Dunlin

Fantastic day today, bright and warm (this after some days of grey and cool, cold even). The warmth came through yesterday when the temperature suddenly jumped to 20C in the middle of the day but the sunshine didn't arrive until this morn. So good we even cobbled together a barbie.

The Dunlin are on the move, a flock of 17 at Birsay this afternoon were very tame. The local ones seem to have disappeared and this year I've seen no juvs on The Shunan, not a good breeding season perhaps. There had been 6 - 8 daily until fairly recently and on a couple of occasions i'd tracked them flying high over the house back up onto the moor. The 17 were all adults too. However, as we were leaving there were a couple of juvs by the burn mouth.

An excursion this morning to check some Atlas stuff produced an unexpected Slavonian Grebe, very smart. The steam roller was phtographed a few days earlier, on a prior visit to this site, I remember when beasts like this were in serious use.

The moth trap has not turned up anything very thrilling recently, well nothing I could identify at least. I've photographed a couple of things that might be of interest. However, Garden Tigers are always good to see.

Little Terns

I had to go to buy a gate (that darn dog) so headed over the barriers to the site. 22 adult Little Terns at least and one maybe two juvs: nice!

Hope you're not too green JB?

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Out for storm petrels last night. The northerly wind didn't help and in the end only three European Storm Petrels were caught with another five or so bouncing or missing the net. Bit puffed out today though.

Two Garden Tigers, a Yellow Barred and several Antler moths in the trap, depite running it for half the night closed up, doh!

Seawatching

The northwind doth blow... so a seawatching I did go. Just 90 mins this evening from Whitaloo produced a very nice Pom (sans spoons but smart all the same) heading east. A gang of Arctic Skuas east ( a three and at least 3 more singles) a Sooty the wrong way, east along with 16 Manx. There was a lot of feeding activity about a klick or so out with 100 Arctic terns and 200 Kitts (including a single juvenile). Also of interest were the Puffins and Razorbills tooing and froing with food.

Rousay

We went over to Rousay today. The gloomy start to the day soon cheered up and we strode up the hill. Not many birds to report though and no cetaceans on the crossing.

New experience for the hound

 Nice views from the top

Bonxie

Tall ships

Having got back from holiday in England yesterday Louise and I went "sailing" today on one of the tall ships. This was a motor out of Kirkwall, east of Shapinsay, around Copinsay and then south down South Ron' around Burwick and then through the Firth to Stromness. It was all very civilised, we were well fed and cared for and no one was used as shark bait or prodded down the plank.

 We were glad we weren't on this one

Only four of our many sails were set which was a bit of a disappointment but the wind was wrong for us apparently

I saw three of perhaps six Sooty Shearwaters and six Manxies.

Sooty Shearwater

 

Copinsay and The Horse

Back at the ranch one Oystercatcher is behaving as if it still has young.

Oystercatcher

Rooks and terns

Living next to a rookery and large corvid roost is an interesting if sometimes noisy existence.Counting them in the other evening I was surprised by just how many there are roosting at the moment, 1477 and 127 Jackdaws. We'd noticed them "snoring" a few weeks ago and last night I listened carefully and what was apparent was they are synchronised snorers. But for desperate slowness of our upload speed the video would be posted with this. I must look this up in BWP and find out a bit more.

Arctic Terns

I went to look at the Skiba Geo Arctic Terns the other evening and found to my surprise that a small number were back on the colony. Careful inspection revealed no eggs or young but they were behaving like freshly arrived birds, displaying and staking out claims.

 

These photos were taken at Skaill where ten or so seemed to be defending a phantom colony on the beach. It has been a very poor year for this species here. I understand the Northumberland ones are faring better.

 

Skaill Bay

I wandered up on the moor yesterday and found my route littered with Common Blue butterflies.Onto the side of the Kame of Corrigall and across the moor where I flushed a couple of Red Grouse one of which had chicks, proof of breeding for The Atlas.

Full on

It's been like a good autumn over the last few weeks and the last few weeks of work have been very busy so little time to post.

Yesterday I went out to Auskerry which is a small island just to the south of Stronsay. It took an hour and a half to get there from Kirkwall in a fairly speedy boat. Two Arctic Terns harassed me at one point, not so long ago there were 8,000 nesting here. Despite the lack of terns it was an interesting day with a range of species some of which were still breeding or had been successful. Arctic Skuas, various cliff nesting seabirds (see below) and the usual wader suspects. Two Harbour Porpoise an adult and a calf were also espied. The island is inhabited, by one family. A different kind of life.

Auskerry pictures

 Shipwreck

 Fulmar nests

 View to the light

Stones

 Steading

 Puffins

 Triangulation

Goodbye

On the way back the mobile buzzed a bit and a message came through (thanks SS) that there was a stint sp on The Shunan. I'd checked it before I left but easterly winds were conducive to something happening, despite the date. However, thorough searching for over an hour did not reveal the stint so I went to cook tea only to be soon interupted by AL to say he'd got a Temminck's. Tea abandonned (loss of house points there). Shot down the hill nearly losing it on the bend and connected. Good job too as it has proved highly elusive subsequently being seen briefly just twice despite my own and others prolonged efforts. Have not (so far) managed to get it on the "from the garden" list.

A walk today with Cora the dog tugging produced no stint but I did refind the two Ring-necked Ducks on Bosquoy and various other bits and bats showed well there, including a nice male Hen Harrier. More broods of Tufted make at least six so far. 8 Siskin were in the peedie wood.

The Shunan this evening held at least 24 Black-tailed Godwits and 17 Dunlin. The Tree Sparrow has visited a couple of times today.

 Record shot! R-n Quacks

Evening sky - Mirbister

Cultural weekend

Not much birding done this weekend as we've been enjoying the St Magnus Festival - The Tempest on Friday night, Cinderella and Mozart's Requiem today.

I did run the moth trap last night, although it barely goes dark. There were plenty of carpets about but only one decided to go in the trap. This one below was seen earlier.

 Silver-ground Carpet

 White Ermine

Here's a Harray sky, not yesterday as it was a beautiful sunny, even hot day.

More Ring-necked Ducks

Managed to see one of the Ring-necked Ducks from the garden this evening and that has reassured me that I hadn't previously overlooked them. Pretty distinctive even from this range. Still slightly miffed I didn't find them but so it goes...

Tree Sparrow in the garden morning and evening today and a flock of four Arctic Terns went over the garden, entering airspace. Later a further 8 Arctic Terns were high over neighbouring fields, these two flocks were heading north. I'm guessing it is too late for them to breed elsewhere, perhaps they're just wandering. First high flying flocks I've seen this year.

Ring-necked Ducks

I'd left my phone at home charging when we went down to Fungus (the pony) I'd wandered along Loch of Harray (Short-eared Owl and various bits and bats). Fortunately I checked my phone not too long after we got back: Two Ring-necked Ducks, Loch of Bosquoy, with the Tufted. I checked from the garden and couldn't see the Tufted. Under the wall.

Down at the Loch by 9.45 or so and the light was still easily good enough to pick out the two drakes. A bit disappointed I didn't find them, slightly worried I might have seen them from the garden the other day and passed them off as moulting Tufties, it is a long way away though. Excellent birds to add to this real purple patch.

American sparrow come to my feeders

In the dark

A trip out last night produced three Otters, a Spotted Crake, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Corn Crake.

This evening whilst on the phone to a local birder a Cuckoo flew into the tree in the front garden, a waif and stray blown in by the storm.

Very record shot - Cuckoo