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Monthly Bird Information - 2009

by John Bowler RSPB
01879 220748

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 telephone number. All photographs in this section are by John Bowler.

January 2009

January brought a real mix of weather, with a long cold dry spell as well as heavy rain with gales at times plus the odd snow flurry. Conditions were generally colder than average, although once more the island missed out on the more severe frosts and heavy snowfalls on the mainland and adjacent more mountainous islands. Probably the most dramatic event was the largest influx of Glaucous Gulls yet recorded on Tiree. These large pale gulls were forced south from the Arctic in higher numbers this year by the cold conditions and included good numbers of grey-backed adults as well as all-white immature birds. They found plenty of dead seals on the beaches to feast upon, with singles and groups of up to three birds scattered around the beaches in the western half of the island from 5th. Numbers built up further later in the month with five birds together at Balephetrish Bay plus four more at Traigh Ghrianal on 28th, whilst there were at least 15 birds on 31st including 14 together in the gull roost at Rubha Chraiginis.

The rarest bird of the period was the Kingfisher at Ard Ear on New Year’s Day, a remarkable find by a visiting birdwatcher. This was the first ever recorded on Tiree and presumably had been forced to leave the mainland in search of unfrozen waters to fish in. The bird was still present two days later and found a plentiful supply of sticklebacks to feed on in the ditches between Port Ban and Milton. Other rarities included the female Surf Scoter, which remained all month at Hough Bay, together with up to 15 Long-tailed Ducks. The drake Ring-necked Duck remained until 19th and became less faithful to Loch Bhasapol, visiting both Loch an Eilein and Loch a’ Phuill before moving on. More unexpectedly, two further Ring-necked Ducks, both immature male birds, appeared at Loch Riaghain on 12th after a westerly gale and remained there until 19th. Together with the lingering drake, these three birds represented the highest count to date of this North American diving duck for Argyll. Another rare species of wildfowl, this a time a goose, appeared amongst the Barnacle Geese in West Tiree. This was a small Canada Goose, only slightly larger than a Barnacle Goose, which was likely to have originated from breeding grounds in Greenland, and was seen on and off at Cornaigmore, Cornaigbeg and Kenovay from 8th.

Other unusual birds included a Sea Eagle briefly at Caoles (1st), a wintering Dunnock at Kenovay, 2 Woodcocks at Ard Ear (3rd), 2 Jack Snipe at Port Ban (3rd), 3 Snow Buntings at Hough Bay (4th), 5 scattered Fieldfares, up to 4 Pied Wagtails, a dead Carrion Crow at Traigh Ghrianal (23rd) and a hybrid CarrionxHooded Crow at Salum (26th). Some 120 Redwings remained with odd birds in sub-song on sunnier days, whilst wintering finches included at least 13 Greenfinches, 10 Chaffinches and 6 Goldfinches, all making the most of food put out in island gardens during the cold weather.

The mid-January goose count (12th-13th) found 3,118 Barnacle Geese and 690 Greenland White-fronts, with Greylags a little down in numbers at 3,620 birds. Five Pink-footed Geese remained at Heylipol, whilst a lone Canada Goose, paired to a Greylag with three hybrid offspring, was at Greenhill/Kilkenneth. The January count also found high island totals of 126 Whooper Swans, 3,120 Golden Plovers and 2,980 Lapwing –all benefiting from the mostly frost-free conditions. Scarce waterbirds included 2 Coot and a Little Grebe at Loch Bhasapol, a Gadwall at Loch an Eilein (4th-19th), 28 Shoveler, 6 Pintail at Loch Riaghain and 3 Grey Plovers. Early signs of spring included the first Shelduck pairs appearing at inland sites and large numbers of Fulmars busying themselves on brighter days at their breeding colonies.

February 2009

February was generally rather colder and a little drier than normal. High pressure dominated for much of the month resulting in fewer gales and less flooding than in recent years, although as always we missed out on the worst of the ice and snow that prevailed on the mainland and surrounding higher islands. The cold conditions might explain the continued record-breaking influx of Glaucous Gulls from the Arctic with a peak count of 16 of these large white gulls roosting at Rubha Chraiginis (2nd), with perhaps 20 birds around the island in the first week of the month. Of our wintering rarities, the drake Ring-necked Duck re-appeared at Loch an Eilein (16th) where it remained to the month-end, the small-race vagrant Canada Goose remained with Barnacle Geese in West Tiree throughout, whilst the female Surf Scoter remained at Hough Bay until 11th before vanishing for a couple of weeks and then returning there in March.

