RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
October 2011

Always an exciting month, this October has perhaps surpassed all others in terms of the numbers of unusual birds recorded in Orkney with species from both Asia and North America appearing on our shores.

Good counts of Slavonian Grebes included 31 on the Harray Loch on 16th and 19 in Inganess Bay on 20th while a lone Red-necked Grebe was in Echnaloch Bay on 30th.  North Ronaldsay continued to record Sooty Shearwaters up to 20th with a peak of 135 on 8th when 17 Manx Shearwaters were also noted.  A ‘blue’ Fulmar was off the Brough of Birsay on 18th.  Single Storm Petrels came aboard the MV Hamnavoe on the evenings of 16th and 26th and another was seen off North Ronaldsay on 12th.  Leach’s Petrels were off No.1 Barrier on 10th and the Brough of Birsay on 18th.  Gannets were conspicuous with peaks of 1415 off North Ronaldsay on 12th and 1350 off Brough Head, South Ronaldsay on 16th; 100 juveniles were fishing close inshore at Scapa Beach on 11th.  However, the rarest seabird by far was the Fea’s Petrel, that passed North Ronaldsay on 12th, that island’s second of the autumn!

Up to 55 Mute Swans frequented the Peedie Sea but it was the passage of Whooper Swans that really caught they eye.  The largest gathering was 140 on Shapinsay’s Vasa loch on 28th but many other reports of up to 46 were received from around the county.  A massive arrival of Greylag Geese began, the largest flock being 2000 at The Loons on 8th.  The Pink-footed Goose movements that were a feature of late September continued with, on 5th, 1350 on North Ronaldsay and 1500 over Holm.  The first 22 of our wintering Greenland White-fronted Goose flock arrived near Swannay on 20th.  There were several reports of Barnacle Geese, the largest party being 43 coming in off the sea at Papay on 12th.  Single Pale-bellied Brent Geese were noted at St. Peter’s Pool  7th-23rd and on North Ronaldsay on 21st. 

The great majority of our Shelduck are away in northern Germany at the moment but a single bird was at the Oyce of Quindry on 18th.  Huge numbers of Wigeon began to arrive and, amongst them, were single drake American Wigeon at Holm’s Ayre Loch on 5th and 16th and on the Harray Loch at Rango on 16th.  The Scaup flock on the Harray Loch built up to 223 by 16th while five were on the Loch of Bosquoy on 8th.  Long-tailed Ducks began to appear, the biggest gatherings being 15 at No.4 Barrier on 16th and in Inganess Bay on 20th; an unusual find was of a juvenile in a Scapa Crescent garden on 23rd, later released on the Peedie Sea!  28 Velvet Scoters were in Inganess Bay on 20th but there was no sign then of the Surf Scoter that had been present on 29th September.  Unusual ‘inland’ records of Velvet Scoters came from the Stenness Loch on 16th and the Swannay Loch (three) on 26th.  The only Common Scoters were one-two off North Ronaldsay on 8th and 12th and one in Echnaloch Bay on 30th.  A Goosander was at Carness, St.Ola on 1st with two on North Ronaldsay on 5th and another at the Finstown Ouse on 16th.

A Rough-legged Buzzard was in the Orphir Hills on 8th and it or another frequented the Rendall area from 13th to 20th.  What was presumably the same Pallid Harrier as seen in September flew over Evie on 1st but perhaps the saddest story of the month was the Marsh Harrier that was found with a broken wing at Lythes, South Ronaldsay on 26th and that later had to be destroyed.  There was a small influx of Goshawks with birds on North Ronaldsay on 14th and 25th, one at Hestily on 15th and another at Graemeshall Burn, Holm the following day.

