Archives
Archives - January /February 2007 sightings
28/02/07
1st Jan.
Nothing new seen, and I was sober - honest!
2nd Jan.
Four live Puffins were seen off the Holm shore (a nice change from all those corpses).
3rd Jan.
11 Shelducks were back in Tankerness along with a female Common Scoter. Four Scaups were found nearby.
A first-winter Iceland Gull was seen in St. Ola.
4th Jan.
An ad. Iceland Gull and a first-winter Glaucous Gull were both discovered at the same site in Deerness. The Shelduck head count was now 14.
5th Jan.
209 Purple Sandpipers in Deerness was an encouraging total, following a series of recently disappointing low counts.
6th Jan.
The parish of Tankerness provided some interesting sightings with
three pairs of Gadwall, three Woodcocks and a Long-eared Owl.
8th Jan.
A first-winter Iceland Gull was seen in Kirkwall. A flock of 80 Linnets was found in Holm.
9th Jan.
A first-winter Little Gull was a welcome find in Deerness.
10th Jan.
The male Surf Scoter was seen again off Tankerness together with reduced numbers of Common and Velvet Scoters.
11th Jan.
The Black-tailed Godwit was found again in Toab and appears to be wintering there.
Very wild weather produced some interesting sightings in Deerness with first-winter Glaucous and Little Gulls, and a Manx Shearwater passing offshore; the latter a very unusual record at this time of year.
13th Jan.
Gale force winds again produced some notable sea-bird movements, particularly for this time of year.
A short 30 mins. watch off Deerness saw passage of 58 Gannets and 138 Fulmars, including a dark morph bird.
14th Jan.
Two Black-tailed Godwits were still in Deerness and appear to be wintering. Two Long-eared Owls were found in Tankerness along with two Sparrowhawks.
15th Jan.
68 Red-breasted Mergansers off Holm constituted a large flock for the time of year. A male Ruff in Toab revived memories of a one-time wintering flock in that area a few years ago.
17th Jan.
A first-winter Iceland Gull was in Kirkwall.
18th Jan.
An adult white-phase Snow Goose appeared in Holm accompanying a Greylag flock. On size, structure, etc. it was almost certainly the same bird that arrived in Deerness last October.
A Red-necked Grebe was seen off the Holm shore.
19th Jan.
The Snow Goose was still present in Holm. Two Red-necked Grebes and 17 Black-throated Divers were seen off Holm. Two Puffins and four Razorbills were also seen there.
Two Black-tailed Godwits were found in Tankerness.
20th Jan.
The Snow Goose remained in Holm.
21st Jan.
The Snow Goose was still in Holm.
A flock of 253 Pink-footed Geese was seen in Tankerness.
22nd Jan.
The Snow Goose was still showing in Holm. A new Red-necked Grebe was found off Holm, with a flock of 35 Fieldfares nearby. A flock of 349 Pink-footed Geese was seen in Deerness.
23rd Jan.
A Carrion Crow found in Holm appeared to be paired to a Hooded Crow. A flock of 569 Pink-footed Geese was in Deerness.
24th Jan.
A Barnacle Goose was seen with Greylags in Holm. A first-winter Iceland Gull was found in St. Ola. A Grey Plover seen in Deerness was probably the only one in the area (very scarce here at this time of year).
25th Jan.
A flock of 520 Pink-footed Geese was counted in Tankerness, with two pairs of Pintail and two Black-tailed Godwits
close by (the same godwits as those found on the 19th).
26th Jan.
The Pintail count had increased to four pairs. A flock of 578 Pink-footed Geese found in Tankerness was my largest flock of the winter, so far. Single first-winter Glaucous Gulls were found in Deerness and Holm.
27th Jan.
A solitary Carrion Crow was seen in Holm, presumably the one seen on 23rd.
28th Jan.
A Red-necked Grebe was seen off Holm, with an obliging
Glaucous Gull close by feeding on the remains of a dead seal.
29th Jan.
The Red-necked Grebe was still present. 178 Bar-tailed Godwits and 386 Dunlins were both 'par for the course' counts of these species in Deerness.
30th Jan.
All three wintering Black-tailed Godwits were seen together in Deerness along with 198 Knots.
A short time later, one of the two wintering Black-tailed Godwits was seen in Tankerness.
1st Feb.
February got off to a good start with a first-winter Mediterranean Gull in Kirkwall.
A noticeable increase in Iceland Gulls was also detected with at least three (two first-winters and an adult) in the same area.
2nd Feb.
The Iceland Gull tally increased to at least four (two first-winters and two adults).
3rd Feb.
