Where am I? - That is what the adult gannet must have been thinking as it flew a few metres over my head and over the reserve at the Mill Dam on Shapinsay yesterday morning in the misty conditions, before doing a u-turn and heading low across the adjacent fields calling – An unusual sighting indeed.
My main reason for being on site was to cover a breeding bird survey visit and to spend a few hours in the hide meeting any passing visitors. Unfortunately, not many of those – none! Despite the gloomy, misty conditions the odd clearer spell enabled me to spot a few birds below. Highlights were the drake Pintail and Pochard feeding amongst a suite of other wildfowl; wigeon (158), gadwall (4prs), shoveler (14), teal (42), tufted duck (8prs), shelduck (pair), a single pink-footed goose along with the now resident greylags.
Early days but good numbers of lapwing (8prs), curlew (5prs), oystercatcher (6prs), redshank (2/3prs), and snipe (a lone drumming bird). Little grebe (2prs), coot (6prs), moorhen (2prs) and a single water rail “sharming” from the marsh. Black-headed gull numbers have crashed in recent years and it was disappointing to record only four pairs.
The hide at Mill Dam is a cracking way to spend a few hours bird-watching on Orkney and easily accessible by foot from the regular ferries from Kirkwall.
While walking for the ferry a couple of introduced red-legged partridges crossed my path, adding a little novelty value to my trip.
An image of Mill Dam reserve from last years bird crop which is looking good and should provide some early cover if any corncrakes are passing by on spring migration.