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We > 4 ~ = ia = a ae SMITHSONIAN ” z = < fe 5 G cone Z = 3 2 4 ay NOSIS. 52 lYVuygl M WY: MJ EW = — § Wot: Brahe _ SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION S YZ w Er aN Scotus Birds THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by ANDREW T. MACMILLAN with the assistance of D. G. ANDREW P. J. B. SLATER T. C. SMOUT Business Editor T. C. SMOUT VOLUME 4 1966 - 1967 Walter Thomson, Printer, Selkirk. List of Plates Plates 1-8 Foula and its birds (EF. E. Jackson, C. K. Mylne) 13-24 Hybrid Blackcock x Capercaillie compared with males of the two species (R. A. Laing) Plates from Martin Martin’s books (I. D. Pennie) Brooding albino hen Blackbird (W. S. Paton) Scottish bird photographers—examples of the work of C. Kirk, W. S. Paton, S. J. Clarke, N. G. Charles, ID) Stephen, CE: Palmar, J. Edelsten, D. Coutts and I. M. Thomson . George Stout of Field (A. Davis) Mass of Fulmars round fishing boat (D. Coutts) Sooty Shearwater on sea (D. Coutts) Personalities and highlights of the 1966 Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise ah MacGeoch, C. K. Mylne, N. J. Gordon) Seabirds—Razorbill, Great Skua, Arctic Skua, Cormorant (W. S. Paton) The Small Isles—Rhum, Eigg, Muck, Canna (J. K. St Joseph, W. U. Flower, enixe Evans) The ‘Carrick’ gull and a Herring Gull (W. M. M. ah Out Skerries, Shetland (R. J. Tulloch) (a) Wryneck (R. J. Tulloch) (b) White-rumped Sandpiper, Stornoway (R. MacIntyre) Stack Skerry (D. M. Stark) Waxwings (W. S. Paton) Crane, Argyll (Scottish Sunday Express) . 560-561 . 159-170 235 236 237 . 297-308 . 367-370 . 431-434 495 . 496-497 498 559 562 | y sister 0.0005 310F >, -_——— = saggcewors conan” oonneeggf?/0° cunnsg tty UU 23:=—- " Hig Min Seer Sf steme 7 ~~ The Journal of The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club Vol. 4 No. 1 Spring 1966 PIC Wh SS) Jet If IG IG IO IN EES Zeiss Binoculars of entirely new design Dialyt 8x30B giving equal performance with or without spectacles This delightfully elegant and compact new model from Carl Zeiss has an entirely new prism system which gives an amazing reduction in size. The special design also gives the fullest field of view—130 yards at 1000—to spEcecle wearers and to the naked eye alike. Price £53.10.0 Write for the latest camera, binocular f en al T and sunglass booklets to the sole U.K. importers. DEGENHARDT ey CO, LTD : CARL ZEISS HOUSE 20/22 Mortimer Street - London, W.1 —_ s1ys 8050 (9 lines) CHOOSING A BINOCULAR OR A TELESCOPE EXPERT ADVICE From a Large Selection ... New and Secondhand G. HUTCHISON & SONS Phone CAL. 5579 OPTICIANS - - 18 FORREST ROAD, EDINBURGH Open till 5.30 p.m. Saturdays : Early closing Tuesday eee th BIRD BOOKS SLIDES of BIRDS Please support Incomparable Collection of | THE S:0.C. British, European and African BIRD BOOKSHOP birds. Also views and places throughout the world. Send stamp for list. Sets of 100 by buying all your new for hire. Bird Books from THE SCOTTISH CENTRE BINOCUL ARS FOR ORNITHOLOGY AND BIRD PROTECTION Our “Birdwatcher 8 x 30” 21 Regent Terrace, model is made to our own specifications—excellent value Edinburgh 7 at 15 gns. Handy and practical to use. Ross, Barr and Stroud, Zeiss, All books sent post free Bosch Binoculars in stock. Terms—Strictly cash. W. Cowen - Keswick Ask for Price List. AN ORNITHOLOGICAL TREASURE HOUSE Some of the 200 species which have been observed in Iceland :— LITTLE AUK PURPLE SANDPIPER GREY PHALAROPE BRUNNICH’S GUILLEMOT ISEA-EAGLE SNowy OWL Arctic TERN BaRRow’s GOLDENEYE HARLEQUIN Duck Fly direct from Renfrew by Spend the long summer days in this intriguing country. The enormity of the landscapes and the ever-recurring con- trasts of the scenery are only now being discov- ered by the tourist. Its wealth in birdlife, not only in numbers but in the variety of the species has caused it to be described as “a real paradise for birdwatch- ICELANDAIR VISCOUNT ™ only 3 hours oT A 1 , \y ware hinge Daily Services Throughout the Summer ho NR, REDUCED RATES for Group Travel JATIN Ne a Special 13-Day Tours for Naturalists accompanied by qualified Guide Consult your Local Travel Agent, any Office of B.E.A., or @SICELANDAIR 33 ST. ENOCH SQ., GLASGOW, C.1. Telephone: CiTy 36328 Scottish Birds THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Contents of Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 1966 Page Editorial By 61 Scottish Ornithologists. 2. Martin Martin é 1656- ATION ’ By Ian D. Pennie (plates 10-11) ... 64 Isle of May Bird Observatory and Field Station Report for 1965. By Nancy J. Gordon : 74 Short Notes Autumn notes from the Isle of Iona (W. M. Kerr, J. A. D. Hope) bf 80 Purple Heron at Fair Isle (R. H. ‘Dennis) 81 Little Bitterns in Ayrshire and Shetland (D. & A. B. Johnstone, G. A. Richards; G. D. Joy) 82 Harlequin Ducks at Fair Isle and in Caithness (G. Barnes; R. S. Shand, G. Gunn)... 83 Gyr Falcons in East Inverness-shire and Shetland _ C. I. Murdoch; W. G. Porteous) ie as 86 Capercaillie x Black Grouse hybrid in Perthshire (V. M. Thom) (plate 9) Re : 88 Temminck’s Stint in East Lothian &. Boyd, EK. M. Smith, R. W. J. Smith) 88 Pratincole in Orkney (E, Balfour) 90 The Green Woodpecker in Clackmannanshire (A. ‘Tewnion) 95 Nesting of a nearly white hen and a normal cock Blackbird (R. W. Pickford) (plate 12)... 96 Abnormally plumaged Willow Warblers (W. M. M. Eddie; Pp. J. Sellar, P. J. B. Slater) ie 97 Firecrest in Shetland (D. Coutts, Wee Porteous) 99 Scandinavian Rock Pipits in Scotland in spring (J. L. S. Cobb; M. F. M. Meiklejohn)~ ... ae sat = 100 Woodchat Shrikes in Fife and East Lothian (D. W. Oliver; A. Macdonald)... se a at Poe Black-headed Bunting in Shetland (R. J. Tulloch) in: Hes els Rustic Bunting in ree prebrites is] oS pelinies) cee eee NOL Current Notes old as wi ae .. 106 Reviews Birds of Town and Village. By Basil Ede and W.D. Campbell. Reviewed by R. Seath ... Beapit: LZ, The Woodpigeon. By R. K. Murton. Reviewed ibe le D. Lockie a oa S The Bird Table Book. By T. Soper. Reviewed by M. J. Everett ..... 119 The Young Specialist Looks at Birds. By H. Frieling. Reviewed by T. C. Smout ... HE Re on be iets LAO 4 The Birds of the Isle of Lewis: 1963-1965. By N. Elkins 5. eee ih etter Notes on the birds of Berneray, Mine and Pabbay (K. G. Walker) S Ae os paige | Request for Information son es ee aes wy; sete AL The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club 1... mf Fe ED De ee Edited by Andrew T. Macmillan, 12 Abinger Gardens, Edinburgh 12. Assisted by D. G. Andrew, T. C. Smout and P. J. B. Slater. Business Editor T. C. Smout, 93 Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh 9, HOLIDAYS in IRELAND yy An ideal centre for bird lovers and ornithologists close to Lough Corrib. Boat trips may be arranged to some of the Lough’s 365 islands or you can walk in Irish country lanes and enjoy the wild flowers and superb scenery. Free fishing, ‘and within easy reach of all the Connemara sea trout and salmon fisheries. Rough shooting, Resting, Home Cooking, Packed Lunches... Book now for 1966. Limited accommodation. Write for Brochure to: Miss Pauline Joyce, St Michael’s, Oughterard, Connemara THE BOAT HOTEL * Set amidst mountain and moor- land scenery, the Boat Hotel, with its reputation for comfort and good food, is an ideal centre for study- ing birds—the Ospreys at Loch Garten are only three miles away, and this is the country for Crested Tit, Crossbill, Capercaillie and much besides. Also ideal for photography, pony-trekking, fishing and climb- ing. 18-hole golf course 2 minutes from hotel. Now under new owner- ship of Mr and Mrs James Harris. Reduced rates for children. BOAT OF GARTEN Inverness-shire Cliff House Residential Club Dunwich ——_—_—___— In walking distance of Minsmere Bird Sanctuary Open ‘from ‘Easter’ tilbvthe end of September Good food Packed lunches Comfortable rooms, H. & C. Club Licence Telephone: Westleton 282 Highland & Overseas Field Holidays ——__—_ Bird-watching and general Natural History holidays and expeditions in Scotland and on the Continent. 1966 programme includes Scandinavia, Iceland, Por- tugal, Austria and France. For full details, write to: COLIN MURDOCH, Pitmain Beag, KINGUSSIE, Inverness-shire Tel. Kingussie 300. Scottish Birds THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 4 No. 1 Spring 1966 Edited by A. T. MACMILLAN with the assistance of D. G. ANDREW, T. C. SMourT and P. J. B. SLATER. Business Editor, T. C. Smovur. Cover Design (Greenshanks) by LEN FULLERTON. Editorial Protection of Birds Bill. The new Protection of Birds Bill was given an unopposed second reading in the House of Commons on 28th January 1966. It was introduced by Col. Sir Tufton Beamish. Earlier it had received a third reading in the House of Lords, where it was introduced by the President of the R.S.P.B., Lord Hurcomb. The purpose of the Bill is to strengthen the 1954 Act. It takes away the power of the Secretary of State to deprive the eggs of certain common birds of the normal protection given to all species. This removes one of the obstacles that has prevented Great Britain signing the International Con- vention for Bird Protection—an ironic situation for a people internationally famous as animal lovers. It will also mean that the law is less easily thwarted by a glib talker passing off rare eggs as those of a common species to an unornitho- logical policeman. The Bill also makes it harder for a known egg collector to escape under the frustrated noses of the police for lack of a search warrant. He, and his car, may be stopped and searched on reasonable suspicion that he has been after the eggs of rare birds. The Bill prohibits the import or sale of Lapwings’ eggs and the sale of wild geese throughout the year. Power is taken for the Secretary of State, after suitable consultation, to im- pose a temporary ban on shooting in severe weather. It is also made an offence wilfully to disturb rare birds at their nests. A point of special interest in Scotland is that the Sec- retary of State will have power to allow the traditional har- vesting of gugas (young Gannets) on Sula Sgeir to start two weeks earlier—from 14th August instead of the 31st. It is to be hoped that these provisions will be ratified by Parliament. They are generally desirable. Our one regret is that if we want a tasty young Grey Lag for dinner it seems we must either take up wildfowling or rely on the goodwill and generosity of our shooting friends. This looks like a 62 EDITORIAL 4(1) subtle way of encouraging good relations between bird- watchers and wildfowlers—at least to birdwatchers. The R.S.P.B. and ‘Birds’. The Royal Society for the Protec- tion of Birds has come a long way since the days of the plume trade. ‘Protection’ is a word tinged with emotional] overtones, and the society has done well in recent years to opt for a policy of positive conservation and education rather than a sterile ‘hands off’ approach. To prosecute egg collectors and bird catchers helps to dis- courage their activities and is therefore worthwhile, but it is favourable and informed public opinion that will do more good for wild birds. Bear baiting and cock fighting are no longer a problem, not because they are illegal but because most people would not tolerate them. Much of the R.S.P.B.’s recent success has come through favourable publicity from showing its work to the public— such as the 20,000 ordinary holidaymakers visiting the Loch Garten Ospreys each summer. With the rapid increase in membership and income, to a higher level than any other British wild bird society, the R.S.P.B. has been able to improve its publicity and start many new projects. Undoubtedly its most important work is educa- tion, in the widest sense: all else will follow. With first-class films, wall charts, nest boxes, bird feeders, Christmas cards, birdsong records, press releases, broadcasts, television ap- pearances, competitions for schoolchildren, courses in bird- watching, journals, books, slides, filmstrips, birdy gifts, bird reserves, observation hides and conducted tours, the society is already doing a lot. We note each new venture as further evidence of progressive ideas. These reflections are prompted by the arrival of the first issue of Birds, subtitled The R.S.P.B. Magazine, in place of Bird Notes, the successor to Bird Notes and News, first pub- lished in 1903. The spacious 81” x 11” format, on the lines of Animals and the American Audubon Magazine, breaks away from the slightly cramping octavo size of British bird maga- zines. Charles Tunnicliffe’s delightful pictures, which have adorned the covers for the past twelve years (the covers cer- tainly do not get thrown out when binding volumes. of this journal), give way to colour photographs alternated with the work of a variety of bird artists. The front of the first issue is glorious colour to the very edge—the considerable cost made possible by the large number of copies printed. One may fault some details but the total effect is a big step forward. The modern appearance of Birds conveys a firm message that the R.S.P.B. is an up-to-date society. 1966 EDITORIAL 63 Young Ornithologists’ Club. This revitalised junior section of the R.S.P.B., with its own magazine Bird Life, is open to boys and girls up to the age of 18. It has just adopted a Kestrel in flight as its badge. A dozen exciting holiday courses in various aspects of bird study have been arranged for 1966. The club is very active. It recently ran a competition at the Schoolboys and Girls Exhibition at Olympia with a fortnight’s holiday in Spain for two as first prize and a bi- cycle and binoculars for the runners-up. Full details of the Y.O.C. may be had from The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire. The Birds of Foula. With this first number of vol. 4 we are distributing copies of our first supplement for nearly four years. This detailed account of The Birds of Foula, based on the work of many people over a long period, well deserves its place beside the earlier Scottish Birds supplements on Duddingston Loch (1: 393-416, 474) and Tentsmuir (2: 113- 164, 497)—still obtainable, as is the earlier publication on Aberlady Bay, at 5/- each from the Scottish Centre for Or- nithology. There is a fascination in remote islands, but Foula is addi- tionally a place of the greatest ornithological interest. Ob- servations have been made there regularly since 1954 and are still going on; the problem has been to decide when to pause and put everything on paper. It is a happy chance that this account follows so soon after Ken Williamson’s book on Fair Isle and its Birds. Fair Isle of course has its own Bulletin, and a lot of scientific papers have been published, so that the account of its birds is in part a convenient summary of what has already appeared in print; but most of the recent records from Foula have not been published until now. Index and binding vol. 3. Title pages and an index for vol. 3 are being sent to subscribers with this issue. Arrangements for binding are given inside the cover of the index. Readers who want their copies bound are asked to send them to the binders now—after carefully filling in the particulars asked for on the back cover, and checking that they have sent the right money. Current literature. Recent papers of special interest’ to Scot- tish ornithologists include: Moult and its relation to taxonomy in Bock asl ter Pipits, K. Williamson, 1965. Brit. Birds 58: 493-504. Val- -. uable review of three Scottish races and immigrants. The British breeding distribution of the Pied Flycatcher, 1953-62. B. Campbell, 1965. Bird Study 12: 305- eS In- cludes Scottish records by county. | 64 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS: 2 4(1) Scottish Ornithologists 2. Martin Martin c. 1656-1719 IAN D. PENNIE (Plates 10-11) Martin Martin should require no introduction to Scottish readers, yet so little is known of the life of the author of what has been justly described as “the first intelligent topo- graphical book regarding Scotland” that any attempt at a biography necessarily consists of a few facts weakly suppor- ted by a great deal of conjecture. Martin Martin was the third son of Donald Martin of Bealach, Duntuilm in the Isle of Skye, where he was born on some date between 1656 and 1660. The family was appar- ently one of some standing for his father acted as chamber- lain of Trotternish and married a niece of Sir Donald Mac- donald of Sleat. He was educated in Edinburgh along with his brothers Donald and John, and there received the degree of M.A. in 1681. He was subsequently employed for some period until 1686 as governor (tutor) to Donald Macdonald, younger, of Sleat, evidently his own second cousin who was about ten years his junior; and from 1686 to 1692, or possibly later, as governor to the younger Macleod of Dunvegan. In the Dunvegan household accounts occur the following entries: - Martin Martin, Governor to the young laird for 100 marks part pay- ment of services dated Oct. 13, 1686. foarte Martin for 100 marks part payment as above, dated Aug. 1686. Martin Martin 100 merks part of stipend from Whitsunday 1688 to Whitsunday 1689. Martin Martin Governor to the young Laird for £100 for service in 87 July 29, 1688 and for £6 stirling a quarter’s pay at same date. From Martin Martin two receipts, 1 June 1690 for £6 sterling, 2 July 6 for £10 sterling, 25 Aug. from A. MacLeod payment of above. oe Martin for 116 marks for the use of Issabel McLeod Aug. 13, Donald McLeod indweller in the Isles for 759 marks upon a judgement from the Countess of Linlithgow also 100 marks given to Martin, Mc- Leoid’s man, for his charges north, dated March 9, 1694. This last entry, which seems to have been overlooked by previous biographers, rather suggests that he was employed at that time by Macleod on some estate business, possibly in Harris, where he certainly must have been about that time, this being the place of embarkation for St Kilda, which, he says, “I attempted several times to visit, but in 1966 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS: 2 -65 vain, until last summer [1697].” The ultimate successful voyage was an estate expedition, and possibly Martin was then still under contract with Dunvegan. Unfortunately, apart from the vivid description of this stormy passage, we pate no record of any of his actual journeys or fellow trav- ellers. , It is significant that the year of Martin’s graduation, 1681, was also the year of the foundation of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh by Sibbald, Balfour and Pit- cairn; and it may indeed have been these who “raised his natural curiosity to survey the isles of Scotland more exactly than any other.” The assertion by F. T. Macleod (1920) that his journeys were undertaken “mainly at the request of Sir Robert Sibbald” may well he correct as the latter was at that time actively engaged in collecting the material for Scotia Illustrata. We know from Martin’s own statement that he knew Dr Pitcairn—“Dr Pitcairn told me that the like Cure had been perform’d in the Shire of Fife for the same Disease.” We know also that he was at least familiar with the work of James Sutherland, who was gardener in charge of Sibbald’s botanical garden and later professor of botany, so it can safely be assumed that he had associated with Dr Sibbald in Edinburgh. It has even been suggested that Martin began to collect the material for his publications before he left Edinburgh, the evidence being the passage referring to Ben- becula that “this island belongs properly to Ranal Mackdonald of Benbecula’, a chieftain who died in 1679. One certain fact is that later Sibbald possessed a copy at least of Martin’s A Late Voyage to St Kilda, as in Sibbald’s History of Fife and Kinross there is a description of a Storm Petrel which was shot at Leith, which he calls the Assilag, saying, “I found it agreed well with Mr Martin’s figure, and description of the bird.” Martin’s Edinburgh associations may eventually have in- fluenced his decision to study medicine, although he did not take his medical degree until much later, entering Leyden Medical College in March 1710, where Sibbald had studied fifty years earlier. It is said that he never practised his pro- fession and that he latterly resided in London, where he died, unmarried, in 1719. 7 : Martin Martin wrote two books and two scientific papers. The earlier book was entitled A Late Voyage to St Kilda and was first published in 1698; the second, A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland, was published in 1703. A full de- scription of these, with details of collations and editions, is given by Mullens and Kirke Swann, but the latest, and most useful source for reference, was the combined edition of 66 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS: 2 4(1) 1934 published by Eneas Mackay in Stirling. It is a pity indeed that this fine volume has not been reprinted. As a mine of contemporary information pertaining to the Scottish isles, for the folk-lorist, the naturalist and partic- ularly the medica] historian, these two books stand unique and indispensable. Martin did not write travelogues, but simply and impersonally recorded what he saw and heard, usually distinguishing clearly between heresay and personal observation. He had certain obvious outstanding qualifications for his mission; he travelled the isles not as a stranger in a foreign land, yet as an educated and trained observer; he had considerable knowledge of medicine, and seems to have been well briefed by the leading Scottish scientists of the day; and lastly he was a speaker, though possibly not a fluen writer, of Scottish Gaelic. The scientific papers are of relatively minor importance. Both were published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, although Martin himself was never a fellow of the Society. The first of these papers was published in 1697, presumably soon after his return from St Kilda, and consists of twelve numbered, brief and disconnected paragraphs, all medical in content except the first three, which are quoted in full below: 1. All Tribes of Fowls are observed to have their Sentinels, especially in the Night, the Watchfulness of the Scart is true to a Proverb; I have known one, who by surprizing the Sentinel, catched Three Hundred in a Night. 2. The want of Rain at the usual time of laying Eggs, hinders the Sea Fowls from laying for some time. 3. If the April Moon goes far in May, it hinders the Sea Fowls from laying Ten or Twelve Days longer than is ordinary. The second paper in purely medical and was published in 1707. . Seventy years after the publication of Martin’s second volume, Samuel Johnson set out on his equally well known journey to the Western Isles and wrote his account of it, the opening sentence of which reads, “I had desired to visit the Hebrides, or Western Islands of Scotland, so long, that I scarcely remember how the wish was originally excited. ..”; but it is clearly stated in one biography of Johnson that “Dr Johnson’s father, the old Lichfield bookseller, had put into Johnson’s hands, when Johnson was very young, a copy of Martin’s work, which aroused his youthful fancy.” So it may well be that Johnson’s journey was undertaken solely as a result of his early study of Martin’s Western Isles, and it is known that Johnson had a eopy of it with him on his voyage, for this actual copy is still in existence. Interspersed in the general matter of both of Martin’s 1966 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS: 2 67 books is much ornithological material: some of this has been quoted by Mullens and other writers but no complete list of his birds seems to have been extracted and critically examined. Many of the entries are simply local lists of doubt- ful value; some are unrecognisable to the casual reader; others are of outstanding interest when examined carefully; and one at least is a unique and invaluable scientific record. The following is a systematic list of the species named in the two books, identified as nearly as possible. If the annota- tions should stimulate scholarly objection, argument or dis- cussion this paper will have served a useful purpose. With regard to Martin’s dates, which have puzzled many readers, it was pointed out by Fisher that, owing to the alteration to the calendar in 1752, eleven days have to be added to all dates given. Great Northern Diver. ‘Bonnivochil’ (North Uist) and ‘Buni- vochil’ (Skye) are phonetic renderings of Bun-bhuachaill (Gray), although Martin’s descriptions are scarcely recog- nisable. If the specimen killed by the minister of North Uist did weigh sixteen pounds and one ounce this suggests that it was a White-billed Diver. Red-throated Diver, The ‘Sereachan-aittin’ of North Uist ap- pears to be a phonetic rendering of Deargan-aodann; from dearg (red) and aodann (face or front) (compare deargan- allt—Red-necked Phalarope; and deargann—flea) although Martin transposed the red colour to the bill. Gray refers to the Hebridean belief that this bird expresses grief on being robbed of its eggs in loud and melancholy lamentations. ‘Rain-goose’ (North Uist) is also one of the divers, probably also the Red-throated Diver. Leach’s Petrel. ‘Gawlin’ (North Uist) is a phonetic render- ing of gobhlan; Nicolaisen gives gobhlan-mara (Gobhal— fork; gobhlan-gaoithe or gobhlachan-gaoithe—Swallow). The ‘Goylir’ (North Uist), which is said to be a sea-bird “about the bigness of a swallow,” is presumably a variation—gobh- lar. The seamen are said to have called them ‘malifigies,’ which could be a corruption of ‘maalie,’ which is a common seaman’s and Shetland name for the Fulmar, and bheag (small), 7.e. ‘little petrel.’ Storm Petrel. ‘Assilag.’ Martin’s illustration in A Late Voyage to St Kilda was used by Sibbald to identify a specimen_shot near Leith: the description is accurate so far as it goes. ‘Lint- white,’ to which he compares the assilag in size appears to be a direct translation of Nicolaisen’s gealan lin (Linnet), but this was altered to ‘linnet’ in the fourth (revised) edition of 17ES% Manx Shearwater. Martin confuses Manx Shearwaters and 68 SCOTTISH “ORNIPHOLOGISis] 72 4(1) Black Guillemots, but careful examination shows that all his ‘Puffins’ are shearwaters. In his list of the birds of St Kilda he names it correctly as ‘scraber’ (Nicolaisen’s scrabaire), and decribes its behaviour well—*. . . it is never to be seen but in the Night, being all the Day either abroad at Fishing, or upon its Nest, which it digs very far under Ground, from whence it never comes in Day-light”; but his description of the adult is of the Black Guillemot, and he refers to the young bird as “the young Puffin.” He refers also to the dogs in St Kilda being “... very dexterous in climbing and bring- ing out from their Holes those Fowls which build their Nests far under Ground, such as the Scraber, Puffinet, &c.” There were said to be both ‘coulter-neb’ and ‘puffin’ on Sula Sgeir, but ‘the Puffin’ which on Rum builds “in the Hills as much as in the Rocks on the Coast” can only be the Manx Shearwater, and the ‘Lyre’ of Orkney is unmistakable (note, lire in Norwegian, but skraape in Danish). Martin refers also to “The Rock Linmull...abounds with Sea-fowls...such as the Gillemot, Coulter-neb, Puffin, &c.”, and to “The Lyra-Skerries [Shetland]), so called from the Fowl of that name that abound in them.” The former is the Stack of Lianamull, Mingulay, figured by MHarvie-Brown and Buckley, where shearwaters formerly bred but were later driven out by Puffins; and the latter is a large stack off Papa Stour where no shearwaters nest today but where they did so formerly according to name and old records (Venables). This may well have been the case on Sula Sgeir also and points to an ecological succession with changes in the soil, vegetation and birds on stacks and small islands which would be well worth further study. Fulmar. As a British breeding species the Fulmar was of course restricted to St Kilda in Martin’s time, and he was probably the first person to use the name in English. His illustration, though somewhat grotesque, is recognisable if only from the beak, which is well drawn, and his descrip- tion of the bird tolerably accurate. The Fulmar was believed by the St Kildans to “pick Food out of the Backs of living Whales” and was recorded correctly, in the earlier account, to eject “a Quantity of pure Oyl out at its bill” on being approached. The story seems to have improved in the telling for by 1703 had grown to “about a Quart of pure Oyl,” which was caught in a wooden vessel as ejected, or else the bird was caught by a noose round the neck and the oil so retained. Use was made by the St Kildans of every part of the Fulmar; the flesh as food was preferred to that of any other bird; the eggs were extensively eaten (this species and the Great Auk being the only seabirds said not to re-lay); the oil was used not only for lambs but also medicinally both 1966 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS: 2 69 internally and externally; the feathers were exported for bedding; the long bones_used as plaid brooches; and finally the carcase bones, wings and entrails were added to the straw for compost. Gannet. Away from St Kilda, Martin makes only casual mention of the ‘Solan Goose’ on Ailsa Craig*, Orkney and Sula Sgeir, and it is surprising that he does not say anything about the expeditions from Ness, faithfully recorded earlier by Dean Monro. With regard to the Gannet on St Kilda he has a great deal to say and inter alia seems to have been the first person to place on record the observation which a quar- ter of a millenium later led Wynne-Edwards to the con- clusion that “...not only gannets, but perhaps even birds generally, do not normally need to employ their full ‘man- power’ in order to produce the year’s recruitment quota,” or, in Martin’s words, “There is a tribe of barren Solan Geese which have no Nests, and sit upon the bare Rock; these are not the Young Fowls of a Year Old, whose Dark Colour would soon distinguish them, but Old ones, in all things like the rest; these have a Province, as it were allotted to them, and are in a separate State, having a Rock Two hundred paces distant from all other; neither do they meddle with, or approach to those hatching, or any other Fowl; they sym- pathize and fish together; this was told me by the Inhabitants, and afterwards confirmed several times by my own Obser- vation.” Elsewhere he extends this to other species—‘There are some flocks of barren Fowls of all kinds, which are dis- tinguished by their not joyning with the rest of their kind, and they are seen commonly upon the bare Rocks, without any Nests.” Enormous numbers of Gannets were taken for food on St Kilda, but the validity of Martin’s figures is discussed by Gurney. The most interesting point in this context is the description of the method used to ensure that the crop of Gannets was adequately harvested—“In this Rock [Stack Li] the Solan Geese are allowed to hatch their first Eggs, but it is not so in the Rocks next to be described; and that for this Reason, that if all were allowed to hatch at the same time, the Loss of the Product in one Rock would at the same time prove the Loss of all the rest, since all would take Wing pretty nearly at the same Time,” and later, “...from their coming in March till the Young Fowl is ready to fly in August or September according as the Inhabitants take or leave the First or Second Eggs...The Solan Goose comes about the middle of March with a S.W. Wind, warm Snow or Rain, and goes away, according as the Inhabitants determine the Time, i.e. by taking away or leaving its Egg, whether at the First, Second, or Third time he lays.” *Gurney (1915, p. 519), misinterpreting Martin’s Islesay (Ailsa), wrongly attributes to him the view that Gannets are numerous on Islay. 70 SCOTTISH. ORNITHOLOGIST SZ 4(1) Cormorant and Shag. No clear distinction is made and they are referred to indiscriminately as ‘Cormorants,’ ‘Sea Cormorants’ and ‘Scarts,’ recorded from Haskeir Rock (North Uist), Skye and Tiree. Both species were eaten although the Cormorant seems to have been preferred as it was said in Skye that the “Sea Cormorant...if perfectly Black, makes no good Broth, nor is its Flesh worth eating, but that a Cormorant, which has any white Feathers or Down, makes good Broth, and the Flesh of it is good Food.” Heron. The ‘Cranes’ of Skye were probably Herons, of which Martin himself had seen a flock of sixty on the shore. Duck sp. ‘Ducks’ are listed for Orkney, but nowhere else. Eider. This is Martin’s ‘Colk,’ correctly spelled Cole (there is no ‘k’ in Gaelic) which seems not to have been plentiful, and was said to be found only in the remotest islands such as Heisker, Sula Sgeir and Rona. His spectacular descrip- tion is reminiscent of Dean Monro’s, though lacking the at- tractive archaic detail of the latter. Goose sp. ‘Geese’ are listed for Orkney without comment, and on North Uist are “plentiful here and very destructive to the Barley, notwithstanding the many methods used for driving them away both by Traps and Gun-shot.” This al- most certainly would refer to the native Grey Lag Geese. A note that “the Rock Heisker, on the South end [of Canna] abounds with wild Geese in August, and then they cast their quills,’ refers obviously to a moult migration of a pattern which may no longer exist in the much depleted stocks of Scottish Greylags. Martin is uncritical of the belief still prevalent in Orkney in the genesis of the Cleck-Goose, although he covers him- self by observing that he “never saw any of them with life in them upon the Tree.” Whooper Swan. ‘Swans’ are listed for Orkney, where at that time the Whooper was still a breeding species, but in the Western Isles Martin’s only record is for North Uist where they “come hither in great Numbers in the Month of Octo- ber...and live in the fresh Lakes... till March.” Golden Eagle. Called the ‘Black Eagle’ in distinction from the ‘Grey’ or ‘Sea Eagle’ and said to be much more destruc- tive to stock. Golden Eagles are recorded from Harris, Skye and North Uist, and in this last island both species of eagle were said to kill deer by fixing their talons in the beast’s forehead and, by flapping the wings in its face, driving it over a cliff or into a ditch: several eagles might thus join in harrying one deer. White-tailed Eagle. The ‘Grey Eagle’ of Martin, said to be larger than the Black Eagle, bred in Eilean Mor of the 1966 SCOTTISH ORNIFTHOLOGISTS: 2 71 Shiants, in Harris, North Uist, Skye, St Kilda, Orkney and Shetland. The Shiants eyrie was still occupied in 1888 (Har- vie-Brown and Buckley), and this pair was said to hunt only on the mainland and never to kill lambs on the island. The St Kilda pair also “... have their Nest on the North end of the Isle ...make their Purchase in the adjacent Isles and Continent, and never take so much as a Lamb or Hen from the Place of their Abode.” In North Uist, fish, commonly salmon, were taken; in Orkney the eagles were “...so strong as to carry away Children,” which in fact happened to a child in Skye, who was subsequently saved and known there- after as Neil Eagle. Peregrine. The ‘hawks’ of the Scottish isles were evidently held in high esteem by falconers, those of St Kilda being reckoned the finest of all and those of Fair Isle the finest in Shetland. The Fair Isle Peregrines were known to hunt grouse in Orkney. The vassalage of Barra was £40 and a hawk an- nually. Other sources of hawks were Harris, North Uist, Skye and Mull. Red Grouse. Known as ‘Muir-Fowl’ and ‘Heath Hen’: listed for North Uist, Skye and Mull. Ptarmigan. Recorded from North Uist, Skye and Mull with- out comment. Black Grouse. Recorded from Skye and Mull. Pheasant, Without comment in the list of birds of Nortli Uist. Corncrake. Listed for St Kilda and North Uist. In the latter it is said to be “...of a brown Colour, but blacker in harvest than in Summer”: perhaps these autumn birds were Water Rails. Oystercatcher. Recorded from Skye and St Kilda; called by Martin the ‘Tirma’ or ‘Sea-Pie’ (also ‘Sea-Pye’), and known as “Trilichan’ in St Kilda, where it “comes in May and goes away in August.” Plover sp. ‘Plovers’ are in the list of birds of North Uist, Skye and St Kilda. There is also a charming and somewhat unusual account of bird protection—unusual at this period as being solely for sentimental reasons—“There is a great Flock of Plovers, that come to this Isle [Fladda Chuan] from Skie, in the beginning of September, they return again in April, and are said to be neer two thousand in all; I told the Tenant he might have a Couple of these at every mea] dur- ing the Winter and Spring, but my motion seem’d very disagreeable to him: For he declared that he never once attempted to take any of them, tho he might if he would, and at the same time told me, he wondred how I could imagine, that he would be so Barbarous, as to take the lives 72 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS: 2 4(1) of such innocent Creatures as came to him only for Self- preservation.” Arctic Skua. The ‘Faskidar’ of North Uist “...is observed to fly with greater swiftness than any other fowl in those parts, and pursues lesser fowls, and forces them in their flight to let fall the Food which they have got, and by its nimbleness catches it, before it touch the Ground.” Gulls spp. Little is said about gulls except in a vague refer- ence in the passage on Skye to “Malls of all kinds,” and on St Kilda where “There are three sorts of Sea-Malls here; the first of a grey Colour, like a Goose, the second considerably less, and of a grey Colour; and the third sort white, and less in size than a Tame Duck; the Inhabitants call it Reddag; it comes the fifteenth of April with a S.W. Wind, lays its Egg about the middle of May, and goes away in the Month of August.” This is the Kittiwake, Reddag being correctly spell- ed Ruideag. Razorbill, Not recorded by Martin except on St Kilda where it was called the ‘Falk’ (more correctly Falc). “It lays its Egg in May, its Young take Wing the middle of July, if the Laepitanis do not determine its Stay longer, by taking the gg.” Great Auk. Martin’s account of the Great Auk on St Kilda is brief, accurate, and almost as much as anyone has been able to tell us subsequently. “The . . . Gairfowl, being the stateliest, as well as the largest Sort, and above the size of a Solan Goose, of a black Colour, red about the Eyes, a large white Spot under each, a long broad Bill; it stands stately, its whole Body erected, its Wings short, flies not at all; lays its egg upon the bare Rock, which, if taken away, she lays no more for that Year; she is whole-footed and has the hatching Spot upon her Breast, i.e. a bare Spot from which the Feathers have fallen off with the Heat in hatching; its Egg is twice as big as that of a Solan Goose, and is variously spotted, Black, Green and Dark; it comes without Regard to any Wind, appears the first of May, and goes away about the middle of June.” Guillemot. Martin’s ‘Lavy’ (correctly Labhaidh or Lamhaidh). Apart from St Kilda, where it is discussed in considerable detail, recorded on Sula Sgeir, Haskeir Rocks, Stack of Lianamull and Skye. While on St Kilda the daily ration of Guillemot eggs to the joint crews of Martin and the steward was eighteen per man as well as “a greater number of the lesser Eggs’—an estimated total of sixteen thousand eggs for the three weeks. Puffin. ‘Coulter-Neb,’ ‘Bowger’ or ‘Bouger, also known to the fishermen around Ailsa Craig as “Albanich, which in the ancient Irish language signifies Scotsmen” (Sibbald’s —— i ‘ ! i | : 1966 SCOTTISH ORNIDHOLOGISTS: 2 73 albanoca; later albunac). Recorded for Sula Sgeir, Haskeir Rocks, Stack of Lianamull, Skye, Ailsa and St Kilda. Black Guillemot. Mentioned only from St Kilda, where Martin refers to the ‘Scraber, Puffinet, or Greenland Dove,’ followed by a description of the Black Guillemot, but later refers to ‘Scraber’ and ‘Puffinet’ as separate species (Green- land Dove and Sea Turtle Dove are old names for the Black Guillemot). Rock Dove. ‘Pigeons’ are recorded from North Uist, Skye and St Kilda. Cuckoo. “Very rarely” seen on St Kilda, otherwise not men- tioned. Raven. The only breeding records are of pairs in Bernera, Harris, and the Monach Isles, although Ravens would un- doubtedly be widespread elsewhere. Carrion / Hooded Crow. ‘Crows’ are recorded from North Uist and St Kilda, but Martin states clearly that those in Shet- land are Hoodies whereas all on the mainland of Scotland are Carrion Crows. Wren. Mentioned in the St Kilda list. Wheatear. The ‘Stonechaker’ of St Kilda. References and sources BEVERIDGE, E. 1911. North Uist. Edinburgh. HISHER, J. 1952. The Fulmar. London. Gray, R. 1871. The Birds of the West of Scotland. Glasgow. GuURNEY, J. H. 1915. The Gannet. London. HARVIE-BROowN, J. A. & BuckKLEY, T. E. 1888. A Vertebrate Fauna of the Outer Hebrides. Edinburgh. JOHNSON, S. 1775. A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland. London. Mac.Leop, F. T. 1920. Martin’s History of the Western Isles. Trans. Inverness Sci. Soc. and Field Club. 9:169-177. MACLEOD, R. C. 1939. The Book of Dunvegan, Vol. 2. Aberdeen. Martin, M. 1697. Several Observations in the North Islands of Scotland. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. 19:727-729. Martin, M. 1698. A Late Voyage to St. Kilda. London. MARTIN, M. 1705. A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland. London (See also Editorial Note and Introduction to the 1954, Eneas Mackay, Stirling, edition). MARTIN, M. 1707. A Relation of a Deaf and Dumb Person, who recover’d his Speech and Hearing after a Violent Fever: With some other Medicinal and Chirurgical Observations. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. 25:1469 (2469)-2470. Monro, D. 1774. A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides ... 1549. Edinburgh. (Reprinted in Eneas Mackay’s 1934 edition of Martin). MULLENS, W. H. 1908. Some Early British Ornithologists and their Work. IV— Martin Martin. Brit. Birds. 2:173-182. MULLENS, W. H. & SWANN, H. KIRKE, 1917. A Bibliography of British Ornithology. London. ; NICOLAISEN, W. F. H. 1963. A Short Comparative List of Celtic Bird Names of the British Isles. In Bannerman’s The Birds of the British Isles. Vol. 12. Edinburgh. SIBBALD, R. 1684. Scotia Illustrata. Edinburgh. SIBBALD, R. 1710. The History Ancient and Modern of the Sheriffdoms of Fife and Kinross. Edinburgh. VENABLES, L. S. V. & U. M. 1955. Birds and Mammals of Shetland. Edinburgh and London. WYNNE-EDWARDS, V. C. 1962. Animal Dispersion in Relation to Social Behaviour. Edinburgh and London, 74 . ISLE OF MAY REPORT 4(1) Isle of May Bird Observatory and Field Station Report for 1965 Prepared for the Observatory Committee by Nancy J. Gorpon, Honorary Secretary The Observatory was manned for a total of 155 days be- tween 2nd April and 26th October 1965, with a very brief visit on 8th November. The number of observer nights (618) was considerably higher than in recent years. The spring migration was well covered, although there were five small gaps of a day or two in April and May. Ob- servers in late April were rewarded by a spectacular arrival of Robins, Dunnocks and other species from the continent. There was also good coverage in early autumn, with only one small gap in September, but a good deal of migration was missed in October. The falls of small passerine migrants during the first few days of September and October were some of the largest ever witnessed on the May. No new species were seen or ringed in 1965, but two sub- species were recorded for the first time; a Northern Tree- creeper Certhia familiaris familiaris on 12th September and a Scandinavian Rock Pipit Anthus spinoletta littoralis on 27th May. Spring migration Observers were on the island 2nd-12th, 15th-19th, 21st-29th April; 2nd-5th, 8th-28th May; 5th-12th June. April. Little migration was recorded until the end of the month. The first week, with mainly west winds, produced a trickle of Wheatears (up to 15 daily) and Meadow Pipits, though after a day’s southeast wind the first Chiffchaff ar- rived on the 4th, with 15 Goldcrests. The wind shifted to southeast on the 7th, and the morning of the 8th brought a Woodcock, a Song Thrush, 7 Mistle Thrushes, 36 Fieldfares and 5 Greenfinches. There was a similar mixture on the next two mornings, with the addition of a few Bramblings; on the 10th a Green Sandpiper and 12 Whooper Swans were recorded. After this, westerly winds increased to gale force and no migrants were seen until a return of southeasterly winds brought a few Chiffchaffs and finches on 2ist and 22nd. These were joined on the 23rd by one Redstart and two Black Redstarts before the wind changed; little except Wheatears, Linnets and Meadow Pipits passed through dur- ing the next four days. The 28th started overcast, with a 1906 ISEE (OM. MAY. REPORT 75 moderate northeast wind and few migrants, but by 10 a.m. the island was filling with Robins (about 150, mainly Con- tinental), accompanied by 20 Fieldfares, 15 Song Thrushes, 10 Ring Ouzels and 8 Blackbirds. In the afternoon there was a second wave of arrivals, this time mainly Dunnocks (well over 200), Bramblings (25) and a Great Grey Shrike. That night saw a further influx, and on the 29th Robins totalled 400-500 and Dunnocks 300, with 10 Bramblings, 18 Fieldfares and 3 Willow/Chiffs. According to the lightkeep- ers, the movement abated over the next few days (when there were no observers in residence). May-June. Many Robins and Dunnocks remained on the island through the foggy spell of the first few days of May, joined by fresh arrivals. Clear weather followed a change to west winds at midday on the 4th, bringing a coastal move- ment of warblers (20 Willow Warblers, 5 Chiffchaffs, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler and 1 Whitethroat), 15 Bramblings, 2 Ring Ouzels, a Cuckoo and a Tree Sparrow. West winds persisted until the 10th but re- turned to southeast 10th-15th, when a few Whinchats, Red- starts, Swallows, Blackbirds, Wheatears, Sedge Warblers (up to 15), Grasshopper Warblers, Whitethroats (up _ to 29), Willow Warblers (up to 50) and Linnets (up to 15) were recorded. A Whimbrel was seen on the 10th, 2 Tree Sparrows and 3 Common Sandpipers on the 14th, a Mealy Redpoll, a Pied Flycatcher and a Cuckoo on the 15th, a Black Redstart on the 13th and the last three Fieldfares of the spring on the 15th. Little was seen over the next few days, in variable winds and good visibility, but some easterly drizzle on the 2lst and 22nd brought a few warblers, a Cuckoo and a Turtle Dove. The movement increased over the next two days, and included an Icterine Warbler, two more Turtle Doves and 4 Lesser Whitethroats on the 23rd, and a Bluethroat and more whitethroats (both species) on the 24th. The last notable bird in May was an Osprey flying north on the 26th. A few migrants occurred in early June— a Whimbrel on the 5th and 6th, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Mealy Redpoll on the 6th, and a Blackcap on the 10th. Autumn migration The Observatory was manned 2nd-3lst August; 1st-18th, 22nd-30th September; ist-7th, 8th-llth, 15th-18th, 22nd- 26th October. The island was briefly visited also on 8th Nov- ember. August. Winds were westerly until the 7th with few mig- rants (a Whitethroat on the 5th, a Sedge Warbler and 2 Whimbrels on the 7th). Although the wind then changed to the east, the next few days saw only a trickle of warblers 76 ISLE JOH MAY REPORS 4(1) (and a Green Sandpiper on the 12th). The first real move- ment came with strengthening winds on the 14th, especially during the afternoon. Two Pied Flycatchers, a Spotted Fly- catcher, 12 Garden Warblers, 1 Barred Warbler, 6 Whinchats, 2 Redstarts, 1 Ruff and 3 Dunlins were recorded, and at full tide the flocks of Turnstones and Purple Sandpipers were much bigger than usual. The migration continued during fog and east or variable winds until the 18th, with much the same pattern. It brought a few more Pied Flycatchers and Garden Warblers, a Wood Sandpiper on the 15th, an influx of 50 Willow Warblers on the 16th, 12 Whinchats on the 17th and a very early Woodcock. A final small influx at midday on the 18th added a Cuckoo and a Treecreeper, and the autumn’s first Goldcrest. Most of these birds left during the fine westerly weather of the following week, though an unusually large flock of Whimbrels (22) was seen on the 20th, and between 10 and 26 Swallows were recorded daily from the 22nd to the 25th. There was another arrival of Willow Warblers (35), along with a Redstart, a Whitethroat and a Woodcock, on the 24th, and slight wader passage on the 25th. The steady trickle of Wheatears during the month increased to 30 on the 27th, but winds remained west and the only migrants at the end of August were a few Meadow Pipits and warblers, a Little Stint on the 29th, a White Wagtail on the 30th, 7 Golden Plovers and 4 Whimbrels on the 3lst and _ shear- waters out at sea. September. On the afternoon of the Ist the wind veered to ENE and a handful of Goldcrests and Willow Warblers heralded an unprecedented few weeks of visible migration. There was still only a trickle of birds on the 2nd (3 Pied Flycatchers, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Song Thrushes, a Whin- chat and a Red-backed Shrike), but after overnight fog a large number of migrants appeared at dawn on the 3rd and continued to arrive during the day. They were assessed at 200 Garden Warblers, 3 Barred Warblers, 19 Willow War- blers and Chiffchaffs, 30 Whinchats, 40 Redstarts, 10 White- throats, 10 Robins, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Spotted and 50 Pied Flycatchers, 4 Wrynecks, another Red-backed Shrike, 2 Ring Ouzels, a Redwing, 2 Goldcrests and a Green Sandpiper. During the next two days there was some coastal movement of Swallows (14 on the 4th, 76 on the 5th), House Martins (35 and 155), Sand Martins (10 and 21) and Tree Pipits (10 and 20). New arrivals on the 4th were a Bluethroat, the autumn’s first Fieldfare, 2 Reed Warblers, a Red-breasted Flycatcher, 2 Wrynecks, 12 Golden Plovers and 5 Common Sandpipers. Most of the migrants moved on as the visibility improved after the 4th, but a steady movement of passerines continued, becoming mainly coastal when the wind settled 1966. ISLE OF MAY REPORT 77- westerly on the 8th. A few more Wrynecks were recorded during this week, a Bar-tailed Godwit was seen on the 6th, and Swallow numbers reached 200 and House Martins 20 on the 8th. Wheatears increased to 30, and Whinchats and Redstarts to 20 each on the 7th, and warblers, flycatchers and Goldcrests continued to pass through. On the 10th about 500 Meadow Pipits on passage were counted. A return to east winds on the 12th brought 20 Pied Flycatchers, 6 Siskins and a Treecreeper (Northern), followed overnight by 2 more Wrynecks and 6 Goldcrests. There was then little movement until the next spell of east winds on the 23rd, which pro- duced at sea a Red-throated Diver, skuas and terns, and the first autumn record of a Blue-headed Wagtail, a few Gold- crests, Whitethroats, Pied Flycatchers and Garden Warblers. The 24th saw a limited movement of Turdidae, the first for some time—6 Fieldfares, a Song Thrush and 2 Ring Ouzels— with 2 Redwings next day. There was next a massive in- flux on the 26th in poor visibility, including 200 Fieldfares, 400 Song Thrushes, 150 Redwings, 50 Ring Ouzels, 20 Black- birds, 80 Whinchats, 150 Redstarts, 60 Robins, a Bluethroat, a Reed Warbler, 20 Blackcaps, 180 Garden Warblers, 3 White- throats, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Willow Warblers, 10 Gold- crests, 2 Spotted and 80 Pied Flycatchers, 38 Siskins, 50 Chaffinches, 30 Bramblings, an Ortolan Bunting, a Red-back- ed Shrike, a Hoopoe, a Ringed Plover and a Jack Snipe. Most of these birds had moved on by the 27th, but a further arrival in northwest winds on the 28th included over 250 Redwings, 15 Fieldfares, 15 Ring Ouzels, a Barred Warbler, a Yellow-browed Warbler, a Lapland Bunting and the first two Snow Buntings of the season. There was still some movement in east winds over the last two days of the month, with a Sparrowhawk and a Ruff on the 29th, and a Reed Warbler on the 30th. October. The weather and migration pattern of the first eleven days resembled that of early September. Small move- ments on the Ist (a Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Lapland Bunting, 50 Goldcrests and 100 Chaffinches) built up to a large fall on the 2nd, the most spectacular items being 800 Song Thrushes, 150 Redwings, 25 Redstarts, 60 Robins, 25 Blackcaps, 15 Garden Warblers, 5 more Lapland Buntings, a Black Redstart and another Jack Snipe. Most of these moved on overnight but a Merlin, a Lesser Whitethroat and an- other Red-breasted Flycatcher appeared on the 3rd. On the 4th Turdidae movement increased, Chaffinches were passing, and a Wryneck was seen; the 5th saw a small influx of war- blers. Another large fall of Turdidae occurred overnight 6th/ 7th in bad weather, when 400 Song Thrushes, 40 Bramblings and 12 Reed Buntings were counted, thrush numbers re- 78 ISLE OF MAY REPORT 4(1) maining high until the 10th. A Great Grey Shrike arrived on the 9th, a Bluethroat on the 10th and a Stonechat on the 11th. After this, winds reverted to the west and the island’s temporary bird population dwindled gradually, with only small fresh arrivals. These included a flock of 7 Waxwings on the 17th (up to 4 on a day were seen during the following week). Observer cover was patchy for the last half of Octo- ber, but there were undoubtedly some fairly large arrivals of Turdidae and Bramblings with a few Redpolls at the end of the third week. An influx at the end of the month unfor- tunately went unrecorded, but as late as 8th November there were at least 300 Blackbirds on the island, 5 Redpolls and 2 Woodcocks. Unusual occurrences Little Grebe. One, 23rd-24th October. First record since 1942. Tufted Duck. One, 8th November. Second record (first since 1908). Whooper Swan. Seven, 15th October. Sixth record. Buzzard. One, 28th September. Seventh record. Osprey. One, 26th May. Sixth record. Whimbrel. Twenty-two, 20th August. Largest flock ever recorded. Wood Sandpiper. One, 15th-18th August. Fifth record. Hoopoe. One, 26th September. Eighth record. Treecreeper. One, 12th September. First definite record of Northern race. Whinchat. Eighty, 26th September. Record high number. Bluethroat. One, 10th October. Latest autumn record (Red-spotted). Robin. 