Bernie's Blog

Bogs In M’Blog….

I saw an interesting post in friend Pete’s Facebook…

https://www.facebook.com/furnacefestival

And this got me thinking …look at all the things that come from bogs – bog ore for metal-working - peat to heat homes - bog oak to make black, hard pieces of art - wonderful plants grow there – including Bog Cotton. I have a particular liking for Bog Cotton, with its associations with myths and legends….  

https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/yeats/fip/fip71.htm

For some of my bog ramblings – see the section entitled ‘Peats & Tangles’…

http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16523

Speaking of the spiders of the bog – remembering the Peatbog Faeries...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USBwyV6iZ_8

And …there are the bog people …

http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16097

I’m proud to be of a bog-trotting race.

Extracts From North Ronaldsay Bird Obs. Newsletter….

“Recent Island Events

The main event of the summer season is the annual North Ronaldsay Sheep Festival, which sees volunteers from across Britain and further afield flock to the island to take part in a week of dyke restoration and other sheep related activities. This year’s festival took place between 24th and 29th July, during which a whopping 229 meters of sheep dyke were restored. Over 70 volunteers descended upon the bird observatory creating a real buzz on our usually quiet island! One of the highlights of the festival for the obs staff was the highly anticipated Islanders vs. Visitors football match which saw football boots dusted off and sand packed into rabbit holes on the Links for what ended in a disappointing loss for the Islanders. Despite a belter of a goal scored by our own Principle Ornithological Warden, George Gay, the match ended 5-8 to the Visitors. Another staff favourite festival event was the Dance held in the school sports hall, where, after a couple of drinks, everyone thinks they are a good dancer! Much fun was had by all. Other events held at this year’s festival included a quiz, felting and weaving workshops, and lighthouse and wool mill tours. We would like to thank everyone involved in the organisation of the festival and we very much look forward to next year! A staff bonfire and BBQ on the beach was a lovely way to wind down and relax after a very busy week.

After the sheep festival, as usual obs staff helped out with punding sheep off the shore, this time for shearing. Despite interrupting birding efforts, the sheep mostly did what was required of them with just a little bit of chaos!

Obs News

The obs team mostly remains the same from the spring, with the addition of new volunteers Zak Spaull from North Wales and Reuben Veal from Cornwall, both here for the autumn. Assistant Warden Maddy Hine disappeared off island at the end of April up until the end of May to complete final year university exams in Durham, with the only compensation for missing most of the good island birds of the spring coming from a (quite probably un-tickable) Indigo Bunting in Durham and graduating with a First-Class degree in Biological Sciences! Principle Ornithological Warden George Gay, Warden Alison Duncan, and volunteer Craig Forsyth continued on, with short-term volunteers Dan Hawes, Hallie Rees and Skye Butler helping out at various points between May and July. During the sheep festival domestic help was also received from Laura Doyle and Lara Doyle, with Gavin Woodbridge around sporadically over the summer to help with the birding side of things, and Rob Duncan running the nets over the spring. We now wish Gavin the best of luck at his new job working in a hospital in Tasmania, we look forward to seeing some gripping bird photos!

With spring birding drawing to a close in mid-July, attention turned to breeding bird monitoring and chick ringing. One of the main highlights of this period is Black Guillemot chick ringing and Fulmar chick ringing, with over 100 of each species being ringed across the island. Another seabird species which also seems to be doing well after a run of poor breeding years is Arctic Tern, with some large colonies establishing on Tor Ness, at Grind and at Parkhouse, providing a good basis for the success of lots of fledged chicks. We also were able to ring plenty of wader chicks, including Oystercatcher, Curlew, Ringed Plover, and Lapwing. Walk-throughs of our Black-headed Gull and Common Gull colonies showed mixed successes, with bad weather across pivotal points of the breeding season perhaps leading to the losses of chicks.

Elsewhere at the obs, repairs have been made to both the gull trap and the heligolands, and lots of pruning has been done to ensure net rides in Holland garden remained clear and traps remained operational. Home-made goose scaring poles were deployed under the obs’ wind turbines to try to prevent any messy and expensive accidents occurring, and a stile was replaced after many years of good service. A glass panel in the roof was replaced after winter storm damage along with heavy rain and southerlies created quite the leak.

