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a naturalist's diary | monthly bird news | wildlife watch
Previous Years: | CURRENT | 2006 | 2007 | Monthly Bird Information - 2005
Many thanks to those of you who keep me posted with your latest observations. If anyone would like to report unusual sightings of birds or other wildlife on Tiree, please contact me at the above address. All photographs in this section
are by John Bowler or Laurie Campbell - |
JANUARY 2005 The most surprising event of the month was the brief arrival of a Snowy Owl to Tiree Airport on 29th. Found by Airport staff as they checked the runways before the Saturday flight, this impressively large Arctic owl spent much of the day sitting on a grass clump close to the Rural Centre, where it drew (and appeared to keep a close eye on) an appreciative crowd. The owl was well south of its normal home on the remote tundras of Iceland, Greenland, Scandinavia and Arctic Russia, and may have been the same as a bird that was seen on South Uist in December. Black markings on the head, breast and upperparts of this otherwise snowy white owl marked this as a female or immature bird and therefore different to the all-white male owl that had appeared on Coll just two days earlier. The last record of this rare owl from Tiree was in 1873, but they bred in Shetland as recently as 1975. It is remarkable that two birds should appear on neighbouring islands within days of each other - if only they can manage to meet up… January 2005 will long be remembered for the damaging gales and incessant flooding that affected the whole island. A number of birds, particularly gulls and geese but also two Puffins, were found either dead or dying with broken wings as a result of the storms. The island suffered only one or two frosts however, and as a result, very large numbers of birds remained to feed on the wet grasslands. Flocks of up to 1300 Golden Plover, 650 Lapwing and 750 Starling thronged the machairs and were joined by groups of up to 60 Redshank, 70 Turnstone and 160 Dunlin. Numbers of geese remained high and included a record island-count of 3,273 Barnacle Geese (24th), whilst up to 80 Whooper Swans wintered on the lochs. The beaches remained alive with shorebirds including flocks of up to 360 Sanderling, 190 Ringed Plover, 140 Curlew and 44 Bar-tailed Godwits, together with a lone wintering Knot at Gott Bay and a Grey Plover at Balephetrish Bay. Offshore, good numbers of Long-tailed Ducks included up to 15 at Hough Bay, whilst high numbers of gulls included an unprecedented influx of “white-winged” gulls from the Arctic. These included at least five different Glaucous Gulls, most of which were drawn to a dead porpoise at Hough Bay, and up to two Iceland Gulls. Three or four Black-headed Gulls remained to winter on the island, as did at least three Pied Wagtails and a Dunnock, although the wintering flock of Collared Doves had a rude shock when their favoured roost site – a ruined building at The Camp, blew down in the gales. Smaller garden birds may also have suffered during the storms and results of the Big Garden Birdwatch weekend (29-30 January) are eagerly awaited to see how they fared nationally. Compared to last winter, Goldfinches were in very short supply on the island, with just odd singletons noted, but flocks of up to 45 Greenfinches and 12 Chaffinches remained to feed in more sheltered gardens. A dozen or so Shelducks re-appeared in pairs around the coast and Gannets returned to feed of the west coast at the end of the month – the first signs of winter beginning to lose its grip. FEBRUARY 2005 It was always going to be difficult to top the Snowy Owl sighting at Tiree Airport in January but a majestic pair of Sea Eagles circling around the west of the island in the sunshine on 25th came very close. First spotted by CAA staff from the top of Ben Hynish, the birds spent three hours soaring around, perching in a field at Balephuil and finally eating a hare at Loch a’ Phuill. The eagles caused pandemonium amongst the local Greylags, which had probably never seen anything quite like these huge dark-brown raptors. Both birds wore green wing-tags bearing an individual letter and these identified them as two male birds that had fledged in summer 2004, one from Mull and the other from Canna. An eagle was spotted the next day over