Thursday, 22 October 2015

Melodious Warbler

Hi Peter,
 
Theo and I were on Tory on 15th and 16th October, celebrating my 60 years birding! List as follows:
Red-throated Diver  1 over west town
Heron  1 on beach on 16th
Brent Goose  2 west from south lake
Teal  12 south lake
Sparrowhawk  1
Kestrel  1
Peregrine  1
Merlin  1
Buzzard  1
Golden Plover  2 on 15th
Arctic Skua  1 west from Greenport
Swallow  2 on 16th (Anton)
Robin  1/2 west town
Song Thrush  3
Redwing  3 on 16th
Fieldfare 1 on 16th
Melodious Warbler  1 in hotel tree
Chiffchaff  2
Yellow-browed Warbler  1 in magic bush
Spotted Flycatcher  1 on 16th
Goldfinch 5  
Snow Bunting  1
 
Regards Chris

I am fairly sure Melodious Warbler is a new species for Tory .

Tuesday, 13 October 2015

Robert Vaughan early October 2015

i Peter,
long time no see, I hope things are well and you will make it up to
Tory over the autumn, I am sure you are kept busy at home though!
I had a great start to the week on Tory but things quietened down and
the last few days were a real struggle to dig out anything new.
I arrived on the 30 Sept and there were a lot of birds about, easterly
winds over the preceding and coming days brought a lot of movement,
but by the 3 the winds had shifted and would remain un-productive.

Great northern diver   1 adult summer south over the island on 6 Oct.
Red-throated diver     3 adults south 7 Oct of west end.
Fulmar                     30 plus on 7 Oct with one blue fulmar.
Sooty Shearwater      1 from ferry on 30 Sept and 1 7 Oct.
Manx Shearwater       3 from ferry on 30 and a few each day on sea watches.
Storm Petrel              An adult was found on the road by locals
over night on 1-2 Oct and released the following night, seemed to be
in good condition.
Gannet                     Several feeding from the harbour and moving
south each day.
Cormorant                less than 5 most days around the island, more off-shore
Shag                        usuall 4-5 in harbour with similar numbers
around the island.
Grey Heron               4- 2adults and 2 imms each day till 3rd, only
adults after that.
Mute Swan               2 adults and 2 juv west end, 2 adults east end
Pink-footed goose     5 flew west over west town late Oct 3, the same
flew east early Oct 4.
Barnacle goose        c. 20 east end on Oct 4.
Brent goose              1 Juv on 3 in west town was found hanging
from wires the following morning near the lighthouse, died later.
Mallard                     Roughly 20 between the harbour and lakes.
Shoveller                  Female on the sea by east lake on 3 Oct.
Wigeon                    3 east and west lakes, steadily grew to
double digits by end of stay.
Teal                        Roughly 15 between the lakes.
Tufted duck             1 female west lake throughout joined by a male
on the 8 Oct.
Buzzard                   1 adult behind west town throughout.
Sparrowhawk           atleast 3 during the week, 1 female flew to
mainland on Oct 3rd, new juv male Oct 5th. Seen everyday.
Kestrel                    1 each day at east and west end, 3 on 8
Oct, all seemed to be juvs.
Peregrine                 1 adult east end from 3 Oct.
Merlin                      3, juv male, juv female and adult female,
atleast 2 seen each day.
Water rail                 heard east lake on 3 and 6 Oct.
Ringed plover           3 on 30 Sept, 1 on 2 Oct and 2 Oct 6.
Golden Plover          1 on 30 Sept, 1 on 2 Oct, 9 on 3 Oct, 12 4 Oct,
small flocks after that daily.
American golden plover       1 on 4 Oct, flew over west town early am
with 4 golden plover, not re-located.
Purple sandpiper     1 on 7 Oct
Turnstone               Numbers grew from c. 12 to 50 from first day to last.
Dunlin                     1 on 30 sept, 2 on 2 Oct.
Redshank               Atleast 20, numbers seemed consistent daily.
Curlew                    Same as Redshank, about 20 mostly around
west town and lake.
Snipe                     flushed upto 10 most days, 1 taken by a
merlin on 8 Oct.
Jack snipe             1 on 30 Sept, 1 on 6 and 7 Oct.
Great Skua             1 on 5 Oct and 1 on 7 and 8 Oct.
Black-headed gull    1 first winter in harbour on 2 Oct.
Common gull           Atleast 20 each day, consistent numbers.
Herring gull             upto 75 some days around the harbour, numbers
fluctuated daily.
Lesser black backed gull    1 adult and 2 juv/1st winters most days.
Great black backed gull      c. 10, numbers seemed consistent daily.
Kittiwake                small numbers moving through daily.
Puffin                    1 from ferry on 30 Sept, 1 west end on 5 Oct.
Black guillemot      Several from ferry but only 3-4 east end most days.
Guillemot               Passed in small numbers daily, no counts.
Razorbill                Seemed to out number Guillemot, but no counts.
Feral Pigeon          c 20 between both towns.
Skylark                 c 10 till 2 Oct, only 1 or 2 subsequently.
Swallow                1 west town 2-5 Oct and 1 on 7 Oct.
Richards pipit        1 west end on morning of 1 Oct, 2 dropped in
behind football pitch at 1pm and remained to Oct 8 atleast, joined
here by a third bird on 4 Oct. 2 adults and 1 juv. Hard to know if it
was 3 or 4 birds.
Rock pipit             Outnumbered meadow, c. 50 around the island most days.
Meadow pipit         large numbers on 1 Oct, other wise seemed out
numbered everywhere by rock.
Red-throated pipit  1 heard from Anton's on 30 Sept, later located on
the beach by east lake, only seen briefly on the ground, first winter.
White wagtail        2 on 30 Sept, 2-3 on 4 Oct.
Pied wagtail         c. 15 most days.
Yellow wagtail       1 grey bird on 1 and 2 Oct.
Wren                   At least 20 birds most days.
Robin                At least 3 birds each day.
Wheatear             5 on Sept 30, 2-3 each day from Oct 3, one taken
by merlin 4 Oct.
Song thrush         minimum of 5, 2 fresh juvs. each day in West town.
Blackcap             12 on 1 Oct slowly fell throughout the remaining week.
Willow warbler     3-4 most days, seemed to be little movement.
Chiffchaff            5-9 most days, as with willow warbler, birds
were in similar spots each day.
Yellow-browed wabler  1 in Anton's 30 Sept west town. 1 flew into
Anton's east end from the east 3 Oct, heard once the following day.
Pied Flycatcher   1st winter male behind west town on 1 Oct.
Hooded crow       c. 7 around the island.
Raven                 Atleast 1 pair, maybe 2.
Chough               I think there are 5 birds, 1 lone bird around the
lighthouse, a pair at each town moving from cliffs to beach.
Starling               c. 250, numbers seemed consistent each day.
Tree sparrow       high count of 18 in east town, but many small
mobile flocks about.
Redpoll               A small flock over the lighthouse on 1 Oct never landed.
Linnet                15 to 4 Oct and a lone bird 7-8 Oct.
Goldfinch           19 until 7 Oct but none seen after.
Siskin                1 fly over west on 2 Oct.
Greenfinch          1 flyover east on 3 Oct.
Reed bunting       Adult male and 2 juvs behind the helipad daily, 1
Grace's 7 Oct.
Snow bunting      A lone flyover a few times on 3 Oct and 5 Oct.

