MOSTLY ORKNEY BIRDS by Keith Hague

Archives

Archives - March/April 2008 sightings

1st Mar.
Shelduck numbers remained stable in Tankerness at 81 birds. Also in the area were flocks of 178 Redshanks, seven Snow Buntings and two Whooper Swans.

2nd Mar.
A total of 23 Whooper Swans was seen at four sites. Six Snow Buntings were found in Holm.
The Mediterranean Gull and the Green-winged Teal were seen in Kirkwall and Tankerness, respectively.

3rd Mar.
The Mediterranean Gull and the Green-winged Teal were both seen again. A flock of 12 Black-tailed Godwits (all in winter plumage) probably represents the total number that have wintered in Tankerness. The flock often breaks up into singles and small groups and different counts are made on virtually every visit. Interestingly, the same phenomenon was true of a flock of Ruff that used to winter in the area a few years ago.


4th Mar.
A flock of 980 Pink-footed Geese in Tankerness was typical of the spring build-up in this area in recent years. In the same area Oystercatchers were also cosolidating with a count of 173. Different flocks of Black-tailed Godwit in Tankerness totalled 11 birds, and a fresh-water Red-throated Diver and a first-winter Black Swan was also seen (does anyone have any idea if this is a wandering local bird?).

5th Mar.
Two Scaups were seen in Tankerness.

6th Mar.
284 Knots, 92 Dunlins and three Black-tailed Godwits were seen in Tankerness.

7th Mar.
The Mediterranean Gull was still in its Kirkwall haunts.
187 Oystercatchers were counted in Tankerness.

8th Mar.
A flock of 102 Shelducks seen in Tankerness was the largest of the year so far. Also seen in the area were 223 Oystercatchers and a Meadow Pipit.

9th Mar.
Wader counts in Tankerness included 256 Oystercatchers, 286 Knots, 152 Bar-tailed Godwits and a flock of 10 Black-tailed Godwits. The Green-winged Teal was also seen again.

10th Mar.
189 Turnstones, 156 Purple Sandpipers and a Pied Wagtail were seen in Deerness.

11th Mar.
The Green-winged Teal was seen again. Also in Tankerness, 136 Great Northern Divers and a Puffin were seen offshore.

12th Mar.
Four Iceland Gulls (two first-winters, a second-winter and a third-winter, were seen in Kirkwall providing an excellent opportunity to compare age characters of the immature birds.

13th Mar.
A Pied Wagtail was seen in Holm.

14th Mar.
A different Pied Wagtail was seen in Holm.
The over-wintering Chiffchaff was located again in Toab.
A flock of 60 Woodpigeons, and a Woodcock were seen in Tankerness.

15th Mar.
A first-winter Iceland Gull was seen in Holm along with two Pied Wagtails (the latter becoming increasingly frequent and widespread after this), and a Redwing.

16th Mar.
Three Iceland Gulls (two first-winters and a second-winter) were seen in Kirkwall.

17th Mar.
13 Whooper Swans were seen in Toab.
A pair of Pintails and a flock of 68 Snow Buntings were seen in Tankerness.
212 Oystercatchers were counted in Deerness.

18th Mar.
Another Green-winged Teal was found in Holm, with a flock of 29 Eurasian Teals.

19th Mar.
In Kirkwall a third-winter Iceland Gull was seen along with a second-winter Glaucous Gull.
The Tankerness Green-winged Teal was seen again.

20th Mar.
An unusually marked Larus gull probably (L. argentatus argenteus x L. fuscus graellsii) was seen in Holm. Nearby a Purple Sandpiper with Turnstones by fresh water in a flooded field was a first for me (I have never seen this species away from a beach in Orkney, before).
A Water Rail was also heard calling at a favoured site in Holm.

21st Mar.
A Red-throated Diver was seen on fresh water in Holm.
In Kirkwall the Mediterranean Gull had re-appeared, along with a second-winter Iceland Gull.

22nd Mar.
A new Red-necked Grebe was seen off Holm. A Short-eared Owl and three Meadow Pipits were observed nearby.

23rd Mar.
222 Purple Sandpipers were counted in Deerness. A Song Thrush and three Meadow Pipits were seen in Toab.
The Green-winged Teal was found yet again in Tankerness.

24th Mar.
The Green-winged Teal was there
again.

25th Mar.
A pair of Shovelers on the sea off Holm had probably been displaced by the wintry weather.

26th Mar.
Off Holm inshore counts revealed a Red-necked Grebe, 10 Slavonian Grebes, two Black-throated Divers, a Velvet Scoter, five Razorbills and a Guillemot (unusually the latter was my first of the year.
In Kirkwall, a third-winter Iceland Gull was seen.
The Tankerness Green-winged Teal was again present, along with five Black-tailed Godwits, and a flock of 232 Knots nearby.

