Parrots of old London town.

In the weeks before Christmas I reported on the parakeets living feral in London. Reading back I thought I would fill things In a little. The most common of the wild living parakeets are the Ring Necked parakeets. These are estimated to have a population of 50,000 ore more in the south east of England. This species is by far the most prolific of the UKs feral parrots and present the all the problems of an invasive species. Quite simply put the Ringnecks are a hole nesting species so all of the indigenous bird are having to compete with the parrots. Now given that a Nutchach and sparrows are dwarfed by the parakeet as are most other species then the outcome is all easy to see. The bigger birds are gaining a foothold in the urban situation and their populations are booming. As daylight falls and roosts begin you can close your eyes and parts of London are starting to sound like the city’s of the Indian sub continent.
The parakeets we are looking at here though are a somewhat different kettle of fish. These are the Monk parakeet, a South American species and although they are classed as pests it is an agricultural pest rather than a threat to the indigenous avian fauna. For this reason I don’t see this species as such a negative addition to the countryside. Recent figures suggest that there may be only fifteen hundred birds spread across the South East of England. Monk parakeets are a communal nesting species and it was this behaviour that I found such a delight when I first found them. Both species are visable about Millwall park and both species are quite obvious by the discordant parrot type noises they make and it was their calls that first drew me through the trees to the nest site. I had seen this structure in the distance and if it had registered at all I would have assumed it was a large squirrel dray. Seeing birds coming in to the tree it soon became obvious that this was a woven nesting structure and the birds were entering it. Considering that it was in the depths of December and the freeze was no upon us I was quite surprised that there was activity going on, but going on it was !!. Thirty foot or so up a tall tree three birds were wrestling sticks in to a huge woven mass of twigs. The whole structure would be six feet tall and two or three foot wide in places. It had four entrances visible from the ground. I don’t know if the passages open up at all for as seems more likely they lead to individual nesting spaces. Settling down a short distance away it was fascinating to watch the coming and going. My presence and that of dog walkers and noisy gangs of kids were going to make no impact on their daily life. They blithely ignored all distractions and carried on, some birds entered holes on arriving and others arrived carrying twigs which they forced and cagouled in to place in an ever extending colony. Watching the comings and goings and the birds interactions was fascinating and unique stuff. I don’t think any bird in Europe nests like this and if they do I would be willing to bet its not on this scale. If you would like a look at this small piece of South American lifestyle whilst in London then take the DLR to Island Gardens station, turn left on leaving and the trees are on the far side of the football pitches in front of you.

Here is all be it a bit late the December bird report for the county from the RSPB.

ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS

DECEMBER 2010


24 Great Northern Divers were off Rerwick Head on 12th where a leucistic bird was noted during the month. A Black-throated Diver and a Red-necked Grebe were at Sandoyne on 12th while 26 Slavonian Grebes were counted there on 22nd. The hard weather that was to be so much a feature of the month forced three Little Grebes on to the sea at Finstown during the month, one also being seen in Stromness Harbour.

There were two notable gatherings of Cormorants with 200 at Pierowall on 12th and 60 in Birsay Bay on 21st. A very large Shag count involved 1120 off Marwick Head on 23rd.

Vasa Loch on Shapinsay was the venue for by far the largest Whooper Swan flock, a flock that peaked at 130 on 19th. An immature Bewick’s Swan, a very rare visitor to Orkney, was with these Whoopers between 11th-18th. The second Greylag Goose census of the winter was carried out between 11th-13th and produced a new record count of 80,744, just 200 more than in December 2009. What was especially interesting, however, was the fact that there had been a major redistribution of geese since the November count with the West Mainland losing 12,000 birds to areas to the east and south, presumably because of the harsher weather conditions pertaining in the west. Pink-footed Geese numbered 1409, 1278 of them in the East Mainland. Amongst other geese, there were up to 63 Greenland White-fronted Geese at The Loons, two Snow Geese at the Head of Holland on 6th/7th while 2219 Barnacle Geese were counted on South Walls with up to 118 in South Ronaldsay.

Shelduck numbers peaked at 27 in Widewall Bay on 21st. A small flock of Wigeon on Stromness Reservoir on 14th included a very odd-looking leucistic bird. Up to 17 Shoveler were on the Finstown Ouse during the month, probably forced off the frozen nearby Wasdale Loch. Up to 18 Pintail were on North Ronaldsay on 12th with 11 on the Loch of Brockan on 29th. 235 Tufted Ducks were on the Peedie Sea on 16th while, most unusually, 24 were in Widewall Bay on 27th, more fugitives from the ice. Up to three Scaup were on the Ayre Loch, St.Mary’s during the month while a Lesser Scaup, a North American vagrant and only the third to have been seen in Orkney, was present there until at least 19th. One-three Common Scoters were seen in Widewall Bay, off Rerwick and off North Ronaldsay during the month while another was on ice-free water on the Stenness Loch at Brodgar on 27th. A Velvet Scoter was off the Brough of Gurness on 2nd and 13 off Rerwick Head on 12th when the regular drake Surf Scoter was also present. A flock of 700 Eiders was counted in the Bay of Carness on 27th. One-two drake Goosanders were on the Ayre and Graemeshall Lochs in Holm from 10th while a Smew found on a tiny patch of free water on the Stenness Loch at Voy on 2nd moved to Brodgar for the rest of the month.

50 Pheasants were concentrated by the weather at Dale, Costa on 3rd while big releases of Red-legged Partridges for shooting on Shapinsay resulted in a gathering of 40 at Vasa Loch on 17th. One-two Water Rails were forced into the open at Dale, at Herston, in Evie and in Rendall during the month. Coot are not often seen on the sea but up to 19 were in the Bay of Firth and the Finstown Ouse . Moorhens are even rarer in maritime situations so that seven on the sea off Greameshall, on 21st were of particular note as was one feeding on the strandline at Newark Bay, Deerness on 26th.