400-500, 29th April. Record total for one day. Icterine Warbler. One, 23rd May. Second spring record. Garden Warbler. 200, 3rd September. Record total for one day. Redprentcy Flycatcher. One, 4th-5th September. Earliest autumn rec- ord., Rock Pipit. One, 27th May. First record of Scandinavian race. Blue-headed Wastail. One, 23rd September. First autumn record. Waxwing. Up to seven between 17th and 25th October. Seventh and earliest autumn record. Great Grey Shrike. One, 28th April. Second spring record. Breeding populations A count was made of Shag nests in late May. The total of 751 shows that this species is still increasing as a breed- ing species, both on the cliffs at the south end of the island, and on the more recent sites on Rona and at Tarbet. The number of Puffins may have decreased slightly, and fewer Fulmar chicks were reared (only four seen in July). A single pair of Great Black-backed Gulls bred for the fourth suc- cessive year. A pair of Dunnocks reared two young in the Top Trap; the pair of Blackbirds nested again; the Swallows, though present, failed to rear a brood. 1966 ISLE OF MAY REPORT 79 Ringing and recoveries 2,859 birds of 63 species were ringed. Had the last would-be visitors of the season not been thwarted by the stormy weather in their attempts to land, the 1965 total would easily have exceeded the 1951 record of 2,901. A record number of 445 Shags contributed to the year’s total, and other records were: Puffins (36), Song Thrushes (111), Redstarts (114), Blackcaps (58), Chiffchaffs (32), Pied Flycatchers (65) and Rock Pipits (139). The total for Garden Warblers (202) is almost double the previous highest, and that for Dunnocks (151) three times the previous best. The number of Black- birds ringed (90) was the lowest for nearly ten years. Many of the 93 recoveries were of Shags involved in ‘wrecks’ as far south as Essex during the cold spell from late October to early December. The following recoveries from abroad were notified: Ringed Recovered Song Thrush Ad 22. 3.64 Escurial, Caceres, Spain 8. 2.65 Blackbird Ad d 26.10.63 Quimperlé, Finisterre, France 14. 2.65 Blackbird Ist iy 2 26.10.64 Askim, Ostfold, Norway 31. 3.65 Blackbird dd 6.11.62 Sokndal, Rogaland, Norway 1.11.64 Blackbird Ad Q@ 3.11.62 Nortorf, Schleswig- Holstein, Germany 14. 7.65 Blackbird FG Q — 5.11.63 Skarup, Svenaborg, Denmark 7265 Blackbird Ad @ 1.11.63 Onarheim, Tysnesoy, Norway 8. 8.65 Blackbird Ad do 26.10.63 Norre Vissing, Tulstrup, Denmark 19. 9.65 Robin FG 29. 4.65 Skjeberg, Sarpsborg, Norway 13. 9.65 petin FG 29. 4.65 Nouzilly, Indre et Loire, France 20.10.65 arden Warbler Ad 5.10.65 Baracaldo, Vizcaya, Spain 25.10.65 Willow Warbler Ad 13. 5.65 Ben-Ahmed, Casablanca, Morocco 10.10.65 Other observations A few rabbits survived the attack of myxomatosis in July 1964, and their numbers are beginning to increase again slowly. As yet there do not appear to be more than a few dozen. As a result of the scarcity of rabbits the vegetation was extremely dense and luxuriant in 1965, with spectacular flowering of sea pink and sea campion. No change in the seal population has been observed; no pups were born. A study of the lichen flora of the island was carried out by Messrs B. W. Ferry and J. W. Sheard of London University in August. They identified more than 78 species. Once again the Committee wishes to thank the Principal Keeper and staff for all their help given to the Observatory during the season, 80 SHORT NOTES 4(1) Short Notes Autumn notes from the Isle of Iona There are surprisingly few published accounts of the birds of this much-visited little island. Apart from Graham’s fascinating book The Birds of Iona and Mull, published in 1890, which contains notes dating from the second half of the 19th century—and it is not always clear how far what he records is relevant only to Mull—we have been able to trace only the scattered notes made from personal visits which appear in the more general works by Gray, Birds of the West of Scotland (1871), Harvie-Brown, A Vertebrate Fauna of Argyll and the Inner Hebrides (1892), and more re- cently, Baxter and Rintoul, The Birds of Scotland (1953). We visited the island from 4th to 18th September 1965 and compiled a full list of what we saw during our visit, which we have lodged in the S.O.C. Library, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh. No note could, of course, be made of breeding populations, nor was anything seen of the wide variety of wintering duck which is such a feature of Graham’s book. However, a number of small passerines were spotted on migration of which we could find no previous record; and it is worth noting that the Golden Oriole which was recorded on Iona on 27th May 1965 (antea 3: 374) appears also to have been a new bird for the island. On the other hand a number of species which were common in September throughout Graham’s time have disappeared. The Chough is a familiar example; more sur- prising was the complete absence of Dunnocks. Greenfinch, Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting are all recorded as common by Graham, the last being “very abundant.” The withdrawal of these species from Iona, as from most of this part of the West Highlands, was noted in 1948 by Baxter and Rintoul, and the only records we have found since then are of three Greenfinches seen by us in September 1965 and of a single Yellowhammer reported in July 1964. The following records appear to us to be of more particular interest : GreEY Lac GoosrE. One seen moving south off west side of the island, 6th September. “KNOT. One on 8th, three from 13th to 16th September, with small numbers of Sanderling, Ringed Plover and Dunlin in the large bay fringing the machair on the west. CoLLaRED Dove. First noticed (two) August 1963, with up to 13 in mid August 1964 (3: 299). Two in September 1965, roosting in trees of manse garden and feeding with hens nearby, but no sign of their having bred. a a ee” 1966 SHORT NOTES 81 Rook. Graham mentions this as a winter visitor only, cross- ing from the mainland by day to feed and returning just before dusk. Similar habits noticed in September 1965, and though they occasionally frequented the trees of the manse garden there was no sign of their having bred there. *Biue Tit. A single bird in the manse garden on 12th and 13th September. *WuincuaT. A single bird on 6th September. *GARDEN WARBLER. One on 12th September in the manse garden. *LESSER WHITETHROAT. One watched at close quarters in a tree by the post office, 13th September. *GoLDCREST. Two to three in manse garden with a few Willow Warblers and a Spotted Flycatcher, 12th and 13th Septem- ber. *TREE Pipit. One on 12th September. *No previous record traced. W. M. Kerr, J. A. D. Hope. Purple Heron at Fair Isle E. J. Wiseman found a Purple Heron feeding in a ditch on the Leogh croft at 1400 hrs GMT on 17th June 1965. It flew off and landed in a marsh about half a mile away, where we both watched it stalking along a ditch and later skulking in a field of half-grown oats. It was thought to be an immature coming into adult plumage. It was slightly smaller than a Heron, and a darker bird, both on the ground and in the air; crown and nape blackish, but a distinct blue colour on forehead when bird faced observer at close range; sides of head warm buff, with dark line from eye to nape; neck orangy buff with dark line running from gape, below eye, down side of neck; mantle and back brownish grey, with scapulars warm chestnut-buff and grey, paler than back; rump and tail grey brown; chin and cheeks white; throat paler than sides of neck; breast pale buff with long brown stripes; sides of body rich maroon brown; rest of underparts paler chestnut- brown; primaries and secondaries dark greyish black; coverts paler with golden tinge; allula paler; in flight, wings darker than a Heron’s; un- derwing pale brown with maroon band on underwing coverts; bill long and orange-brown, with ridge of upper mandible and tip darker; legs greenish brown, paler from behind, and soles paler; iris yellow. In flight the shape was noticeably different from a Heron’s; the neck was more bulging when viewed from the side and narrower from behind, and the feet looked larger. We left it in the field of oats and it was later seen by James Wilson and Marina Dennis. It frequented the ditches in these two areas until 22nd June. This is the first record for Fair Isle and Shetland and the fifth for Scotland, the last being a in Berwickshire on 8th April 1917 (Scot, Nat. 1917: Roy H. DENnIs. 82 SHORT NOTES 4(1) Little Bitterns in Ayrshire and Shetland On 18th May 1965 DJ and ABJ flushed a bird from the north bank of the River Ayr at Craigie Park, Ayr. It remained in full view on the opposite bank long enough for them to note with the naked eye that it stood about 10” high in the hunched attitude of a bittern or small heron and had blackish upper- parts with pale wing patches. They were sure it was a Little Bittern, and telephoned GAR that evening. Next morning DJ and ABJ on the north bank, and GAR on the south, saw it standing erect among reeds on an island 20 yards from the original area. It soon walked in full view onto the mud, pausing to stretch full length vertically, when the bittern outline with elongated lower breast feathers was accentuated. A few minutes later it flew to within 10 yards of GAR, where it stood in a hunched attitude and speared a 2” fish. It then climbed over a bush which had hidden it from the other observers and into full view on the mud. When approached to within 5 yards it crouched flat along the ground with head on one side before flying upstream. In flight the legs were not fully retracted, and the wing action was very similar to a Moorhen’s; the pale oval wing patches contrasted with the black wings and upperparts. The following description was obtained with the sun shin- ing from behind by GAR using 10x50 binoculars at 5-10 yards: All upperparts black, faintly glossed green; pate buff line over eye; ear coverts and sides of neck pale mouse-grey; throat and breast rich buff with lower feathers elongated; belly and under tail-coverts pale buff; wings black with oval buff patch on coverts, pinkish on lesser and median, greyish on greater; bill medium length, pale horn with blackish ridge on upper mandible and tip (4”’ or so) whitish; lores yellowish-green; legs and feet bright green; iris bright yellow. This male is the second Little Bittern recorded in Ayrshire; ae te aa found dead in Ayr on 30th April 1947 (Scot. Nat. D. JOHNSTONE, A. B. JOHNSTONE, G. A. RICHARDS. At 2100 hrs GMT on 2nd June 1965 I found a small heron- like bird by the Loch of Gards at Scatness in the south of Shetland Mainland. I had only a fleeting glimpse of it that evening, but was able to get a full description the following morning. R. H. Dennis was given the description by telephone and identified it as a female Little Bittern. It was seen also by W. Horne and Dennis Coutts, who photographed it. RHD came over from Fair Isle on the 4th and we studied the bird for over two hours but failed to catch it. At ranges down to 15 ft in good light we took a full description and confirmed that it was a female Little Bittern. 1966 SHORT NOTES 83 The Loch of Gards, about 10 ft a.s.l., is surrounded by short vegetation, with small marshy areas at each end. It is a small loch in open rough grazing criss-crossed with stone dykes. During the week it was seen the bird spent most of the time at the water’s edge, resting on its tarsi with head retracted into hunched shoulders and bill held horizontal over the water. Occasionally it stalked along the bank, when the strange dis- jointed movement of the body and legs was most unbirdlike. It was once seen catching and quickly eating a small fish. At the first sign of danger the body was pressed flat to the ground, and the extended neck and bill pointed skywards; the breast and throat feathers were fluffed out and the dark stripes seemed to predominate, giving the impression of dark lower stems of waterside plants. If danger persisted, a sec- ond stance was adopted: the body was raised from the ground and the bird visibly elongated in a bill-pointing posture; the body was slowly rotated so that the breast was always direc- ted towards the intruder. In this position the dark stripes seemed to narrow, and the resulting lighter colour was sim- ilar to dried reeds. If approached from behind, the bird seemed undecided which stance to adopt and more readily took wing. The flight was buoyant and typically bittern in character, although the lazy wing beats and the long legs held stiffly behind were also like a heron, On take-off the light wing patches and long dangling legs were most obvious. The following description was compiled from notes taken on our combined visit: Size similar to small Lapwing (by comparison with Kittiwakes and Starlings nearby). Crown and nape grey-brown; mantle and scapulars brown with pale margins, giving streaky appearance; rump and tail uniform dark brown; underparts pale buff with long brown-buff streaks on sides of throat and flanks; at rest, shoulders creamy buff; underwing pale; iris yellow; bill dull orange-yellow with dark horn ridge and tip; legs and feet greenish yellow, the tarsi appearing more yellowish viewed from the rear. The bird was seen by numerous observers, including R. J. Tulloch. It was last seen on 10th June. One was taken at Fair Isle on 10th April 1940 (and two or three were reported seen there that summer) and there are two other Shetland records, the last being in Unst on 29th May 1917. GopFREY D. Joy. Harlequin Ducks at Fair Isle and in Caithness On 1iith January 1965 I noticed two small ducks diving close to the cliff in Maver’s Geo, near the bird observatory on Fair Isle. I identified them as male and female Harlequin pees, the first time this species has been recorded at Fair sle. I went home to collect my binoculars, telescope and note- 84 | SHORT NOTES 4(1) book and returned at 1200 hrs to find them diving in the west side of the geo. Next day I found them round the head- | land in South Haven and they stayed in this general area | until 2nd February, They were always swimming near the cliffs or over submerged rocks, where they dived in the rough- ) est water with impunity. A favourite place was just below | the bird observatory, where they allowed one to approach within 20 yards. During their stay they were seen by most of the islanders, and Tommy Russell, James Stout, James | Wilson and Miss Kate Russell confirmed my identification. Between 11th January and 2nd February, I noted the follow- ing details: Male. Small size between that of a Wigeon and a Teal, with round- headed and short-necked appearance ; body very dark brown, with rusty flanks and a variety of white markings; bright white spot on ear-coverts; ‘ large greyish white patch at base of bill, stretching from forehead to ‘ throat; small white line down side of neck (hardly noticeable); broad curved white line in front of wings; narrow broken white band on side | of neck, forming half collar; three elongated white spots on each side of back, the largest near the tail, forming narrow V when viewed from above; small bill lead colour; legs and feet appeared green under water. On Ist February I noticed that the male’s plumage had become dark gun- metal blue between the collar and the broad line on the breast. q Female. Much the same dark brown colour, but white spot on ear- coverts larger, and there was less greyish white at the base of the bill, forming a spot above and below the bill; bill darker; legs and feet green. GORDON BARNES. On 18th April 1965 we found a pair of Harlequin Ducks on the sea a mile north of Wick. We watched them for 15 minutes in a sunny period between showers of snow and hail, with a fresh to gale force northerly wind blowing, Sub- sequently the birds were seen by many people, including Dr I. D. Pennie, D. Macdonald, D. M. Stark and other S.O.C. members. They remained in the same area and were last seen on lst May. The account which follows is based on notes we poe at the time and on additional comments by IDP and The birds were very lively, diving frequently (short dives of not more than 25 seconds) with the male usually following the female, the pair diving and surfacing together. When | diving they would lift out of the water, except for their legs, and go over like a Shag; and when they came up, holding | themselves straight, they would pop almost out of the water. On the surface they were very active, bobbing their heads down to the water (the female making a sort of sideways preening movement away from the male), hanging about in the surf below the cliffs, or paddling along, constantly flick- ing their wings and splashing, Their restless behaviour was quite unlike other ducks as they darted here and there 1966: SHORT NOTES 85 dabbing continually around, presumably at small creatures stirred up by the rough water. They spent a lot of time en- tering and leaving the surf and poking under the seaweed at the edge of the surf, giving an impression of resting on their bellies. The female was seen upending with feet padd- ling in the air. They were once noted out of the water on sloping rocks, walking with heads down (like Moorhens). They were never seen in flight, and no calls were heard. The male was in full breeding plumage, and the striking head pattern, vivid white crescents on the dark blue neck and breast, bright chestnut flanks and small bill were clearly seen. The female could possibly have been mistaken for a Long-tailed Duck in size and shape but it was much more uniform and dark all over, particularly as at a distance the head seemed to be almost sooty black, contrasting with the white spot behind the eye. When the bird dived its under- parts were seen to be dark. The best views were had from the cliffs, as the birds readily moved behind rocks when approached. Against a background of white broken water, grey rock and russet weed exposed by the tide their striking colour pattern hid them most effectively. Descriptions. Male. Front of neck blackish blue; rest of body grey- black, with conspicuous rufous flanks; uniformly dark underneath; white on front of face (very obvious on either side when seen from front) was more a patch than a crescent; white spot behind eye; white crescent down side of neck and another below round front of throat (these marks showing from the front as a pair of Vs one above the other and not joined at the tips) ; white vertical mark on side of body in front of wing; white patch on back; short up-pointed tail; small short wedge- shaped beak; legs seemed short. Female. Dark brown with uniformly dark underparts; very conspic- uous white circle behind eye; two smaller white circles, one above the other, in front of eye, but indistinct at times; legs noted as bluish when upended. R. S. SHAND, G. GUNN. (These two records might well refer to the same two birds. The only previous acceptable Scottish records are of a drake seen in the Outer Hebrides on 18th February 1931 (Brit, Birds 23: 370) and a 1st-winter male shot in Roxburghshire on 16th January 1954 (Scot. Nat. 1954: 15). Although the 1931 record is a little incomplete it has been generally accepted, but a sight record of a drake in Shetland on 5th March 1933 (Scot. Nat, 1933: 152), though quoted in The Birds of Scotland, has been ignored by the authors of Birds and Mammals of Shet- land and The Popular Handbook of Rarer British Birds, and seems rather too tentative to be admitted. A 1955 Shetland record (Brit. Birds 49: 36) was later shown to refer to a Long- tailed Duck (Brit. Birds 50: 445). One race of the species is 86 SHORT NOTES 4(1) resident in Iceland and breeds also in Greenland and N.E. Canada; another race breeds in western North America and west into Siberia.—EbD.) Gyr Falcons in East Inverness-shire and Shetland On 24th March 1965 I heard from our neighbour, Mr J. Munro, Pitmain, Kingussie, that- an unusual bird, perhaps two, had been flying overhead and flushing Woodpigeons from nearby pines. I went to investigate and together with Mr and Mrs Munro watched a bird now perched on a fence stob topping a stone dyke about 250 yards from the garden fence. There was then no sign of a second bird. Through 10x binoculars in rather poor late afternoon light —the weather being dull—I noted that at this range the bird was obviously a falcon but looked longer than and different- ly proportioned from a Peregrine; the head seemed more prominent or relatively larger, and the tail distinctly longer, giving the bird a more attentuated outline. It appeared en- tirely white or grubby white, with slightly darker mantle and back. It flew to a rather nearer post where, at about 200 yards, the prominent dark eye gave the face a distinctive appear- ance, probably increased by dark feathering around the eye; the hooked bill was an indeterminate lightish colour; head, neck and underparts white, without obvious markings; mantle and back evenly marked with dark spotting, giving a very chequered look; upperside of medium-long, straight tail showed regular faint barring but was otherwise white; feet not clearly seen but appeared pale. The bird flew off over the moor and perched in a scrubby tree; it finally went off west, and the rear view in flight confirmed the longer tail and perhaps straighter wings than a Peregrine, the wings being held very flat when flying (long glides, alternating with several wing-beats). From below the wings showed dull dark tips in flight. The bird disappeared from view remarkably quickly heading on a direct westward course. I got the impression that it was not very large or heavily built for a Gyr Falcon. Considering the whiteness of its plumage it was probably an immature male It may be interesting to refer to a previously unpublished record of my own: the finding of a dead ‘Greenland’ Gyr Falcon—an immature bird in similar, if rather more strongly marked, plumage—on moorland a mile from the present spot in April 1958. The identification was confirmed by the staff of the Royal Scottish Museum who considered the bird had been dead a few weeks. I still have one of its wings. 1966 SHORT NOTES 87 Both these records have been accepted by the British Birds Rarities Committee. I had also several reports during the winter of 1964-65 of a white bird of prey in this area of Speyside which may have referred to the bird described above. Coxtin C. I. MuRpDOcH. About noon on 9th September 1965, while I was moving between two of the hill plantations at Kergord, I happened to glance up and see a raptor appear over the crest of the hill above me at some considerable height. It was being per- sistently and fiercely mobbed by a female Merlin. In size it was about as big as a Buzzard; in fact my mom- entary impression was that it was a Buzzard, but almost immediately I realised that it had pointed, not rounded, wings. The Merlin gave an excellent comparison of size, and it was obvious, especially as it moved lower, that the bird was sev- eral times as large as its aggressor, dwarfing it completely. In shape it was not unlike a Peregrine but it seemed heavier and much slower-moving and was definitely much larger than the average Peregrine. The wings were long and very powerful-looking, being broad near the body, swept back slightly from the carpal joints, and tapering to perfect ‘falcon tips’ without any sign of the ragged appearance which is typical of a Buzzard. The tail was long and narrow but did not seem quite as tapered as in the commoner falcons. It appeared to become darker towards the tip, although the only dark band visible was the broad one very near the extreme end. There was no sign of any face markings such as the Peregrine shows, and the upperparts and the underparts, apart from the tail, appeared to be a uniform brown, very similar to a typical Buzzard. It was only after noting these points and watching the bird for some time as it dodged the Merlin by a sideways rolling motion, rather like the rolling of a Raven, and circled easily above the plantations, that I realised I was looking at a Gy1 Falcon, and, judging by the colour, a bird of the year. After about ten minutes a small flock of Starlings left the plantation and started to fly up the hill. Falcon and Merlin went into one of the most spectacular power dives I have seen and were among them in a moment. They were unsuc- cessful, mainly because the Merlin was more interested in the falcon than in the Starlings, and they were soon above me, exactly as before. A few minutes later, however, they began to move off to the southwest, the falcon diving to about half height twice more, either for fun or to discourage the Merlin, and I watched them until they disappeared over the hill to the south. | WILLIAM G, PORTEOUS. 