCTOBER 2005

The largest gathering of Great Northern Divers was 22 off Egilsay on 23rd while a much rarer White-billed Diver was in Echnaloch Bay on 29th. The only Red-necked Grebe this month was one on the Harray Loch on 6th but Slavonian Grebes were very conspicuous with 31 in Echnaloch Bay on 26th and 25 in the Bay of Isbister on 21st as well as six other reports of up to nine. Sooty Shearwaters continued to be noted off North Ronaldsay early in the month with a peak of 64 on 9th and the last on 24th. Many fewer Manx Shearwaters were seen there with only up to four per day until 11th. North Ronaldsay also provided records of two Storm Petrels on 3rd and a Leach’s Petrel on 12th. The largest Heron flock was of 18 at the Finstown Ouse on 8th.

Whooper Swans arrived from their Icelandic breeding grounds from mid-month with the largest flocks being up to 90 in the Sandwick area and 80 on Shapinsay. The largest flock of Greylag Geese was 3500 at the Loch of Skaill on 6th and it will be interesting to see what figure the full census produces when it is carried out in early November. Pink-footed Geese are never so numerous but there were 420 at the Loch of Skaill on 14th and several more reports of flocks of up to 200. The Greenland White-fronted Geese returned to Birsay with 26 at The Loons on 6th and 69 on the Swannay Loch on 21st. Parties of three were also noted on North Ronaldsay and Shapinsay after mid-month. There was a good passage of Barnacle Geese with North Ronaldsay recording 204 on 16th and over 100 on four other dates; 310 were at the Loch of Skaill on 14th, up to 265 in the Widewall area of South Ronaldsay and 116 on Papay on 16th. The only Brent Goose was one at Widewall on 18th.

Wigeon became very conspicuous during the month with, for example,1000 at Rennibister on 17th and 1500 between Houton and Ireland on 26th . There were some interesting records of Pintail with 14 at the Loch of Banks on 7th and 12 at the Loch of Brochan on 21st. The largest parties of Shoveler were up to 22 on North Ronaldsay and 18 at the Loch of Wasdale. 13 Velvet Scoters were off Rerwick Head on 26th while up to seven were in Echnaloch Bay during the month; the only Common Scoter was one in Widewall Bay on 23rd. The drake Ruddy Duck remained at Quoyloo at least until 18th but much more unusual was a Smew near Tuquoy, Westray on 20th and 21st.

There were few birds of prey of note during the month, by far the most unusual being a Hobby in South Ronaldsay on 10th. Up to three Buzzards frequented the area from Binscarth north to the Lyde Road while the Durkadale Hen Harrier roost held 13 birds on 25th. Sparrowhawks, often conspicuous at this time of year, were few and far between, North Ronaldsay recording only one during the whole month and the only other likely migrants reported being two at Langskaill, Tankerness on 26th.

Up to five Water Rails were recorded on North Ronaldsay with singles at Longhouse and in Kirkwall, all between 14th and 18th. 2500 Golden Plover were counted at South Breck, Firth on 21st with a similar number in the Scapa area at about the same time. Other flocks of over 1000 were reported from North Ronaldsay, Hatston and Holm. A Little Stint lingered on North Ronaldsay from 3rd to 13th and a Pectoral Sandpiper was there on 14th. However, it was the much rarer White-rumped Sandpiper that grabbed the headlines. Following the three that occurred on North Ronaldsay in September, this North American wader appeared again there on 12th with no fewer than seven the following day, a quite unprecedented arrival. The largest gathering of Purple Sandpipers was 75 at Stromness on 7th while single Ruffs appeared at Widewall and Loch of Banks mid-month. Snipe are usually numerous at this time of year but numbers this autumn have been quite exceptional. 840 were counted on North Ronaldsay on 10th while, on Papay on 15th, a staggering 2000 were estimated to be present; there were three other reports of concentrations of between 140 and 200. The much scarcer Jack Snipe were noticeable too with the largest concentration being 23 on North Ronaldsay; five were between Houton and Ireland on 26th and four on Papay on 15th while Italian ‘sportsmen’ slaughtered eight at Marwick on 31st! Woodcocks arrived too with as many as 15 on North Ronaldsay on 18th and 16 there on 25th with seven other reports mainly of singles. A spectacular build up of Black-tailed Godwits occurred at the Brig o’ Waithe early in the month reaching a peak of 51 on 6th; elsewhere one-nine were seen in four localities. St.Peter’s Pool attracted the largest flock of Bar-tailed Godwits with 57 on 7th. Curlews were present throughout the islands the largest concentrations being 700 at Coldomo, Stenness and 550 at Marwick. A late Whimbrel was on North Ronaldsay from 17th to 27th while there was also a Greenshank there on 8th and three Grey Phalaropes, on 1st and 21st/22nd (2).

Two Pomarine Skuas were off North Ronaldsay on 4th with one on 11th. Late Arctic Skuas were seen there on 20th and 24th while the last Bonxie was seen on 27th. North Ronaldsay was also the locality for the last lingering Lesser Black-backed Gulls (until 18th) and that island also recorded a Glaucous Gull (4th/5th) and a Mediterranean Gull (10th). The last Arctic Tern was noted off No.2 Barrier on 22nd but much more unusual were three Little Terns seen from a fishing boat off Papay’s Point of Moclett on 21st. The Guillemot wreck on the northern shores of Scapa Flow continued with no fewer than 61 corpses being counted on Scapa Beach on 9th. A Little Auk was found exhausted there on 27th with one-two off North Ronaldsay between 21st and 25th and one found dead in Holm on 21st.