the west end of Coll, which may well have been one of the same birds. The influx of white-winged gulls from the Arctic, first noted in January, continued into February. Three large white Glaucous Gulls remained in the Hough Bay area with another at the east end of the island, whilst a smaller white Iceland Gull frequented Loch a’ Phuill. Other typical wintry birds included three Little Auks feeding in Gott Bay (25th), 10 Snow Buntings at Traigh nan Gilean (20th) with 2 more at The Reef (24th), a Jack Snipe at Barrapol dunes (17th), 14 Pintail at Loch Riaghain (16th) and up to 17 Long-tailed Ducks in various bays. Flocks of smaller birds built up in size as temperatures dropped and included a record 78 Greenfinch at Crossapol Farm (17th), groups of up to 45 Skylarks and 160 Twite. Other oddities included a wintering Knot at Gott Bay, up to two Grey Plovers at Balephetrish Bay and two Little Grebes and six Coot at Loch Bhasapol. An all-island count on 16th-17th found a record 4005 Greylag Geese, plus 2440 Barnacle Geese and 695 Greenland White-fronted Geese, together with three Pink-footed Geese and 75 Whooper Swans on the lochs. The very first of the Black-headed Gulls started to return at the end of the month, whilst Fulmars and Gannets appeared in increasing numbers offshore – signs that spring may not be so far away now. A hardy bunch of volunteers scoured the beaches at the end of the month looking for dead seabirds as part of the National Beached Bird Survey – an annual event, which aims to monitor the health of UK seabird populations in the winter. No serious oiling was reported on Tiree, but unusually large numbers of dead Shags were found on some beaches, which appeared to have succumbed during the recent rough weather. MARCH 2005 The settled dry spell from late February finally broke in March and heavy rainfall quickly re-flooded the island just as it had started to dry out. Despite the wet weather, spring was much in evidence, and birdsong and display increased as the days lengthened. Lapwings cart-wheeled over the grasslands and Oystercatchers formed noisy groups on the beaches, whilst Snipe and Redshank proclaimed their wetland territories once more. There was a rapid return of the first of our summer visitors including Pied Wagtails, Black-headed Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, whilst the song flights of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks could be heard all over the island on the calmer days. Late wintering birds included no less than four different Iceland Gulls with two creamy-white dove-like first-winter birds remaining loyal to stock-feeding areas at Barrapol and Gott, whilst two all-white second-winter birds were seen at Loch a’ Phuill and West Hynish. Up to four of the larger and more brutish Glaucous Gulls remained into March with a first-winter bird favouring the Balephetrish Bay area for much of the month. Populations of some of our waterbirds peaked during the month with counts of 1,133 Greenland White-fronted Geese, 176 Tufted Duck, 68 Goldeneye and 23 Shoveler, plus flocks of 102 Purple Sandpipers and 510 Sanderling on the beaches. Most of these birds will move on north during April. APRIL 2005 An un-seasonal SE gale on 17th coupled with a deluge on 18th caused widespread flooding, and many early clutches of Lapwing and Redshank eggs were lost in lower-lying areas. Hopefully, many of these birds will go on to re-lay as the waters recede once more. Northerly winds early in the month held up the arrival of spring migrants, but a switch to southerlies on 19th caused a rush of birds to continue their journeys. Over 1,100 Barnacle Geese headed north that morning over West Tiree from Islay in vast noisy skeins, and large flocks of Black-tailed Godwits in their brick-red breeding dress appeared around the loch shores. A record 219 godwits were counted around the island, including two birds that had been colour-ringed in Iceland – one of these was a bird that spends its winters in Western France – a hitherto unknown connection between Tiree and France. The godwits were joined by small groups of Whimbrel from 21st. These small relatives of the curlew are often detected by their curious whinnying calls as they pass over – some 30 birds were logged by 24th. Other returning spring migrants included 2 Swallows at Loch a’ Phuill (5th) with a Sand Martin there (14th), Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs from 13th, the first Blackcap (23rd), together with increasing numbers of Wheatears and passage White Wagtails and a further 45 migrant Goldcrests. A very early Corncrake was reported from Mannal (8th), with more widespread reports from 22nd and at least 10 calling males were back by 24th. A lone Iceland Gull remained at Gott Bay until 22nd, whilst another was at Happy Valley (23rd). Offshore, Little Terns re-appeared from 12th, with 21 at Gott Bay on 19th, whilst Manx Shearwaters, Puffins and Gannets returned in increasing numbers and a late Little Auk was off Gunna Sound (8th). Fulmars returned to their breeding sites around the island and a rare “blue”-phase bird was noted off Rubha Chraiginis (24th) together with the first Great Skua of the year. The wintering Greenland geese departed from the island around mid-month, but not before a group of five Irish neck-collared Greenland White-fronts appeared briefly at Heylipol (5th). Groups of up to 87 Pale-bellied Brent Geese also appeared briefly around the coasts on their back to Greenland from their Irish wintering grounds. Further flocks of Redwings passed through, including a noisy singing group of 400 at Cornaigmore (4th), whilst a spectacular group of up to 5,700 Golden Plovers massed on The Reef prior to their departure for Iceland. Great Northern Divers gathered in the bays with many moulting into fine breeding dress and these were joined by 8 Long-tailed Ducks at Hough Bay (24th). With so many birds on the move, there is always the chance of something more unusual appearing. Rare visitors this month included a Great Tit at Mannal (3rd), a Ring-billed Gull from North America at Loch a’ Phuill (5th), two Common Scoters in the bays (8th and 14th), a pair of Gadwall at Loch a’ Phuill (12th -23rd), a Jack Snipe at Heylipol (13th), a singing male Lapland Bunting at Crossapol (19th), three Dunnocks (20th–23rd) and three Goldfinches including one feeding on peanuts at Moss (21st). MAY 2005 Corncrakes Corncrakes were widely reported from sites all over the island by the end of April. The first round of night-time counts in late May revealed a minimum total of 209 calling males. This is by far the largest number ever recorded on Tiree in May and bodes very well for the final total, which will come through at the end of June after two more rounds of counts. We had a total of 146 birds at this stage last year, which in itself was a record count for the island, and it is looking possible that we may reach a total of over 300 males this year. This is a fantastic achievement and fine reward for the continuing dedicated work into conserving these birds by crofters and farmers over the years across the island. Early indications also suggest strong increases in Corncrake numbers on other Argyll islands such as Islay, Colonsay, and Coll, so it may well prove to be another bumper year for the species in the Argyll Islands. Other birds May is the month when many of our birds are nesting. The heavy downpours flooded out many nests, but some at least managed to breed successfully and good numbers of young birds were present by the end of the month. The annual mass emergence of dark-grey immature Starlings began at the very end of the month, together with smaller numbers of Song Thrushes, Wheatears, Blackbirds and House Sparrows. Many Mallard broods were noted early in the month followed by the first Shoveler, Shelduck, Eider and Mute Swan broods. Large numbers of young Lapwings, Redshank and Ringed Plover chicks were also evident, but other species, such as the terns and gulls are still on eggs. Should anyone out walking find themselves being mobbed by waders or crowds of terns, please bid a hasty retreat. While the parent birds are busy trying to drive you away, gulls and crows have the chance to sneak in and eat their eggs and chicks. May is always an exciting month for rarer visitors to the island as birds stream north once more to their breeding grounds and this year was no exception, with many found by visiting birdwatchers. The rarest bird was a Broad-billed Sandpiper found next to Scarinish Pier (31st) – this small Arctic-nesting wader has only once before been recorded in Argyll – at Balephetrish Bay on 13th May 1994. Other rarities included 3 or 4 smart