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British Birds Volume 1 05 • Number 7 • July 20 1 2 352 Rare breeding birds in the United Kingdom in 2010 Mark Holling and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel Regular features 4 1 7 Note 423 News and comment The status of Isabelline Shrike taxa Adrian Pitches in the United Arab Emirates Oscar Campbell 427 Recent reports Barry Nightingale and 42 1 Reviews Harry Hussey Bird Mans River Extremely Rare Birds in the Western Palearctic THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM 0 5 JUL 2012 PRESENTED TRING LIBRARY FSC British Birds aims to: ♦> provide an up-to-date magazine for everyone interested in the birds of the Western Palearctic; ♦> publish a range of material on behaviour, conservation, distribution, ecology, identification, movements, status and taxonomy as well as the latest ornithological news and book reviews; •> maintain its position as the journal of record; and interpret scientific research on birds in an easily accessible way. © British Birds 2012 Alan Harris Rare breeding birds in the United Kingdom in 2010 Mark Holling and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel / I i Review of the year 20 I 0 This, the 37th report of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP), includes details of 94 species or distinctive races that bred (or showed signs of breeding) in the UK in 2010, which turned out to be a particularly good year for rare breeding birds. That total is eight more than in 2009, although five new species (Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus, Long-eared Owl Asio otis, Short-eared Owl A. flammeus. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Den- drocopos minor and Willow Tit Poecile montana) were added to the RBBP list with effect from the 2010 season (www.rbbp.org. uk/rbbp-species-list-full). Two species are new to these reports (Great White Egret Ardea alba and Long-tailed Skua S. longicaudus) and a further eight had not been reported in 2009: Pink-footed Goose Anser brachy- rhynchus, Macaronesian Shearwater Puffinus baroli. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea, Marmora’s Warbler Sylvia sarda, Subalpine Warbler S. cantillans, Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta, Fieldfare Turdus pilaris and Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus. A further five potential breeding species are listed in Appendix 1. For species resident in the UK, the harsh 2009/10 winter, with prolonged periods of snowfall and sub-zero temperatures, was a testing precursor to the 2010 season. However, most of the breeding season was characterised by settled weather, especially from mid May to the end of June, which meant that weather-related disruption to breeding birds was minimised. The third spring and summer of fieldwork for Bird Atlas 2007-11 helped to boost the numbers of some species recorded and most notably Greenshank Tringa nebularia. In each RBBP report we select a number of species for a more thorough analysis and here we consider three species which are not only very rare but seem to be in long-term decline: Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus, Wryneck Jynx torquilla and Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio. Two pairs of Pink-footed Geese bred, with 352 © British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 broods fledging in Cumbria and Highland, the first documented breeding of apparently wild Pink-footed Geese in the UK. Common Scoter Melanitta nigra , one of our rarest ducks, was surveyed more thoroughly in 2010, partly as a response to the declines reported in the last national census, in 2007, and up to 42 pairs were located. A pair of Goldeneyes Bucephala clangula nested in Northumberland for the first time and reared up to eight young. A winter count of Caper- caillies Tetrao urogallus found that the total number of individuals had declined by 35% since the previous count, in 2003/04, to 1,285 individuals. A male Macaronesian Shearwater was heard calling from a burrow on Lundy, Devon, recalling a similar event in Wales in the early 1980s. Despite the cold winter, the number of booming Eurasian Bitterns Botaurus stellaris increased once more, to over 100, while the number of pairs of Little Egrets Egretta garzetta reached the 800 mark for the second year in a row. Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis first nested in 2008, but have yet to establish a real foothold in the UK, and there was no con- firmed breeding in 2010. In contrast, after a near-miss in Suffolk in 2007, Purple Herons nested in the UK for the first time, fledging two young in Kent, while Little Bitterns Ixo- brychus minutus nested for only the second time and two potential breeding pairs of Great White Egrets were present. In the wake of just four confirmed breeding records of Eurasian Spoonbills Platalea leucorodia since the first modern record in 1998, all of single pairs, it was a surprise to find a colony estab- lished in 2010, from which six pairs success- fully fledged a total of ten young. Although the populations of many raptors continue to increase as they recover from his- torical persecution and the effects of per- sistent pesticides, some are still being held back by continued illegal killing and nest destruction. Three species stand out: Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus, Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos and Peregrine Falcon Falco pere- grinus. The impact of persecution is most noticeable in some parts of the species’ ranges, as identified in recent analyses on Golden Eagle (Whitfield et al. 2008) and Hen Harrier (Fielding et al. 2011). The national survey of Hen Harriers in 2010, the results of which are summarised in this report, shows that the UK population has declined by 18% since 2004 and the risk of extinction in England is now very real. This is the first RBBP report to include the Arctic Skua; although data submissions were necessarily limited, with just 557 apparently occupied territories, it is abundantly clear that this species has declined considerably since the Seabird 2000 survey (Mitchell et al. 2004; Eaton et al. 2009). A long-staying Long-tailed Skua in Shetland was a spectac- ular bird, but it failed to attract a mate. We report even higher numbers of nesting Mediterranean Gulls Laras melanocephalus almost every year it seems but in 2010 this species passed a significant new milestone with over 1,000 pairs nesting, a 44% increase over 2009. Owing to a lack of a national overview of the numbers of both Long-eared and Short- eared Owls, and a belief that their popula- tions were below the RBBP threshold for inclusion, these species were added to the Panel list with effect from 2010. Fewer than 250 confirmed breeding pairs of each were reported, which is clearly well below the actual population, but we have made a valu- able step towards better recording. Similarly, we now have an initial understanding of the numbers regularly reported to county recorders of the remaining new species, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Willow Tit. We hope that summaries on an annual basis will highlight the profile of all these species and emphasise the need for improved recording to aid conservation measures. The decline of the UK Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus population reached a new nadir in 2010, with no pairs confirmed breeding. The outlook for Red-backed Shrike may be a little brighter, however, with three breeding pairs and the first recorded breeding in England since 1992. Breeding numbers of both Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla and Bearded Tit Panurus biarmicus rose to new record heights in 2010, and there is good reason to suggest that there are now more than 1,000 breeding pairs of Firecrests, despite the recent run of cold winters. In contrast, there are some indications of weather-related declines of Woodlark Lullula arborea, Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata , and British Birds 105 • JUy 2012 • 352-416 353 Holling et al. perhaps also Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti. Several rare warblers, normally found to the south or east of Britain, held territory in 2010: Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus, Marmora’s Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, River Warbler Locustella fluviatilis. Melodious Warbler and Great Reed Warbler Acro- cephalus arundinaceus. None showed any further signs of breeding, but good numbers of both Savi’s L. luscinioides and Marsh Warbler A. palustris (up to ten and nine pairs respectively) was also encouraging, and might suggest that weather conditions in 2010 were conducive to spring overshooting. A wider-than-usual spread of Black Redstarts Phoenicurus ochruros included a breeding pair in Wales and what seems likely to have been a breeding record for Scotland. The presence of up to 20 pairs in Greater London underlines that a significant population remains in the capital. Pure pairs of both Blue-headed Motacilla flava flava and White Wagtails M. alba alba bred, at opposite ends of the UK. The 2010 report and some future developments Given the large volume of data summarised in it, we are delighted that this report appears in midsummer just two years after the breeding season to which it refers. This timescale has been possible only with the support of everyone who submits data to the Panel, in particular the county bird recorders. We recognise that reviewing all records of RBBP species and compiling an accurate summary of records for each site is a major undertaking for many counties. The next 12 months will see some exciting new developments for the RBBP. A new data- base will give us much more flexibility and will also link directly to mapping software to aid our checking and analysis. We shall then be in a much stronger position to produce definitive numbers of each species for all years since 1973, by updating the published figures. In turn, this will provide more infor- mation on the history and status of the UK’s rare breeding birds on the RBBP website and will support detailed species reviews such as those already published for Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis (Martin & Smith 2007) and Spotted Crake Porzana porzana (Stroud et al. 2012). Part of the transition to a new database will involve a thorough review of the infor- mation held in the existing database. The next 12 months would therefore be a particu- larly useful time to receive any records that, for whatever reason, have not been submitted to RBBP. We are interested in records of any of the species on our list exhibiting breeding behaviour in any year since 1973. Please contact Mark Holling to check whether the data you have for a particular species in a particular year are held in our archives. The transition to a new database will run in parallel with the collation and analysis of 2011 submissions, which will have a small impact on the reporting timetable. County recorders, organisations and individuals should aim to submit data for 201 1 no later than 31st December 2012 and we intend that the 2011 report will be published in autumn 2013. The next non-native report (that for 2009-11) will follow closely behind. There- after, we aim to resume the schedule of pub- lishing annual reports in the summer months, two years after the breeding season concerned. Bird Atlas 2007-1 I From the earliest stages of the BTO/Bird- Watch Ireland/SOC Bird Atlas 2007-11 project, the RBBP has worked closely with the BTO over rare breeding birds. This has resulted in a policy on confidentiality of records of rare breeding birds (www.bto.org/ volunteer-surveys/birdatlas/taking-part/btos-rare- species-policy). Panel members have also reviewed the draft maps of RBBP species to identify gaps in coverage and potential sensi- tivities, and to advise on the most appro- priate mapping resolution in the published Atlas. Issues such as species sensitivity, the sites involved and known threats were all considered fully. From the initially conservative policy of 1 00-km-square resolution for online mapping, it has been possible to relax the cri- teria for final publication. Consequently, many species considered by RBBP will be mapped at 10-km-square resolution. A good example is the Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis, provisionally mapped at 20-km reso- lution in the 2008 RBBP report (Holling et al. 354 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 2010); now, with a total of over 500 occupied 10-km squares in Britain, this species can be mapped at 10-km resolution with minimal risk. A number of rarer species will be mapped at 20-km or 50-km resolution to convey broad distribution patterns without revealing particular locations. Underpinning this collaboration has been reciprocal data sharing between the Atlas and RBBP datasets. This has ensured that the RBBP archives benefit from the extensive coverage the Atlas has achieved, while the data underlying the Atlas maps also include the current state of knowledge hitherto available only in the RBBP files. It must be stressed that data provided by RBBP were made avail- able only at 10-km resolution and are held with a number of other confidential sources in a separate, secure system at the BTO. These data are for the sole purpose of Atlas produc- tion and analysis and will remain confiden- tial until they are deemed no longer sensitive by RBBP. Anyone requesting access to the Bird Atlas dataset for these species will have to approach RBBP (and other providers of confidential data) directly for high-resolution material, to which the usual RBBP policies will apply. This collaborative process has set new standards in appropriate and secure data sharing, which can only benefit the conserva- tion of rare breeding birds. Data sources Records are collated from all counties of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man, but not from the Channel Islands. Much of the data are sub- mitted by recorders but other sources include Schedule 1 licence holders, Raptor Study Groups, national surveys, counts from RSPB reserves, and other single-species studies (see Acknowledgments for details). The number of contributing recording areas was similar to that in 2009: 66 full returns supplemented by extracts from six bird reports (66 and five, respectively, in 2009). Most recording areas supplied grid-reference data and also made use of the new RBBP recording spreadsheet for county recorders, available from our website. The use of this spreadsheet simpli- fies the process of both checking original submissions and uploading records into our database. We welcome Essex, Clyde Islands, Gwent and Radnorshire back into the fold in 2010 but it was disappointing to receive no data from Carmarthenshire, Herefordshire and West Midlands, all of which supplied data for 2009. In addition, there was again no data from Caithness and Montgomeryshire but correspondence with new county recorders in these areas brings fresh hope for the future. For the missing Welsh counties, some information was extracted from the ‘Welsh Bird Report’ (Pritchard 201 1). Raptor monitoring in many parts of the UK is achieved largely by the work of the various Raptor Study Groups (RSGs). In Scotland, these groups provided area totals, via the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme, although some of these data cannot always be matched with the bird recording areas used in this report. In much of northern England, mainly upland raptors are monitored by an array of groups operating under the Northern England Raptor Forum (NERF). Schedule 1 raptor data from Wales were collated for RBBP by RSPB Wales under contract from the Countryside Council for Wales. Only limited data on raptors were available from the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group. Since the annual RBBP reports represent an important source of information for con- servation bodies, we strive to maximise cov- erage across the UK. Consequently, any late submissions are both welcome and impor- tant; such records will be added to our archives to ensure that annual statistics and the inventory of breeding sites are updated. For instance, there were a number of changes to the published totals for some raptors in 2009. These and other amendments to pub- lished reports are made available on the RBBP website (www.rbbp.org.uk/rbbp- reports) and in the course of the last year we have provided such updates to the published reports for 2005-09. Record submission: guidelines and standards Guidelines on data submission are available on the RBBP website. Records should be sub- mitted by the end of each calendar year, for the previous year’s breeding season. The website also includes the evaluation criteria British Birds 105 ‘July 2012 • 352-416 355 Holling et al. for records contained in these reports; these have not changed in recent years. Following the recommendations and guidelines intro- duced in 2009 (see www.rbbp.org.uk/rbbp- recording-standards), the improvement in the quality of information submitted has continued, most notably in the provision of six-figure grid references and the reporting of negative records (distinguishing sites sur- veyed with no birds found from sites not visited). This is extremely welcome, but we should like to re-emphasise the importance of accuracy of any grid references supplied. Not only does this maintain the high stan- dard of the archive but it is essential in the identification of duplicate records. Some records (not from county recorders), pre- sumably in the interests of confidentiality, are supplied with a variance from the grid refer- ence given (e.g. ± 10 km), which may mean the location cannot even be placed in a county, and certainly cannot be distinguished from other records of the species in the area. These records cannot be used by RBBP, which is a great shame given the time and effort the observer must have put into the fieldwork! Stroud et al. (2012) identified a number of potential improvements to the recording of rare breeding birds (see Brit. Birds 105: 217-218), and we recommend that everyone who finds a rare breeding bird should read these pages. In particular, the use of standard recording criteria by observers and county recorders is important and we intend to con- tinue to publish species-specific guidelines on our website to help. However, a key area for improvement, which will affect some species more than others, is to ensure that all sightings are submitted to a recording scheme. The core of the RBBP archive has been submitted by county recorders, but they depend on receiving the original records in the first place. Thus finders of rare breeding birds should ensure that their records are supplied promptly to county/regional bird recorders, either directly or via BirdTrack. BirdTrack has been developed to facilitate the collection of bird data and has safeguards in place to maintain confidentiality. Recent enhance- ments to this online software allow observers to add details of breeding evidence, and to pinpoint the location of a sighting using online maps. There is scope to add further details and for a rare breeding bird record this could include the observer effort (such as area surveyed, times and dates of visits, nega- tive records). Some county recorders include notes about recording effort in their annual submissions - this is extremely helpful and we encourage it wherever possible. Conservation and other uses of RBBP data It is RBBP policy to make data available for relevant conservation uses, with appropriate controls. Site-specific information is used by JNCC and the country conservation agencies, and national datasets by the RSPB and BTO for survey and conservation planning. Over the last 12 months, RBBP data have con- tinued to support the review of the UK’s Special Protection Area network and helped the planning of the 2012 survey of Spotted Crakes. The involvement of RBBP and its data with Bird Atlas 2007-11 is discussed above. Statistics on species covered by the RBBP will also be included in the calculation of a new, all-taxa Priority Species Indicator. In a review of the importance of nature reserves by a research student and RSPB, the occurrence of selected rare breeding species in the reserve network has also begun, using RBBP data. Corn Crake Crex crex data from earlier years were used by the RSPB to analyse the results of the 2009 survey, while separate analyses by private researchers concerning Greenshanks, Black Redstarts in London and the county of Montgomeryshire have been carried out using records from our database. Anyone who is interested in performing status reviews on RBBP species is invited to prepare a proposal and submit it for consid- eration. We are particularly keen to encourage volunteers to do such analyses and to prepare reviews for inclusion in these reports. Our data access policy is available to read on our website (www.rbbp.org.uk/rbbp- access-policy). The Panel The current membership of the Panel duly 2012) is Mark Eaton (Chairman), Ian Francis, Simon Gillings, Andrew King, David Norman, David Stroud and Mark Holling (Secretary). As Chairman since 2008, David 356 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Stroud has ably steered the developments documented in our annual reports; Mark Eaton took on the role of Chairman in April 2012. Members serve in a personal capacity, but some also reflect the interests and requirements of the funding partners, JNCC (on behalf of the country conservation agen- cies) and RSPB, as well as the BTO. Panel membership aims to achieve broadly repre- sentative geographic coverage and to include members who have active involvement in monitoring schemes and specialist research groups, or who participate in various external groups, to facilitate liaison between the Panel and researchers, ringers, surveyors and conservation practitioners. Terminology Recording areas The recording areas used in this report are the same as in previous reports (see Holling et al. 2007 and www.rbbp.org.uk); these match the bird recording areas used by recorders across the UK, with Gower and East Glamorgan presented sepa- rately contra Ballance & Smith (2008). We attempt to collate all breeding records by recording area (usually ‘county’) wherever possible and urge con- tributors to submit records in the same manner, via recorders. In some cases, records are presented under different area groupings, for instance by Raptor Study Group (RSG) area. Thus, the Central Scotland RSG covers an area roughly equivalent to the Upper Forth recording area, but does include parts of neighbouring recording areas including Clyde; the South Strathclyde RSG area includes both Ayrshire and Clyde and some of the Clyde Islands; and the Tayside RSG area equates approxi- mately to the recording areas of Angus & Dundee together with Perth & Kinross. However, North- east Scotland RSG includes both that recording area and the eastern part of the Moray 8t Nairn recording area, and Highland RSG includes not only the Highland recording area but also the western part of Moray & Nairn. Scottish Raptor Study Group area boundaries are shown on their website at www.scottishraptorgroups.org/areas. Readers should note the revised treatment of records listed in this report from the Greater London recording area, which covers all areas within a 20-mile radius of St Paul’s Cathedral. To reduce the possibility of duplication, we now list records from the Inner London area and the old county of Middlesex under the Greater London heading. Records away from this area and within the counties surrounding London - Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent and Surrey - are listed under those county headings. Species banners For all regular breeding species (those which have bred in the UK at some time and have been recorded as at least present in eight or more of the last ten years), we give four pieces of information: 1. An indication of population status in one of four categories: • Very rare (<30 breeding pairs (bp) per annum); • Rare (30-300 breeding pairs per annum); • Scarce (301-1,000 breeding pairs per annum); • Less Scarce (> 1 ,000 breeding pairs per annum). 2. A population estimate, based where possible on the mean maximum population size from the last five years and shown as ‘5-yr mean’ (in this report the five years are 2006-10). In some cases, we show the totals estimated in national surveys, or, particularly for species with poor coverage, the best national population estimate. 3. The degree of coverage, defined as follows: • near-complete (RBBP reports present more or less accurate annual totals); • high (a good estimate of the number of pairs breeding annually, though a small but unknown proportion has not been recorded/ reported) ; • moderate (a less accurate estimate of the number of pairs breeding annually, which is nonetheless a significant proportion of the total population); • low (the quality of the data received is so poor that population estimates are of little value for conservation or status reviews; however, maintaining an archive of known sites is useful, and this information can be used in the design of future targeted surveys). 4. The population status as determined by Birds of Conservation Concern 3 (BoCC3) (Eaton et al. 2009). The BoCC3 status can be Red, Amber or Green. The majority of Red- and Amber-listed species on the RBBP list are categorised as such because of some criteria related to their breeding status, whether it be population size (rarity or recent/his- torical decline), breeding range (localisation or British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 357 Andrew Bloomfield Holling et al. decline) or international importance of the UK breeding population. Some Amber-listed species are also noted as being Species of European Con- servation Concern (SPEC). The only species in this report which is Amber-listed for criteria that are not breeding-related is the Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope, which owes its status to the localised dis- tribution and international importance of its win- tering population. Occasional and potential breeding species are labelled as such, with additional information where applicable. Definitions of breeding evidence The definitions of ‘Confirmed breeding’ ‘Probable breeding’ and ‘Possible breeding’ follow those rec- ommended by the European Bird Census Council (Hagemeijer & Blair 1997). Within tables, the abbreviation ‘Confirmed breeding pairs’ means ‘Number of pairs confirmed breeding’. Where tables show the number of occupied territories, these are the sum of confirmed and probable breeding pairs, as territorial birds are classed as being probably breeding, unless a nest has (at least) progressed to the stage where eggs have been laid, in which case the pair is classified as a con- firmed breeding pair. It is important to note that confirmed breeding is not the same as successful breeding; nests that fail with eggs or with young still fall into the confirmed category. A successful breeding pair is one that fledges at least one young bird from a nesting attempt. In species accounts, the following terminology is used: x pairs bred (= confirmed breeding); y pairs probably bred; and z pairs possibly bred. Readers should note that in all cases the iden- tity of the birds has been confirmed; it is only breeding status that is possible/probable/con- firmed. Probable breeding is as defined by EBCC (e.g. a pair holding territory), and does not mean that a breeding attempt probably (i.e. was likely to have) occurred. Definition of numbers used Within each species account, numbers given in the format T—4 pairs’ indicate (in this case) one con- firmed breeding pair and a possible maximum total of four breeding pairs. In the tables, ‘n/a’ indi- cates that no data were received from that county, but the species normally breeds there. For some species, estimated totals (in round brackets) are also included, where these have been provided by county recorders according to the criteria given on the RBBP website. 202-205. Eurasian Spoonbills Platalea leucorodia, Norfolk, July- August 2010. The first modern-day colony of Eurasian Spoonbills in Britain featuring: a pair at the nest (202); an adult on guard (203); recently fledged young begging (204); and a family group (205). Note that there is also a Little Egret Egretta garzetta in plate 202. 358 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Andrew Bloomfield Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 British Birds I OS ’July 2012 • 352-416 359 Andrew Bloomfield Andrew Bloomfield Holling et al. Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus Very rare: 5-yr mean 16 bp Coverage: near-complete 20 sites: 14-21 pairs. The small population of breeding Whooper Swans in the Strathfarrar area of Highland originated from injured birds (possibly rehabilitated to the wild), which were subse- quently joined by wild birds to form a resident breeding population. Since there are other instances of apparently wild birds not migrating in the spring but remaining to breed, we have decided to include such pairs in this report rather than treat them as naturalised birds in RBBP’s report on non-native breeders. The latter will now include only naturalised pairs that result directly from known artificial releases. In 2010, there was one such pair, in Bedfordshire. The 5-year mean has been amended to take this change into account. England, N Cumbria One site: two birds present, 1 1th— 28th June. Wales Meirionnydd One site: a pair summered and may have attempted to breed. One of the birds was injured. Scotland, S Ayrshire One site: one pair bred, and had three cygnets in July. Scotland, N & W Argyll Two sites: three pairs were present in suitable nesting habitat but did not breed. Caithness One site: one pair probably bred. Highland Three sites: three pairs bred. Outer Hebrides Three sites: three pairs bred; two were successful, raising four cygnets each. Shetland Seven sites: six pairs bred and one further pair was on territory. Four successful pairs fledged 15 young. Northern Ireland Co. Derry One site: one pair fledged six young. Amber Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus First documented breeding in 2010 Coverage: near-complete Three sites: 2-3 pairs. Although summering Pink-footed Geese are recorded not infrequently in the UK, reports of breeding have so far been restricted to birds that have apparently escaped from collections. However, three records in 2010 seem to relate to wild birds lingering in the spring, perhaps because of injury, and two of the three pairs bred successfully. Consequently, this repre- sents the first recorded breeding of Pink-footed Goose in the wild in the UK. Future reports of breeding Pink-feet should include notes on their origin, if known, to help monitor the species’ status as a breeding bird in the UK. England, N Cumbria One site: one pair fledged eight young. The adults may have been injured but the possibility that they were escaped birds cannot be ruled out entirely. From late June into July there were an additional 13 birds at this site. Scotland, N & W Highland One site: one pair fledged four young; the adults were free-flying and unringed. Outer Hebrides One site: one pair, suspected to be wild birds and present with breeding Greylag Geese Anser anser, they may have bred but no young were seen. Amber Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope Rare: 5-yr mean 1 45 bp Coverage: low 94 sites: 50-170 pairs. As in previous reports, summering birds and pairs that showed no evi- dence of breeding are noted but not included in the totals. As usual, about half of the records came from Scotland; elsewhere only Co. Durham and Yorkshire held significant numbers. England, SW Somerset One site: four pairs possibly bred. England, SE Kent One site: two pairs probably bred. Summering birds were also reported from Buckinghamshire (one Amber 360 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 pair present from April to July but breeding not attempted), Essex (at least 13 birds at four sites), Surrey (one male) and Sussex (45 birds). England, E Cambridgeshire 1'hree sites: 14 pairs possibly bred. Norfolk Three sites: one pair bred (brood of seven) and four pairs possibly bred, plus summering birds elsewhere. Northamptonshire Four sites: seven pairs possibly bred. England, C Leicestershire & Rutland Two sites: two pairs possibly bred. Nottinghamshire Two sites: one pair bred (brood of two) and one pair possibly bred; also three summering birds. England, N Cheshire & Wirral Two sites: two pairs possibly bred. Cumbria One site: one pair possibly bred. Co. Durham Eight sites: 14 pairs bred (14 broods totalling 72 young) and three pairs probably bred. Lancashire & N Merseyside Summering birds only, no signs of breeding. Northumberland Three sites: three pairs bred, but one major site not surveyed. Yorkshire Five sites: two pairs bred, seven pairs probably bred and nine pairs possibly bred. Also summering birds in Greater Manchester. Wales Anglesey One site: five pairs possibly bred. Caernarfonshire One site: one pair probably bred. Scotland, S Ayrshire Two sites: one pair probably bred and two pairs possibly bred. Borders One site: one pair possibly bred. Dumfries & Galloway Three sites: three pairs possibly bred. Lothian One site: one pair possibly bred. Scotland, Mid Angus & Dundee One site: one pair bred. North-east Scotland Three sites: two pairs bred (brood of six at one site), and one pair possibly bred. Perth & Kinross Five sites: two pairs bred (brood of four at one site) and four pairs probably bred. Scotland, N & W Argyll Two sites: one pair bred (two large young) and one pair possibly bred. Caithness Four sites: one pair bred and three pairs probably bred. Highland 17 sites: 1 1 pairs bred, 25 pairs probably bred and three pairs possibly bred. Orkney Three sites: two pairs bred and four pairs probably bred. Outer Hebrides 12 sites: six pairs bred, one pair probably bred and seven pairs possibly bred. Shetland Two sites: three pairs bred. Northern Ireland Co. Down One site: one pair possibly bred. Pintail Anas acuta Amber Rare: 5-yr mean 33 bp Coverage: high 21 sites: 10-37 pairs. Confirmed breeding pairs were restricted to just five counties; Orkney remains the stronghold, with almost half of the total pairs recorded (18). The Bedfordshire record is the first confirmed breeding record for that county. England, SW Somerset One site: one pair probably bred. England, SE Bedfordshire One site: one pair bred. Kent Two sites: three pairs possibly bred. England, E Cambridgeshire Three sites: four pairs bred but young seen at only one site. Suffolk Two sites: three pairs possibly bred, but these may have been summering non-breeders. England, N Yorkshire One site: one pair bred. Scotland, S Dumfries & Galloway One site: one pair possibly bred. Scotland, N & W Argyll One site: one pair bred (one brood of five seen) and four pairs probably bred. Orkney Nine sites: three pairs bred, five pairs probably bred and ten pairs possibly bred. At least 15 ducklings were recorded in the three broods. British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 361 H oiling et al. Garganey Anas querquedula Rare: 5-yr mean 93 bp Coverage: high 55 sites: 15-98 pairs. Because Garganeys occur widely on passage, often migrating in pairs, the records here refer to longer-staying individuals recorded after mid May. Applying these criteria has resulted in consistent annual totals (maxima between 85 and 103 in the last five years) but con- firmed breeding is almost wholly confined to the counties of eastern and southeastern England. England, SW Cornwall One site: one pair possibly bred although only recorded late in the season. Devon One site: one pair probably bred. Gloucestershire Two sites: two pairs possibly bred. Hampshire Two sites: two pairs possibly bred. Somerset Four sites: four pairs bred, four pairs probably bred and four pairs possibly bred. England, SE Essex One site: one pair possibly bred. Kent Eight sites: two pairs bred, seven pairs probably bred and seven pairs possibly bred. Oxfordshire One site: five pairs probably bred. Sussex Two sites: three pairs probably bred. England, E Cambridgeshire Four sites: four pairs bred and 14 pairs probably bred. Lincolnshire Four sites: two pairs bred and three pairs probably bred. Norfolk Four sites: two pairs bred, two pairs probably bred and one pair pos- sibly bred. Northamptonshire Two sites: four pairs possibly bred. Suffolk One site: one pair possibly bred. England, C Derbyshire One site: one pair possibly bred. Nottinghamshire One site: one pair probably bred. Staffordshire One site: one pair bred. England, N Cheshire & Wirral One site: one pair possibly bred. Northumberland One site: one pair possibly bred. Yorkshire Four sites: seven pairs probably bred and one pair possibly bred. Scotland, S Borders One site: one pair possibly bred. Dumfries & Galloway Two sites: two pairs possibly bred. Scotland, Mid Fife One site: one pair probably bred. North-east Scotland One site: one pair probably bred. Scotland, N & W Orkney One site: one pair possibly bred. Northern Ireland Co. Antrim One site: one pair probably bred. Co. Derry One site: one pair probably bred. Co. Down One site: one pair probably bred. Amber Shoveler Anas clypeata Less scarce: 5-yr mean 1 ,0 1 6 bp Coverage: high 328-1,007 pairs. The RBBP has now been monitoring Shovelers for five years and the total number of breeding pairs is consistently in the order of 1,000. The highest numbers are most reg- ularly reported from Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Yorkshire, each totalling over 100 pairs in most years. Amber Shoveler Confirmed breeding pairs Total pairs England, SW 12 37 Avon 0 1 Devon 0 2 Dorset 2 6 Gloucestershire 1 3 Hampshire 8 8 Isle of Wight 0 6 Somerset 1 11 England, SE 24 123 Bedfordshire 1 3 Essex 2 39 Greater London 1 1 Hertfordshire 0 13 Kent 19 46 Oxfordshire 1 11 Sussex 0 10 England, E 158 411 Cambridgeshire 7 179 Lincolnshire 20 32 Norfolk 127 127 Northamptonshire 3 3 Suffolk 1 70 England, C 8 24 Leicestershire & Rutland 5 5 362 British Birds 105 ‘July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Shoveler corn. Scotland, S 4 26 Confirmed Total pairs Ayrshire 0 4 breeding pairs Borders 1 2 Nottinghamshire 3 9 Clyde 3 8 Shropshire 0 2 Dumfries & Galloway 0 10 Staffordshire 0 1 Lothian 0 2 Warwickshire 0 7 Scotland, Mid 18 29 England, N 83 230 Angus & Dundee 0 8 Cheshire & Wirral 0 11 Fife 1 1 Cleveland 4 6 North-east Scotland 5 5 Cumbria 0 5 Perth 8c Kinross 12 15 Co. Durham 2 2 Scotland, N & W 18 93 Greater Manchester 0 9 Argyll 3 28 Lancashire 8c N Merseyside 19 42 Highland 0 4 Northumberland 1 1 Orkney 11 42 Yorkshire 57 154 Outer Hebrides 3 18 Wales 2 32 Shetland 1 1 Anglesey 0 26 Northern Ireland 1 2 Ceredigion 0 3 Co. Antrim 1 1 Denbigh 8c Flint 1 1 Co. Down 0 1 Gwent 1 2 TOTALS 328 1,007 Common Pochard Aythya ferina Scarce: 5-yr mean 632 bp Coverage: high 339-700 pairs. These figures and the distribution of pairs across the UK are virtually identical to those reported for 2009. Amber Common Pochard Confirmed breeding pairs Total pairs England, SW 18 108 Avon 2 2 Devon 2 3 Dorset 5 5 Gloucestershire 0 5 Hampshire 6 6 Somerset 2 85 Wiltshire 1 2 England, SE 129 263 Bedfordshire 2 2 Berkshire 2 2 Buckinghamshire 2 2 Essex 30 68 Greater London 15 16 Hertfordshire 21 46 Kent 53 116 Oxfordshire 1 7 Surrey 1 1 Sussex 2 3 England, E 62 102 Cambridgeshire 2 16 Lincolnshire 5 15 Norfolk 54 54 Suffolk 1 17 England, C 7 11 Nottinghamshire 5 7 Shropshire 0 2 Worcestershire 2 2 England, N 95 132 Cheshire 8c Wirral 18 21 Cleveland 10 10 Greater Manchester 1 12 Lancashire 8c N Merseyside 9 29 Northumberland 3 3 Yorkshire 54 57 Wales 14 41 Anglesey 3 30 Carmarthenshire 6 6 Gwent 5 5 Scotland, S 0 1 Borders 0 1 Scotland, Mid 1 4 Fife 0 1 Perth 8c Kinross 1 3 Scotland, N 8c W 0 1 Orkney 0 1 Northern Ireland 13 37 Co. Antrim 2 6 Co. Armagh 7 24 Co. Down 0 1 Co. Tyrone 4 6 TOTALS 339 700 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 363 Holling et al. Common Scoter Melanitta nigra Rare: 52 bp (2007 survey) Coverage: moderate 13-42 pairs. In 2010 detailed counts were received from the Flows of Caithness and Sutherland and from some breeding lochs in west Highland and Perthshire. In the wake of the national survey in 2007, and given the scarcity and high conservation priority of this species, the RSPB is currently studying Common Scoters in more detail, but we strongly encourage observers to report all sightings on potential breeding lochs to county recorders. Scotland, Mid Perth & Kinross Three pairs possibly bred. Scotland, N & W Five extensive sites. In the Flow Country (Caithness/Highland): 11 pairs bred and 11 pairs probably bred, with four young known to have fledged. Elsewhere in Highland two pairs bred and 15 pairs probably bred at four sites. Only two broods were recorded, one of a single chick on 29th July, and another of four on 8th July which was reduced to one by 25th July. Red Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Rare: 5-yr mean 1 96 bp Coverage: moderate 196 breeding females. Data on at least 117 nests in Scotland were received, from which the Goldeneye Study Group estimated a population of at least 195 breeding females in northern Scotland (based on the usual assumption that around two-thirds of all clutches laid involve more than one female). In addition, a pair bred in Northumberland, well away from the core range. The first confirmed breeding in England was in 2008, in Avon. England, SW Avon One site: one pair possibly bred. After display was observed in April, two females remained into summer when one was seen behaving in an agitated manner, suggesting that there may have been young present, although none was seen. The confirmed breeding in the county in 2008 was at the same site. England, N Northumberland One site: one pair bred. A female with ten ducklings was seen on 24th May and eight young remained on 21st June. Scotland, Mid North-east Scotland Deeside: 1 14 nestboxes were checked and 38 were found to be occupied; a nest in a natural hole was also found. In total 298 eggs were laid, 146 eggs hatched in 16 nests. Scotland, N & W Highland Badenoch & Strathspey: 208 nestboxes were checked and 77 were found to be occupied; a nest in a natural hole was also found. In total 726 eggs were laid, 206 eggs hatched in 41 nests. Northern Ireland Co. Armagh/Co. Tyrone A pair was recorded on 5th June and a male was still present later in the month in the Lough Neagh area. Amber Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus Rare: 5-yr mean 2 1 0 lekking males Coverage: moderate 106 leks were monitored and, of these, 71 were active and a total of 213 displaying males were counted. Scotland, S Clyde One lek monitored but no activity recorded. Scotland, Mid Moray & Nairn 1 1 active leks: 19 males. North-east Scotland 13 active leks: 21 males. Perth & Kinross Six active leks: eight males. Scotland, N & W Highland 41 active leks: 165 males. In the Abernethy Forest RSPB recording area, 25 hens with 23 chicks were counted. Red 364 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 206. Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, Highland, February 2010. A winter census of Capercaillies in 2009/10 produced an estimate of 1,285 individual birds, 35% fewer than in winter 2003/04. A Capercaillie census was undertaken in the winter of 2009/10, described in detail below by Mark Eaton, which suggests that the overall population has not recovered from recent declines. The annual spring counts made at virtually all known Capercaillie leks, as summarised in RBBP reports, give an indication of broad changes in the population. The number of leks monitored has risen from 73 in 2002 to 106 in 2010 (this being the most monitored in any single year to date). However, it seems very likely that some lek sites are as yet undiscovered, particularly those attended by single or small numbers of males. In addition, the need to avoid disturbing lekking Capercaillies at this sensitive time means that birds at some leks may be missed, and the maximum number of males attending a lek on the morning a count is made may be considerably lower than the total number attending that lek over the course of the spring. As a consequence, surveys of the entire population are conducted every six years as part of the Statutory Conservation Agency and RSPB Annual Breeding Bird Scheme (SCARABBS) programme, in order to produce a more robust measure of change. Unusually for a UK breeding species, national population surveys of the Capercaillie are conducted in the winter to avoid disturbing breeding birds and this in turn presents its own problems. The most recent survey, conducted by the RSPB with support from SNH in the 2009/10 winter, encountered some unusually severe winter weather, with extended periods of snow and sub-zero temperatures hampering fieldwork. However, a total of 629 2-km-long transects were surveyed throughout the known range, allowing an estimate of 1,285 individuals (95% confidence limits 822-1,882) to be derived, with 75% of this number being in Badenoch & Strathspey (Ewing et al. 20 1 2). This estimate is 35% lower than that for the 2003/04 winter (Eaton et al. 2007a), although the relative imprecision of population estimates makes it difficult to be certain of a genuine decline; it is clear, however, that the Capercaillie is not making a recovery from the population crash seen from the 1970s onwards. This is despite substantial investment in Capercaillie conservation, including the removal and marking of deer fences, habitat enhancement (e.g. woodland thinning) and brood-habitat creation, and predator control during the breeding season. It may be that recent wet summers (such as in 2007 and 2008), and consequent poor breeding success, are acting against the benefits of such conservation work. British Birds 105 ‘July 2012 • 352-416 365 Mark Hamblin Holling et al. Common Quail Coturnix coturnix Scarce: 5-yr mean 538 singing males Coverage: high 6-572 singing males or pairs. Confirmed breeding was recorded in four counties: Borders (one pair), Essex (one pair), Northumberland (one pair) and Yorkshire (three pairs). Quail numbers vary greatly between years, depending on the scale of irruptions from the south, and over 30% fewer Quails were reported in 2010 than in 2009. But whereas in 2009 almost a third of birds were in Scotland, in 2010 Scotland held just 16% of the UK total, meaning that the distribution was (typically) more southerly. There were notable concentrations in both Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, and the totals for those counties do not include a record of 30 Quails flushed from a single field during harvesting operations on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, on 1st August. Amber Common Quail Total pairs or singing males England, SW 110 Avon 12 Cornwall 1 Devon 9 Dorset 2 Gloucestershire 30 Hampshire 10 Somerset 1 Wiltshire 45 England, SE 79 Bedfordshire 4 Berkshire 10 Buckinghamshire 6 Essex 7 Hertfordshire 17 Kent 4 Oxfordshire 15 Sussex 16 England, E 57 Cambridgeshire 11 Lincolnshire 19 Norfolk 18 Northamptonshire 3 Suffolk 6 England, C 65 Derbyshire 18 Leicestershire 8c Rutland 8 Nottinghamshire 4 Shropshire 19 Staffordshire 7 Warwickshire 8 Worcestershire 1 England, N 149 Cheshire & Wirral 10 Cleveland 3 Cumbria 4 Co. Durham 7 Lancashire & N Merseyside 15 Northumberland 15 Yorkshire 95 Wales 19 Anglesey 1 Breconshire 1 Caernarfonshire 2 Ceredigion 1 East Glamorgan 1 Gower 2 Montgomeryshire 1 Pembrokeshire 2 Radnorshire 8 Scotland, S 37 Borders 21 Dumfries & Galloway 2 Lothian 14 Scotland, Mid 38 Angus 8c Dundee 9 Fife 5 Moray 8c Nairn 2 North-east Scotland 15 Perth 8c Kinross 6 Upper Forth 1 Scotland, N 8c W 16 Argyll 2 Caithness 3 Fair Isle 2 Highland 1 Orkney 4 Outer Hebrides 1 Shetland 3 Northern Ireland 2 Co. Antrim 2 TOTAL 572 366 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata Less scarce: 1,255 bp (2006 survey) Coverage: low Details were received tor only 195 nesting pairs, far fewer than in 2009, and again only a sample of the estimated 1,255 pairs breeding in Scotland (Dillon et al. 2009). Since we are unable to provide accurate figures for most recording areas, we present only those records away from the core area of north and west Scotland, adding some details from intensively monitored areas in the Northern Isles. In Orkney, the main sites that are regularly monitored are on Hoy, where 203 sites were checked, 58 found to be occupied and eggs laid at 56. At least 34 pairs were successful and these fledged 45 young. At least 81 pairs were confirmed breeding in Orkney, although not all sites were checked. A sample of sites in Shetland is monitored by the Shetland Ringing Group, who reported another poor season in terms of both number of successful pairs and productivity: a total of 26 pairs were successful, compared with an average of 47.3 during 1980-2009 (Okill 2010). On Fetlar, 19 pairs fledged 1 1 young, while on Foula nine pairs fledged just four young. Scotland, S Clyde At a traditional site, one bird was recorded in display flight in May, but there were no further observa- tions. Clyde Islands Five pairs bred (but limited information received). Scotland, Mid North-east Scotland One pair bred and one pair possibly bred. Amber Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica Rare: 2 1 7 bp (2006 survey) Coverage: moderate 55-77 pairs. Fewer pairs were recorded in 2010 than in many recent years, partly due to a reduction in monitoring by a few observers in Highland. Black-throated Divers breed beside large freshwater lochs, especially those with complex shorelines and islands. Birdwatchers resident in or visiting western Scotland are encouraged to report all sightings of pairs of this species on potential nesting lochs to help improve monitoring of the numbers of this rare and iconic bird of the Highlands. Scotland, S Clyde One pair bred but was again unsuccessful. Clyde Islands No details of breeding or numbers available, but pairs known to be present. Dumfries & Galloway One pair bred with young seen in June. Scotland, Mid One pair bred but eggs lost, possibly due to predation, and three pairs possibly bred. Scotland, N & W Argyll Eight sites were monitored, and pairs were present at six. Four pairs bred (two of which fledged a total of three young), and two pairs possibly bred. Caithness Eight pairs bred and one pair probably bred. Highland Details were received on 48 pairs of which 35 pairs bred, five pairs probably bred and eight pairs possibly bred. Outer Hebrides Details were received on eight pairs of which five pairs bred and three pairs probably bred. Macaronesian Shearwater Puffmus baroli Potential breeder 0-1 pairs. Macaronesian Shearwater (or Little Shearwater, as a majority of British birders con- tinue to know it as) breeds on islands in the mid Atlantic, such as the Azores and Canary Islands, and is generally confined to the warm waters surrounding them. A calling male was on Skomer, Pembrokeshire, in 1981 and 1982 (Spencer et al. 1986), so this species has a track record for repeated visits to shearwater colonies in the southwest of the UK. The 2010 bird, a male that gave nocturnal advertising calls from a burrow in a Manx Shearwater P. puffmus colony on Lundy, was never actually seen; it was apparently also present in 2009 (although no details have yet been submitted to BBRC) and subsequently returned again in 2011. England, SW Devon A male was heard calling from a burrow on most nights between 4th and 24th June. Amber British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 367 Holling et al. Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris Rare: 5-yr mean 84 booming males Coverage: near-complete 56 sites: 87-106 booming males with 41 breeding attempts at 17 sites. The numbers show the minimum number of booming males (based on residency at a site for at least a week, although this may include some wintering birds early in the season), while the maximum figure includes males booming for a shorter period only or where it was not possible to confirm that different males were involved. The status of Bitterns in the last 100 years was reviewed recently by Brown et al. (2012). Simon Wotton, RSPB, commented as follows. The 2009/10 winter was the coldest in the UK since 1978/79. From mid December, cold weather predominated across much of the UK, with spells of snow and very low temperatures. It is likely that this bout of severe weather affected the condition of wintering Bitterns, as they struggled to find food. The cold winter was then followed by one of the driest springs in recent years, at least in East Anglia, resulting in low water levels at some sites, especially in the Norfolk Broads. The distribution and abundance of Bitterns in winter 2009/10 was reviewed by Wotton eto/. (20 II). Despite the harsh winter, there was another increase in the number of booming Bitterns in 2010. A minimum of 87 booming males was confirmed, all in England, an increase of 6% on the 2009 figure of 82. The number of sites supporting at least one booming male in 2010 increased to 47, from 43 in 2009. Booming was confirmed at new sites in Cambridgeshire, Kent, Somerset and Yorkshire, although no booming was recorded at new sites in 2009 in Essex, Greater Manchester, Nottinghamshire or Wales. England, SW Somerset Six sites: 14-19 booming males; 14 confirmed nests. England, SE Kent Four sites: 3-4 booming males; one confirmed nest. Sussex One site: one booming male. England, E Cambridgeshire Eight sites: 8-11 booming males; one confirmed nest. Lincolnshire Three sites: 3-4 booming males. Norfolk North Norfolk coast Six sites: 5-7 booming males; two confirmed nests. Norfolk Broads 12 sites: 17-19 booming males; six confirmed nests. Suffolk Suffolk coast Seven sites: 26-27 booming males; 1 1 confirmed nests. Fens One site: six booming males; five confirmed nests. England, C Staffordshire One site: 0-1 booming male. England, N Greater Manchester One site: 0-1 booming male. Lancashire & N Merseyside One site: one booming male. Yorkshire Four sites: 3-4 booming males; one confirmed nest. Wales Anglesey One site: 0-1 booming male. Red Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus Occasional breeder; previously recorded in 1 984 One site: one pair bred. This is only the second confirmed breeding record of Little Bitterns in the UK, although the occurrence of a barking male at the Somerset site in 2009 can now be seen as a precursor to this event. (The advertising call of a male Little Bittern is known as barking, owing to its similarity to a deep bark of a dog.) Observations of breeding behaviour in its reedbed habitat are difficult to make, and careful descriptions were required to provide sufficient evidence for BBRC, including of the juvenile (Hudson et al. 2011 and in prep.). England, SW Somerset One site: one pair bred. Reports of a barking male were followed by the sighting of a female from 3rd July. The pair was then seen making feeding flights, providing confirmation that young had hatched, while a recently fledged juvenile was seen on 23rd July. 368 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 207. Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus, Somerset, July 2010. Regular sightings of an adult flying over the reedbed were a reliable indicator that the bird was making feeding flights and that there were young in the nest. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Occasional breeder; first bred in 2008 One site: 0—1 pairs. A colonisation to emulate that of the Little Egret Egretta garzetta was antici- pated by some after the first breeding of Cattle Egrets, in 2008, but progress since then has been somewhat disappointing. It can be difficult to confirm breeding of single pairs of egrets within colonies of other species, and observers in the south of England should take care to check for this species when counting Little Egret colonies. England, SW Somerset One site: two adults within a heronry probably bred but no young were seen. Little Egret Egretta garzetta Scarce: 5-yr mean 739 bp Coverage: moderate 82 sites: 718-800 pairs. As Little Egrets become an ever more familiar sight in southern Britain, it seems that finding and counting nests is becoming less of a priority in some parts of the country and not all colonies are being counted each year. Consequently, the totals presented here are becoming a somewhat less accurate summary of the bird’s UK status, yet it is still likely that there are fewer than 1,000 pairs of Little Egrets nationwide. The species remains scarce north of a line between Morecambe Bay and the Tees. We are keen to encourage annual counts of all egret colonies, with submission of the results to county recorders and to the BTO as part of its annual Heronries Census. Most Little Egret colonies in the UK are relatively small. Mean colony size in 2010 was 9.8 nests, although there were six colonies with at least 30 nests (in Caernarfonshire, Cheshire & Wirral, Devon, Hampshire, Kent and Norfolk). The largest colony was at Northward Hill, in Kent, although the total of 94 nests in 2010 was below the peak count of 124 in 2009, presumably an effect of the cold winter in 2009/10. Amber British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 369 John Crispin Moiling et al. Little Egret No. sites Confirmed breeding pairs Total pairs England, SW 31 186 230 Cornwall 5 20 20 Devon 8 59 84 Dorset 5 29 29 Gloucestershire 3 15 16 Hampshire 5 45 61 Somerset 4 17 19 Wiltshire 1* 1 + 1 + England, SE 20 219 224 Bedfordshire 1 0 2 Berkshire 2 2 3 Buckinghamshire 2 6 6 Essex 5 57 57 Kent 4 115 115 Oxfordshire 1 2 2 Sussex 5 37 39 England, E 21 199 218 Cambridgeshire 3 4 17 Lincolnshire 5 50 56 Norfolk 8 107 107 Northamptonshire 1 1 1 Suffolk 4 37 37 England, N 2 31 31 Cheshire & Wirral 1 30 30 Yorkshire 1 1 1 Wales 7 83 95 Anglesey 1 3 3 Caernarfonshire 2 54 64 Ceredigion 1 1 1 11 Gower 1 12 14 Gwent r 1 + 1+ Pembrokeshire i 2 2 Northern Ireland i 0 2 Co. Down i 0 2 TOTALS * Colony at site but no count. 