88 SHORT NOTES 4(1) Capercaillie x Black Grouse hybrid in Perthshire On 30th September 1965 S. F. Simmons and party, out on the hill between Loch Tummel and Blair Atholl, shot a Blackcock, a young cock Capercaillie and an obvious hybrid bird. All three were brought to Perth where they were examined and photographed. Plate 9 shows clearly the in- termediate plumage pattern and tail shape of the hybrid. The comparative measurements are tabulated below. The hybrid weighed 42 lb and had a purple iridiscence on the neck and upper breast. It was found to have rudimentary male sex organs but I. McLachlan, M.R.c.v.s., who carried out the dissection, considered it unlikely to be fertile. The crop contents of the three birds were examined and found to consist of conifer needles, green caterpillars and a few heather tips in the Capercaillie; conifer needles only in the hybrid; and heather tips with a few unidentified buds in the Blackcock. A. W. Robson identified both sets of conifer leaves as common larch—the current year’s needles in the nad and the tufted growth of previous years in the Caper- caillie. The birds were shot in a plantation 10-20 years old in which a hen Capercaillie was first recorded two years ago. Several broods appeared in 1965 but no adult male has yet been seen. Capercaillie* Hybrid Blackcock* Wing 375-410 mm 325 mm 252-265 mm Tail—centre 280-325 mm 170 mm 75-100 mm outer 30 mm longer 65-100 mm longer Bill 32- 38 mm 22 mm 15-17.5 mm *Measurements for males as given in The Handbook of British Birds. V. M. THom. (Female Capercaillies usually reach new areas before males, and are then liable to pair with Blackcocks. In the former days of lavish illustrated books on gamebirds and their management such hybrids as this were frequently re- Reyes but they do not receive so much attention today.— D. Temminck’s Stint in East Lothian At 1620 hrs on 15th August 1965 while we were walking through a flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plover at Belhaven Sands a small wader with a soft twittering call, reminiscent of a Swallow, landed ahead and immediately crouched. We watched it for half an hour at ranges down to 20 yards and were able to compare it with a Little Stint. The two birds seemed to be mutually attracted. Although generally rather similar this bird was slightly 1966 SHORT NOTES 89 smaller than the Little Stint and had an unmarked dark brown mantle; a pale greyish gorget ended in a straight line across the upper breast; it had a slight wing-bar, and a light eyestripe; at times—in very good light—the legs looked muddy red. The bird was obviously a Temminck’s Stint. It fed in a similar manner to, and often close beside, the Little Stint but it seemed to have a marked preference for one area of wet sand bordered by hummocks of short grass. In flight it often gave the twittering call, unlike the Little Stint, which was not heard to call at all. Both birds had the same swift grace in flight but the Temminck’s would occa- sionally execute a series of sudden wild swerves, At times we would have a glimpse of the broad white of outer tail feathers contrasting with the dark upperparts; on the ground, a line of white at the side of the tail was often very conspic- uous. Whether in flight or on the ground the Temminck’s was aay easily picked out from the Little by its much darker mantle. On the 21st we were attracted again by an unusual trrvrt call, and finally located a small wader crouched in a shallow hollow by a few small pools in an area of mud and grass near the shore. There were Dunlin and Ringed Plover feeding close by but it paid no attention except to crouch very low when they swept overhead. It was obviously the same bird we had seen a week earlier. It was now much more alert and restless and called often, but we had excellent views of it in the open and flying round and were able to make some addi- tional notes before it rose high and went right away SSE about 1915 hrs. Head brown with light streaks; dark line from short bill to eye; white above this almost meeting in V above bill; white from behind eye round and down under eye to throat; nape and feathers of neck grey and often fluffed up as though in a ruffle; back darker grey; wings dark brown with centre of feathers grey, appearing very dappled in some lights but almost unmarked in others; white outer tail feathers prominent in flight, each pale side of tail apparently as broad as its dark centre; streaking on breast pale grey and very pale indeed in centre of breast; legs either yellowish tinged (EMS) or flesh (RWJS). T. Boyp, E. M. Smitu, R. W. J. Smurru. (The bird was seen again in the same area on 28th August by A. Macdonald. Although Temminck’s Stint attempted to breed in Scotland 30 years ago it is now rarely seen. Birds were noted in Renfrewshire in autumn 1953 and in East Lothian in the autumns of 1953 and 1954, but the only record since then seems to be of one at Fair Isle on 21st May 1964, at a time when at least eight were recorded in Britain (Brit. Birds 57: 339; Bird Study 11: 218). A bird at Paisley on the 90 SHORT NOTES 4(1) very day that the Temminck’s Stint was at Fair Isle was re- ported as this species. The record was not published because experienced observers to whom we showed the notes felt that the description was inconclusive, especially for a first record of the species in Scotland in spring. This decision must stand, but the surrounding circumstances are so suggestive that we have been tempted to mention it in passing.—EDb.) Pratincole in Orkney On 6th October 1963, a fine, mainly sunny day, almost calm or light south to southeast wind, the late Herbert McKenzie observed a strange bird in company with a fairly large flock of Golden Plover on a grass field near Widewall Bay, South Ronaldsay. He described the bird to me. In flight it resembled a dark-coloured tern, or an outsize Swallow, having long pointed wings and a deeply forked tail. Its body was clearly smaller than a plover’s, but the long wings and tail gave it an elongated appearance. The main colour was dusky brown on the upperparts, shading to paler, more yellowish, brown on the breast, paler still on the lower belly, and white under the tail. There was a pale yellowish area on the chin and throat, forming a sort of bib, which was bordered all round by a thin black line. The upper tail-coverts were conspicuously white in flight and there was a dull reddish-brown patch under the wing, also seen in flight. The flight feathers and tail were blackish. The bill was short, decurved and blackish; and the legs were black and shorter than the plovers’. The bird was very active, both on the ground and in the air, apparently chasing flies and other insects. It ran swiftly, dashing about in all directions, and frequently took flight, sweeping backwards and forwards close above the flock of feeding plovers. Mr McKenzie was a bit of a wildfowler in his younger days and intimately knew all the common birds. In his time he had spotted a number of rare birds, including Orkney’s first Chough and Collared Dove. He watched this present bird through low-power binoculars from his car, parked beside the field where the birds were feeding. I have absolutely no doubt that the bird was a Pratincole. EK. BALFOuR. (There are only a very few records of this species in Scot- land, and in recent years there have been only sporadic oc- currences in Great Britain, none of them in Scotland.—Ep.) 1966 91 PLATE 9. Male hybrid from Blackcock x female Capercaillie mating (centre) with cock Capercaillie (top) and Blackcock for comparison. Note the intermediate plumage and shape of the tail. The birds were shot in Perthshire on 50th September 1965 (see p. 88). Photograph by R. A. Laing 92 DESCRIPTIO tftern Bands CONTAINING _Difeafes by Simples of their own Produ&. |. fo common among them. A Brief Hint of Methods to Improve Trade in that! | (Witha _ for the beneht of Sailers. ~ SOC Ce EF=EF 1 Ww. WikN te LONDON, Printed for Andrew Bell, at the Crofs-Xeys and | Bible, in Cornbil, near Stocks-Market, 1703. Kg OF THE - 4 a OTLAND)) SEI OCD AS ROORE OS LESS ONENESS GE GEOG COREE RR OF aeeanicin: | Admirable and Expeditious way of Curing moft} {A Particular Account of the Second Sight, or Faculty | : _ of forefeeing things tocome, by way of Vifion, | : gist both by Sea and Land, | | ew MAP of the whole, defcribing the| Harbours, Anchoring Places,and dangerous Rocks, | | To which is added a Brief Defcription of th Orkney, and Scherland. pe Ose PLATE 10. The original 1703 title page from Martin’s A Descrip- tion of the Western Islands of Scotland (see p. 64). Photograph by I. D. Pennie 4(1) 1966 93 a St & nf he Be. BS oo ) AK : stKilda rl LC . . ake Ra yf FEE ee ARR SSS % Co SS S PLATE 11. Martin’s map of St Kilda with the Fulmar and Storm Petrel. It was trom this illustration that Sir Robert Sibbald was able to make his identification. The plate is from the 1753 edition but is essentially the same as that in the original 1698 edition. Photograph by I D. Pennie 94 PLATE 12. Albino hen Blackbird brooding normal youns) (see spam JG)- Photograph by William S. Paton 4(1) 1966 SHORT NOTES 95 The Green Woodpecker in Clackmannanshire The first published report of a Green Woodpecker in Clack- mannanshire on 16th April 1965 (38: 373) was of particular interest to me, as the date preceded by only four days my own first observation of the species in this county. On 20th April 1965 I first heard and then saw a Green Woodpecker in a clump of ash and oak trees on Gloom Hill, Dollar, Iain C. Munro, of Dollar, and I subsequently watched this bird on several occasions, and by 27th April it had made a (?roosting) hole about 30 ft up in the trunk of an ash tree on Gloom Hill. The bird was present throughout June but remained unmated, and after the end of June we did not see it again. Numerous other sightings of the Green Woodpecker have been made in the county. On 29th April 1965 I learned from one of my pupils who is interested in birds that he had heard of a pair nesting at Menstrie in 1964. Confirmation of this is lacking so far, but through ICM I contacted R. Cook of Men- strie, a keen naturalist, who kindly supplied the following information : “Mr I. G. Scott of Tillicoultry, a shepherd, heard a Green Wood- pecker calling in the summer of 1963 (day and month uncertain) in Lady Anne Wood and in another wood, both near Tillicoultry; and a year later, in April 1964 (day uncertain) he saw a Green Woodpecker in Lady Anne Wood.” On 28th April 1964 RC himself saw in Menstrie Glen a bird which he then mistook for a Golden Oriole, but which—as he realised on 3rd August 1964 when he saw and recognised a definite Green Woodpecker in Balquharn Glen—had almost certainly been a Green Woodpecker. Throughout the winter of 1964-65 RC frequently heard the species calling among the trees on Myreton Hill, at Menstrie, and in April 1965 he found a pair boring what he considered to be a possible nesting hole in an ash tree. He also heard and saw another bird calling among trees in the Silver Glen at Alva. I myself visited Myreton Hill on 2nd May 1965, confirmed the existence of a pair there, and located an old woodpecker hole and also the new one found by RC. I was unable to climb the tree to verify nesting, but it was most interesting to hear a third woodpecker calling about + mile to the west, nearer Menstrie, while I had both birds of the pair with the (?nest- ing) hole under observation. On 9th May I searched for and located this third bird and by its behaviour suspected it had a mate nearby, but a search for it proved unsuccessful. Later that evening I visited the Myretoun, a large house at the foot of Myreton Hill owned by a Mr Porteous, who told me that Green Woodpeckers had come to his bird table on a few rare occasions during the winters of 1963-64 and 1964-65. He had both heard and seen the birds in the vicinity in 1963 (un- 96 SHORT NOTES 4(1) fortunately he could not give definite dates) and in 1964, but he had no knowledge of any nesting. This information was confirmed by his son, who had observed the woodpeckers on many occasions. Suspecting then that the species was probably well estab- lished along the southern foot of the Ochils, I searched all suitable localities between Dollar and Menstrie and confirmed the presence in May 1965 of five definite pairs and a possible sixth, excluding the single bird at Dollar. I also found two more woodpecker holes, one old and one new, in ash trees (these of course could have been made by Great Spotted Woodpeckers). 7 Breeding, however, was not finally proved until 17th June, when Alex Weir of Cambus, a friend of ICM, telephoned and asked me to inspect a Green Woodpecker hole he had found a few days earlier in an oak tree on Wood Hill, Alva, where I had already pinpointed a pair. ICM, AW and I visited Wood Hill that evening and by means of a torch and a mirror held by a long pair of pliers, each of us verified the presence of a single newly hatched chick and two unhatched eggs at the base of the deep nesting-hole. The female woodpecker re- mained anxiously in the vicinity throughout the ten minutes or so that we spent at the nest. To date, this appears to be the only actual record of breed- ing in Clackmannanshire, as RC was unable to confirm that his Myreton Hill pair had bred. Summarised, the history of the Green Woodpecker in the county as presently known would appear to be: first sight- ings in 1963, increase in numbers in 1964, and a further in- crease and a spread followed by breeding in 1965. From the evidence available there seems little doubt that the species has established a firm foothold in Clackmannanshire and thus pushed its distribution a little further north in Scotland. 7 ALEX, TEWNION. Nesting of a nearly white hen and) a normal cock Blackbird William S. Paton, of Kilmarnock, published a photograph in The Countryman (Autumn 1965, p. 73) showing an almost completely white hen Blackbird, which had some dark wing and outer tail feathers and a dark eye. sitting-on her nest, and a normal cock standing beside her. In answer to a letter of inquiry he kindly wrote: “The nest was atop a tool bag hanging from the wall of a shed in a contractor’s yard off London Road, Kilmarnock. Three normal col- oured young -were successfully reared. A few weeks later she was. in- cubating a second clutch of 4 eggs in a bush. alongside. a dwelling house, some fifty yards from the original site. Unfortunately I had to remove this nest as the building was being demolished, Not sur- 1966 SHORT NOTES 97 prisingly she deserted. I am told she is still occasionally seen in this area, now a petrol station nearing completion, and believe she is res- ident i in the London Road district.” This observation supports the view that at least in the majority of cases albinism in the Blackbird is a Mendelian recessive character, like albinism in the Pheasant and in Man. Breeding experiments with Pheasants showed that the homozygous recessives were white but had an occasional coloured feather (Sage, Bryan L. 1962. Brit. Birds 55: 205-208) just as this almost completely white Blackbird had a few dark feathers and a dark eye. In the breeding experiments the heterozygous Pheasants were coloured but sometimes had a few white feathers, like the pied and white-marked Blackbirds fairly often reported, which show partial albinism under some conditions, such as abnormal feeding, with about three times as frequent manifestation of the partial albinism in cocks as in hens, and rarely or never in chicks or juveniles (Pickford, R. W. In press. Biology and Human Affairs, Spring 1966). Complete or almost complete albinism in the Blackbird is rare, but may occur as often in hens as in cocks. The exist- ing data are not decisive on this point. Three other records support the same view, namely: an all-white Blackbird (a hen?) which had normal young (Jeff- rey, R. A. 1963. Scot. Birds 2: 447); an all-white cock and a normal hen which had five normal young (Rollin, N. 1964. Non-hereditary and hereditary abnormal plumage. Bird Re- search 2: 32); and a pair of all-white birds which are said to have had white offspring (Morris, F. C. 1903. A History of British Birds 3rd Ed: 85-87). In the last case all the offspring would be homozygous recessives and would be expected to be completely or almost completely white. In the other cases the young would be heterozygotes and would be expected to be normal in colouring, as reported. The illustration, plate 12, published with Mr Paton’s kind permission, shows the nearly white hen sitting on her nest, with the beaks of the three young protruding. R. W. PICKFORD. Abnormally plumaged Willow Warblers An abnormal Willow Warbler was seen by R. C. Meekin, D. Boomer and myself on 25th July 1965 at Bardowie Loch, Stirlingshire, in an area of bushy vegetation and hedges. It associated with other Willow Warblers and a few White- throats. It flitted actively amongst the branches, hovering occasionally, and was chased once by an adult Willow War- bler. It was a juvenile as shown by the very fresh state of the primaries and secondaries, and it was not heard calling. 98 SHORT. NOTES 4(1) The following description is based on notes made at the time: Chin, throat and breast bright lemon yellow, much like a Wood Warbler or young Willow Warbler; belly whitish; head, neck, back, scapulars, and wing coverts bright canary yellow, so bright that the superciliary was barely visible; rump slightly paler than back; outer primaries slightly darker than back; inner primaries, secondaries, and whole of tail cream, paler than back and contrasting with it, this being very apparent in flight (especially the tail); paler colouring on wings completely symmetrical; the overall paleness of the bird made it look slightly larger than a Willow Warbler in flight; bill dark like other Willow Warblers, but legs and feet much brighter buffish yellow than normal; eyes normally coloured. We concluded that this abnormal yellowness of the plum- age was due to xanthism, a condition found mainly in birds with greenish plumage and caused by excessive retention of yellow pigment and loss of dark ones. As far as I know, the only previous record of this condition in leaf-warblers was in a pair of Wood Warblers in Wales in 1954 (Brit. Birds 55, pls. 44, 45). W. M. M. EppiE. Mr Eddie’s note prompted us to report a Willow Warbler with several striking aberrations of plumage which we saw at Fair Isle on 4th September 1958 during a fall of migrants. The following field notes were taken by PJS shortly after he found the bird: Bright pale lemon head; fleck of lemon on nape; dark olive back, with pinkish lemon primaries; lower back darker olive than upper; pale grey-buff below, shading to ashy white on chest; pinkish legs; bill very pale straw; no wing-bars in flight; indulging it flycatcher-like forays for insects. Apart from its curious plumage the bird resembled in every way a normal Willow Warbler, with several of which it was associating. It was first seen at Easter Lother in the north of the island but was observed near the south light- house on subsequent days. P. J. SeLtuar, P. J. B. Sater. (A yellow and white Willow Warbler was captured at Selkirk on 9th July 1954 (Edinburgh Bird Bulletin 5: 15); it was different from either of the birds described above. We sent these two notes to Bryan L, Sage, who has made a spec- ial study of plumage abnormalities, and he commented that the Stirlingshire bird was evidently “an example of schizo- chroism, in which the melanin pigment is absent from the plumage, but the carotenoid pigment remains, thus resulting in a predominantly yellow individual. This must be quite a rare condition in this species as the only other record of which I am aware is the Selkirk bird,” He has not come across any- 1966 SHORE NOTES 99 thing like the Fair Isle bird “but it would seem to be a case of partial absence of melanin pigment in certain parts of the plumage (mainly the primaries and head) and in the bill and legs. It is a pity that the iris colour was not noted. I imagine that the pinkish colour apparently seen in the primaries was an effect of light.’—Eb.) Firecrest in Shetland On the evening of 11th June 1965 DC found a male Firecrest in a plantation at Seafield, Lerwick. He told WGP, who saw it next morning. Subsequently both of us watched it at close range on various dates until 3rd July and it was seen also by R. H. Dennis, R. J. Tulloch and others. The plantation was checked every day and we thought the bird had gone, but it reappeared, showing traces of moult, on 29th August. Just before it disappeared, presumably to moult, and again when it reappeared eight weeks later, it called less than at other times, making it more difficult to find, It remained until 27th September, by which time it was in good plumage. There were numbers of Goldcrests in the plantation at this time and it may have left with them. In general shape, size and behaviour the bird resembled a Goldcrest, though in flight it first looked like a small warbler. When discovered it seemed rather tired and ruffled, but on later occasions it was very active and could often be heard and seen feeding from as low as four feet among dead firs to as high as the leaf canopy of the 30-ft sycamores. The brilliant orange-red crest (looking too wide and red for a Goldcrest) was most striking, with the black border above the very distinct white supercillium. Once when viewed from directly in front these bands of colour and the dark stripes through the eye and on the cheeks created a most eye-catching effect as they all seemed to radiate from the bill. We paid particular attention to the call, which resembled a Goldcrest’s but was easier to detect because of its lower pitch, though tending to rise towards the end of a string of about nine notes. The bird called less persistently than a Goldcrest and the tone was somewhat harsher. Once it was observed that the bill opened wider as the call progressed. The following description is compiled from our notes: Similar to Goldcrest (including wing pattern at rest) with general colour, if anything, slightly greener, especially on rump; orange-red crest with greater brilliance showing at base of feathers (almost lum- inous with sun shining on it); very distinct white supercillium divided from crest by black border; pale patch under eye bordered by dark line through eye and by moustachial stripe; sides of neck tinged golden bronze; underparts whitish; back olive-green; wings brownish. DENNIS CouTTS, WILLIAM G. PORTEOUS. 100 SHORT NOTES 4(1) (This record has been submitted to and accepted by the British Birds Rarities Committee, as the species was included (for Scotland only) in the list of species with which the committee is concerned (Brit. Birds 57: 281). We have been told that it was meant to delete it from the list and therefore the record does not appear in the 1965 report (see Brit. Birds 58: 354). This is the third Firecrest recorded in Scotland. The others were on the Isle of May from 30th September to 3rd October 1959 and on 22nd September 1960 (Scot, Birds 1: 153, 357).