RSPB Bird Reports

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS
September 2006

The unusual shearwater movements reported last month were reflected in sightings of four Cory’s Shearwaters and nine Great Shearwaters off North Ronaldsay between 1st and 5th, two Greats also being seen off the Brough of Birsay on 2nd. Sooty Shearwaters off North Ronaldsay peaked at 53 on 2nd and 62 on 9th with one-two off Birsay on 9th and 15th. Manx Shearwaters numbered up to 18 per day off North Ronaldsay until 9th and up to eight per day after 23rd with up to five per day off Birsay. Storm Petrels were also on the move with a peak of 88 off North Ronaldsay on 2nd (when 12 were off Birsay); a late bird was found dead beneath the lighthouse on 30th. Two Leach’s Petrels off Birsay on 2nd were the only ones reported. A Great Northern Diver was off Westray mid-month while there were up to four off North Ronaldsay during the last few days of the month. The largest Grey Heron count was of 11 at the Finstown Ouse on 19th although five, presumably newly arrived migrants, flapping their way sedately south over North Ronaldsay on 19th provided a fine sight. A Little Egret was a surprise visitor to the Brig o’ Waithe between 12th and 21st.

Pink-footed Goose passage was perhaps not as conspicuous as in many years; six early birds were on North Ronaldsay on 11th but the peak passage was on 27th/28th when 570 were counted there and 170 over Shapinsay, 90-95 being counted in Stenness on 26th and 29th. The largest Greylag Goose flocks involved 500 at Widewall Bay on 25th and 260 in Evie on 30th although as many as 200 had been on Papay on 3rd. Barnacle Goose passage numbered up to 49 per day over North Ronaldsay between 23rd-26th, six also being seen at Widewall on 30th. A Shelduck on Westray between 9th and 19th was the only report of this species. 400 Teal at Westray’s Swartmill Loch on 17th was a good count. 37 Pintails on North Ronaldsay on 22nd were also significant while a Scaup there on 27th was unusual, one also having also been seen at Widewall the previous day. A Common Scoter was found dead at Glims Holm on 16th while up to four Velvet Scoters were in Echnaloch Bay during the month and six off No.1 Barrier on 29th. A Long-tailed Duck was on the Peedie Sea from the early date of 11th.

A Honey Buzzard was an amazing catch in the North Ronaldsay mist-nets on 15th , that island also providing a sighting of an Osprey on 29th, up to three Merlins per day (peak on 24th) and three single Sparrowhawks between 23rd – 30th. Common Buzzards were on Westray on 16th and at Heddle on 28th but much scarcer were the single Hobbys that occurred in Birsay on 2nd and South Ronaldsay on 17th and the Goshawk that drifted over Kirkwall on 30th.

Golden Plovers peaked at 1500 on North Ronaldsay on 22nd , 1200 on Sanday on 17th and 1000 on Westray on 18th. 94 Knot were on North Ronaldsay on 6th with 32 at St.Peter’s Pool on 17th. Similarly, the maximum count of Sanderlings on North Ronaldsay was 137 on 20th , 24-35 being on Sanday on 17th and at Dingieshowe and Newark Bay, Deerness on 25th. The only Purple Sandpipers reported were up to 15 on North Ronaldsay and up to six on Westray while the only Curlew Sandpipers, one-two there between 8th-10th. That island also had a virtual monopoly on Little Stints with up to three between 7th-13th and up to seven between 18th-30th; the only other records were of singles at The Shunan, on Westray and on Sanday between 15th -17th. North American waders were represented by Pectoral Sandpipers (with one at The Shunan on 8th, one on Westray on 15th, three at Mill Dam of Rango on 16th and two at the Tankerness Loch on 22nd) and by a Buff-breasted Sandpiper on North Ronaldsay on 23rd and 26th. Ruff were in rather short supply with seven on Westray on 15th, up to four on North Ronaldsay and three other singles. The usual large influx of Snipe to North Ronaldsay occurred late in the month with a peak of 318 on 27th. As usual, they were accompanied by a few Jack Snipe, the first occurring on 24th and a peak of six on 26th. 28 Black-tailed Godwits at the Brig o’ Waithe on 2nd was by far the largest gathering although 15 were at The Shunan on 10th and 13 at St. Peter’s Pool on 17th and up to three elsewhere. The largest Curlew flocks involved 850 at the Lochside viewpoint, Harray on 11th and 650 at Coldomo, Stenness on 10th. Whimbrel passage comprised only single birds on North Ronaldsay up to 6th and seven at t. Peter’s Pool on 17th while the only Greenshank were those on North Ronaldsay 1st-3rd and at the Tankerness Loch on 22nd. Green Sandpiper sightings involved singles in Stenness on 7th, in Holm and near the Airport on 14th and on North Ronaldsay 20th-24th. Late Common Sandpipers were on North Ronaldsay on 15th and at Widewall on 28th and 30th. North Ronaldsay provided the only records of Grey Phalaropes with one on 22nd and two on 30th.

