Orkney birdwatching, wildlife & culture
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2008 Highlights: April 2008: April came in like a lion this year, if not out like a lamb. Our 1st guest of the season was lucky enough to see 5 species of raptor in 30 minutes: peregrine, rough-legged buzzard, merlin, kestrel and hen harrier; with a short-eared owl the day after, making 6 species. A couple of weeks later however (24/4), David & Tricia Hawkins not only smashed the 3 year record for most # of birds in one week, (they saw 91), but included an incredible 8 species of raptor: hen harrier, buzzard, kestrel, peregrine, sparrowhawk, goshawk, short-eared owl and marsh harrier (the latter 2 on 25/4)! The goshawk did a display flight only 50 metres away from us (a 1st for Steve!), and a pair of hen harriers performed an acrobatic food pass. April 2008 is therefore named the month of the raptors. Lots of other species, including the perfect combination of winter birds (such as brambling (24/4), great grey shrike (26/4), scaup, whooper swan and white-fronted geese); and summer visitors arriving such as wheatear (10/4), whimbrel & Sandwich tern (21/4), willow warbler (24/4), sand martin and swallow (25/4). Under normal circumstances the bird of the month would have been the beautiful male black redstart at the Old Man of Hoy (24/4), but even he was eclipsed by the displaying goshawk. All the seabirds , including small #s of puffins, returning to the crags late in the month. An early harbour porpoise on 10/4 was our 1st cetacean record of the season. We also had great views of brown hares boxing (19/4), and blue hares on Hoy (24/4). 2007 Highlights: April 2007: Cold, fresh weather, but memorable sightings to open our 2007 season...thousands of golden plover locally and the 1st summer visitors: wheatear, chiffchaff and whimbrel (15/4); followed by swallow on 16/4. Stunning views of a displaying - skydancing - hen harrier on Hoy on 17/4, along with mountain hares and peregrine. Winter birds such as slavonian grebe, long-tailed duck and great-northern diver all resplendent in summer plumage. Lapwing, curlew and redshank are all displaying in the field immediately in front of the conservatory giving great views. The first cetaceans of the season were seen off Hoxa Head - 3 harbour porpoises - on 29/4; and a splendid male whinchat obligingly perched right outside our conservatory for us on 30/4. May 2007: Mayday brought us 4 Risso's dolphins by # 1 Barrier in Scapa Flow; whilst the day after we saw 5 species of raptor (marsh harrier, hen harrier, sparrowhawk, peregrine and short-eared owl) and two superb drake garganey! Lots of hen harriers, including food passes on 7/5; and a wonderful trip to Westray on 8/5 which included the gannetry at Noup Head, puffins at their burrows at the Castle of Burrian, lots of purple sandpipers and turnstones at close quarters, and a beautiful pair of pintail. Arctic terns and Arctic skuas now back in numbers. Surely the highlight of the month occurred on 11/5 when we watched a pod of 5 orcas for an hour off Grimness Head just by home - see pics of bull and calf below (left and centre). The irony was only 3 hours earlier Steve had finished filming with a BBC TV crew near the same spot and said "all we need now is a pod of orcas passing by......" A great day on Hoy on 14/5 gave us views on both species of hare, including a pair of brown hares boxing at Houton (see pic below). Amazingly Sarah and our guests then saw the same pod of orcas again in Deerness on 18/5 - see pic top right. A great trip to Papay Westray on 24/5 gave two calling corncrakes, stunning close up views of both species of seals hauled out, the usual seabirds at Fowl Craig, Scottish primroses in flower and two black-tailed godwits. Back home 4 whimbrel fed right outside the conservatory, best views ever! We heard another corncrake on 27/5 and had wonderful views of a female marsh harrier hunting over reedbeds. June 2007: A slavonian grebe in summer plumage on Harray Loch was an unusual start to the month on 1/6, still there on 12/6. We had a great 1st week with a couple of American birders from Colorado (thanks, Chuck and Nancy!) and despite the dull and misty weather saw 80 species of birds - a record for June. A trip to Noup Head on Westray, and Marwick and Mull Heads gave some great seabird shots. Painted lady and red admiral butterflies inundated the islands from 10/6 onwards and the orchids - heath spotted and northern marsh - are at their best. Tours in mid June revealed a tufted duck with 10 newly hatched ducklings popping out of the water like corks; a female pintail all by herself; 3 black-tailed godwits a-courting; and an odd solitary pink-foot (a good June record on 12/6). A day at the raptors on 12/6 gave us peregrine, kestrel, short-eared owl and 6 hen harriers, including a wonderful male to female food pass. Great close views of 4 harbour porpoises on 17/6, and a 1st summer little gull on Harray Loch on 18/6 delighted us with its hunting antics and flight. Sarah excelled herself on 22/6 when she saw 2 basking sharks very close in at the Broch of Deerness. A 2nd summer glaucous gull was seen near home on 28/6, and just a day later a bonxie landed 5 metres from the conservatory with a huge fish, surrounded by angry gulls! July 2007: The whimbrel passage may have started early with birds at Gerraquoy on 4/7 and nearby at Eastside on 5/7. Glorious