One-two Grey Plovers were seen on North Ronaldsay and in Birsay Bay but most Golden Plovers fled the islands and presumably headed for Ireland looking for milder conditions. Peak wader counts on North Ronaldsay involved 126 Sanderlings there on 12th and 94 Purple Sandpipers on 23rd. Two Ruffs were unusual winter visitors to the Loch of Bosquoy on 26th. Woodcocks were conspicuous as the weather made them more visible; up to 18 were reported from Hestily, South Ronaldsay, up to eight in Rendall, up to six in Deerness and up to four in fifteen other localities. That most secretive of waders, the Jack Snipe, was also much more noticeable with as many as four feeding in the open around the Peedie Sea early in the month and one-two seen at nine other sites. The overwintering Whimbrel in Burray was seen on several occasions while the largest Bar-tailed Godwit gathering was of 220 in fields at Rapness, Westray on 11th.

An immature Iceland Gull was found at the Peedie Sea on 4th and seen frequently thereafter while an adult in Stromness Harbour on 16th was joined by an immature on 19th. 500 Guillemots had returned to the seas around Marwick Head on 13th but soon moved away again. A single Little Auk was in the Bay of Sandoyne on 12th.

The largest gathering of Rock Doves was of 400 at Rossmyre, Firth on 12th while, during the brief respite in the weather, a pair of Collared Doves was watched nest-building in Kirkwall on 11th!


Orkney Short-eared Owls are known to become much more nocturnal (and therefore less often seen) in winter. However, the difficulties of finding food in frozen, snow-covered habitat forced many to hunt by day as well and there were numerous reports throughout the month.

Few Waxwings remained from the big irruption earlier in the autumn but up to four were seen in Kirkwall and single at four other sites. 100 Skylarks were counted at the Head of Holland on 2nd and 21st with 48 on Egilsay on 13th while an apparent influx on 17th brought 42 to North Ronaldsay and ten to Birsay. A Shorelark, a very scarce visitor these days, was found on Stronsay on 20th. The only Grey Wagtail reported was one in Kirkwall on about 20th while single Pied Wagtails were seen in Kirkwall, St.Ola, Finstown and Stromness.

One never quite knows when Black Redstarts are going to appear and, true to form, one was found on North Ronaldsay on 13th. Having been relatively scarce all autumn, a very late arrival of Fieldfares, a feature of recent years, was witnessed on North Ronaldsay when 56 were counted on 29th with 81 the following day.

A Blackcap was on North Ronaldsay on 4th while one that remained in Rendall was assumed to have succumbed to the blizzard of 16th. Often victims of severe weather, Goldcrests seemed to be hanging on in there with up to seven in Binscarth and five in Finstown.

The Firth School bird crop proved attractive to Bramblings with up to 15 there; ten were also seen at Quoydandy, St.Ola with one-two in several other sites. The largest Greenfinch flock was one of 200, also at Quoydandy, on 12th. The arrival of Goldfinches continued with no fewer than 23 on Burray (peaking on 4th) and singles in Finstown, Harray and Rendall.

The only Siskin was one that remained in Herston until 8th. Until fairly recently, Linnets were very much summer visitors to Orkney but more are overwintering these days as evidenced by flocks of 150 at Hestily, up to 107 on North Ronaldsay, 90 at Firth School and 60 at Dale. Although not quite so numerous as last winter, there were some good flocks of Twite with up to 650 at Brinkie’s Brae, Stromness, 500 at Dale, 400 at Swannay and 350 on North Ronaldsay. The irruption of Mealy Redpolls continued with a maximum of 21 on North Ronaldsay on 3rd followed by a second peak of 13 on 21st. This was mirrored at the Firth School bird crop where there were 15 on 5th and 20 on 23rd; elsewhere up to eight were noted at about a dozen localities. A single Lesser Redpoll was identified in Burray on 12th. The small irruption of Northern Bullfinches also continued with up to three remaining in Finstown early in the month, one in Rendall until 17th, one in Stenness on 4th and another in Herston on the same date.

Nearly all the Lapland Buntings from earlier in the autumn had moved on but birds occurred on North Ronaldsay on five dates to 24th with a maximum of six on 17th; six were also at the Black Craig, Stromness on 12th. The biggest Snow Bunting gatherings were of 100 near St. Mary’s on 2nd, 86 on North Ronaldsay on 17th, 70 on Shapinsay on 18th and 60 in Orphir on 12th while up to 40 were seen at seven other sites. The biggest concentration of Reed Buntings was of 100 at Dale on 23rd.

Eric Meek

Scotlands killing fields

It seems that the situation concerning the killing of birds of prey in Scotland is a lot worse than thought and gives serious cause for concern. Theres an artical explaining things as they stand now based on the report that has just been compiled. Attempts to suppress it by vested interests have caused it to be leaked to the press. You can read about it by clicking on the link on the top right hand side of the page in the side bar!

A small part of the mixed finch flock at the ring of Brodgar this afternoon this bush featured mostly Twite and a few Linnet.

Mourning dove

A friend of mine Dave Danehower over in the states posted this photo on facebook today. I looked at it and found it aesthetically pleasing but was puzzled to what it actually was, I assumed it was a fossil of some sort and asked him. To my surprise it turns out this is the impression of a Mourning dove that has been imprinted in the snow after some sort of crash landing, possibly after a raptor attack or some such incident. I think it captures a moment in time. A moment of drama and beauty…..It left quite an impression on me…groan ..I will get my coat…

Snow sprawk

Here is a snap taken through dirty double glazing at 40 yards. This sparrow hawk is hanging out looking for an easy meal to pounce on. Bad luck though as all the birds here about the houses here have lots of feeding stations to keep them going. This bird is going to have to earn its next meal!!!

AURORA ALERT

Go outside and look to the north. The lights are happening right now....except for viewers in england

facebook news

I have been a bit stunned by the feed back figures for the facebook page. There is a new facility that shows the total visits to any post made where ever it has been post or copied somewhere and clicked on. Since the end of June until the start of January the sum total for all visits to every post combined runs to thirty three thousand views!!!

If you would like to join in on the facebook page click on the link in the side bar and check us out....every one is welcome....doubly so if you come on join in and post your observations, thoughts photos and items of interest!!

Daf.

