Archives

Archives - November /December 2007 sightings

31/12/07



1st Nov.
Two Puffins, nine Slavonian Grebes and a Velvet Scoter were seen off Holm.
The two Surf Scoters were seen again off Tankerness, along with a Common Scoter and 46 Velvet Scoters.

2nd Nov.
A flock of 11 Grey Herons was seen in Holm.
The large gathering of Tufted Duck/Scaup in Kirkwall had reduced to 78/7 birds respectively, probably due to disturbance caused by the construction of a huge bonfire on the site.

3rd Nov.
Three Barnacle Geese and a total of 21 Whooper Swans were seen in Tankerness.

4th Nov.
A flock of 24 Siskins flew past the house in Holm.



4th Nov.
A flock of 24 Siskins flew past the house in Holm.
A juv. Black-tailed Godwit was seen in Tankerness. Offshore the scoter count included two ad. male Surf Scoters, 40 Velvet Scoters and a first-winter male Common Scoter.

5th Nov.
A female/imm. Scaup was found in Holm.
A flock of 128 Bar-tailed Godwit was seen in Deerness.

6th Nov.
A Puffin was close in off Holm.

7th Nov.
A flock of eight Scaup was seen in Kirkwall.

8th Nov.
Three Sparrowhawks in Holm was notable - all grounded and sheltering from storm-force winds. A flock of 13 Grey Herons was also seen in Holm.
In Kirkwall a Pomarine Skua was seen attacking a small flock of Black-headed Gulls, with a Common Scoter close by.










9th Nov.
A second-winter Iceland Gull was a new find in Kirkwall.
A flock of five Pintail and a Jack Snipe were seen in Tankerness.









10th Nov.
One of the drake Surf Scoters was seen off Tankerness, along with five Common Scoters.



11th Nov.
A female/imm. Scaup and a flock of 32 Snow Buntings were seen in Holm.

12th Nov.
Seven Black-tailed Godwits were seen performing high-tide aerial manoeuvres with 270 Knots in Tankerness. Offshore, two male Surf Scoters were seen with 40 Velvet Scoters and a Common Scoter. Also present were 21 Slavonian Grebes and 19 Red-throated Divers.

13th Nov.
169 Purple Sandpipers were seen at a monitored site in Deerness, along with 11 Sanderlings.

14th Nov.
Off Tankerness, only one of the Surf Scoters was present, along with 32 Velvet Scoters. Two Little Auks were also seen. In the same area there were now 10 Black-tailed Godwits, 340 Knots and two Shelducks.
Sightings off Holm included two Red-necked Grebes, 20 Slavonian Grebes, four Little Auks and two Puffins.








15th Nov.
Two Little Grebes were seen in Holm, probably from a local breeding site. Nearby, a flock of 469 Snow Buntings and a first-winter Pale-bellied Brent Goose were found.

16th Nov.
In Holm, another Little Grebe was seen - on a flooded field (with no emergent vegetation at all). The Pale-bellied Brent Goose was seen again. The Snow Bunting flock had diminished to 207 birds. Both drake Surf Scoters were seen off Tankerness with 36 Velvet Scoters










17th Nov.
The Pale-bellied Brent Goose remained in Holm. A Black-tailed Godwit was seen in Tankerness.



18th Nov.
A Little Auk was seen off Holm.
Seven Black-tailed Godwits and 360 Knots were found in Tankerness.

19th Nov.
A Little Auk was seen off Holm.

20th Nov.
Significant flocks of 384 Knots and 355 Dunlins were counted in Tankerness. Seven Black-tailed Godwits were again present.

21st Nov.
A Puffin was seen off Holm.
There were eight Black-tailed Godwits in Tankerness.

22nd Nov.
A Little Auk and another Red-necked Grebe were seen off Holm.

23rd Nov.
There was just one drake Surf Scoter off Tankerness, along with 20 Velvet Scoters.

24th Nov.
There were still eight Black-tailed Godwits in Tankerness, but an increase in Knot to 410. A Carrion Crow was seen in Holm.



25th Nov.
Four Black-tailed Godwits remained in Tankerness, along with 331 Dunlins.

26th Nov.
244 Purple Sandpipers were counted in Deerness, along with a Goldfinch and five Meadow Pipits.
An adult male Surf Scoter and 99 Great Northern Divers were seen off Tankerness.

27th Nov.
Two Red-necked Grebes were again present off Holm, along with nine Little Auks. Two Meadow Pipits were seen onshore.
In Tankerness there was now a flock of 17 Black-tailed Godwits.




28th Nov.
The Goldfinch was seen again in Deerness, with a Chiffchaff, three Meadow Pipits and two Stonechats. 19 Sanderlings were feeding along the shore.
A single drake Surf Scoter was again present off Tankerness.
A Siskin was found in Holm.










29th Nov.
An 'inland' Red-throated Diver was seen in Tankerness.

30th Nov.
There were still 300 Knots with 61 Ringed Plovers in Tankerness.
A party of four Gadwall was seen in Holm.



