After a few days absence over the switch from 2014 to 2015 the Pheasant which has taken a liking to our garden has reappeared this afternoon.
Also this afternoon after a brief visit from one of our friends as they were departing a female Hen Harrier took off from the long grass of our lawn, with what looked like a prey item in its claw, and headed over to our bit of heathery moorland.
These two take the 2015 species list to 30.
Saturday, 3 January 2015
Friday, 2 January 2015
Echnaloch Bay
Following on from the single Glaucous Gull I saw at Echnaloch Bay yesterday, there were two reported there this morning.
There were also three Common Scoters out on the water.
There were also three Common Scoters out on the water.
Thursday, 1 January 2015
The 2015 Bird List started
As is traditional on New Year's Day, a birding session to kick the new year's list off and as usual it starts with the garden. Not that the garden was very busy at first light.
The first birds on the year list were four Greenfinches which arrived on the top of a bush next to the empty seed feeder!! With it soon filled they made a brief re-appearance before being chased of by the arrival of the Starlings. Over 80 of them to be exact and it didn't take too long for the feeder to be empty again.
A look from all the main windows of the cottage added four Blackbirds to the list and a solitary Rock Dove. A single female House Sparrow was spotted under the ground feeder.
Out in the field around the cottage there were single Great Black-backed Gull and Common Gull. A quick walk over to our heathery moorland bit of ground in the hope of flushing a Snipe didn't work but did net an over flying Raven and 13 Greylag Geese which took off from a nearby field.
Then the rain set in for a bit and put birding on hold for a bit.
Once the rain cleared it was off down to Echnaloch Bay and Loch. There are at least three seal carcasses on the beach at Echnaloch Bay at the moment which are attracting a few gulls. Mainly Great Black-backded gulls, which on this occassion had four adult and four juvenile ones tucking in. But the bird I was looking for was one I first saw on the 29 Dec 14. A scan of the carcasses produced a blank for this bird but a scan behind the tide line picked it up and added a first winter Glaucous Gull to the list.
Other birds out on the water included 16 Long-tailed Ducks, four Eiders, four Wigeon and a single Shag. A scan of the cliffs on the North side of the bay picked out a solitary Fulmar while a long the beach there were three Oystercatchers, three Redshank, four Rock Doves and a very well camoflagued Common Snipe. A flock of over 100+ Lapwing flew out over the bay on several occassions.
Switching across to the otherside of the road attention turned to Echna Loch. Tuckedin the corner close to the road as a Little Grebe. Twenty Tufted Ducks and 7 Mallards added to the list, while other birds on the loch included four Great Black-backed Gulls and 9 Wigeon.
Next stop was the South end of Barrier 3. As I pulled into the small parking area there was a single Hooded Crow sat on a nearby fence post. Other birds for the list included a Grey Heron, two Curlew, seven Red Breasted Mergansers and a male Goldeneye. A single Oyster catcher and 20 Long-tailed Ducks provided a supporting cast.
A drive round the back of the Fossil Centre and across to Barrier 4 only produced several fields with Greylag Geese in and from the car park at Barrier 4 only Eiders and Red-breasted Mergansers were seen.
A quick drive around the village only added a Collared Dove to the list, giving me a total of 28 species to start the year.
The first birds on the year list were four Greenfinches which arrived on the top of a bush next to the empty seed feeder!! With it soon filled they made a brief re-appearance before being chased of by the arrival of the Starlings. Over 80 of them to be exact and it didn't take too long for the feeder to be empty again.
A look from all the main windows of the cottage added four Blackbirds to the list and a solitary Rock Dove. A single female House Sparrow was spotted under the ground feeder.
Out in the field around the cottage there were single Great Black-backed Gull and Common Gull. A quick walk over to our heathery moorland bit of ground in the hope of flushing a Snipe didn't work but did net an over flying Raven and 13 Greylag Geese which took off from a nearby field.
Then the rain set in for a bit and put birding on hold for a bit.
Once the rain cleared it was off down to Echnaloch Bay and Loch. There are at least three seal carcasses on the beach at Echnaloch Bay at the moment which are attracting a few gulls. Mainly Great Black-backded gulls, which on this occassion had four adult and four juvenile ones tucking in. But the bird I was looking for was one I first saw on the 29 Dec 14. A scan of the carcasses produced a blank for this bird but a scan behind the tide line picked it up and added a first winter Glaucous Gull to the list.
Other birds out on the water included 16 Long-tailed Ducks, four Eiders, four Wigeon and a single Shag. A scan of the cliffs on the North side of the bay picked out a solitary Fulmar while a long the beach there were three Oystercatchers, three Redshank, four Rock Doves and a very well camoflagued Common Snipe. A flock of over 100+ Lapwing flew out over the bay on several occassions.