The first obvious migrants to return to the island included adult Black-headed Gulls with their full dark brown hoods and pinkish breasts (from 12th) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (from 28th), whilst there was an unprecedented influx of 4 Mistle Thrushes to West Tiree (18th). Other signs of spring included the first snippets of Skylark song-flights on brighter days, the eerie “drumming” and “chipping” sounds of displaying Snipe on moonlit nights, plus widespread display by pairs of Lapwing and noisy groups of Oystercatchers on the wet grasslands and machairs. Otters also became more noticeable with records from various parts of the island including a very early observation of a mother carrying a large cub in her mouth crossing the road (4th March). 6 Pink-footed Geese and a Light-bellied Brent Goose were identified on the all-island goose count (16th and 18th), which also found high totals of 3,362 Barnacle Geese, 3,592 Greylags, 691 Greenland White-fronts, 137 Whooper Swans, 4,910 Lapwing and 2,960 Golden Plovers.

A number of people expressed their concerns about the apparent decline in the number of House Sparrows visiting their gardens during the month. In response, Janet conducted a survey of sites known to host sparrows during the winter by contacting people on the island who have sparrows regularly using their gardens and barns. While the number of sparrows visiting some sites had indeed declined, in other places the numbers were the same or had increased. It would appear that, while there is likely to have been some normal winter die-off during the cold period in Jan/Feb, birds had simply redistributed in response to food availability and/or the presence of Sparrowhawks. It is reassuring to know that Tiree’s important sparrow population has not been suffering from any unusual influences. Many thanks to those who brought the issue to our attention and to those who provided information for the survey.

March brought typically mixed weather with days of strong westerly winds bringing heavy squalls and rain, interspersed with calmer periods of light southerly winds and increasing warmth. The warm spells brought some early summer migrants and encouraged some early vegetation growth but these were knocked back by later periods of colder air from the north.

Early returning migrants included the first Sand Martin at Loch Bhasapol (26th) - the earliest yet for the island, whilst there were Chiffchaffs at Kilkenneth (17th) and Balephuil (21st), 5 Wheatears at Beinn Hough (18th), a White Wagtail at Balephetrish Bay (23rd), 2 Linnets at Cornaigbeg (30th) and a Swallow at Sorobaidh Bay (31st), plus at least 8 Goldcrests (from 15th). Large numbers of Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits returned to the rich grasslands during the month, the latter with their distinctive descending parachute song-flights, whilst the vast spring flock of Golden Plovers staging at The Reef on their way north to Iceland, peaked at 3,620 birds (19th).

A spell of wild NW winds was probably responsible for bringing the biggest rarity to the island during the month. On 24th, Neil Munn spotted a large white falcon feeding on a dead goose at Kilmoluaig. This proved to be a 1st-winter Gyrfalcon of the rare white form (see photo). This spectacular falcon should have been feeding around the ice flows south of Greenland but together with an adult bird, which appeared on Islay around the same time, must have been blown off-course by the strong winds. The bird obviously found Tiree to its liking as it stayed at Kilmoluaig for 5 days before moving on and re-appearing at Caoles in early April. Other rarities included the long-staying drake Ring-necked Duck, which remained at Loch an Eilein all month with occasional forays to Loch Bhasapol, the female Surf Scoter, which re-appeared at Hough Bay (10th and 28th) and the vagrant small-race Canada Goose, which remained with Barnacle Geese in West Tiree until at least 7th. Up to five Glaucous Gulls remained from the big influx in January-February, whilst there were further large influxes of Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls returning to breed once more on the island. The late March goose count found 3,725 Barnacle Geese, 3,363 Greylags and 979 Greenland White-fronts, as well as 2 Pink-footed Geese and
2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese.