Yellow Wagtails of the Scandinavian grey-headed race near the Ringing Stone (20th), a striking male Black Redstart at Balephuil (24th), a female Common Redstart at Kilkenneth (25th), a Quail calling at Balephuil (30th), a drake Garganey at Moss (6th-7th), a Green Sandpiper at Hynish (17th) and a calling Spotted Crake (21st-22nd). More regular visitors included 1 or 2 Woodpigeons in the west of the island, a Swift at Loch Bhasapol (23rd), a Short-eared Owl near Heylipol Church (17th), a Spotted Flycatcher at Carnan Mor (20th), 7 House Martins, 4 Lesser Redpolls, 3 pairs of Gadwall, up to 4 reeling Grasshopper Warblers and late Iceland (16th) and Glaucous Gulls (1st). Strong wader passage included low thousands of Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Sanderling, plus some 105 Knot, 4 Grey Plovers, 3 Little Stints plus single Ruff and Greenshank. Sea-watching produced rare spring records of Leach’s Petrel off Balephetrish Bay (5th) and Aird (6th), plus two fine adult Pomarine Skuas off Hynish (18th). Cuckoos were agin late in returning this year, with the first reported from Balephetrish Hill on 11th followed by one at The Glebe (14th) and then one at Balephuil from 23rd. JUNE 2005 Corncrakes Three complete nocturnal counts of the island were squeezed in during the relatively few still, dry nights of May and June. These revealed a huge total of 308 calling male Corncrakes. This is by far the largest number of Corncrakes recorded on Tiree in recent times and was well up on the previous record count of 262 set last year. Birds were calling in higher concentrations than normal from all of their traditional sites, whilst some birds called from unusual locations such as the dunes at Hough and from iris beds at Ceann a’ Mhara. Numbers were also up in other parts of Argyll including Coll, Islay, Iona and Colonsay but Tiree remains the best place in Britain for Corncrakes, with more birds than any other island. This success is down to all the hard work put in over the years by the crofters and farmers of the island, who manage their land in a Corncrake-friendly way. Other birds There were mixed fortunes, as always, for our breeding birds. Large numbers of young Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Snipe around the island signified another good breeding season for these birds. Most of the Black-headed Gulls deserted their main colony at Loch Bhasapol for unknown reasons in May but some 160 pairs then re-nested on the Reef producing large numbers of chicks. Common Gulls also managed to fledge large numbers of chicks from their colonies but the terns fared less well. Some 17 Little Tern chicks fledged from 24 nests at The Reef, but none were raised from any of the coastal colonies, possibly as a result of the poor weather and high tides. Arctic Terns were largely still on eggs at the end of the month but early indications are that many have already abandoned their nests, presumably as a result of poor food supply. No breeding Common Sandpipers could be located this year, but this was compensated for by increased numbers of breeding Willow Warblers (12 pairs) and Sand Martins (15 pairs) together with the first recorded breeding of Lesser Redpolls for the island. Unusual night-noises included the endless buzzing songs of up to four male Grasshopper Warblers, the bizarre calls of Water Rails from at least 7 sites, the liquid “wet-my-lips” song of Quails from 4 sites and the “whip-lash” calls of Spotted Crakes from two sites. Island rarities included the Broad-billed Sandpiper from May at Gott Bay (1st) and a drake Green-winged Teal from North America at Loch Bhasapol (6th), which was subsequently seen on Coll. Late migrants included five Little Stints (1st), a Curlew Sandpiper at The Reef (7th), 10 Common Scoters (17th), a late Iceland Gull at Gott (13th), a House Martin at Scarinish (1st), a couple of Swifts (12th and 17th), two Spotted Flycatchers at Carnan Mor (3rd), a Whitethroat (3rd), two late White Wagtails (1st and 9th) and a Cuckoo at Cornaigbeg (6th). Unusual summering birds included at least five Whooper Swans, a Pink-footed Goose, a female Hen Harrier in the Heylipol area, three Golden Plovers and up to eight Great Northern Divers. Storm Petrels returned offshore in good numbers (from 15th) and the first Whimbrels, Black-tailed Godwits and Greenshanks began