Bird News

From where our previous newsletter finished off at the beginning of April, the 7th saw Whimbrel, Knot, and Great Skua added to the year list, with Black Redstart, Mediterranean Gull and Hawfinch all remaining from previous days. The 8th proved to be a good day for raptors, with both White-tailed Eagle and Marsh Harrier being seen. Two more additions to the year list were also made in the form of Arctic Tern and Iceland Gull, and a Long-eared Owl was at Holland. Little Auk and Manx Shearwater were added to the year list on 9th. A quiet few days ensued with common migrants such as Willow Warbler and Black Redstart providing most of the entertainment. We wouldn’t get another year tick until a House Martin was seen over Viggay on 12th. A whole island Black Guillemot census on 15th produced a very respectable total of 1110, on par with the past three years which have all seen counts over 1000 birds posted. Common Sandpiper was added to the year list during the census, and a Common Scoter was at Brides. Chiffchaff numbers continued to increase over 16th and 17th, cumulating with a singing Willow Warbler on 17th in the camping field. Bad weather until 20th meant highlights over the three-day period included Black-throated Diver in Nouster Bay and Goosander on Hooking. A vocal Siberian Chiffchaff on 21st was the only notable bird up until 27th when a Pallid Harrier was picked up going north over Garso, our second bird of this species in as many years. The 28th provided a much-anticipated fall of migrants, with totals including eleven Ring Ouzel, five Tree Pipit, six Redstart, three Pied Flycatcher, 14 Blackcap, four Willow Warbler, one Garden Warbler and one Whinchat. The last couple of days of April produced more of the same, with highlights coming from a male Dotterel at Nether Linnay and a year tick of Sedge Warbler at Scottigar.

The beginning of May produced the islands sixth record of Great White Egret on the beach by Gretchen on 2nd, as well the first Red-backed Shrike, Wryneck, Wood Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher of the year. The bird of the day on 3rd was an Icterine Warbler caught at dusk around the obs. Fog on 6th didn’t stop birds turning up, with a Wryneck at the pier, a Little Bunting at Garso, and a Nightingale at the Beacon. A Curlew Sandpiper by the sea watch hide kicked off 7th which ended with a Red-throated Pipit being found at Westness. The 8th was a very busy day, starting with White-tailed Eagle south over the Old Kirk followed by a Common Tern at Bridesness. The fourth island record of Magpie was found soon after at the Beacon, quickly followed by a Common Crane doing a tour of the island, the first record since 2020. A flyover Yellow Wagtail on 9th was the only bird of note. The first Wood Sandpiper of the year was found coming in off at the Shooting Gallery on 10th, and the Wryneck at the pier reappeared. Cuckoo was added to the year list on 11th as well as the first ever spring record of Great Spotted Woodpecker. The highlight on 12th was two Dotterel at Cringlamane. Migrants trickled through until 16th which kicked off another good run of birds. A Nightjar was trapped early morning in Holland, a Quail was flushed from the Shooting Gallery, and there was an influx of eight Red-backed Shrike across the island. The 17th was a bumper day, with a male Bluethroat at Lurand and a conservative count of 18 Red-backed Shrike across the island. The highlight came from a Thrush Nightingale trapped in Ancum Willows. A Golden Oriole was trapped in Holland on 18th, and a Bluethroat was at Scottigar. The 19th produced a Short-toed Lark at Lurand and the first Hobby of the year circled Gue Park. The first Little Stint of the year appeared on Ancum on 21st, and the second Quail of the year was at Sandar. A female Bluethroat was trapped in Holland on 22nd, and a Marsh Warbler was found at Ancum. Another high count of twelve Red-backed Shrikes was recorded. Highlights over the next six days included more Red-backed Shrike and high counts of Icterine Warbler. Also on the island were Marsh Warbler, Nightjar, Grey-headed and Blue-headed Wagtail, Curlew Sandpiper, and Quail. The third island record of Stone-Curlew was found at Lenswick on 29th and stayed until the end of June. An Ortolan Bunting was at the Old Kirk on the same date.

