September 14th 2013

 

The morning of day one was spent taking the ferry over from the mainland to Sanday, where we arrive around at 11:30. After dropping off our shopping at the house in Lady (it stops all the bottles jangling around in the car) and having a spot of lunch, we were soon off out into the field, getting a feel for what the island might have in store for us on this trip. This sort of general recce takes in the pools, wader hotspots and likely passerine areas to help us settle on our tactics - at least until we see a weather forecast that might change our minds! By the evening we’d come to the conclusion that the island was a little quiet all round, with pied flycatcher, sedge warbler and snow bunting being the best migrants. There are a few pintail and shoveler around, and good numbers of waders scattered around the various sites, including 300+ dunlin, 460 barwit, and plenty of golden plover.

 

September 15th 2013

 

Much the same as the day before! We got some wildfowl counts in, including over 300 wigeon on North loch, and pink-footed geese were on the move in small numbers. Dunlin counts were up to (and probably well over) 500 birds, and small numbers of black-tailed godwits were scattered around. Raptors include the usual hen harrier, merlin and peregrine, but the best passerine migrant of the day goes to a lowly snow bunting.

 

September 16th 2013

 

There seemed to be a little bit more on the move today, with increases in numbers of common migrants which include garden warbler, Lapland bunting, sedge warbler and a slight increase in things like wheatear and swallow. Other birds new in included ruff and pale bellied brent goose, and there are good counts of wigeon (500+), dunlin (c.500) and barwit (c.600). Things were looking slightly better – but only very slightly!

 

September 17th 2013

 

More new stuff moving through. New waders included jack snipe and greenshank, and a scaup was among the 700 odd wigeon now on the Bae loch. An Iceland gull makes it onto our Sanday list at lunchtime, and there is further increase in passerine interest. Snow bunting numbers are up to 43, a willow warbler and whinchat are new in, and a red-backed shrike is too. Things are beginning to look up.

 

September 18th 2013

 

The red-backed shrike remained in the morning, allowing those who didn’t see it in the evening to connect with what so far was the bird of the trip. The migrant hats are firmly on, but we fail to radically improve our haul! We pick up 4 Lapland bunting, whinchat, and a brilliant, fencepost hopping great spotted woodpecker. Perhaps we should have focussed a little more on waders though, as along with 6 ruff new in and a new jack snipe, we begin to score. A single pectoral sandpiper is found by one of our more intrepid members on the Holmes of ire, and one deserving observer braving the winds at tofts ness turned up trumps with adult American golden plover and a juv buff-breasted sandpiper. Things are definitely beginning to look up!

 

September 19th 2013

 

With a renewed spring in our step we set out with reasonably high hopes, and we were right to! In the mid morning a call came through to say that a couple of the guys had found a laughing gull in the south of the island, so much of the morning was spent admiring this rather classy yank – I believe the only one to be seen in Britain in 2013. The American golden plover and buff-breasted sandpiper relocated a couple of hundred yards further south, and a probable pectoral sandpiper on Roos loch could well have been the same bird as yesterday. Things are really changing passerine wise, too. The first yellow-browed warblers of the year are in, including three together at Quivals, and single barred and icterine warblers add to the scene, along with the remaining red-backed shrike.

 

September 20th 2013

 

Back down to earth with a bump! A much quieter day despite the laughing gull remaining and the pectoral and buff-breasted sandpipers also putting in an appearance. Migrant numbers and variety were really down, with the most notable passerines being a pied fly, grey wagtail, 4 Lapland bunting and a nice total of 105 snow bunting. Some decent wader counts too, with over 800 bar-tailed godwit counted, 76 Black-tailed and 8 ruff scattered around.

 

September 21st 2013

 

The American golden plover was re-found and the buff-breasted sandpiper was in the same flock out at Lettan. Golden plover counts were estimated to be about 2500 for the whole island but this was probably a conservative estimate! Some other large counts of waders were over 400 sanderling, and 500 dunlin. There was a slight upturn on the migrant front with the first Yellow-browed warbler for a few days, and other species such as robin (pretty scarce here on our trips!) whinchat, 2 pied flycatchers, and good counts of 19 Lapland buntings and 72 snow buntings. The laughing gull remained.

 

September 22nd 2013

 

A big influx of geese today, with over 5,000 pink footed geese present or passing over the island. Naturally we give as many of them as possible a good grilling and turn up three barnacle geese, and for one persistent member of the team, a group of three Cackling geese! Unfortunately none of the rest of us can get on to these as the finder had to return to his car to avoid hyperthermia! Another of us gets flight views of a juv American golden plover, so briefly there are two of these on the island, but again this bird disappears before anyone else can get onto it. Migrant wise, the YBW remains at Lettan and the red-backed shrike re-appears just down the road at Salties, and whinchat, pied fly, snow and Lapland buntings make up the numbers.

A few of us also got bad views of an immense falcon today, a bird which appeared in front of us on and off on occasion for the rest of the trip. Naturally due to its size we think that Gyr falcon is a possible ID, but we never nail it. In all likelihood, and with the benefit of hindsight and talking to local Orkney based birders, it was probably one of the escaped falconers hybrids that had been doing the rounds.

 

September 23rd 2013

 

The adult American golden plover relocates to Newark in the centre of the island, and while we’re on pluvialis, a count of 89 grey plover on the Cata sand turns out to be the highest in Orkney for the whole year (by some margin). Small numbers of migrants have arrived today, with multiple whinchat, robin, blackcap, 2 yellow-browed warbler, and single red-backed shrike, pied flycatcher and lesser whitethroat.

 

September 24th 2013

 

More dribs and drabs of migrants coming through, with the first chaffinch, spotted flycatcher and ring ouzel of the trip, and our first ever Sanday tree sparrow, on top of what was recorded the day before. Those looking at wildfowl turn up a Canada and a barnacle goose, and other interesting records include 5 ruff, 5 sooty shearwater off Lopness, and decent numbers of raptors, including the mystery giant falcon again.

 

September 25th 2013

 

Migrants continue to slowly build up, with small numbers of common migrants and a total of 6 yellow-browed warblers. Other birds of note include a new great spotted woodpecker which was recorded at various points as it made its way over the island, and the remaining red-backed shrike.

 

September 26th 2013

 

Another slight increase in migrant numbers – six yellow-browed warblers again, but with 5 of these birds assumed to be different to yesterdays, and slight increases in lesser whitethroat, pied flycatcher, brambling, and a good count of 115 snow bunting scattered around various places. Another great-spotted woodpecker showed up, and the American golden plover also put in an appearance.

 

September 27th 2013

 

The day I left and I missed a redhead smew on the Bae loch, pretty mega by northern isles standards! The laughing gull showed up for the first time in ages, and the AGP remained at Roos, too. Passerine migrants are sparse though, and I leave with the impression that I’m not going to miss too much (at least while the others are there!)

However, one of the team remains on Sanday (with a couple of very successful off island trips where he found red-flanked bluetail and paddyfield warbler!) until October 13th. Over the course of his lone spell on Sanday, he found American widgeon, red-breasted flycatcher, woodlark (as rare in Scotland as White’s thrush!) new American golden plover and buff-breasted sandpiper. Not bad going at all!

 

We’re all set to return in 2014 and while we’re back down to one week ,we’ve managed to schedule it for the week of 27th Sept to 4th Oct, which is probably a slightly more promising period than on previous visits.

Fingers crossed…