I was out and about this week doing the WeBS counts on some of the Mainland Reserves this week and there was a noticeable change in the air, that spring is on it’s way...
At Marwick, the WeBS count (Wetland Bird Survey) covers The Choin, the tidal pool by the car park and surrounding field. It wasn’t a very exciting count this time but it was very nice to see a few turnstone, rumbling about in the rocky areas and the group of 43 redshank poking about by a wet pool at the roadside.
The big count for me is the Loch of Isbister and The Loons (results below) which was lovely to do this time round. So far this winter most count weekends have been cursed with some really awful weather and turns it into a bit of a battle against the elements, with birds tucked in out of the way making it that bit harder to count them. A bit of sunshine that had a bit of warmth to it and barely any wind made a huge different to me and the birds, with a skylark singing on the way past and the sounds of a few migrant pink footed geese calls chattering in amongst the whistles and gentle peeps of the wigeon and teal drifting up to my vantage point made it a very enjoyable count.
Birds of prey were also taking advantage of the conditions and a male hen harrier was hunting over the site, regularly flushing the large flock of golden plover. They weren’t the only birds to be getting spooked though, a highlight of the count was seeing a peregrine (probably a female from the big size) take a lapwing and settle down and start plucking! Not so good for the lapwing but a nice meal for the peregrine.
It was also very nice to see the oystercatchers and shelduck back on site.
Green land white-fronted geese – 44, pink-footed geese – 10, greylag geese – 71, mallard – 55, curlew – 355, redshank – 10, lapwing – 292, teal – 428, wigeon – 408, oystercatcher – 20, coot – 3, tufted duck – 14, goldeneye – 11, golden plover – 842, greater black backed gull – 1, barnacle goose – 8, shelduck – 3, cormorant – 4, mute swan – 2, common gull – 11, herring gull – 2, snipe – 7, grey heron – 1, hen harrier – 1, peregrine – 1, skylark – 1!