—Eb.) Scandinavian Rock Pipits in Scotland in spring A pale pipit was noticed on the sea wall above the Bruce Embankment in St Andrews, Fife, on 14th March 1965. It was keeping close company with a Rock Pipit and feeding on flies from the rotting seaweed. It had most of the same pos- tural characteristics as the Rock Pipit, being particularly inclined to stand very upright, and it chased the flies in a wagtail-like fashion, darting after them. It appeared pale buff-grey in flight and had dark legs. It seemed very slightly larger than the Rock Pipit, with which it was compared constantly. It was present all afternoon and was viewed down to 20 feet with 6 x 30 binoculars in good light. Several at- tempts were made to trap it but it avoided the net. The fol- lowing features were noted: Eyestripe off-white and very distinct even without binoculars, espec- ially when compared with Rock Pipit;head, back and rump grey-brown, very different from dark olive-brown of Rock Pipit; outer tail feathers off-white, but appeared white in flight; tips of primary and secondary coverts markedly white-buff and distinct; throat and breast very pale buff shading to off-white under chin, being neatly marked with dark brown spots, slightly oblong and very much sparser than on Rock Pipit and tending to form faint collar under chin; belly pale buff and not noticeably streaked. Call slightly more drawn out and not quite so harsh and vibrant as the Rock Pipit’s. These notes were shown to K. Williamson, who has made a special study of Rock Pipits, and he commented that they fit very well the Baltic (or Scandinavian) race of Rock Pipit Anthus spinoletta littoralis—a specimen which has under- gone more than the usual amount of spring moult for this date. Such birds are rather similar to Water Pipits. J. L. S. Coppi On 27th May 1965 I saw a Scandinavian Rock Pipit A. s. littoralis on the Isle of May. It flew onto a wall beside a local Rock Pipit and the contrast was immediate and apparent. I also saw it chivvied off three territories, which indicates it was a stranger. It seemed a little larger than the local 1960. SHORT NOTES 101 birds, and not only because it was paler and had its feathers fluffed out; but it was exactly the same shape, notably in the bill. The pattern on head and upperparts was the same, but the colour completely different, a kind of yellowish brown instead of greeny slate. Below, it was almost unstreaked, though there was a ring of faint streaks across the breast and more on the flanks. It completely lacked the heavy black appearance of the usual Rock Pipit’s streaks. In addition there was a rosy tinge over the whole breast (which might well be lost in a museum skin). Altogether it was a most dis- tinctive bird at that time of year. M. F. M. MEIKLEJOHN. (Races of the Rock Pipit Anthus spinoletta are similar in winter plumage but distinctive in nuptial plumage. There are only a few published records of the Scandinavian race in Scotland although it is strongly migratory, many wintering in north and west France. It may well prove to be a regular spring migrant in very small numbers on the east coast. For a full discussion of the races and their distribution see K. Williamson, “Moult and its relation to taxonomy in Rock and Water Pipits’, Brit. Birds 58: 493-504. In the light of these researches it seems likely that the ‘Water Pipit’ in Shetland on 8th and 9th May 1950 (Birds and Mammals of Shetland: 138) which the Scottish Bird Records Committee square-bracketted because the race was not deter- mined (Scot. Nat. 1957: 42) was a well moulted example of the Scandinavian Rock Pipit A. s. littoralis.—ED.) Woodchat Shrikes in Fife and East Lothian About 10.30 am. on 30th May 1965 R. B. Hughes found a Woodchat Shrike on the south bank of Kilconquhar Loch. I returned to the area with him and we made a detailed des- cription of the bird: Slightly larger than a House Sparrow, but with a: noticeably long tail and typical shrike stance on its perch. Throat and underparts fawn, perhaps slightly lighter than a female Chaffinch; chestnut crown and nape, with bold blackish band through eye continuing across fore- head; black or dark brown back, mantle and tail, with white outer tail feathers: large oval scapular patch and small patch on edge of closed wing very much the same colour as underparts (showing in flight as an oval patch and small wing-bar); very conspicous large area of white on rump; a few light bars just discernible at close range on body just below closed wing; slightly hooked black bill; legs and feet black. The bird haunted a smal] plantation of 3 ft pines, perching on the tops of the trees. Its flight was undulating over short distances but more direct on the occasional longer flight. It flew in low, ending with an upward sweep onto its perch. Its tail was constantly flicked in a curious fashion, from one side 102 SHORT NOTES 4(1) to the other as well as up and down, almost describing a semi-circle. When hunting it would view from the perch, but always took its prey from the ground in a dashing swoop, quickly returning to its perch again. Twice the prey was bumble bees, but a small worm or caterpillar was also taken. Though basically a very silent bird we heard it once utter a harsh chatt. It was quite trusting and peeetlen views were obtained. We returned in the afternoon with Dr W. J. Eggeling and saw it again, and at 1900 hrs when we found it sitting on a high- ish branch of a sycamore as if settling to roost, where we left it. Despite a thorough search it could not be found on the dlst. Davin W. OLIVER. (The only previous record for South Fife is of a rather sketchily described bird near Kinghorn on 21st and 22nd May 1953 (Edinburgh Bird Bulletin 3: 69, 72).—Eb.) At Barns Ness on 4th September 1965, following a day and night of heavy rain and strong east winds which succeeded the clear anticyclonic weather of the 2nd, I found there had been a fall of passerine migrants, including a female Pied Flycatcher, Garden Warblers, Redstarts, Whitethroats, one Lesser Whitethroat and, with them in the old quarry, a female Woodchat Shrike. The most noticeable feature was the chestnut crown and nape above the dark brown eyestripe, which crossed the forehead and passed be- hind the eyes to merge with the dark brown back and wings, of which latter only the scapulars were seen to be dirty white at rest. The whole underside was a dirty white, and in flight the rump and outer tail feathers were the same shade. The eye was black, and the hooked bili was dark at the tip, shading to a dirty pink at the base. When it opened its bill, prior to disgorging a pellet, the inside of the mouth was seen to be pale pink. The legs were black but not normally visible while it perched. During the occasional short fast flights I noted the white on the scapulars and rump, but the patch on the primaries escaped me. I was quite sure that it was a Woodchat Shrike, and a female from the dullness of the colours, the chestnut not being as red as in males nor the white clean enough, and the black parts being a dull sooty brown. There was no barring as in immatures. The bird selected prominent perches, at the top of the bare branches of the elder bushes or on the bundles of barbed wire, from which it kept a lookout for passing insects, It sat hunched up on its perch, and it was during one of these longer quiet spells that it suddenly yawned and stretched up to its full height and disgorged the pellet (4” x ?’) of indig- estible insect fragments, mostly the hard horny black parts of thorax, head and legs of insects. After this it became much 1966: SHORT NOTES 103 more active, and chased and knocked to the ground a large bumble bee and, securing it on the ground, returned with it to its perch on the barbed wire, there to chew it sufficiently to make it soft enough to swallow whole. There was no hammering of the bee on the wire, only a steady chewing in the bill, once only holding it in its right foot to change the grip in the mouth, and then more chewing and the final swallow—perhaps 30 seconds in all. No prey was hung on the barbs: all was eaten as it was caught. It seems that a ‘siesta’ is needed between each bumble bee for digestion, as it resumed its hunched position for some time after the bee was swallowed; then it would revive and start watching for another one to appear. It would allow approach to about 15 yards and then move to the next perch. Mrs Susan Beasley of the Department of Zoology, Univer- sity of Edinburgh, kindly identified the contents of the pellet as parts of four bees (Apidae), one carabid beetle, and pro- bably the remains of a parasitic insect. The bird was caught on the 5th by A. T. and E. H. L. Mac- millan and identified as an unmoulted female in very scruffy abraded plumage. Detailed notes were made of its plumage, including the white patch across the primaries. It remained in the area and was seen by M. J. Everett, R. W. J. Smith, G. and M. I. Waterston and others, being last noted by P. J. B. Slater on the 15th. This is the first record for East Lothian. ALASTAIR MACDONALD. Black-headed Bunting in Shetland On 4th June 1965 I heard from John H. Simpson that he had finally managed to see a bird which had been reported several times during the previous week in the Brough district of Whalsay. He had watched it in bright light for some time as it fed on a field of short grass, and had concluded that it was a male Black-headed Bunting. After searching the area together for over two hours on the morning of the 5th we were rewarded by the bird flying to- wards us and perching on low power cables about 30 yards from us. It remained there, fairly still, for about half a minute, before flying over the fields to another power cable and then out of sight behind some houses. The flight was undulating and reminded me of a Snow Bunting, to which it seemed similar in size, though perhaps slightly less robust. It called several times in flight—a short, slightly rising, fairly low-pitched whst, repeated at about 3-4 second intervals. 104 SHORT NOTES 4(1) At rest the most noticeable feature was the rather large, very pale leaden-blue bill, contrasting sharply with the black front and sides of the head, and with the canary-yellow belly, breast and throat, which extended right up to the bill and gave the bird, when the head was turned towards us, an al- most Peregrine-like moustached appearance. The wings and tail were brown, pale edges to the coverts showing as a double wing-bar on the closed wing, and pale outer webs of primaries and secondaries also being noticeable. No white showed in the tail but it was not clearly seen and the outer feathers could have been a little paler than the rest. The back was a richer brown than the wing and showed some streaking, but in the dull misty conditions we could not make out the more russet colour which JHS had previously noted, nor a brown- ish sheen which had showed at times on the head. The black of the crown seemed to merge into the brown of the back on the nape. The legs were pale brown, and the eye, not clearly seen, appeared to be dark. On looking at illustrations later we agreed that the bird was exactly like the male shown in the Field Guide, except that the bill was much paler and more like the Handbook illustration. People living nearby told us that the bird was rather shy, and that, when disturbed, usually flew away fairly high for a considerable distance, although once it was seen on a lawn in front of a house with some House Sparrows. We were left in no doubt that the bird was a male Black- headed Bunting. Apart from Fair Isle records this is the first to be recorded in Shetland. It is interesting to note that a male Red-headed Bunting was in the Tingwall area for approxi- mately the same period. RoBERT J. TULLOCH. (This record has been accepted by the Rarities Committee of British Birds, but the committee consider that the bird was most probably an escape, particularly as it occurred at the same time as a Red-headed Bunting—a frequent fugitive, We understand that the same combination of Black-headed and Leyes Buntings occurred about this time at Fair Isle — D.) Rustic Bunting in Outer Hebrides A Rustic Bunting was observed at Askernish House, South Uist, from 9.30 to 10.30 a.m. on 7th May 1965 by W. J. Eggeling, D, Lea, D, S. Ranwell, G. Waterston and M. I. Waterston. It 1966 SHORT NOTES 105 was first seen perched on a wire fence, the unusual head pat- tern immediately attracting attention. From the fence it flew into a patch of irises where it fed on the ground between the clumps. When flushed it flew to the garden wall and was watched by all five observers as it perched there and later in a small bush by the house. Eventually it flew off and was lost in a marshy field. The crown and cheeks were black or brown-black, the colour extending down the nape. The throat was white tinged with cream and there was a broad white stripe running back from the eye to above the nape. In certain positions this stripe appeared tinged cream or buff. A streaky warm brown chest band merged irregularly with the almost pure white underparts. The upperparts were chestnut streaked with black, the chestnut extending to the upper tail-coverts. When it was perched the raising of the crest referred to in the Field Guide was noticed by several members of the party. Flying with Reed Buntings the bird seemed noticeably shorter to DL and gave the impression of being stockier. WJE did not consider it appreciably shorter than a Reed Bunting when seen alone but noted it as slightly smaller in flight with them. GW recorded its posture at rest as not so erect as a Reed Bunting’s and thought the mantle not so boldly streaked as that of accompanying cock Reed Buntings. WJE noted the bird as more chestnut than the latter, probably because of the less obvious black back streaks, and considered the head pattern not so strikingly black and white as one would ex- pect in a cock Rustic Bunting in summer plumage. Because the white stripe behind the eye and the white throat both showed traces of cream or brown it was suggested that the bird had not completed its spring moult. When it was in the bush the bird was seen by WJE to creep through it slowly like a mouse—in the manner of a Lapland Bunting on the ground—something he has never seen a Reed Bunting do, No call note was recorded. Askernish House lies on the edge of the machair on the west coast of South Uist some four miles south of Ardvale Point. It is situated in an area of rough damp fields with Juncus, Iris and some Phragmites in the ditches. The weather on 6th May was cold with strong SE wind and low cloud, and on the morning of the 7th the wind was still SE and quite strong. This is the first occurrence of the species in the Outer Hebrides. W. J. EGGELING. 106 CURRENT NOTES 4(1) Current Notes Compiled by P. J. B. SLATER (Key to initials of observers: D. G. Andrew, J. M. S. Arnott, W. Austin, R. S. Baillie, J. Ballantyne, H. Boase (HBs), D. Boomer, H. Boyd (HBd), T. Boyd, Mrs A. Buchanan, Caithness Group per D. M. Stark (Caith Gp), Miss K. M. Calver, Dr J. W. Campbell, S. J. Clarke, F. Colman, M.- Coyne,’ H. G: ‘Cree, R. Dalrymple, (PE) Davis); {ae Dennis, D. Dewar, G. Dick, R. A. Dickson, R. C. Dickson, J. Dunbar, J. N. Dymond, W. M. M. Eddie, J. Edelsten, Dr W. J. Eggeling, M. J. Everett, R. W. Forrester, I. Gibson, P. Grubb, A. Halliday, P. B. Heppleston, D. C. Hulme, W. Hutton, E. N. Hunter, R. Job, P. Johnson, M. Jones, T. S. Kelly, Miss H. Knight, D. Lea, A. F. Leitch, J. Lister, D. G. Long, J. A. Love, A. Macdonald, D. Macdonald, D. W. R. Mac- donald, E. Macdonald, M. A. Macdonald, B. McDowall, J. MacEach- ern (JMcE), Mrs M. MacEachern, Miss J. McFarlane (JMcF), J. MacGeogh (JMcG), K. S. Macgregor, K. Mackenzie, Dr P. McMorran, R. Meekin (RMn), Prof. M. F. M. Meiklejohn, J. K. R. Melrose, D. G. Middleton, Lt. Cdr. R. H. Miller, F. M. Moore, Miss H. Morley, W. M. Morrison, Cdr. R. Muir (RMr), I. C. Munro, D. J. Norden, M. A. Ogilvie, D. W. Oliver, J. S. Oliver, C) FE. Ralmariike Ko peolicck J: Potter,.-R. M.-Ramage, A. D. K. Ramsay, C. P. Raweliite (Ge Re. G. A. Richards, R. Richardson, E..L: Roberts, ty Cdr © eeemess (CPRs), Dr M. Rusk, W. K. Russell, P. W. Sandeman, 1. H. Simpson, P. J.B: Slater,.A. J. Smith, Mrs E. M. Smith, ROW.9)Smmtheee ~T. .C. Smout, D. Stewart, N. L. Storie, J. Swan, R: LL. Swann @abare I. Taylor, Miss V. M. Thom, B. R. Thomson, R. B. Tozer, Dr B. C. Tulloch, R. J. Tulloch, G. Waterston, A. D. Watson, J. Watt, J. R. Weir, T. Weir, W. Hi. Wild) P. Co Williams, J.P. Wilsons ieee Wilson, N. Wright, J. G. Young. All dates refer to 1965.) Distribution Records from before lst September 1965 are not included in this section except where they are relevant to more recent topics. A Great Northern Diver, initially in almost full breeding plumage but later showing signs of moult, was at Earlston Loch near Dalry, Kirkcudbrightshire, from 5th to 19th Nov- ember (JKRM, JS, ADW). In recent years Red-necked Grebe records from the Forth seem to have become more numer- ous: one at least was present at Gullane, East Lothian, on 17th October (MGW), and there were two there on 23rd (MAM, RLS, CT). A Slavonian Grebe was inland at Glad- house, Midlothian, on 10th October (RWJS). There being few records of Little Grebes at Aberlady, East Lothian, it is worth recording that one was seen on the Marl Loch there on 19th September (RAD, RCD). On 11th December about 6500 Mallard were seen at Strath- beg, Aberdeenshire (JE), and 1500 were counted at the Al- 1966 CURRENT NOTES 107 mond Estuary, West Lothian, on the same day; the numbers there in autumn have increased steadily over the last few years and this is the maximum ever recorded (TCS). There are few places in Scotland where Gadwall occur regularly and the following reports are therefore of interest: a pair at Loch Ken, Kirkcudbrightshire, on 17th October (RBT); a male on a small pond at Currie, Midlothian, on 2nd Nov- ember (CPRf); a pair at Stormont Loch, Blairgowrie, Perth- shire, on 7th November (VMT); two pairs on Glenbuck reservoir, Ayrshire, on 11th November (GAR); two males at Linlithgow Loch, West Lothian, on 27th November (JAL); and four birds at Garlieston, Wigtownshire, on 9th Decem- ber (RHM). Two Pintail were seen at Doonfoot on 6th October (JND) and seven at Barassie, Ayrshire, on 8th October (GAR); two drakes and a duck were at the Almond Estuary on 11th December (TCS); there was a duck at Aberlady, East Loth- ian, on 6th November (RLS); and two drakes at Stormont Loch on 7th (VMT). Although Scaup are not infrequent in- land, single females near Port Henderson, Wester Ross, from 9th to 11th October (ENH), and at Gartmorn Dam, Clack- mannanshire, on 30th October (ICM, RMR) are worth men- tioning, being further from the usual winter concentrations of this species than other records. Another species which has shown an increase at the Almond Estuary in the last five years is the Goldeneye—116 were seen there on 11th December (TCS). Only one record of Long-tailed Duck inland has come to light: that of an adult male at Lindores Loch, Fife, between 25th October and 10th November (JW), in the ee Ree and at the same time as one was seen last year mee ZO), A male Goosander was at Glencorse Reservoir, Midlothian, on 13th November (RLS), and a female was seen at Dudding- ston Loch, Edinburgh, on 20th and 27th November and on 23rd December (PJ, AFL, RLS). There were 242 on the Beauly Firth, Inverness-shire, on 12th December (WMM, MR); substantially bigger numbers have sometimes been counted there in winter (2: 313; 3: 319). All the Smew seen recently have been ‘red-heads’, and some of these have been seen in small concentrations: Strathbeg, Aberdeen—1 on 11th Dec (JE). Endrick ae Stirling/Dunbarton—2 on 21st and 1 on 26th Nov (HGC, JND, F). Castle Seciule Loch, Renfrew—4 on 14th Nov (WHW), 2 on 12th Dec MJE). Rowbank Reservoir, Renfrew—1 on 12th Dec (MIE). Roseberry Reservoir, Midlothian—7 on 14th and 21st Nov; 3 on 26th Dec (DGA, EMS, RWJS). 108 CURRENT NOTES 4(1) The report of a Shelduck seen flying off Drummond Pond, Crieff, Perthshire, on 7th November is unusual as being so far inland (MAO per VMT). The earliest report of Grey Lag Geese is of about 25 at Aber- nethy, Perthshire, on llth September, the date suggesting that they were Scottish breeding birds (WH per JW). Other- wise the first records were of 38 going south over the Lake of Menteith, Perthshire, on 30th September (RCD), and a skein of 30 at Endrick mouth on 3rd October (IG). Although the main arrival did not occur until the first few days of November, the annual count on 7th showed an increase to 45,000 in Scotland (see 3: 262), suggesting that the winter- ing population was pretty well complete by then (per HBd). The first Greenland White-fronted Geese to arrive at Loch Ken, Kirkcudbrightshire, did so on 30th October and full numbers were present by 9th November (ADW). These dates seem to tie in with the observation of a skein of about 20 flying south at Sanna Bay, Ardnamurchan, Argyllshire, on 29th October (JMcE, MM, DS), and of 9 present on Fair Isle, Shetland, from 28th to 3lst October (RHD). Two adult Greenland birds were outwith their normal wintering areas at Tibbermore, Perthshire, on 18th December (VMT). The first Bean Geese to arrive in Kirkcudbrightshire were eight seen near Castle Douglas on 26th December (ADW, JGY), but earlier reports from elsewhere are of nine at Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, on 12th November (MFMM), and one with Pinkfeet at Endrick mouth on 5th December (DB, WMME, RMn). The earliest Pink-footed Geese seen were 25 going west at East Calder, Midlothian, on 10th September (DD). At Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire, there were 18 on 11th, 75 on 18th and 300-500 by 30th September (ELR). A skein of 31 was seen at Moonzie, near Cupar, Fife, on 13th Sep- tember (DWO). Large-scale arrivals are reported from Perthshire between 1st and 3rd October (VMT), and on the latter date there was a steady passage of skeins going south- west in Glen Lyon (TW). While the main passage seems to have been in late September and early October some birds arrived rather later: 52,000 were estimated to be present in Scotland on 17th October but this had increased to 59,000 by 7th November, according to the annual goose count. This national figure is again slightly up on that of last year (3: 262), but the most striking increase has been in Aberdeenshire, where numbers have increased steadily from just over 1,000 in 1962 to this year’s record total of over 11,500 (per HBd). Odd Snow Geese have been seen again this year: in Octo- ber there were three, thought not to be Ross’s, at Carsebreck, Perthshire, on 16th (JRW); one was at Loch Strathbeg, Aber- 1966 CURRENT NOTES 109 deenshire, on 17th (JE); and a small bird, possibly a Ross’s, was at Flander’s Moss, Stirlingshire, on 24th (JMSA, MFMM). A blue-phase Lesser Snow Goose was seen at Windyedge, Perthshire, on 8th November (VMT). Also in Perthshire, a Pale-bellied Brent Goose was seen at Methven Moss on 3rd October (VMT), and two were at Dupplin Loch on 17th (JRW). Another was seen at Tyninghame, East Lothian, on 21st November (CT), and there were five, Dark-bellied birds this time, at Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, on 14th (MFMM). Two Barnacle Geese were present at Caerlaverock on 27th September, with 13 on 29th and at least 2000 by 6th October (ELR). Some were apparently still travelling south at the end of October as skeins totalling about 500 birds were seen at Sanna Bay, Ardnamurchan, on 29th and 30th (JMcK, MM, DS). The following are records of Barnacles away from their normal wintering grounds, but excluding those of smaller parties in Perthshire which are too numerous to detail: Fair Isle—odd birds from 5th Oct to 2lst Nov, with maxima of 10 on 5th and 8 on 30th Oct (RHD). Dornoch, Sutherland—1 on 30th Oct (DM). Ythan Estuary, Aberdeen—5 on 15th Nov (MFMM). Carsebreck, Perth—13 on 24th Oct (VMT). Windyedge, Perth—19 on 8th Nov (VMT). Kinkell Bridge, Perth—7 on 27th Nov (VMT). Carnbee Reservoir, Fife—1 in last week of Nov (per DWO). Gartocharn, Dunbarton—2 with Greylag on 6th Nov (TW). Skinflats, East Stirling—7 on 9th Oct; 4 on 30th; 3 on 31st; 2 on 7th Nov (GD, JP, IT). Threipmuir, Midlothian—1 on 27th Nov (CT). The earliest Whooper Swans reported were on 26th Septem- ber when there was one at Longman Bay, Inverness (JAL, WMM), and six were seen at Gadloch, Lanarkshire (FC). Passage was noted at Fair Isle from 16th October to 20th November—the largest number seen was 39 on 28th October (RHD). On 30th October herds were seen passing Sanna Bay, Ardnamurchan—a total of 64 birds (JMcK, MM, DS). Eight adults and an immature were seen at Tyninghame, where this species is unusual, on 7th November (MFMM). Bewick’s Swans have also been reported from Tyninghame where there were two on 21st November and four on 19th December (CT). Family parties, each of two adults and three immatures, were at Strathbeg on 11th December (JE), and at Branahuie Loch, Lewis, on 15th (GAR). A further record is of one which spent half an hour at Kilconquhar Loch, Fife, on 26th Decem- ber (DWO). Single sightings of our resident birds of prey during the winter are unfortunately of little use in assessing their diminished status because of their tendency to wander ex- tensively. But it may perhaps be worth noting that more 110 CURRENT NOTES 4(1) reports of Buzzards and Sparrowhawks than usual have been received during the last quarter indicating, one hopes, an in- crease. A Rough-legged Buzzard was watched at close quarters both hovering and perching on Black Hill in the Pentlands, Midlothian, on 12th December (ADKR). An Osprey was present on Fair Isle on 3rd October (RHD), and a female Peregrine was seen being mobbed by Crows near Fife Ness on 23rd October (DWO), An interesting occurrence is that of a female Capercaillie in Inverness between 14th November and 14th December. It was seen by a number of people in various gardens in the town and it allowed a close approach before flying off. (MR). While probably not uncommon, Water Rails are seldom seen—two at Yetholm, Roxburghshire, on 27th November were the first there in the observer’s experience (RSB). On 25th December 26 Moorhens were counted at the Peffer Burn, a this being a high number for this area in winter B). The biggest number of Golden Plover for a number of years were seen in the Moorfoot area, Midlothian, during the autumn, with up to 575 being counted together (DGA, EMS, RWJS). Three flocks along 5 miles of the Ayr bypass on 2nd October totalled nearly 2800 birds (JND). Two were noted at the Figgate Pond in Edinburgh on 27th November (PJ, AFL). Jack Snipe seen in Fife have been 12 at Largo Bay on 14th November (DWO), and one at the Eden Estuary, an area for which there are few recent records, on 4th Decem- ber (DJN, DWO). The highest count at Paisley Moss, Ren- frewshire, was of six on 5th October (IG). The following are reports of Black-tailed Godwits additional to those given previously (3: 424): Montrose Basin, Angus—l on 7th Nov (JD). Kilchattan Bay, Bute—1 on 25th and 26th Nov (DGM). Largo Bay, Fife—20 on 27th Nov, probably birds moving from the Eden Estuary (DWO). Skinflats—2 on 3rd Oct (IT). Near Kilwinning, Ayr—1 on 8th Oct (GAR). A Green Sandpiper at Knowesdean Reservoir (NT 437395) on 15th and 17th September seems to be only the second recor- ded in Selkirkshire (JB). Further Wood Sandpiper records are all from the Forth area with two at Rosyth, Fife, on 19th September (HM, BRT); one at Aberlady on 2nd October (JSO); and one at Skinflats on 3rd (IT). The latest Common Sandpiper to be ep was one still at Montrose Basin on 24th October (JD). 