April 2009

April brought some warmer dry spells interspersed with periods of wetter southerly and westerly winds, which kept the lochs and wetlands topped up, but also kept many fields wetter than normal. In general, spring migration was a little earlier than last year with the Barnacle Geese departing en masse from Ruaig on the evening of 12th - three days earlier than in 2008, with the bulk of the Greenland White-fronts setting off northwards the day before. Some spring arrivals were also early with the earliest ever record for the island of a Blackcap at Balephuil (11th) and the earliest ever Cuckoo at Carnan Mor (17th). By the end of the month, most of the regular breeding migrants were back, albeit in small numbers so far, including Willow Warbler (from 10th), Little Tern (from 14th), Arctic Tern (from 25th), Sedge Warbler (from 28th) and Common Sandpiper (from 29th). The first Corncrake was also early (9th) and some 30 or so calling males had been widely reported around the island by the month-end. Co-ordinated night time counts of calling male Corncrakes will start later in May to see how numbers compare to last year. With numbers of birds dropping on both Coll and the Outer Hebrides in 2008, Tiree’s currently thriving Corncrake population has become even more important

The wetter spells of weather helped to ground many migrating birds on the island as they attempted to head north. There was a large influx of Pale-bellied Brent to the beaches on 20th including a flock of 375 birds at Sorobaidh Bay, which included one bird that had been colour-ringed in County Down in Northern Ireland, six birds from Iceland, and one from Axel Heiberg Island in Arctic Canada, giving a good idea of the migration route of this species. The following day saw a large arrival of Black-tailed Godwits in their brick-red breeding dress (see photo), and in amongst a flock of 285 birds at Loch Bhasapol were two colour-ringed birds from Iceland, one from the Wash in Eastern England and one from the Tagus Estuary in Portugal, again highlighting the range of countries that these birds visit. Very large numbers of Golden Plovers also passed through on their way north to their breeding grounds in Iceland and the traditional flock at The Reef built up to an impressive 5,125 birds (16th). A strong passage of Greenland Wheatears and White Wagtails throughout the month included island totals of 60+ and 40+ respectively on 28th, whilst a high tally of some 20 Goldfinches was noted at various locations around the island.

April rarities included the white morph Gyrfalcon from March, which re-appeared in east Tiree at the start of the month being seen at Balephetrish and then at Caoles (7th). The long-staying drake Ring-necked Duck remained at Loch an Eilein until 10th and was joined there by a second drake on 6th, which remained until 28th. Other spring scarcities included a Jack Snipe at Balemartine (1st), a very early Pomarine Skua off Coll (1st), a Coal Tit at Mannal (11th-12th), a Brambling at Mannal (15th-16th), a drake Scaup and a 1st-winter Iceland Gull at Loch Bhasapol (20th), plus an early Woodpigeon at Balephuil (30th). Lingering Glaucous Gulls from the winter’s influx included 2nd-winter birds at Sorobaidh Bay (4th) and Baugh (15th), plus 1st-winter birds at Gott Bay (13th) and Sorobaidh Bay (20th). A handful of Lapwing chicks were observed on The Reef at the month-end, together with the first Mallard broods, indicating that summer was not so far away.

May 2009

May brought rather mixed weather with strong westerly winds and rain at the start of the month, followed by warm spells of light easterly winds, clear skies and increasing temperatures. The rain at the start of the month ensured that the machairs did not dry out and they bloomed impressively in the last week. The month was busy as awlays for both breeding and migrant birds.

Corncrakes
There was a steady return of Corncrakes throughout the month with birds widely reported from all over the island and early indications are of similar numbers to last year. The annual night-time census rounds started at the end of the month and we will have to wait until June to see how final numbers compare this year with the record count of 408 calling males in 2008.

Other birds
Once again, the island’s coasts, grasslands, lochs and gardens were home to large numbers of breeding birds. Many bred early in the mostly settled conditions and there were some very early broods of Stonechats and Mallards, plus the first Shelduck, Greylag and Mute Swan broods. There were very large numbers of young Lapwings all over the island by the month-end, together with smaller numbers of Ringed Plovers, Redshanks and Snipe. The very first Oystercatcher chicks appeared at the month-end whilst the annual mass emergence of young Starlings was a few days late this year, with the first appearing on 2nd June.

Huge numbers of passage waders passed through during the month on their way north to their Arctic breeding grounds, with peak counts at Gott Bay of 400 Ringed Plover (12th), 1600 Dunlin (15th), 64 Knot (16th) and 1700 Sanderling (16th). No less than 11 colour-ringed Sanderling were identified with ringed birds hailing from sites as varied as Ghana, Mauritania, Orkney, Iceland and Greenland, giving a good indication of the migratory routes used by this species. Even more surprising was a colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit at Heylipol (6th-7th), which turned out to have been ringed as a chick in the Netherlands in May 2008 and was therefore the first confirmed record for Scotland of the nominate continental-race of this species! Groups of up to 31 Great Northern Divers gathered in the bays, some 14 Whooper Swans remained from the winter, as did a late Greenland White-fronted Goose at Balephetrish (10th), whilst a European White-fronted Goose was found paired to a Greylag at Balinoe. An all-white Glaucous Gull remained at Ruaig until 24th, whilst a late Iceland Gull was at Clachan Mor (10th).