Solar eclipse

It was a fantastic site to see the eclipsed sunrise from Widford this morning. Unfortunatly i was without a sutable filter for the camera and we lacked a layer of fog or mist to soften the glare, i totaly strugled to capture an image. Luck was in though and a passing observer loaned me a welding filter with which i snaped a couple of shots. It was all little disapointing on the photography front but they do give slight taste of the event.

Solar eclipse sunrise

The quantrids meteor shower is upon us and should produce plenty of shooting stars. They will be emanating from northish in the sky so look to 10 o’clock from the first star in the handle of the plough, that’s if Monday night is reasonably clear. Under good conditions falls of a hundred an hour have been counted so fingers crossed and we all get to see loads!!. The show is only just beginning as darkness fades for dawn on Tuesday bring the long awaited partial solar eclipsed sun rise. At least two thirds of the sun should be in shadow as the sun crests the horizon about 8.45….with luck it will be one of those once in a lifetime happenings that everybody will get to see.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL !!!

In the last hours of daylight on the last day of the year a look to the feeders brought a male chaffinch to light feeding below the rogosa. He may have been a dull looking winter male but he was a beautiful addition to the garden list. Its just the way of it to be getting another bird on the list in the dying moments of the year. It just goes to show that anything can turn up when your not expecting it …and you have a modicum of luck…. Great birding to everyone and a happy new year to you all!!

Winter moth

This little critter is the Winter moth. I have seen a few about since the latest snow went away. Kate was telling me that she had seen one on the TV the other night with the presenter explaining how it had anti freeze in its blood to allow it to function in the extreme colds of winter. They have been coming to the bathroom window where they are happy to sit for hours. The female has markedly smaller wings and does not venture far from vegetation. I see also that they don’t feed in winter but that’s about as much info as my two wee Collins guides have on the species. Hardy little creatures in a hostile environment anyway.!!

Up coming event

Sun 16 January

Birds of Scapa Flow – boat tour on the mv Graemsay

3 hr tour on the mv Graemsay to see wintering seabirds and wildfowl. Commentary en route from Tim Dean.

Cost: ￡10 Time: 11am – 2pm

Booking essential: Anne 01856 873535 ext. 2882 email:anne.bignall@orkney.gov.uk

The moon on christmas morning

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL WHERE EVER YOU MAY BE. MAY YOUR LIFE BE PEACFULL AND YOUR GOD GO WITH YOU.

Solstice eclipse

The solstice eclipse came and went with a little disappointment as the moon fell in to mist as the eclipse became full. I cant complain though for what i saw was stunning. The whole of the west mainland basin was cast under a layer of misty fog. There were no house lights or signs of habitation to be seen and the sense of isolation was almost spiritual. I cant help but wonder what my ancestors camped out at Brodgar (or wherever) would have made of a total lunar eclipse on the morning of the solstice. I am a happy man this morning....the hours of light can grow now, the year is reborn!








This is one of the only shots i managed to catch the colour of the eclipsed moon

Brodgar at midnight awaiting the solstice lunar eclipse

Orion over a stone

Wet bread and fresh water

The crap weather is back in force today and looks to be going on for at least a few days. I will have to have a look through the cupboards for dried food and the like. I might get to put out some wet loaf and dried fruit the morn but my peanut supply is out at the moment. More important in the coming days will be fresh water and this will have to be replenished as it freezes during the day.....nice out if you are a snowman!!

London snow

London and the South East have been under a blanket of snow for the last three days, the car has had to get all the repairs made in kirkwall re done before we could drive another yard.....well pissed off!!!! Good birds abpout the flats today with eight Long tailed tits moving through the trees, numourous Bluetits and Wrens were about the Mudchute with a nice view of a song thrush in the snow. A lot of birds were taking advantage of the ground stirred up by the animals in their pens. This was one of the few areas of snow clear ground. I managed photos of some parrots roosting in Millwall park so i might be able to get an id on them this time. These ones seem diffrent from the plain green ones i have seen at the start of the week having blue/green wings and a pale breast...All is quiet out there now with a four inch covering of snow with a fresh blanket of fluffy stuff on top. I am just back in after walking a six month old Husky all over the island. We had a nice encounter with a fox and after a bit of a stare offgiving good views it mooched off into the snow. The city is full of life if you just look aboot.

Well made it to London just ahead of the snow. In a night time run from John O Groats it was a slick and glossy run to Edinbrugh, then fron Edinbrugh to london it was ocasional flurries and sleet. The south end of the M1 is an endless mass of road works dominated by 50mph speed cameras and we dont recomend at all. The A1 or M11ymust be better bets. The first birds seen from the balcony were a pair of green parakets and some blue tits. Theres the chatter of magpies and some nice song that i dont have a clue what it is. Off to explore a bit on Saturday.Londonshire

Hen harrier roost

On a notion tonight I shot off to the biggest west mainland Hen harrier roost to see if there was anything doing. On arriving I was surprised to find I wasn’t the only one with the same thought. Pulled in to a passing place was a car and a land rover both with scopes sticking out of the windows. It was an RSPB crew who were out for their monthly Harrier count. Now this was a piece of luck. The views here are distant and there is a large slice of hill to cover so four pairs of eyes are a definite boon. With the failing light the first birds had already been seen coming in over the heather. They were still flighty and not yet ready for settling. As they landed here and there we would try to keep an eye on their position so as not to confuse them with more arrivals. Slowly more and more were spotted. In the main we were seeing males coming in , the ones that landed mostly took positions on stabs or prominent heathery tussocks so they could view the hillside and new arrivals. Ringtails soon started to be spotted, many settled straight in to the heather whilst others quartered the hillside of the traditional roost. There was some interesting interactions between the males and females, between the males as well. Every so often a male would put up another male and a short squabble would ensue. Things were settling well when a Short eared owl entered the game. Now Short eared owls and Hen harriers are not the best of friends on a good day and the fear was that this owl would put all the birds up and the count would get scrambled. The SEO was chased by several males and a ring tail before finally heading off out of the area. It provided some entertaining flight and fortunately didn’t cause too much confusion to the count. This was the first Short eared owl I had seen for a while. They are a bird that gets rarer as the winter progresses. There has been some debate as to whether they all migrate south or a small population remains here and drops their diurnal feeding pattern in favour of a nocturnal life style, but that’s a debate for another day!!. The light was failing fast now and the last of the ringtails seemed to have arrived. With the youngsters and females settled over the hillside The males that had been sitting on the high spots seemed satisfied it was time to roost and one by one they moved off to claim their spots for the night with a slow circle over a favoured patch of heather before a quick plunge take them instantly out of sight. All in all it was a cracking spot of raptor viewing.