82 718 800 Great White Egret Ardea alba Potential breeder Two sites: 0-2 pairs. The Great White Egret is another heron that has become a more frequent visitor to the UK in recent years and has now occurred in most recording areas but, perhaps sur- prisingly, not in previous RBBP reports. In 2010, observations of pairs in both Somerset and Suffolk revealed signs of potential breeding behaviour and so are documented here. As this report was being finalised, news of a confirmed breeding attempt in Somerset in 2012 was made public (see pp. 423-424), marking the long-predicted addition of Great White Egret to the British breeding avifauna. England, SW Somerset One site: regular sightings of two adults throughout the breeding season included the pair visiting the same patch of reeds, suggesting a nesting attempt, but there were no confirmed feeding flights or young birds seen. England, E Suffolk One site: a pair was present in a heronry throughout the breeding season, but is not thought to have nested. 370 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea First bred in 2010 One site: one pair bred. Following the events of 2007 (when a breeding attempt at Minsmere in Suffolk was curtailed only when heavy rain and flooding at the site in June led to the departure of the birds), the successful breeding of a pair at Dungeness RSPB reserve in 2010 becomes the first confirmed breeding of Purple Herons in the UK. England, SE Kent One site: one pair bred. The birds were first recorded on 27th April and remained until 23rd August, Hedging two young. Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia Occasional breeder; last bred in 2008 One site: six pairs. A review and a full list of breeding attempts by Eurasian Spoonbills in the UK was included in the RBBP report for 2008 (Holling et al. 2010), when a pair nested successfully in Dumfries & Galloway. That record was only the second successful breeding attempt in modern times, but all records of confirmed breeding have involved just single pairs. The establishment of a colony of Spoonbills in Norfolk in 2010 (see plates 202-205, pp. 358-359) thus provides a step- change in the colonisation of the country by this species, leading to the expectation that we can at long last expect Spoonbills to become a regular component of our rare breeding avifauna. In addition to the breeding colony, summering birds were reported elsewhere in East Anglia, in Kent and in Sussex - where a single bird in a Great Cormorant Phalacrocornx carbo colony from late May into June was seen nest-building. England, E Norfolk One site: six pairs bred, ten young fledged. Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus Rare: 5-yr mean 3 I bp Coverage: near-complete 1 1 sites: 22 pairs bred but only six sites produced young. Three singles at three other sites. Stuart Benn, RSPB, commented as follows. As in previous years, all occupied sites were monitored and the outcome recorded: 106 lochs were checked, including all those with a history of occupation since 1 990. The number of breeding pairs (22) was the lowest recorded since regular monitoring began, in 1971. However, productivity was 0.82 young per territorial pair, well above the long-term average of 0.56. On the Scottish mainland, I I sites were occupied by pairs and a further two by just a single bird; only six sites produced young, however (the equal second-lowest ever). The population is in steep decline and the situation appears critical - there is little doubt that the Slavonian Grebe is in big trouble as a UK breeding species. In 2010, SPAs held I I pairs (50% of the total) and produced nine young (50%). Scotland, Mid and N & W Highland/Moray & Nairn 1 1 sites: 22 pairs reared 18 young. Two other sites also held single birds. Orkney A single bird was present in June and July. Stuart Benn, who has worked with this grebe for many years, has also researched the history of the Slavonian Grebe as a nesting species in the UK and here presents a review of its changing status. Slavonian Grebe bones dating back to the tenth century have been excavated from inland middens in Iceland (McGovern et al. 2006) but, in the UK, we had to wait another millennium before Slavonian Grebes became part of our summer scene. The first recorded breeding was in 1909 at Loch Laide, west of Loch Ness (McGhie 1994). During the ensuing half century, the Amber British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 371 Alan Harris Holling et al. . I** 'y- \ i *35 ' “ iv y mt < 'r » s -■ I r7,v. • *• -.4 ^ 1 i.i I L A V / i '*! ■•**»- published record gives only tantalising glimpses of their numbers and distribution but it appears that they were never common. The few records that do exist suggest that, as now, their stronghold was around the northern part of the Great Glen but there are also records of breeding pairs from Sutherland, Caithness and Morayshire. Further historical material doubtless remains to be discovered and a search through museum specimens, and archived diaries and notebooks would be rewarding but for now, as with many other species, a full picture begins to emerge only from the time of the first Atlas (Sharrock 1976). Malcolm Harvey and Roy Dennis began monitoring the breeding population in 1971 and this has continued annually ever since, undertaken by Malcolm, his volunteers and a succession of RSPB staff. It is known that not all young were counted in 1973 and the survey was incomplete in 1977 but otherwise it is believed that all pairs and young in the UK have been counted every year.This series is one of the longest running and most comprehensive set of annual counts of any British breeding bird and is an invaluable resource. The very first RBBP summary covered 1 973; although this was one of those incomplete years, it was able to report that 5 I pairs of Slavonian Grebes reared at least 3 I young, the bulk of these being in Inverness-shire. Most of the rest were in Morayshire but Caithness had a few pairs and there were the first breeding records from Perthshire. Numbers and distribution were similar in 1974, with the notable addition of a pair rearing one young in Aberdeenshire (an area that hasn’t been occupied since). Caithness was abandoned after 1975 but elsewhere numbers continued to increase and reached 80 pairs in 1978. From then to the early 1990s was the heyday of the Slavonian Grebe as a breeding bird in the UK and though numbers did fluctuate a little (down to 63 pairs in some years), such declines were short-lived. Singles also summered in southern Scotland between 1985 and 1988, and southwest England in 1986. However, all was not positive, as breeding became restricted to the Inverness and Moray core areas following the last nesting in Perthshire in 1982, though birds continued to summer there for some years after that. A major change occurred in 1994 when only 52 pairs were recorded on territory, a considerable drop from 73 the previous year; interestingly, this was mirrored by a similar fall in the grebe numbers returning to Myvatn, Iceland (A. Einarsson pers. comm.). The cause of this decline is unclear, although it coincided with a large seabird wreck on Britain’s east coast during the previous winter. Whatever the reason, it heralded the start of a decline that levelled out only in 2000, by which time there were just 3 I pairs remaining, almost half of those being at one site, Loch Ruthven. The early years of this millennium saw something of a recovery (to 5 I pairs by 2004) and also heralded a remarkable set of records from England. In 2005, a pair built a nest in Cleveland but it was taken over by Common Coots Fulica atra. Even more unlikely was the bird that paired with a Great Crested Grebe P. cristatus in Leicestershire & Rutland from 2006 to 2008, the first recorded instance of these species interbreeding in the world. Unfortunately, we are none the wiser about what this pairing would have produced. In 2006, eggs were laid and hatched but the young were 372 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 predated (Toon 2007). Eggs were laid again in the subsequent years but both attempts failed with the nest being flooded out in 2007 and deserted following disturbance in 2008. But these English records were set against the backdrop of a worsening situation in Scotland. After 2005, there has been a sustained decline - by 2010 the population had fallen to 22 pairs, the lowest level since regular monitoring began. Equally worrying is the fact that they have become increasingly restricted in distribution. Moray has been all but abandoned and, although birds have begun to summer in Orkney and Shetland, they haven’t yet bred. Slavonian Grebes are now, effectively, restricted to fewer than a dozen lochs near Inverness. These trends are interesting in themselves but become even more so when placed in a wider northern European context. The situation in Norway is complex; Slavonian Grebes in some areas are declining rapidly, and in an area around Tromso have decreased from 230 to just 27 pairs since 2001 (K-B. Strann pers. comm.). However, in other parts of Norway the species has increased, particularly in the south but in the far north too (0ien et al. 2008). In Iceland, the population has undergone an overall, dramatic and sustained increase from 250 to over 1,000 pairs in the last 20 years (A. Einarsson, A. Petersson, L.Thorarinsson pers. comm.). Despite various theories, there has never been a convincing explanation for the species’ restricted distribution in the UK and the reasons behind its decline. However, the RSPB has recently begun collaborating with Slavonian Grebe workers in Iceland and Norway. It is early days yet but the hope is that these wider datasets will offer the clues that allow us to identify what the causes of these population changes are and then carry out conservation action for this fantastic species. Fig. I. Total number of nesting pairs and young fledged by Slavonian Grebes Podiceps auritus in Scotland since 1971. 50 1 total lochs used 40 - total successful lochs 30 - W 20 - 10 - o H 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09 II Fig. 2. Total number of lochs used by Slavonian Grebes in Scotland since 1971 and the number of lochs that held successful pairs. British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 373 Damian Waters Holling et al. Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis Rare: 5-yr mean 5 I bp Coverage: near-complete 15 sites: 38-49 pairs. Up to 64 young fledged. Fifteen sites is the lowest total reported since 1986 and continues the steady decline in numbers and distribution of Black-necked Grebes over the last 10-15 years. Regular sites in Borders and Staffordshire held no breeding birds in 2010 and some counties, such as Cheshire & Wirral, Lincolnshire, Northumberland and Nottinghamshire, had breeding birds at fewer sites than in 2009. Only Yorkshire saw an increase in the number of sites and pairs. However, the number of young fledged was higher than in recent years. England, SE Hertfordshire One site: nine pairs bred, 23 young seen but not all may have fledged. Kent One site: three pairs bred, fledging six young, and one pair probably bred. England, E Cambridgeshire One site: one pair probably bred, with a third bird also present, but the three birds were also seen at two other sites nearby. Lincolnshire One site: one pair probably bred. England, C Nottinghamshire One site: one pair bred; two young fledged. England, N Cheshire & Wirral Two sites: (1)11 pairs bred and fledged 1 1 young; (2) two pairs possibly bred. Cleveland A single bird present in April started nest-building but did not find a mate. Greater Manchester One site: four pairs bred; 13 young hatched but the number reduced to five later. Northumberland Two sites: (1) four pairs probably bred; (2) one pair possibly bred. Yorkshire Five sites: (1) six pairs bred, 1 1 young fledged; (2) one pair bred, fledging one young, and one pair possibly bred; (3) one pair bred, three young fledged; (4) one pair bred, two young fledged; (5) one pair bred, no data on productivity. Amber Honey-buzzard Perm's apivorus Rare: 5-yr mean 4 1 bp Coverage: high Amber 29-47 pairs; at least 40 young fledged. The increase in the number of pairs shown in the 2009 report (Brit. Birds 104: 499) continues. Although we believe that the majority of known nesting pairs (if not location details) are now reported to the Panel, this is an unobtrusive species and there may well be undetected pairs in larger afforested areas; the issue is a lack of time available to experi- enced fieldworkers to seek out new territo- ries. Wiseman’s (2012) recent description of the long-term study of this species in the New Forest is typical of the 208. Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus, Scotland, May 2010. Up to 47 pairs dedication and enthu- of Honey-buzzards were reported to the Panel in 2010, one of the siasm of small groups highest totals in recent years. of such Fieldworkers. 374 British Birds 1 05 • July 2012 * 352-4 1 6 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 England, SW Fourteen territories occupied in three counties. Ten pairs bred, fledging at least 17 young. England, SE Eleven territories occupied in three counties. Nine pairs bred, fledging 18 young. Single birds at other sites were widely reported indicating a potentially larger breeding population. England, E, C & N Eleven territories occupied in tour counties. Six pairs bred fledging at least three young, though detailed information was lacking trom some sites. Wales Six territories occupied in three counties. Four pairs bred, fledging two young. Scotland Five territories occupied in three counties. No confirmed breeding reported. Red Kite Milvus milvus Less scarce: 5-yr mean 1 , 1 64 bp Coverage: moderate A minimum of 1,193 pairs. The table mainly shows the number of pairs where nests are found and monitored; in Wales and the Chilterns (highlighted by an asterisk in the table) these figures are known to be gross underestimates. For instance, the Welsh Kite Trust believes that the Welsh population is over 1,000 pairs and the population of southern England is over 800 pairs. Fac- toring these into the national picture presented here suggests a more realistic figure of over 2,200 pairs in the UK. High breeding success and annual survival has fuelled the year-on-year increase of Red Kites, although illegal poisoning and direct persecution in parts of northern Scotland has slowed the growth there (Smart etal. 2010). Amber Red Kite Northumberland 1 Confirmed and probable Yorkshire 84 breeding pairs Wales 556* England, SW 52 Breconshire 53 Dorset 1 Caernarfonshire 4 Hampshire 32 Carmarthenshire 76 Somerset 1 Ceredigion 170 Wiltshire 18 Denbigh 8c Flint 1 England, SE 133* East Glamorgan 2 Bedfordshire 1 Gower 10 Berkshire 9 Gwent 4 Buckinghamshire 87* Meirionnydd 6 Hertfordshire 10 Montgomeryshire 68 Oxfordshire 24* Pembrokeshire 18 Sussex 2 Radnorshire 144 England, E 133 Scotland, S 53 Cambridgeshire 11 Ayrshire 1 Lincolnshire 15 Dumfries 8c Galloway 52 Norfolk 4 Scotland, Mid 68 Northamptonshire 103 North-east Scotland 11 England, C 29 Perth 8c Kinross 36 Herefordshire 5 Upper Forth 21 Leicestershire 8c Rutland 6 Scotland, N 8c W 53 Shropshire 17 Highland 53 Warwickshire 1 Northern Ireland 5 England, N 111 Co. Down 5 Co. Durham 26 TOTALS 1,193 British Birds 105 'July 2012 • 352-416 375 Holling et al. White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla Rare: 5-yr mean 44 bp Coverage: near-complete 47-52 pairs fledged 46 young. This was the most successful year yet of the reintroduction scheme, with the most pairs breeding and the highest number of young fledged. Scotland, N & W Argyll 12 pairs bred, of which 11 fledged 15 young, and one further territorial pair. Highland (including Skye, Small Isles and mainland) 23 pairs bred, of which 14 fledged 16 young, and a further four territorial pairs. Outer Hebrides 12 pairs bred, of which eight pairs fledged 15 young. Red Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Scarce: 5-yr mean 384 bp Coverage: high 258-327 breeding females/pairs. Fewer reports of Marsh Harriers were received in 2010, which may be a reflection of the high densities in east and southeast England, where not all pairs are found and recorded each year. For example, a survey of Marsh Harriers in Lincolnshire in 2009 found over 100 pairs, compared to the 64 reported below. The range extension to the west con- tinues, with more pairs in Dorset and Somerset, a pair in Pembrokeshire and the first breeding in Cheshire & Wirral. There was no repeat of the successful nesting in Northumberland in 2009 and the only nesting pairs in Scotland were in the Tay reedbeds and in Highland, although there was a wide spread of summering birds in Scotland. England, SW Dorset Two pairs bred. Somerset Two pairs bred. England, SE Essex Seven pairs bred, two pairs probably bred and one pair possibly bred. Kent 29 pairs bred, six pairs probably bred and one pair possibly bred. Sussex Four pairs bred. England, E Cambridgeshire 17 pairs bred. Lincolnshire 41 pairs bred and 21 pairs probably bred. Norfolk 70 pairs bred, one pair probably bred and five pairs possibly bred. Suffolk 55 pairs bred, five pairs probably bred and two pairs possibly bred. England, C Nottinghamshire One pair bred, again fledging two young. England, N Cheshire & Wirral One pair bred, fledging three young. This is the first confirmed breeding in the county. Cleveland One pair possibly bred - nest-building seen early in the season but no activity later. Lancashire & N Merseyside Four pairs bred and one pair probably bred. Yorkshire 19 pairs bred, 15 pairs probably bred and six pairs possibly bred . Wales Pembrokeshire One pair probably bred. In April, the male was seen to bring food to an immature female at a presumed nest-site, but there was no further proof of nesting. It is, however, thought likely that the pair had a nest with eggs, but that no young hatched. Scotland, Mid Fife/Perth & Kinross Four pairs bred; all pairs were successful, fledging 1 1 young. In addition, in Fife a female stayed at one site for six weeks, in Moray & Nairn a male was present in spring for a month, and in North-east Scotland at one site there were up to three females and two males, but with no sign of nesting, while elsewhere, a female lingered for two weeks in May. Scotland, N & W Argyll A single female was seen frequently in May and early June. Highland One pair bred but failed after laying; elsewhere a single female was recorded nest-building although no male was seen. Northern Ireland Co. Down One pair bred, but was not successful. Amber 376 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus Scarce: 662 bp (2010 survey) Coverage: moderate We received information on 345 monitored pairs, of which 269 were confirmed breeders that Hedged a minimum of 432 young. There was a national survey of the Hen Harrier in 2010, and here Mark Eaton outlines the results. Red As a Red-listed species of high conservation concern, the Hen Harrier is surveyed in the UK and Isle of Man at six-yearly intervals as part of the SCARABBS programme. The RSPB, working with many Raptor Study Group volunteers, and with funding from the Countryside Commission for Wales, Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage, organised the latest such survey, in 20 10. This survey combined complete coverage of suitable breeding areas in most of the range with a sample-based approach in Scotland. Whereas the 2004 survey had found an increase in numbers (Sim et al. 2007), the 2010 survey found a significant decline, of 18%, since 2004. There was a mixed picture across the UK, with a continuation of the increase found in Wales in 2004, but declines elsewhere including a near-halving of the Isle of Man population. The English population remains perilously low and is restricted almost entirely to the Forest of Bowland where the RSPB/United Utilities Birds of Bowland project offers sanctuary from the persecution suffered elsewhere. Data submitted directly to RBBP covered 100% of the population in England and the Isle of Man, 75% in Wales, 48% in Scotland and 88% in Northern Ireland. These percentages give some indication of the usual proportion of records normally covered by the annual RBBP reports. Hen Harrier 20 1 0 survey Territorial pairs Change since 2004 (%) England 12 9.1 Wales 57 32.6 Scotland 505 (417-612) -20.2 Northern Ireland 59 -6.3 Isle of Man 29 -49.1 TOTAL 662 (574-769) -17.9 Numbers in parentheses are 95% confidence limits; estimates given without CLs are from areas where complete coverage was achieved. Change figures are based on numbers of territorial pairs. British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 377 Dan Powell Holling et al. Montagu’s Harrier Circus pygargus Very rare: 5-yr mean 16 bp Coverage: near-complete 14 sites: 12-16 pairs fledged a minimum of 17 young. Since the late 1960s, most Montagu’s Harrier nests have been in cereal crops (Gibbons et al. 1993) and active measures are required to protect nests and young from farming operations. The occurrence of a breeding pair (for the second time in four years) and a single displaying male on northern moorland is interesting, as it was in such habitats that most of our Montagu’s Harriers formerly nested (Sharrock 1976). England, S Five sites: five pairs bred, of which two pairs fledged five young, and two pairs possibly bred (one of these relates to a single male displaying and holding territory over a five-week period). England, E Lincolnshire Four sites: four pairs bred, of which two were successful, fledging four young. Norfolk Three sites: two pairs bred, both of which were successful, fledging six young, and one pair probably bred. England, C Derbyshire One site: a single adult male seen from 26th April to 23rd May, sky-dancing on occasions. England, N Yorkshire One site: one pair bred, hatching five eggs and fledging two young. Amber Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis Scarce: 5-yr mean 432 bp Coverage: high 295-435 pairs. This species is well monitored in key counties (mainly through nest visits by licensed observers) but is easily overlooked and a small but unknown proportion of the popula- tion goes unrecorded each year. Green Northern Goshawk Confirmed Total pairs England, SW breeding pairs 62 71 Avon 0 1 Devon 10 15 Gloucestershire 28 28 Hampshire 22 22 Somerset 0 3 Wiltshire 2 2 England, SE 2 5 Buckinghamshire 0 1 Kent 0 1 Surrey 1 1 Sussex 1 2 England, E 5 13 Lincolnshire 0 1 Norfolk 2 8 Suffolk 3 4 England, C 38 45 Derbyshire 18 22 Herefordshire 6 6 Nottinghamshire 2 4 Shropshire 12 12 Staffordshire 0 1 England, N 36 88 Cheshire 8c Wirral 0 1 Cleveland 0 1 Cumbria 3 6 Co. Durham 0 6 Lancashire 8c N Merseyside 0 2 Northumberland 28 35 Yorkshire 5 37 Wales 51 105 Breconshire 4 15 Caernarfonshire 1 1 Ceredigion 1 5 Denbigh 8c Flint 1 1 East Glamorgan 4 7 Gower 5 10 Gwent 28 28 Meirionnydd 0 2 Montgomeryshire 3 6 Pembrokeshire 0 4 Radnorshire 4 26 Scotland, S 47 49 Borders 26 27 Dumfries 8c Galloway 18 19 Lothian 1 1 South Strathclyde RSG 2 2 Scotland, Mid 47 50 Angus 8c Dundee 2 2 North-east Scotland 44 47 Perth 8c Kinross 1 1 Scotland, N 8c W 1 1 Highland 1 1 Northern Ireland 6 8 Co. Antrim 5 6 Co. Down 1 2 TOTALS 295 435 378 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos Scarce: 442 bp (2003 survey) Coverage: moderate Results of Golden Eagle monitoring by Scottish Raptor Study Groups and the Northern England Raptor Forum (Downing et nl. 2011) are presented below. In Scotland, a total of 352 home ranges were checked, of which 269 were occupied by pairs and 36 by single birds only. This compares with the population of 442 pairs estimated after the 2003 national survey (Eaton et nl. 2007b). Of 252 nests monitored in Scotland, the mean number of young fledged per nest was 0.56, the highest since 2004 (Etheridge et al. 2012). Amber Golden Eagle Singles 1 Probable Confirmed Total Min. no. breeding breeding pairs young pairs 2 pairs fledged England, N 8c Scotland, S 2 1 1 2 1 Angus 8c Dundee 0 2 8 10 12 Central Scotland RSG 0 4 6 10 2 North-east Scotland RSG 2 8 7 15 10 Perth 8c Kinross 1 8 8 16 5 Argyll 6 7 39 46 27 Highland 26 45 74 119 64 Outer Hebrides (Lewis 8c Harris) 0 1 1 27 38 11 Outer Hebrides (Uists) 0 2 1 1 13 8 TOTALS 37 88 181 269 140 1 Total includes home ranges occupied by single birds or showing signs of occupation but no pair seen. 2 May include some pairs that laid eggs but failed early, and pairs on territory that were not fully moni- tored, so evidence of egg-laying was not available. Osprey Pandion haliaetus Rare: 5-yr mean I 83 bp Coverage: moderate 181-211 pairs. Nine pairs nesting in England is a new record and this is accompanied by increasing numbers of summering birds in England, Wales and southern Scotland. Our efforts to provide an accurate total of the number of pairs across the UK are confounded by the fact that not all pairs are counted in the Scottish strongholds (mainly Highland, Moray & Nairn and Perth & Kinross), and because some data on pairs that have been monitored still do not reach the Panel. We believe that all the known pairs of Ospreys in all other counties are monitored and reported, so it seems likely that the number of breeding pairs each year is now over 200 and perhaps as high as 250. England, C Leicestershire 8c Rutland Four pairs bred. England, N Cumbria Two pairs bred, one of which fledged two young. Northumberland One pair bred, fledging three young, one pair built a nest but did not lay, and one pair present at a third site. England, elsewhere Two pairs bred. Wales Meirionnydd One pair bred, fledging three young, and one pair present at a second site. Scotland, S 8c Mid Angus & Dundee One pair bred, fledging two young. Borders Nine pairs bred, fledging 18 young, and one other territorial pair. Central Scotland RSG 18 pairs bred, fledging 38 young, and at least six other territorial pairs. Dumfries 8c Galloway Four pairs bred, fledging 12 young, and four other territorial pairs. Moray 8c Nairn One pair bred: this was the only information received. North-east Scotland 19 pairs bred, fledging 35 young, and four other territorial pairs. Perth & Kinross 44 pairs bred, fledging 65 young. South Strathclyde Amber British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 379 Steve McQueen Holling et al. RSG One pair bred, fledging three young, and one other territorial pair. Scotland, N & W Argyll RSG 16 pairs bred, fledging 30 young, and four other territorial pairs. Highland RSG 58 pairs bred, fledging 106 young, and at least seven other territorial pairs. Merlin Falco c olumbarius Less scarce: 1 , 1 60 bp (2008 survey) Coverage: moderate Amber 262-341 pairs monitored. Merlin Confirmed breeding pairs Territories occupied by pairs England, SW 1 1 Devon 1 1 England, C 12 14 Derbyshire 10 12 Shropshire 1 1 Staffordshire 1 1 England, N 86 109 Cumbria 7 7 Co. Durham 28 30 Lancashire 8c N Merseyside 8 11 Northumberland 18 23 Yorkshire 25 38 Wales 14 22 Breconshire 2 4 Ceredigion 1 1 Denbigh 8c Flint 2 2 Meirionnydd 2 2 Montgomeryshire 4 4 Radnorshire 3 9 Scotland, S 23 36 Borders 3 7 Dumfries 8c Galloway RSG 4 8 Lothian 6 6 South Strathclyde RSG 10 15 Scotland, Mid 73 77 Angus 8c Dundee 16 17 Moray 8c Nairn 11 1 1 North-east Scotland 28 31 Perth 8c Kinross 17 17 Upper Forth 1 1 Scotland, N 8c W 52 79 Argyll 1 2 Highland RSG 20 35 Orkney Outer Hebrides 9 14 (Lewis 8c Harris only) 6 10 Shetland 16 18 Northern Ireland 1 3 Co. Antrim 0 1 Co. Derry 1 1 Co. Down 0 1 TOTALS 262 341 380 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Hobby Falco subbuteo Less scarce: 5-yr mean 1 ,0 1 7 bp Coverage: moderate 307-989 pairs. Clements (2001) estimated that the UK population is in the order of 2,200 breeding pairs, so these totals probably represent less than half the number of breeding Hobbies in the UK. Most counties continue to provide information based on known breeding sites rather than reviewing the year’s observations against the guidelines given on the RBBP website (www.rbbp.org.uk/downloads/sp_guidelines_hobby.pdf). These offer a standard methodology for translating observations into numbers of pairs for submission to the Panel. The Lincolnshire total is an estimate based on data from Bird Atlas 2007-1 1. Formerly rare, but now widespread in farmland in lowland England, Hobbies are secretive and breed later than most other species - and both of these factors lead to under-recording. Hardey et al. (2009) recommended that intensive searches for nests are best carried out when young are likely to have hatched, owing to the risk of nest predation and abandonment during incubation. This means the period between early July and mid August, when rather few birdwatchers are active in farmland areas. Fledging success can be measured from mid August onwards. We encourage more Fieldwork on this species at this time of year, but remind observers that a Schedule 1 licence is required if nests are to be visited or if any other observation required for monitoring might cause disturbance of the nesting pair. Green Hobby Confirmed breeding pairs Total pairs England, C Derbyshire 74 38 178 38 England, SW 69 184 Herefordshire 4 4 Avon 1 6 Leicestershire & Rutland 0 11 Cornwall 0 6 Nottinghamshire 10 15 Devon 13 17 Shropshire 9 47 Dorset 2 2 Staffordshire 2 16 Gloucestershire 10 14 Warwickshire 6 42 Hampshire 12 35 Worcestershire 5 5 Isle of Wight 0 1 England, N 29 113 Somerset 11 35 Cheshire & Wirral 16 42 Wiltshire 20 68 Co. Durham 1 1 England, SE 72 250 Greater Manchester 2 1 1 Bedfordshire 12 46 Lancashire & N Merseyside 2 18 Berkshire 3 4 Yorkshire 8 41 Buckinghamshire 2 17 Wales 9 35 Essex 1 5 Breconshire 0 7 Greater London 8 10 Carmarthenshire 2 2 Hertfordshire 0 50 Ceredigion 0 1 Kent 26 45 Denbigh & Flint 0 1 Oxfordshire 10 20 East Glamorgan 0 2 Surrey 8 11 Gower 0 1 Sussex 2 42 Gwent 3 3 England, E 53 228 Meirionnydd 1 2 Cambridgeshire 16 21 Montgomeryshire 0 7 Lincolnshire 0 (100) Radnorshire 3 9 Norfolk 11 23 Scotland, N 8c W 1 1 Northamptonshire 10 10 Highland 1 1 Suffolk 16 74 TOTALS 307 989 British Birds 1 05 • July 2012 * 352-4 1 6 381 Raymond King Holling et al. 209. A Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus family, East Glamorgan, June 2010. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Less scarce: 1 ,530 pairs (2002 survey) Coverage: moderate Green 834-1,105 pairs. Although the numbers presented here are inevitably samples, particularly from the north of the UK, the trend for increasing numbers in counties in the south and east of England continues. Comments from many raptor workers, particularly in the north of England (Downing et al. 2011), refer to losses of clutches and young before fledging as a result of human disturbance. Peregrine Falcon Confirmed Territories England, E 11 19 breeding pairs occupied by pairs Cambridgeshire 2 2 Lincolnshire 7 13 England, SW 118 200 Norfolk 1 2 Avon 13 13 Suffolk 1 2 Cornwall 31 37 England, C 79 85 Devon 13 75 Derbyshire 24 25 Dorset 28 28 Herefordshire 1 1 Gloucestershire 7 10 Leicestershire & Rutland 10 11 Hampshire 7 7 Nottinghamshire 7 7 Isle of Wight 10 10 Shropshire 20 20 Isles of Scilly 0 1 Staffordshire 7 7 Somerset 6 16 Warwickshire 3 5 Wiltshire 3 3 West Midlands 4 4 England, SE 58 75 Worcestershire 3 5 Bedfordshire 2 2 England, N 164 202 Berkshire 2 2 Cheshire & Wirral 6 7 Buckinghamshire 0 1 Cleveland 3 5 Essex 0 3 Cumbria 54 70 Greater London 8 17 Co. Durham 6 8 Kent 1 1 15 Greater Manchester 8 8 Oxfordshire 4 4 Lancashire & N Merseyside 24 24 Surrey 7 7 Northumberland 20 24 Sussex 24 24 Yorkshire 43 56 382 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Peregrine Falcon cont. Confirmed Territories breeding pairs occupied Wales 114 by pairs 158 Anglesey 8 9 Breconshire 10 16 Caernarfonshire 3 6 Carmarthenshire 6 6 Ceredigion 4 4 Denbigh & Flint 12 12 East Glamorgan 19 33 Gower 5 5 Gwent 4 4 Meirionnydd 3 4 Montgomeryshire 2 6 Pembrokeshire 29 40 Radnorshire 9 13 Scotland, S 124 137 Dumfries & Galloway RSG 45 53 Lothian & Borders RSG 54 58 South Strathclyde RSG 25 26 Scotland, Mid 65 83 Angus & Dundee 12 22 Central Scotland RSG 18 23 Fife 1 2 Isle of May 1 1 North-east Scotland 5 7 Perth & Kinross 28 28 Scotland, N & W 49 63 Argyll 18 24 Fair Isle 0 1 Highland RSG 19 21 Orkney 8 11 Outer Hebrides 3 5 Shetland 1 1 Northern Ireland 45 74 Isle of Man 7 9 TOTALS 834 1,105 V\fater Rail Rallus aquaticus Less scarce: 5-yr mean: 1 ,092 bp* Coverage: moderate * 1988-91 estimate was 3,000-6,000 bp. 371 sites: a minimum of 1,032 territories; 147 pairs confirmed breeding. Water Rails are likely to be under-recorded in many counties. Some recorders have submitted likely county totals in addi- tion to the sometimes limited counts available in any particular season, which are summarised on the RBBP website. Green Water Rail Sites Territories Lincolnshire Norfolk 5 10 7 25 England, SW 43 105 Northamptonshire 3 3 Avon 2 5 Suffolk 21 236 Cornwall 2 2 England, C 26 57 Devon 5 7 Derbyshire 2 5 Dorset 7 8 Leicestershire & Rutland 3 3 Gloucestershire 3 3 Nottinghamshire 2 7 Hampshire 12 24 Shropshire 4 4 Isle of Wight 1 2 Staffordshire 4 19 Isles of Scilly 2 2 Warwickshire 5 7 Somerset 8 51 West Midlands 1 1 Wiltshire 1 1 Worcestershire 5 11 England, SF. 56 112 England, N 79 257 Bedfordshire 3 3 Cheshire & Wirral 9 15 Berkshire 2 2 Cleveland 4 4 Essex 15 26 Cumbria 5 5 Hertfordshire 5 9 Co. Durham 5 5 Kent 16 49 Greater Manchester 17 19 Oxfordshire 1 5 Lancashire 8t N Merseyside 4 110 Surrey 8 12 Northumberland 11 11 Sussex 6 6 Yorkshire 24 88 England, E 48 296 Wales 37 86 Cambridgeshire 9 25 Anglesey 4 33 British Birds 105 ’July 2012 • 352-416 383 Holling et al. Water Rail cont. Sites Territories Breconshire 2 2 Caernarfonshire 2 3 Carmarthenshire 3 3 Ceredigion 3 6 Denbigh 8c Flint 2 3 East Glamorgan 2 2 Gower 3 6 Gwent 1 8 Montgomeryshire 1 1 Pembrokeshire 3 5 Radnorshire 11 14 Scotland, S 34 42 Ayrshire 5 7 Borders 9 11 Clyde 12 14 Clyde Islands 1 1 Dumfries 8c Galloway 5 7 Lothian 2 2 Scotland, Mid 24 42 Angus 8c Dundee 3 15 Fife 2 2 Moray 8c Nairn 6 6 North-east Scotland 8 14 Perth 8c Kinross 5 5 Scotland, N 8c W 22 32 Argyll 6 14 Caithness 1 1 Highland 7 7 Orkney 5 7 Outer Hebrides 2 2 Shetland 1 1 Northern Ireland 2 3 Co. Down 1 2 Co. Fermanagh 1 1 TOTALS 371 1,032 Spotted Crake Porzana porzana Rare: 5-yr mean 33 singing males Coverage: moderate 14 sites: 0-22 pairs/singing males. Stroud et al. (2012) showed that, in most years, not all breeding-season records of this species are submitted to the Panel. Using their updated figures gives a revised 5-year mean of 33 singing males. It remains to be seen whether there are more records for 2010 to be incorporated into the review presented here. A national survey of Spotted Crakes in spring 2012 has used RBBP data to help direct fieldwork effort. This survey will provide a more up-to-date and complete population estimate. England, SW Somerset Two sites: two singing males in June, while a juvenile in August and September at the same site where a juvenile was recorded in 2009 had perhaps fledged there. England, E Cambridgeshire Two sites: (1) at least one (and possibly as many as three) singing males from 22nd April to 15th June; (2) up to three singing males from 22nd April to 6th May. England, N Yorkshire Two sites: (1) extensive site with five singing males; (2) one singing male on 12th and 27th June. Scotland, S Dumfries & Galloway One site: one singing male on 28th May. Scotland, N & W Argyll Two sites: three singing males heard in June. Highland Two sites: (1) two singing males on 11th May; (2) one singing male on 11th May. Orkney One site: one singing male on 20th May. Outer Hebrides One site: one singing male on 3rd June. Shetland One site: one singing male, heard on 27th June only. Amber Corn Crake Crex crex Less scarce: 5-yr mean 1,213 bp Coverage: near^complete 1,246 singing males. A national survey of Corn Crakes in 2009 revealed 1,167 singing males but numbers in 2010 were slightly higher, even though coverage may have been less complete. Numbers are more or less stable across Argyll and the Outer Hebrides; the main increases were in Highland (especially mainland, with 21 singing males, and Skye, with 27) and Orkney. England, E Cambridgeshire One extensive site (Nene Washes): 21 singing males. Red 384 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 England, C Derbyshire One site: one singing male on 1 Oth— 11th July. England, N Yorkshire 1 wo sites: ( 1 ) one extensive site held three singing males; (2) one singing male for at least two days in July. Scotland, S Ayrshire One site: one singing male on 30th May only. Scotland, Mid North-east Scotland Two sites: (1) one singing male 17th May to 5th June; (2) one singing male 1 2th — 16th June. It is possible that these two records may relate to the same bird. Scotland, N & W Argyll Total 713: Coll 1 16, Colonsay 57, Iona 34, Islay 81, Mull 7, Oronsay 25, Staffa 1, Tiree 391, Treshnish Isles 1. Highland Total 49: Mainland 21, Muck 1, Skye 27. Orkney Total 39. Outer Hebrides Total 415: Barra 70, Benbecula 22, Berneray 6, Harris 2, Lewis 106, North Uist 107, South Uist 92, Vatersay 10. Shetland Total 0. Northern Ireland Co. Down One site: one singing male, 1 1 th— 1 3th August. Common Crane Grus grus Very rare: 5-yr mean 14 bp Coverage: near-complete Seven sites: 13-15 pairs. Eight young fledged. Non-breeding pairs are not included in these totals but there has been an increase in records of such pairs wandering over large areas away from the centres of the breeding population in the Norfolk Broads, the East Anglian Fens and Yorkshire. The Great Crane Project began in 2010; this project, based in Somerset, aims to help secure the future of Common Cranes in the UK by releasing about 20 birds in each of the years between 2010 and 2015. England, E Cambridgeshire One site: one pair bred and fledged one young. Norfolk One extensive site (Norfolk Broads): nine pairs bred, with six successful pairs fledging six young, and one pair possibly bred. There was also one other, non-breeding pair. Suffolk One site: two pairs bred; one pair fledged one young. England, N Yorkshire Two extensive sites: one pair bred, fledging one young, one pair possibly bred and there were also two non-breeding pairs. UK, elsewhere Two sites in two counties, involving two non-breeding pairs in potential breeding habitat, each ranging widely. Great Bustard Otis tarda Reintroduced population first bred in 2008 One extensive site: four pairs bred. England, SW Wiltshire One site: four chicks hatched from four nests. Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta Less scarce: 5-yr mean 1,545 bp Coverage: near-complete At least 95 sites: 1,629 pairs. Avocets continue to expand to new sites, many within the counties of southeast and eastern England. Five years ago the species bred at 66 sites; now we have a situation where, as for the Little Egret, not all colonies are being counted each year, reducing the accuracy of this annual assessment of the Avocet population. We strongly encourage the counting of all colonies each year, and accurate six-figure grid references are essential to help separate duplicate counts. In addition to the records included in the table, prospecting pairs (sometimes with nest- building and copulation behaviour observed) were recorded at other sites in Cheshire & Wirral, and in Gloucestershire, Leicestershire & Rutland and Shropshire, indicating potential future expansions into more inland sites. Amber Amber British Birds 105 ’July 2012 • 352-416 385 Roger Tidman Holling et al. I / l flL / \ 210. Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta and Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna , Norfolk, April 2010. Avocets continue to expand into new breeding sites and over 1,600 pairs now nest in England and Wales. Avocet No. sites Confirmed breeding Suffolk England, C 10 4 229 7 pairs Nottinghamshire 2 2 England, SW 3 26 Worcestershire 2 5 Hampshire 3 26 England, N 14 121 England, SE 21 352 Cheshire & Wirral 1 1 Essex 7 108 Cleveland 1 15 Kent 9 196 Co. Durham 1 1 Sussex 5 48 Lancashire & N Merseyside 6 62 England, E 52 1,100 Yorkshire 5 42 Cambridgeshire 5 50 Wales 1 23 Lincolnshire 15 381 Gwent 1 23 Norfolk 22 440 TOTALS 95 1,629 Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus Scarce: 5-yr mean 355 bp Coverage: near-complete Eight counties: 375 confirmed breeding pairs fledged 240 young. Amber Stone-curlew Confirmed Young Oxfordshire 4 2 breeding pairs fledged Sussex 2 2 England, SW 122 85 England, E 235 141 Hampshire 27 18 Cambridgeshire 2 4 Wiltshire 95 67 Norfolk 1 19 66 England, SE 18 14 Suffolk 1 14 71 Berkshire 12 10 TOTALS 375 240 386 British Birds 105 ’July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Scarce: 5-yr mean 704 bp Coverage: moderate 703 pairs. Numbers reported each year reflect local coverage and not all sites are monitored. The total here is about 78% of the most recent estimate of 901 pairs found in the last national survey of 2007 (report in prep.). Carmarthenshire again posts the highest county total; here Little Ringed Plovers nest on river shingles and 75 pairs were found on the rivers Tywi, Cothi and Bran. The Tywi is the only Site of Special Scientific Interest scheduled for this species, and in 2010 held about 8% of the UK population. Green Little Ringed Plover Staffordshire 35 Confirmed and probable Warwickshire 15 breeding pairs West Midlands 6 England, SW 59 Worcestershire 15 Avon 1 England, N 179 Devon 2 Cheshire 8c Wirral 20 Dorset 3 Cleveland 6 Gloucestershire 8 Cumbria 2 Hampshire 31 Co. Durham 3 Somerset 5 Greater Manchester 43 Wiltshire 9 Lancashire 8c N Merseyside 30 Northumberland 8 I U4 Yorkshire 67 Bedfordshire 6 Berkshire 20 \ V dICS 1 1 z Breconshire 7 Buckinghamshire 9 Carmarthenshire 75 Essex 12 Ceredigion 3 Greater London 6 East Glamorgan 6 Hertfordshire 3 Gower 1 Kent 15 Gwent 5 Oxfordshire 14 Meirionnydd 4 Surrey 8 Montgomeryshire 6 Sussex 11 Radnorshire 5 England, E 68 Scotland, S 6 Cambridgeshire 12 Ayrshire 1 Lincolnshire 31 Borders 2 Norfolk 18 Clyde 2 Northamptonshire 2 Lothian 1 Suffolk 5 Scotland, Mid 9 England, C 166 Angus 8c Dundee 2 Derbyshire 38 Fife 3 Herefordshire 3 Moray 8c Nairn 1 Leicestershire & Rutlanc 21 North-east Scotland 2 Nottinghamshire 22 Upper Forth 1 Shropshire 11 TOTAL 703 Dotterel Charadrius morinellus Amber Scarce: 5 1 0-750 bp ( 1 999 survey) Coverage: low In 2010, data were received relating to 42 breeding pairs nesting within the main Scottish range, with records from mountain ranges in Angus & Dundee, Clyde Islands, Highland and North-east Scotland. A significant proportion of these records came from a small team of licensed field- workers checking the high tops for this species, but this is only a fraction of the total population. British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 387 Holling et al. The population estimate will be updated following the census of this and other montane species in 201 1. In northern England, a displaying pair was recorded on 28th May, but the birds were not seen during a follow-up visit on 16th June, despite extensive searching. Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima Very rare: 5-yr mean I bp Coverage: near-complete One site: two pairs. This small and vulnerable population hangs on - just - but observations of chicks provided confirmation of breeding for the second year running. Four potentially suitable sites, which have recorded Purple Sandpipers in the past, were also checked (under licence) but none held breeding birds in 2010. Scotland, N & W/Mid One site: two pairs bred. Amber Ruff Philomachus pugnax Very rare: 5-yr mean I I females Coverage: high Three sites: up to eight females. Once more, hints of potential breeding but no evidence of any sustained attempt, and it is four years since the last confirmed breeding, in Lancashire & N Merseyside. England, E Lincolnshire One site: lekking observed on several occasions with a male mating with at least two females, all three remaining on site into June. England, N Yorkshire One site: a total of 17 males and six females were present at leks in April and May and two males summered, but there was no evidence of breeding. Scotland, N & W Outer Hebrides One site: two males were seen lekking on 10th June, while on 16th June one of them was seen displaying to a female Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (!), but no females were recorded. Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa Rare: 5-yr mean 66 bp Coverage: near-complete 16 sites: 57-67 pairs. The numbers of nominate limosa remain steady, with the majority breeding at the Ouse Washes. The number of confirmed breeding pairs of L. 1. islandica (five), however, is lower than it has been since 2005. L. I. limosa 52-59 pairs England, SW One site: one pair bred, but is believed to have failed at the egg or small chick stage. England, SE Kent Three sites: (1) one pair bred, raising one young, one pair probably bred and two pairs possibly bred; (2) one pair probably bred, but no more than display and copulation seen; (3) one pair probably bred, based on agitated behaviour in mid July. England, E Cambridgeshire One site: 44 pairs bred and a total of 25 young fledged. Norfolk One site: four pairs bred, at least two broods of fledged young seen. Suffolk One extensive site: a single displaying male, present for the thirteenth consecutive spring, was seen at three coastal locations. England, N Lancashire & N Merseyside One site: one pair probably bred. Two males and a female were again seen dis- playing early in the season but no nesting took place. Yorkshire Two sites: ( 1 ) one pair bred. Four eggs were laid but lost to a predator; (2) one pair bred. A female with four newly hatched chicks was seen on 21st May. A male, caught and ringed on 29th April was of the race islandica (ID supported by biometrics), but it is not certain that the breeding pair was of this race. Red Red 388 British Birds 105 ‘July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 L. I. islandica 5—8 pairs Scotland, N & W Orkney Two sites: (1) two pairs bred; (2) one pair probably bred. Shetland Four sites: three pairs bred, fledging at least one young, and two pairs probably bred. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Scarce: 300+ bp (2009 partial survey) Coverage: low 40-60 apparently occupied territories (AOTs). The numbers reported here are a typical sample based on more limited fieldwork than the 2009 survey (Jackson 2009). Scotland, N & W Caithness One extensive site: two AOTs. Orkney One site: four pairs bred. Outer Hebrides North Uist: one pair probably bred; Lewis: no information. Shetland Data from three islands totalled 53 AOTs including 36 nests. Red 211. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, Shetland, June 20 10. The majority of the UK’s Whimbrels nest in Shetland although only a fraction of the total population is monitored each year. Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus Very rare: 5-yr mean 3 bp Coverage: high One site: 0-3 pairs. Three pairs were also reported in 2009. Licensed fteldworkers take care to minimise disturbance while checking the afforested areas where Green Sandpipers breed and the primary aim is to ascertain the number of pairs present each year rather than to confirm breeding. Scotland, N & VV Highland One extensive site: three pairs probably bred. Amber British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 389 Jim Wood Holling et al. Greenshank Tringa nebularia Less scarce: 1 ,080 bp ( 1 995 survey) Coverage: low Data were received for a minimum of 279 pairs (with at least 38 pairs confirmed breeding). Records came from four recording areas: Argyll (6), Caithness (63), Highland (171) and the Outer Hebrides (39). The impact of continuing fieldwork for Bird Atlas 2007-1 1 is clear, since this is by far the highest number reported in a single year to the Panel. However, to improve the monitoring of annual variation, we need volunteers to count the number of occupied territories in separate, defined areas in different parts of the range. Breeding Greenshanks are most closely associated with areas of high rainfall and poorly drained, acidic, peaty soils (Forrester et al. 2007). Many of these areas are remote and visited infrequently by birdwatchers. However, once the young have hatched, the adults are very demon- strative in defence of their brood and observation of these distraction displays is the best way to provide proof of breeding without the need to locate nests or chicks. Such breeding pairs are most detectable during the first three weeks of June (Gilbert et al. 1998). Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Very rare: 5-yr mean 20 bp Coverage: moderate At least 1 1 sites: 4-27 pairs. The main sites in Highland are covered regularly, but other sites are reported upon only occasionally (for example, there was no information from Perth & Kinross in 2010). Nonetheless, 27 pairs equals the highest-ever figure reported, matching that in the last national survey, in 2007. Scotland, N & W Caithness One site: two pairs bred and one pair probably bred. Highland At least ten sites: two pairs bred, 21 pairs probably bred and one pair possibly bred. Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus Very rare: 5-yr mean 24 bp Coverage: near-complete 15 sites: 19-27 breeding males. Unusually, 2010 saw records from three areas that do not nor- mally hold breeding phalaropes, although the Highland record was of a single bird only. The most recent indication of breeding activity in Argyll was in 1999 and 2000. The pair in North- east Scotland was at a temporarily flooded inland site, recalling the breeding pair in Highland between 1977 and 1984, and was the first potential breeding record for the recording area. Scotland, Mid North-east Scotland One site: one male probably bred. A female was seen over a 12-day period in late May/early June, and a male was present for at least a week later in June. Although the two were not seen together, the behaviour of the male suggested that a breeding attempt may have occurred. Scotland, N & W Argyll One site: one male probably bred, though the breeding attempt may have failed due to flooding; three females present. Highland One site: one female present, possible breeding only. Outer Hebrides Two sites: three breeding males, plus two males probably bred; six females recorded. Shetland Ten sites: 16 males bred and three other males probably bred. A total of 28 females was recorded. Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus Scarce: 2, 1 36 bp (Seabird 2000) Coverage: moderate 557 apparently occupied territories. The Arctic Skua was added to the list of species covered by the RBBP with effect from the 2010 season owing to the steep decline in its breeding population, which led to it being Red-listed by the most recent Birds of Conservation Concern assessment (Eaton et al. 2009). The population was estimated at 2,136 apparently occupied territories (AOTs) by Seabird 2000 (Mitchell et al. 2004). Other than on Fair Isle and in Orkney, no special Red Red Amber Green 390 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 212. Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus, Shetland, June 2010. Dramatic declines in the numbers of breeding Arctic Skuas in the last 10-20 years have led to the species being Red-listed, and now added to the RBBP list. effort was made to count this species in 2010, so the data here are rather limited, hut lay the foundations for future annual assessments. Concern over the plight of the ‘Skootie Alan' (the Shetland name for Arctic Skua) has led to a call for all breeding records to be collected in Shet- land in 2012, and we would echo that plea across the entire UK breeding range. In Orkney, funding was available for a census of both Arctic and Great Skuas S. skua in 2010 and almost all islands were surveyed (Meek 2011). The Arctic Skua population had fallen to 376 AOTs, compared with a total of 720 in Seabird 2000 (a 48% decline) and a peak of 1,043 in 1992. On Hoy, the population crashed, falling from 406 AOTs in 1982 to just 12 in 2010. The driver behind these declines seems to be food shortages, as witnessed by the declines in numbers of breeding Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla and Arctic Terns Sterna paradisaea in the Northern Isles. Arctic Skuas depend to a large extent on stealing prey from these two species, so their predica- ment has translated into problems for the skua. However, an analysis of the numbers across the last 30 years shows that much of the decline occurred before the reduction in food supplies, and it is thought that the initial drop in numbers was caused by predation pressure (mainly on newly fledged Arctic Skua chicks) from an increasing Great Skua population. This is demonstrated by a move of Arctic Skuas from the former strongholds on Hoy to other islands in Orkney. Great Skua numbers were bouyant because of the availability of easy food in the form of fishing-boat dis- cards, but discards have become less available and the Great Skuas have had to look for alterna- tive prey. The impact of these combined problems for Arctic Skuas can be seen in the low productivity also witnessed on Fair Isle. Scotland, N & W Caithness Limited data received, all from Atlas fieldwork, but at least two pairs bred and three pairs probably bred. Fair Isle After recent declines, the population recovered somewhat to 70 AOTs, but only 1 1 chicks fledged and many, perhaps all, of these were taken by Great Skuas after fledging. Orkney A county-wide survey revealed 376 AOTs. Outer Hebrides Limited data, mainly from Atlas fieldwork, provided evidence of just three confirmed breeding pairs with a minimum of a further 26 AOTs recorded. Shetland Limited data included evidence of 50 confirmed breeding pairs and a further 27 AOTs. This total includes 50 pairs on Foula, of which 39 laid eggs. British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 391 Roger Riddington Roger Riddington Holling et al. 213. Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus, Shetland, June 2010. Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus Potential breeder One site: one bird. Records of Long-tailed Skua in breeding habitat have not previously been sub- mitted to the RBBP, although there have been a number of potential breeding records in Scot- land, which are summarised in Forrester et al. (2007). The most significant was a confirmed breeding pair in Angus & Dundee in 1980 (McLeod 2005), which held territory, dive-bombed intruders and laid a clutch of eggs on a coastal moor. The eggs were predated. In 1981 a single bird, presumably one of the pair, returned. Scotland, N & W Shetland One site: one adult held territory from 27th May to 17th July, though more erratically in the last month of its stay. The bird may well have been in the same area in 2009 also. Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus Scarce: 5-yr mean 645 bp Coverage: high 34 sites: 1,016-1,034 pairs. This is another record total, and the extraordinary rate of increase of breeding Mediterranean Gulls continues - the total of 573 confirmed breeding pairs in 2009 was, at that point, the highest ever. Some colony counts are estimated minima, owing to the large numbers involved, but this means that the total of 1,016 confirmed breeding pairs is a minimum figure. The number of sites is lower than in 2009, so the increase has come about mainly through expansion at the three main colonies: one in Hampshire (400 nests in 2010, 137 in 2009), one in Kent (225, 137) and one in Sussex (176, 73). Yorkshire had its first confirmed breeding record, and the nest in Anglesey was the first confirmed breeding record for north Wales, following the first for Wales in 2009, in Carmarthenshire. Amber 392 British Birds 105 • July 2012 * 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 England, SW Dorset One site: breeding birds not counted but estimated to be at least 80 pairs. Gloucestershire One site: one pair displaying and mating. Hampshire Three sites: (1) 400 pairs at Langstone Harbour fledged 218 young; (2) 19 pairs bred though only five are thought to have been successful; (3) five pairs bred, no information on productivity. Isle of Wight One site: one pair possibly bred - a juvenile with two adults in late July may have fledged elsewhere. England, SE Essex Two sites: ( 1 ) four pairs bred; (2) one pair bred. Kent Four sites: ( 1 ) 225 pairs bred; (2) 50 pairs bred; (3) eight pairs bred; (4) five pairs bred, fledging six young. Oxfordshire One site: one pair bred and two young fledged; the first successful breeding in the county. Sussex Three sites: (1) 176 pairs bred with at least 74 young fledged; (2) three pairs possibly bred; (3) three pairs possibly bred. England, E Norfolk Three sites: (1) five pairs fledged at least 16 young; (2) four pairs bred; (3) at least two, probably three, pairs bred. Suffolk Two sites: (1) six pairs bred, but no young fledged; (2) three pairs bred, again no young fledged. England, C Staffordshire Two sites: ( 1 ) two pairs bred; (2) one pair bred. England, N Cheshire & Wirral One site: at least two pairs bred, one pair probably bred and one pair possibly bred. Cumbria One site: one pair bred, but no young were fledged. Lancashire & N Merseyside Two sites: (1)11 pairs bred, fledging at least two young, and two pairs possibly bred; (2) one pair possibly bred. Northumber- land One site: one pair bred, two young seen in the nest. Yorkshire Three sites: (1) one pair bred, fledging three young; (2) one pair probably bred; (3) one pair possibly bred. Wales Anglesey One site: one pair bred, fledging two young. Northern Ireland Co. Antrim One site: two pairs bred and one pair probably bred; one large chick was almost ready to fledge in mid June. Co. Down One site: one pair probably bred. In addition, there were summering or displaying birds at Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridi- bundus colonies in Borders, Cheshire & Wirral, Cleveland, Greater Manchester, Leicestershire & Rutland and Lincolnshire (four sites). Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis Very rare: 5-yr mean 5 bp Coverage: near-complete Six sites: 1-2 pairs plus 2-3 mixed pairs. Fifteen years after the first UK breeding record, in Dorset, the records in 2010 away from the southwest coast perhaps hint at some extension of breeding range, though most records still relate to mixed pairings. England, SW Dorset One site: one pair bred, hatching two chicks but fledging only one. Hampshire One site: one mixed pair bred; a Yellow-legged Gull paired with a Herring Gull L. argentatiis fledged three hybrid young. England, E Cambridgeshire One site: one mixed pair possibly bred. A female was seen copulating with a Lesser Black- backed Gull L. fuscus on 28th April but there was no further evidence of breeding. Norfolk One site: one mixed pair bred. The pair consisted of a pure Yellow-legged Gull paired with a hybrid Yellow-legged x Lesser Black-backed Gull. Wales Breconshire Two sites: (1) one adult, present from 16th March to 22nd April, was seen in courtship display with a Lesser Black-backed Gull, and two Yellow-legged Gulls were at this site on 22nd March; (2) two birds were present on 23rd April. It seems likely that the same individuals were involved, so these records are treated as one pair. Amber British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 393 Holling et al. Little Tern Sternula albifrons Less scarce: 5-yr mean 1 ,485 bp Coverage: moderate Minimum of 1,391 pairs at 54 colonies. Amber Little Tern No. sites Confirmed pairs Min. young fledged England, SW 4 101 72 Dorset 1 12 9 Hampshire 3 89 63 England, SE 6 77 32 Essex 3 64 25 Kent 1 2 0 Sussex 2 11 7 England, E 13 798 212 Lincolnshire 3 36 17 Norfolk 7 632 178 Suffolk 3 130 17 England, N 6 174 24 Cleveland 1 91 3 Cumbria 2 36 9 Northumberland 2 36 1 1 Yorkshire 1 11 1 Wales 1 114 216 Denbigh & Flint 1 114 216 Scotland, S 1 1 0 Lothian 1 1 0 Scotland, Mid 1 37 17 North-east Scotland 1 37 17 Scotland, N & W 21 80 29 Argyll 9 56 29 Highland 1 1 + n/a Orkney 1 5 n/a Outer Hebrides 10 18 n/a Isle of Man 1 9 7 TOTALS 54 1,391 609 Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii Rare: 5-yr mean 90 bp Coverage: near-complete Five sites: 83 pairs, and two mixed pairs. As in 2009, single Roseate Terns formed mixed pairs with Common Terns S. hirundo but, unlike in 2009, the total number of sites occupied fell back to more typical levels, and only the main colony in Northumberland held more than two pairs. England, N Lancashire & N Merseyside One site: one mixed pair bred. As in 2009, a Roseate Tern was paired with a Common Tern, but this time they were successful, fledging one young. Northumberland One site: Coquet Island: 80 pairs raised at least 64 large young. Wales Anglesey One site: one mixed pair bred. A Roseate Tern paired with a Common Tern laid one egg but it did not hatch. Scotland, Mid Fife One site: two pairs bred, but the nests were deserted at the egg stage. Northern Ireland Co. Antrim One site: one pair bred, but was unsuccessful. Red 394 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Long-eared Owl Asio otus Scarce/Less scarce: 1 , 1 00-3,600 bp * Coverage: unknown * total for Britain, 1988-91 Atlas 206-304 pairs. Long-eared Owls are largely nocturnal and unobtrusive in their behaviour, and it is notoriously difficult to estimate their numbers; Gibbons et ai (1993) put the British popula- tion at 1,100-3,600 pairs, with a similar number in Ireland. Given the uncertainties over its current status, it was decided in 2011 to add Long-eared Owl to the RBBP list. Many records of Long-eared Owls are the result of diligent searching or chance encounters, but territorial calls or the far-carrying ‘squeaking gate’ call of the young may be detected during night-time visits to suitable habitat. In Britain, most Long-eared Owls nest in conifer plantations or areas of scrub, but a common characteristic is the presence of areas of open ground (often rough grazing or moorland) close to the nesting area. In Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, but not in Britain, both Long-eared and Short-eared Owls are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act; Long-eared Owls in par- ticular are especially prone to desertion if disturbed when laying or with eggs or small young. Fieldworkers should consult Hardey etal. (2009) and the RBBP website for further guidelines. For both species, the tables published here reflect casual recording only, since there was no time before the 2010 season to encourage observers to make a special effort. We ask birdwatchers to report all breeding-season records of both the Asio owls to enable us to say more about these two species. The review in the next RBBP report will benefit from the final results from Bird Atlas 2007-11. The table below shows that Long-eared Owls are widespread, though apparently Long-eared Owl Confirmed breeding pairs Total pairs Northumberland Yorkshire 11 40 14 53 England, SW 9 17 Wales 7 20 Avon 2 2 Breconshire 1 1 Cornwall 1 3 Caernarfonshire 1 1 Hampshire 1 1 Denbigh 8c Flint 2 2 Isle of Wight 4 5 Gwent 0 8 Somerset 1 3 Radnorshire 3 8 Wiltshire 0 3 Scotland, S 19 26 England, SE 6 7 Ayrshire 1 1 Bedfordshire 1 1 Borders 7 11 Essex 2 2 Clyde 8 8 Kent 2 3 Clyde Islands 2 2 Oxfordshire 1 1 Dumfries 8c Galloway 0 2 England, E 16 38 Lothian 1 2 Cambridgeshire 5 6 Scotland, Mid 17 17 Lincolnshire 2 20 Angus 8c Dundee 2 2 Norfolk 3 6 Fife 2 2 Suffolk 6 6 Moray 8c Nairn 2 2 England, C 8 12 North-east Scotland 6 6 Derbyshire 5 6 Perth 8c Kinross 4 4 Shropshire 1 1 Upper Forth 1 1 Staffordshire 2 4 Scotland, N 8c W 16 19 Warwickshire 0 1 Argyll 0 3 England, N 94 134 Caithness 2 2 Cheshire 8c Wirral 2 3 Highland 12 12 Cleveland 2 4 Orkney 1 1 Cumbria 3 5 Outer Hebrides 1 1 Co. Durham 12 17 Northern Ireland 13 13 Greater Manchester 8 11 Isle of Man 1 1 Lancashire & N Merseyside 16 27 TOTALS 206 304 Green British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 395 Alan Harris r Holling et al. nowhere numerous. The higher totals in some counties of northern England reflect more inten- sive fieldwork by a small number of local enthusiasts. Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus Scarce/Less scarce: 1,000-3,500 bp * Coverage: unknown * total for Britain, 1988-91 Atlas 125-275 pairs. Short-eared Owls can be more conspicuous than Long-eared Owls, since they hunt in daylight, but their numbers are also difficult to ascertain and monitoring is further com- plicated by their nomadic habits. Numbers can vary widely between years depending on food availability, and it is thought that there are fewer breeding pairs now than 20 years ago. Short- eared Owls require extensive areas of open ground, be it moorlands, dunes or young forestry. Sharrock (1976) suggested that the breeding population could be as low as 1,000 pairs in years of poor vole numbers and Gibbons et al. (1993) suggested a range of 1,000-3,500 pairs. The table shows that most records come from upland Scotland and northern England, where some raptor study groups monitor Short-eared Owls alongside other moorland raptors. Amber Short-eared Owl Confirmed Total Pembrokeshire 4 5 breeding pairs pairs Radnorshire 3 3 England, SE 0 1 Scotland, S 14 24 Berkshire 0 1 Ayrshire 2 3 England, E 1 2 Borders 7 15 Lincolnshire 1 2 Clyde 1 2 England, C 16 20 Clyde Islands 2 2 Derbyshire 7 11 Dumfries 8c Galloway 2 2 Staffordshire 9 9 Scotland, Mid 27 30 England, N 21 53 Angus 8c Dundee 1 1 Cheshire 8c Wirral 1 5 Moray 8c Nairn 0 1 Cumbria 1 12 Perth 8c Kinross 22 22 Co. Durham 1 4 Upper Forth 4 6 Greater Manchester 0 1 Scotland, N 8c W 39 133 Lancashire 8c N Merseyside 7 12 Argyll 7 13 Northumberland 2 3 Caithness 2 3 Yorkshire 9 16 Highland 8 10 Wales 7 12 Orkney 2 45 Caernarfonshire 0 1 Outer Hebrides 20 62 Meirionnydd 0 3 TOTALS 125 275 MHDl r.. . j; \ r» 396 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Wryneck Jynx torquilla Very rare: 5-yr mean 2 bp Coverage: moderate Two sites: 0-2 pairs. Scotland, N & VV Highland Two sites: one singing male recorded on three dates within a two-week period in mid May, and a second bird in suitable habitat in late June. Stewart Taylor, recently retired from RSPB, where he worked for many years in the Scottish High- lands, mainly at Loch Garten and Abernethy, has compiled the following review of the status of the Wryneck during the twentieth century. In the early 1800s it would have been possible to find Wrynecks breeding in almost every county of England and Wales but numbers declined steadily throughout the nineteenth century, at least partly reflecting a concomitant major intensification in land management. During that period the Wryneck had not been recorded breeding in Scotland. The contraction of the Wryneck’s UK breeding range began in the north in about 1830 and by 1905 it had been lost completely from Wales (Lovegrove et al. 1994). By the mid 1950s the species was confined to parts of central and southeast England: the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey and Sussex (Monk 1963; Peal 1968). Kent, with its well-established large gardens, parkland and old orchards, was the most heavily populated county. Commons, heaths and open scrub were other favoured habitats, with established woodland being utilised less frequently, despite the need for nesting cavities. In 1954, the population was estimated to be 1 50 — 400 pairs, revised to 100-200 pairs by 1958 (Sharrock 1976). However, the Wryneck’s rapid decline continued, with just 40-80 pairs in 1966 and none reported from England for the first time in 1974. In Scotland, there seemed to be more positive news. Through the 1950s there were several reports of Wrynecks in song in the Highlands, particularly to the west of the Cairngorms. Monitoring birds at a few of these sites paid dividends and, in 1 969, territorial birds at five sites produced the first breeding records (three) of Wrynecks in Scotland (Burton et al. 1970). One pair was nesting in a deep split in a Rowan Sorbus aucuparia and the others were in old woodpecker holes. These records, in the second year of the first national atlas, suggested that losses in England might be countered by the Wryneck getting a small toehold in Scotland. During the 1 970s, the Wryneck population in Scotland seemed to be becoming more secure; Red 30 - possible/probable breeding 25 - ■ confirmed Scotland 20 - B confirmed England 15 - 10 - : J, . 0 H 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09 Fig. 3. Breeding records of Wrynecks Jynx torquilla in Scotland and England, 1973-2010. British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 397 Andrew Moon Holling et al. 214. Wryneck Jynx torquilla, Buckinghamshire, September 20 10. This is a migrant bird but was photographed in Buckinghamshire, the county that held the last documented breeding pair in England, in 1985. Now Wrynecks occur as a potentially breeding species only in Scotland, but it is already a decade since the last confirmed breeding record there. in 1977, seven pairs were confirmed breeding in the UK, five in Scotland and two in England, with an additional 12 birds heard singing. But since 1978, single breeding pairs have been confirmed on just ten occasions in Scotland, eight in Highland and two in North-east Scotland. The last confirmed breeding in England was in Buckinghamshire in 1985 and the last in Scotland in Ross-shire (Highland) in 2002, when a nest with young was found. The bird’s decline throughout its British and European range (PECBMS 2011) has not been fully explained, although suggested causes include pesticides reducing food supplies and habitat changes, such as the loss of open ground near potential nest-sites. There is the possibility that a few birds breed undetected each year. Unless the birds are located during a 2-3-week period of singing during mating and nest-prospecting (usually in late May in Scotland, earlier in England), they are very difficult to find. For example, I have heard birds singing in suitable breeding habitat on four occasions since 2001 yet in each case breeding was not proved. 51-446 pairs. This is the species’ first entry in this report, and all records of breeding evidence are now required to provide a minimum level of monitoring. Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers are now sufficiently scarce that they cannot be monitored effectively by the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Smith & Charman (2012) described the recent history in the UK and else- where in Europe and suggested that the decline has been driven by food shortages. The county totals below are based largely on casual records, but demonstrate the low levels of recording of this unobtrusive species. In Herefordshire, the 'Woodpeckers of Herefordshire’ project has encouraged the recording of all three species of breeding woodpecker in the county Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor Less scarce: 1 ,400-2,900 bp (Baker et al. 2006) Coverage: low 398 British Birds 105 » Jiuly 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker England, C Derbyshire 17 1 100 8 Confirmed Total Herefordshire 6 29 breeding pairs pairs Leicestershire 8c Rutland 1 5 England, SW 3 93 Nottinghamshire 4 10 Avon 0 1 Shropshire 3 16 Cornwall 0 1 Staffordshire 0 8 Devon 0 16 Warwickshire 1 12 Dorset 0 6 West Midlands 1 1 Gloucestershire 0 19 Worcestershire 0 11 Hampshire 3 30 England, N 6 73 Somerset 0 15 Cheshire & Wirral 3 24 Wiltshire 0 5 Co. Durham 0 5 England, SE 14 87 Greater Manchester 0 6 Bedfordshire 1 3 Lancashire 8t N Merseyside 0 3 Berkshire 1 3 Yorkshire 3 35 Buckinghamshire 1 3 Wales 6 56 Greater London 2 4 Breconshire 1 4 Hertfordshire 2 4 Caernarfonshire 0 1 Kent 6 36 Carmarthenshire 1 7 Oxfordshire 0 5 Ceredigion 3 4 Surrey 1 7 Denbigh & Flint 0 10 Sussex 0 22 East Glamorgan 0 5 England, E 5 37 Gower 0 3 Cambridgeshire 1 9 Gwent 0 14 Lincolnshire 4 15 Meirionnydd 1 1 Norfolk 0 6 Pembrokeshire 0 2 Northamptonshire 0 3 Radnorshire 0 5 Suffolk 0 4 TOTALS 51 446 since 2004, and by 2010 had achieved sufficient coverage to log 29 pairs of Lesser Spotted Wood- pecker. This admirable effort has perhaps exaggerated the importance of central England for this species, for which the UK heartland is in southeast England; the Kent Ornithological Society, for instance, estimates that there are c. 100 pairs of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in the county, although data for only 36 pairs were received in 2010. Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus Very rare: 5-yr mean 5 bp Coverage: near-complete Three sites: 0-3 pairs. This is the first year since 1973, when the Panel began collecting records, that there were no confirmed breeding records of Golden Orioles in the UK. The extralimital records in Somerset and Dumfries & Galloway probably refer to stray migrants rather than genuine breeding attempts, although the possible occurrence of a pair in southern Scotland in both 2009 and 2010 (albeit at different sites) is intriguing. England, SW Somerset One site: a male was seen and heard on four occasions during 5th— 1 1 th June. England, E Suffolk One site: up to two males and one female from 28th April to 15th June; evidence of breeding was inconclusive. The Golden Oriole Group comments that a male and female were seen nest-building but the female was not seen again after this. Scotland, S Dumfries & Galloway One site: a male was seen on 5th June and a second bird may have been present. Red British Birds 105 ’July 2012 • 352-416 399 Dan Powell Holling et al. Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio Very rare: 5-yr mean 3 bp Coverage: moderate Two sites: 3 pairs. The events of 2010 were sufficiently notable to make the national press: Red- backed Shrikes had not bred in England since the last remnants of the original southeast England population became extinct, in 1992. Red England, SW Devon One site: two pairs bred. A round-the-clock protection scheme was co-ordinated by the RSPB with a number of local partners to combat the threat of known egg-collectors in the vicinity. The first nesting attempt by one pair failed because of predation but the second attempt was successful: three young fledged. Three young were also fledged by the second pair, at their first attempt. Scotland, N & W Highland One site: one pair bred, fledging three young. Mary Davies (RSPB) here summarises the status of Red-backed Shrikes in the UK since 1973. Formerly widespread over much of England and Wales, the Red-backed Shrike decreased steadily as a breeding species after the middle of the nineteenth century, that trend accelerating Fig. 4. Confirmed breeding pairs of Red-backed Shrikes Lanius collurio in the UK, 1973-2010. 400 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 after 1945 as the range contracted southwards. A population of around 300 pairs in 1952 had dropped to 80-90 pairs by 1971 (Bibby 1973). Confirmed breeding pairs in the UK since 1973 are shown in fig. 4. The data for the early 1970s are undoubtedly incomplete but it is clear that during the 1970s and early 1980s the UK Red-backed Shrike population declined to a critically low level. By 1985, only six pairs remained and the species was confined to East Anglia; rock bottom was reached in 1989 when there were no breeding records in the UK, although one pair bred again in East Anglia in both 1991 and 1992. In a pattern that recalls that of the Wryneck (see above), up to eight pairs nested in Scotland during 1977-79 but that colonisation was not sustained. Single pairs have nested occasionally since and, during the last decade, breeding in Scotland occurred in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2010. A pair bred successfully in Wales in 2005, and the pair returned to the same site in 2006 (when they were again successful) and 2007 (when they were not). The detailed ecological requirements of Red-backed Shrikes in the UK are poorly known. Causes of the birds’ decline are undoubtedly linked to a number of factors. Loss of breeding habitat has had an effect at a local level and, for birds nesting in loose colonies, relatively small- scale habitat loss could threaten the breeding of several pairs. In many places. Red-backed Shrikes were last known to nest in dry heaths with Gorse Ulex europaeus and Heather Calluna vulgaris. However, these habitats were potentially suboptimal and with most productive areas gradually being extinguished, such areas were unable to maintain self-sustaining populations (Brown & Grice 2005). Changes in food supply are now thought to be the single most signifi- cant factor in the decline of Red-backed Shrikes. Agricultural intensification (particularly the increased use of fertilisers and pesticides and the loss of field corners and hedgerows) has led to a great decline in the availability of large invertebrate prey. It remains to be seen whether the events of 2010 can be sustained, but there have been recent population increases on the near continent; for example, Red-backed Shrikes have increased by over 5% per annum in the Netherlands since 2000. This species is one that attracts both birdwatchers and egg-collectors. The threat of the latter, and the potential for desertion caused by over-zealous birdwatchers and photographers means that special protection meas- ures are required for nesting sites. Locations must therefore remain secret and it is recom- mended that birders refrain from visiting any sites unless public viewing facilities have been established. Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Scarce: 5-yr mean 42 1 bp Coverage: moderate 271-464 pairs. These figures are just a sample of the total population and include only monitored pairs (except for the Isle of Man). However, we understand that there was full coverage in Cornwall, north Wales, Pembrokeshire, Colonsay and Oronsay, and Northern Ireland. Amber Red-billed Chough Confirmed Total Gower 5 8 breeding pairs pairs Meirionnydd 18 20 Pembrokeshire 56 70 England, SW 3 6 Cornwall 3 6 Scotland 25 27 Wales 214 270 Argyll: Colonsay & Oronsay 12 14 Anglesey 28 38 Argyll: Islay 13 13 Caernarfonshire 82 98 Northern Ireland 0 1 Ceredigion 23 32 Co. Antrim 0 1 Denbigh & Flint 1 3 Isle of Man 29 (160) East Glamorgan 1 1 TOTALS 271 464 British Birds 1 05 • July 2012 * 352-4 1 6 401 Holling et al. Fi recrest Regulus ignicapilla Scarce: 5-yr mean 553 bp Coverage: moderate 800 territories or singing males. This total is considerably higher than the previous maximum of 613 territories in 2007. This is despite coverage being less than complete in some counties (for instance the Hampshire population is estimated at 500 territories and, based on Atlas results and subsequent fieldwork, the Kent population is thought to be at least 75 territories, even though data on just two were submitted in 2010). Factoring in these figures gives a total of over 1,000 Firecrest territories. Recent surveys of the New Forest, Hampshire (Wynn et al. 2012), have shown a similar increase to the national figures of over 40% between 2009 and 2010. This is despite the severity of the winters of 2008/09 and 2009/10 in southern England. Amber Firecrest Singing males/ territories England, SW 417 Dorset 2 Gloucestershire 4 Hampshire 348 Somerset 27 Wiltshire 36 England, SE 212 Bedfordshire 2 Berkshire 94 Buckinghamshire 44 Essex 1 Hertfordshire 3 Kent 2 Oxfordshire 4 Surrey 6 Sussex 56 England, E 158 Cambridgeshire 1 Norfolk 116 Suffolk 41 England, C 6 Derbyshire 3 Herefordshire 1 Warwickshire 2 Wales 7 Gwent 2 Montgomeryshire 2 Radnorshire 3 TOTAL 800 Willow Tit Poecile montana Red Less scarce: 8,500 bp (in 2000) Coverage: moderate 188-639 pairs. The Willow Tit has been Red-listed since 2002, owing to the long-term decline in its breeding population; the BBS trend (1995-2009) was down by 76% (Risely et al. 201 1), one of the largest declines by any species reported over that period. The most recent population estimate for Willow Tit was 8,500 territories (Baker et al. 2006), although given the rate of decline this estimate is now clearly too high; Perrins (2003) reviewed the population trends of both Willow and Marsh Tits P. palustris. However, it is particularly difficult to get accurate population estimates for the Willow Tit; partly because of difficulties in separating it from the very similar Marsh 'Fit (e.g. Broughton 2009); partly because in some counties it is quite common and widespread (and typically under- recorded), yet in others it is extremely rare and may require a description for records to be accepted. The RBBP viewed the possibility of adding the Willow Tit to the list of species we cover with some trepidation, but the available data told us that the species was now scarce enough to be added. We contacted county recorders to gauge reaction and were gratified to receive support from all areas, although several recorders from counties with higher populations made it clear that it would be difficult to provide meaningful returns annually. We asked for approximate county estimates too; combining these indicated a UK population of around 1,500 pairs, concentrated in parts of southwest Scotland, northern and central England, with the following counties apparently holding the largest populations: Dumfries & Galloway, Co. Durham, Yorkshire, Lancashire & N Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire & Wirral, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire & Rutland and Hampshire (these subjective estimates are not always borne out by the county totals below, which indicates the level of under-recording in some areas). The comments on local status received from county recorders have been very useful in establishing a baseline position 402 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 215. Willow Tit Poecile montana, Staffordshire, November 20 1 0. Willow Tit populations seem to be holding their own in some counties, while in others, where the species was formerly common, numbers have dwindled away so that it is now rare or even absent. Willow Tit Confirmed West Midlands 0 1 Total Worcestershire 2 2 breeding pairs pairs England, N 97 313 England, SW 6 56 Cheshire & Wirral 10 26 Cornwall 0 8 Cleveland 2 4 Devon 1 8 Cumbria 2 2 Gloucestershire 4 20 Co. Durham 18 52 Hampshire 0 15 Greater Manchester 16 68 Wiltshire 1 5 Lancashire & N Merseyside 9 9 England, SE 1 8 Northumberland 0 13 Berkshire 0 1 Yorkshire 40 139 Buckinghamshire 0 2 Wales 13 62 Oxfordshire 1 3 Breconshire 2 11 Sussex 0 2 Caernarfonshire 1 1 England, E 19 56 Carmarthenshire 0 3 Lincolnshire 15 41 Ceredigion 2 3 Norfolk 2 6 Denbigh & Flint 1 7 Northamptonshire 2 7 East Glamorgan 1 6 Suffolk 0 2 Gwent 0 2 England, C 50 134 Montgomeryshire 0 4 Derbyshire 8 21 Pembrokeshire 0 9 Leicestershire & Rutland 6 14 Radnorshire 6 16 Nottinghamshire 2 17 Scotland, N 2 10 Shropshire 3 24 Ayrshire 0 1 Staffordshire 8 26 Dumfries 8c Galloway 2 9 Warwickshire 21 29 TOTALS 188 639 from which we can better monitor this species. Although no special effort was made to collect Willow Tit numbers in 2010, we hope that from now on we shall be able to provide at least minimum totals of the number of pairs recorded annu- ally in each county. We should also be able to track the ebb and flow of range changes at the county level. We encourage all birdwatchers to record all Willow Tits in suitable habitat during the breeding season, and to submit their records to the county recorder, either directly or via BirdTrack. British Birds 1 05 • July 2012 * 352-4 1 6 403 Mike Lane Holling et al. Bearded Tit Panurus biarmicus Scarce: 5-yr mean 628 bp Coverage: moderate At least 57 sites: a minimum of 718 pairs. This is the highest total reported to the Panel, sug- gesting that the cold winter of 2009/10 had little impact on breeding numbers - surprisingly, since the winter of 1947 almost wiped out the Bearded Tit as a breeding species in the UK (Shar- rock 1976). At one site in Kent, numbers were said to be lower in 2010 than in previous years, but generally there were increases in eastern counties, including Norfolk, Suffolk and Yorkshire. Indeed, recorders in Norfolk, Somerset and Suffolk suggested that the counts submitted under- estimated the real figures. In contrast, the satellite sites in Scotland seem to have been deserted; although Bearded Tits are known to be present in the vast and difficult-to-survey Tay reedbeds, no data were submitted. In 2004 the population there was estimated at 250 pairs, the most important site in Britain (Forrester et al. 200/). It is not known how the recent colder winters have affected this more northerly population. Amber Bearded Tit Minimum Confirmed Lincolnshire 2 4 no. sites and probable Norfolk 13 176 breeding pairs Suffolk 6 248 England, SW 8 29 England, N 4 167 Dorset Hampshire 4 3 6 19 Lancashire & N Merseyside Yorkshire 1 3 32 135 Somerset 1 4 England, SE 18 78 Wales 2 6 Essex 3 8 Denbigh & Flint 1 1 Kent 12 57 Gwent 1 5 Sussex 3 13 Scotland, Mid 1 n/a England, E 24 438 Perth 8c Kinross 1 n/a Cambridgeshire 3 10 TOTALS 57 718 Woodlark Lullula arborea Less scarce: 3,064 bp (2006 survey) Coverage: moderate 849 territories. Although the whole population is not monitored between survey years, the sample reported to the RBBP is usually about a third of the estimated total. The small reduction in numbers in 2010 (in all regions except northern England) may be a real effect of the cold 2009/10 winter; most British Woodlarks do not migrate far enough to escape the impact of hard winters. Amber Woodlark Singing males/ territories England, SW 223 Devon 4 Dorset 25 Gloucestershire 1 Hampshire 191 Wiltshire 2 England, SE 231 Bedfordshire 1 Berkshire 20 Surrey 150 Sussex 60 England, E 328 Lincolnshire 17 Norfolk 133 Suffolk 178 England, C 35 Nottinghamshire 15 Staffordshire 20 England, N 32 Yorkshire 32 TOTAL 849 404 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti Less scarce; 5-yr mean 1 ,99 1 bp Coverage; high 1,907 singing males or territories. As for the two previous species, there is some uncertainty about the impact of the recent cold winters on the Cetti’s Warbler, which was shown to be vul- nerable in the past, when it was much rarer in the UK than it is now. The annual returns to RBBP do give some indication of the effect and we see that the total number of territories has indeed dropped for the first time in ten years (see fig. 7 in Holling et al. 2011); it can also be seen that the 2010 total is below the 5-year mean. However, there may also be an effect of poorer reporting from the core areas where it is now common. Indeed, regional expansion in central and northern England in 2010 resulted in the first confirmed breeding records in four counties: Cleveland, Derbyshire, Lancashire & N Merseyside and Lincolnshire. Green Cetti's Warbler Singing males/ territories Norfolk Northamptonshire 236 44 England, SW 691 Suffolk 272 Avon 72 England, C 63 Cornwall 9 Derbyshire 9 Devon 53 Leicestershire 8c Rutland 4 Dorset 100 Nottinghamshire 5 Gloucestershire 25 Staffordshire 9 Hampshire 207 Warwickshire 25 Isle of Wight 23 Worcestershire 1 1 Somerset 150 England, N 9 Wiltshire 52 Cheshire 8c Wirral 2 England, SE 390 Cleveland 1 Bedfordshire 14 Lancashire 8c N Merseyside 2 Berkshire 43 Yorkshire 4 Buckinghamshire 13 Wales 134 Essex 20 Anglesey 4 Greater London 3 Breconshire 3 Hertfordshire 22 Caernarfonshire 8 Kent 60 Carmarthenshire 26 Oxfordshire 14 Ceredigion 2 Surrey 5 East Glamorgan 9 Sussex 196 Gower 20 England, E 620 Gwent 52 Cambridgeshire 58 Pembrokeshire 10 Lincolnshire 10 TOTAL 1,907 Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus Potential breeder Four sites: four singing males. Territorial Iberian Chiffchaffs have now been recorded in four of the last five years, and four males held territory in 2010, a new record. England, SE Kent One site: a male held territory from 29th April to 9th June. England, N Yorkshire Two sites: (1) a male held territory from 11th May to 22nd June; (2) a male held territory on 1 3th— 1 8th June. Wales Gwent One site: a male held territory from 10th May to 18th June. British Birds 105 ’July 2012 • 352-416 405 David Winnard Holling et al. Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata Less scarce: 3,2 1 4 bp (2006 survey) Coverage: moderate 619 territories. The impression that the unusually cold winters of 2008/09 and 2009/10 in the heartland of the Dartford Warbler’s UK range had led to a decline in numbers are borne out by the figures reported here. Submissions to RBBP typically account for up to about two-thirds of the national population each year, and while in 2007 and 2008 almost 2,100 territories were reported, in 2010 the proportion was down to 19% of the 2006 survey total (Wotton et al. 2009). The feedback from some key counties varied. In Hampshire, the important New Forest popu- lation was not counted in 2010 but is thought not to have been greatly affected; similarly, numbers were little changed in the Isle of Wight. In Cornwall, numbers were up, in Dorset they were slightly down, in Devon it was an even worse year than 2009, and much reduced numbers were reported in Somerset. Clark & Eyre (2012) reported a dramatic crash in the Thames Basin and Wealden Heaths (which cover parts of Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex), where a population of almost 1,000 territories in 2004 was reduced to just 50 in 2010. Small numbers still hang on in Norfolk and Staffordshire, where Dartford Warblers have declined by only 1-2 pairs in each county since 2009. In Wales, where a survey in 2008 located 79 territories (Green et al. 2010), the total number of territories reported in both 2009 and 2010 was down to 15. The recent gains farther north in Wales have been abruptly lost. Amber Dartford Warbler Total England, SW 471 Cornwall 30 Devon 28 Dorset 345 Hampshire 52 Isle of Wight 9 Somerset 7 England, SE 35 Berkshire 4 Kent 1 Surrey 23 Sussex 7 England, E 92 Norfolk 1 Suffolk 91 England, C 3 Staffordshire 3 Wales 18 East Glamorgan 3 Gower 11 Pembrokeshire 4 TOTAL 619 216. Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata, Suffolk, April 20 10. The run of colder-than-average winters between 2008 and 2010 have had a severe impact on the numbers of Dartford Warblers in England and Wales. 406 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Marmora’s Warbler Sylvia sarda Potential breeder One site: one singing male. Up to the end of 2010, there had been just six records of Marmora’s Warbler in Britain. All were spring records of singing males, and all are thought to be of the nominate race, which breeds in Corsica, Sardinia and some islands off the west coast of Italy and is a partial migrant (unlike the ‘Balearic Warbler’ S. s. balearica, which is largely resident in the Balearic Islands). Four of the British records were of birds at coastal sites (Hudson et al. 2011). The only previous time that a Marmora’s Warbler has maintained a territory in the UK was back in 1982; that bird was the first for Britain (Lunn 1985). It was found in Yorkshire on 15th May and continued to sing from heather moorland until 22nd July. The 2010 bird in Gwent, aged as a first-summer, was the first for Wales. Wales Gwent One site: a first-summer male held territory on 3rd-15th June. Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans Potential breeder One site: one pair. The first record of a terri- torial male Subalpine Warbler reported by RBBP was in 2009, and this has been fol- lowed up by a pair in 2010. Although nest- building occurred, there was no evidence that any eggs were laid and the stay of the birds was short-lived. Wales Caernarfonshire One site: a female was present on 23rd-28th May, and was seen carrying nesting material. She was paired with a male, perhaps of the eastern race S. c. albistriata , which was present until 30th May. River Warbler Locustella fluviatilis Potential breeder One site: one singing male. This is the third consecutive year that River Warbler has appeared in the RBBP reports. The nearest breeding River Warblers are in Germany and Finland, but there has been an expansion in the species’ breeding range in northern and central Europe in recent years. England, E Norfolk One site: one singing male on 2nd- 16th luly. 2 1 7. Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans, Bardsey, Caernarfonshire, June 2010. A pair of Subalpine Warblers on Bardsey began nest-building but the partnership did not progress beyond this stage owing to the departure of the female. British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 407 Steve Stansfield r Holling et al. Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides Very rare: 5-yr mean 4 bp Coverage: near-complete Seven sites: 2-10 pairs. This is an unusually widespread series of records and only the third year that breeding has been confirmed since 1994. For this species, all records of birds recorded for more than one day are listed. England, SW Cornwall One site: one singing male on 17th-20th April. Somerset One site: one singing male on 25th-29th June. England, SE Sussex One site: two pairs bred. Four adults were trapped and ringed at the site between 18th May and 2nd August and five juveniles trapped on four dates between 29th June and 19th August provided evidence of successful breeding. England, E Norfolk Two sites: (1) one singing male from 29th June to 7th July; (2) one singing male on 6th— 1 2th June. Suffolk One site: two singing males, one from 30th April to 19th May and the other on 9th— 1 9th May. England, N Yorkshire One site: (1) one singing male on 26th-30th May; (2) one singing male on 1 2th— 1 3th July only. Red Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta Potential breeder One site: one singing male. The only other records in the RBBP files of long-staying Melodious Warblers are from Co. Durham in 2003 and Lancashire & N Merseyside in 2008. England, C Herefordshire One site: one singing male from 22nd June to 4th July. Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris Very rare: 5-yr mean 8 bp Coverage: high Eight sites: 4-9 pairs. Marsh Warblers now seem to be opportunistic breeders in coastal areas, and it is perhaps late migrants that find a mate and stay to breed, as there seems to be little con- sistency over the years. The exception is in Sussex, where there have been breeding pairs for the last three years. The concentration of records in East Anglia, with over half of the records, is notable this year. England, SW Isle of Wight One site: one singing male on 12th-26th June. England, SE Sussex One site: two pairs bred, with five nestlings ringed. England, E Norfolk Four sites: (1) one pair bred raising at least three young; (2) one singing male on 3rd-14th June; (3) one singing male from 4th June to 7th July; (4) one singing male on 2nd-8th July. Suffolk One site: one pair bred, fledging at least three young. This is the first confirmed breeding record for Suffolk. England, N Northumberland One site: one pair probably bred. A pair was seen together on 7th— 1 5th June, with the male singing well; nest-building was recorded on 1 1th. Red Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus Potential breeder One site: one singing male. Another long-staying singing male; this one was a county first and also the longest-staying Great Reed Warbler ever in Britain (Key 201 1). But we still await the first evidence of a breeding attempt. England, C Derbyshire One site: one singing male from 12th May to 25th June. 408 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Fair Isle Wren Troglodytes troglodytes fridariensis Very rare: 5-yr mean 30 bp Coverage: near-complete A total of 31 territories were identified in an all-island survey. Red St Kilda Wren Troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis Rare: 1 36 bp ( I 993 partial survey) Coverage: low No data were received for 2010. Fieldfare Turdus pilaris Very rare: 5-yr mean 2 bp Coverage: moderate One site: one pair bred. This remains an unpredictable species, both in terms of where and when breeding pairs are found, and in terms of how many there are each year. Up to seven pairs were found in 2004 and 2008, only one in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010, and none in 2009. The 2010 pair might have been missed if the fieldworker had not been in the area looking for Hen Harriers! Scotland, S Dumfries & Galloway One site: one pair bred. A pair was seen in late May, when one adult was observed carrying food into a small mature spruce plantation. Redwing Turdus iliacus Very rare: 5-yr mean 1 6 bp Coverage: low Ten sites: 5-10 pairs. For the second year running, two pairs nested in Shetland. The numbers reported in mainland Highland, where the bulk of the small breeding population nests, are still low and an unknown number must go overlooked each year. Every singing bird or pair in suit- able nesting habitat in northern Scotland should be reported, to help monitor the population of this Red-listed species. Scotland, N & W Highland Eight sites: three pairs bred, one pair probably bred and four singing males were recorded in the first two days of May (so may not have stayed to breed in that locality). Shetland Two sites: two pairs bred. At one site, recently fledged juveniles were seen on 3rd July and at the other, although no young were found, the pair was seen carrying food and two breeding attempts were suspected. Red Red Red Bluethroat Luscinia svecica Occasional breeder, last bred in 1995 (red-spotted) and 1996 (white-spotted) One site: one singing male. This male, of the white-spotted race L. s. cyanecula, was popular with vis- itors to the WWT reserve at Welney in Norfolk, but it remained unpaired throughout its long stay. England, E Norfolk One site: one singing male set up territory on 23rd April and remained until 17th August. Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros Rare: 5-yr mean 44 bp Coverage: high 54 sites: 30-65 pairs. This is the best showing since 2002, when 30 pairs bred and records came from 70 sites. In part, the 2010 figure is enhanced by the good series of records from the Inner London area, which has long been a stronghold for Black Redstarts. There are few confirmed breeding records from Wales, although the last, in Montgomeryshire in 2006, was from a similar quarry site to that reported in Breconshire below. The record of a very young bird in Outer Hebrides follows several similar records of juveniles seen in Scotland (Fair Isle, Isle of May and Amber British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 409 Adrian Dancy Holling et al. 2 1 8. Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros, Greater Manchester, August 20 1 0. A singing male such as this is often the first sign that a site is occupied but in urban areas it is often difficult to follow up such records to find evidence of confirmed breeding. Lothian; Forrester et al. 2007); in all cases, the juvenile suggested local breeding, yet there had been no sight- ings of adults earlier that year, despite the fact that all sites were well- watched. England, SW Avon One site: one pair bred, raising two broods, fledging in )une and August. Dorset One site: one pair bred. England, SE Berkshire One site: one pair bred, fledging two young. Essex One site: one pair bred. Greater London 1 5 sites: four pairs bred plus at least 16 singing males. Kent Six sites: six pairs bred, one pair probably bred and two pairs possibly bred. Surrey Two sites: one pair bred, and one pair possibly bred. Sussex Five sites: two pairs bred, and five singing males. England, E Cambridgeshire Two sites: two singing males. Lincolnshire One site: one pair bred, fledging four young. Norfolk Three sites: three pairs bred. One pair raised two broods and another fledged three young. Suffolk Four sites: four pairs bred and one pair probably bred. England, C Derbyshire Two sites: one pair possibly bred and one singing male. Warwickshire One site: one pair possibly bred. West Midlands Two sites: one pair bred and one pair possibly bred. England, N Cleveland One site: one pair bred. Co. Durham One site: one singing male. Greater Manchester Two sites: one pair bred and one pair possibly bred. Sightings from six sites in April only might hint at a larger popula- tion. Lancashire & N Merseyside One site: one pair bred. Wales Breconshire One site: one pair bred. Two broods were raised, totalling five fledged young. This was the first breeding record for the county. Scotland, N & W Outer Hebrides One site: one pair possibly bred. A very young bird (still with a hint of gape) was pho- tographed on 14th June; no adults had been seen previously in the area so the location of the breeding site is unknown, though seems most likely to have been in northern Scotland. A male (perhaps a first-summer) was singing from buildings in the Cairngorm area (Highland) on 5th June, but there were no further sightings. 410 British Birds 105 ‘July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 Blue-headed Wagtail Motacilla flava fiava Occasional breeder I hree sites: one pair plus 1-2 mixed pairs. Since this race was added to the RBBP list (in 2008), the records submitted have been of mixed pairs only, so a pure pair fledging one young is notable. England, SW Cornwall One site: one pair bred, with one young fledged. Both adults were Blue-headed Wagtails. England, C Warwickshire Two sites: one mixed pair bred and one mixed pair possibly bred. At one, a female M. f. flava, paired with a male Yellow Wagtail AT f. flavissima, was seen taking food to a nest-site on 5th July. At the other, a female M. f flava was also paired with a male Yellow Wagtail in an area with several breeding pairs of M. f flavissima. White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba Very rare: 5-yr mean I bp Coverage: high Two sites: one pair and one mixed pair. White Wagtails are irregular breeders in Shetland but elsewhere in the UK occur mainly on passage. Scotland, N & W Outer Hebrides One site: one female AT a. alba was apparently paired with a male Pied Wagtail AT a. yarrellii. Shetland One site: one pair bred, observed with three juveniles on 25th July. Green B rambling Fringilla montifringilla Occasional breeder One site: one singing male. This is an unusual location for a Brambling in the summer, but there was no hint that any breeding attempt occurred. England, SW Somerset One site: a singing male, 18th June to 4th July. Common Redpoll Carduelis flammea Very rare: 5-yr mean 4 bp Coverage: low Five sites: 2-6 pairs. Two pairs breeding on widely separated islands is a typical showing, but there is little doubt that some pairs in remote island locations are being overlooked. The series of records in 2009 and 2010 from the Outer Hebrides suggests that there may be a breeding popula- tion there, although there have been no records of confirmed breeding since 2004. Scotland, N & W Argyll One site: one pair bred. Nest-building was recorded in June and the pair was seen gathering food for young on 27th June, although no juveniles were seen. The last sighting was on 1st July. Orkney One site: one pair bred. Two juveniles in a plantation on 19th July suggested local breeding. Outer Hebrides Four sites: as in 2009, single birds or pairs were seen in potential breeding habitat, although at three of these sites the only records were in May and might relate to migrants. At the fourth site, one or two birds were heard singing on 17th June. Parrot Crossbill Loxia pytyopsittacus Rare: 50 bp (2008 survey) Coverage: low Two sites: three pairs. Scotland, Mid North-east Scotland One site: at least two pairs bred. Fifteen fledged young were seen on 24th May, and on 7th June a nest was found, with four adults and three young nearby. Scotland, N & W Highland One site: one pair bred. 41 I Amber Green British Birds 105 ’July 2012 • 352-416 John Robinson Holling et al. Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus Occasional breeder Two sites: 0-2 pairs. Singing birds in June in Scotland are expected, and although some stay around, few seem to attract a mate; the last breeding record in Scotland was in 1997. Scotland, Mid Perth & Kinross One site: one singing male on 1 6th— 26th June. Upper Forth One site: one singing male on 21st June was different from the Perth & Kinross bird present only 4 km away. Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes Less scarce: 5-yr mean: 7 1 bp* Coverage: low * 1988-91 estimate was 3,000-6,000 bp At least 61 sites or areas: 27-82 pairs. Although the RBBP has been collecting records of breeding Hawfinches since 2006, we are really only able to track the distribution of records, not the number of breeding pairs. Because Hawfinches are so secretive in the breeding season, they are rarely reported, so it is important that every hint of presence in breeding habitat is noted and submitted to county recorders. Nevertheless, based on the records here, this species is much scarcer than it was believed to be at the time of the 1988-91 Atlas and we await the results of Bird Atlas 2007-1 1 with interest. England, SW Dorset One site: one pair bred. Gloucestershire One extensive area: two pairs bred, nine pairs probably bred and three pairs possibly bred. Hampshire At least 25 sites within the New Forest but only single birds on single dates elsewhere: five pairs bred and 20 pairs probably bred. Wiltshire One extensive area: four pairs bred. 219. Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes, Worcestershire, February 20 10. The elusive nature of this species is such that very few records of breeding birds are received. The Hawfinch has been on the RBBP list for five years now but the mean maximum number of pairs reported in those five years is only 7 1 . Red 412 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 England, SE Kent One site: two pairs possibly bred. Surrey Two sites: one pair bred and one pair possibly bred. Sussex One site: one pair possibly bred. England, E Norfolk One site: one pair bred and two pairs probably bred. England, C Derbyshire Two sites: two pairs possibly bred. Nottinghamshire One site: one pair probably bred. England, N Cumbria One site: one pair bred, but records of single birds at four other sites suggest numbers and breeding evidence are under-represented. Lancashire & N Merseyside Three sites: one pair bred, two pairs probably bred and one pair possibly bred. Yorkshire One site: one pair bred. Wales East Glamorgan Three sites: three pairs possibly bred. Gwent Three sites: four pairs bred. Meirionnydd Five sites: three pairs bred and two pairs possibly bred. Radnorshire Eight sites: two pairs bred and six pairs pos- sibly bred. Scotland, Mid Perth & Kinross One site: one pair bred. Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis Rare: 70- 1 00 bp ( 1 988-9 1 Atlas) Coverage: low Casual reports from the main breeding areas of the Cairngorms (Highland/North-east Scotland) amounted to just three confirmed breeding pairs and three possible breeding pairs. The popula- tion estimate will be updated following a census of this and other montane species in 2011. Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus Scarce: 862 bp (2009 survey) Coverage: low 58 territories. Coverage of this species is back to normal levels of non-survey years. A national survey in 2009 revealed an estimated population of 862 breeding pairs (Stanbury et al. 2010). England, SW Cornwall 16 territories. Devon 42 territories at two sites. Red Amber Appendix I. Other species considered by the Panel also recorded in 2010. The following five occasional or potential breeding species were recorded during the breeding season in 2010, but showed no further signs of breeding than are documented here. Blue-winged Teal Anas discors In late May, a female apparently paired with a male Shoveler was seen in Leicestershire & Rutland, and what was assumed to be the same couple was reported in Cambridgeshire on the following two days. There were similar pairings in Avon in 1993 and Kent in 1994, and in Cambridgeshire in 1988 a female Blue- winged Teal paired with a male Shoveler and hatched four young. Ring-necked Duck Aythya c ollaris In Fife, in late May, a male was seen to be paired with and defending a female Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula. Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca In mid May, a male was seen accompanying a female Common Eider Somateria tnollissima to her nest on the Isle of May. After being chased away by a male Eider, the Velvet Scoter was not seen again and the young which hatched from the Eider’s nest appeared to be normal Eider ducklings (Brockie 2011). British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 413 Holling et al. Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena One was present from 21st March to 20th August at a lake in Yorkshire, summering for the seventh successive year. This bird had not previously been reported to RBBP. PendulineTit Remiz pendulinus Three wintering birds at a site in Kent stayed until 5th April, including a male that was heard in song from 24th March until 5th April. Acknowledgments The Rare Breeding Birds Panel would like to thank the many contributors who have supplied the data upon which this report is based. In particular we wish to recognise the willing co-operation and assistance of county and regional recorders throughout the UK, as well as the many specialist study groups, conservation organisations and numerous individuals. Without these contributions, this review would be much less comprehensive. Many recorders also reviewed an early draft of this report, thus helping to ensure the accuracy of the data presented. Valuable supplementary data were submitted from a number of national monitoring schemes, by both professional organisations and dedicated amateurs. These are referenced in the species accounts where appropriate. The following individuals and groups provided information on certain species, collated data from other schemes, or were helpful and supportive in other ways: Dawn Balmer Carl Barimore, Stuart Benn, Ian Court, Tony Cross and the Welsh Kite Trust, Nicola Davies and the Woodpeckers of Herefordshire project, Brian Etheridge, William George, Paul Hillis, David jardine, Dave Leech, Leigh Lock, John Marchant, Carl Mitchell, Andy Musgrove, David Okill.Tim Poole, David Raw, Sabine Schmitt, Chris Wernham, Simon Wotton and Malcolm Wright. Some data for Northern Ireland were supplied by the Irish Rare Breeding Birds Panel (Hillis 201 l).We also thank the following authors for the additional texts: Stuart Benn (Slavonian Grebe), Mary Davies (Red-backed Shrike), Mark Eaton (Capercaillie and Hen Harrier), Stewart Taylor (Wryneck) and Simon Wotton (Eurasian Bittern). Important information for many species was supplied by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Natural England (NE), Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the BTO and the RSPB. We are especially grateful to the licensing officers responsible for Schedule I licences who supplied data for 2010: Jez Blackburn (BTO), Natasha Ewins (NE), Carys Roberts (CCW) and Ben Ross (SNH); and to Adrienne Stratford (RSPB Wales), who collated Schedule I species data from Wales on behalf of CCW and the Panel. Thanks are also due to the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Group, the Scottish Raptor Study Groups, the Shropshire and Wiltshire Raptor Groups, the North of England Raptor Forum, and the Sea Eagle Project Team, who monitor important raptor populations; the JNCC/RSPB/SOTEAG Seabird Monitoring Programme for its data on seabirds; and the BTO for access to various datasets. These include the BTOA/VWT/RSPB/JNCC Wetland Bird Survey, Bird Atlas 2007- 1 I , the Nest Record Scheme and the Heronries Census. In addition, Nick Moran highlighted relevant records submitted to the BTO/RSPB/BWI/SOC BirdTrack scheme. The Bittern Monitoring Programme is organised annually by the RSPB and Natural England, through Action for Birds in England. The Secretary would also like to express his gratitude for the support and encouragement given by all current and past members of the Panel, and to Jill Andrews and Aisling Holling for assembling much of the data for this report. Thanks are also due to Ian Andrews, who advised on the maintenance and enhancement of the RBBP database; and to Denis Corley, who completed his long and committed search through published reports for records that had not been submitted to the Panel; these have now been incorporated into the RBBP archives (see Brit. Birds 1 05: 1 65). References Baker H„ Stroud, D. A., Aebischer N.J., Cranswick, PA„ Gregory, R. D., McSorley, C. A., Noble, D. G., & Rehfisch, M. M. 2006. Population estimates of birds in Great Britain and the United Kingdom. Brit. Birds 99: 25M4. Ballance, D. K., & Smith, A. J. 2008. Recording areas of Great Britain. Brit. Birds 101: 364-375. Bibby, C.J. 1 973. The Red-backed Shrike: a vanishing British species. Bird Study 20: 103-1 10. Brockie, K. 20 1 I . Male Velvet Scoter paired with an Eider, Isle of May. Scot Birds 31: 164. Broughton, R. K. 2009. Separation of Willow Tit and Marsh Tit in Britain: a review. Brit. Birds 1 02: 604-6 1 6. Brown, A., & Grice, R 2005. Birds in England. Poyser London. — , Gilbert, G„ & Wotton, S. 20 1 2. Bitterns and Bittern Conservation in the UK. Brit. Birds 1 05: 58-87. Burton, H„ Evans, T L„ & Weir D. N. 1 970. Wrynecks breeding in Scotland. Scot. Birds 6: 154-156. Clark, J. M„ & Eyre, J. 20 1 2. Dartford Warblers on the Thames Basin and Wealden Heaths. Brit. Birds 1 05: 308-3 1 7. Clements, R. 2001. The Hobby in Britain: a new population estimate. Brit. Birds 94: 402-408. Dillon, I, A„ Smith, T D., Williams, S. J., Haysom, S„ & Eaton, M. A. 2009. Status of Red-throated Divers in Britain in 2006. Bird Study 56: 1 47- 1 57. Downing, S. E., & NERF. 2011. Northern England Raptor Forum Annual Review 20 1 0. NERF, Hebden Bridge. Eaton, M. A., Marshall, K. B„ & Gregory, R. D. 2007a. Status of Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in Scotland during winter 2003/04. Bird. Study 54: 1 45- 1 53. — , Dillon, I. A., Stirling-Aird, R K„ & Whitfield, D. R 2007b. The status of the Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos in Britain in 2003. Bird Study 54: 2 1 2-220. — , Brown, A. F„ Noble, D. G., Musgrove, A. J., Hearn, R. D., Aebischer N. J„ Gibbons, D.W., Evans, A., & Gregory, R. D. 2009. Birds of Conservation Concern 3: the population status of birds in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands 414 British Birds 1 05 • July 2012 * 352-4 1 6 Rare breeding birds in the UK in 2010 and Isle of Man. Brit. Birds 1 02: 296-34 1 . Etheridge, B„ Riley, H.,Wernham, C., Holling, M„ Stevenson, A„ & Thompson, D. 2012. Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme Report 2010. Scottish Raptor Study Groups, Dunblane. Ewing, S. A., Eaton, M. A„ Poole, T. F„ Davies, S., & Haysom, S. 20 1 2. The size of the Scottish population of Capercaillie Tetrao urogallu s: results of the fourth national survey Bird Study. DOI: 1 0. 