Switching across to the otherside of the road attention turned to Echna Loch. Tuckedin the corner close to the road as a Little Grebe. Twenty Tufted Ducks and 7 Mallards added to the list, while other birds on the loch included four Great Black-backed Gulls and 9 Wigeon.
Next stop was the South end of Barrier 3. As I pulled into the small parking area there was a single Hooded Crow sat on a nearby fence post. Other birds for the list included a Grey Heron, two Curlew, seven Red Breasted Mergansers and a male Goldeneye. A single Oyster catcher and 20 Long-tailed Ducks provided a supporting cast.
A drive round the back of the Fossil Centre and across to Barrier 4 only produced several fields with Greylag Geese in and from the car park at Barrier 4 only Eiders and Red-breasted Mergansers were seen.
A quick drive around the village only added a Collared Dove to the list, giving me a total of 28 species to start the year.
Happy New Year - 2015
Happy New Year everyone and thanks for following my blog in 2014 and I hope you will continue to follow it during 2015.
As always I'm happy to recieve any birding news relating to Burray that I can include in my blog. If you have any interesting photos of birds seen on Burray and you are happy for me to include them on my blog, full credit given, then send me a message.
I don't usually make any New Year's resolutions but the one thing I have decided on this year is not to do the Patchwork Challenge (PWC) but rather spend what birding time I have looking around more of Burray. Whilst the PWC has been good and focussed my birding on my declared three square kilometre patch it means that there is a lot of Burray I haven't explored so this year I'm making the whole of Burray my patch. I will still keep a tally of the species on the blog.
So happy birding to your all I hope you have a great year.
As always I'm happy to recieve any birding news relating to Burray that I can include in my blog. If you have any interesting photos of birds seen on Burray and you are happy for me to include them on my blog, full credit given, then send me a message.
I don't usually make any New Year's resolutions but the one thing I have decided on this year is not to do the Patchwork Challenge (PWC) but rather spend what birding time I have looking around more of Burray. Whilst the PWC has been good and focussed my birding on my declared three square kilometre patch it means that there is a lot of Burray I haven't explored so this year I'm making the whole of Burray my patch. I will still keep a tally of the species on the blog.
So happy birding to your all I hope you have a great year.
December News
I'm afraid it is just another brief summary again this month.
On the 3rd Dec there were two Chiffchaffs at Westshore and the wintering Whimbrel was in its usual place behind the Sands Hotel.
On the 11th Dec a single Little Auk was seen on the road at Echnaloch Bay before it got light. The observer didn't see any signs, on their way back, that it had been run over so hopefully it made it back into the sea.
On the 13th Dec Barrie had two Jack Snipe, one at Westshore and the other in Burray Village. He also saw 18 Common Snipe on the shore at Westshore.
I decided to go for a little Boxing Day stroll around the Millfield area on the 26th and saw 10 Blackbirds, one Dunnock, eight House Sparrows, nine Redwings, one Robin, one Snipe, 300+ Starlings and a Wren.
A single first winter Glaucous Gull was seen feeding on a dead seal carcass on the Echnaloch Bay beach on the 28th Dec.
A quick trip down to Echnaloch Bay on the 29th Dec gave me a life tick in the form of the first winter Glaucous Gull, just in time to be added to my Patchwork Challenge list for 2014. There were also eight Great Black-backed Gulls, a mixture of adult and juvenile birds. All were feeding on the two seal carcasses on the beach.
To close the year I'd just like to say thanks to all of you who have been following my blog, to those that have sent me news and comments and I hope you will continue to follow this blog in 2015.
I have made a New Year's resolution to be more proactive in posting news of sightings in 2015. So watch this space!!
On the 3rd Dec there were two Chiffchaffs at Westshore and the wintering Whimbrel was in its usual place behind the Sands Hotel.
On the 11th Dec a single Little Auk was seen on the road at Echnaloch Bay before it got light. The observer didn't see any signs, on their way back, that it had been run over so hopefully it made it back into the sea.
On the 13th Dec Barrie had two Jack Snipe, one at Westshore and the other in Burray Village. He also saw 18 Common Snipe on the shore at Westshore.
I decided to go for a little Boxing Day stroll around the Millfield area on the 26th and saw 10 Blackbirds, one Dunnock, eight House Sparrows, nine Redwings, one Robin, one Snipe, 300+ Starlings and a Wren.
A single first winter Glaucous Gull was seen feeding on a dead seal carcass on the Echnaloch Bay beach on the 28th Dec.
A quick trip down to Echnaloch Bay on the 29th Dec gave me a life tick in the form of the first winter Glaucous Gull, just in time to be added to my Patchwork Challenge list for 2014. There were also eight Great Black-backed Gulls, a mixture of adult and juvenile birds. All were feeding on the two seal carcasses on the beach.
To close the year I'd just like to say thanks to all of you who have been following my blog, to those that have sent me news and comments and I hope you will continue to follow this blog in 2015.