June 2009

Corncrakes
Three nocturnal counts of calling male Corncrakes around the island were conducted during the month. The counts revealed a preliminary total of 386 calling male Corncrakes, with birds calling in good numbers all over the island. This was very similar to the totals in 2008 and 2007. The thriving population on Tiree represents around a third of all the Corncrakes in Britain making it particularly important. 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
June started where May left off with long spells of warm sunny settled weather, which began to “burn” the machairs, although there were odd spells of rain later in the month. The warm still conditions were good for Tiree’s nationally important populations of breeding birds and large numbers of young were seen all over the island. Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Snipe all produced lots of young, and there were increasing flocks of fledged Redshanks and Lapwings at the loch-sides by the end of the month. Ducks also fared well with large broods noted of Shoveler, Pintail and Gadwall in particular. The seabirds are also faring better so far this year with good numbers of sandeels brought into the colonies throughout the month. The Little Terns fared well with good numbers of chicks fledging from the main colonies. Other seabirds such as Arctic Tern, Kittiwake and Fulmar were all still brooding eggs and small young at the end of June so we need to wait until July to see how many young they manage to fledge. At least 4 Puffins hung around the cliffs at Ceann a’ Mhara and at least one pair are thought to have tried to breed – the first breeding attempt for the island! Shags once again had another good breeding season, with some 112 nests at Ceann a’ Mhara and large numbers of young fledged or were close to fledging at the end of June. The gulls fared less well producing only moderate numbers of chicks from their scattered breeding colonies. Numbers of breeding Sand Martins increased yet again this year with perhaps as many as 100 pairs breeding in sandy banks around the western half of the island, whilst a pair of House Martins built a nest at Loch an Eilein – the first confirmed nesting by this species on Tiree.

June often brings the odd surprise late migrant and this year was no exception. Pride of place must go to the stunning male Bluethroat found by a visitor at Kilkenneth (1st) – this was the first confirmed record of this brightly-coloured Arctic-nesting robin for Tiree. Other good birds included a second-summer Laughing Gull at Loch a’ Phuill (13th), just the second-ever record for Tiree and likely to be the same bird that was seen at the start of the month on Coll, plus a passage Red-necked Phalarope, a calling Spotted Crake, a calling Quail briefly at Barrapol (12th) and up to 2 Turtle Doves at Moss (28th-30th). Other scarce migrants included Short-eared Owls at The Airport (10th) and at Crossapol (27th), 3 Swifts at Carnan Mor (1st), a late Glaucous Gull at Ruaig (5th), a Sandwich Tern off Caoles (14th) and an unusually late run of Woodpigeon records in West Tiree. A European White-fronted Goose remained from May, paired to a Greylag Goose at Balinoe.

July 2009

Corncrakes
The Corncrakes should have benefited from the largely warm and still conditions in July, and birds continued to call all over the island during the month. The final count total this year for the island was 392 calling males, very similar to the figures in 2008 and 2007 and suggests that the Tiree population may have reached a plateau after the big increase in numbers seen here since 2001. The thriving Corncrake population on Tiree accounts for around one third of the total UK population – a resounding success for all the Corncrake-friendly measures employed by crofters and farmers on the island.

Other birds
Most of our breeding birds appeared to have a good breeding season. Seabirds in particular benefited from an abundance of sandeels throughout the month and for the first time in six years, large numbers of Arctic Terns fledged from colonies around the island. Many islanders commented on the fact that the terns were more inclined to dive-bomb people this year, and this is a sure, if slightly unwelcome, sign that they have big chicks that they want to defend! The other seabirds also did well: the Little Terns produced about 40 fledglings from two main colonies, whilst there good numbers of Kittiwake, Razorbill, Guillemot, Fulmar and Shag chicks at Ceann a’ Mhara. As a bonus, a single pair of Puffins raised one chick on the cliffs – the first ever proven breeding by this species on the island. A pair of House Martins that built a nest at Loch an Eilein were also the first of their species to nest here. Ducks also did well in the calm conditions, with large broods of Mallard, Shelduck, Red-breasted Merganser, Teal and Shoveler noted on several of the island’s wetlands, as well as a Tufted Duck brood at Loch an Eilein. Pintail fledglings were again noted and Gadwall raised at least two broods for the third year running. The waders, gulls and starlings all produced good numbers of young, with flocks of both building up once more on the first cut silage fields.