Surprisingly no redwing heard or seen and for the first time, not a
single eider around the island or mainland.
Fingers crossed I will get out again in a few weeks, and hopefully see
you out there sometime soon,
All the best,
Robert

Yellow wagtail, richards- juv and adult and juv female merlin with snipe.





Sunday, 4 October 2015

Chris Ingram 26th September and 1st Octobet

th/26th September: 
 
Heron  1 both days
Brent Goose  1 passing east
Canada Goose  1 flew past from east with 2 Mute Swans but not seen subsequently in west
Wigeon  4 on east lake 2 on south lake
Teal  7 on east lake, 10 on south lake
Kestrel  1 male both days
Sparrowhawk  1 female both days
Merlin  1 female on 25th
Curlew  21 at south lake on 25th
Lapwing  11 around south lake on 25th
Song Thrush  2 juvs by well area on 25th
Robin  1 magic bush
Linnet  c.10 around island
Lapland Bunting  6 by heli-pad on 26th (Dennis Weir)
 
Also 2 Bottlenose Dolphins just out of Magheroarty on 25th
 
1st October with Theo Campbell and Ralph Sheppard:
 
Red-necked Phalarope and juv Puffin from boat
 
Heron  2 
Wigeon  2 east lake
Teal  4 east lake
Kestrel  2, 2 circling together and one heading for mainland
Sparrowhawk  1
Snipe  1
Swallow  1
Richard's Pipit  2 around football pitch
Yellow Wagtail  1 on beach
Robin  1
Song Thrush  1
Blackcap  2
Chiffchaff  2
Willow Warbler  1
Pied Flycatcher  1 magic bush
Linnet  6
Goldfinch  4
Also a Wall Brown (2nd Tory record), a Red Admiral and c.5 Peacocks
 
2nd October with Theo Campbell:
 
Heron  2
Kestrel  1
Snipe  1
Richard's Pipit  2 still
Blackcap   8+
Chiffchaff  c.6
Linnet  6
Goldfinch  8
Willow Warbler  3
 
Also an Arctic Skua and a pod of 7/8 Bottlenose Dolphins from boat

Thursday, 1 October 2015

Red necked Phalarope

Chris informed me he had Red necked Phalarope from the ferry on the ferry trip over today.. The third island record since the first  four yeas ago.

Red throated Pipit

A fall on Tory yesterday.. best

 Red throated Pipit Tory first
Richard's Pipit
Yellow browed Warbler
Pied Flycatcher
Spotted Flycatcher
Jack Snipe
Yellow Wagtail

Rob Vaughan via Chris and Gerard

Anton had a Whinchat and Spot fly a few days ago also