1st Dec.
Following reports as diverse as 'a large pale falcon' and 'a possible Rough-legged Buzzard', I went over to Deerness and was fortunate enough to find a juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard.
A flock of 220 Knot was seen in Tankerness.




2nd Dec.
Three Red-necked Grebes, 19 Slavonian Grebes, 20 Black-throated Divers, three Little Auks and a Puffin were seen off Holm.
Off Tankerness a drake Surf Scoter was still present along with a drake Common Scoter, 20 Velvet Scoters and 27 Slavonian Grebes.










3rd Dec.
Following a report of a possible Lesser Scaup (with a caveat that hybridism had not been entirely ruled out), I went over to Kirkwall and had an entertaining spell trying to both identify, and photograph, it.
It transpired that it was a hybrid - a salutary lesson for the future.
A flock of 310 Knot was counted in Tankerness.









4th Dec.
A flock of 100 Snow Buntings was seen in Tankerness.

5th Dec.
110 Dunlins were seen in Tankerness.

6th Dec.
A group of five Black-tailed Godwit remained in Tankerness.

7th Dec.
Four Black-tailed Godwits were seen today in Tankerness, with 136 Bar-tailed Godwits and 159 Redshanks.

8th Dec.
A flock of 263 Dunlin was seen in Tankerness, with an 'inland' Red-throated Diver nearby.



10th Dec.
Flocks of 89 Oystercatcher and 13 Whooper Swan were seen in Deerness.

11th Dec.
A group of seven Black-tailed Godwit in Tankerness continued the run of rather late records in an area where very small numbers have wintered in recent years.

12th Dec.
Only one Black-tailed Godwit was seen today, along with a flock of 360 Redshank.

13th Dec.
64 Oystercatchers, three Pintails and a Scaup were seen in Tankerness.

14th Dec.
Counts of 181 Purple Sandpiper and 91 Turnstone were recorded in Deerness, along with a flock of 140 Snow Bunting. Two Scaup (both drakes) were seen in Tankerness.

15th Dec.
A group of five Gadwall, a drake Surf Scoter, 28 Velvet Scoters and a flock of 163 Bar-tailed Godwit were seen in Tankerness.



16th Dec.
Flocks of 75 Knot, 218 Bar-tailed Godwit, 245 Pink-footed Goose and 38 Snow Bunting were found in Tankerness.

17th Dec.
Following a hard frost, a Red-legged Partridge was a surprise find in Tankerness (presumably a hardy survivor of recent introductions here). 281 Dunlins were in the same area. Four Little Grebes and a Red-necked Grebe were seen in Holm.

18th Dec.
A Green-winged Teal and three Whooper Swans were seen in Tankerness.








19th Dec.
Near-perfect weather conditions tempted me on to the Holm shoreline for a spell of inshore sea-watching. Species seen included three Red-necked Grebes (together), with 26 Slavonian Grebes - offering excellent opportunities for size and structural comparisons. Also present were seven Black-throated Divers, eight Little Auks, four Puffins and two Razorbills.
In Tankerness the Green-winged Teal was seen again, whilst offshore the Surf Scoter was still present, along with a first-winter male Common Scoter and 26 Velvet Scoters.

20th Dec.
In Tankerness the Green-winged Teal was seen again, with eight Black-tailed Godwits and 120 Snow Buntings in the same area.

21st Dec.
The Green-winged Teal took some finding, but was eventually located late on in Tankerness. 12 Shelducks were also seen in the area.
Seven Little Grebes and two Whooper Swans were seen in Holm.

22nd Dec.
The Green-winged Teal obliged again, and a single Black-tailed Godwit was also seen in Tankerness.



23rd Dec.
Six Black-tailed Godwits were seen in Toab - perhaps some of the Tankerness birds.









24th Dec.
Two Scaup drakes were seen in Tankerness


25th Dec.
174 Turnstones and 203 Purple Sandpipers were counted in Deerness. A first-winter Glaucous Gull and a Pied Wagtail were also found in the same area.

27th Dec.
A first-winter Grey Phalarope was found swimming well offshore off Deerness having been found a few days earlier by a Deerness resident). Not particularly tame, possibly because a big sea kept it out beyond the breakers most of the time.









28th Dec.
A Red-necked Grebe, 14 Black-throated Divers, four Little Auks, three Puffins and three Razorbills were seen off Holm.
A Woodcock was also found in the area.

29th Dec.
The Grey Phalarope was seen again
late on, but seems to be intermittent in its appearances.
A Woodcock was seen again in Holm.




30th Dec.
An ad. male Surf Scoter remained with dwindling numbers of Velvet Scoters off Tankerness. The Green-winged Teal was also found again, still accompanied by a female, but as a close approach is nigh impossible its specific identity remains in doubt.
The Grey Phalarope was still present in Deerness and showing well on a calm, bright sunny morning.


31st Dec.
The Grey Phalarope was seen again in Deerness, along with a first-winter Glaucous Gull.