Numbers of Iceland Gulls continued to build with four seen together (three first-winters and an adult), making at least five individuals for the week, so far.
Definitely a gull week, as far as I was concerned!
4th Feb.
Oystercatcher numbers are rapidly increasing with 147 at a monitored site in Deerness. 227 Knots was also a good count there at this time of year.
5th Feb.
Five Iceland Gulls (four first-winters and an adult) were seen together in Kirkwall (the total for the week is now at least six individuals).
6th Feb.
The three Black-tailed Godwits were seen again. A first-winter Glaucous Gull was found in Holm.
7th Feb.
Six Black-throated Divers, a Red-necked Grebe, eight Slavonian Grebes, two Puffins and a Little Auk were seen off Holm. Two Iceland Gulls (a first-winter and an adult) were in Kirkwall.
8th Feb.
Oystercatcher numbers had increased to 157 in Deerness.
9th Feb.
A flock of 11 Pintail was seen in Tankerness. The Mediterranean Gull re-appeared briefly in Kirkwall.
A first-winter Glaucous Gull found in Holm was probably the one seen on 6th.
10th Feb.
Three Iceland Gulls were the most seen together today.
It is very difficult to know exactly how many are present, because they are so mobile.
11th Feb.
A first-winter Glaucous Gull was seen again in Holm.
12th Feb.
Three Iceland Gulls and the Mediterranean Gull were seen again in Kirkwall. A Short-eared Owl, probably a wintering bird, was flushed off a road-side fence post in Holm.
13th Feb.
18 Velvet Scoters were found with 61 Great Northern Divers off Tankerness. Two first-winter Iceland Gulls and three Pied Wagtails were seen in Kirkwall.
14th Feb.
An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull in Kirkwall was my first of the year. Other gulls in its company included a first-winter Iceland Gull and the Mediterranean Gull.
16th Feb.
Two first-winter Iceland Gulls and the Mediterranean Gull were seen in Kirkwall.
17th Feb.
Wildfowl were the order of the day with a 'redhead' Smew, an adult 'white phase' Snow Goose and a flock of 523 Pink-footed Geese in Tankerness.
18th Feb.
The 'redhead' Smew was still present in Tankerness, along with six Scaup.
Three Red-necked Grebes were seen off Holm, making this my highest count of the year, so far.
19th Feb.
Lesser Black-backed Gull numbers were picking up with one in Deerness, and four, with other gulls, in Holm. Oystercatchers had also arrived in force since the last count, with 324 in Deerness.
20th Feb.
Two Iceland Gulls and the Mediterranean Gull were still showing in Kirkwall. Two Pied Wagtails were seen nearby. The Smew remained in Tankerness. The Glaucous Gull was seen again in Holm.
21st Feb.
Three Red-necked Grebes were again seen off Holm, together with eight Black-throated Divers, 11 Slavonian Grebes and five Velvet Scoters. The Glaucous Gull was seen again nearby.
22nd Feb.
Iceland Gulls were seen in Kirkwall (first-winter) and Holm (adult). The Smew continued its stay in Tankerness. Sea-bird movement off Deerness in a one hour watch involved 284 Fulmars (including two dark-phase), small numbers of Gannets and Kittiwakes, a Red-throated Diver and a Little Auk.
23rd Feb.
The Smew was seen again.
24th Feb.
The week ended with some good finds. Two Tundra Bean Geese were seen in Toab with Greylags.
This was only the seventh for Orkney; the last occurred in 1993. It also appears to be the first record in winter. I also managed to find the Smew and the Mediterranean Gull. The day ended nicely with a Woodcock and a Common Redpoll (flammea) in Holm.
25th Feb.
The Avocet was still showing well in Tankerness. The Smew was much less co-operative, but was eventually located nearby.
26th Feb.
The Avocet was still putting on a good show in Tankerness. In Deerness, a flock of 195 Bar-tailed Godwits was seen along with a Black-tailed Godwit and a first-winter Glaucous Gull.
Numbers of Pink-footed Goose are building, as evidenced by a flock of 774 in Tankerness.
An influx of Common Redpoll (flammea) resulted in sightings of three in Tankerness, and seven in Holm - the latter group accompanied by a male Bullfinch.
27th Feb.
Nothing new, but the Avocet continues to attract admirers.
28th Feb.
I managed to connect with all the scarce/rare birds that I have turned up recently, including Avocet and 'redhead' Smew (Tankerness), first-winter Mediterranean Gull (Kirkwall) -
Other finds in Deerness included Black-tailed Godwit, Common Scoter, and good counts of Dunlin (457) and Knot (235).