2011 Year List

Tory Island 2011 Year List (114 species/notable subspecies)

In terms of species composition; 8 national rarities/ 18 local rarities (a bit subjective!)./ 88 common species.

7% rare/16% scarce/ 77% common

1/2/11 Ratio of Rare/Scarce/Common

1.       Mute Swan

2.       Whooper Swan

3.       Greylag Goose

4.       Barnacle Goose

5.       Mallard

6.       Shoveler

7.       Eurasian Wigeon

8.       Eurasian Teal

9.       Greater Scaup

10.   Tufted Duck

11.   Common Eider

12.   Corncrake

13.   Pheasant

14.   Black-throated Diver

15.   Great Northern Diver

16.   Fulmar

17.   Manx Shearwater

18.   Sooty Shearwater

19.   European Storm Petrel

20.   Leach’s Petrel

21.   Gannet

22.   Cormorant

23.   Shag

24.   Grey Heron

25.   Buzzard

26.   Merlin

27.   Sparrowhawk

28.   Kestrel

29.   Peregrine

30.   Common Moorhen

31.   Oystercatcher

32.   Ringed Plover

33.   European Golden Plover

34.   American Golden Plover

35.   Redshank

36.   Lapwing

37.   Purple Sandpiper

38.   Ruddy Turnstone

39.   Dunlin

40.   Curlew Sandpiper

41.   Little Stint

42.   Black tailed Godwit

43.   Eurasian Curlew

44.   Whimbrel

45.   Woodcock

46.   Common Snipe

47.   Grey Phalarope

48.   Ruff

49.   Buff-breasted Sandpiper

50.   Pectoral Sandpiper

51.   Great Skua

52.   Pomarine Skua

53.   Arctic Skua

54.   Black-headed Gull

55.   Common Gull

56.   European Herring Gull

57.   Great-black backed Gull

58.   Lesser-black backed Gull

59.   Black legged Kittiwake

60.   Glaucous Gull

61.   Iceland Gull

62.   Sandwich Tern

63.   Common Tern

64.   Arctic Tern

65.   Black Tern

66.   White-winged Black Tern

67.   Atlantic Puffin

68.   Black Guillemot

69.   Common Guillemot

70.   Razorbill

71.   Little Auk

72.   Rock/Feral Pigeon

73.   Short-eared Owl

74.   Skylark

75.   Barn Swallow

76.   Rock Pipit

77.   Meadow Pipit

78.   Pied Wagtail

79.   White Wagtail

80.   Yellow Wagtail

81.   Winter Wren

82.   Waxwing

83.   Dunnock

84.   European Robin

85.   Black Redstart

86.   Northern Wheatear

87.   Song Thrush

88.   Redwing

89.   Fieldfare

90.   Common Blackbird

91.   Garden Warbler

92.   Blackcap

93.   Sedge Warbler

94.   Common Grasshopper Warbler

95.   Willow Warbler

96.   Wood Warbler

97.   Chiffchaff

98.   Yellow-browed Warbler

99.   Red-billed Chough

100.                        Hooded Crow

101.                        Common Raven

102.                        Common Starling

103.                        Eurasian Tree Sparrow

104.                        Common Chaffinch

105.                        Common Linnet

106.                        Lesser Redpoll

107.                        Mealy Redpoll

108.                        Eurasian Siskin

109.                        Goldfinch

110.                        Common Rosefinch

111.                        Common Reed Bunting

112.                        Little Bunting

113.                        Snow Bunting

114.                        Lapland Bunting

News from the 16th April

I took this from Birdforum by Mike Duckham visiting from Wales...

"Tory 16.4: v quiet. Cold strong N wind. Only had 2.5 hrs due to rather wayward scheduling of the ferries, and the strengthening wind.
White Wag - 2
Many Wheatear on territories.
Teal - pr
Tuftie - 1m 2f.
Purple Sand - 2.
Rock Dove - 12.
Dead swan - couldn't get closr but looked like Mute. Was within 30m of overhead phone lines by the largest pool.
Wren - 1.
Manx Shear - 2
Puffin - 2
Snipe 1.
Greenland Whitefront - 1. Last bird before yomping back to boat."


Manx Shearwater and Greenland White-fronted Goose are new for the year

Gyr Falcon a blast from the past

While on a visit to the Natural History Museum recently I came across these impressive beasts. 2 birds shot on Tory Island a month apart. 

 Gyr Falcons; Natural History Museum, Dublin

One in November 1909 and a male on the 9^th December 1909. (Kennedy, Ruttledge and Scroope, page 117).

They constituted the first and second records of the species for Tory.There are two other records one from the end of February to early March 1955 (IBR 3:12) and one, 24^th April 1996 (Irish Birds 6:72) 

Thanks to Joe Hobbs and Kieran Fahy for the information.

There have been a whopping 124 records in Ireland up to and including 2010 and one each in 2011 and 2012 which have yet to be formally accepted.

They seem to appear regularly on the Western Isles particularly in spring. Possibly birds that have wintered in Britain and are heading back home?

It’s a bird that’s definitely on my wish list….

Are Wood Pigeons migratory?

Apparently not............

I was intrigued by the record of a Wood Pigeon and Collared Dove on Tory Island recently and decided to check there migratory habits in the BTO Migration Atlas.

Wood Pigeon

The BTO Migration Atlas suggests that the species is sedentary although juveniles tend to move further than adults. Although there is apparent visable migration on the east coast of England ringing recoveries would suggest that only a small number of birds actually emigrate and there are few immigrants from continental Europe.

The maps on the atlas would also suggest there are 5 recoveries of birds ringed in Britain and recovered on the island of Ireland, including one ringed on the Isle of Man and recovered in County Down.

Collared Dove

Collared Dove which originally colonised Britain and Ireland in the late 50’s and 60’s show a much greater willingness to move around than Wood Pigeon. There are about a dozen records of  Collared Doves ringed in Britain and recovered in Ireland and one ringed in  continental Europe and recovered in Ireland.

Collared Dove dispersal distance has decreased since the 1970’s, indicating the population is becoming more sedentary.

Rathlin Island

Rathlin Island lies 80 miles to the east of Tory and should in theory have similar movements of birds. According to Irishbirding Neal Warnock was there yesterday the 15th April and had the following

25 Willow Warbler
18 White Wagtail
4 Wheatear
1 Redwing
2 Sand Martin
1 Swallow
1 Golden Eagle  Adult (drifting east)

The numbers of birds are different but the species composition is very similar to Chris's total from the 14th April from Tory.. Except of course for Golden Eagle!

News from Chris

Chris Ingram was out on Tory yesterday, the 14th April. He reported the following;


'The crossing was uneventful, a couple of Fulmars and Kittiwakes, lots of Razorbills and one Puffin. On Tory were the usual waders plus one Black-tailed Godwit, a female Kestrel, 3 Lesser Black-backs in harbour,a Collared Dove, a Wood Pigeon ( a surprising Tory tick!), 10 Redwings, a Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warblers, c.10 Wheatears and 2 White Wagtails on the beach. The Pigeon has apparently been around for a few days. No Corncrakes heard yet. As usual plenty of pipits, a couple of Wrens and a single singing Skylark. ' 


Collared Dove and Wood Pigeon, do they migrate? I must have a look at the BTO migration Atlas and see what it says about both species and their migratory behaviour....