returning in the second half of the month – indicating that the return southwards passage of autumn had started once more. Many thanks to those of you who have kept me posted with your latest observations. If anyone would like to report unusual sightings of birds or other wildlife on Tiree, please contact me at the address below: JULY 2005 Corncrakes Corncrakes continued to call widely across the island during the month and there were several reports of females with broods. The adult birds will moult their flight feathers in August in preparation for the long flight back to Africa, where they will be joined hopefully by another large batch of youngsters hatched this year – although we never really know how well they have done, until they come back the following year. Other birds The rather cool and breezy summer brought mixed success to our breeding birds. Following on from the total breeding failure last year, some 450 pairs of Arctic Terns around the island managed to produce just two fledglings. Tern colonies are experiencing sever problems throughout Scotland, presumably as a result of a reduction in the availability of their sandeel prey, although other seabirds seemed to fare better. Shags, which also feed heavily on sandeels, raised large numbers of young from their colonies on the cliffs at Ceann a’Mhara, whilst Fulmars had a moderately successful year. Kittiwakes produced a small number of chicks but Razorbills failed completely and there were just five Guillemot chicks at Ceann a’ Mhara in late July (from over 2,000 adults in June). On a more positive note, two broods of Lesser Redpolls fledged successfully on the island – the first recorded breeding by this species on Tiree. There were some impressive flocks of gulls, Lapwings and Starlings on the first cut silage fields, including 2100 Starlings at Cornaig (14th). A southerly gale on 2nd forced 138 migrant Black-tailed Godwits in their brick-red breeding dress to land on Tiree on their way south from Iceland, and also caused some 84 Puffins and 3 Storm Petrels to pass off Hynish in just one hour. Migrant waders were less conspicuous than normal on the island’s beaches later in the month, with only small numbers of passage Dunlin, Sanderling, Ringed Plover and Bar-tailed Godwits. This scene was mirrored up and down the west coast and probably resulted from the dominant northerly winds and clear skies that would have allowed passing birds to fly more swiftly on to more southerly staging areas. Single male Crossbills at Baugh (18th) and Balephetrish (21st) were part of a large influx of these hefty finches from mainland Europe to Britain and there were similar records from Lewis, Uist and Coll. Other scarce visitors included an influx of 3 Swifts, a single 1st-summer male Goldeneye at Loch an Eilein (9th), a Knot at Loch a’ Phuill (16th), an early Ruff (25th), up to 11 Greenshanks, 2 Common Sandpipers, 4 summering Whooper Swans, a late Quail at Balinoe (5th) and a Spotted Crake (until 9th at least). A rather sickly female Hen Harrier was again reported from the Heylipol / Cornaigbeg area, whilst a smart male bird was hunting Twite at The Reef (28th). Offshore, there was a decrease in numbers of Basking Sharks about later in the month but numbers of dolphins and whales remained on the low side for the time of year. There was a big die-off of small sea urchins, sometimes known as “sea potatoes”, resulting in a conspicuous tide-line on the beaches composed of their brittle white shells. This is thought to be a natural occurrence during warm settled weather, when the amount of oxygen reaching the seabed in sheltered areas can plummet to critically low levels. AUGUST 2005 Corncrakes Several male Corncrakes continued to call at scattered locations around the island well in to the second week of the month. This is unusual as calling normally stops at the end of July once the females have initiated their second nests and may have involved some birds attempting to mate for a third time. There were further reports of adult birds and broods seen during hay and silage cutting and all the indications are of another good breeding season. Other birds The generally settled sunny weather encouraged many migrating birds to head south without stopping over on Tiree and it was generally a quiet month bird-wise compared to typical Augusts. However, an