STRONSAY BIRD RESERVE

2010 Stronsay Bird Reports - out in early January 2011!

Latest News: Barred Warbler seen at 10am today - Sunday 14th August.

Also the first Pied Flycatcher of the Autumn.

Late July and a surprise find.......

an adult Rosy Starling near the Rothiesholm School.

Late May and another fantastic sighting on the island..........

Our second Slender-billed Curlew seen at very close range and then at the edge of a small muddy-edged pool on 24th.....

The bird flew up from a patch of dry mud by the roadside as we drove slowly past at less than ten yards range. Sue and I watched the bird flying directly away from us for a distance of about 200yds - low - 6ft above the ground close to a fence and growing weeds, the bird seeming to want to stay close to cover, and we had excellent views of the gleeming white back (wedge like a Spotted Redshank/dowitcher sp) wide squarish gleeming white rump (with 2 or 3 small dark markings) and gleeming white tail with darker bars. Unlike Eurasian (I will say this only once!) Curlew, the background colour to this whole area was pure white, the rump and tail lacking any of the dull buffish tinges found on all Curlews. The upperpart-pattern of the rest of the bird viewed from behind was very different to Curlew, the upperwing coverts being a lighter, 'mottled' pattern than that species; the primaries and primary covert 'patch' area was almost entirely blackish, and the secondaries again gleemed white with darker barring. The bird then flew - and again appeared to want to stay close to low cover - this time crossing a fence and landing in an area of dry mud close to a small pond, where it again seemed to want to be close to cover, landing half-way along a thick line of growing docks. We quickly reversed the car and took up a position opposite the bird at about 150yds range. After a few seconds it walked into the water and began probing with its bill in the manner of a Ruff etc. This was quite amazing - we have never seen a Curlew probing in mud in this fashion! The most noticable feature on the bird from the front/side was the overall paleness to the underparts - all Curlews show a dark head/neck and breast at this range, but this bird appeared almost as pale as a winter-plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit! The bill was shorter and more tapered than that of Curlew, with a less obvious downcurve than the common species, and the photo shows a dark 'ear-spot' - the same as that exhibited by the bird of 2000 - and a large pale eye-ring - also seen on the bird of 2000! These features can be seen in the above photo along with the overall pale-looking underparts. The bird was clearly much smaller than any Curlew - we estimated it to be male Bar-tailed Godwit size - and again - as with the bird of 2000, the wing-beats were shallower and rather faster than those of the common species.

Sue took a couple of shots with the camera and we dashed off to get her to work on time (where we were heading when we first saw the bird). Sadly, when I returned a short time later the bird had gone and could not be found again in spite of almost two days solid searching!

Compare above image with the one below of a short-billed Eurasian Curlew photographed at the Matpow Loch a few years ago. Note the overall dark tinges to the neck /breast area in particular of the Matpow bird, giving an overall much darker appearance than the Slender-billed Curlew (above).

At last!........ We are up and running again ........................

with more upadates to follow soon'

Outside the back door at Castle Nov 2010 (video-grab).

And one from the past.......a shot of the 'eastern' Olivaceous Warbler of mid-September 2009 in the garden at Ebenezer (Not taken from the car!):

...and three shots of the Thrush Nightingale by the Mill Stream in the drive to Castle in May 2009.....

Dull uperparts

Slightly rufous tail and rump

Grey mottled breast.