July is normally a fairly quiet month for scarce migrant birds but there were a few notable records. Best of all was a Cory’s Shearwater observed off the pier at Scarinish (28th), whilst the first Sooty Shearwater of the autumn headed past Hynish on 31st. A Turtle Dove remained at Moss at the start of the month and a Woodpigeon was an unusual visitor to The Reef (10th). Typical mid-summer birds included 4 Swifts and 2 Lesser Redpolls, whilst Crossbills arrived as part of a national influx, including a red male at Gott (9th) and a flock of five birds at Carnan Mor (14th). Waders began returning once more from their northern breeding grounds - mostly adults which, had failed to breed successfully. Best of the bunch was a rare Spotted Redshank at Loch a’ Phuill (12th), but others included 11 Red Knot (from 13th), 49 Black-tailed Godwits (from 12th), 14 Whimbrel (from 20th), a Grey Plover at Mannal (26th) and up to 7 Greenshanks at Loch a’ Phuill (from 12th). Offshore, there were increasing sightings of Storm Petrels, Sandwich Terns and Great Skuas, together with good numbers of Basking Sharks, regular pods Harbour Porpoises and the odd dolphin and Minke Whale.

August 2009

Corncrakes
A handful of Corncrakes continued to call in the first week of the month at various places around the island and there were several reports of adult birds and broods seen during the month including a family of three chicks in a garden at Balephuil. Here’s hoping the wet weather at the end of the month won’t have caused too many problems for the young broods.

Other birds
August brought a major change in the weather with the sunny dry weather of July changing sharply to heavy rain as depression after depression rolled in from the Atlantic bringing heavy downpours and resulting in widespread flooding across the island more typical of November.

Migration began in earnest this month as birds breeding to the north of us started heading south once more. Waders were on the move with large flocks of Sanderling, Ringed Plovers and Dunlin returning to the beaches, whilst big flocks of Lapwings, Golden Plovers and Curlews built-up once more on the cut-silage fields. In amongst these flocks were smaller numbers of Black-tailed Godwits, Bar-tailed Godwits and Whimbrel, and huge flocks of locally-reared Starlings. A full count at the end of the month found some 3,000 Lapwings and 1,000 Golden Plovers around the island, whilst a flock of Starlings at Loch a’ Phuill numbered over 1,400 birds (24th). The widespread flooding attracted a range of less common waders and these included up to 9 Greenshanks, 5 Ruff, a Wood Sandpiper (22nd), a Green Sandpiper (26th) and more unusually around a dozen inland feeding Knot, whilst there was a massive influx of Snipe at the end of the month including a single flock of 200 at Sandaig (30th). Two very rare waders appeared during the month. Most unexpected was a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper which spent a couple of hours feeding along the road near Heylipol Chirch (31st). This species is the North American equivalent of our Common Sandpiper and is a very rare visitor to Scotland, with only one previous record from Argyll. The other rare wader was an adult Pacific Golden Plover which turned up at Loch a’ Phuill (30th) but then moved to join up with the Golden Plovers at Sandaig/Middleton. This was just the fourth record of this Asiatic species from Argyll, all previous records also coming from Tiree and all since 2000.

With the predominantly westerly winds, there were few small migrants about, with just one Chiffchaff noted at Balephuil (15th) and one Lesser Redpol there (2nd). The exception to this rule was the on-going influx of Crossbills. Following a good breeding season in northern pine forests, large numbers of these stocky finches moved south through Scotland in search of new feeding areas. Most of the birds involved in this movement were males, which are a rich orangey-red colour and these were reported widely from the island including sightings at Balephuil, Crossapol, Baugh and Gott. Most of the birds were singletons although a flock of four males was observed at Balephuil (8th). These birds had to run the gauntlet of the usual late summer influx of Merlins, Kestrels, Sparrowhawks and Hen Harriers, none of which breed on the island.