The totals for the roost were 8 males possibly 9 and 7 ringtails possibly 9.

Lochside morning.

It was such a flat calm morning that I thought I would head out and see what was to be seen. Lochside was to be the first port of call. It was lovely as well with the early winter colours of the heather and reeds reflecting in the water between the islands. I like this time of year, the first of the winds has been and the coldness of the winter depths is yet to fall. Whilst setting up my scope a lone Wren started its chiding cal from a bust thirty paces from me. This is a bird that is a handful to catch in the digiscope as they are so flighty. Sure enough I managed to get the bird in view in the scope and offer up the camera but two quick snaps and it was gone, disappeared in to the heather where it moved about and gave out some song. No prizes for guessing the sex of that one then!
There were a few birds on the water but my attention was drawn to the fields on the far side below Biggins, spread along the loch shore was a good flock of Lapwing numbering 125+ interspersed within that flock were a hundred or so Golden plover and 30 odd Curlew. Either side and above them the ubiquitous greylags grazes away. I didn’t bother to count them as I seem to be quite blasé about the tens of thousands of grey geese that are spread across the county. 25 or more Teal were emerging from the loch in a seemingly determined feeding column. As they come ashore a flurry of action draws me away as a Hoddie and a Herring gull squabble over some food on another island. It soon falls quiet though but a scan along the shore reveals five Snipe maintaining their usual immobile stance. As the winter progresses Snipe are becoming more and more visible at he waters edge, not only on the loch sides but along the sea shore as well.
The water its self held no real surprises. The predominant duck was the Tuffted with a hundred or more in view. Amongst these groups of tufted further out were five Scaup and in amongst the islands but spread out were three male Goldeneye. A small contingent of Cormarants dried their wings and preened on one of the skerries with a couple of birds paddling about and actively feeding. With the place kindo scoped out I packed up to head over the other side of the loch for a view but shortly after arriving on came the rain. I remained at the junction of Harray and Stenness for a while and stoically ignored the increasing rain until I thought my jeans were suitably wet and my legs cold enough then jumped back on the bike and shot off the four miles home….another short day….och well!

Thou shalt allways bird!

Check out Thou shalt allways bird. Theres a link at the top of the side bar.

Shooting star alert.

The annual display of Leonids shooting stars is almost upon us. They will be here on the nights of the 17th and 18th That’s the morns night and the next. Look to the constellation of Leo which is to the left and a little lower than Orion. This is in the eastern sky. Happy viewing!

Celestial events to see the year out!

There are some interesting celestial events coming up over the next month or so and I think they are well worth making a note of so as not to miss them.

Firstly there is the Geminids meteor shower. This will run from December the 9th until the 14th and it will reach the peak on the night of the 13th.

After this there is the Ursids meteor shower. This will go on from December the 17th to the 24th with the peak occurring on the night of the 23rd.

During this shower things will get really interesting with a lunar eclipse happening on the solstice around 5am just before sunrise. That will be on the morning of the 21st of December. I just cant help but think what the builders of Brodgar and the Stenness stones would have made of the event!!

On January the 1st to the 4th it will be the Quadrantids meteor shower with the peak occurring on the night of the 3rd.

With this shower over the morning of the 4th of January will provide the greatest spectacle of all!!, as the sun rises it will be in partial eclipse with a quarter of the surface occluded by the shadow of the moon.

Weather permitting it looks like the end of the year could provide Orkney with some of the greatest celestial spectacles it is possible to see….weather permitting of course!!...Happy viewing.

Time for something cute!

This was a very exhausted or ill redwing on the Marwick path today. It moved after i got with in fifteen foot of it. It moved back at the same slow pace that i approached it before it moved farther in to the field with a short flight. This shot was taken with the new camera and i see it wanted to focus on the barb wire in the foreground...mmm no change there then!!!