1966 CURRENT NOTES 111 A Redshank with very dark black-brown on the wing cov- erts was found dead at Prestwick, Ayrshire, on 16th October; it had a particularly long wing (170 mm) and can therefore be safely attributed to the Iceland race (GAR). A count of 600 Redshanks on the Almond Estuary on 11th December was unprecedented for the time of year—the birds were apparently attracted by food associated with piles of sea- weed thrown onto the beech in stormy weather (TCS). A number of late autumn records of Spotted Redshanks have come to light: Montrose Basin—1 on 24th Oct (JD). Anstruther, Fife—l heard on night of 2nd Oct (MFMM). Skinflats—1 on 2nd; 2 on 3rd and 1 on 30th Oct (IT). Aberlady—1 on 16th Oct (RSB). West Barns pools, East Lothian—1 from mid Oct to 14th Nov (TB, EMS, RWJS), probably the same as 1 at Belhaven on 17th Oct (MFMM). Near Kilwinning, Ayr—1 from 8th Oct to 8th Nov (GAR). There are several more reports of Little Stints to add to the already impressive list for last autumn (3: 426): Fair Isle—1 on 2nd Oct (RHD). Montrose Basin—2 on 11th Oct (JD). Fife Ness—1 on 3rd Oct (DWO). Skinflats—4 on 3rd Oct; 1 on 30th Oct (IT). Aberlady—2 on 12th Oct (AFL, DWRM, MAM, RLS, PCW). Tyninghame—10 on 29th Sept; at least 7 on 2nd Oct; 1 on 30th Oct (TB, ADKR, EMS, RWJS). Doonfoot, "Ayr—1 on 29th Sept (GAR), and 6th Oct (JND). A first-winter male Temminck’s Stint, which was unfortun- ately subsequently shot, was present with another bird, pos- sibly of the same species, at Islesteps, Dumfries, from about 10th November to 16th. It has since been prepared as a skin (WMME, DJN, CEP). Further sightings of Curlew Sandpipers are as follows: Invergowrie Bay, Perth—1 on 14th Oct (HBs). Eden Estuary—2 with Dunlin on 2nd Oct (RJ). Skinflats—8 on 9th; 2 on 10th; and 1 on 24th Oct (IT). Tyninghame—1 on 26th Sept (TB, EMS, RWJS). Caerlaverock—1 on 3rd Oct (ELR). Although Ruff records for last autumn have proved too numerous to give in detail, it is worth noting that numbers at Caerlaverock increased steadily from three on 14th Aug- ust to hundreds by 3rd October (ELR). The first definite occurrence of a Pomarine Skua at Tyning- hame was of an immature, which allowed approach to with- in about fifty yards, on 26th September (EMS, RWJS). An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull of the Scandinavian race was seen on the Water of Leith in Leith, Midlothian, on 8th 112 CURRENT (NODES 4(1) November (CPRf). Glaucous Gulls in less usual areas have been one at Machrie Bay, Islay, on 6th October (RKP), and a first-winter bird on the Beauly Firth on 30th December (RHD). Excluding the controversial ‘white gull’ (see 3: 371), which was back on the Carrick in Glasgow by 3rd September (NLS), there are three reports of Iceland Gulls. An immature was at Gairloch, Wester Ross, on 26th September (TW); and single adults were seen at Carlingheugh Bay, Angus, on 12th December (RJ), and at Seafield, Midlothian, on llth December (MJE, ADKR). The last Little Gull to leave Kilcongquhar Loch was still there on 9th October but 20 were still in Fife at Elie Ness on 7th November (DWO). In Angus there were over 20 at Moni- fieth on 3rd October (JD); 23 adults and 28 immatures at Car- noustie on 16th October (RJ); and at least 20 birds still in the same area on 12th December (JD). A juvenile Kittiwake, which was found dead at Summerston, Glasgow, on 30th October, had strayed a good bit from the sea (WKR). A very good count of Black Terns is of 16 which were hawking flies along the edge of the sea marsh near Skin- flats on 26th September (JP, IT). An immature was found dead at Mertoun, Roxburghshire, on 4th September (AJS). The latest record of Common Tern is of two seen in flight at Seafield on 30th October (JAL). The Black Guillemot is un- usual in the Clyde: one was seen there at Hunterston, Ayr- shire, on 10th October (RD, IG, EM). There are two reports of Hoopoes, the first being seen in sand dunes west of Dornoch, Sutherland, on 3rd October (DM, NW). The other, which may possibly have been the same bird as was seen in Ayrshire the previous month (3: 428), was observed near Kirkholm, Wigtownshire, on llth October and had been’ reported as_ present fora fortnight . previous . to) this. (AB>) Biaapes ADW). A Green Woodpecker was seen and heard on several occasions between 10th and 23rd October on Tulliallan Moor, Fife, a county for which records are very few (MC, GD, JP, IT). A Wryneck, which was caught and ringed at Castletown, Caithness, on 2nd October, was no doubt part of the tail end of the fall of migrants which took place in late September and early October (3: 429) (Caith Gp). Late Swallows do not really become unusual until Novem- ber, a month for which there are several records this year: St Andrews, Fife—1 on 6th (JMcF). Ardross, near Elie, Fife—1 on 13th (DWO). Kincardine, Fife—1 on 10th (GD, JP, IT). Aberlady—1 on 6th (JAL, JSO, CPRs). Johnstone, Renfrew—1 on 27th (AB). Sandhead, Wigtown—2 on 6th (RCD). 1966 CURRENT NOTES 113 The latest House Martins to be reported were two at Elie on 31st October (DWO); one at Liberton, Edinburgh, on 1st November (MAM); and two immatures at Temple, Midloth- ian, on 7th November (JL). Two Sand Martins were still at Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, on 3rd November (PBH). A brief glimpse was had of a fine male Golden Oriole at Kildalton, Islay, on 22nd September, when it flew up from the road into a neighbouring wood (KMC, BCT). An invasion of tits which took place in Shetland in late September has already been mentioned (3: 430). One Blue Tit was still present on Whalsay on 17th December (JHS). Some idea of the scarcity of tits in Shetland can be gathered from the fact that a Coal Tit on Fair Isle on 28th October is only the second to be recorded on the island (RHD). Although one bird was seen in August and odd ones in early September, the first real arrival of Fieldfares on Fair Isle did not take place till the end of that month with 25 on 23rd increasing to 500 by 27th (RHD). Further south the earliest reported were four over Kilconquhar on 18th September (DWO). Otherwise the only birds to be reported in Septem- ber were singles and it was not until early October that good numbers were seen. On 2nd there were about 100 at Whitelaw Cleugh, Midlothian (JB); 50 at Yetholm, Roxburghshire (RSB); 5 at Bridge of Dee, Kirkcudbrightshire (RBT); and about 80 at Summerston, Glasgow (WMME, DJN). The fol- lowing day small flocks amounting to hundreds in all were passing down Glen Lyon and along Loch Tay in Perthshire (PWS, TW); there were about 70 at Lamford, Kirkcudbright- shire (JND); and some 300 were flying south near Carsphairn, Kirkcudbrightshire (JND). Although most observers agree that there were no very spectacular peaks in passage there seems to have been a strong movement in the central High- lands and south on 10th October when there were large numbers near Dunkeld, Perthshire (RJ); about 500 per hour passing the Menteith area (VMT); a movement involving some 10,000 above thick mist on Glas Maol, Angus (ADKR); and a marked passage of hundreds of birds through Gallo- way (ELR). The main arrival in the far north was not until later, with numbers in Caithness building up to at least 10,000 during the last week of October (Caith Gp), when there were large flocks everywhere in Orkney as well (PJBS). Redwing passage took place at about the same time with the same rather indistinct peaks. The first at Fair Isle were two on 4th September, with 12 on 18th increasing to 750 by 27th (RHD). The first at Braemar, Aberdeenshire, was on 24th (TCS); five were at Crinan, Argyll, on 26th (NLS); and on 28th there were three at Blairgowrie, Perthshire (JWC), and 19 at Barr, Ayrshire (GAR). There are various 114 CURRENT NOTES 4(1) _ reports for 2nd October though not involving very great numbers: on the following day about 250 flew south at Cars- | phairn (JND), the first three had arrived at Caerlaverock (ELR), and there were at least 16 at Bridge of Dee (RBT). With the Fieldfare movement at Glas Maol on 10th there were about 400 Redwing (ADKR); whereas at Menteith this species was in the majority, passing at the rate of 1000 per hour (VMT). In Edinburgh birds could be heard passing over after dark on various dates between 8th October and 4th November (TCS). Ring Ouzels lingering into October were two at Gullane Point on 2nd (JSO); and one, a female, seen at Fife Ness on 3rd and 10th (MFMM, DWO), and what was possibly the same bird seen on the coast between Anstruther and Crail, Fife, on 30th (WJE). The last Wheatears seen were one at Largoward, Fife, on 7th November (DWO), and one on Whalsay, Shetland, on 11th (JHS). : It is gratifying that wintering Stonechats are on the increase again: late records are of a pair at Tyninghame on 16th October (AM); an adult male at Blackhill Farm, Glasgow, on 24th October (WMME): and at least one at Dunnet, Caith- ness, on 14th and 21st November (Caith Gp). Also late in the year, but an uncommon visitor anyway, was a female Black Redstart seen at Village Bay, St Kilda, on 20th and 24th October and on 2nd November (PG). Excluding Fair Isle, where three were present during the first half of Octo- ber, two Bluethroats were reported. One was perched and flirting its tail briefly at the roadside near Thurso, Caithness, : on 20th October (PM). The other, a freshly dead male | White-spotted Bluethroat, well marked with a big satin white : spot, was found on the grass edge of the beach near North Berwick, East Lothian, on 2nd October. Its identity was confirmed by RHD and at the Royal Scottish Museum, where the skin is preserved. There were big falls of migrants, es- pecially in East Anglia, at this time, but the date is very unusual for this central and south European race (CT). Migrant Blackcaps, and some wintering birds, have been a female at Gladhouse on 10th October (EMS); a pair in a garden in Gullane on 20th (CPRs); a female in Thurso on 27th (Caith Gp); a male in Montrose on 7th November (JD); another at Duns, Berwickshire, on 27th and 28th (SJC); and another in a garden in Edinburgh on 21st December (per GW). There were smal] numbers at Fair Isle throughout October and one was seen there as late as 14th November (RHD). Five were at Barns Ness, East Lothian, on 2nd Octo- ber as part of a fall resulting from rough weather the pre- vious day. An immature Barred Warbler was also there on 2nd and 3rd (AM, KSM), and another was at Fair Isle on 1966 CURRENT NOTES 115 3rd and 4th (RHD). Other migrant warblers in October in- cluded a Whitethroat seen and heard at Yetholm on 10th (RSB), and there was a Lesser Whitethroat at Fife Ness the same day (DWO). Single Yellow-browed Warblers were seen at Fair Isle on 2nd, 10th and 12th October and there was a Red-breasted Flycatcher there on 9th (RHD). A Grey Wagtail was seen at the Eden Estuary on 4th Dec- ember (DJN, DWO), and a Yellow Wagtail of undetermined race was at Gullane Bay on 16th October (KM, DWO, JSO). There are more reports of Great Grey Shrikes than usual: Whalsay, Shetland—1 on 5th and 22nd Oct (JHS). Kingussie, Inverness—1 on 19th Oct (TSK). Blairgowrie, Perth—1 on 27th Oct (JWC). Balmakin, near Colinsburgh, Fife—l in roadside tree on 9th Nov (DWO). Peppermill—1 on 20th Nov (MC, JP, IT). Port Ellen, Islay—1 on 19th Oct (per HK). Newton Mearns, Renfrew—1 on 4th Nov (RWE). Browhouses, near Annan, Dumfries—1 on 12th Oct (WA). Laurieston, Kirkcudbright—1 on 12th Dec (RMr). A juvenile Red-backed Shrike was seen at Yetholm on 3rd October and there was an adult male on the mainland of East Lothian opposite Fidra on 24th (RSB). Siskin passage at Fair Isle extended from 4th September to 16th October with a peak of 31 birds present on 2nd Octo- ber (RHD). The larger flocks reported from elsewhere have been of eight birds at Earlsferry, Fife, on 31st October (DWO); 16 over Portmore Reservoir, Peeblesshire, on 7th November (ADKR); and about 60 near Aberuthven, Perthshire, on 19th December (RSB, FMM). It is surprising, but two seen at Aberlady on 4th November seem to be only the second record for the reserve (1: 508) (MJE). Flocks of Redpolls appeared in Shetland from 20th October and many of the birds lingered unusually long (RJT). A large invasion took place on Fair Isle from 20th October, and the majority of the birds involved were very pale (RHD): most were ‘Mealy’, some were ‘Coue’s’ and one was thought to be ‘Hornemann’s’; officially these last two races are considered to be a separate species—the Arctic Redpoll—and the records have to be considered by the Rarities Committee. Most of the races interbreed to some extent, forming hybrid swarms of birds with intermediate characteristics, so that exact iden- tification of races is difficult. Other reports are of eight at Griminish, Benbecula, six of which were ‘Mealy’, on 4th November (DL, GW); seven including two ‘Mealy’ at Aber- lady on 4th December (DWRM, MAM, RLS); four including one ‘Mealy’ at Bush estate, Midlothian, on 14th November (ADKR); and single pale birds at Dunbar on 17th October (MFMM), and at St Kilda on 4th November (PG). It has also been a good autumn for Bramblings with 116 CURRENT NOTES 4(1) passage at Fair Isle throughout October and to 18th Novem- ber reaching peaks of 110 on 5th and 150 on 20th October (RHD). A great many small flocks have been seen all over the country: some of the biggest have been 25 at Stirkoke, Caithness, on 19th December (Caith Gp); about 20 at Alyth, Angus, on 3lst October (RJ); good numbers with about 50 in one flock near Eddleston, Peeblesshire (MGW); large num- bers in the Duns area, Berwickshire, from 7th November onwards (DGL); and about 50 at Whittingehame, East Loth- ian, on 12th December (TCS). Reports of Lapland Buntings are of one on Fetlar on 3rd October (RJT) and of at least one heard calling at Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, on 15th November (MFMM). Further evidence of the spread of the Tree Sparrow is pro- vided by the sighting of three at Riverside, Wick, Caithness, on 21st November (Caith Gp), and three at Stormont Loch, Perthshire, on 13th October (HBs). Earlier observations—before Ist September 1965 A count of 146 Canada Geese at Charleston, North Kessock, on the Beauly Firth on 16th July (DCH), exceeds the highest previously quoted for last year (3: 423). A further summer- ing Whooper Swan has also come to light—one which was on Loch Gowan, Achnasheen, Ross, between June and Aug- ust (DCH). A Honey Buzzard has already been recorded from Orkney on 6th June (3: 423). About the same time one was at Fair Isle from 27th to 29th May (Bird Study 12: 340), and one was at Sumburgh Head in the south of Shetland on 2nd June (RR per PED), possibly the same bird. A Quail seen on St Kilda on 29th July was the second to appear there last year (see 3: 430) (MJ). What is apparently the first occurrence of the Herring Gull breeding in East Inverness-shire took place in an unusual site in Inverness last summer. On 17th May the birds were found to have built a nest on top of a disused chimney stack which they were sharing with a young rowan tree. The chicks hatched but were unfortunately blown out of the nest in bad weather on 12th July (JFW per JMcG). The surprisingly frequent assumption by textbooks that Nightjars breed throughout Scotland is completely unjus- tified—the discovery of one reeling at Ben Eighe Nature Reserve, Wester Ross, on 13th June is therefore worth re- cording (DCH). Corrections Vol. 3: 424 The Quail at Thornhill was in Perthshire, not Stirlingshire. Vol. 3: 426 The Gladhouse record listed under Curlew Sandpiper refers to a Green Sandpiper and should be transferred to p. 425. 1966 REVIEWS 117 Reviews Birds of Town and Village. Paintings by Basil Ede. Text by W. D. Campbell. London, Country Life, 1965. Pp. 156; 36 seven-colour litho plates. 126/-. The publication of a lavish bird book of this nature in these days is an event of more than ordinary interest and merits consideration. Con- cerned frankly with the popular and aesthetic side of birdwatching, the idea of picking 56 birds the majority of which can be seen almost any- where throughout Britain in the nesting season is a happy one. To com- mission specially, as we are told, 36 paintings by one artist to suit the letterpress is another matter. If it is also the purpose, and a laudable one, to make known the merits of Basil Ede as a painter of birds to a wider public, it must be said that it seems a hard way for the painter. One would have preferred to See a selection of the artist's own, picked by him, to offer the fairest target for opinion on his status as a bird painter if we are to attempt to compare his work with that of the great bird painters of the past. Comparisons may be odious but they are unavoidable. Our first im- pressions were most favourable—excellent botanical backgrounds, eye- catching rich colouring on every plate—have we here a worthy successor to Archibald Thorburn, following that master’s style? We have to say that on closer study this impression was not main- tained. The best feature of Mr Ede’s pictures is his plumage work, which is at times as good anything we have seen. But there are too often faults in the drawing. For instance on the very first plate, of the Rook and Carrion Crow, the birds are too short; in the second plate the Jackdaw somehow fails to look crow-like; and the studies with ex- tended wings of the Magpie and particularly the Jay are not very suc- cessful. In the Starling plate again the characteristic pose of the bird is lacking, and so on throughout the plates. With some of the smaller birds Mr Ede is more successful. The plates of the Goldfinches, Chaffinches and Tree and House Sparrows are very good indeed and the plate of the Skylarks is excellent. Then we come to the plate of the wagtails—the Pied completely misses the sharp perki- ness of this bird so familiar to us all as he struts about our lawns, and the female Grey Wagtail for some reason looks much bigger than the male. The titmice and warblers are very good indeed, perhaps the best pictures in the book. The Turdidae, if we except the Song Thrush and Redwing, are disappointing—the Fieldfare is not big enough, the Mistle Thrush not grey enough, the cock Blackbird not black enough and the yellow of his bill too weak. Plate 25 gives us a good picture of a Swallow and a poor one of the Swift—not in the least like this black, aggressive, a ueene. screaming pirate of a bird as it swoops among terrified House artins. And so on. Perhaps Mr Ede has tried too hard—no doubt as a result of the special commissioning. We feel sure that something more spon- taneous would show his work to better advantage. W. D. Campbell’s text is informative and very readable, although it is doubtful if his efforts to rename the spotted woodpeckers will meet with much approval. After all we still talk about the Black-headed Gull, and who would want to change that at this date? The book is excellently printed and the plates are on the whole well produced by seven-colour litho, although there are signs of difficulty 118 REVIEWS 4(1) with the greens and blues at times. At six guineas the book is unavoidably somewhat expensive and it must therefore be judged against the highest standards but all things considered it may be regarded as good value, and a worthwhile addition to the titles of well illustrated books on British birds. The future devel- opment of this gifted bird artist will be watched by many of us who feel that it would be a great misfortune if the bird artist were ever completely superseded by the colour photographer. There is plenty of scope for both in the field of bird illustration. — RITCHIE SEATH. The Woodpigeon. New Naturalist Special Volume 20. By R. K. Murton. ae Collins, 1965. Pp. 256; 17 plates (one in colour) and 22 fig- ures, 25/-. _ We have come a long way since Collinge, who graded the economic importance of birds according to the proportions of useful and useless seeds and harmful, neutral and beneficial insects they ate. Since there is no basis for comparison between the taking of, say, grain and wire- worms, the approach is of very limited value. The modern method is first to ask why the animal is a pest at all and what is the precise nature of the damage done. For example, grain found in the crop of a bird may have come from fields just sown, from feeding troughs, from standing crops, from stooks, from experimental plots, or from stubble. The economic significance of grain taken from these sources is very different. Second, the modern biologist, looking for means of controlling a pest animal, goes back to square one and learns as much as he can about the ecology, biology and physiology of the animal. By so doing he may well find an unsuspected weak link in its life history which can be exploited; and he may well expose the inadequacies of current control schemes. This book is about just this. Its twelve chapters cover pigeons in gen- eral and British pigeons in particular—food and feeding ecology, be- haviour, breeding, population dynamics, migration, diseases, the Wood- pigeon as a pest, and its control. The approach is in the best tradition of the cage of Agriculture’s field station in Surrey, where Dr Murton works. Most people expect birds to have young in the nest in spring and early summer and most do. The Woodpigeon is an exception since most young are in the nest in July, August and September, and Dr Murton relates this to the availability of grain, on which it feeds its young. The concurrence of young in the nest and grain in the fields could be coincid- ental but Dr Murton goes on to show that young in the nest in May and June do less well than those in the nest from July to September. April- hatched young, although few, do well—an exception which proves the rule, since sown grain is available in that month. The inference is that Woodpigeons depend on grain to feed their young and that there is selection against those parents which breed at the wrong time. The observational method of investigating feeding ecology was devel- oped at Oxford by P. H. T. Hartley and John Gibb in the 1940s and time and time again it has shown its great worth. Dr Murton uses this approach, supplemented by crop analyses, behavioural studies, ex- closure plots, measurements of the food available, and experimental feeding. The result is a fascinating account, with statements on such niceties as the threshold of abundance of food at which Woodpigeons give up searching and try elsewhere. Dr Murton writes that flocking enables intra-specific competition to be 1966 REVIEWS te more efficient by the operation of a dominance hierarchy in relation to food resources. But a non-flocking species could achieve the same effect by a territorial system which excluded some individuals from the neces- sities of life. Later Dr Murton dismisses homeostasis in the Woodpigeon, maintaining that the environment kills them. But the Woodpigeons are acting positively to portion out the food unequally under stress of shortage (see also Bird Study 3: 180-190 for the same in Rook and Jack- daw) and this is surely a homeostatic or negative feed-back device. By ingenious calculations Dr Murton estimates that the average Wood- pigeon does 3/- worth of damage a year and that it costs at least 1/6 to shoot each bird. National schemes for control are proved valueless, since winter shooting rarely kills as many as are going to die anyway before they can do the most serious damage. For the moment, control measures concentrate on the prevention of local damage, but experiments with cheap selective bait continue. The Woodpigeon is presumably intended for a wide and non-specialist public. If so, I think the text is often too involved with fine detail; and the citing of references, which can disfigure a page so easily, may upset those who are not used to this convention. Likewise, although the photo- graphs are excellent, the tables are too complicated, most of them trying to put across several points simultaneously. Nevertheless this is a good book and should be read by anyone inter- ested in birds as birds; in birds in relation to man-made habitat; and in pest control. J. D LOCKIE. The Bird Table Book. By Tony Soper. Illustrated by Robert Gillmor. Dawlish, David & Charles (and London, Macdonald), 1965. Pp. 140; 20 photographs (12 plates) and 49 line drawings. 