Once more, September proved to be an exciting month for scarcer migrant birds on Tiree. With several birdwatchers on the island, good coverage was achieved and there were some very interesting records. With predominantly westerly winds for most of the month, there was an unprecedented influx of migrant waders from North America. In recent autumns, we have come to expect these birds to be blown across the Atlantic by strong westerlies as they head south from their breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic. This month they included up to 4 Buff-breasted Sandpipers in the Loch a’ Phuill and Sandaig areas (from 9th), an adult American Golden Plover in the Barrapol/Sandaig area (from 14th) and up to 6 different Pectoral Sandpipers (from 2nd) including a group of 3 together at Barrapol (26th). Even rarer however, was a juvenile Baird’s Sandpiper, which first appeared at Balephetrish Bay (19th) before frequenting Gott and Vaul Bays later in the month. This was the first autumn record of this small biscuit-coloured wading bird on Tiree and just the fifth record ever for Argyll.

Many waders made the most of the widespread flooding across the island at the start of the month and the wet grasslands were home to flocks of hundreds of Lapwings, Golden Plovers, Snipe and Curlew, plus up to 118 Black-tailed Godwits. In amongst these flocks were smaller numbers of Dunlin, Knot, up to 7 Ruff and 4 Greenshanks, as well as a Green Sandpiper at Baugh (7th) and a Curlew Sandpiper at Vaul (14th). Smaller birds were also on the move, with the gardens playing host to a mix of more common migrants such as Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Greenfinch and Sedge Warbler, plus the first Robins and the odd Dunnock. Less common migrants included Pied Flycatchers at Vaul (25th) and Kilmoluaig (30th), Lesser Whitethroats at Whitehouse (29th) and Balephuil (29th), up to 4 Greenland Redpolls at various locations and best of all, a juvenile Barred Warbler at Balephuil (16th).

Corncrakes continued to be seen throughout the month, including lone juveniles holding territories in gardens, whilst Water Rails began producing their unearthly squeals once more from the marshes. A lone Coot returned to its regular wintering haunt on Loch Bhasapol and there was a Little Grebe at Heylipol Church lochan (27th) and a Slavonian Grebe at Salum Bay (30th). A switch to NW winds in the last two days of the month brought the first major goose passage with some 300 Barnacle Geese, 168 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 120 Pink-footed Geese counted passing over the island, together with 130 Whooper Swans, as well as 9 Lapland Buntings, 3 Snow Buntings and the first 2 Redwings of the autumn at Balephuil (30th).

October / November 2009

The late autumn period on Tiree is always a very varied one as the last of the summering birds depart and the bulk of our winter visitors arrive. With so many birds on the move, Tiree is well placed to see both spectacular movements and the arrival of scarcer migrants, given the right weather conditions. October saw several long settled dry spells but November was very wet by contrast with frequent gales and heavy flooding.

Coverage on the island was enhanced in October by several visiting birdwatchers and as a result more unusual birds were noted than normal. American scarcities predominated at the start of the month stemming from a steady run of westerly winds in late September. These included 3 different adult American Golden Plovers at Barrapol, Sandaig and Loch a’ Phuill (1-14 Oct) and 3 Pectoral Sandpipers at Sandaig, Barrapol and Cornaigmore (1-8 Oct). The winds increasingly turned to the SE during October and as a result, a number of scarcer European migrants were seen. These included 2 juvenile Scarlet Rosefinches at Hynish/Mannal (4-6 Oct), a Greenland Redpoll at Mannal (4 Oct), a juvenile Barred Warbler at Vaul (5 Oct), 4 Yellow-browed Warblers at Scarinish, Carnan Mor and Balephuil (10-15 Oct), a Redstart at Carnan Mor (6 Oct) and a record haul of 6 Lesser Whitethroats around West Tiree (1-15 Oct). These rarer birds were picked out from larger numbers of commoner migrant warblers such as Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest, which passed through at the same time. Rarest bird for the island however was a second-year Golden Eagle that appeared at Milton (17th) and subsequently moved to Vaul (18th) and then to Ben Hynish (26th). There was a very large influx of thrushes associated with SE winds (23 Oct) involving at least 1000 Fieldfares, 1500 Redwings, 300 Blackbirds and 150 Song Thrushes plus a lone Ring Ouzel at Milton. The same weather brought in an influx of some 12 Bramblings around the island and the first of the Woodcock. November saw fewer smaller migrants but a further 5 Chiffchaffs included at least 2 Siberian birds in the Loch a’ Phuill dunes (8 and 23 Nov), whilst there was a Mealy Redpoll at Balephuil (4 Nov) and a Grey Wagtail at Hynish (28 Nov). Other less common garden birds in November included up to 6 Jackdaws, 6 Goldfinches, about a dozen each of Greenfinch and Chaffinch, plus more unusually single Water Rails observed feeding in gardens at Mannal and Balephuil.