Otter at the Loons

On Thursday I was well impressed to see photos of otters on a friend’s facebook page. My mate Alfie Stanger had the good fortune to have a large dog otter put on a fine display in front of the loons hide just as the light was going. The sighting log in the hide also made mention of an otter sighting a few days back. Now the otter is one of the most elusive of all our wild life. I have only seen them on a few occasions so the temptation to go for a look at the end of the day yesterday was just to much for me. Shooting out as the day was ending I arrived at the loons hide to find Alfie there and primed for more action. Taking a seat and setting up there looked little In the way of bird life let alone otters.
The day before the otter had appeared on the far off left of the pool moved on to the wee island for a sniff about. There were mallard on the bank and water and they were unperturbed by the large mammal moving amongst them. He moved along the reeds in a dabbling manner with the rear end and tail in the air whilst I presume searching for food on the shallow bottom. From there he swam across the pool from left to right before emerging on the cut reeds at the mouth of the water rail channel and disappeared in to the reeds.
That was yesterday though and after hearing the description of what happened I settled to have a spy about for birds whilst keeping a weather eye out for wee tarka!! The seemingly empty vista before us soon began to offer up sightings, in the stubble fields far above us a gaggle of greylags were feeding then in the grazings below that a few curlew poked about. The field below this that leads to the reserve edge held three hares and along side these but not close enough to cause them concern a feral tabby cat was hunting a mouse or vole. One thing that had been called yesterday was a fox along the fence line. This was called by a visiting birder and Alfie managed a distant view in his bins as a Rufus looking rear end disappeared down a dip not to be seen again. We were discussing what it could possibly have been as foxes are not something we have on the northern isles when a flash of red bushy back end has me shouting FOX!! It was on the farthest comfortable view of my binoculars and it also disappeared down a dip. With the heart pumping and the mind shouting that it cant be can it??? I jumped on to the scope and swung it in the direction whilst explaining where I was looking. Within moments the culprit emerged, it was a huge ginger tabby cat with a monster tail. We both got on it and had good views in the scope. I am pretty sure that this was the fox from the previous night. It’s a good example of assuming the identity of a sighting when you are familiar with a species…its easy to convince your self you ken fine what your seeing. Assumption is a powerful psychological tool…and one I am personally all to familiar with as a birder!! With that wee mystery kind of settled it was back to the birds. Little did I know I was about to fall fowl of exactly the same assumption! Looking across the reed tops Alfie says look what’s that as a large gull floated away from us and moved on to the side of the hill. Oh its just a gull having a poke about I said with confidence. Yet it was seeming to be hunting in a quartering sort of fashion rather than the typical sort of herring gull flight Just as I was saying och its just a gull it spread its un gull like tail in a big fan and wheeled about to show its self in good view. It was a first year male hen harrier. It had passed over the three brown hares and they had not flinched. Now it moved along the fence line towards the farm and disappears. Its presence had stirred two flocks of Golden plover to take to the air, these gave a fine display wheeling about and changing colour as the changed direction before settling back to ground. The Peewits that were along the reserve edge were also spurred to take to the air but soon settled back in the same area as they had emerged.
Time passed but still no Otter, geese passed nosily over and the Harrier returned to plunge into the reeds way off to the left of the pool and not emerge, probably scoffing some prey!. Still no sign of Otters though!.
Passing time looking for a Reed bunting that was making occasional calls I was delighted to see a Water Rail walk over the cut reeds at the mouth of the channel. No sooner had I said water rail it walked in to the reeds and was gone. This was the first Water rail I had ever seen and I had the tingling thrill of discovery that you get seeing a lifer!! Still no otter though and now the rain started with a heavy thud thud The few Mallard on the pool seemed un bothered but a female Teal began rushing about like a loony, slashing and diving. The light was getting impossibly poor and we decided to head off and give it up for the night. It was a shame that the Otter did not emerge but that’s about par for these elusive creatures, never mind though I had a lifer and a good chat and laugh whilst birding and you cant beat that!! Even the ride home with out waterproofs wasn’t going to bother me tonight!!

It’s a shame the night didn’t produce an Otter but Alfie has said I can show a couple of his photos here so you can see the beast for your self’s though…Thanks for that Alfie!!

RSPB Sept report

Here is the Sept report from the RSPB...It was the hottest month of the year for sightings...how many did you see??


ORKNEY BIRD RECORDS

SEPTEMBER 2010

Traditionally one of the busiest months of the year, this September didn’t disappoint with two good ‘falls’ of Continental migrants (on 7th-10th and 28th-30th) but with much of interest emanating from the north-west in between. So many notable birds occurred that many of the commoner species that are usually mentioned have had to be omitted this month.

Black-throated Divers were noted in Holm Sound on 14th and off Cava (three) on 23rd while the first two returning Great Northern Divers passed the Brough of Birsay on 17th. Similarly, the first two Slavonian Grebes had come back to the Swannay Loch by 19th. Strong winds mid-month produced a good passage of seabirds with up to 1900 Fulmars and 1000 Gannets per hour passing the Brough of Birsay on 17th when 53 Sooty Shearwaters and 35 Manx Shearwaters were also noted. On North Ronaldsay the main Sooty passage was on 25th when 214 were counted while 19 moved through the Copinsay Pass on 29th after strong south-easterlies. 60 Storm Petrels were trapped on North Ronaldsay on the night of 1st with up to six per day recorded at sea there until 22nd and one through the Copinsay Pass on 29th. Large concentrations of Shags included 400 on the Little Green Holm on 19th and 600 in Widewall Bay on 26th.

The first (and only) Whooper Swans were eight over Herston on 25th. A large passage of Pink-footed Geese was witnessed at the Brough of Birsay on 17th when 2100 were counted in two hours; elsewhere the largest count was 229 on North Ronaldsay on 22nd. Migrant Greylag Geese have not arrived in any numbers yet but a flock of 1500, presumably local birds, was on the Loch of Skaill on 20th. A family party of five Snow Geese were in the Stromness area until 10th before what were presumably the same birds moved to Deerness on 14th. A single adult was in Orphir on 13th and 18th while three adults were at Head of Holland and Head of Work 13th-15th with perhaps the same birds on the Loch of Clumly on 26th. The first Barnacle Geese were 12 on North Ronaldsay on 28th followed by 18 there the following day.

Wigeon numbers began to build with 1500 at Mill Dam, Shapinsay on 24th while 19 Pintail were on North Ronaldsay on 12th. The Loch of Clumly was an unusual location for 12 Scaup on 26th. Two Common Scoters passed the Brough of Birsay on 17th and one was on the Loch of Skaill on 20th. The first Long-tailed Duck was off No.4 Barrier on 25th. 41 Red-breasted Mergansers were in Echnaloch Bay on 11th.

A Honey Buzzard that moved south-west over Binscarth on 19th may have been the bird seen at Berstane two days later and over Tenston on 30th. Sparrowhawks became conspicuous early in the month associated with the ‘fall’ of passerine migrants while Merlins were also very much in evidence, an interesting sighting being of two (together with a Peregrine) stooping at Starlings coming into roost over Stromness on 8th. Rare raptors involved a female Goshawk that moved south through South Ronaldsay on 10th and a Hobby on North Ronaldsay on 12th.
The final count of calling male Corncrakes in Orkney this summer was 23, four up on the 2009 total; a migrant bird was on North Ronaldsay on 10th, the same day that a Quail was recorded there. 364 Coot at Loch of Bosquoy on 26th was a good count for so early a date. The two Cranes that had first been seen in the Stromness area on 6th August remained until 19th September and afforded many folk with memorable experiences as they displayed to one another on numerous occasions