Golden Plovers were conspicuous with the largest flock being of 4000 at the Twatt Airfield on 21st; unfortunately, these lovely birds are becoming the target of incoming shooting parties.  119 Sanderlings on North Ronaldsay was the largest count of this species, the same island hosting 103 Purple Sandpipers on 31st, 120 of the latter being on Papay on 23rd.  More unusual visitors included one-two Curlew Sandpipers on North Ronaldsay to 4th with another remaining on Evie Sands to mid-month; a Little Stint at Rennibister on 12th; two Pectoral Sandpipers at Herston on 13th; and, rarest of all, a Baird’s Sandpiper, only Orkney’s 2nd, on North Ronaldsay 29th-31st.

Small numbers of Ruff continued to pass through with three-seven at three localities up to mid-month.  Jack Snipe are always more conspicuous on North Ronaldsay than anywhere else; they were noted there on most days with a peak of 18 on 9th; singles were noted in five other localities.  It was a similar picture with Woodcock, North Ronaldsay recording a maximum of 31 on 26th but with only one-three at nine other sites.  The largest Bar-tailed Godwit gatherings were of 56 on North Ronaldsay (11th) and 41 at Scapa Beach (26th).  The only Black-tailed Godwit records were of one at St. Mary’s on 7th, four at Graemeshall on 9th and one on Papay next day.  The regular Burray Whimbrel was seen on 1st with another on North Ronaldsay on the same day.  Curlew flocks continued to build with 602 at Marwick on 15th and 500 at Liddel on 16th.  Late Greenshanks were at St. Peter’s Pool on 14th and at The Loons on 21st.  A passage of Grey Phalaropes began from 8th bringing up to five to North Ronaldsay (11th), five to Auskerry (12th) and one-two to four other localities.

Bonxies continued to be reported in small numbers almost to the end of the month and there were five reports of Arctic Skuas with a maximum of five off North Ronaldsay on 13th and the latest there on 30th.  Pomarine Skuas were noted off North Ronaldsay on six dates with maxima of three on 13th and 22nd; other singles were off Papay on 11th, in Holm Sound on 12th and off the Brough of Birsay on 18th.  Single Long-tailed Skuas were seen from North Ronaldsay on 20th, 22nd and 26th.

Single Little Gulls were on North Ronaldsay on 4th off Burwick on 25th and in Evie Bay next day.  However, one of the finds of the month was Orkney’s first Bonaparte’s Gull off No.1 Barrier from 6th-8th.  Picking this small, North American gull out from the flock of up to 1000 Common and Black-headed Gulls that were also in the area was a tribute to the tenacity of the observer!  There were four records of very late Lesser Black-backed Gulls, the last at the Peedie Sea on 23rd.  A small influx of Iceland Gulls brought singles to five localities between 19th-26th while five Glaucous Gulls were also noted between 8th -24th.
Five Sandwich Terns in Evie Bay on 9th were the last to be reported.  Common Terns were only noted on North Ronaldsay with one-two-on several dates, the last on 29th.  Arctic Terns were few but more widespread with the latest being singles in Evie Bay on 26th, Kirkwall Harbour on 29th and on Papay on 30th.  The first Little Auks were 29 off North Ronaldsay on 8th with one flying over land on Papay next day; elsewhere, up to five were off Scapa Pier during the last week of the month and one off Barns of Ayre on 26th.

A Long-eared Owl was at the Mull Head visitor centre on 6th, one in Stromness on 17th and another in Rendall on 28th while North Ronaldsay recorded one-two on five dates. At least four Short-eared Owls were flushed from a daytime ground roost at Wasbister, South Walls on 29th while up to four were also noted on North Ronaldsay.  A Dipper, nowadays a very scarce visitor to Orkney, was reported on the burn at Happy Valley on 1st.  A very early Waxwing was in Evie on 1st with others late in the month on Stronsay on 26th, in Kirkwall on 28th and in Stromness from 29th.

