Old Whiskers ticked at last

Beardy is the large fella in the middle

I finally caught up with the Bearded Seal. Deciding to look on the slip as I returned from the airport with visitors, who were equally impressed with the curly whiskered one.

The airport trip also allowed me to look for the Dotterel but they were sadly absent.

Back home the same visitors found Whitethroat in the garden whilst I was making tea, I rushed out to see it flit through the gateway into the neighbour's where it proceeded to sing and generally show off; nice one NC.


The Short-eared Owl was seen as I returned from doing a farm survey this morning. Also over the moors displaying were two very nice dark phase Arctic Skuas which swooped around the car.

Come on Spring ...

A Hen Harrier hunting around our neighbouring barns this morning (a ringtail) and Red-throated Diver made the "in the garden" list by flying right over the house this morning.

A trip to Birsay found a summer plumaged Sanderling on the beach with about 25 Dunlin but little else.

A Siskin in the garden this evening.

No birding, well not much

Windy and cold, yuk. Drove past Takerness just after the Dotterel were found but just before Julian managed to get the news out. A bit of a search around Deerness yielded only Common Tern for the year list.

Bog all in the garden or on The Shunan either.

Garden birding

Yesterday, Arctic Skua flew past the house as I was eating breakfast; another was on the Shunan around lunchtime.

Ringtail Hen Harrier flew through the garden a.m. Then three Siskin, a male and two f appeared around the feeders, the male similar to last weeks. A Goldfinch appeared on the feeders midday and scoffed Nyger until late afternoon.


Added to the garden list were Wheatear and at long, long last Ringed Plover.

A Dunlin was on The Shunan a.m. Arctic Terns were on Bosquoy a.m. and seen on Harray. A Red-throated Diver flew along the Harray shore too.

Ringed Plovers

On The Shunan this evening were two Ringed Plovers and two Common Sandpipers. One of the Ringed Plovers is quite interesting, small, not much orange in the bill, thin black band on the breast, I had to give it a grilling as I thought originally it was going to be LRP, eventually it flew and revealed itself. Both RPs flew to the island so I drove up the track with the expectation of adding them to the "from the garden" list but by the time I got there they'd hid back in the corner I expect, couldn't see them anyway. I dipped on Sand Martin this morning as well as one flew through The Shunan whilst I was down there, still needed for the "from the garden" list. There was a new Brambling under the feeders.

Guillemot carnage

We walked from Marwick Bay to Birsay today, brilliant sunny day with an icy northerly wind. Of course the subtext to this walk was to count White Wagtails but of that later.

The seabird cliffs at Marwick Head are a real spectacle. You get warmed up to this by the constant stream of Kittiwakes to-ing and fro-ing from the Marwick Bay pond, the fro-ing with huge clumps of weed in their bills. The spectacle of thousands of Guillemots on their ledges at The Head never ceases to amaze. Today though we were distracted by the brutality of the natural world.

A small group of about 20 Guillemots were on an open flat piece of rock, low on the cliff. A Bonxie was very interested in this group and soon enough another joined it. The Guillemots were clearly bothered by the Bonxie and stabbed at it when it ventured too close, the Bonxie in its turn was wary enough of the dagger like Guillemot bills. Eventually though the Bonxie launched itself at a guillemot and managed to get on its back and peck at it, most of the Guillemot's cousins retreated at this point and at that moment the other Bonxie flung itself into the fray and grabbed the prize, a bright blue guillemot egg. Immediately Bonxie number one let go and the two birds enjoyed the egg contents.

Once the egg had been devoured one of the Bonxies went back to eyeing up the Guillemots again. A Herring Gull arrived and ate the little egg left by the Bonxies and then retreated and a Great Black-backed Gull arrived and stood near to the Bonxie. At this point Bonxie number two disappeared and Bonxie number one had a scrap with the Geeb. All settled down to Bonxie eyeing up Guillemots, Geeb eyeing up Bonxie and Guillemots and Herring Gull watching from a distance. The Bonxie had a couple of goes at the Guillemots in a half-hearted sort of a way but then went for one isolated one, the Guillemot put up a good show and the Bonxie was being fended off but the egg was open and in nipped the Geeb and broke it but the Guillemot / Bonxie battle was vigorous and the Geeb retreated, another egg rolled free. Then the Bonxie backed off and the Guillemots went back to sitting, one now beside a broken egg.

Later we saw a Raven with a Guillemot egg in its bill as it flew to a field to devour its snack in peace.