110 Ringed Plovers gathered on Stromness Golf Course at high tide on 13th. The largest Golden Plover flocks were 2000 in the Swanbister area on 25th and 1500 at each of Dounby on 2nd and Brough, South Ronaldsay on 26th. An American Golden Plover was a rare visitor to North Ronaldsay from 1st to 22nd. The largest count of Knot was 70 on North Ronaldsay on 8th while 60 were at the Shapinsay Ouse on 12th. Up to eight Curlew Sandpipers were seen on North Ronaldsay with up to five at the Loch of Skaill and singles on Stronsay and in Deerness mainly in the first part of the month. Records of their usual travelling companion, Little Stint, included three on Stronsay on 12th, one-two at Loch of Skaill and singles at Marwick and North Ronaldsay. From across the Atlantic came no fewer than six Pectoral Sandpipers with two on North Ronaldsay, two at The Shunan and singles in Deerness and at the Peedie Sea, the latter remaining from 21st to 30th and providing many folk with their first experience of this species. Also from North America came a Buff-breasted Sandpiper to Brough, South Ronaldsay on 23rd. North Ronaldsay recorded up to 17 Ruff (peak on 12th) but elsewhere only one-two were seen in five localities.

No fewer than 568 Snipe were counted on North Ronaldsay on 30th. All Jack Snipe records also came from there with an early bird on 9th followed by others from 24th with a maximum of seven on 29th. An early Woodcock also arrived on the island on 29th. North Ronaldsay also saw most of the Black-tailed Godwit passage with two peaks of 107 on 10th and 106 on 23rd; elsewhere the largest count was 16 on Stronsay on 12th. Only four Whimbrels were seen, on North Ronaldsay on 10th and 12th, on Flotta on 24th and on Burray, where the regular wintering bird had returned by 8th. The largest Curlew flock was 550 at Marwick on 20th. Greenshanks were scarce with records of singles from just three localities. Single Wood Sandpipers were at The Shunan on 2nd and 11th and on North Ronaldsay from 9th to 11th. Two Green Sandpipers were at Ireland, Stenness on 26th and one at Durkadale next day, both favourite localities for this species. Up to four migrant Common Sandpipers were on North Ronaldsay from 6th to 12th. A Grey Phalarope was seen from the ‘Pentalina’ on 10th while two passed the Brough of Birsay on 17th.

Our breeding seabirds’ woes are well-known and a complete survey of our breeding skuas confirmed suspicions that even Bonxies are in trouble – numbers have declined by 23% since 2000. Arctic Skuas are faring even worse with a 62% decline since 1992.

A Glaucous Gull was on North Ronaldsay on 25th. As usual, small numbers of Sandwich Terns lingered right through the month as did a few Arctic Terns but the presence of one –two Common Terns on North Ronaldsay right up to 30th was more notable. Tysties were especially conspicuous off the Churchill Barriers on 11th with a total of 74 off Nos 1,2 & 3.

The only Swift of the month was one in the Binscarth area on 8th. A Stock Dove was on North Ronaldsay on 29th while single Turtle Doves were in Kirkwall on 11th and on North Ronaldsay from 22nd. A Hoopoe was a good find at the Warebeth Cemetery, Stromness on 30th. Single juvenile Cuckoos were at the Wee Fea Plantation, Hoy on 8th at Manse Bay, South Ronaldsay next day. Short-eared Owls became much less conspicuous during the month and the only Long-eared Owl was one in Deerness on 9th. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was on Stronsay on about 10th while a small arrival at the month’s end involved birds in Deerness on 28th and in Stenness and Stromness on 30th. The migrant arrival early in the month brought two Wrynecks to North Ronaldsay and one to Hestily, South Ronaldsay between 8th-10th. A Short-toed Lark was a rare, but typical, visitor to North Ronaldsay on 29th. 800 Swallows were still using the Graemeshall reed-bed roost on 9th.

It was a month for interesting pipits! Amongst our resident Rock Pipits and the myriad migrant Meadow Pipits, small numbers of Tree Pipits appeared between 8th–12th, with up to 12 on North Ronaldsay. Then, on 28th, a Richard’s Pipit from the steppes of Siberia and Central Asia was found on North Ronaldsay; a Red-throated Pipit from the tundras of Scandinavia and Russia was heard to call several times as it was mobbed by Rock Pipits over Kirkwall; and, perhaps the bird of the month, a Buff-bellied Pipit from North America and west Greenland, only Orkney’s second, was found at Yesnaby.

Yellow Wagtails are normally scarce migrants here but the ‘fall’ from 8th brought six to each of North Ronaldsay, Deerness and South Ronaldsay with singles to Burray and Twatt, the latter being identified from a photograph as a male Blue-headed Wagtail, the race of Yellow Wagtail common on the Continent. Grey Wagtails were noted in breeding areas in Finstown, Stenness and Kirkwall but also on North Ronaldsay from 27th.

Redstarts were conspicuous in the migrant arrival early in the month with up to 37 on North Ronaldsay and 32 on South Ronaldsay; Whinchats were generally fewer but North Ronaldsay again recorded a peak of 37 on 10th.A Black Redstart was seen at Cara, South Ronaldsay on 7th. Few Robins were seen in this early ‘fall’ but they became more numerous late in the month with up to 17 on North Ronaldsay. Three Bluethroats were also found at this time; in Deerness and at Cottascarth on 26th and on North Ronaldsay on 30th. Coming from both the east and the north-west, Wheatears were in evidence all moth with peaks of 24 on South Ronaldsay on 9th and 110 on North Ronaldsay on 12th probably mainly being Continental birds but 20 on Birsay Links a few days later being considered to be mainly of the Greenland race.

Small numbers of Fieldfares arrived between 6th-12th with up to seven at nine localities. A few Song Thrushes also arrived then but their main influx occurred late in the month with 105 on North Ronaldsay on 29th/30th. An early Redwing was seen on that island on 9th but there were no more then until 26th after which up to 23 were seen at six sites. Blackbirds also became conspicuous at that time while up to three Ring Ouzels were on North Ronaldsay together with a Mistle Thrush, four of the latter also being seen in Rendall on 30th.

