NORTH RONALDSAY - 26th - 28th November

Mainly windy (largely from the east until it moved into the NW on the 28th) and rainy with limited coverage; birds seen over the few days included 6 Herons, the Pink-footed Goose, 8 Pintail, a female Scaup on Brides on the 28th, 2 Hen Harriers, single Merlin and Peregrine, a Woodcock on the 26th, 7 Meadow Pipits, 10+ Robins, c70 Redwing, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Fieldfare, the Mistle Thrush still on the 27th, 40+ Twite and 30+ Snow Buntings.

Scaup

Goldeneye

NORTH RONALDSAY - DNA results from 2019 (Part Two)

These are more interesting (if you like that sort of thing!).   It proved to be an unprecedented autumn for 'Eastern Lesser Whitethroats' with an estimated 17 individuals recorded between 23rd September and 18th October.   A total of eight birds were caught in this period, all of which were analysed, the results of which appear below;

NUMBER 1 - 25th September

This, confiding, dumpy looking bird was thought to be maybe not a Siberian Lesser Whitethroat (the commonest race of 'Eastern Lesser Whitethroat' but its shape was altered by it missing half its tail, with the crucial T5 missing, clouding in the field and hand ID.   It was confirmed by mtDNA as S. c. blythi or Siberian Lesser Whitethroat.

NUMBER 2 - 26th September

This bird was caught at dusk so the pictures were a bit ropey but it was confirmed as a S. c. blythi

NUMBER 3 - 28th September

Also confirmed as S. c. blythi

NUMBER 4 - 3rd October

Another fine S. c. blythi

NUMBER 5 - 4th October

Also a S. c. blythi but the only one with a big white wedge on T5 and very bright, white T6

NUMBER 6 - also 4th October

Another S. c. blythi

NUMBER 7 - 17th October

This one was a bit of a surprise, when caught I thought it was 'just' another S. c. blythi but photos do suggest a bluer head, slightly less browny back and longer winged (wing length was slightly longer than the other blythi trapped).   Photos though, can be misleading, often accentuating the dark mask and especially in strong light, changing the mantle tones so, despite my thoughts in the hand at the time, this bird came back as a late, nominate S. c. curruca.

NUMBER 8 - 18th October

Similar to the previous bird in that when I caught it I was leaning towards it being Eastern (I was perhaps swayed by the date) but in photos, with the blue head, grey/blue mantle it looks an obvious S. c. curruca which is exactly what it came back as - it wasn't that obvious in the hand with your naked eye though!

NORTH RONALDSAY - DNA results from 2019 (Part One)

In recent years the face of bird identification for many species / races has been helped and accentuated by mtDNA analysis of feathers / faecal samples obtained through various methods; this year on North Ronaldsay produced a whole cast of birds caught and ringed where feathers were sent off for kind analysis by Martin Collinson and Thom Shannon at the University of Aberdeen.   The majority of results are now in and although most of them confirmed what we thought in the field / hand at the time it was great to get confirmation with a couple of slightly unexpected results at the end.

SAVI'S WARBLER - 11th May 2019

This surprise, cracking first for Orkney was confirmed as Savi's (even though there wasn't really any need to!)

COLLARED FLYCATCHER - 12th May 2019

This female was confirmed as a Collared Flycatcher

EASTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER - 17th May 2019

This cracking male Eastern Subalpine Warbler was confirmed as Eastern after being caught in the bar having flown in through an open door!

WESTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER - 24th August 2019

This one we needed help with!   It was caught at Upper Linney in heavy wing and tail moult (presumably not freshly arrived) so the in hand / field ID features were not clear at all, although Western was our best guess!

NORTH RONALDSAY - 23rd - 25th November

A decent day on the 23rd with lightish winds, remaining dry; a whole-island Goose count produced 644 Greylags and a single Pink-footed Goose, 2 Hen Harriers, a Woodcock, a Black-tailed Godwit on Gretchen (the second of the month), a little influx of 40 Redwings and 4 Song Thrush, 2 Siskins and still 75 Twite by The Obs.   After a wet and windy 24th when a Mistle Thrush was the only bird of note a better 25th produced a few bits including 8 Red-throated Divers, a Black-throated Diver again in Nouster, 7 Great-northern Divers, the Pink-footed Goose, 24 Shoveler, 19 Long-tailed Duck, 5 Goldeneye, 2 Hen Harriers, a Grey Plover, a notable influx of 21 Fieldfare, 75 Redwing and a Mistle Thrush and 50 Snow Buntings.

Teal

NORTH RONALDSAY - 20th - 22nd November

Not much to report from the 20th but the 21st was a better day, a brisk easterly wind but at least it remained dry and fairly bright; the undoubted highlight of the day was a fantastic pod of c10 Orca hunting very close in, off the foghorn late in the day, they quickly moved further out being seen just off Seal Skerry at dusk – its been a poor year for sightings so it was great to get a quality encounter.   Other birds included the Green-winged Teal still, 11 Pintail, 2 Hen Harriers, a Merlin, 2 Jack Snipe, a Woodcock, 4 Siskins south and the big flock of Twite at The Obs still.   Wet and windy through most of the 22nd so sightings were again at a premium but a single Waxwing was at The Obs.

NORTH RONALDSAY - 17th November

Damp and drizzly through the morning but it brightened up by lunchtime and with light winds it wasn’t too bad at all; birds seen through the day included 24 Red-throated Divers and 36 Great-northern Divers (both highest counts of the autumn so far), the Green-winged Teal, single Hen Harrier and Merlin, a Woodcock, 28 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Little Auk off the Lighthouse, a Siberian Chiffchaff still at The Obs, a Siskin, 84 Twite and 56 Snow Buntings.

Siberian Chiffchaff

Purple Sandpipers