June started quietly with westerly winds dominating the forecast, it wasn’t until 12th until more year ticks were to be had in the form of Storm Petrel and Long-tailed Skua, when a Greater Scaup was also on Bewan. The first Orca of the year were spotted on 14th and a Blyth’s Reed Warbler was trapped in Holland on 15th. The highlight on 17th was a Short-toed Lark on West Beach, marking our last good passerine of the spring. A Buzzard sp. seen briefly on 23rd was discovered to be a Honey Buzzard on 24th, and the first Osprey of the year flew north over the obs on 25th. A female Crossbill went south over Phisligar on 26th. A Pectoral Sandpiper was at Ancum on 27th, and a Pomarine Skua cruised past the island ferry on 29th with North Ronaldsay still in sight. This was followed by two Red-necked Phalarope turning up on Ancum.

July started with Orca and Sooty Shearwater being sighted on 6th, and Corncrake was added to the year list on 9th. Sea watching and breeding bird monitoring took over hereafter and so sightings are a bit thin on the ground bar the two Red-necked Phalaropes remaining on Ancum, and a Little Stint turning up on Trolla on 16th. An Osprey cruised over the Links on 21st, and a sea watch on 22nd added Cory’s Shearwater to the year list. On the same sea watch, 175 Storm Petrel, 10 Sooty Shearwater and 25 Manx Shearwater were seen. Overnight Storm Petrel ringing produced a Leach’s Petrel in the early hours of 24th. One of the big highlights of July birding was an American Golden Plover that turned up on 24th and still remains on the island as of 24th August. A supporting cast of other waders included a Wood Sandpiper, two Green Sandpiper and a Greenshank between 25th and 28th. A year tick in the form of Roseate Tern was found on 27th at Tor Ness and resighted at Grind the next day.

August started strong with what could have been bird of the year had it not been plastic; a Gyr Falcon zipped over Westness on 1st and lingered on island for a couple of days, but views of some lovely blue colour rings had our hopes dashed. The first Turtle Dove of the year appeared at Lenswick on 2nd August and remained until 19th. A Goldeneye on Hooking on 4th and two Redpolls and a Green Sandpiper at the north end on 5th pretty much sum up early August birding with no easterlies. We didn’t have to wait long for a nice rarity to turn up though, as a juvenile White-winged Tern showed up on Gretchen on 7th and remained on the island between Gretchen, Ancum and Nouster until 12th. This represents a fourth island record. The 10th proved good for sea watching with both Leach’s Petrel and Great Shearwater seen passing Dennishead, and our first Short-eared Owl of the autumn was at Rue on 11th. A whiff of easterlies on 12th had us briefly filled with hope, but when all that resulted from our efforts was a Lesser Whitethroat in the Lurand Pund we were all left a little disappointed. A Common Sandpiper, Grey Plover and Red-necked Phalarope all turned up on 13th, the latter of which relocated from Ancum to Westness on 14th giving some very good views. The tail end of August left us a bit thin on the ground for passerine migrants with strong westerlies and rain dominating the weather forecast. However, with the volume of large shearwaters reported passing Shetland on 19th our attention turned to the sea. A total of six Great Shearwater, two Cory’s Shearwater, and a Leach’s Petrel were seen between watchers at Brideness and Dennishead. Another sea watch on 20th produced just one more Great Shearwater, with two being seen the following day on 21st.

If you’d like to get a piece of the North Ronaldsay birding action for yourself, then we still have room availability in 2024 – contact us at enquiries@nrbo.org.uk or phone 01857 633200 or check out the online bookings through our website at www.nrbo.org.uk. We are also taking bookings for 2025.

Keep up to date with recent sightings by visiting our blog: www.northronbirdobs.blogspot.com

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North Ronaldsay Bird Report and Orkney Bird Report

The North Ronaldsay Bird Report 2023 is nearing completion, and we hope to have this posted out to members very soon. Following on from the previous three professionally published reports, the 2023 report follows suit with stunning photographs, monthly summaries, a ringing report, rarity finder’s reports, a breeding bird report, and non-avian section. If you’d like to get hold of a copy, it’s not too late to become a member or renew your subscription. Annual membership costs £25 or £38 for those choosing to receive the Orkney Bird Report as well. The Orkney Bird Report has recently been published and will be landing on doormats of our members very soon. As always, included with membership is 10% off observatory accommodation.

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