colonies of oysterplant flowering on local beaches in early July, along with sea rocket and sea kale. A very young common seal pup hauled itself ashore just yards away from us at a local beach on 7/7 and promptly fell asleep! We saw an otter cross the road by # 1 Barrier late at night on 11/7; then on 13/7 we saw our 1st Minke whale of the season off Grimness Head along with two harbour porpoises. Indications that the breeding season is over for another year included hen harrier and short-eared owl at Gerraquoy on 19/7 - we will see these birds regularly at home for the next few weeks. Two guests went off to Rackwick Bay on Hoy and had great views of a basking shark on 26/7. August 2007: Spotted a peregrine falcon locally in the 1st week. Then we headed for the southern tip of our island to try and find a beached sperm whale, which, unfortunately, had already been washed back out to sea - we did, however, enjoy seeing lots of grass of Parnassus en route. Perfect sea conditions on 10/8 gave 2 harbour porpoises, whilst on land we saw peregrine, hen harrier and short-eared owl locally within minutes of each other. Our barley field has been cut and up to 100 curlew are using it, with twites flocking now to 30 birds or so. Absolutely amazing views from 50 metres away of a huge adult basking shark in Echnaloch Bay on 26/8, watched it for about half an hour. September 2007: A big female peregrine killed a rock pigeon in the field outside the farm and stood over it for us to enjoy! Large flocks of golden plover now passing back through. Two hen harriers in two minutes on 10/9 (!) - one male, one ringtail. 2006 highlights: April 2006 highlights: April has been scudding by with one day good and one day bad. Summer visitors now starting to arrive with swallow, wheatear, Sandwich tern, bonxies, whimbrel and chiffchaff all back by 22/4. The first set of twins born into the herd for 8 years arrived on 15/4! Sadly a North Atlantic white-sided dolphin was also washed up in perfect condition earlier in the month - a very handsome girl. Meanwhile back at the seabird cliffs a few guillemots and razorbills were venturing back at Marwick on the 30/4 and puffins on South Ronaldsay on the same day. May 2006 highlights: Migrants continue to pass through, with chiffchaff and lesser whitethroat seen at Gerraquoy on 6/5, and a female whinchat on 11/5. In a glorious spell of weather a day tour on 9/5 produced allsorts, from Risso's dolphins offshore, seabirds back on the crags, great-northern divers and long-tailed duck resplendent in breeding plumage, and two ringtail harriers at breathtakingly close range. Scottish primroses were resplendent in flower mid month, and the sea pinks and squill adding hues to the cliffs by the month end. Great views of all seabirds, including puffins at close range. Weather amazing - bright and dry for much of the month, with a north-westerly wind to keep us moving. On 29/5 some guests from London were amused by a lengthy and noisy squabble outside the conservatory between our local pair of Arctic Skuas, a family of oystercatchers and curlews, and some gulls! June 2006 highlights: Wader antics and noise define this month as curlew, snipe, lapwing, redshank and oystercatcher all have chicks and guard them deafeningly! Migrant butterflies also winging in - red admirals and painted ladies. We've had great close-up views of hen harrier and short-eared owl, and a marsh harrier has been prominent locally on several occasions. The orchids are now in flower. On 28/6 June was seen out in spectacular fashion by a pod of 5 or 6 orcas playing around in the southern entrance to Scapa Flow, with animals coming out of the water several times (lots of splashes!) and a male present with a simply enormous dorsal fin. Wow! July 2006 highlights: There is now a splendid 2nd flowering of the Scottish primrose. On 12/7 we saw a total of 5 hen harriers in several locations, some at very close quarters. Now that the breeding season is over we are seeing hen harriers and short-eared owls on an almost daily basis at home, with the owls especially giving wonderful close up views. The return wader passage has started with whimbrels from 17/7 and a knot on Rousay on 19/7. The seabirds lingered on the crags until the 3rd week of July this year, with plenty of young auks and kittiwakes visible. A female marsh harrier, heavily in moult, floated over the house on 23/7, being mobbed by a veritable posse of all things, such that it was a wonder it could make any progress. The month finished in style with great views of a young minke whale on 30/7 and a young peregrine on 31/7. August 2006: We took most of the month "off" to visit the British Birdwatching Fair (BBF) at Rutland, and to get some big outdoor jobs done on our new peedie barn self-catering, such as installing the solar panel and septic tank. We are taking bookings shortly for April 2007 onwards. It was great to meet so many people at the BBF, and for the many folk who participated in our Highland Park quiz, the correct answer to the question "How many species of seabirds breed in Orkney?" was 21 (source Seabird 2000 survey), as follows: fulmar; storm petrel; gannet; cormorant; shag; Arctic skua; bonxie; black-headed gull; common gull; LBB gull; herring gull; GBB gull; kittiwake; Sandwich tern; common tern; Arctic tern; little tern; guillemot; razorbill; tystie; and puffin. September and October 2006: We've been island