The North Ronaldsay Short-toed Lark remained on the island all month but an even rarer visitor was the Woodlark that was there on 9th.  Swallows continued to be seen in small numbers all month with the latest being one in Kirkwall on 28th, two in Finstown on 30th and one on North Ronaldsay on 31st.  House Martins, however, were not seen after 11th when two were in St.Ola.  North Ronaldsay’s amazing run of pipit records continued with a Tree Pipit and Orkney’s only third-ever Pechora Pipit on 1st followed by an Olive-backed Pipit from 13th-15th.  Two Richard’s Pipits were at Gimps, South Ronaldsay on 1st.  North Ronaldsay reported a single Yellow Wagtail on 1st and White Wagtails on three dates to 5th.  A Grey Wagtail at The Willows, Kirkwall on 26th/27th raised hopes that birds might return to this breeding site in time for next spring.

The strong south-east winds and rain early in the last week of the month brought an influx of small migrants amongst which were many Robins; North Ronaldsay recorded a peak of 27 on 26th while, next day, no fewer than 47 were counted during a walk around Stromness.  There was a marked arrival of Black Redstarts with up to 12 on North Ronaldsay and one-two at six other sites including Rousay and Egilsay.  A Common Redstart was on Burray on 1st with very late birds at Barns of Ayre on 25th and North Ronaldsay on 31st.  A Red-flanked Bluetail, only the 3rd for Orkney, was a great find for two visiting birders on Papay on 14th/15th; this superb species is currently expanding its range further west into Finland and more can be expected!  A few Whinchats continued to be seen on North Ronaldsay right up to the end of the month while another was at Rackwick on 27th.  Stonechats continue to be very scarce following the hard winter and there were records from only three sites.  A Siberian Stonechat, a very rare visitor that has recently had its status elevated from that of a subspecies to that of a species, was on North Ronaldsay on 25th/26th.  Northern Wheatears, the regularly occurring wheatear in Orkney, continued to be seen in small numbers all month with three on North Ronaldsay as late as 31st.  However, a very rare visitor was a Pied Wheatear on Stronsay on 26th and, even rarer, a Desert Wheatear at Sandside, Deerness on 29th/30th.  This latter proved to be a major attraction for local birders as its identity was hotly debated but superb digital images eventually settled the matter!

Several influxes of Blackbirds occurred during the month, the biggest during the last week when a peak of 1093 was recorded on North Ronaldsay and hundreds were noted in South Ronaldsay.  Surprisingly, the only Ring Ouzel was one on North Ronaldsay on 26th.  Fieldfares also poured in at this time with1530 on North Ronaldsay on 26th, 1000 above Evie on 27th and thousands in South Ronaldsay on 28th.  Redwings tend to arrive earlier and, for example, there were 300 in Russadale and 400 at Hestily on 1st with over 2000 on North Ronaldsay on 9th.  However, they too were involved in the big thrush arrival of the last week with hundreds in South Ronaldsay on 28th.  Song Thrushes are never present in such numbers but 109 were logged on North Ronaldsay on 26th.  Single Mistle Thrushes occurred on North Ronaldsay on four dates and in Rendall on two after 15th.  Perhaps the most amazing rarity story of the month was the bird photographed by two visitors hopping around under the Sycamores at the Kirbuster Farm Museum on 21st that, when the photos were shown to a RSPB warden during a pool competition at The Merkister (!), turned out to be Orkney’s second Swainson’s Thrush, an extremely rare visitor from North  America!

A very late Sedge Warbler was on North Ronaldsay on 1st.  Single Barred Warblers continued to be seen there until 7th while another was at Sandside, Deerness on 14th. The only Lesser Whitethroats were on North Ronaldsay with one-two to 5th and one on 14th.  Single Garden Warblers were there and at Dale, Costa on 1st with another on North Ronaldsay on 30th.  Blackcaps were conspicuous with an arrival of 46 on North Ronaldsay on 1st and further influxes of 16 on 15th and 19 on 26th; elsewhere seven were at Hestily on 1st and 10 were on South Ronaldsay on 28th with fifteen reports of one-three.

