STRONSAY BIRD RESERVE

Early July 2010 update.......Hobby low past the Fire Station 9.15pm on Sun 4th, and a Tree Creeper seen at Dale during

a south-westerly gale on the afternoon of 11th July - just the fourth island record!

The Reserve Drive in 2009 attracted Bluethroat, Thrush Nightingale, Crossbill, Icterine Warbler, Cirl Bunting, and Blyth's Reed Warbler to the area.

The Bluethroat....................

the Thrush Nightingale............

the Blyth's Reed Warbler.........

.....and one of the Crossbills

1st July - Orchids near Mt Pleasant

Mid-July - The Reserve Drive and Castle.......

Most Spectacular bird of Spring 2010

The Hoopoe discovered by Paul Williams at Fernside in early April was present in the area for 9 days, feeding mainly in the small yard close to the house from where it was enjoyed by the residents at very close range. Typically of the species - and in spite of its bright plumage - the bird often disappeared for long periods.

The Hoopoe preening on the Fernside yard gate on 9th April. The bird was seen in this area most evenings and probably roosted in one of the farm buildings. As is often the case on the island the bird was most easily viewed from the car from where these photographs were taken.

The bird was generally to be found feeding in grassy areas around the farm buildings where it was seen to eat a variety of invertebrates.

New Year's Day 2010 at Castle.......

......and the first copies of the island's annual Bird Report are printed and ready for dispatch!

....and the long-staying Water Rail is once again feeding on scraps right outside the kitchen window. The bird soon got to know the noise of the back door opening and closing and would be feeding before we had time to take up our position back at the kitchen sink.

Short Winter Days:

We are often asked what we find to do during the short winter days. Here's an example - a dry-stone dyke I built alongside the garden at Dale Farm some years ago.

Back to 2009......

A new species for the island in mid-September........

The first views of the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler was in strong, golden evening light but the underlying green-tinge to the upperparts is still evident in the photo above taken that day. The bird's 'dinky', compact jizz was quite different to that of the similar Sykes' Warbler, making the initial identification quite straightforward. (14th Sept.)

In this photo taken from inside Ebenezer Cottage next day, the more typical greyish appearance of the species is evident although closer inspection again showed the green-tinge to the upperparts. Again the compact 'jizz' is evident.

Another photo taken from inside Ebenezer on 15th September. In this shot the narrow-based bill and noticeably rounded tail-corners further confirm the identification - Booted and Sykes' Warblers having squarer-ended tails and broader-based bills. Once again the compact jizz is evident.

Another view of the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler - this time in shade, when the overall appearance of the bird is rather grey. The shape of the bill is slightly distorted in this photograph, making it look rather 'thin', although, as the literature states, the 'eastern' (former sub-species of Olivaceous) birds have 'smaller' bills - often considerably so - the smallest bills belonging to birds from the east of the species' range. Yet another bird discovered by sheer good fortune - Steve Ricks spotting the bird as it dashed between gardens in Lower Whitehall at 5pm on the last evening of his annual trip to Stronsay!

The Common Buzzard of the 'steppe' sub-species which flew low over the island on 16th September 2009. (W/colour by JFH).

Since our last update we have done considerable research on this bird, and although Long-legged Buzzard can have an almost identical pattern to the underparts, our perception - at very close range - that our bird was smaller than Common Buzzard rules out the possibility of that species, Steppe Buzzard being considerably bigger and longer-winged than Common Buzzard. (Thanks to the many observers we have spoken to who have considerable experience of Buzzard and Long-legged Buzzard. All confirmed the obvious larger size and longer-winged appearance of Long-legged).

....and the Rosy Starling of 2008

Taken from inside the house at Holin!

Back on the old 'local patch'.................

A

A species hardly in the 'garden bird' category, this Little Egret regularly visited Sue's parent's garden in Gillingham over the last two winters, feeding on goldfish in the somewhat over-stocked pond! With none of the local pet-shops interested in taking the surplus fish, the egret arrived right on cue and the pond now holds a rather smaller population! The Medway Estuary is just a few hundred yards away, through the trees in the photograph above. There are much bigger images of the bird in other photographs but none show the unique urban setting quite as well as this one.

From our recent archives........

There have been several comments on the internet regarding the previous photographs of our Semi-palmated Plover of August 2000 which we posted on our web-site last year. We have added the above photograph which shows the slender 'jizz' of the species and the deep 'stubby' bill - deeper than the bill of Ringed Plover and much deeper than those of tundra race Ringed Plover! Anyone familiar with Ringed Plover will immediately be struck by this bird's unique jizz and proportions. We estimated it to be half the weight of the nearby Ringed Plovers. One of the most significant pointers to this bird's identification was the fact that it kept apart from the nearby party of 60 or so Ringed Plovers - including in flight on several occasions when the whole loch area was 'flushed' by passing skuas.

(Full details can be found in Stronsay's Garden Birds.)

Our Pintail Snipe photographs also received a mixture of comments from mainly anonymous individuals on a variety of web-sites. In support of our identification, the dumpy shape (even allowing for perspective); short, thick-looking bill; large eye (compare photos of Common Snipe); extensive pale areas to tertials - larger than dark areas - are all pro-Pintail Snipe. The bird was seen in flight at very close range when the small size, short bill, and 'dumpy' body shape (compared to Common and Swinhoe's Snipe) was very obvious. The wing lacked the pale trailing edge of Common Snipe, and the level flight at a hight of ten feet or so for 25 yds before it went out of sight behind buildings was also typical of Pintail Snipe. The tail projection beyond the wing-tip is also correct for Pintail as shown in many photographs - the tail of Common normally projects considerably further. The bird called as it rose - a quiet, duck-like quack. It should be added that many observers who have seen the species abroad state that the species is comparatively easy to identify in flight rather than on the ground, although it has to be said that none of their views of birds on the ground were anything like as good as ours!

(Full details in Stronsay's Garden Birds)

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Late May 2010..............

A very irregular visitor to the island and almost impossible to photograph, this Little Tern landed on the beach alongside The Reserve while another fished offshore.

The first Stronsay records for several years.

Also......

Sand Martins are nesting on The Reserve again this year - 3 years since two pairs successfuly reared young in 2007. Three 'deep' tunnells have been excavated so far with two shorter ones nearby.

and......

.......at last, a touch of east wind towards the end of the month and this female Red-backed Shrike was discovered just outside an island garden - in the sunshine and out of the wind!

Early June......

This Common Crane flew across the island on 2nd June. First seen by Ken Barclay and myself near Fingeo, the bird circled over the south end of the island, made a brief stop by the Meikle Water, but was not seen again!

8th June - and the second female Red-backed Shrike of the Spring was seen near the South School at 7.30pm. It could not be found next day.

Late June - success for the nesting Sand Martins on The Reserve - the first brood emerged on 27th June.