27th Mar.
A flock of 20 Whooper Swans were seen in Holm.
Two drake Pintails were found in Deerness, with 10 Slavonian Grebes, three Grey Plovers and a flock of 16 Common Scoters.
The pre-migratory gathering of Great Northern Divers off Tankerness had built up to an impressive 267 (including a compact raft of 93 birds).

28th Mar.
A day for 'black' geese in Deerness with a party of five Canada Geese and a first-winter Pale-bellied Brent Goose - both species accompanying different Greylag flocks.

29th Mar.
Two Goldfinches and a female Black Redstart were good finds in Deerness. Another good day for 'black' geese with three species on offer - the Canadas and Brent, plus a flock of nine Barnacle Geese.
30th Mar.

30th Mar.
A minor influx of migrants continued on from yesterday with small numbers of Goldcrests in Holm and Toab. The find of the day was undoubtedly a superb male Firecrest in Toab, along with a singing Chiffchaff.

31st Mar.
A total of 35 Whooper Swans was seen in Holm and Toab. Gadwall numbers are building up with five seen in Holm.
The Chiffchaff was seen again in Toab, but there was no sign of the Firecrest.

1st Apr.
The Chiffchaff was still around in Toab. Five Meadow Pipits were also seen.
In Deerness, a flock of 15 Common Scoters was seen, along with seven Slavonian Grebes and a Jack Snipe.

2nd Apr.
The Chiffchaff was spotted again in Toab, along with a pair of Siskins.
A party of six Redwings seen in Holm was the largest number seen for some time.

3rd Apr.
In Tankerness, the Shelduck flock had reduced to 73; clearly birds had started to disperse to their breeding sites. The Green-winged Teal, a Black-tailed Godwit and a first-summer Greenland White-fronted Goose were also seen.

4th Apr.
Four Black-tailed Godwits, 150 Knots and the Green-winged Teal were seen in Tankerness.
A flock of 491 Pink-footed Geese were seen in Deerness.

6th Apr.
Three Shovelers were seen in Holm. A total of 43 Whooper Swans was found in the East Mainland (25 in Toab; 18 in Holm - known to be different flocks)

7th Apr.
A drake Ruddy Duck, the Green-winged Teal and a Black-tailed Godwit were seen in Tankerness.

8th Apr.
A pair of Pintail was found at a new Deerness site, with 214 Purple Sandpipers and a second-summer Mediterranean Gull nearby.






9th Apr.
A Chiffchaff was found in Holm, whilst in Tankerness two 'fresh water' Red-throated Divers, two Pochards, six Scaups and two Black-tailed Godwits were seen.

10th Apr.
A Red-necked Grebe, three Slavonian Grebes and a Black-throated Diver were seen off Holm.
A singing Dunnock was heard in Toab.

11th Apr.
A pair of Pintail was seen in Holm (this species seems to be more widespread so far this year).
The Pale-bellied Brent Goose was re-located in Deerness.

12th Apr.
Three Black-tailed Godwits, a Little Grebe, two Pochards, three Scaups and pairs of Shoveler and Gadwall were seen in Tankerness.
A pre-roost assembly of 54 Pied Wagtails was observed in Holm.

13th Apr.
Six Goldcrests were seen in Tankerness (probably local breeders, but there are small numbers of migrants about). Other passerines there included five Greenfinches and a Chaffinch. Passerines elsewhere included Chiffchaff in Deerness, and Robin in Holm.
Four Scaups were seen at a new site in Tankerness, with a pair of Pochard and two Black-tailed Godwits nearby.

14th Apr.
A migrant Goldcrest was seen near the shore in Holm.
A Chiffchaff and a Woodcock were seen in Toab.
A Song Thrush was spotted in a town garden in Kirkwall.

15th Apr.
A Yellow-billed Diver (either a second-summer or moulting ad.) was off Tankerness along with 126 Great Northern Divers. The big drop in numbers of the latter species since the end of March suggested that many had shipped out with the improving weather. Also there, were 42 Velvet Scoters and a Common Scoter.

16th Apr.
A male Surf Scoter was seen off Tankerness, along with 54 Velvet Scoters and a Common Scoter. Three Black-tailed Godwits, four Scaups and a Brambling were found nearby.
A Whimbrel was seen in Holm.

VARIOUS FACTORS HAVE PREVENTED THE REGULAR UPDATING OF THIS SECTION. I HOPE TO RECTIFY THIS SHORTLY. HOWEVER, THE GALLERIES ARE BEING UPDATED ON A REGULAR BASIS.