21/-. ‘Bird gardening’ is by no means a neglected aspect of ornithology, and there are countless people who enjoy seeing birds in their gardens but would not lay claim to even the modest title of birdwatchers. Books deal- ing with birds and gardens are virtually non-existent, however, and up till now we have had to rely on scattered sections in more general works and a growing pile of pamphlets for information and advice. All this has changed with the publication of this book; here at last is a comprehensive manual about birds and gardens. It is no easy task to write a book on anything and combine a-conver- sational style with a concise account of the subject—but Tony Soper has done just that. Chapter by chapter he tells us how we can attract birds to our gardens (and encourage those that already come), what natural foods we can make use of and how we can supplement them, and how We Can improve natural nesting sites and add to them by supplying nest boxes. All sorts of problems and queries arise with feeding birds, -and with erecting bird tables and nest boxes—and all the answers are here in this book, In addition, useful advice is given on the problems of preda- tors and poisons. There is a growing interest in garden visitors other than birds, and the author provides for this to some extent in a chapter dealing briefly with various insects and toads and, in greater detail, with hedgehogs. The latter half of the book is devoted to notes on most of the species which can be expected to occur in British gardens, and to a comprehensive series of appendices dealing with ‘recipes,’ ‘bird furniture,’ birds which will use feeding stations and nest boxes, life-spans of the commoner 120 REVIEWS 4(1) species, treatment of casualties, organisations connected with birdlife, birds and the law, and necouaes of bird song. There is also an extensive biblio- graphy. There can be no doubt that this book is made all the more woLtinatife by its numerous illustrations. The series of photographs is first class, even if that opposite page 70 seems to be a Spotted and not a Pied Flycatcher. As a change from the more normal garden species, there is even a photo- graph of a Myrtle Warbler opposite page 106. Robert Gillmor has sur- passed himself in illustrating this book; his line drawings—whether por- traits, diagrams or cartoons—are all in that refreshingly simple style which we have come to know so well and admire so much, adding a final touch to what must already be an irresistible book. M. J. EVERETT. The Young Specialist Looks at Birds. Young Specialist series No. 3. By Heinrich Frieling. Translated and adapted by Winwood Reade. Lon- don, Burke, 1965. First published as Was fliegt denn da?, Stuttgart 1959, Pp. 127: 40 plates (31 in colour), line drawings. Limp covers 7/6; boards 12/6. This book has a few virtues. It is cheap, contains several hundred pic- tures, and gives a brief bird-spotter’s note. on. 396 ‘species, described as being all the birds a beginner is likely to see in Britain or in central Europe. Unfortunately it cannot be recommended. The standard of illustration is often low: I will buy anyone a pint at the next Dunblane gathering who can identify those 12 seventeenth century warblers facing page 48. Even when the standard of drawing is fairly high, as in plate I of the hawks, it is marred by curious eccentricities.such as giving each of. the falcons fan-shaped white outer tail feathers that completely falsify the true sil- houettes. There is no indication of scale in the drawings: you have to read the text on page 76 to realise that the Little Grebe. is smaller, and not larger, than the divers; the Azure Tit is twice as large as the Subalpine Warbler on plate VII but no hint that this is wrong is offered. Plate IV illustrates a Surf Scoter and calls it a Velvet Scoter. There is no picture or note of the Thrush Nightingale, a common breeding bird in east central Europe, though both the’ Sooty Tern and the Terék Sand- piper reach the notes. Nor is the text always much better than the illustrations. The Marsh Warbler is said to sing in March (p. 32), the Firecrest to be a “resident and partial migrant” in Great Britain (p. 46). The indications of size are often ludicrous—pity the poor beginner who examines a flock of ducks bearing in mind that the Tufted and Long-tailed are “about same size as Mallard” but the Red-breasted Merganser is. “smaller than.-Mallard”! If instead he turns his attention to the waders he will. have to work - this out: the Knot is “about same size as thrush,” the Dunlin is “about same size as Starling,” the Sanderling is “about same size as lark,” - but the Purple Sandpiper is “smaller than thrush, larger than Dunlin.” There are already several fine books for young beginners in birdwatch- ing. Some are calculated to arouse interest by their attractive presentation: others are meant to help field work by their accurate information. This is neither sufficiently attractive nor sufficiently accurate to count on either ScOTe, } ; T. C. SMOUT. 1966 REVIEWS ! 121 The Birds of the Isle of Lewis : 1963-1965. By Norman Elkins, 34 Kings- land Road, Alton, Hampshire, Unpublished duplicated typescript. Pp. (1) + 14. A brief introduction is followed by a valuable personal checklist giving details of 140 species and based on two and a half years working from Stornoway. Copies have been placed in the library at 21 Regent Terrace. FS eB Letter SIR, : Notes on the birds of Berneray, Mingulay and Pabbay Having been stationed at the lighthouse on Berneray in 1956 and 1957 I was very interested in the paper by Diamond, Douthwaite and Indge (3: 397). A few notes on some of the changes on Berneray may be of interest: Eider Four nests found in 1956 and three in 1957. Oystercatcher Thirteen pairs in 1957, against 20 in 1964. Snipe Two pairs in 1957, against one in 1964. Arctic Tern Two pairs bred unsuccessfully in 1957, so the successful return of nine pairs in 1964 is interesting. Rock Dove Only two nests were ever found by me. House Martin A pair bred in 1956, but not in 1957, in the old broch near the lighthouse. paeeed Crow Bred in both years in gully at southwest corner of island. Starling Ten pairs were present in 1957, against two in 1964. K. G. WALKER. Request for Information Sand Martin colonies. For six years the B.T.O. has been running a ringing enquiry on this species. Many thousands are ringed in England each autumn on passage and at roosts, and a number of these have been caught in Scotland in sub- sequent summers. Few ringers have worked the area between the Central Lowlands of Scotland and the Caledonian Canal. Chris Mead, 4 Beaconsfield Road, Tring, Hertfordshire, would therefore be very pleased to hear of any colonies of more than ten pairs recorded in the 1960s in this area, where he hopes to spend three weeks catching Sand Martins in June. He already has details of the colonies reported to Bob Dow- sett last year. 122 THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 4(1) The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club SUMMER EXCURSIONS Important Notes ‘1. Members may attend excursions of any Branch in addition to those arranged by the Branch they attend regularly. 2. Where transport is by private cars please inform the organisers if you can bring a car and how many spare seats are available. All petrol expenses will be shared. 3. Please inform the organiser in good time if you are prevented from attending an excursion where special hire of boats or buses is involved. Failure to turn up may mean you are asked to pay for the place to avoid additional expense for the rest of the party. 4. Please bring picnic meals as indicated (in brackets) below. ABERDEEN - For all excursions, please notify Miss F. Greig, 9 Ashgrove Road, Aber- deen (Tel. 40241, Ext. 342, 9 am.-5 p.m.), one week in advance. Thursday 21st April. NIGG BAY. Meet Nigg bus terminus 5.45 p.m. Sunday 15th May. BLACKHALL FOREST (subject to permission). Meet Blackhall main gate 10.30 am. (lunch and tea). Sunday 12th June. DINNET LOCHS (lunch and tea). Sunday 26th June. FOWLSHEUGH. Meet Crawton 11 a.m. (lunch). Sunday 4th September. YTHAN ESTUARY AND LOCHS. Meet Culterty 10.30 a.m. (lunch). Sunday 30th October. LOCH STRATHBEG. Leader: J. Edelsten (lunch). AYR Saturday 23rd April. CULZEAN CASTLE, MAYBOLE (by kind permis- sion of the National Trust for Scotland). Leader: Dr M. E. Castle. Meet yenvenen Square, Ayr, 2 p.m. or car park, Culzean Castle, 2.30 p.m. tea). Saturday 7th May. DRUMLANRIG CASTLE, THORNHILL, DUMFRIES (by kind permission of the Duke of Buccleuch). Leader: J. F. Young. Meet Wellington Square, Ayr, 1 p.m. or entrance to Queens Drive (near main road), Drumlanrig Castle, 2:30 p.m. (tea). | Saturday 18th June. BALLANTRAE AND NEW GALLOWAY. Leader: R. M. Ramage. Meet Wellington Square, Ayr, 10 a.m. (lunch and tea). Saturday 30th July. MEIKLE ROSS, SOLWAY COAST, KIRKCUD- BRIGHTSHIRE. Leader to be arranged. Meet Wellington Square, Ayr, 9 a.m. (lunch and tea). . Saturday 27th August. FAIRLIE FLATS. Leader: S. L. Hunter. Meet Wellington Square, Ayr, 10.30 a.m. or on road immediately in front of Hunterston Nuclear Power Station 11.30 a.m. (lunch). Saturday 17th September. ABERLADY BAY NATURE RESERVE. - Leader: G. A. Richards. Meet Wellington Square, Ayr, 9 a.m. or Timber Bridge, Aberlady Bay, 11.30 a.m. (lunch and tea). DUMFRIES Sunday, 15th May. KINMOUNT and WOODCOCKAIR, ANNAN (by kind permission of the Trustees of the late Mr C. Brook). beads Ea: Smith, Meet Ewart Library, Dumfries, 1.30 p.m. 1966 THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS?: CLUB 123 Sunday 12th June. ST BEES HEAD. Leader: Ralph Stokoe. Meet Ewart Library, Dumfries, 9.30 a.m. (lunch and tea). Sunday 10th July. BALCARRY CLIFFS. Leaders: John Young iit A. D. Watson. Meet Ewart Library, Dumfries, 1.30 p.m. Sunday 4th September. CAERLAVEROCK NATURE RESERVE (by kind permission of the Nature Conservancy). Meet Eastpark Farm, Caer- laverock, 2, pn. DUNDEE Members who wish to participate should meet promptly at 9 am: at City Square, Dundee, after previously informing the Secretary, J. E. Forrest, 5 Glamis Place, Dundee (Tel. 66664), in order that ES Ma, a be arranged. Sunday 3rd April. THE HERMITAGE, DUNKELD, and beyond. Sunday Ist May. ST CYRUS. Weekend 13th-16th May. WHITEBRIDGE, INVERNESS-SHIRE. Pro visional booking has been made at Whitebridge Hotel for party of 10. Members should book direct with the hotel, notifying the Manager that they are attending the Branch excursion. Transport to be ee Sunday in June. BASS ROCK (date to be notified later). Sunday in July. DOTTEREL HUNT (date to be notified later). Sunday 21st August. MONTROSE BASIN and SCURDYNESS. Sunday 18th September. FIFE NESS and KILCONQUHAR LOCH. EDINBURGH Saturday 7th May. ABERLADY BAY NATURE RESERVE. Leaders: K. S. Macgregor, W. K. Birrell and C. N. L. Cowper. Meet Timber Bridge 2.30 p.m. (tea). Saturday 21st May. PENICUIK HOUSE GROUNDS (subject to permis- sion of Sir John D. Clerk, Bart.) Leader: Tom Delaney. Meet Beneutls Post Office 2.30 p.m. (tea). Sunday 5th June. THE HIRSEL, COLDSTREAM (by kind permission of Sir Alec Douglas Home). Leader at Hirsel: Major The Hon. Henry Douglas Home. Excursion by private cars. Applications by 28th May to J. A. Stewart, 109 Greenbank Crescent, Edinburgh 10 (Tel. MORningside 4210), stating number of seats available. Cars leave Edinburgh from square behind National Gallery 10.30 a.m. for Hirsel at 12 noon (lunch and tea). Saturday 11th June. ISLE OF MAY (numbers limited to 12). Private cars. Applications by 4th June to Alastair Macdonald, Hadley Court, Hadding- ton (Tel. 3204), stating number of seats required or available. ‘Party meets and sails from West Pier, Anstruther, 11 a.m. prompt. ae of boat about 12s 6d (lunch and tea). Saturday 12th June. ISLE OF MAY. Arrangements as for llth Jutte: Saturday 2nd July. BASS ROCK (by kind permission of Sir Hew Hamil- ton Dalrymple). Leader: I. V. Balfour Paul. Applications by 25th June to Miss Olive Thompson, Bruntsfield Hospital, Edinburgh. Boat leaves North Berwick Harbour 2.30 p.m. returning about 7 p.m. Tickets (ap- prox. 10s) must be purchased at Harbour Office (tea). If weather is un- suitable for landing an alternative excursion from North Berwick will be arranged. Saturday 17th September. ABERLADY BAY NATURE RESERVE. Ar- rangements as for 7th May. GLASGOW Saturday 26th March. BARR MEADOWS. Leader: R. G. Caley Meet at Lochwinnoch Station Yard 2.30 p.m. 124 THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 4(1) Sunday 5th June. LITTLE CUMBRAE (by kind permission of Little Cum- brae Estate Limited). Leader: D. J. Norden. Applications by 21st May to G. L. A. Patrick, 11 Knollpark Drive, Clarkston, Glasgow. Boat leaves Fairlie 12 noon (lunch and tea). “The permission to visit Little Cumbrae is granted on condition that the Company does not warrant the safety of the premises and is under no obligation to protect you from injury or damage by reason of the state of the premises. By entering the said premises you will be deemed to have accepted these conditions.” Members participating in this excursion will be expected to sign an acknowledgment that they have read and agree to the said conditions. Saturday llth June. LOCH LOMOND NATURE RESERVE (by kind permission of the Nature Conservancy). Leader: T. D. H. Merrie. Meet Gartocharn Post Office 2 p.m. (téa). Wednesday 15th June. HORSE ISLAND (by-kind permission of the R.S.P.B.). Leader: D. J. Norden. Applications by 2lst May to G. L. A. Patrick (address above). Boat leaves Ardrossan Harbour 6.30 p.m. Fare approx 5s. Saturday 25th June. HORSE ISLAND (by kind permission of the R.S.P.B.). Leader: R. G. Caldow. Applications by 4th June to G. L. A. Patrick (address above). Boat leaves Ardrossan Harbour 2.30 p.m. Fare approx. 5s (tea). INVERNESS Private car transport and picnic flasks for all excursions. Applications to the Outings Secretary, Melvin Morrison, 83 Dochfour Drive, Inverness (Tel. 32666). . Saturday 7th May. MUNLOCHY BAY HERONRY. Meet Ness Bank Church, Riverside, Inverness, 2 p.m. or North Kessock 2.45 p.m. Sunday 15th May. LOCH-AN-EILEAN, ROTHIEMURCHUS. Leader: Hon. Douglas N. Weir (organiser Speyside Predator Survey). Meet Station Square, Inverness, 10.30 a.m. prompt. Sunday 5th June. CULTERTY FIELD STATION, NEWBURGH. Meet Station Square, Inverness, 9.30 a.m. prompt. Saturday 25th June. BUNCHREW WOODS and BEAULY FIRTH (Can- ada Geese). Meet at Ness Bank Church 2 p.m. ST ANDREWS Applications, not later than one week before each excursion, to Miss M. M. Spires, 2 Howard Place, St Andrews (Tel. 852). Saturday 21st May. KILCONQUHAR LOCH (by kind permission of Nairn Estates). Meet North Lodge 2.30 p.m. (tea). Saturday 28th May. DUNBOG and LINDORES. Cars leave St Andrews Bus Station 2 p.m. (tea). Sunday 12th June. ST SERF’S ISLAND (subject to permission of Kin- ns Estates). Boats leave the Sluices, Scotlandwell, 11 a.m. (lunch and tea). Saturday, 18th June. TENTSMUIR. Cars leave Bus Station 2 p.m. (tea). GLASGOW BRANCH ANNUAL DINNER The Glasgow Branch Annual Dinner will be held in the Grosvenor Restaurant, Gordon Street, Glasgow C.1, on Thursday 28th April at 7.30 for 8 p.m. Tickets, 27s 6d, on sale from the Secretary, Glascow: Breuer KR SUTHERLAND ARMS HOTEL GOLSPIE SUTHERLAND SCOTLAND Telephone: Golspie 216 Situated on the main North - Road near the sea, Golspie offers invigorating open air holidays to all. In addition to its unique golf course, it has fine loch fishings, sea bathing, tennis, bowls, hill climbing, unrival- led scenery. including inex- haustible subjects for the field sketcher and artist and is an ornithologist’s paradise. It is, indeed, impossible to find elsewhere so many nat- ._ ural amenities in so small a compass. The B.T.O. Regional Repre- ' sentative, who lives in the village, will be pleased to offer - local advice regarding the as- _ tonishing diversity of bird life | in the vicinity and to receive _ lists of birds from visitors. The Hotel is fully modern, but retains its old world charm of other days, and en- joys a wide renown for its comfort and fine cuisine. including birdwatching, will Fully descriptive brochures, gladly be forwarded on re- quest. Proprietor, Mrs F. HEXLEY Central Heating A.A. R.A.C, GARAGE AND LOCK-UPS AVAILABLE R.S.A.C. eles bird “watching holiday in ORKNEY & SHETLAND from LEITH & ABERDEEN Study, at close hand, an extraor- dinary variety of birds which never come south. Unforgettable scenery. Modern ships. Good food. Comfort- able hotels. Glorious holidays. Send for FREE 48-page book for all details to: , NORTH OF SCOTLAND, ORKNEY & SHETLAND SHIPPING CO LTD =. Dept. 14, Matthews’ Quay, Aberdeen. Fair Isle Fair Isle Bird Observatory wel- comes bird watchers (beginners or experts) and island lovers. Fair Isle offers large and _ accessible seabird colonies, unique variety and numbers of bird migrants, and magnificent cliff scenery. Prospectus from ROY H. DENNIS Bird Observatory FAIR Ise SHETLAND Telephone 8 EITHER WAY YOU NEED A ‘wer BINOCULAR — AUDUBON - FOR A CLOSE LOOK Field of view 445 feet at 1000 yards. Focus down to 12 feet. Designed to the suggested specifications of an internationally known group of or- nithologists, this is one of the finest nature-study binoculars available. The ‘AUDUBON’ has all the unique features of the Swirt ‘BCE’ range. * Straw-coloured ‘Ve-coated’ lenses for ‘white image.’ * Retractable eyecups for spectacle wearers. * Long cylindrical focus wheel. * Tripod adaptor built into the base of the centre spindle. * Top quality hide Ve-slot case. Cat. 6244B. Retail price including P.T. and case £36 Y PANORAMIC - FOR A WIDE VIEW ee not specifically designed for bird-watching, the fantastically wide field of view (578 ft. in 1000 yds.) together with its “shape and weight, make this the glass for the smaller hand. It embodies all the special features of the Audubon, except the short-focus. Cat. 6044B, Price including finest quality cowhide case and P.T. £34, 10/- Bae come wee cere tee eeer eee eter sees eee ee esEEsSS SEES ES SEESDEDSSESEEESE: SESEEESOEEE~SEESEDEFESELEESEOE ES Please send me leaflet giving details of the full range of SWIFT binoculars. INV AIVEED io iaie ole ela a olere ate ale"d's oiee =vi0\chele olap lotelaleleleteletete= Ce es PYSER BRITEX (SWIFT) LTD. Fircroft Way, Edenbridge, Kent Edenbridge 2434 (STD OSE 271) SB1035 @)PYSER-BRITEX'S""LTD SOLE IMPORTERS OF SWIFT INSTRUMENTS FIRCROFT WAY, EDENBRIDGE, KENT. Edenbridge 2454 (STD Code OSE 271) Pr ienesiene asgaaeeess s 55552. AY it (ea ie SATA Sa : NEN oS ——— oS — * \ SS —_— earn SES a) Ko SS eras = es es oi \\ —- =) (Wey SSS SC) EEX RX —_——_——_ Vt PONE \\ N — aN aN NAGE Games oy — [—= i NUH Liam UCOCONOT cee . Sk SNS LANNE Tel. WAVerley 6042 Se THE ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7 to ‘protect and conserve Oat e = It's a big job! Faced with the enormous task of satisfying the appetite of baby Cuckoos which can be three times larger than themselves, Meadow Pipits and many other small birds go about it bravely, and indeed make an excellent job of it. An even greater task is the one cheerfully undertaken by Haith’s who, it is estimated, feed more than a million birds each day. We can offer an unrivalled range of foods and seeds to satisfy the requirements of birds of all species, and to please even the most demanding of ornithologists. Just a few of our products are listed here, but a comprehensive list will gladly be sent on request. WILD BIRD FOOD (contains only cultivated seeds—no wild seed used) 33 lb 6/-, 7 lb 8/6, 14 lb 14/-, 28 lb 19/6, 56 lb 34/-, cwt 65/- FOOD FOR TIT FAMILY 33 lb 8/-, 7 lb 12/6, 14 lb 22/6, 28 lb 35/9, 56 lb 67/-, cwt 130/- SONGSTER FOOD for Blackbirds, etc., 34 lb 6/9, 7 lb 9/9, 14 lb 17/-, 28 lb 25/6, 56 lb 46/-, cwt 88/- SUNFLOWER SEEDS (mixed) 33 lb 7/3, 7 lb 11/-, 14 lb 19/9, 28 lb 31/6, 56 lb 57/-, cwt 110/- MONKEY NUTS IN SHELL (for bird feeding) 33 Ib 9/-, 7 lb 14/9, 14 lb 26/-, 28 lb 42/9, 56 lb 82/-, cwt 160/- PEANUT KERNELS (for bird feeding) 33 lb 8/-, 7 lb 12/6, 14 lb 22/6, 28 lb 35/9, 56 lb 67/-, cwt 130/- WALNUT KERNELS BROKEN (for bird feeding) 33 lb 7/3, 7 lb 10/9, 14 lb 17/6, 28 lb 27/9, 54 lb cases 47/- ALL POST OR CARRIAGF PAID JOHN E. HAITH LTD. Dept. S.B., PARK STREET, CLEETHORPES The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club Tie Illustrated is the official Club Tie, of which R. W. Forsyth’s are the sole suppliers. The ‘Terylene’ tie is in blue, green or maroon, with the bird motif in silver. Forsyth’s also provide warm clothing for bird watchers: gloves. scarves, underwear, shoes, caps, weatherproof trousers, jerkins, raincoats and overcoats. FAIR ISLE and its birds Kei Ne lone Wel Lab rt AVES OUN The position of Fair Isle, starkly isolated between the North sea and the Atlantic ocean, makes it a focal point for migrating birds. Kenneth Williamson, the first director of the Fair Isle Observatory, writes this account of the eight years he spent there, during which time the station became internationally famous for its contributions to ornithological knowledge. This book is largely concerned with the author’s researches into bird migration which formed the main part of his work on the island. A valuable feature of the book is the check list of the birds of Fair Isle contributed by Peter Davies. 30s ne aa ETAL BCT TE) Me TT GN TENS HONE I ©) Ty We Uh I S18} ONG 1D) A SELECTION OF BINOCULARS AND TELESCOPES SPECIALLY RECOMMENDED BY MR FRANK The new LEITZ TRINOVID is indisputably the bino- cular of the century. It is of revolutionary design and performance, and the 10 x 40 model, which we par- ticularly like, is extremely light and wonderfully compact. Price with soft leather case is £81.14.2. Illustrated descriptive leaflet on request or, better still, try them without obligation. A SPECIALIST BINOCULAR FOR THE BIRD WATCH- ER. The Swift ‘AUDUBON’ 8.5 x 44 designed to the specification of the world-renowned Audubon Society | of America. Unusually wide field of 445 ft. at 1000 yards. Extra close focusing of down to 12 ft. enables | feeding activities etc., to be-watched as from 18”. Included amongst other features are retractable eye- cups for spectacle users, built-in Adaptor to suit any camera tripod. This outstanding binocular has easy positive focusing by cylindrical control, weighs 358.4 oz. and the height closed is 6?’’. Price with fine leather case, £356. SWIFT BINOCULARS. Good quality instruments which embrace many interesting features including retractable eyecups for spectacle wearers, tripod bush etc. Re- commended models are: 8 x 50 Apollo £16.18.6 YT SH “Wrenyon £18. 0.0 8 x 40 Saratoga £19.19.0 10 x 50 Newport £25. 0.0 7-12 x 40 Zoom £50.10.0 Any imstrument willingly sent on approval NIPOLE binoculars from Japan are made to our specification and are J} imported exclusively by us. Perfor- Seg ots eee mance is excellent and we have suf- | ficient faith in them to guarantee them for five years. The 10 x 50 costs £15 10s Od and the 8 x SO £10 19s 6d (both with case). In EX-GOVERNMENT binoculars, the following deserve special mention: 7 x 50 CANADIAN NAVAL (made under licence to Bausch & Lomb). Ideal for wild-fowling. Probable cost tolay about £60. Price £24. 7 x 42 BARR & STROUD. The most desirable of the Barr & Stroud Naval glasses and more compact than the older 7 x 50 model. Cost about £50. Pim@ea Beil, “ILLU USTRATED tabdeees PHI A pi ce 4 General purpose 6 x 30 binoculars Hy P Vit LES Lai s with waterproof web case. £7. 15 O to £10. 15. O. according to condi- 67-75 Saltr narket clad Gi Ba . Phone: BELL 2106/7 Est. "907 | We have a host of portable telescopes Dat the eae es is WORE DY, of special mention. is fine portable pi i eC atest st cea of New, vee an siglo eal instrument closes down i alte & Power can be smoothly zoomed from 15x to 60x. Bushed for camera tri- Ode OCR On OE V/ WALTER THOMSON) |\pare®. SELKIRK 7] The Journal of The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club -_ ~ ~& Vols ZUNG. F Summer 1966 Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise Issue Pe Veo Sehiaiot Get NiGes )®Jegenhardt The world’s finest binoculars for ornithologists. The tield of view, 130 yards at 1000, has never been equalled in a10x 50 binocular. Send for the 1966 Zeiss binocular catalogue giving full details of all models including several for — spectacle wearers. Degenhardt & Co Ltd Carl Zeiss House 20/22 Mortimer St London W 1 Museum 8050 (15 lines) zB 220 CHOOSING A BINOCULAR OR A TELESCOPE EXPERT ADVICE From a Large Selection New and Secondhand G. HUTCHISON & SONS Phone CAL. 5579 OPTICIANS - - 18 FORREST ROAD, EDINBURGH Open till 5.30 p.m. Saturdays : Early closing Tuesday Highland & Overseas Field Holidays Bird-watching and general Natural History holidays and expeditions in Scotland and on the Continent. 1966 programme includes Scandinavia, Iceland, Por- tugal, Austria and France. Small-scale Field Centre facilities for groups and in- dividuals at Pitmain Beag. For full details, write to: COLIN MURDOCH, Pitmain Beag, KINGUSSIE, Inverness-shire Tel. Kingussie 300. BIRDS IN COLOUR Send for our list covering our incomparable collection of British, European and African birds — many fine studies and close-ups. Sets of 100 for hire, BINOCULARS Try the Swift “Audubon” bird watcher’s binoculars — made for the job. Other binoculars by the world’s leading makers. W. Cowen - Keswick dinner is served! Haiths have not yet in operation a department for the production of nice juicy worms but we are able to satisfy almost every other requirement of birds of all species. Our range of foods and seeds will please the most demanding of ornithologists. _ Just a few of our products are mentioned here. A more comprehensive list will gladly be sent on request. WILD BIRD FOOD (contains only cultivated seeds—no wild seed used) 32 lb 6/-, 7 lb 8/6, 14 lb 13/9, 28 Ib 19/6, 56 Ib 34/-, cwt 65/- FOOD FOR TIT FAMILY 33 lb 8/-, 7 lb 12/6, 14 Ib 22/-, 28 lb 35/9, 56 lb 67/-, cwt 130/- SONGSTER FOOD for blackbirds, etc., 33 lb 6/9, 7 lb 9/9, 14 Ib 16/6 28 Ib 25/6, 56 lb 46/-, cwt 88/- SUNFLOWER SEEDS (mixed) 33 lb 7/3, 7 Ib 11/-, 14 Ib 19/9, 28 Ib 31/6, 56 lb 57/-, cwt 110/- MONKEY NUTS IN SHELL (for bird feeding) 32 lb 9/3, 7 Ib 15/-, 14 Ib 27/-, 28 lb 42/9, 56 Ib 82/-, cwt 160/- PEANUT KERNELS (for bird feeding) 32 Ib 8/-, 7 lb 12/6, 14 Ib 22/6, 28 Ib 35/9, 56 Ib 67/-, cwt 130/- All Post or Carriage Paid JOHN E. HAITH LTD. Dept. S.B., Park Street, Cleethorpes Scottish Birds THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Contents of Volume 4, Number 2, Summer 1966 Page Editorial hese Me se ra se ft ie 1 BA 125 Ornithology in Scotland. A ee review. “a” Ian D. Pennie Se eds te se 126 The Scottish bird observatories. By W. J. Eggeling at Ja3 142 Bird ringing in Scotland. By A. Landsborough Thomson _... ah 151 Scottish bird photographers. By C: K. Mylne (plates 13-24) ae 158 Hill birds of the Cairngorms. By Adam Watson ... ies AY 179 The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club ... AS ie Lc ae e, 204 Edited by Andrew T. Macmillan, 12 Abinger Gardens, Edinburgh 12. Assisted by D. G. Andrew, T. C. Smout and P. J. B. Slater. Business Editor T. C. Smout, 93 Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh 9. G t Surpl Cees of coun overnmen urp US Corner of course ! 