early Atlantic storm overnight on 23 August brought unusually large numbers of seabirds close inshore the following day and these included Tiree’s first ever Cory’s Shearwater – a gull-sized bird from the Mediterranean that dwarfed the local Manx Shearwaters. Also seen were some 16 Sooty Shearwaters, 3 Pomarine Skuas, 9 Great Skuas and 4 Arctic Skuas, amidst a maelstrom of Gannets, Kittiwakes and Fulmars, plus a storm-wrecked juvenile Grey Phalarope at Hynish. An earlier period of southerlies and rain brought large number of Storm Petrels offshore with a record 179 counted passing Hynish in an hour on 17th. There was a modest trickle of freshwater waders through during the month including scattered groups of up to 12 Ruff, a handful of Black-tailed Godwits until 60 appeared at Loch a’ Phuill (25th), 42 Knot and groups of up to 13 Greenshank at the loch-sides. Smaller migrants were thin on the ground but included a sparse passage of Willow Warblers and a Whinchat at Balephuil (21st), whilst there was a gathering of 55 Swallows and 30 Sand Martins in the rain at Loch a’ Phuill (21st). August is the month when a number of birds start re-appearing after their absence from the island over the summer. Hen Harriers and Merlins were seen from the second week of the month and there was a very early Sparrowhawk at Vaul (14th). A Little Grebe appeared at Loch an Eilein (1st) and there was a high count of 367 Mallard and 125 Teal at Loch a’ Phuill (21st). Large numbers of Basking Sharks continued to cruise around the island, with sharks appearing off all the coasts in groups of up to 18. There were also regular sightings of Harbour Porpoises and the occasional Minke Whale. SEPTEMBER 2005 Corncrakes Corncrakes continued to be reported widely across the island throughout September with several records of late broods and large juveniles. Most will have departed the island by the end of the month. Other birds September remained largely mild, but there were several periods of strong winds plus wetter weather towards the end of the month. Rough weather in September often brings unusual birds to our shores and this year was no exception. Westerly gales at the start of the month brought between three and five Buff-breasted Sandpipers to the west end of the island (3rd-8th) where they joined up with the increasing flocks of Golden Plovers. These were part of an unprecedented influx of this rare wader from Arctic Canada to the Western Isles. Another American bird, a juvenile Sabine’s Gull, spent the morning of 30th August loafing together with a juvenile Little Gull in Gott Bay amongst a flock of Kittiwakes following a westerly gale. Even more unusual for Tiree were two records of eagles including an adult Sea Eagle at Baugh (9th) and 2 immature Golden Eagles reported from Caoles (25th). The gales also made for good seabird passage, with best viewing at Hynish in southerly winds and north coast headlands in northerlies. Highlights included: 11 Leach’s Petrels off Hynish (24th), 9 Sooty Shearwaters, 3 Sandwich Terns, 3 Pomarine Skuas, 6 Arctic Skuas and an impressive 110 Great Skuas, amongst the throngs of Fulmars, Gannets and Kittiwakes. Other unusual birds included a lone Barnacle Goose at Loch an Eilein (10th), 38 Light-bellied Brent Geese (15th-22nd), a mobile drake Scaup (1st-5th), a drake Garganey in eclipse plumage at Loch a’ Phuill (21st) and a Short-eared Owl at The Reef (10th). Snow and northerly winds in Iceland brought an early start to the winter there and encouraged an early exodus of geese and swans. Some 200 Pink-footed Geese flew in off the Minch at Balevullin and then continued south over the island (15th). Early flocks of Barnacle Geese headed over west Tiree on 24th-25th and there were 28 Whooper Swans at Loch a’ Phuill by 25th plus an early Goldeneye at Loch Riaghain (21st). Huge numbers of Golden Plovers and Snipe also passed through at the same time with some 5,000 Golden Plovers and 300 Snipe counted around West Tiree on 25th, and there was an entirely white Snipe at Heylipol (26th). Other passage waders noted included Little Stints at Gott Bay (4th and 21st), 2 Curlew Sandpipers (4th and 21st), 3 Knot, 5 Ruff, 5 Whimbrel, 2 Common Sandpipers at Scarinish (10th), widespread flocks of up to 44 Black-tailed Godwits and the first Purple Sandpipers (from 11th). Smaller migrants were