A large passage of Whooper Swans (15 Oct) from their Icelandic breeding grounds, resulted in a high count of 252 birds at Loch a’ Phuill, whilst Barnacle Geese tricked through during October and Greenland White-fronts arrived en masse at the end of the month. An all-island goose count (27-28 Nov) found high totals of 2,646 Barnacle Geese, 3,555 Greylags and 775 Greenland White-fronts plus 2 Pinkfeet, a Pale-bellied Brent and 2 vagrant Lesser Canada Geese from North America. Also noted around the island at the same time were high counts of 5,105 Golden Plovers and 4,190 Lapwings, which probably benefited from the widespread flooding of the grasslands. Other unusual wildfowl included a Common Scoter in Gunna Sound (27 Nov) and the returning female Surf Scoter back in Hough Bay (from 22 Nov) for its third successive winter. Offshore, a Grey Phalarope was noted at Aird (2 Nov) and a Little Auk was off Gunna Sound (10 Nov).

December 2009

December began where November left off, being rather mild, wet and windy but it became increasingly colder (and drier) and by the end of the month, an unusually prolonged spell of sub-zero temperatures set in as it did across the whole of Scotland. The freezing weather made conditions very tough for many of our wintering birds. With the ground frozen hard, birds of the wet grasslands such as Lapwing and Golden Plover found it difficult to probe for food, and by the end of the month, numbers had dropped from around 3,800 Lapwing and 4,300 Golden Plover to just a few hundred of each. Many other smaller birds also left the island late in the month to search for better foraging conditions elsewhere and only a handful of Redwings and Meadow Pipits, for example, remained by the month end. Shorebirds were less affected, as although the tops of the beaches froze hard at times, the lower portions remained ice-free, enabling birds to continue to probe in the sediments at low tide for worms and other invertebrates. High counts included 193 Dunlin and 131 Ringed Plovers at Sorobaidh Bay (9th), 216 Sanderling at Balephetrish Bay (17th) and 70 Turnstone at Gott Bay (14th). Some wildfowl also moved to the coast as the lochs froze up, whilst the remainder made use of small holes kept free of ice on the larger lochs by feeding swans. A goose count (14th-15th) found 3,460 Greylags, 3,438 Barnacle Geese, 769 Greenland White-fronted Geese, 5 Pale-bellied Brent and 3 Pink-footed Geese, together with 138 Whooper Swans. It is always hard to be accurate with numbers of raptors as these are normally seen scattered singly around the island and are very mobile so could be counted more than once. However, on 2nd, three female-type Hen Harriers were watched at dusk coming in to a roost together, whilst a male was seen at Balephetrish that afternoon, so at least 4 birds were present at the start of the month. There were also at least 5 Merlins, 2 Kestrels, 2 Sparrowhawks, 25 Buzzards and 4 Peregrine Falcons around the island.

Rare birds seen during the month included the wintering female Surf Scoter at Hough Bay, two vagrant Lesser Canada Geese in with the Barnies including a tiny “Richardson’s” Canada Goose at Balephetrish (see photo) and a European White-fronted Goose – all of which remained from November, but new in was a juvenile Sea Eagle, which soared around Ben Hynish (30th). Other winter scarcities included up to 10 Goldfinches and 2 Pied Wagtails, a Jackdaw at Balephuil (1st), a Dunnock at Crossapol (7th) and increasing numbers of Woodcock as the weather worsened. Most unusually, Water Rails were reported visiting gardens at Mannal and Balephuil – this normally most elusive of species was presumably tempted out of cover in the wetlands by a combination of the cold weather and the lure of provisioned food.

Food for small birds is always in short supply by mid-winter and this problem is exacerbated by freezing weather, which renders the ground too hard to probe for worms and insects. Regular feeding with seeds and bread, plus provision of fresh water, can be a lifeline for regular garden birds such as House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Robins and Song Thrushes. During cold snaps, such as the recent one, more wary birds such as Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Reed Buntings and even Water Rails may also put in an appearance on island bird tables. The Big Garden Birdwatch event on 30-31 January will provide the opportunity to chart the continuing fortunes of birds in gardens across Scotland.