Sunny with showers

Here's some pictures now things are back to normal as I've finished my bit of the bird report and the bird race is done and dusted (I'll post about the bird race shortly). This morning found me checking the local tetrad, yesterday's ploughing had encouraged plenty of gulls, but no white wingers, however, 28 Lesser Black-backs was a good count. Best bird was a Black-tailed Godwit, the first of the year. Snipe was calling and Curlew were on territory.

The confiding Little Auk in Scapa Bay earlier today. 

Had a bit of a tour around after checking the local patch as I had some things to get in Kirkwall. On the way I noticed that there was a lot of gull activity at the fish cages just outside Hatston so I stopped and looked. I didn't have the new Nikon scope with me but all the same in good light the faithful Zeiss did the job and I spent a good time sifting through the distant flock, in the air and loafing on the cages and water. Most surprising was the lack of any white winged gulls and in the end I counted 280 Herring Gulls, at least a third of which were 2cys. I'd thought that there were more gulls further out but when I looked carefully found they were Eider and a bit of a scan towards the harbour found some more, in the end I counted 600 which is a fairly hefty flock here. I could check the closest males and they were all standard but the distant ones and the females needed more optical power, or a boat.

There was a single Iceland Gull, a 2cy on the PDC. Shopping done I headed to Scapa and after a brief hunt around one of the reported Little Auks was found close by the quay.

Louise had a female Hen Harrier at the end of the day and I tried coaxing a Shortie towards the garden but failed. Hen Harriers pretty regularly hunt in and around the garden but I've only once had a Shortie closer than this one, 100 m or so distant, and that was at night.

Aurora not visible

Its been grey, misty and windy for a few days now, not good for aurora watchig. On Friday you could tell something was going on as it seemed too bright and there were occaisional glimpses of green behind the clouds. Yesterday nothing doing but tonight looks and feels quite good but loads of cloud again at the moment.

Bird race

Not so much planning, at least on my part, this year and we tried a different route, starting in the east and working west. Some plans went out of the window through lack of time, and maybe that walk at Orphir would have brought us a few more species, but 91 was a good total and equal to our effort last year. In addition I managed to hear the Finstown Hawfinch, which at least one other team saw and a disaster at the end with Little Grebe meant we couldn't add that to the total either as only two of us saw it and the clock ran out before it resurfaced in view. However, we did see the Burray Whimbrel (but dipped on the nearby Little Auk as two of us failed to see it before it vaporised). I was well pleased with the Toab American Wigeon which I'd dipped twice the previous weekend. Merlin at The Loons was good, both races of White-front were a combination I've not seen on a day before (only one tick though) and awkward things like Meadow Pipit, Dunnock, Song Thrush and our resident Tree Sparrow all played ball. The next effort will be in April or May when I have a go at the on the bike day, I'll need to beat last year's 71 which was a score curtailed by aweful weather in the afternoon meaning it was more like a half day score.

Spring perhaps

Not a very spring like day as a cool easterly was blasting across Harray and it stayed grey nearly all day. However, there were four Woodpigeons in the wood and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls on The Shunan. Fieldfares continue to head off with seven or so today across the fields, heading east.

The bird of the week was the Iceland Gull on The Shunan, a 2cy which flew in over my head as I was getting the girls into the car heading for work. We met the green van man on the track, picked up our parcel and had slightly better views.

I'm still battleing with the bird report, just two wader species to go now, thus the rather brief posts. Also it is bird race time and there is a crown to be defended. A certain amount of preparation has gone on but I wasn't very enthusiastic today and anyway had to go on a mission to Kirkwall to replace the completely disintegrated toilet seat which had been capable of giving one a nasty nip on the bum given the chance.

Some track repairs this afternoon ended up with the trailer shedding a tyre, should have checked the tyre pressures shoudn't I ...

The target for tomorrow is to better last year's 91, we shall see.

Goose count

Today was spent over on the East Mainland counting geese of which there were:
Greylag Geese - 3335, Pink-footed geese - 518, Eurasian White-fronts - 42.

Also seen were the Firecrest, 30 Great Northerns, 6 or so Slav Grebes and ten Iceland Gulls.


Probably the most notable event of the day was the spring arrival of Woodpigeon at home first two came in from the south and dropped in then another seven came over five of which continued northward.


Yesterday's track works seem to have held up, it may be a bit early to start fixing it up but some of the craters are of wheel swallowing size and I fear for the Fiesta's life.

More white stuff

A day off and the dog needed walking, so Marwick it was....

 A few Iceland and Kumlien's Gulls

There were 22 Iceland Gulls in the roost in the field and another two on the far pond when I got there with a couple of Glaucous Gulls. The tide was in so there was nothing at The Choin. However, birds were moving backwards and forwards every few minutes so it was quite hard to keep track.At the geos there was a nice roost of Icelands and the various chunks of deceased whale were still providing plenty of food. In the end I counted 63 Iceland type gulls of which five (at a minimum) were Kulien's type. There were six Glaucous as well. Also present a hybrid crow.

Kumlien's Gull - a 3cy - it seems to me that Ks are typically "less advanced"  compared to correspondingly aged Iceland and tend to have more brown plumage in the coverts and on the body; note the pink bill on this bird making it look quite Glauc like

Three ages a 4cy, a 3cy and a 2cy. The 2cy is clearly Kumlien's but the other two are possibles (not included in totals) as well. The 2cy has a pale eye, most K at this age would have a dark eye.