I have made a New Year's resolution to be more proactive in posting news of sightings in 2015. So watch this space!!
Sunday, 23 November 2014
Common Redstart
Having just got back from a business trip yesterday I was catching up on a few jobs out in the garden this morning while there was a break in the weather. It was a cool sunny morning and the wind was starting to freshen again as it veered round to the South West.
Just before lunchtime Barrie appeared while he was going round Burray doing a goose count. We went for a quick stroll up to the trig point so that we could look down onto the West side of the hill where there were a few shallow pools and some open ground. This is an area used as a breeding ground for Greylags in the summer but today it was totally devoid of any geese.
On the stroll up to the trig point there were a couple of Blackbirds and a flock of about 14 Redwings. We both spotted a small bird lift off from the right hand side of the track and fly across the track landing on a fence post. Instictively we both got our bins onto it pretty quickly and were both surprised to see a female Common Redstart. This was quite a late sighting for this species as usually any migrants have passed through by the end of October although North Rondalsay did have one on the 12 Nov 08.
Heading North and downwards away from the trig point we picked up the path that would take us back towards home. As we reach the path junction two Snipe were seen flying North West away from us. Four Fieldfares and a Robin were all we saw on the walk back to the house.
During Barrie's run round doing the goose count he also saw four Black-throated Divers out on the sea near to Burray cemetery.
So thanks to Barrie for turning up, otherwise I would not have gone for a walk and would have missed the Redstart which is a new patch and Burray tick for me.
Just before lunchtime Barrie appeared while he was going round Burray doing a goose count. We went for a quick stroll up to the trig point so that we could look down onto the West side of the hill where there were a few shallow pools and some open ground. This is an area used as a breeding ground for Greylags in the summer but today it was totally devoid of any geese.
On the stroll up to the trig point there were a couple of Blackbirds and a flock of about 14 Redwings. We both spotted a small bird lift off from the right hand side of the track and fly across the track landing on a fence post. Instictively we both got our bins onto it pretty quickly and were both surprised to see a female Common Redstart. This was quite a late sighting for this species as usually any migrants have passed through by the end of October although North Rondalsay did have one on the 12 Nov 08.
Heading North and downwards away from the trig point we picked up the path that would take us back towards home. As we reach the path junction two Snipe were seen flying North West away from us. Four Fieldfares and a Robin were all we saw on the walk back to the house.
During Barrie's run round doing the goose count he also saw four Black-throated Divers out on the sea near to Burray cemetery.
So thanks to Barrie for turning up, otherwise I would not have gone for a walk and would have missed the Redstart which is a new patch and Burray tick for me.
November so far
On the 1 Nov Barrie found a Lesser Whitethroat in Burray village. There was also a Siberian Chiffchaff in the same area.
Up at Millfield in the space of an hour I had 15 Starlings, 13 House Sparrows, four Greenfinch, four Redwings, two Blackbirds, 1 Rock Dove, one male Chaffinch and the highlight of the morning a Black Redstart. This was a new garden tick, patch tick and Burray tick. A close second in highlight terms was a female Hen Harrier flying over my paddock.
Over a similar time period on the 2 Nov there were 42 Greylag Geese in the field around the cottage, 12 Redwings in the garden with a further 25 in the field accompanied by three Fieldfares and three Blackbirds, nine Greenfinches and 17 House Sparrows also in the garden.
On the 3 Nov Barrie was out and about and saw a Yellow-browed Warbler at Hillfield, a Chiffchaff at Westshore, two Blackcaps, two Chiffchaffs, three Goldcrests in the village and a Whimbrel in its usual location round the back of the Sands Hotel.
There were also two Velvet scoters out in Echna Bay.
A late Swallow was seen in Burray village on the afternoon of the 18 Nov 14.
Up at Millfield in the space of an hour I had 15 Starlings, 13 House Sparrows, four Greenfinch, four Redwings, two Blackbirds, 1 Rock Dove, one male Chaffinch and the highlight of the morning a Black Redstart. This was a new garden tick, patch tick and Burray tick. A close second in highlight terms was a female Hen Harrier flying over my paddock.
Over a similar time period on the 2 Nov there were 42 Greylag Geese in the field around the cottage, 12 Redwings in the garden with a further 25 in the field accompanied by three Fieldfares and three Blackbirds, nine Greenfinches and 17 House Sparrows also in the garden.
On the 3 Nov Barrie was out and about and saw a Yellow-browed Warbler at Hillfield, a Chiffchaff at Westshore, two Blackcaps, two Chiffchaffs, three Goldcrests in the village and a Whimbrel in its usual location round the back of the Sands Hotel.
There were also two Velvet scoters out in Echna Bay.
A late Swallow was seen in Burray village on the afternoon of the 18 Nov 14.
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