New Patch at Sandwick

Even though I am doing a few surveys, the beach and breeding birds I have decided to do a patch one as well

I have always done one prior to moving to Shetland so after being here 4 years of searching around I have started  on close to home down at Sanick/ Noness in Sandwick.

Besides being next to a sandy/ rocky beach with an easterly sea flow there are areas of cliff, some small gardens with grass and shrubs, a cemetery / Church, farm buildings, a stream, old buildings and vehicles , rough grassland and areas where sheep and horses graze.

I have already seen a few good birds which I will start the survey with. Today was very cold with occasional snow flurries although nothing much . This was the end of three days of easterly gales.

Today:
Mistle Thrush (2) Red Throated Diver, Shag (5) Turnstone (98) Redshank (17) Curlew, Ringed Plover (4) Oystercatcher (28) Lapwing (17) Golden Plover (67) Hoodie(2) Greylag(28) Starling (100+) House sparrow (8) Twite (22) Blackbird (3) Redwing (8) Fieldfare (10) Long Tailed Duck (8) Goldeneye(2) Common Gull (4) Herring Gull (2) GBB, Wren,Rock Dove (2), Rock Pipit,(12) Meadow Pipit (2), Black Guillemot, Red Breasted Merganser   - 29 Species

Totals (Inc Prev)

1. Black Redstart                                                          32. Rock Pipit
2. Dusky Warbler                                                         33. Meadow pipit
3. Blackcap                                                                  34. Red Breasted Merganser
4. Chaffinch                                                                 35. Black Guillemot
5. Ruff
6. Merlin
7. Mistle Thrush
8. Red Throated Diver
9. Siberian Oystercatcher
10 Shag
11 Turnstone
12. Redshank
13 Curlew
14 Ringed Plover
15 Lapwing
16. Golden Plover
17. Hoodie
18. Greylag
19. Starling
20. House sparrow
21 Twite
22 Blackbird
23  Redwing
24 Fieldfare
25 Wren
26 Long Tailed duck
27 Goldeneye
28 Common Gull
29 Herring Gull
30 GBB
31 Rock Dove

Shetland bucks the trend for waders

I was very interested to read that Scotland's woodland birds have increased by 67% between 1994 - 2016, while farmland birds have also increased in the same time period by 13%. Its not all good news as upland birds have decreased by 16%.

                                                          Good to see a good number of Skylark in Shetland

The survey suggests that 10 out of 17 upland birds have declined, with Curlew -62%, Lapwing - 63%, Golden Plover-43% decline.

However in Shetland Curlew are doing well, and there even might be a slight increase, Lapwing and Redshank only show a slight decline by around10% with Golden Plover just a few % down

Shetland Amenity Trust give the following indication on numbers in Shetland
Curlew 2,300 breeding pairs
Redshank 1, 170
Golden Plover 1,450
Lapwing 1,740

This is partly down to a lot of crofts, poor soils and less improved ground

In Shetland we have very little woodland and as a result little diversity in this area, perhaps highlighted by the fact there may be only 3 pairs of breeding Robin in Shetland. Good news for farmland birds and the mixed type of farmland/ Crofting helps. For instance the House Sparrow appears to be doing well here and poorly down in England and Skylarks seem to do well.

This week has seen a lot of birds leave Shetland and headed ? with all the lochs frozen duck and swans will have found it difficult to find food, this also may be the point that the Pied Billed Grebe either leaves or perishes it will be interesting if any more records are submitted.

                                        Whimbrel numbers down but may benefit from peatland restoration

The field outside our living room window has been full of birds today including 5 species of wader. Redshank(6), Oystercatcher(4)  Turnstone(8) Golden Plover(12 briefly) Curlew(2) also Greylag(4) Starling (30) Herring Gull (2) Rock Dove (6) Blackbird (8) Rock Pipit(2) Fieldfare (4)

 I have seen a Peregrine at the Scord Scalloway chasing thrushes while a Sparrowhawk flew low over the road at Cunningsburgh. Gulls such as Iceland and Glaucous still present in small numbers and seaduck, King Eider (Yell) and Surf Scoter (Unst) reported. The Pied Billed Grebe has survived and is still at the north end of Spiggie

Pied Billed & Spiggie birds

With the weather good this weekend we headed south to Spiggie an RSPB reserve. This is a large area with a road leading down the western shore. In Winter it is good for Duck, Waders ,swans and on this occasion we had 39 Whooper swans

The Pied Billed Grebe had now moved to the northern part of the Loch and tended to favour an area of reeds quiet a distance from a viewing spot.

It has been seen catching large fish but only small ones caught today. This bird has been in Shetland since early November 2017 and on the whole is fairly easy to see, although distant most of the time.

If any cars or walkers pass, it moves well away from the reeds , so you need to spend a bit of time to get reasonable views. This American visitor, a first for Shetland seems well settled so we hope it staying well into spring.

                                                                                                 Iceland Gull

Apart from the grebe and Whoopers, Two Grey Heron could be seen flying about and lots of Graylag Geese passed over, disturbed by a Peregrine Falcon.

In addition to the Iceland Gull, three Glaucous Gulls could be seen with other gulls but tended to keep well away from the edge. Flocks of Curlew, Redshank, Lapwing and Oystercatcher moved about and sometime disturbed Snipe and Fieldfare

Duck present included, Teal, Wigeon, Mallard, Shoveler, Shelduck (4) and Goldeneye

White Billed Diver

Since last August a White Billed Diver has been in Mousa bay, just a few minutes away from home. I have seen it a few times but it has been very distant and the weather dull. Last Sunday the weather couldn't have been more perfect, sunny and still (yes no wind)

                                                                                                  White Billed Diver

Earlier in the day it had been seen under the large layby at the top end of Sandwick but by the time we arrived, about 1pm I located it further south, just north of Mousa and about mid way between the island and Sandsayre.

When it dived I was surprised how far it moved and how long it dived for, White Bills prefer the deeper waters unlike the Gt Northern Diver which come closer inshore.

The first record for Scotland was a dead bird at Whiteness Voe, Shetland 21 January 1946, but the first live bird was in June 1947 when a bird came close inshore at Weisdale Voe, Shetland.(Scott and Shaw). Most birds occur on spring passage with a few over wintering.

These birds may well be from the eastern Russian population, with birds usually wintering off the Norwegian coast

The Mousa Sound bird is one of two / three present in Shetland with another regularly seen at Kirkabister and in Bluemull sound.  Birds tend to start to gather at Skogsoy Norway late April so it will be interesting to see how late this bird stays in Shetland.

Throughout the following week I managed another three visit but failed to see the bird. Two other local birders who have spent a lot of time watching have also only seen it occasionally. Whether the bird moves out of the area or just goes to the east of Mousa is a  mystery.

Today no sign of the bird again even though the sea was calm

                                                                                               Gt Northern Diver

                                                                                                      Black Guillemot

                                                                                                      Long Tailed Duck

                                                                                                                     Shag

                                                                                                        Purple Sandpiper

Other birds at Sandsayre :
White Billed Diver, Gt Northern Diver, Red Throated Diver, Long Tailed Duck (46) Eider (58) Goldeneye (M& F) ,Shag (28+) Fulmar, Black Guillemot (32) Red Breasted Merganser (3) Common Scoter,  Purple Sandpiper (38) Turnstone (22) Oystercatcher (2),  Redshank (8) Curlew (4) Greylag (6) Rock Pipit, Starling, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Wren, Twite

Elsewhere the Pied Billed grebe is still at Spiggie, Glaucous Gulls(4) Lerwick, Blue and Gt Tit Hillwell