There was a Turtle Dove on North Ronaldsay on 13th and a Stock Dove there from 17th. Long-eared Owls arrived on cue with one in Holm on 6th then 12 more after 16th including up to five on North Ronaldsay. An amazing arrival of 11 Short-eared Owls on North Ronaldsay on 20th coincided with a peak of the Long-eared Owls! Much rarer, however, was the Barn Owl that arrived on the Lyde Road on 30th; a bird of the pale-breasted race, this was only the second Orkney record of this sub-species. An incredibly late Swift was at Barth Head, South Ronaldsay on 29th, a spectacular Hoopoe arriving in Stenness on the same date. Short-toed Larks were present on North Ronaldsay 3rd-6th and 13th/14th while Richard’s Pipits were recorded there on five dates including two on 13th. A Grey Wagtail was on North Ronaldsay on 11th while an apparent arrival brought two to that island, two to Ireland and one to St.Margaret’s Hope on 25th/26th. A late Sand Martin was in Birsay on 7th while the last Swallow lingered, also in Birsay, until 22nd. An arrival of that ever-popular species, the Waxwing, occurred from 22nd with flocks of 21 in Tankerness, 15 in Kirkwall and 15 in Costa with up to nine in 14 other localities.

The arrival of small Continental migrants in mid-month brought North Ronaldsay up to 27 Robins, a Black Redstart, up to two Redstarts per day and a Whinchat. Wheatears had peaked earlier with 30 on North Ronaldsay 1st but the rarity of the month was the Isabelline Wheatear that appeared there on 23rd and remained until at least 30th; a very rare vagrant mainly from Central asia, tis was the first record for Orkney. Amongst the larger thrushes, the first noticeable influx of Redwings occurred on 4th/5th and again on 8th (over 1700 on North Ronaldsay) but it was 15th-20th when they seemed to be everywhere with over 1000/hour passing over Costa, 2000 on Papay, up to 1700 on North Ronaldsay and several other flocks of 1000 elsewhere. Blackbirds arrived with them, the biggest concentration being on Papay where there were an estimated 1500 on 16th. Fieldfares tend to arrive later these days so no more than 200 have yet been seen in any one locality. Song Thrushes are always much less numerous but North Ronaldsay had up to 176 during the period. Ring Ouzels arrived on North Ronaldsay (up to five), Papay (three) and with singles at five other localities. Three Mistle Thrushes were reported – on Hoy, in Costa and on North Ronaldsay.

The only Reed Warbler was one on North Ronaldsay on 17th and the only Lesser Whitethroat there on 20th. Three Barred Warblers occurred there on well-scattered dates while another was in Rendall on 1st. Garden Warblers appeared in Herston and on North Ronaldsay on 17th with another on the latter island on 21st. Blackcaps, always more numerous, were conspicuous during the migrant ‘fall’ with 52 on North Ronaldsay on 20th when 15 were in Herston, 11 in Rendall on 21st and numerous other reports of up to seven. Two delightful Pallas’s Warblers, tiny vagrants from Central Siberia, were on North Ronaldsay on 20th with another on 25th. Another diminutive migrant is the Yellow-browed Warbler hailing from not quite so far east as the previous species but nevertheless breeding no nearer than the Ural Mountains; North Ronaldsay recorded a peak of six on 20th, three were at Herston after 17th, two in Tankerness on 25th and there were seven other records of singles. Chiffchaffs were hardly any more numerous although up to 12 were seen on North Ronaldsay and one-three at seven other sites. Late Willow Warblers were in St.Ola on 16th and on North Ronaldsay up to 21st. Goldcrests were very numerous, a peak of 258 occurring on North Ronaldsay on 17th, 61 trapped and ringed in a quarry garden in Deerness on 19th and several other reports of up to 40. Single Red-breasted Flycatchers occurred on both Papay and North Ronaldsay between 14th and 18th.

Amongst the finches, Bramblings are often the most common during a migrant arrival such as this; a peak of 91 was on North Ronaldsay on 16th, 60 on Hoy on 21st and 50 at Binscarth on 18th. 50 Greenfinches at Finstown on 19th may have comprised local birds but ringing has shown that Scandinavian birds arrive here at this time too. A total of six Goldfinches was found in Tankerness/Toab on 26th. Siskins were scarce, the largest group being 15 in Stenness on 30th while the largest Twite flock was 70 at Brodgar on 27th. A minor irruption of Mealy Redpolls occurred, numbers peaking at 40 on North Ronalday on 20th, at 23 on South Ronaldsay on 23rd, 20 on Westray on 20th and with several other reports of up to 16. A single Arctic Redpoll was with the Mealies on North Ronaldsay on 18th. A few more Crossbills arrived, continuing the irruption of this species that began earlier in the autumn; 20 were in Rendall on 9th and one-nine at three other sites. A late Common Rosefinch was in Deerness on 25th while five Northern Bullfinches were reported all between 23rd-26th.

The only Lapland Buntings were on North Ronaldsay where they peaked at nine on 15th. A spectacular flock of 300 Snow Buntings was at the Westray Airfield after 25th with up to 112 on North Ronaldsay and 36 on Egilsay. The only Yellowhammer was on North Ronaldsay from 20th-24th and the only Little Bunting there from 16th-18th.

Eric Meek

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