Raven

White Wags today - 18 at Marwick Bay, one Pied; one Pied at Marwick Head; 24 White on the Links beach at Birsay but just 12 on the west beach at Birsay, although I didn't have time to count this quite as thoroughly.

Back at home one Siskin today and a Whimbrel on the Shunan that I couldn't see from the garden. Yesterday's Dunlin was still present in the morning.

alba alba

White Wagtail

The beaches at Birsay were covered in alba wagtails this afternoon and almost all of them were M.a.alba. I counted 53; 21 on the bay beach north of the burn and the rest on the links beach. I only saw three or maybe four yarrellii. These are amazing numbers. Interestingly they all called like yarrellii and I didn't hear the Grey Wag like call that I've sometimes heard from this form. At least three Whimbrel over whilst we were there and 5 or 6 Wheatear on the Links beach.

Loch of Bosquoy

Earlier in the day Arctic Tern was added to the "from the garden" list courtesy of three then six on Loch of Bosquoy. A wader seen briefly flying between The Shunan and eventually landing around Bosquoy may well have been a Pec but although I saw it well it was a distant and fairly brief view so best forgotten. I went down to Bosquoy to look for it but to no avail although did count the Tufted properly 386.

In the garden were a pair of Siskin and a flock of what I think were Pink-feet stormed through at tree top level, 35 of them, before gaining height as they headed north west, presumably they were dodging a Peregrine.

At the end of the day a summer plumaged Dunlin was on The Shunan and added to the list.

Moth trapping last night produced but one moth - Hebrew Character, something must have gone wrong surely, although it was cold.

Garden bird race stuff

House Martin was with Swallows over Bosquoy this morning, just the one. Much staring into the distance from the garden produced an excellent Merlin and a superb male Hen Harrier that went hunting in a back garden across the way. All the usual ducks were present with Tufted increasing to 368 on Bosquoy. Over by the mill on Harray loch side the suspected Ringed Plover showed again but I just couldn't nail it, a bit too distant, no doubt it will give itself up eventually. Linnets continue to show every time I step outside the gate, so uncountable for the competition.

However, effort was rewarded early evening as whilst trying to id the duck with chicks on Bosquoy a Short-eared Owl flew in to view and showed nicely by The Shunan. A moment later a look back for the duck and two Common Sandpipers flew along the the Bosquoy banks, nice.

A male Chaffinch was in the garden.

The moth trap is running, a bit chilly but overcast so I'm hopeful. Id seems to be the problem here as well, lets see what the morn brings.

House Martin

A House Martin was around a breeding site in Harray as I drove towards Kirkwall this morning. The Brambling is still in the garden.

Brambling again

This smart male Brambling was still in the garden when I got home but the Chaffinch and Goldfinch that Louise recorded during the day had gone.

Swallows flew through the garden this morning but attempts to locate the Wood Sand were a failure and I couldn't find Common Sand on Bosquoy either. A record 9 Gadwall were in or around the Shunan as was a drake Shoveler.

Yesterday Bonxie was added to the garden list by chasing up the track when I spotted two cruising for a bruising towards The Shunan. Foot on the gas and leaping out once over the garden threshold did the trick.

Small fall

Willow Warbler

Chestnut (not?) most likely a Clouded Drab

Chestnut (er, probably no, see above)

Moths last night: Hebrew Character, 29; Clouded Drab, 1; Chestnut, 1.

Birsay this afternoon for late lunch at the mobile cafe and there was a small fall. I only looked on the north west beach but there were at least 7 Wheatear on there with one or two White Wagtails. Round at Palace there was a Willow Warbler and a Chiff in the first garden past the stores, at least three Sand Martins and a Swallow over the reed bed along the burn and a Whimbrel was calling.

From the garden today Reed Bunting, Snipe and Swallow were new for the year. Close calls were Linnet which flew over the garden but I was out of the garden so I can't count that for the competition (darn) and Wheatear which was in a field by our neighbours when we went visiting, too far away to rush home to try and get it. Other interesting things were a Fulmar that nearly made airspace, Long-tailed Duck on Loch Harray and a large increase in Tufted Ducks on Loch of Bosquoy with 142 there.

Couldn't find the redpoll

A two hour search for the redpoll at Dale, Costa found no redpoll; lots of Twite though and a variety of other things. A rather damp Brown Hare posed rather nicely.

Back at The Shunan a Blackwit appeared mid afternoon. In the evening at Loch Harray there was a very nice summer plumaged Slavonian Grebe. The large Tufted flock, along with the Scaup, seems to have dispersed unfortunately.

It's much warmer with the wind in the south and east today so I've got the moth trap out.