 Here's a nice group, just the one K here

I think this could be argued to be Kumlien's, P10 and P9 look grey to the tip

And now for something completely different....

Rather tame Rockit

It was clear out day, so en route to the tip I finally had a go for the Firecrest in Finstown. It took a little doing, I would have found it sooner if there had been less noise around but in the end I got brief but very good views. No photos though, as soon as I got the camera out it vapourised.

Back at the ranch the Tree Sparrow is still present. Fourteen Fieldfare were by The Shunan. The rooks roosted last night and it looks as if they were roosting this evening as well, joined by 42 Jackdaws this evening that all came in high at about five, no chance to check through them..

Yesterday at home in the morning there were three Shelduck on The Shunan, but just two in the evening  and the Oystercatcher flock was reduced to one.The Woodcock flew through the garden again in the dusk and 105 Pin-feet came north. Plenty of Wigeon and Teal on The Shunan as well.

Winter Moon

The sky is spectacular at the moment with four planets showing well, Saturn's rings are especially smart early morning. Here's the Moon rising this evening.

There are still plenty of white-winged gulls about but the star birds of the weekend were the five Goosander on Loch of Bosquoy.. Four were initially located from the garden whilst trying out the new scope, I went down there to give them a bit more scrutiny and found an extra one, not a common bird here so a nice record, five males and one female type.

New scope is pretty impressive. Someone was selling a Nikon 82 Fieldscope locally. Optically excellent but the Zeiss will still remain the staple I suspect, for reasons of portability.

I still haven't bothered to go and look for the Finstown Firecrest, and it might be too late now as its very cold tonight.

Kumlien's?

I'm reliably informed that the criteria for Kumlien's Gull has changed and that some birds are now being called, "brown winged" Iceland. These are the individuals with the venetian blind like effect in their wings, I think.

I snapped the two birds below at Bay of Skaill this morning. One is clearly Kumlien's but the other one appeared to be an Iceland Gull, but then in flight its tail would surely make it Kumlien's????

 Don't think anyone would argue with this as Kumlien's (3cy)

 This one looks like Iceland (3cy) though

 ...but that's a tail bar isn't it? Kumlien's then?

The brute was slightly more straightforward

There were 10 Iceland (type) Gulls in the bay this morning, with two Glaucous, on the loch there were two more Glaucous.

Awesome sky

Having dipped severely on the aurora the other night, saw the glow in the sky and didn't bother to check it properly, dow! Then having two evenings when we thought it was buzzing but the cloud prevented a view, it was neat this morning to awake to a clear sky to the south. Of late the morning sky to the south has been at best misty. Mars shone brightly to the SW, but best of all was Saturn low to the south with its rings showing really well at x 45. Then just around 7:00 a.m. the ISS passed under it, very neat.

A little later as I went out to the car to de-ice it (that is not to scrape off Iceland Gulls you understand) a Woodcock circled the house and garden. 

Yesterday, to and from Kirkwall to a meeting, a 3cy Iceland Gull on the PDC and then a 3cy and an adult west of Finstown plodding around in a field near Binscarth, didn't even bother to stop to use the bins, well they're trash birds now (only kidding, honest).

More ice in a hooley

 Iceland Gull in a storm

Went out to Marwick briefly today. Almost impossible to go birding, even from the car it was pretty tricky due to the wind blowing somewhere near a Force 9. I staggered out to Sand Geo and beyond where there were about 30 or so Iceland Gulls, including at least three Kumlien's, mostly identified by naked eye as using the bins was tricky, due to the wind, rain and blowing foam. It was like being in a storm of needles. Sheltering in the fishermen's huts provided some respite.

By the Choin at Marwick there were at least six more Iceland types and a 2cy Kumlien's, Also there two adult and one more Glaucous. Inland a bit and there were three more Glaucous on the Marwick pools.

 Adult Glaucous Gull

At home today Tree Sparrow, two or three Chaffinch and a male Hen Harrier; a little way up the fields there were 50 Fieldfare and by The Shunan 100 Redwings and four Moorhens.

American Herring Gull-maybe

New photographs taken today, as the bird was refound, are much more convincing. I will request permission to post them here. The bird now does look chunky and "aggressive" enough and there are a range of other features that are encouraging.....

Post-script

Killian Mullarney has looked at the photos and pronounced the gulll an argenteus, So spot on ID Stewart.

It's still a white out

Stayed at home for the first part of the day and managed to get Glaucous Gull on the "from the garden" list as a 1stW flew by.  Other highlights were two Peregrines having a spat, two Hen Harriers, four Golden Plover, 250 Curlew by The Shunan and of course the Tree Sparrow.

In the afternoon I went back to Marwick to look again at the ww gulls. But look at this...

Could this be a Yank HG?

Answering my own question, probably not. I've had a look at the Lonergan and Mullarney paper and also had a comment or two. The bird does not look big and bulky enough for AHG. In particular the bill looks too slight and as Stewart has pointed out the head isn't bulky enough, nor is it the correct shape, it should be longer and flatter I think. I'm also concerned that the tail pattern wouldn't be correct for an AHG of this age. The shade of grey of the mantle and back are not too far off Iceland, and it should be darker. So probably good try but no bananas.... However, what it actually is is quite another question as I don't think its a Herring Gull.

More pictures of the interesting gull. Many thanks to Alastair Skene for his permission to post these.

These five photos, thanks to Alastair Skene who took them today at Sand Geo.

All comments gratefully received.