Mark Carmody; 2nd June

I recieved an e-mail from Mark Carmody who was on Tory yesterday;


I went to Tory yesterday on the 0845 boat and came back off on the 1600
boat because it was just too windy on the island and so was very quiet. I
concentrated myself around West Town and the path out to the lighthouse,
checking the standing water pools and lake on the way. I never went off the
main track so all numbers are estimates for the waders. The following is a
list of birds seen:

Corncrake: 4-5 birds calling behind West Town and 2 birds calling up by the
Lighthouse Lake
Chiffchaff: 4 birds singing around West Town
Willow Warbler: a single bird at the Magic Bush
Whitethroat: 1 bird singing behind West Town
Sedge Warbler: 1 singing behind West Town
Wheatear: 4-5 pairs on the path out to Lighthouse
Swallow: 12 birds feeding over the rotting seaweed in the harbour
Rock Pipit: several birds at the harbour and by the Lighthouse
Meadow Pipit: several pairs in the fields along the path to the Lighthouse
Wren: several around West Town
Tree Sparrow: 8 behind West Town
House Sparrow: 2 (female-types) behind West Town in flight
Starling: lot of young birds around
Redshank: several pairs
Oystercatcher: several pairs
Snipe: up to 12 birds drumming
Ringed Plover: 4 pairs noted
Dunlin: flock of 14
Whimbrel: 4 birds with some display flight noted
Bar-tailed Godwit: a single bird up at the lake
Turnstone: 10 at the harbour
Yellow-legged Gull: a single bird (adult) with the Common Gulls at the lake
Little Tern: a flock of 16 birds in 'dread' flight
Arctic Tern: 4 noted
Raven: a family party of 6
Chough: 4
Manx Shearwater: 60 birds heading east on the way out
Fulmar: 30 heading east on the way out
Gannet: 200 heading east on the way out
Storm Petrel: 2 birds on the way out
Puffin: 12 birds heading east on the way out

Lot of auks moving west on the way back. GBB Gulls, LBB Gulls and Common
Gulls were the prevalent gull species. 


House Sparrow is new for the year. Up to four birds used to be seen with the 100 strong Tree Sparrow flock during the 1990's.