hopping with our guests this month and have been to Eday, Rousay and Shapinsay in quick succession. We pride ourselves in using gorgeous picnic spots - imagine rushing tides, red-throated divers sailing close past and fresh otter tracks..... Harbour porpoises have been much in evidence with lots of sightings. The grey seals are noisy and are gathering in readiness for pupping. The first purple sandpiper of the year back from the Arctic was spotted on Shapinsay on 13/9. A stroll out to nearby Rose Ness on 15/9 produced a solitary sooty shearwater, heading northwards. During the 1st week of October we held a photographic course and had at least 3 days of wonderful light - the resulting pics have been placed on the website under the Photo Holidays section. We also saw the first long-tailed ducks back for the winter, buzzards (an Orkney rarity!), and brent geese. Three days of stunning weather in mid October brought great sightings of slavonian grebes, scaup, grey seal pups and harbour porpoises. 2005 highlights: Late April and early May 2005 had its attractions such as a great grey shrike locally (20/4) and we watched a beautiful male ring ousel from the conservatory at only 50 metres away (30/4). Whimbrels passed overhead regularly, and lapwings, curlew and snipe all literally came within inches of our new "hide" (conservatory!). The seabirds arrived back at the cliffs, and the Scottish primroses (Primula Scotica) had their 1st flowering. The birds of prey were on form, and we saw hen harrier food passes, five short-eared owls at once, and merlin and peregrine regularly. Best of all, however, was a pod of 7 Risso's dolphins, which thrilled our guests for two days (12 & 13/5) as they hunted fish by the # 1 Churchill Barrier. At only 200 metres away or less, their pale scarred bodies could easily be seen, as could their blunt faces and huge dorsal fins, reminiscent of orcas. Wow............ June 2005 highlights: We saw day-old lapwing chicks being brooded by their mother, and a 2nd year immature glaucous gull (12/6), just to remind guests how close we are to the Arctic. Meanwhile the sea pinks and squill were in full bloom on the cliffs and the orchids in the rough. On 16/6 we watched a pod of 7 orcas - yes, killer whales - for over half an hour from the conservatory! Another amazing experience on 28/6: first, sightings of harbour porpoise, but followed by gymnastics from a pod of 5 Risso's dolphins. The dolphins entered Scapa Flow from our vantage point at Hoxa Head and as we watched them for an hour or more they lazed on the surface, "spy-hopped" and breached before our very eyes. How could you follow that? Answer - only 50 metres away, a fresh common seal pup, all dewy eyed and appealing....Then we saw the month out in fine style on 30/6 with wonderful views of a rare American migrant - a Laughing gull adult - on the nearby island of Burray. July 2005 highlights: We discovered a wonderful (and rare) Oysterplant colony on a nearby beach and Red admiral butterflies appeared all over the islands. On the afternoon of 6/7 we were treated to some gymnastics and blows from a couple of Minke whales who had obviously chased some fish around Grimness headland - quite close in and big animals! In fact up to 4 Minkes fed in this area for several days, thrilling our guests. On Hoy at St. John's Head on 13/7 we were treated to a wonderful sight of a family of Peregrine falcons teaching their young how to stoop. Meanwhile back on the farm a very late Oystercatcher eventually hatched her 3 young on 14/7. Some mornings are unbeatable - despite the rain on 18/7 we saw a rare White-billed diver (happily in the company of a Great-northern diver for comparison); followed by an otter, always a treat! August 2005 highlights: Eight - yes eight - Red-throated divers at less than 100 metres in glorious sunshine, with five in the telescope at once on 7/8 was a glorious sight. Waders started to come back through, with Sanderling, Whimbrel and Greenshank all seen this month. A determined wader hunt on 22/8 with a Belgian guest saw Black and Bar-tailed godwits, Ruff, Knot and wonderful views of Snipe and Dunlin, with a delightful adult Pectoral sandpiper (rare American vagrant) the next day. An impressive southerly blow on 29/8 drove the Manx shearwaters right into Scapa Flow and we were watching Storm petrels at only 100 metres from the Churchill Barriers as they battled against the wind and seas. September and October 2005 highlights: Local raptors continue to delight. On 2/9 a Short-eared owl sat on one of our fenceposts - just right for the 'scope - and on 3/9 a male hen harrier floated by, with ringtails on an almost daily basis thereafter. A female Merlin has also been seen several times hunting locally. Wader hunting with our guests continued to pay dividends on 5/9 with lovely views locally of a Buff-breasted sandpiper, another rare American vagrant. The following day, one of sultry calm, we delighted in 7 Harbour porpoises and a Minke whale at the entrance to Scapa Flow. By October the winter birds had arrived, with excellent views of Red-necked and Slavonian grebes, Scaup and Whooper swans. Grey geese everywhere: Greylag; Pinkfeet; Barnacle; and a solitary Brent. Grey seal pups were seen at close quarters - great for photography! And finally, a glimpse of an otter on 23/10 finished the season with a flourish.....
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