Chiffchaffs were widespread but the biggest counts were of nine on North Ronaldsay on 27th and seven on South Ronaldsay next day. There was a good scatter of late Willow Warblers with the last in South Ronaldsay on 28th.  More unusual was a Wood Warbler at Eastside, South Ronaldsay on 1st.  There was an influx of at least 15 Yellow-browed Warblers between 1st-5th followed by others at Hestily, Langskaill and Harray 15th-18th and, finally, by singles on North Ronaldsay on 23rd, in the Hope on 28th and at Langskaill on 30th.  Much rarer was the Pallas’s Leaf Warbler on Stronsay on 16th and the Dusky Warbler on North Ronaldsay on 27th-29th, both strays from central and eastern Siberia.  Goldcrests were not as numerous as in some autumns; North Ronaldsay’s maximum was 18 on 14th although 30 were in Berriedale, Hoy on 27th.  Two examples of the much scarcer Firecrest were found, one in Deerness on 26th and one on North Ronaldsay next day.
A late Pied Flycatcher lingered on North Ronaldsay to 1st, the same day as a Red-breasted Flycatcher was found at Eastside, South Ronaldsay.  A Great Grey Shrike was on North Ronaldsay 13th-15th while two appeared there on 31st.  Titmice of any species have only been rare visitors to Orkney until recently.  However, as Coal Tits are now breeding on Hoy, it was perhaps not surprising to find two in Berriedale and one in Rackwick on 2nd; one-two in the Langskaill Plantation,Toab from 15th may, however, have been visitors from the Continent as perhaps were the Blue Tits that were at Berstane (28th/29th) and Langskaill (31st). A Long-tailed Tit was at Mussaquoy, Deerness on 14th and another at Langskaill on 23rd and 30th while a Treecreeper was at Nisthouse, Harray on 23rd/24th with another in the St. Magnus Cathedral kirkyard on 26th.

The month saw a noticeable passage of Jackdaws with up to 17 on North Ronaldsay (27th) and 12 at Fribo, Westray (26th).  The Westray birds and, especially, one of seven on Papay on 30th, had very conspicuous white collars, a feature of Continental birds.

The Tree Sparrow continued to visit bird feeders at Nisthouse, Harray most of the month.  Bramblings arrived in some numbers with up to 29 on North Ronaldsay (29th), 30 at Dale, Costa (26th) and 60 on South Ronaldsay (28th).  One-two Goldfinches were on North Ronaldsay from 20th with three on 31st; other records involved three in the Hope on 11th and one in Birsay on 23rd.  Siskins were few and far between with records from only four localities and a maximum of only six at Hestily on 1st.  The Twite flock at Dale rose to 350 by 20th.  Redpolls proved difficult to sort out as to species but a definite influx of Mealy Redpolls occurred during the migrant arrival late in the month with small parties of up to eight in several localities.  Birds believed to be of north-western origin were at Dale on 20th and in Deerness on 30th.  Lesser Redpolls were noted on North Ronaldsay on 27thand 31st with two in Russadale on 20th. A Hawfinch was on North Ronaldsay on 1st/2nd with another in Evie on 15th.  At least 40 Crossbills were at Hestily on 1st but, thereafter, only one-five were noted from five sites between 14th-30th.  Single Scarlet Rosefinches were noted on North Ronaldsay until 16th another remaining at Dale to 3rd. 

As usual, Lapland Buntings were commonest on North Ronaldsay with a peak of 36 on 9th; other records involved just one-two at three other sites.  Up to 200 Snow Buntings were counted on North Ronaldsay (peak on 6th) with up to 57 on Papay (12th) and 40 on Egilsay (24th).  Yellowhammers nested in Orkney up until the early 1970s but are now only a very scarce visitor: one-three were found on North Ronaldsay after 25th, one in Stronsay next day and two in the Hope on 28th.

Finally, and perhaps most amazing of all amongst this month’s crop of unusual birds was the young male Rose-breasted Grosbeak seen by just four folk at Skaill, Eday on 10th.  This is the first record of this chunky North American finch in Orkney and only the third ever in Scotland.

Eric Meek

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