in short supply during the rough weather but included the usual September influx of Robins to the island’s gardens (from 5th), a Whitethroat at Heylipol (1st), a late Sedge Warbler at Baugh (5th), 15 Goldcrests, 11 Willow Warblers, 2 Lesser Redpolls and an early Greenfinch at Vaul (4th). OCTOBER 2005 Corncrakes There were some very late records of Corncrakes this year with large juveniles noted until at least 8th in the Heylipol area. Most female Corncrakes are thought to have two broods in a summer, but these late youngsters are likely to have come from third broods and may hint at another bumper breeding year for these birds. Other birds October was a mixed month, with settled spells and light winds interspersed with periods of stronger winds and heavy rain. Further north however, Iceland was experiencing its coldest autumn weather for 300 years (!) and as a result, the early exodus of geese and swans noted in late September continued through the month, with a heavy passage of Barnacle and Greenland White-fronted Geese noted over the island. Whooper Swan numbers built up rapidly. There were no less than 173 birds at Loch a’ Phuill on 21st with over 200 birds on the island that day and many others noted flying over during the month. The most dramatic event occurred early in the month when overnight rain on 9th resulted in a massive fall of Snipe, some 1,430 birds were counted around the island the following day in flocks of up to 130 birds although the true total is likely to have been up to 3,000 birds. Also caught up in the fall, were big numbers of other waders including some 6,320 Golden Plovers and 60 Redshanks – all presumably of Icelandic origin. The first Redwing from Iceland turned up the next day at Balephuil, but it was not until the third week of the month that these striking winter thrushes returned in big numbers. At least 1,000 Redwing were around on 21st, together with small numbers of Fieldfares (from 18th), migrant Song Thrushes and Blackbirds and a fine male Ring Ouzel at Loch a’ Phuill. More unusual birds appeared amongst the throngs of migrants this month including 3 Snow Buntings at Vaul (2nd), a Grey Wagtail at Balephuil (3rd), a Curlew Sandpiper at Sandaig (10th-12th), a late Whimbrel at Loch a’ Phuill (21st), 3 Woodock (from 4th), a late Ruff at The Reef (11th) and a Jack Snipe at Balephuil (21st), as well as at least 44 Goldfinches, and some late Black-tailed Godwits (until 11th). Smaller birds in the gardens included at least 7 Goldcrests, 11 Blackcaps, 5 Chiffchaffs and 2 Dunnocks (all from 8th). Scarcer wildfowl included several Pink-footed Geese scattered amongst the Greylag flocks, at least 4 Gadwall, 3 Scaup and a lone Little Grebe at Loch Riaghain (10th). Raptors included small numbers of Merlins, Sparrowhawks, Kestrels, Hen Harriers and Peregrines throughout. Gales at the start of the month produced more good seabird passage including a record count of 57 Bonxies off the north coast (1st), 6 Leach’s Petrels, 4 Grey Phalaropes and 3 Pomarine Skuas, whilst there were 3 late Storm Petrels and 2 Bonxies off Hynish (9th). However, the best seabird was a Great Shearwater seen alongside the Barra ferry (20th) just north of Tiree, plus an early Little Auk on the same trip. NOVEMBER 2005 November brought a real mix of weather with heavy rain at times and some severe gales followed by a settled spell of dry weather, conditions which brought a rich variety of birds to the island. Late October saw single Waxwings at Crossapol and Heylipol, plus a male Ring Ouzel at Hynish. A Blue Tit visited the bird feeding station at Cornaig School at the start of November and this may have been the same bird that subsequently frequented a garden at Balemartine later in the month. Some 1,000 Redwings remained on the island from October and there were increased numbers of Song Thrushes, Blackbirds and Skylarks, although Fieldfares remained scarce with mostly only singles seen, apart from one flock of 20 at Ruaig (17th). Several large flocks of Twite stayed to feed on remaining seeds with some 1,000 noted around the island mid-month. Greenfinches and Chaffinches were widespread across the island in small numbers, with up to 50 of the former roosting at Cornaigmore and 19 of the latter at Balephuil, although Goldfinches remained in short supply. Other typical winter migrants