Tory Island Bird Blog: October 2016

Sunday, 23 October 2016

Canada Goose

Photos of the recent Canada Goose and moribund juvenile Gannet attached

Chris Ingram 21st and 22nd October

Hi Peter,

Here's my list for 20th/21st October:

Great Northern Diver 1 on 21st

Heron 2 both days

Greylag Goose 4 on south lake on 20th

Canada Goose 1 on south lake both days considered to be Todd's

Barnacle Goose 2 over east on 21st

Wigeon 17 on south lake on 20th

Teal 3 on south lake on 20th, 17 on east lake on 21st

Mallard 32 off east beach on 21st

Hen Harrier ringtail still present both days

Buzzard 2 on 20th

Kestrel male both days

Merlin female both days

Lapwing 4 in west on 21st

Golden Plover 3 in west on 20th

Ringed Plover 3 on beach both days

Swallow 2 around west town on 20th

Robin 1 on 21st

Redwing at least 40 both days

Fieldfare c.10 both days

Chiffchaff 1 in east on 21st

Chough 2 adults and 2 young both days

Redpoll 2 on 21st

Sunday, 16 October 2016

Hi Peter, very quiet today. Today's birds...
3 goldcrest (1 caravan park, 2 west town)
2 blackcap (1 anton's garden, 1 caravan park)
60 mallard
30 teal
25 wigeon
30 redwing
10 field fare
2 kestrel
1 sparrow hawk
1 great skua
1 common sand.
1 Brent goose (east beech)
1 whooper (west lake)

Robert Vaughan 9th-13th October

Hi Peter,
hoping to get back up this week end if the weather looks promising,
long term forecast looks a little wet!

Great Northern Diver- 2 west at end on 9th, 1 south over the
island on 10th, 3 flying east off the east end 12th.
Gannet- Several each day all around the island,
well over 250 following a fishing boat off north cliffs on 12th.
Cormorant- Approx 10 each day
Shag- Approx 10 each day
Grey Heron- 2-3 each day
Whooper swan- 1 east end each day
Mute Swan- 1 east end and 3 west end
Greylag Goose- 4 east end
Barnacle Goose- 2 east over the lighthouse on 12th
Wigeon- Approx 20 each day, numbers stable
Mallard- Approx 20 each day
Pintail- Female 12th east end
Teal- Approx 50 each day, numbers stable
Eider- 7-10 each, one showing features of
Borealis on 13th.
Hen Harrier- Juv female 11th-12th
Sparrowhawk- Juv female each day.
Merlin- 1 female each day, possibly 2 birds.
Peregrine- Adult pair and one juv most days
Kestrel- 2 Juv or females each day.
Buzzard- 2-3 adults each day.
Water rail- 1 heard by the magic bush on 10th and 12th.
Oystercatcher- no count, several around the island eachday
Golden Plover- Only 1 heard high overhead several times on the 10th.
Lapwing- 1 on 12th
Turnstone- Approx 30 each day
Dunlin- Only 2 on the 12th West lake
Curlew- Approx 15 each day
Redshank- Approx 10 each day
Woodcock- 1 flushed from lighthouse compound 12th
Snipe- About a dozen flushed each day
Jack snipe- 1 east end 12th
Arctic Skua- 1 adult from the boat on 9th
Common Gull- Roughly 5 adults each day
Herring Gull- Roughly 50 each day
Great black backed gull- 10-15 each day
Lesser black backed gull- 1-2 juveniles most days
Guillemot- A few dozen each day, mostly flying west
Razorbill- As above
Feral pigeon- High count of 28 West town, but more about
Skylarks- Small numbers calling over head on 10th
and 12th, never on the deck.
Rock Pipit- Approx 50 each day,
Meadow Pipit- Big numbers passing overhead early morning on
9th and 10th. roughly 50 each day after.
Tree Pipit- 1 flew East over the harbour early on the
10th, 1 East end 13th,
Pied Wagtail- Approx 12 each day, all Yarrellii and mostly
males, numbers constant.
Wren- Common
Dunnock- 1 East end each day, 1 Magic bush 12th
Robin- 1 9th, 3 10th, 1 11th, 4 12th and 2-3 on 13th
Whinchat- 1 juv 12th
Wheatear- male 9th, juv greenland type east end on
11th and 12th with another lighthouse area on 12th.
Blackbird- Male on 9th, male and female on 10th.
Fieldfare- small numbers passing each day.
Redwing- small numbers each day, 1 on the 9th looked
good for Icelandic, the rest siberian
Song Thrush- 4 on the 11th
Blackcap- 2-4 each day
Chiffchaff- 5 first day, similar numbers each day but
only 1 on 11th
Siberian Chiffchaff- 1 on the 10th east patch.
Yellow browed warbler- 4 on 9th and 7 on 10th with none after that
Goldcrest- 5 on the 9th, atleast 12 on 10th, with
numbers slowly dropping but birds spread out across the island.
Starling- Roughly 250 or so
Chough- Only 2 each day
Jackdaw- 3 from the 10th
Raven- 4 each day
Hooded crow- high count of 11 but may have been more
Tree sparrow- no large flocks, saw several small flocks of 5
plus birds in both towns
Goldfinch- 12 on the 9th, grew to atleast 30 on each of
the following days
Scarlet Rosefinch- 1 flighty bird, east end on 11th, flew over the
lighthouse before flying east on 12th
Snow Bunting- 2 flew high and East on 10th probably snow. 1
male at the lighthouse on the 12th