During the two main migrant arrivals on North Ronaldsay, two Grasshopper Warblers were seen on 9th and again on 30th. Sedge Warbler records became fewer as the month progressed although at least 10 were still at Graemeshall on 9th and the last was seen on North Ronaldsay on 20th. One-two Reed Warblers were seen in six localities between 9th-12th with others at Evie Sands on 23rd and on North Ronaldsay on 30th. A Blyth’s Reed Warbler was an extremely rare visitor to North Ronaldsay on 30th. Three Icterine Warblers were noted between 11th-15th with a further two on 26th/27th.

It was a good month for Barred Warblers with ten between 3rd-14th and a further five at the end of the month. Small numbers of Lesser Whitethroats appeared during both ‘falls’ but very few Common Whitethroats were seen with only one-two in Deerness and South Ronaldsay and on North Ronaldsay 9th-12th. Blackcaps and Garden Warblers were two of the main components of the migrant arrivals. On North Ronaldsay, Blackcaps peaked at 28 on 9th and 10 on 30th with numbers elsewhere fewer but similarly distributed. 32 Garden Warblers were found on South Ronaldsay on 9th with 17 on North Ronaldsay the following day, five also being seen on the latter island on 30th; other localities recorded up to three almost all early in the month. Willow Warblers were also common during the early arrival, especially on 9th when 48 were on North Ronaldsay, 28 on South Ronaldsay and up to ten elsewhere; small numbers also arrived late in the month. Chiffchaffs, as usual, reversed this picture with only a few being seen at the start of September but the arrival from 26th bringing in more including up to eight on North Ronaldsay. Wood Warblers were seen in Deerness on 8th with two there next day and another being in Finstown on 10th and 15th. A real rarity was a Western Bonelli’s Warbler on North Ronaldsay on 10th/11th. Right on cue, the first two Yellow-browed Warblers, coming all the way from Siberia arrived on North Ronaldsay on 21st to be followed by others in Stromness on 26th, Rendall on 27th, Deerness and South Ronaldsay (three) on 30th when a peak of seven occurred on North Ronaldsay. Very few Goldcrests occurred before 28th when the arrival brought 16 to North Ronaldsay and small numbers elsewhere.

Perhaps the most conspicuous species of the early migrant arrival was Spotted Flycatcher with 32 on North Ronaldsay, 29 on South Ronaldsay on 9th and 15 on Stronsay on 12th, birds being reported from fourteen other sites. Pied Flycatchers were fewer but South Ronaldsay recorded 18 on 9th and, again, there were records from fourteen other localities including as far west as Yesnaby. A suberb adult male Red-breasted Flycatcher was found at Eastside, South Ronaldsay on 9th with another immature bird at Cara on 30th.
A Red-backed Shrike appeared on North Ronaldsay on 9th with other at Burwick and Costa on 11th. The series of Coal Tit records from Hoy continued with at least one at the Wee Fea Plantation on 8th.

Small numbers of Chaffinches and Bramblings appeared early in the month but the main influx occurred from 26th respective species totals being 50 and 112 on North Ronaldsay on 30th. Siskins were also conspicuous, especially towards the end of the month with 161 on North Ronaldsay on 30th and up to 18 elsewhere. An interesting series of Twite counts came from uninhabited islands in Wide Firth on 19th with 250 on the Little Green Holm, 50 on Muckle Green Holm and 110 on Boray Holm; it would be interesting to know what these birds were feeding on in these remote unfarmed sites! Up to 12 Common Redpolls were on North Ronaldsay from 24th with four on Sanday on 26th and up to ten in Finstown after 27th. The origins of these birds was suggested by the finding of single Hornemann’s Arctic Redpolls (from Greenland) on North Ronaldsay on 20th and Sanday on 26th. Two Lesser Redpolls were seen at Durkadale on 9th and 27th with another on North Ronaldsay on 30th. Single Crossbills were at Durkadale on 9th and Swannay on 11th. One-two Scarlet Rosefinches were found on North Ronaldsay, Stronsay and in Finstown between 3rd-15th with other singles on North Ronaldsay on 20th, 23rd and 29th. North Ronaldsay also recorded a Hawfinch, very scarce in autumn, on 30th.

An Ortolan Bunting, a very scarce visitor these days, was at Cara, South Ronaldsay on 30th while single Little Buntings were on North Ronaldsay on 27th and at Hewing, Firth on 29th.

Perhaps the outstanding event of the month was the arrival of Lapland Buntings almost certainly, despite their name, originating in Greenland. North Ronaldsay witnessed three separate arrivals with 104 on 1st then declining until 135 arrived on 12th before declining again ahead of a third arrival of 272 on 27th. This pattern was more or less mirrored elsewhere with up to 68 occurring on the Brough of Birsay, up to 70 on Birsay Links, up to 120 in the Yesnaby to Black Craig area and up to a dozen in 12 other localities. This is, by far and away, the biggest irruption of this species ever witnessed in Orkney. The first Snow Bunting arrived on North Ronaldsay on 14th and built up to a peak of 242 on 30th up to 22 being noted at five other sites.

Eric Meek

I had a single Waxwing in the garden sitting on top of the rugosa this morning just as I was setting off to town. Quickly I put out more fruit nipped next door and did the same there then headed off to town. On the return four hours later I found the food untouched by anything but blackbirds. Keeping a beady eye out for another couple of hours failed to produce another bird. It’s a bit disappointing but they may yet come foraging and at least my rosehips survive for the blackbirds!! As a plus tho I get waxwing on the garden list and it’s a couple of houses since I had that!!

Waxwings in Stromness

Waxwings are entering the county in good numbers with good flocks being seen in Finstown and Stromness. The hot places to look at the moment are about Stromness at the old academy, along side of the fire station and along from the Stromness pool. This is an exelent oppertunity to see these spectacular and confiding birds. It is also a good oppertunity to draw them in to your garden. The best bait to use is fruit, diced and halfed apples spiked up in bushes or on your bird tables should help attract them in...good luck and enjoy!!