1 080/00063657.20 1 1 .652937 Fielding, A., Haworth, R, Whitfield, R, McLeod, D., & Riley, H. 20 1 I . A Conservation Framework for Hen Harriers in the United Kingdom. jNCC Report 44 1 , Peterborough. Forrester R.W., Andrews, I. J„ Mclnerny, C. J., Murray R D„ McGowan, R.Y, Zonfrillo, B., Betts, M, W„ Jardine, D. C., & Grundy, D. S. 2007. The Birds of Scotland. SOC, Aberlady. Gibbons, D.W., Reid.J. B„& Chapman, R. A. 1993. The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1988-1991. Poyser London. Gilbert, G., Gibbons, D. W„ & Evans, J. 1 998. Bird Monitoring Methods. RSPB, Sandy. Green, J„ Pritchard, R„ & Tyler S. 20 10. Welsh Bird Report No 22: 2008. Welsh Birds 6: 108-216 . Hagemeijer W. j. M„ & Blair M.J. (eds.) 1997. The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds. Poyser London. Hardey, J., Crick, H„ Wernham, C., Riley H„ Etheridge, B., & Thompson, D. 2009. Raptors: a field guide for surveys and monitoring. The Stationery Office, Edinburgh. Hillis, J. R 20 1 I. Rare Irish Breeding Birds, 20 10. The Annual Report of the Irish Rare Breeding Birds Panel (IRBBP). Irish Birds 9:241-250. Holling, M., & the Rare Breeding Birds Panel. 2007. Rare breeding birds in the United Kingdom in 2003 and 2004. Brit. Birds 100:321-367. — & — .2010. Rare breeding birds in the United Kingdom in 2008. Brit Birds 1 03: 482-538. — & — . 201 I. Rare breeding birds in the United Kingdom in 2009. Brit Birds 104: 476-537. Hudson, N„ & the Rarities Committee. 2011. Report on rare birds in Great Britain in 2010. Brit Birds 104: 557-629. Jackson, D. 2009. Interim Report on 2009 Breeding Whimbrel Surveys. Unpublished report to Natural Research. Key, R. 20 1 I . Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus at Straw's Bridge Pond, Ilkeston: a new species for Derbyshire. Derbyshire Bird Report 2010: 1 66- 1 67. Lovegrove, R, Williams, G., & Williams, I. 1 994. Birds in Wales. Poyser. London. Lunn, J. 1 985. Marmora's Warbler: new to Britain and Ireland. Brit Birds 78: 475—48 1 . McGhie, H. A. 1 994. Discovery of the first British clutch of Slavonian Grebe eggs in a museum collection. Scot. Birds 17: 166-167. McGovern, T H., Perdikaris, S., Einarsson, A., & Sidell, J. 2006. Coastal connections, local fishing, and sustainable egg harvesting: patterns ofViking Age inland wild resource use in Myvatn district, Northern Iceland. Environmental Archaeology I I: 187-205. McLeod, C. R. 2005. Barry Buddon - a major Scottish sand dune system. Scot Nat. 2005: 5- 1 27. Martin, B., & Smith, J. 2007. A survey of breeding Black-necked Grebes in the UK: 1973-2004. Brit Birds 100: 368-378. Meek, E. 201 I.The Orkney Skua Census 2010. Orkney Bird Report 2010: 107-109. Mitchell, R I., Newton, S. F„ Ratcliffe, N„ & Dunn.T. E. 2004. Seabird Populations of Britain and Ireland. Poyser London. Monk, J. F. 1 963. The past and present status of the Wryneck in the British Isles. Bird Study 1 0: I 1 2- 1 32. 0ien, A. I. J., Aarvak,T„ & Reinsborg.T 2008. Horndykkeren i Norge - truet art pi frammarsj? Vdr Fuglefauna 3 1 : 20-27. Okill, J. D. 20 1 0. Report on Red-throated Divers in Shetland 20 1 0. Unpublished report to SOTEAG, Aberdeen. PECBMS. 2011. www.ebcc. info/index. php?ID=380&one_species=8480 Peal, R. E. F. l968.The distribution of the Wryneck in the British Isles, 1964-66. Bird Study 15: I I 1-126. Perrins, C. M. 2003. The status of Marsh and Willow Tits in the UK. Brit. Birds 96: 4 1 8-426. Pritchard, R. 20 1 I .Welsh Bird Report No. 24: 20 1 0. Welsh Birds 8: 62-2 1 9. Risely, K., Renwick, A. R„ Dadam, D., Eaton, M. A., Johnston, A., Baillie, S. R, Musgrove, A. J., & Noble, D. G. 20 1 I . The Breeding Bird Survey 2010. BTO Research Report 597. British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford. SharrockJ.T R. 1976. The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland. Poyser Berkhamsted. Sim, I. M.W., Dillon, I. A., Eaton, M. A., Etheridge, B.. Lindley, R, Riley. H.. Saunders, R., Sharpe, C., &Tickner M. 2007. Status of the Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus in the UK and Isle of Man in 2004, and a comparison with the 1 988/89 and 1 998 surveys. Bird Study 54: 256-267. Smart, j., Amar A., Sim, I. M.W., Etheridge. B„ Cameron, D„ Christie, G., & Wilson, J. D. 2010. Illegal killing slows population recovery of a reintroduced raptor of high conservation concern - the Red Kite Milvus milvus. Biol. Conserv. 1 43: 1 278- 1 286. Smith, K. W„ & Charman, E. C. 20 1 2. The ecology and conservation of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Brit Birds 105:294-307. Spencer R., & the Rare Breeding Birds Panel. 1 986. Rare breeding birds in the United Kingdom in 1 983. Brit Birds 79: 53-81. Stanbury, A., Davies, M., Grice, R, Gregory, R, & Wotton, S. 20 10. The status of the Cirl Bunting in the UK in 2009. Brit Birds 103:702-71 I. Stroud, D., Francis, I., & Stroud, R. 20 1 2. Spotted Crakes breeding in Britain and Ireland: a history and evaluation of current status. Brit. Birds 1 05: 1 97-220. Toon, S. J. 2007. Slavonian Grebe breeding with Great Crested Grebe. Brit Birds 1 00: 38 1 . Whitfield, D. R, Fielding, A. H., McLeod. D. R. A., & Haworth, P F. 2008. A Conservation Framework for Golden Eagles: implications for their conservation and management in Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage Report 193, Inverness. Wiseman, E. J. 20 1 2. Honey-buzzards in southern England. Brit Birds 1 05: 23-28. British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 415 Dan Powell Holling et al. Wotton, S„ Conway, G„ Eaton, M„ Henderson, l„ & Grice. R 2009. The status of the Dartford Warbler in the UK and the Channel Islands in 2006. Brit Birds 1 02: 230-246. — , Grantham, M„ Moran, N„ & Gilbert, G. 20 II . Eurasian Bittern distribution and abundance in the UK during the 2009/ 1 0 winter Brit Birds 1 04: 636-64 1 . Wynn, R. B.,Ward, M., & Adams, M. C. 20l2.The increasing Firecrest population in the New Forest, Hampshire. Brit Birds 1 05: 273-275. Mark Holling, The Old Orchard, Grange Road, North Berwick, East Lothian EH39 4QT; e-mail secretary@rbbp.org.uk The Rare Breeding Birds Panel is supported by JNCC, RSPB and the BTO Secretary Mark Holling, The Old Orchard, Grange Road, North Berwick, East Lothian EH39 4QT; e-mail secretary@rbbp.org.uk Find out more about the Panel at www.rbbp.org.uk ®JNCC Joint Nature Conservation Committee BTO Looking out for birds Little Egret Egretta garzetta and Great White Egret Ardea o/bo.Titchfield Haven, Hampshire. 416 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 352-416 Note The status of Isabelline Shrike taxa in the United Arab Emirates The Isabelline Shrike Lanins isabellinus is a widespread and common passage migrant and winter visitor throughout the United Arab Emirates and, indeed, much of Arabia. Its taxonomy has been much debated in recent years and, while currently treated as a single, polytypic species by the British Ornithologists’ Union (and BB), other authorities regard it as comprising two species: Turkestan (or Red-tailed) Shrike L. phoenicuroides (breeding in west-central Asia) and Daurian (or Isabelline) Shrike L. isabellinus (breeding in Mongolia and western China, to the east of phoenicuroides and com- prising nominate isabellinus and arenarius). Although not universally accepted (see, for example, Panov 2009 for an alternative view), this treatment has been gener- ally adopted by one major identification paper (Worfolk 2000) and many recent field guides (e.g. Svensson et al. 2009, van Duivendijk 2010 and Porter & Aspinall 2010). This approach is convenient from a practical point of view, since the majority of individuals of phoenicuroides and isabellinus , the two forms occurring in the Western Palearctic and Arabia, are often separable under field conditions. Until recently, the non- breeding distribution of both isabellinus and phoenicuroides throughout the Arabian Peninsula has been poorly defined. For example, Cramp & Perrins (1993), Worfolk (2000) and the current OSME Region List of Bird Taxa (2010) all suggested that both taxa winter throughout southern Arabia. This note outlines the status and phe- nology of each taxon in the UAE, based on field observa- tions by the author. Both phoenicuroides and isabellinus are encountered quite commonly in the UAE and, in recent years, observers have become increasingly interested in the field appearance and relative status of each. A comprehensive selection of images of both taxa is now avail- able online (see www.uaebirding.com/photos- birds.html) and representative adult male phoenicuroides and isabellinus are illustrated in plates 220 & 221 respectively. Classic spring males are generally easy to differen- tiate, with phoenicuroides typically exhibiting a silky white underside (sometimes tinged cream or buff on the flanks), a striking and solid black mask (emphasised by the all-black bill), well-defined white supercilium and strong rufous tinge to the forehead and 1 00% 90% 80% - 70% - 60% - 50% - 40% - 30% - 20% - 10% Sep Oct Nov (110) (283) (287) unspecified % Dec Jan Feb (136) (148) (96) ■ phoenicuroides % Mar Apr May (607) (205) (83) ■ isabellinus % Fig. I. Monthly percentages of Isabelline Shrikes Lanius isabellinus recorded by the author and assigned to subspecies. United Arab Emirates, January 2007 to December 201 I. Total number of records involved placed under month. The number of unspecified records include 77 (out of 607) in March and 109 (out of 570) in October-November. © British Birds 1 05 • July 20 1 2 • 4 1 7-420 417 Oscar Campbell Note crown. In contrast, isabellinus typically shows a strong degree of creamy-buff saturation on the underside and cheeks, a less well-defined mask (see also below), a rather paler base to the bill, a shorter and more diffuse super- cilium that is often tinged buff, and little or no warm rufous on the greyer forehead and crown. Most females (and many first-winters in autumn) can, with care, be characterised by, particularly, the rather cold, whitish and quite strongly scaled underparts ( phoeni - curoides) or the rather creamy, only lightly scaled underparts that generally offer little contrast with the upperparts ( isabellinus ). To clarify the relative status of each taxon in the UAE, I analysed all my records of Isabelline Shrikes in the UAE from January 2007 to December 2011. These totalled 1,955 records, of which 88% were assigned sub- specifically (fig. 1). Fig. 2 examines more closely the situation from February to May on Abu Dhabi Island only, where I have recorded passerine migration systematically each spring from 2007 to 2012 inclusive. My data show that there is a clear distinction between phoenicuroides and isabellinus in terms of their occurrence in the UAE. The former is almost exclusively a passage migrant, mainly between mid September and mid October, and again from early March until early May, with stragglers until mid May or even later. Although not recorded by me, very small numbers of phoenicuroides are seen in the UAE in August, at least in some years, and mainly in the last week of the month (average of 3.6 bird-days each August, during 2007-1 1 in the country as a whole; T. Pedersen pers. comm.). In contrast, isabellinus is generally present only from October to March, with very few records outside this period (and in August, only three bird-days in total in the five years 2007-11). It is often widespread in favoured habitats (fodder fields, desert edge and urban parks) throughout the winter, with many individuals departing by mid February and replaced by a strong wave of passage migrants that peaks in the first half of March. This situation mirrors that recognised in Kuwait ( AbudulRahman al-Sirhan pers. comm.) and described from eastern Saudi Arabia (Meadows 2010). Data from the last source shows that, for both taxa, the timing of migration in Saudi Arabia is very similar to that in the UAE including an apparent ‘double wave’ of phoenicuroides in spring (one in the second half of March, one in the second half of April; see fig. 2). The situation regarding migration through the Middle East can also be linked to the status of Isabelline Shrike forms in western Europe. In simple terms, the western 220. Male Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus phoenicuroides , UAE, March 2011. 418 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 417-420 Note Fig. 2. Records of Isabelline Shrikes Lanius isabellinus assigned to subspecies from Abu Dhabi Island, United Arab Emirates, from 1st February to 30th May during the years 2007-12 inclusive. Data are shown as birds seen per hour of observation, averaged over the five years, and plotted against five- day blocks, starting from 1st February. form phoenicuroides (which winters widely and commonly in East Africa) migrates earlier in the autumn, while isabellinus (which winters farther north - and west - in Africa moves through and into the Middle East later in autumn, and hence is more likely to occur as a vagrant to western Europe (and to occur later in the autumn). In terms of records not attributed sub- specifically (12%), many refer to birds seen too briefly or distantly to be assigned confidently. However, a small (but by no means insignificant) minority represent indi- viduals of intermediate appearance, showing a mixture of characters indicative of both taxa (see fig. 1). Although some of these were first-calendar-year birds in autumn, fig. 1 indicates that such birds also occur in spring, in adult plumage. Presumably at least some of these are the offspring of mixed pairs (as documented by, for example, Panov 2009), while others are karelini or karelini- type 22 1 . Male Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus isabellinus, UAE, October 20 1 0. British Birds 1 05 • July 20 1 2 • 4 1 7-420 419 Mike Barth Oscar Campbell Note individuals (which appear to be particularly variable in appearance). The identification of the various Isabelline Shrike taxa is far from straightforward, and in particular there is more variability in nominate isabellinus than might be inferred from the lit- erature. From those observed in the UAE, vari- ation in one character in particular, the extent of the black facial mask, was frequent. This mask is typically described as being well defined and complete, from bill base through the lores to the ear-coverts, on adult male isabellinus (Pearson 2000; Worfolk 2000; van Duivendijk 2010). Examples of isabellinus showing a poorly defined loral bar, yet lacking the scaling on the breast and flanks typical of females, are frequently encountered in the UAE - see plates 222-224. Some of these, including the individual illustrated in plate 224, are heard singing. A limited mask, barely apparent across the lores, is generally regarded as a feature of arenarius. However, other features, such as darkness of the remiges and intensity of rufous on the rectrices, do not fit this taxon and there are no confirmed records of arenarius from the UAE (or elsewhere in the OSME region). Acknowledgments I am grateful to Jules Bos and Nick Moran for assistance with obtaining references, to the UAE bird recorder; Tommy Pedersen, for providing data on August records and for provoking much useful discussion of the issues raised here, and to AbudulRahman al-Sirhan for useful discussions on the status of Isabelline Shrikes in Kuwait. References Cramp, S. & Perrins, C. (eds). 1993. The Birds of the Western Palearctic.Vol. 7. OUR Oxford. Meadows, B. S. 20 1 0. On the status of Isabelline Lanius isabellinus, Turkestan L. phoenicuroides and Red- backed Shrikes L collurio in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Bull. BOC 1 30 (3): 215-21 8. OSME Region List of Bird Taxa. 2010. www.osme.org/ orl/index.shtml Accessed 30th June 2011. Panov, E. N. 2009. On the nomenclature of the so- called Isabelline Shrike. Sandgrouse 31 (2): 163-170. Pearson, D. J. 2000.The races of the Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus and their nomenclature. Bull. BOC 120 ( I ): 22-27. Porter, R„ & Aspinall, S. 20 1 0. Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East. Christopher Helm, London. Svensson, L., Mullarney, K., & Zetterstrom, D. 2009. Collins Bird Guide. Harper Collins, London, van Duivendijk, N. 20 1 0. The Advanced Bird ID Guide: ID of every plumage of every Western Palearctic species. New Holland, London. Worfolk, T. 2000. Identification of Red-backed, Isabelline and Brown Shrikes. Dutch Birding 22: 323-362. Oscar Campbell, British School Al Khubairat, PO Box 4001, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; e-mail ojcampbell25@yahoo.com 222-224. Isabelline Shrikes Lanius isabellinus isabellinus, UAE, December 2006 (222, left), February 2007 (223, upper right), March 201 I (224, lower right). 420 British Birds 1 05 • July 20 1 2 • 4 1 7-420 Oscar Campbell Nick Moran Reviews Bird Man’s River By Eric Ennion, edited by Bob Walthew Benton Street Books, 201 1 Hbk, 159pp, colour plates ISBN 978-0-9570465-0-4 Subbuteo code M21322 £35.00 BB Bookshop price £31.00 This is more than a mere book. It is an exhibition, a retrospec- tive, a resurrection of an artist and of his milieu, unearthed from the fens he loved and later lost to war-effort improvement. Here, his record is restored, patched and polished now for all to see. Eric Ennion wrote Bird Man’s River in the late 1930s. He created most of the artwork included here to publish with his evocative and in places vivid descriptions, working always in situ, from raw, lived experience of birds and their wild, wetland haunts. He centred on the then scruffy fenlands north of Cambridge, close to where he lived and worked as a GP, but he trav- elled widely too, sketching and painting as he went. Ennion is widely regarded as one of, if not the most influential artist in the genre of the twentieth century. Former Birds magazine editor Rob Hume speaks of outputs ‘so very different from any field guide illustration... he achieved movement, action, jizz to perfection.’ Artist John Busby has told me that ‘Eric was, and still is, the most inspiring artist of nature I have ever known. I continue to marvel at his understanding of everything he drew, and how he gave such individual life to each bird and animal.’ The plates are reproduced at actual size or as close to as the format of the book will allow. Any gaps in the narrative have been seamlessly filled by Bob Walthew, with a loving and sensitive eye. The detail of some of the prose is sublime, confirming Ennion as a field naturalist of immense skill and insight. This description of a ditch is just one small but precious example: ‘...the muddy sides are riddled by the borings of Snipe. Most of these bores are really two half-circular holes, one for each of the slightly parted mandibles, with a fragile mud partition in between. Every now and then there is a single, wider hole where a worm was found and cautiously withdrawn.’ His description of a young, passage Osprey seen in the Broads nearly 20 years before the species had returned to breed in Britain, is another precious gem: ‘the legs were often let down, as if testing their reach... the clenched blue feet looked workmanlike’. Inter-war-year austerity prevented publication of Bird Man’s River at the time. Ennion tried again in the early 1950s to see it published, adding revi- sions to the text, but the high costs of colour repro- duction again frustrated his attempts. Laurie Lee once wrote that ‘any bits of warm life preserved by the pen are trophies snatched from the dark, are branches of leaves fished out of the flood, are tiny arrests of mortality’. Bird Man’s River is all of these things, warm life resurrected in words and paint, and brought together in this beautifully and affectionately presented tribute to the man, his birds and his sadly much diminished but yet retrievable places. ‘Through his art and teaching he changed the whole direction of wildlife art,’ says John Busby. ‘Above all, I think he wanted people to see nature as it really was, not as presented in the old book illustra- tions, and to understand the vibrant energy of crea- ture’s lives. All the artists I know who work from life today regard Eric as the supreme example to follow.’ It remains curious to me that other artists I have spoken to admit that while they are aware of Eric Ennion’s importance within the sphere of so- called wildlife art, his influence may not have been felt more widely. Is it time that wildlife art broke out of its ‘box’? What other branches of art confine themselves narrowly to a subject? There are sound practical and historical reasons why wildlife artists formed their own Society (Ennion himself being a founder), but can we now through art begin to challenge the view that ‘wildlife’ appreciation and representation exists somehow separately from wider human interests and concerns? As we con- front the challenges of conservation and a belea- guered environment in the twenty-first century, it would be a fitting tribute to Eric Ennion and to champions of ‘nature’ of all kinds if we could use his example and prodigious talent to begin to break down some of these imagined and in some ways self-imposed barriers. Bird Man’s River can be a sig- nificant contribution to that end. Conor Jameson SUBBUTEO NATURAL HISTORY BOOKS The BB Bookshop, brought to you by Subbuteo Natural History Books www.wildlifebooks.com/bb, and see our list after Recent reports © British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 421-422 421 Reviews Extremely Rare Birds in the Western Palearctic By Marcel Haas Lynx Edicions, 2012 Hbk, 244pp, 300+ colour photographs ISBN 978-84-96553-83-5 Subbuteo code M21199 £24.95 BB Bookshop price £22.95 This book does exactly what it says on the tin. It is the first attempt to draw together all the records of excep- tionally rare birds in the Western Palearctic, as defined by BWP , focusing on the 155 species that have occurred in the region fewer than ten times. The author does not discuss patterns or causes of vagrancy, nor identification, but has concentrated on producing an accurate, concise and thorough documentation of all those records in an attractive and well-produced book. The taxonomy follows that of the Dutch authorities so that (for example) Amur Wagtail Motacilla {alba) leucopsis and Least Tern Sternula {albifrons) antillarum are treated as full species (the BOU still treats both as subspecies). At a higher taxonomic level, I was aware that the boundaries of some families are under review but was surprised to see the New World warblers (Parulidae) and blackbirds (Icteridae) placed in the buntings (Emberizidae). The majority of the book is taken up by the individual species accounts. A brief text in the left- hand column lies opposite a list of accepted records (up to and including 2008) in a high- lighted box in the right-hand column. The text outlines the breeding and wintering range of the species, includes additional well-documented records from 2009 and 2010, and presents details of some records that were unacceptable or of doubtful origin to complete the picture. A real strength of the book is the number of photographs included. For many species every record, or a good proportion of them, are backed up with photos. Many are specimens, some held in private collections, for example the Faroese Sand- hill Crane Grus canadensis from October 1980 and the Maltese Striped Crake Aenigmatolimnas mar- ginalis from April 2004. As might be expected, the quality of the photographs varies. Some are first class but a lot are best described as record shots; occasionally it is disappointing to see a poor- quality image when much better ones have been published elsewhere. In my view it is arguable whether a handful are actually identifiable, while even locating the White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus or the 2005 Azores Hooded Warbler Wilsonia citrina in their respective photographs is a challenge in itself. Only 32 of the 155 species covered are not accompanied by photographs, although images of two of these, Wilson’s Warbler Cardellina pusilla and Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea, both in Cornwall in October 1995, were published in BB. Since this book covers a region with so many different records committees, from the ultra- conservative BOU to the more liberal (and arguably more pragmatic) Dutch, some inconsis- tencies are bound to occur. For example, the very first species account is for Ross’s Goose Anser rossii , where we have three pages of Dutch records but just a brief summary, lacking any details, of records from elsewhere. Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus and Daurian Star- ling Agropsar sturninus suffer in similar fashion. Surely it is time for some consistency of treatment, at least across Europe. Inevitably, books of this nature become out of date before they are published and it seems likely that the status of some species included will change markedly over the next few years. Kuwait, Egypt, Mauritania, the Cape Verde Islands, the Azores and Iceland are all now receiving much better coverage and perhaps it won’t be long before the Ural Mountains are ‘sussed out’. A key element of this book is that so much rel- evant information - records, photographs, details of museum specimens and references (over 700 of them) - is brought together concisely and the author is to be commended for this. The book will certainly appeal to the increasing band of Western Palearctic listers and those with an interest in rare birds and vagrancy - testament to the fact that just about anything can turn up anywhere. I am not so sure, however, that there is enough here to appeal to many outside this rather specialist audience. Paul Harvey SUBBUTEO NATURAL HISTORY BOOKS The 8B Bookshop, brought to you by Subbuteo Natural History Books www.wildlifebooks.com/bb, and see our list after Recent reports 422 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 421-422 News and comment Compiled by Adrian Pitches Opinions expressed in this feature are not necessarily those of British Birds 225. Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus ‘BB' with newly fitted satellite tag, Loch Katrine, Upper Forth, May 2012. ‘BB’ joins the Cuckoo class of 20 1 2 British Birds is delighted to join the BTO Cuckoo project with the sponsorship of a satellite-tagged Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus - code number 1 15591, now christened ‘BB’. ‘BB’ was caught and tagged near Loch Katrine, near Stirling in Upper Forth, on I 7th May, and is a two-year- old adult male. Together with four other Scottish, four Welsh and two English Cuckoos, ‘BB’ can now be tracked on the BTO website www.bto.org as he heads south to his African wintering grounds. Last year’s pioneering Cuckoo tracking project saw five male English Cuckoos tracked south to the rainforest of the Congo basin. Two of them - Lyster and Chris - were tracked all the way home to Norfolk this spring and Lyster famously appeared on BBC TV. Chris had already started his southward migration again by 12th June, when his satellite tag showed that he was in Belgium. Cuckoo numbers are down by 63% in England and 34% in Wales compared with just 2% in Scotland since 1995. The BTO hopes that this year’s satellite-tracking exercise will shed some light on this disparity, maybe as a result of different wintering areas or migration routes selected by English, Welsh and Scottish Cuckoos. Great White Egrets breed in the UK - The latest southern heron to breed for the first time in the UK is the Great White Egret Arden alba following recent successful nesting records of Purple Heron A. purpurea, Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis, Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus and Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia. Indeed, Cattle Egret and Little Bittern have both bred in the same area of Somerset as this year’s pair of Great White Egrets. Natural England confirmed that the Great White Egret has nested in Britain for the first time, at Shapwick Heath NNR, in Somerset. At least two young were seen in June. The female was colour- ringed as a nestling in May 2009, in Besne, France, and she was sighted in Lancashire, Wales and Gloucestershire before visiting the Somerset Levels for the first time in April 2010. She has remained Glossy Ibis next? there ever since, coping with two severe British winters. Simon Clarke, Reserve Manager for Shapwick Heath, said: ‘This is hugely exciting and we’ve been keeping everything crossed and a close eye on the nest since the signs of nesting activity were first noticed in April. In the last few years, we’ve been carrying out a lot of work to improve the reserve’s reedbeds for Bitterns [ Botaurus stellaris ] and Otters [Lutra lutra], but it seems that Great White Egrets have also appreciated the work we’ve done.’ Mark Holling, Secretary of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, said: ‘In recent years. Great White Egrets have been increasingly recorded in the breeding season though it was only in 2010 that there were indications that some of the visiting birds might stay in Britain to breed, with pairs in © British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 423-426 423 BTO Mike Lane News and comment both Somerset and Suffolk. Although widely anticipated, it is still welcome news that a pair is now breeding, and the extensive nature reserves in the Avalon Marshes in Somerset are becoming quite a centre for rare breeding birds. Other rare herons have featured in the news the last few years. The first breeding of Cattle Egrets was recorded in 2008, the second breeding by Little Bitterns occurred in 2010 (both of these records also in Somerset) and the first breeding record of Purple Herons in Kent was also in 2010.’ (As the report in this issue of BB shows.) Tony Whitehead, speaking for the RSPB, said: ‘This is another major step forward for nature conservation, and the RSPB is delighted to be working alongside Natural England and the Somerset Ornithological Society to protect these pioneering birds as they breed for the first time. The Avalon Marshes are a wonderful example of landscape-scale conservation, where partnership working has produced one of western Europe’s largest and best wetlands. The really exciting thing is now predicting what’s going to turn up next. It’s the sort of place where anything is possible!’ With a pair of Glossy Ibises Plegadis falcinellus present in the area in summer 2012, this species would be a good bet for the next British breeding ‘first’ in Somerset. Commenting on the Great White Egret story on the BB website (www.britishbirds.co.uk), Lukasz Lawicki pointed out that the first breeding record in Germany has come in the same year (see www.dda- web.de). And ‘in Poland in 2011 it was a record breeding season - c. 143 nests at four sites (first breeding record in Poland was in 1997). Expansion of this species in the last ten years in western and central Europe (both breeding and non-breeding population) runs at an amazing pace!’ Defra cancels plan for state-sanctioned Buzzard persecution The extraordinary plan by Defra for a trial of Common Buzzard Buteo buteo capture and nest destruction at the behest of the Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus -shooting fraternity was itself shot down within a week of its announcement. There was universal outrage when Defra announced on 24th May that it intended to spend £375,000 on a licensed three-year trial of Buzzard persecution on three shooting estates in Northumberland. It seemed that the clock had been turned back 200 years to a time when the landed gentry dictated government policy. The RSPB declared itself ‘stunned’ by Defra’s plan to allow the destruction of Buzzard nests and to permit Buzzards to be taken into captivity to remove them from shooting estates. It would have set ‘a terrible precedent’, the Society said. Martin Harper, the RSPB’s Conservation Director, said: ‘We are shocked by Defra’s plans to destroy Buzzard nests and to take Buzzards into captivity to protect a non-native gamebird released in its millions. Buzzards play a minor role in Pheasant losses, compared with other factors like collisions with vehicles.’ Pheasants are indeed non-native birds in the UK, and around 40 million are released every year for shooting. The impacts of this practice on wildlife have been poorly documented, but serious questions have been raised about the impact that such a large injection of captive-reared birds might have on the predator- prey balance in our countryside. Buzzards will take young Pheasants from rearing pens, given the opportunity, but the RSPB believes that the issue can be managed without destroying nests or moving Buzzards. Measures include providing more cover for young Pheasants in release pens, visual deterrents to discourage birds of prey and providing alternative food sources. 226. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo. 424 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 423-426 News and comment Mr Harper added: ‘There are options for addressing the relatively small number of Pheasant poults lost to Buzzards. Destroying nests is completely unjustified and catching and removing Buzzards is unlikely to reduce predation levels, as another Buzzard will quickly take its place. Both techniques would be illegal under current wildlife laws, and 1 think most people will agree with us that reaching for primitive measures, such as imprisoning Buzzards or destroying their nests, when wildlife and economic interests collide is totally unacceptable. ‘At a time when funding for vital conservation work is so tight, and with another bird of prey, the Hen Harrier [Circus cyaneus], facing extinction as a breeding bird in England, I can think of better ways of spending £400,000 of public funds. This money could work harder for wildlife, and I hope the Government will therefore put a stop to this project.’ Indeed, the Government did. Less than a week after the plan was revealed, it was cancelled on 30th May. Defra minister Richard Benyon (a Berkshire landowner of over 8,000 ha) said: ‘In the light of the public concerns expressed in recent days, 1 have decided to look at developing new research proposals on Buzzards.’ The RSPB was understandably relieved. Martin Harper’s reaction: ‘We’re pleased the minister has listened to people’s concerns and acted in the public interest by cancelling this project. This is a strong decision, reflecting the strength of the nation’s desire to see Government protecting precious wildlife. ‘The recovery of the Buzzard is being celebrated by the public after many decades of persecution. It is clear they don’t want their taxes being spent on removing Buzzards and the Government has to ensure that no bird of prey will be killed in the name of sport.’ The 2010 British Breeding Bird Survey shows that the breeding population of Buzzards rose by 146% from 1995 to 2009. Worryingly, Mr Benyon seems to regard the recovery of a formerly persecuted bird of prey as a potential problem. . . He said: ‘The success of conservation measures has seen large increases in the numbers of Buzzards and other birds of prey [and] I celebrate that. At the same time it is right that we make decisions on the basis of sound evidence and we do need to understand better the whole relationship between raptors, gamebirds and other livestock. I will collaborate with all the organisations that have an interest in this issue and will bring forward new proposals.’ Defra’s justification for the Buzzard control proposals were the results of the 2011 National Gamekeepers’ Organisation survey, which found that three-quarters of keepers believed that Buzzards had a harmful effect on their Pheasant shoots. Hardly a scientific study. The RSPB pointed to previous research that found that few Pheasant chicks were killed by any bird of prey: an independent study by ADAS, and commissioned by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, found that, on average, just 1-2% of Pheasant poults released were taken by all birds of prey. A Defra official acknowledged that the RSPB’s campaign had been compelling. She said that new research would aim to establish the impact of birds of prey on Pheasants first, before control measures were considered. There is no timetable for the new terms of reference. The message to anyone who cares about Britain’s birds of prey is that vigilance is now essential. Contact your MP, in writing or by e-mail, before Defra comes back with its revised proposals. Serial egg-collector banned from Scotland for life A serial egg-collector has received an Anti Social Behaviour Order banning him from visiting Scotland during the breeding season (1st February to 31st August) for the rest of his life. Matthew Gonshaw, 49, from Bow in East London, pleaded guilty at Inverness Sheriff Court to charges of taking 20 wild bird eggs from the Isle of Rum in 2011. He was also caught in possession of egg-collecting equipment. As well as the ASBO, he was ordered to serve two six-month jail terms concurrently. Gonshaw has already served four prison terms for egg-collecting and had already been given a ten- year ASBO preventing him from visiting Scotland during the breeding season (Brit. Birds 105: 231). Speaking at the sentencing, Sheriff Margaret Neilson said that her main concern was to ‘protect the wildlife of Scotland from predators like you’ and described Gonshaw as a ‘wildlife destroyer’. In June 2011, Gonshaw was arrested on the Isle of Rum after he was caught taking the eggs of Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus, Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis and Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus. Commenting on the sentencing, RSPB Scotland Head of Investigations, Ian Thomson, said: ‘We welcome this sentence and the strong comments made by the Sheriff as it sends out a clear message to those who seek to destroy Scotland’s natural heritage. This successful prosecution is the result of hard work by the Northern Constabulary, the National Wildlife Crime Unit, Scottish Natural Heritage and RSPB Scotland.’ British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 423-426 425 News and comment Goshawks targeted in the Peak District The RSPB and Severn Trent Water have expressed their outrage at the wanton destruction of a Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis nest in the Peak District and the Society is offering a reward of £1,000 for information leading to a conviction. This crime is the latest in a long-running series of attacks on raptors in the Peak District and leaves just one active Goshawk nest in the entire Derwent Valley, which previously held six pairs. The RSPB’s Mark Thomas said: 'Once again we’re faced with the destruction of birds of prey in Britain’s most visited national park. The sight of Goshawk eggs, only days from hatching, lying smashed on the forest floor is heartbreaking and proves that this bird is being systematically wiped out in the north of the Peak District.’ The Derwent Valley has been subject to a catalogue of raptor persecution incidents, with the most recent confirmed case concerning Glen Brown, a gamekeeper convicted of using a caged pigeon to lure birds of prey to a trap. Derbyshire Police have launched an investigation of the crime, which took place on land managed by Severn Trent Water. Bird trapping on Cyprus nets 2.8 million birds In Cyprus, bird trapping with mist-nets and limesticks continues to increase, threatening many migrants travelling through the island. BirdLife Cyprus carried out monitoring of illegal trapping throughout 2011 and found that 2.8 million birds were victims of these barbaric practices during the year. It is the highest number of cases reported since the BirdLife Cyprus campaign against illegal killing was launched ten years ago. This highlights the increasing trend in bird trapping in Cyprus, which threatens to reverse all the progress achieved in the first years of the new millennium. The campaign, supported by the RSPB, started in 2002. Each year, BirdLife Cyprus has undertaken field surveys on trapping activities and has just produced a new report assessing trapping cases during winter 2011/12. It includes an overview on the situation and the ecological impact of illegal bird trapping in the country, as well as the latest survey results. BirdLife Cyprus calls upon the competent authorities, both from the Republic of Cyprus and the UK sovereign base areas, to adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ approach, if illegal bird trapping is to be stopped. See www.birdlifecyprus.org Petrel increase is very welcome A BirdLife survey in southern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, has encountered the largest single aggregation of the Critically Endangered Beck’s Petrel Pseudobulweria becki ever recorded. More than 100 birds were estimated at one location, after a single count of 58 birds was made. For a seabird species lost to science for 79 years until its rediscovery in 2007, these vital new data offer a glimmer of hope. ‘These findings give us some important clues to take the conservation of Beck’s Petrel forward,’ said Jez Bird, the BirdLife project leader. Until recently, Beck’s Petrel was known from only two specimens: a female taken at sea east of New Ireland in 1928, and a male taken in the Solomon Islands in 1929. Its rediscovery, in July and August 2007, was made when an expedition encountered the species at four localities off New Ireland. Beck’s Petrel is thought to have a (declining) global population of fewer than 250 mature individuals. One important feature of the current survey is that, unlike the 2007 rediscovery and subsequent sightings, it didn’t use ‘chum’ to attract the birds. Chum is an extremely effective attractant but it can yield a biased impression of a species’ true abundance. ‘To see so many Beck’s Petrels without [chumming] is unprecedented,’ said Jez Bird. ‘Typically these birds are solitary at sea and are encountered far offshore. A gathering like this, so close to land, while not definitive, strongly indicates that they are breeding nearby.’ As well as actively searching for the birds, the survey involved the local coastal communities. Petrels were (and still are) frequently harvested in the Pacific, and fear of their eerie night-time calls often led villages to establish taboo areas in the forest where entry is prohibited. Intriguingly, none of the locals knew Beck’s Petrel when presented with pictures and there was no knowledge of any nesting areas. This, and the apparent abundance of certain petrel predators like wild pigs in coastal and foothill forest suggests that they are most likely to be breeding in montane areas, consistent with what is already known of similar species. For extended versions of many of the stories featured here, and much more, visit our website www.britishbirds.co.uk 426 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 423-426 Rich Andrews Recent reports Compiled by Barry Nightingale and Harry Hussey This summary of unchecked reports covers early May to early June 2012. Headlines For some birders, the highlight of the spring was Britain’s first twitchable Orphean Warbler for 3 I years, although a Cream-coloured Courser on a Hereford- shire hilltop was a serious contender for many more. Other outstanding rarities included a Macaronesian Shearwater off Cornwall, a Baillon’s Crake in Anglesey, a Greater Sand Plover in the Outer Hebrides, a Great Snipe in Somerset, two European Rollers in Yorkshire and a Collared Flycatcher in Donegal. Most of these were short-stayers and the crake was only audible. More convenient for the masses was a lingering Pallid Harrier in Yorkshire and a long-staying Squacco Heron in Avon. A wide scatter of Great White Egrets, Purple Herons, Glossy Ibises, Black Kites, Red- footed Falcons, Black-winged Stilts, European Bee-eaters, Woodchat Shrikes, Short-toed Larks and Red-rumped Swallows brought a Mediterranean feel to proceedings, while those seeking skuas on North Uist enjoyed a short-lived but impressive passage of Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas and a male Snowy Owl. American Wigeon Anas americana North Ronaldsay (Orkney), 1 4th— 16th May; Harolds- wick, Unst, 24th-26th May, Gutcher, Yell (both Shetland), 24th-26th May. Blue-winged Teal Anas discors Bridgend Farm Pool (Clyde), long-stayer to 21st May. Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca Shapwick Heath (Somerset), 5th June. Lesser Scaup Aythya affmis St John’s Loch (Highland), long-stayer to 11th May. Common Eider Somateria mollissima North American race dresseri, Malin Head (Co. Donegal), 2nd June. King Eider Somateria spectabilis Ythan Estuary (North-east Scotland), long-stayer to 21st May; Roannish Island (Co. Donegal), 1 9th— 20th May; Blackdog (North-east Scotland), 28th May to 10th June. Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata Port Seton, 9th— 1 5th May, also Gullane (both Lothian), 20th May; South Uist (Outer Hebrides), two, 15th May; Blackdog, 5th June; Burray (Orkney), 10th June. White-billed Diver Gavia adamsii At sea, 4 km southwest of Melvaig (Highland), 10th May; South Ronaldsay (Orkney), 1 4th— 20th May; Sumburgh Head (Shetland), 28th May; Evie (Orkney), 3rd June; Fetlar (Shetland), 10th June. Macaronesian Shearwater Puffmus baroli Pendeen (Cornwall), 8th June. Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Flamborough (Yorkshire), 7th— 14th May; Willenhall (West Midlands), 12th May; Waltham Brooks (Sussex), 18th May; Ilfracombe (Devon), 21st May; Pul- borough Brooks (Sussex), 23rd May; Pennington (Hampshire), 2nd-4th June. Squacco Heron Ardeola raiioides Blagdon Lake (Avon), long-stayer to 17th May; Dungeness (Kent), 30th May; The Lizard (Cornwall), 9th June. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Old Wolverton (Buckinghamshire), 1 9th — 2 1 st May; Bantry (Co. Cork), 23rd May; West Bexington (Dorset), 24th May; Seaton, 24th May, Yelland (both Devon), 25th-27th May. Great White Egret Ardea alba In addition 227. Squacco Heron Ardeola raiioides. Blagdon Lake, Avon, May 2012. © British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 427-430 427 Mike Lawrence Recent reports to the breeding pair at Shapwick Heath, Somerset (see pp. 423-424), there were records from Cambridgeshire, Cheshire & Wirral, Devon, Essex, Gwent, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lincolnshire, Co. Mayo, Norfolk, Pembrokeshire, Suffolk and Sussex. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea Walmore Common (Gloucestershire), 10th May; Shapwick Heath, 13th May; Tresco (Scilly), 19th May; Tamar Bridge (Devon), 28th May; Lakenheath Fen (Suffolk), 28th May; Brogborough Lake (Bedfordshire), 2nd June; Church Norton (Sussex), 4th June; Dungeness, 5th— 10th June. Black Stork Ciconia nigra Booltiagh (Co. Clare), 4th June. White Stork Ciconia ciconia After the influx in April, four were seen together in Caernarfonshire, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Gwent, Norfolk, Somerset, Suffolk and Yorkshire; three in Hampshire and Sussex; two in Hertfordshire and Kent; and singles in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Co. Cork, Essex, Forth, Greater London and Nottinghamshire. Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Several lingering and wandering birds included four in Pembrokeshire, three at Tacumshin (Co. Wexford), at least two in Hampshire, two in Somerset, Suffolk and Sussex, and singles in Anglesey, Cheshire & Wirral, Co. Cork, Devon, Essex, Lancashire & N Merseyside, Co. Wexford and Co. Wicklow. Black Kite Milvus migrans A widespread influx included records from Caernarfonshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Devon, Dorset, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire & N Merseyside, Lothian, Norfolk, Scilly, Sussex, Co. Wexford and Yorkshire, with the majority in the period 20th-26th May. Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus Stiffkey Fen (Norfolk), 10th May; Donna Nook, 11th May, then Rimac (both Lincolnshire), 12th May; Welwick/Patrington (Yorkshire), 1 4th— 1 8th May; Long Buckby, then West Haddon (both Northamptonshire), 28th May. Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus Stodmarsh (Kent), 16th May; Jubilee River NR (Buckinghamshire), 21st-22nd May; Wisbech (Cambridgeshire), 23rd May; Owenahincha (Co. Cork), 24th May; Tacumshin, 25th May to 6th June; Ouse Fen (Cambridgeshire), 27th May; Elmswell (Suffolk), 28th-29th May; Flamborough, 29th May; Abberton Resr (Essex), 30th May; Rockland Broad (Norfolk), 29th— 3 1 st May; Buckenham (Norfolk), 30th May; Minsmere (Suffolk), 30th-31st May; Vange (Essex), 31st May; Dull, 30th— 3 1 st May, then near Aberfeldy (both Perth & Kinross), 1st June; Willington GP (Derbyshire), 4th-10th June; Kilcolgan (Co. Galway), 4th-5th June; Tealham Moor (Somerset), 4th-10th June; Snaresbrook (Greater London), 5th June. Baillon’s Crake Porzana pusilla Malltraeth Marshes (Anglesey), singing male, 22nd May to 4th June. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Long- stayers at Elmley (Kent), two to 11th May and Frampton Marsh (Lincolnshire), to 18th May; Needingworth Quarry (Cambridgeshire), 22nd May; Paxton Pits (Cambridgeshire), 24th May; Taw Estuary (Devon), 24th May; Radipole/Lodmoor (Dorset), 24th-25th May; Abbotsbury (Dorset), 24th-27th May; Newport Wetlands (Gwent), 25th May; Exminster Marshes, 27th then Powderham Marshes (both Devon), 27th-29th May; Pennington, 27th-29th May, with two, 2nd-9th June; Hodbarrow (Cumbria), 28th May; Blaydon (Co. Durham), 29th May; Fairburn Ings (Yorkshire), 30th— 3 1 st May; Curry Moor (Somerset), three, 2nd June; Cley (Norfolk), 6th— 1 0th June. Cream- coloured Courser Cursorius cursor Bradnor Hill (Herefordshire), 20th-23rd May. Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus Marazion (Cornwall), 9th May, two 10th, one to 12th May; Cley, 10th May; Holy Island (Northumberland), 1 5th— 19th May. Greater Sand 228. Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor, Bradnor Hill, Herefordshire, May 2012. 428 British Birds 1 05 • July 2012 * 427-430 Recent reports Plover Charadrius leschenaultii Benbecula (Outer Hebrides), 8th— 9th June. American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica Tacumshin, 1 1 th— 20th May; Old Head of Kinsale (Co. Cork), 17th May; Ballycotton (Co. Cork), 22nd May; North Ronaldsay, 3rd June. Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva Inishkeas (Co. Mayo), 4th June. White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis Cley, 11th May; Holy Island, 1 6th— 2 1 st May. Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus South Uist, 28th May. Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subrupcollis Tyninghame Bay (Lothian), 5th June. Great Snipe Gallinago media West Sedgemoor (Somerset), 25th May. Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus Hodbarrow, 9th— 12th May; The Gearagh (Co. Cork), 18th May; Saltholme (Cleveland), 24th-25th May and 2nd-4th June. Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca Loch of Strathbeg, long-stayer to 27th May, then Ythan Estuary (also North-east Scotland) and Loch of Mey (Highland), 28th May. Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus Old Moor (Yorkshire), 10th May; Upton Warren (Worcestershire), 15th May; Slimbridge 1 6th— 1 7th May, 5th and 9th June, presumably same Coombe Hill Meadows (both Gloucestershire), 18th May to 3rd June; Inishkeas, 25th May and two on 4th June; Tory Island (Co. Donegal), 4th June; Nosterfield (Yorkshire), 6th June; Benbecula, 9th June; Brockholes NR (Lancashire & N Merseyside), 9th June. Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus North Uist (Outer Hebrides), 600, 13th May then 635, 14th May. Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus North Uist, 550, 13th May. Bonaparte’s Gull Chroicocephalus Philadelphia Cross Ness/Barking Bay (Greater London), 1 9th— 25th May, two, 26th-29th May. Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica Thorne Moors (Yorkshire), 30th May. Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia Kinnaird Head (North-east Scotland), 27th May. Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida Saltwick Nab (Yorkshire), 10th June. White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus Tresco, 18th May; Stodmarsh, two, 26th May; Saltholme, 27th May. Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri Tacumshin, 12th May to 10th June. Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus North Uist, 14th May to 10th June. Alpine Swift Apus melba Huttoft, then Theddlethorpe (both Lincolnshire), 11th May; Upminster (Greater London), 13th May. European Bee-eater Merops apiaster Widespread influx included six together in Essex, Kent and Norfolk, five together in Suffolk and Yorkshire, two together in Sussex, and singles in Anglesey, Angus, Cambridgeshire, Caernarfonshire, Cleveland, Co. Durham, Cornwall, Cumbria, Denbighshire, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Lincolnshire, Pembrokeshire, Scilly and Co. Waterford. European Roller Coracias garrulus Spurn, then Kilnsea, 29th May, same Aldbrough, 31st May to 10th June, another Hornsea (all Yorkshire), 4th and 6th June. Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator Widespread influx of about 20, including up to six in Scilly, and other records from Caernarfonshire, Co. Cork, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Lancashire & N Merseyside, Norfolk, Northumberland, Suffolk and Co. Wexford. Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla St Mary’s, 1 8th— 24th May; Fair Isle, 21st May; St Agnes (Scilly), 21st May; Fame Islands (Northumberland), 27th-29th May; St Martin’s (Scilly), 30th May; Baltasound, Unst, 31st May; Lundy (Devon), two, 1 st— 6th June; Cape Clear (Co. Cork), 3rd June. Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica Widespread influx of at least 30, including up to five in Scilly, and other records from Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Dorset, Fair Isle, Kent, Lincolnshire, Co. Mayo, Norfolk, North-east Scotland, Northumberland, Shetland, Suffolk, Co. Wexford and Yorkshire. Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides Flamborough Head, 25th May; Landguard British Birds 105 ‘July 2012 • 427-430 429 Richard Stonier Ian Cowgill Brian Clasper Recent reports May; Tiree (Argyll), 28th May; Lundy, two, 30th May, one to 2nd June; Quendale (Shetland), 29th May to 2nd June. Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides Walberswick (Suffolk), 12th May; Strumpshaw Fen (Norfolk), 9th-22nd May; Wilstone Resr (Hertfordshire), 20th— 2 1 st May; Blacktoft Sands (Yorkshire), 29th May. Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta Leyton (Greater London), 1 6th— 18th May; Northward Hill, 16th May; St Mary’s, 19th May; Bardsey, 3rd-5th June; Isle of May, 7th June. Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola North Ronaldsay, 10th June. Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum Warham Greens (Norfolk), 9th June. Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus Western-super- Mare (Somerset), 19th May to 2nd June; Radipole, 22nd-24th May; Cley, 30th May; Gunwalloe (Cornwall), 3rd-6th June. 230. Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis, Hartlepool Headland, Cleveland, May 2012. (Suffolk), 26th May; Northward Hill (Kent), 26th May; Cape Clear, 30th May; South Walney (Cumbria), 4th June; Isle of May, 6th-9th June, two on 7th; Bardsey (Caernarfonshire), 8th June. Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus Kenidjack (Cornwall), 28th May to 10th June; Porlock (Somerset), 5th— 10th June. Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis Hartlepool Headland (Cleveland), 29th May. Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans Portland (Dorset), 9th May; Bardsey, 14th May; St Abb’s Head (Borders), 20th May; Weybourne (Norfolk), 20th May; Whalsay (Shetland), 21st May; Virkie (Shetland), 22nd May; Fair Isle, 26th 231. Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia, Fair Isle, May 2012. White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis Skye (Highland), 20th May. Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica Filey (Yorkshire), 21st May; Sumburgh Head, 24th— 25th May; Scousburgh (Shetland), 26th May; Fame Islands, 31st May to 1st June. Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla St Mary’s, 19th May. Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala Bryher (Scilly), 28th May; Cloup, Yell, 29th May to 1st June. Rose-coloured Starling Pastor roseus Selsey Bill (Sussex), long-stayer to 1 1th May; Landguard, 25th May; Arlington Resr (Sussex), 27th May; Eastbourne (Sussex), 2nd-7th June; Gillingham, 3rd June, then Higham (both Kent), 4th June; Martin’s Haven (Pembrokeshire), 5th June; Upper Hollesley (Suffolk), 8th June; Flamborough Head, 9th June; Hastings (Sussex), 9th June; Severn Beach (Gloucestershire), 10th June. Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia Fair Isle, 20th-22nd May with a second on 25th; Weybourne (Norfolk), 20th May; Isle of May, 30th May to 2nd June. Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis Tory Island, 29th May. Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus Gramborough Hill (Norfolk), 1 9t h— 20t h May; Horsey (Norfolk), 22nd May. Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola Flamborough, 1 9th— 20th May. Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris Worthing (Sussex), 20th May; Capel-le-Ferne (Kent), 28th May. Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus Scourie (Highland), 18th May; St Mary’s, 19th— 2 1st May. 430 British Birds 105 • July 2012 • 427-430 British Birds Bookshop Brought to you by SUBBUTEO NATURAL HISTORY BOOKS The only place to find all your specialist ornithology, natural history and travel books What are you looking for? dvi an science? AVIAN ARCHITECTURE Hmr (Mi Oeagn. En^noer & Buu PETER GOOOFEllOW M21062 RRP £19.95 Best hovel guides? WHERE TO FIND BIRDS IN FAR NORTH NEW ZEALAND M21309 RRP £19.99 Sir ding advice? Dim LOVITCH Jlow to Be a Better Birder * M21301 RRP £13.95 Lafesk wildlife hHes? Field Guide to the larvae and exuviae of British Dragonflies OmrmMim (Zygof t«r«> «nd Dt*gonflie* Annopttf j) M21306 RRP £12.00 Give us a call, visit the website, or request a catalogue today to find what you're looking for! Quote S1590 on every order, and 5% of all sales goes back to British Birds! 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