Sandwick Birds

Since the last blog there has been a good variety of birds around Sandwick  with a couple of Tundra Bean Geese, Greenland Whitefronts, Pinkfeet, Barnacle and Greylag Geese and the Iceland gull has returned

The Leucistic Starling is still showing, now in its 4th year, This time around Sandsayre beach but always flying back to Sandlodge

Surprising how many flies have been about this last couple of weeks, but they do provide another food source.

Flies in the Mousa waiting room

More migrants are returning to Shetland day by day with White Tailed Eagle, flocks of Snow Bunting, Hawfinch , lots of Chaffinch and even a Goshawk in past few days. And 10 Puffin at Sumburgh which is about two weeks earlier than normal

Shetland Skuas

The population of Arctic Skuas has declined by 81% according to the latest report by the British Ecological Society.

The National Seabird 2000  census recorded 2,136 Arctic and 9634 Gt Skuas with 90% of the population in Orkney and Shetland


Full report https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12890

Locations of Arctic skua colonies used in analyses of population trend (n = 33 sites) and annual productivity (underlined, n = 20 sites). Dotted line = southernmost extent of Arctic skua breeding range during Seabird 2000. Overall percentage change in Apparently Occupied Territories (AOTs) between the first and last year surveyed (1992 and 2008–2015) is given for each site (see Supporting Information Table S1 for further details). Symbol sizes are scaled to AOT counts in 1992 (four categories: 0–12, 16–26, 30–66, 101–159). Symbol shape denotes colony type, classified by cliff‐nesting seabird host abundance within 5 km of colony during the Seabird 2000 census: squares = type 1 colonies (>10,000 pairs), circles = type 2 colonies (1,000–10,000 pairs), triangles = type 3 colonies (<1,000 pairs)

Arctic Skuas declined at all the study colonies from 1061 ATO 's (1992) to just 200 in (2015), indicating the largest declines took place in the north with the largest productivity in Handa in NW Scotland.

Attacks on Kittiwakes which had only come down onto a loch to bathe  

Arctic Skua nest next to colonies of seabirds either Arctic Terns, or cliff dwelling birds that usually feed on Sandeels - Puffin, Kittiwake, Guillemot and Razorbill. These skuas rely on stealing food from these birds, this is called Kleptopasrasitism

An Arctic Tern attacks an Arctic Skua

Gt Skuas increased at most sites except Foula where a 24% decline occurred. Its odd that the greatest declines in Arctic Skuas occurred where Gt Skua population were small. Food availability and density of Gt Skua were associated with breeding success of Arctic Skua

Gt Skuas are larger and more powerful that Arctic Skuas , they rely on harassing large birds such as gannet for a free meal

Gt Skua seen off by a Fulmar

The world's Gt Skua population is around 16,000 with 57% being in Scotland (Bird life International 2018) especially in Shetland and Orkney. Around 9,634 ATO (Apparently Occupied Territories) can be found in the UK (2004)

They are very aggressive towards humans and animals that stray onto their breeding grounds, making a head on attack and sometime hitting the intruder with their feet.

Gt Skua population in Shetland has fluctuated with numbers up and down at various throughout the isle. Gannet numbers are increasing so you would think that there would be more fish brought back to young gannets and therefore more opportunities for GT Skuas . Noss for instance has around 25000 Gannets double that of 1970

On Foula in 2015 a lot of cannibalistic predation of well grown chicks was again high, although a census count of 1,846 AOT was 11% higher than 2007

In Shetland, 4 colonies at Hermaness, Noss, Mousa and Fair Isle had 1,747 ATO's in 2013, an increase of 27% since  2007. But on Foula a decrease of 28% occurred between 2000 & 2007 (2,293 down to 1,657 ATO's)

In Orkney, a complete census revealed a 23% decrease between 2000 - 2010 (1,710 ATO's)

Discards from fishing boats used to be an important part of the Gt Skuas diet in Shetland but with the reduction of discards they have now started to either concentrate on attacking Gannet for fish, eating birds such as Puffin or resorting to cannibalism .

Having just taken part in the 2018 Seabird census I am very interested in seeing the current figures

Close encounter with Seabirds

Anyone starting to get interested in birds should start with a visit to a seabird colony. In Shetland we are fortunate to have several large ones, the best at Sumburgh, Noss and Hermaness but also lots of smaller ones but just as interesting

Puffins always draw a lot of attention and rightly so, they are so interesting to watch and are very colourful. It looks like they may be having a good breeding season for a change with a good number bringing in fish, mostly Sandeels

When you get close up these little birds are even more amazing, look at the stitching around the beak, only an expert could do that.

How different they are in winter when they shed the colourful beak and take on a darker, dirtier look. But then most people wouldn't be out in the north sea where they are found during the dark winter months.

I have only found one dead Puffin on the beach I survey which is good news

Pufflings are just about ready to fly, these come out late in the evening before they jump off the cliffs, some 600 feet high up. Parents then guide them out to sea away from predators such as Skuas

Fulmars can be found through Shetland, some on inland cliffs and even nesting on the ground on Mousa.

They hardly make a nest so it was interesting to see the above Fulmar tackling a piece of wood, surely not to use in a nest.

Please check out my other blogs

shetlandsky.blogspot.co.uk
ww2preserved.blogspot.co.uk  (about Shetland during WW2 and what can be seen now)
shetlanddream.blogspot.co.uk