included 7 Snow Buntings, 6 Dunnocks, a Jack Snipe at The Reef (18th), a Grey Plover at Balephetrish Bay (18th), single young Rooks at Salum (15th) and The Reef (17th) and a Jackdaw at Moss (10th), although a Woodpigeon at Ruaig (21st) was more unexpected. Flocks of winter wildfowl steadily increased on the lochs and floods during the month and included peaks of 213 Whooper Swans (9th), 91 Tufted Ducks (9th) and 56 Goldeneyes (20th), whilst scarcer wildfowl included 3 Long-tailed Ducks, 2 Pintails, 21 Shovelers, 2 Scaup, 3 Pochards, the first returning Shelducks (from 13th), 2 Little Grebes and a Coot. A count of the wintering geese (15-16th) found 2,666 Barnacle Geese and 770 Greenland White-fronts plus a lone Pink-footed Goose. Very large numbers of Golden Plovers remained with 4,900 counted on 15-16th, whilst several thousand Lapwings remained scattered in flocks of up to 200. An hour-long sea-watch during a NW gale off Aird (12th) produced a Little Auk, a very late Arctic Skua and 33 Great Northern Divers in amongst some 2,170 Kittiwakes and 600 auks. However, rarity of the month was the smart adult Laughing Gull at Traigh Bhagh (7th) – the first Tiree record of this rare North American gull, which was one of more than 30 to appear in Britain after prolonged westerly gales across the Atlantic. DECEMBER 2005 December was generally quite mild and comparatively still for the time of year, and Tiree escaped the ice and snow that was visible at times on Mull, Rum and the mainland. As a result, our wintering birds prospered and large flocks of waders graced the islands beaches, whilst wildfowl thronged the lochs and marshes. During drier spells, the immense value of the islands permanently wet marshes and pools was evident as wetland birds crammed into those areas that retained water. Numbers of waders on the wet grasslands were higher than in recent winters and an all-island count (5th-6th) found some 3,740 Golden Plovers and 2,270 Lapwings. Waders also found rich pickings amongst the banks of seaweed on the shores, with flocks of up to 340 Sanderling, 205 Dunlin, 225 Ringed Plovers and 140 Turnstones on many beaches. Rarer waders included up to 2 Grey Plovers in the Clachan/Balephetrish Bay area, a Knot at Sorobaidh Bay (13th) and more unusually a late Greenshank in with Redshanks at Traigh Bhagh (2nd). Duck numbers also increased and included good counts of 19 Pochards, 33 Shovelers, 123 Tufted Duck and 65 Goldeneyes. Scarcer fare included a Pintail at Loch a’ Phuill (8th) and a Scaup at Loch Bhasapol (14th), whilst pairs of Shelducks returned to coastal sites rather earlier than in previous years. The wintering flock of Coot at Loch Bhasapol numbered just 3 birds during the month but may increase with colder weather in the New Year – they were joined throughout by up to 2 Little Grebes and a Moorhen. The goose count found 3,370 Greylags, 2,581 Barnacle Geese and 889 Greenland White-fronted Geese, all very similar totals to those recorded in November. Single Pale-bellied Brent Goose remained with the Barnacle Geese at Ruaig and with Greylags at Barrapol, whilst a lone Pink-footed Geese was at Vaul (5th). Rarest bird of the period was a young Iceland Gull, which fed along the shore at Aird (10th). Raised in Greenland during the summer, this all buffy-white Arctic gull appeared after a brief spell of cold NW winds. More surprising was a very late Chiffchaff that was fly-catching in the sunshine around silage bales at Hynish (6th) – this was a typical cold-toned bird of the tristis race that breeds as far east as Siberia. Other late migrants included small groups of Snow Buntings at Ard Ear and Balephetrish on 5th, plus a lone Lapland Bunting at Salum and a late Woodock at Cornaigbeg on the same day. Numbers of Redwings thinned out following the large influxes in October and November, and groups of to 10 Fieldfares remained to feed on the machairs. Garden feeding stations are at their busiest during the mid-winter period and a regular supply of food can tempt in more wary visitors to join the regular Starlings, House Sparrows and thrushes. Greenfinches, Chaffinches and Robins were reported widely from gardens across the island during the month, whilst there were Dunnocks at Balephuil and Kirkapol, plus a Goldfinch at Balemartine (6th).
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