Single Pomarine Skuas were seen in Evie Bay on 22nd and off North Ronaldsay on 24th and a single Long-tailed Skua off Birsay on 9th. Arctic Skua was last recorded, off North Ronaldsay, on 21st but Bonxies were seen there more commonly up until at least 28th. Most of our Lesser Black-backed Gulls leave the islands during August so that three on North Ronaldsay on 15th and two on Westray on 17th were the only records. Small numbers of Arctic Terns, Common Terns and Sandwich Terns lingered until at least 29th, adult Arctic Terns being watched feeding fledged chicks on the Holm of Papay on 11th and in Holm as late as 19th.

Single Turtle Doves occurred on North Ronaldsay on 10th/11th and 23rd while Wrynecks were reported there on 9th, 11th and 23rd (three); another was in Rendall on 12th. The only Sand Martins both occurred on 23rd, on North Ronaldsay and Shapinsay. The traditional reedbed roost site at Graemeshall Loch attracted a peak of 2000 Swallows on 8th while birds appeared to be passing through Papay on 11th with two flocks of 25 being noted. Single Tree Pipits on Sanday on 17th and North Ronaldsay on 24th were the only ones seen. One-two Grey Wagtails were also noted there on 26th/27th with another in Evie on 30th. Yellow Wagtails are always scarce so that singles on North Ronaldsay on 10th, 12th, 24th and 25th and on South Ronaldsay on 15th are noteworthy. White Wagtails are notoriously difficult to identify in autumn but there were peaks on North Ronaldsay of 13 on 12th and 10 on 28th. Up to seven migrant Dunnocks also occurred on North Ronaldsay on 23rd and 25th.

Migrant chats were almost confined to North Ronaldsay and mainly after 23rd: up to eight Redstarts, eight Whinchats, ten Robins, 160 Wheatears and a Bluethroat were all logged. Elsewhere, single Whinchats were on Sanday and at Kirkwall Airport on 17th and 22nd, four Robins were at Herston on 29th while the Wheatear influx was particularly noticeable in the West Mainland from 14th , hundreds being estimated to be present on Westray at this time. Amongst the larger thrushes, North Ronaldsay reported single Fieldfares on 11th and 23rd, a maximum of 11 Song Thrushes on 23rd and up to eight Redwings after 25th.

Four Sedge Warblers were still at the Lochside Viewpoint, Harray and in the Graemeshall reedbed on 11th with late birds still at the latter site on 25th and 28th. They were joined by a Reed Warbler on 25th others occurring on North Ronaldsay on 11th/12th and 30th, the latter found dead beneath the lighthouse. Much scarcer were the Marsh Warblers in the same localities: on North Ronaldsay on 21st and 26th/27th and at Graemeshall on 22nd. Much rarer, however, and much the most unusual bird of the month was the Blyth’s Reed Warbler on North Ronaldsay from 23rd-30th. Eight Barred Warblers passed through North Ronaldsay during the month with a peak of four on 23rd; others were in Rendall on 12th and on Sanday on 17th. North Ronaldsay reported the only Lesser Whitethroats (maximum five on 23rd) while Common Whitethroats were seen only there (one-two on three dates) and in Deerness on 22nd. There were also up to 10 Garden Warblers on North Ronaldsay (peak on 23rd) but the island’s monopoly was broken by records of others on Papay and Sanday (two) on 17th and in Costa on 25th. Blackcaps peaked at 21 on North Ronaldsay on 23rd the only others being on Sanday on 17th and Papay on 21st. Similarly, Willow Warblers peaked on North Ronaldsay at nine on 9th and eight on 25th, others being seen on Sanday (seven on 17th), on Westray (five between 9th and 19th), at Herston on 17th/18th and Heddle on 23rd. Up to four Chiffchaffs per day were seen on North Ronaldsay from 15th with one on Papay on 17th, these being almost outstripped by an arrival of Yellow-browed Warblers from 23rd when one was in Costa and another on North Ronaldsay, numbers peaking on the latter island at five on 30th. The only migrant Goldcrests involved one on North Ronaldsay on 2nd , one-two there after 23rd and singles on Sanday on 17th and at Herston on 29th. One-two Pied Flycatchers were seen on North Ronaldsay on six dates with one in Costa on 7th, two on Westray on 15th and two on Sanday on 17th. The only Spotted Flycatchers were one on Sanday on 17th and one on North Ronaldsay on 26th.

Single Red-backed Shrikes were on Westray on 18th and North Ronaldsay on 22nd but much rarer was the Isabelline Shrike that remained on Eday from about 20th until at least the month’s end. Hammars Hill in Evie continues to attract an astonishing number of Ravens, the peak being 152 on 12th. Single Carrion Crows were seen on North Ronaldsay on 2nd and at Burwick on 5th while hybrid Hooded x Carrion Crows were seen on Hammars Hill on two dates.

A marked arrival of Chaffinches on North Ronaldsay resulted in a peak of 98 on 29th, up to 10 Bramblings and 52 Siskins also being noted there. That island also recorded a Redpoll on 23rd and a Bullfinch on 27th as well as three different Scarlet Rosefinches, another of the latter being at Windwick on 15th. The largest Greenfinch flock was 60 in Orphir on 10th. Up to four Lapland Buntings were on North Ronaldsay after 8th but Snow Buntings were not reported there until 21st and then only up to three; another was seen in Stromness on 25th. Finally, North Ronaldsay attracted three different Little Buntings between 24th – 28th.

Eric Meek

Back to RSPB Bird Reports Menu