Waxwing alert

There have been reports of Waxwings in dribs and drabs all week and my feeble serching has found none. Tonight though Tim Wootton reported masses around Stromness. Waxwings are a spectacular and noisey bird thats well worth getting along for a look see!! I know where i will be the morns morn....roll on the dawn!!

Stoats

After several reports of Stoats being at large the first one has been trapped.
This is a very concerning situation. Time will tell now if trapping will remove them...lets hope so.

There is a small film and more info on Radio Orkneys facebook page

There was a male Blackcap at the Merkister this lunch time and two Whimbrel passed over the house calling as i was getting the kettle on tonight!! Birding indoors,in the dark might be time to start a new list title....i jest!!

Alone in the darkness

Its nearly midnight and i have just been out side. Its flat calm with the distant house lights reflecting across the loch. There is not a single goose to be heard out there and the silence is deafening!!!

Eight Whooper swans pass over the house heading in a westerly direction looking to land. This was a first for the garden list i am happy to say!! As its a first its the excuse i am using for this shonky photo taken through the dirty sittingroom window!!!

1700-2000+ Pinkfeet below the house tonight at dusk.

Twitchin treecreepers

After an abortive attempt to get to Deerness yesterday when I managed as far as the Wideford burn before having to limp back, today I managed to finally see the Treecreeper that’s been at Grindigar. Deerness was hooching with birds. Although I wasn’t searching about much it seemed most bushes and shrubs held birds. Just turning off the main drag to Grindigar a dazzling colourful Redstart shot across the road in front of me and disappeared down the field. Slowing with the thrill and watching it go I realise the string of willows along the road side contain a flock of Goldcrests! I trundle along at walking pace and the Goldcrests seem happy to ignore the bike and give fine views. Parking up and moving slowly in through the gate to the wee quarry garden a flock of brambling spook and take noisily to the air. A peer inside and the bench is a third of the way down and I take a pew on it and sort my gear. Its soon obvious that the fleeing brambling didn’t take all the birds with them and with the quiet returning movement begins again. The canopy is moving with Goldcrests and the bright warm air is full of their high pitch calls. I have seen quite a few on migration over the last few years but today was the first time I have seen them feeding on the ground out in the open. Quite oblivious to my presence they were coming within ten feet of me, some times with three on the ground at one time, other times they were in the willow directly overhead!! Through this I was trying to quietly get them in to the scope for a photograph whilst on the ground it was marginally better than trying to snap them in the branches. They scurried around like clockwork toys and entertaining as they were proved dammed difficult to get in the viewfinder!!
Robins were well represented in the common migrant stakes with three seeming to be in view at any one time. I’m sure there were a lot more about though as a Sparrowhawk pass had an awful lot of alarm calling going on all at one time. Once things settled and restarted a Blackcap showed up for a minute and a Garden warbler landed in the apple trees but was gone when the camera was pointed in its direction. It was a calling male Chaffinch that delivered my bird of the day. It had caught my attention in the lower boughs of on of the conifers and as I was watching it a movement below caught my eye. Here at last was the Tree creeper. Forty five minutes waiting has produced this exciting and beautiful bird. With a white belly, mottled brown back and curved beak it moved up and down the trunks of the fir trees hunting insects at a cracking pace. It is an industrious little chap and a challenge and a half to digiscope, No sooner is it in the viewfinder than its gone behind a trunk or off down a branch. I move over to the heebies and it moves down the line of willows. With little more than blurred shots the camera abandoned I enjoy great views for about tem minutes before it flies directly towards me and enters the heebie two foot above my head. I wait about for fifteen more minutes but this the last time I see it out. I am happy enough though and it was a super last view. That was it for me as I have places to be and have to head home. All is not dull there though and a pair of Goldcrests that had been there in the morning remained all day…adding another name to the garden list!

LORENZO IS KING

ROSSI IS STILL A GOD


Its time to hit the road, in a responsible non motogp sort of way of course.

Finding fungi

Today I went on the field club fungus outing led by Julian Branscombe and based around Finstown. It was an extremely interesting and enjoyable wee expedition that took us through Binscarth woods and back to the old Kirk yard. I didn’t know much about fungus before but soon began to pick up names and recognise species as we moved through the woods. There was a good turn out today and we spread out locating interesting fungi and getting them identified. This is where the expertise of the field club comes in so handy with so many naturalists to hand to split almost identical looking mushrooms. Milkcaps, Candlesnuf, Glistening inkcap,Inkcaps, Deadmans Fingers, Deceivers, large stands of Honey fungus, it just kept coming! The range and amount in such a small habitat was quite surprising and we were soon scurrying from find to find. It was all good fun and a lot of the time the canopy above was filled with the high pitched calls of the busy newly arrived Goldcrests. With a circuit of the woods done we move off to the old Kirk yard. The unpromising sward of grass proved surprisingly full of fungus as we began a closer inspection. Most obvious to start were the slime moulds, called dog vomit mould in the states and is well named! A variety of Waxcaps, Earth Tounge and Smoky Spindles all looking creepy and exotic in their graveyard setting. To complete the creepy setting a couple of freshly killed and bleeding Redwings below a tombstone told of a Kestrels food cache as it took advantage of today’s bounty. All in all it was a very interesting morning and all to soon over. On the way home I had a quick look in the Stenness Kirk yard and there were even more to identify the best of which was a blue one! I had never seen a blue mushroom before. Its shaping up to be a super weekend!!!

There is a photo album of today’s fungi on the Facebook page if any one fancies a look!!

Stop Trump, the fight go's on. The fight needs you!!

I thought the clearances were a thing of the past but here they are again in this day and age. Here is a council being manoeuvred in to using CPO for the private individuals to make huge amounts of profit. I thought these powers were for the betterment of a local community for road extensions or the creation of public amenities. Not only is this situation hugely questionable but the trump organisation also want the council to use their power to evict the land owners that he cannot buy!! I hate bullies, greed and the selfish rape of our environment. I don’t think that this section dunes, a designated SSSI should be lost to a monoculture of lawn and become a green desert!! We might only be able to protect small bits but they all add up!! I cant get links to work in posts but this can be coppied or there will be a link at the top of the links list in the side bar.

www.trippinguptrump.com