Bird List


My Fair Isle Bird List
Birds I have seen since Jan 1st 2007 only on Fair Isle 












Citril Finch - Carduelis citrinella
Auld Haa Garden - June 6th 2008 - First record for Britain


Tommy's Total (304) Fair Isle Birds



 Auld Haa House Garden List.* (195) Birds seen in or from my Garden.

Tick Key
       seen on Fair Isle
*     garden tick - birds seen in or from my garden.
s      self-found tick - birds I find
t      tree tick - birds seen on my "tree"
p     pond tick - birds seen in or on edge of my little garden ponds.



Accipitridae

Kites, Hawks, Eagles

Alaudidae

Larks

Alcidae

Auks

Anatidae

Swans, Geese, Ducks

Apodidae

Swifts

Ardeidae

Bitterns, Herons

Bombycillidae

Waxwings

Burhinidae

Thick-knees
  • Collared Paratincole Glareola pratincola
  • Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus  *

Certhiidae

Treecreepers

Charadriidae

Plovers

Cinclidae

Dippers

Columbidae

Pigeons, Doves

Corvidae

Jays, Crows

Cuculidae

Cuckoos

Emberizidae

Buntings

Falconidae

Caracaras, Falcons

Fringillidae

Finches

Gaviidae

Divers

Gruidae

Cranes

Haematopodidae

Oystercatchers

Hirundinidae

Swallows, Martins

Hydrobatidae

Storm Petrels

Laniidae

Bush Shrikes, Shrikes

Laridae

Gulls

Meropidae

Bee-eaters

Motacillidae

Pipits, Wagtails

Muscicapidae

Flycatchers

Oriolidae

Orioles

Pandionidae

Osprey

Paridae et al

 Tits
  • Blue Tit (european) Cyanistes caeruleus  
  • Great Tit Parus major * t

Parulidae

New World Warblers

Passeridae

Snowfinches, Sparrows

Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants

Phasianidae

Partridges, Pheasants

Picidae

Woodpeckers

Podicipedidae

Grebes
  • Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus  s
  • Little Grebe  Tachybaptus ruficollis
  • Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
  • Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena
  • Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus   s

Procellariidae

Petrels, Shearwaters

Prunellidae

Accentors
  • Dunnock Prunella modularis  *s t
  • Siberian Accentor Prunella collaris

Rallidae

Rails, Waterhens, Coots

Regulidae

Kinglets

Scolopacidae

Sandpipers, Snipes

Stercorariidae

Skuas
  • Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus  *s
  • Great Skua Stercorarius skua  *s
  • Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus

Sternidae

Terns

Sturnidae 

Starlings

Strigidae

Owls

Capimlgidae

Nightjars
  • Nightjar (European) Caprimulgus europaeus

Sulidae

Boobies, Gannets

Sylviidae

Gnatcatchers, Goldcrests, Warblers

Troglodytidae

Wrens

Turdidae

Chats, Thrushes

Upupidae 

Hoopoes

Vireonidae 

Vireos
  • Red-eyed Vireo Vereo olivaceus

  • Black-browed Albtross Thalassarche melanophris

  • Brown Headed Cowbird Molothrus ater? I never saw it... but yes! it was on my tree and in my garden eating the bird seed I set out before heading off to Aberdeen. Liz & Henry saw it and took video. But sadly, it disappeared the morning I came home.

Tree Ticks?
Birds seen on driftwood tree sculpure wired together for birds to perch on.
I only count birds on this "tree" in the Auld Haa House front garden.

please note: Garden ticks include seen from the garden. I have a great view of the sea, but not the beach. Many of the waders do spend time on the Meoness sheep pasture easily viewed from the Auld Haa with binoculars. Some of my records are the result of "Island Twitching" that is when I get a call from another birdwatcher that they found something... as I do for them too.  I must say some of the birds I have seen I wish I had better views of and I would have had a hard time identifying independently. But that said, some of these birds are hard to identify even in the hands of experts and/or with detailed photos, DNA is now used for some of the rarest birds. I am lucky to have a Fair Isle Bird Observatory staff to confirm all my sightings as well as heads up for things I need to see. I do have a few good self-found ticks, many in my own garden! I have relocated many birds independently after being informed of sightings elsewhere on the Island, I do not count those as self-found. I am not counting anything that isn't listed among Fair Isle records, there are quite a few birds I've missed that others have seen in the past few years. That is my crazy list, and that is what you would expect to find when you're living on Fair Isle. cheers! Tommy