1,001 Genuine Bargains Interest Everyone — Innumerable Walk-round Bargains on Two Floors, Greatest Variety, Keenest Prices. We specialise in Ex-Govt. Clothing, Camping and General Equipment. Huge Stock. We have innumerable items of particular interest to Naturalists. This will save you money! Protective and Outdoor Clothing, Boots, Wind- proof/Waterproof Clothing, Rubber Dinghies, Yacht Tenders, Cut Price Binoculars, Haversacks, etc. Our latest 50-page Catalogue with 1,001 genuine bargains and details of latest Government releases acquired by us now available, 1/- post free Quality — Service — Value LAURENCE CORNER 62-64 Hampstead Road, London, N.W.1. (2 mins., Warren Street, Euston) FOR SALE—“Scottish Birds” Vols. 1 and 2, complete and in mint condition. Offers to E. L. Roberts, Caerlaverock, Dumfries. ST COTA So J//—- UN eS Wa : WY. AE \\ Sax Sans = Se Se SN SEN a SSS BAS \ ees HOO esx WN ee Ba mW~amdm NY UY Ha. gaat so 0'e ares: WM UV "bp & -_ aoa hee et oc wy us se oO ans v VY g 5 aN -f QO > EUs e Go ig (| P'S ON fof) Pa lobe Fee Ay — ( common. ba) to ‘protect THE ROYAL, SOCIETY FOR. THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7 3 and conserve Tel. WAVerley 6042 Scottish Birds § ¢ THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 4 No. 2 Summer 1966 Edited by A. T. MacMILLAN with the assistance of D. G. ANDREw, T. C. SmoutT and P. J. B. SLATER. Business Editor, T. C. SmMourt. Cover Design (Whimbrel) by LEN FULLERTON. Editorial Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise Issue Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise. It is our hope that everyone will enjoy this unique tour of Scotland’s spectacular bird- islands; and especially that those who have come from abroad for the International Ornithological Congress and the Inter- national Conference on Bird Preservation will take home pleasant memories of their visit to Scotland. The S.O.C. is honoured to be their host. Five distinguished Scottish ornithologists have prepared a series of papers for this issue of Scottish Birds, We hope it will paint an interesting picture of the Scottish ornithological scene for native and visitor alike. The usual shorter features— Short Notes, Current Notes, Obituary, Reviews, and Letters —have been held over to allow us to publish these papers in full so that anyone who does not at once take out a subscrip- tion may still read them to the end. Scottish Ornithologists’ Club Endowment Fund. As recorded on another page, the club already holds funds in trust from which the income may be used for the advancement of ornithology in Scotland or elsewhere. An endowment fund is now being created so that those who want to make gifts or legacies for such purposes may be quite certain that their money will be used in the way they intend. Full details of this important venture may be had from the Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7. The fund will welcome support and will seek to use its resources for projects that are likely to produce worthwhile results— for example, to give help to the Scottish bird observatories and others with the purchase of equipment needed for their studies, to assist with the costs of printing and illustrating valuable papers, to finance substantial enquiries and useful expeditions, and generally to provide the necessary money wherever it may be most usefully employed for the advance- ment of ornithology, particularly in Scotland. 126 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 4(2) Ornithology in Scotland A historical review IAN D. PENNIE The ornithological history of Scotland may be said to begin with the Gannet, for in the Codex of the Cistercian Abbey of Cupar, written about the year 1447 by Walter Bower, Abbot of Inchcolm, there is a brief reference to “Insula de Bass, ubi solendae nidificant in magna copia.” John Major or Mair (1470-1550) has a detailed description of the Bass Rock and its Gannets in his Historiae Majoris Brittanniae (1521), but his interest is only in the Gannet as an article of food, a source of fat and a means of providing fish, which were taken from the nests by the inhabitants of the island. Major was a native of North Berwick and was educated at Haddington, Cambridge and Paris before returning to Glas- gow University as Principal Regent, so it may well be that his description of the Bass derives from his own observation. Hector Boece (c.1465-c.1536), a native of Angus, was a contemporary of Major in Paris, where he was studying philosophy when he received a call from Bishop Elphin- stone to return to Scotland and become the first Principal of the University and King’s College of Aberdeen. Boece’s magnum opus was his Scoticorum Historiae (1527) in which he gives a description of the Bass Rock, evidently taken from Major, but mentioning also the Gannets of Ailsa Craig, and in addition appends a list of Scottish birds—Falcon, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, ‘“Waterfoulls,” Capercaillie, Red Grouse, Black Grouse and Great Bustard. The last he describes in some detail, and this is the sole authority for the much quoted record of breeding in Berwickshire. With Major and Boece it can be fairly said that Scottish history began, but the true dawn of the study of natural history was not discernible before the lapse of many more years, and no mere bird was worthy of notice unless it could be of use in falconry or for human food or medicine: even in the colleges Aristotle remained the prime authority, without reference to the living subject or dead specimen. This persisted throughout the sixteenth century: Dean Monro’s celebrated catalogue of the Scottish islands (1549)— which includes Man and Rathlin—contains practically no reference to birds other than falcons and Gannets, as if emphasising their economic importance, but perhaps also reflecting the comparative ease of sea travel at this period compared with the utter impossibility of communication by 1966 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 127 land in a wild and sparsely populated country. The accuracy of his records of Gannets on Rhum and Eigg has never been confirmed, but he gives the oldest known account of the harvesting of Gannets on Sula Sgeir, a practice which en- dures to this day: “This ile is fuli of wylde foulis, and quhen foulis hes ther birdes, men out of the parochin of Nesse in Lewis use to sail ther, and to stay ther seven or aught dayes, and to fetch hame with them their boitt full of dray wild foulis, with wyld foulis fedders.” On Sula Sgeir also he excels himself with his lovely descrip- tion of the colk (Eider), to the regret of all his readers that he did not pay similar attention to other species: “In this ile ther haunts ane kynd of foule callit the colk, little less nor a guise, quha comes in the ver to the land to lay her eggis, and to clecke her birds quhill she bring them to perfytness, and at that time her fleiche of fedderis falleth of her all hailly, and she sayles to the mayne sea againe, and comes never to land quhyll the zeir end againe, and then she comes with her new fleiche of fedderis. This fleiche that she leaves zeirly upon her nest hes nae pens in the fedderis, nor nae kynd of hard thinge in them that may be felt or graipit, bot utter fyne downes.” William Harvey, the physiologist, visited the Bass Rock in 1633 and, though seeming more interested in the encrus- tation of bird excreta than in the birds themselves, made the interesting observation that the disused Gannets’ nests were sold for firing. He was followed in 1661 by the great natur- alist John Ray, who not only described the Gannets but tasted them, quoted the current price of one shilling and eightpence plucked, which he thought very dear, and reckon- ed that the proprietor made a profit of £130 sterling per annum from the birds. Ray listed other birds nesting on the Bass—‘“... the scout, which is double ribbed; the cattiwake, in English cormorant; the scart, and a bird called the turtle- dove, whole-footed, and the feet red.” Scout is either Guille- mot or Razorbill; scart is of course the Cormorant in English, evidently transposed here in error, and the last is the Black Guillemot. Several other seventeenth century accounts of the gannet- ries of the Bass Rock and Ailsa Craig are quoted by Gurney (1913, 1921) and one is hard put to it to find as many con- temporary accounts of the birds of the whole of the rest of Scotland. One of the few is Sir Robert Gordon’s list of the birds of Sutherland, compiled about 1630 but not published until 1812. This list, already quoted in Scottish Birds (Pennie 1962), although not in itself of great value does give some idea of Sutherland as it was, and is at least an attempt to break away from the traditional hawks and game birds only. Not until 1684 is to be seen the first glimmer of scientific zoology in Scotland, for in that year was published in Edin- 128 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 4(2) burgh the first book on Scottish natural history, Sir Robert Sibbald’s Scotia Illustrata sive Prodromus Historiae Naturalis, a folio volume of which 113 pages are devoted to botany, 12 to mammals and 9 to birds. Altogether about two dozen species of birds are described and 11 figured in the plates. A description of Sibbald’s Prodromus and a full assessment of his contri- bution to Scottish ornithology have already been made (Pennie 1964). Sibbald appears to have been encouraged to pursue his study of natural history by Andrew Balfour, who in turn had been a student of William MHarvey’s. In his methods Sibbald antedated by a century Sir John Sinclair by circulating a questionnaire to prominent persons through- out the country, principally the bishops and clergymen. Sev- eral of his correspondents were thereby induced to publish comprehensive accounts of the history and topography of the localities in which they lived. Notable among these was the Rev. James Wallace, who graduated at King’s College, Aberdeen, in 1659 and became parish minister of Kirkwall. Fired by Sibbald’s enthusiasm he wrote A Description of the Isles of Orkney which contains many bird records and is dedicated to Sibbald. Wallace died in 1688 but his book was not published until 1693 and was reissued by his son in 1700. Thus began the documentation of the natural history of the North Isles, and a tradition which has persisted ever since. The intrinsic value of Sibbald’s ornithological work may not be great. Nevertheless, the stimulus created both by his published work and by personal contact was far-reaching, and his influence on the study of Scottish natural history in its broadest sense was profound. As an instance of this, there is every reason to believe that it was as a result of personal association with Sibbald that Martin Martin was encouraged to make his journeys to the Western Isles and to publish his observations in what have become the two most valued and widely read books ever written on any part of Scotland. These were of course A Late Voyage to St Kilda (1698) and A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland (1703). Little is known of Martin beyond the fact that he was a Skyeman who graduated M.A. at Edinburgh University in 1681 and subsequently studied medicine at Leyden. It is quite safe to say that no subsequent writer has stimulated more interest in the islands of Scotland; his notes are carefully and accurately made, yet he was no ornithologist in the ac- cepted sense of the word and one detects in almost all his bird records the inference that it is still only the fact that the birds are either useful or detrimental to the interests of man that makes them worthy of inclusion. Indeed, more was written on the natural history of Orkney, Shetland and St Kilda, up to almost the close of the eighteenth century, than 1966 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 129 on all Scotland, until during the last decade Sir John Sinclair produced The Statistical Account of Scotland, an elaboration on a vast scale of what Sibbald had attempted a century earlier. Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster (1745-1835), Member of Par- liament for Caithness and President of the Board of Agri- culture, conceived the idea in May 1790, when he was a lay member of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, of gathering together a uniform description of the whole of Scotland from material supplied by the local ministers, about 900 in all. The fulfillment of this enterprise took nine years and resulted in 21 volumes. The parochial descriptions neces- sarily vary greatly in quality and content but the whole gives the most complete picture available of natural and social conditions in Scotland at the time, much of which is of great value to the ecological historian. The questionnaire had 166 items; 43 of these pertained to geography and natural history, and one asked specifically about the birds: “What quadrupeds and birds are there in the Parish? What migra- tory birds? and at what times do they appear and disappear?” The accounts of the various parishes were published in the order in which they were received from the ministers and are consequently completely haphazard, but Mullens and Swann (1917) give a very useful index to the ornithological content of the whole series, a set of which is available for reference in the §.O.C. Library. In 1761 there appeared on the Scottish academic scene a personality whose ultimate influence on the study of ornith- ology in Scotland was far greater than is generally realised and yet one whose name, even in his own university, is al- most forgotten. This was William Ogilvie, appointed Assis- tant Professor of Philosophy to King’s College, Aberdeen, that year. He was later promoted to Regent, and finally in 1765 became Humanist, or professor, of Latin, with the sug- gestion that as such he should also give a course of lectures upon antiquities and history, both political and natural. Commencing about 1772 Professor Ogilvie began, according to Douglas (1782), “_. of his own accord to put together a collection of specimens for a museum of natural history in King’s College . . . and in the various branches of zoology as might serve to excite the liberal curiosity of youth, and to make them, in some measure, aquainted with the immense variety of the works of nature . .. One is astonished to find so large a collection of birds, fishes, marbles, spars etc., etc. ac- cumualted in so short a space.” Professor Ogilvie had a printed Synopsis of Zoology which he used in teaching his natural history class. This was a small pamphlet containing summaries of classification, structure and function, but whether it was actually published for sale or 130 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 4(2) merely printed for his own personal use is not clear. Ogilvie retired in 1817 and continued to live in Old Aberdeen, where he died at the age of 83. It can be safely assumed that one whose liberal curiosity was thus excited was the young William MacGillivray, who had come from Harris to be educated in Aberdeen, his birth- place. He had lived in Harris from the age of three, his father being on active service as an army surgeon. MacGillivray graduated in Arts at King’s College in 1815. Although he subsequently studied medicine, his first love was obviously natural history, and he soon became a proficient botanist and a field worker of immense energy, walking prodigous dis- tances on his excursions. He made a practice of walking from Aberdeen to Poolewe on his way home to Harris at the end of the college term, and leaving on 7th September 1819 he actually walked to London, where he arrived on 21st Octo- ber still in sufficiently good condition to commence visiting the British Museum and other institutions. The following year he left Aberdeen and, having attended the lectures of Professor Jameson, who then occupied the chair of Natural History in Edinburgh, was subsequently appointed Professor Jameson’s assistant and secretary, but resigned from this post after a few years to give himself more time for study and travel, maintaining himself mean- time by free-lance journalism. In 1831 MacGillivray suc- ceeded Dr Robert Knox, the comparative anatomist whose name survives in another, less fortunate, connection, as Con- servator of the Museum of the Edinburgh College of Sur- geons, and entered upon the busiest and most productive period of his life. In the previous year he had formed a friendship with John James Audubon, to whom he had been introduced by James Wilson, friend of Sir William Jardine, and inter alia natural history editor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and in addition to carrying out his museum duties collaborated with Audubon in the Ornithological Biographies. In MacGillivray’s first book, Descriptions of the Rapacious Birds of Great Britain (1836), dedicated to his friend Audu- bon, we can see that he had begun as he intended to continue. Not only are there the fullest descriptions yet to be found in any British bird book, and notes on the author’s field observations on bird behaviour, but also examples of MacGillivray as an artist, in the woodcuts of his meticu- lous drawings of the alimentary tract; for, as he says in the preface, “It must be obvious that a bird is not merely a skin stuck over with feathers, as some persons seem to think it... [the student] will however...agree with me in thinking that if the bill be an organ of much importance, 1966 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 131 the parts of which it is merely the commencement must be so too.” The next year saw the first volume of A History of British Birds, a great scientific work moulded in the same pattern as the Rapacious Birds and illustrated with the same exquisite anatomical drawings. ‘Yet MacGillivray’s British Birds never achieved real popularity; his strict ad- herence to purely scientific and technical illustrations made the reading public—and the reviewers—shy of it as a work of reference, an attitude encouraged by the contemporaneous appearance of the first part of Yarrell’s History of British Birds, written by an Englishman and illustrated in a manner calculated to attract the non-scientific ornithologist right at the opening of the era of the great Victorian naturalists. MacGillivray as a scientist is well known, less so as an artist; his paintings in colour of British birds are as good as any others of the period and were highly praised by Audubon, but he did not see them published. Indeed, it was not until a selection appeared in the Scottish Field in 1958 that any were ever reproduced in colour. The climax of MacGillivray’s career came in 1841 with his appointment to the chair of Civil and Natural History in Marischal College, Aberdeen, where he remained until his death in 1852. The two colleges were still ununited, for only in 1860 came the union which created the University of Aberdeen. Marischal College then stood alone among Scottish universities in the in- clusion of Natural History as a necessary part of the Arts curriculum: even in King’s College the subject was taught only in “occasional lectures” and although the chair of Natural Philosophy at King’s was held by an eminent nat- uralist and author, the Rev. James Fleming (1785-1857), he did not teach natural history and worked purely as an amateur in that field until his appointment in 1845 as Pro- fessor of Natural Science in the New College, Edinburgh. Fieming is best known for his History of British Animals but Scottish ornithologists will recognise him as author of the chapter on zoology in M’Crie’s The Bass Rock (1848). As a lecturer MacGillivray became so popular that it is said that Professor John Stuart Blackie enrolled as one of his students. To quote Professor Traill (1906): “He taught zoology and geology in winter and botany in summer, and into it all he brought the same spirit of enquiry. There was no provision within the university, until many years after, for work in the laboratory; but MacGillivray delighted in excursions, to which he welcomed those who would come.” The open air was MacGillivray’s laboratory, and he utilised it as none has done since. Formalised practical instruction in zoology came only in 1879 when Professor Cossar Ewart created a laboratory by clearing out a former storeroom. 132 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 4(2) Thomas Pennant, Gilbert White’s correspondent, renowned as a zoologist and traveller, contributed little directly to Scottish ornithology, other than a few notes and pictures of the Ptarmigan and the Scottish Capercaillie, but probably performed a greater service by attracting attention to the Highlands and Islands, and also by commissioning the Rev. George Low to compile his Fauna Orcadensis, which however was not published until 1813, after the deaths of both Low and Pennant. Meanwhile in Shetland the Edmon- stons were helping to keep the North Isles to the forefront of Scottish natural history with a long family tradition which culminated in the posthumous publication of The Birds of Shetland (1874) written by Dr Laurence Edmonston’s son-in- law Henry Saxby. In the early years of the nineteenth century ornithology became firmly established as an amateur study, though mainly at first among the landed gentry. Foremost amongst the earliest of these came Sir William Jardine (1800-74), a sportsman and landed proprietor, but nevertheless backed by a scientific training, for he had, along with MacGillivray, attended Professor Jameson’s lectures, and also studied bot- any and comparative anatomy. Jardine became one of the most distinguished Scottish naturalists of his century, best known probably for his editorship of the 40 volume Natural- ist’s Library; he was also one of the editors of the Magazine of Zoology and Botany and, surprisingly, a severe critic in his review of MacGillivray’s British Birds. Jardine set the fashion in ornithological exploration of the Scottish Highlands by travelling in 1834 as far as the north of Sutherland, then virtually unexplored, along with Prideaux John Selby, author of Illustrations of British Ornithology and Jardine’s collab- orator in other ornithological works. The third member of the party was James Wilson, the man who introduced Aud- ubon to MacGillivray. The results of this expedition were published by Selby (1836) in a paper which forms the basis for all ornithological work in the north Highlands. These early ornithologists were essentially skin and egg collectors and the ensuing twenty years saw a great rush to this El Dorado of rare species, which was soon to be as well known—to the detriment of the birds—as the North Isles. The Milner brothers were followed by Charles St John, whose name has outlived them all, although he was a poor ornitho- logist—all shooting and collecting everything. John Wolley, who at that time was studying medicine at Edinburgh Uni- versity, was next in the field, primarily as an egg collector, but also, to the benefit of posterity, as an accurate and pains- taking diarist (Newton 1864-1907). Wolley collected exten- sively in Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney and Shetland before 1966 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 133 transferring his interests farther north, but it is only fair to say that he seemed genuinely anxious about the constant threat from all quarters to the larger birds of prey. Colonel Henry Drummond (1814-96), grandson of the Duke of Athole, and who married the heiress of Seggieden and thereafter adopted the name of Drummond-Hay of Seggie- den, was an outstanding example of the Victorian country gentleman naturalist, and became a distinguished botanist and ornithologist, at first overseas during his military career and later in his native Perthshire. Here he devoted much time and enthusiasm to the Perth Museum and to the Perthshire Society of Natural Science, under whose auspices the Scottish Naturalist began publication in 1871. Lt.-Col. Henry Drummond, as he then was, became the first president of the British Ornithologists’ Union on its formation in 1858 and was, most appropriately, the last man known to have seen a Great Auk alive. Roughly contemporaneously, Robert Gray (1825-87) was becoming well known in the west, for although a native of Dunbar he spent much of his life in Glasgow, where he was employed on the staff of the City of Glasgow Bank. Gray was one of the founders of the Natur- al History Society of Glasgow, but is probpably best remem- bered as author of The Birds of the West of Scotland (1871), one of the early Scottish regional faunal works which is still useful for reference. The scene was now set for a full regional cover of Scottish ornithological studies; the interest was sufficiently wide- spread, local natural history societies were flourishing as collectors of specimens and data, and there was one man who had the time, money and energy to take the lead. This was John A. Harvie-Brown of Dunipace (1844-1916), to the present generation undoubtedly the best known of the nineteenth century sportsman naturalists. Harvie-Brown was an indefat- igable correspondent, his sheets of grey notepaper, headed with a motif of Swallows on telegraph wires beside a map of Larbert, finding their way to every country house in Scot- land. He was also a voluminous writer of notes and papers over a period of half a century, but he is best remembered for the Scottish Vertebrate Fauna series of books which he compiled in collaboration with T. E. Buckley, the Rev. H. A. Macpherson and A. H. Evans. The original plan had been for a series of books covering the whole country, but although volumes relating to nine of the Scottish Faunal Areas were published during Harvie- Brown’s lifetime the set has never been completed. The first, A Vertebrate Fauna of Sutherland, Caithness and West Cromarty, was published in 1887 in collaboration with T. E. Buckley (1846-1902) who, although an Englishman, had 134 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 4(2) settled in Sutherland. But after the appearance of A Verte- brate Fauna of the Tay Basin and Strathmore (1906), with Harvie-Brown as sole author, his health began to deteriorate and a previously faultless memory to become impaired. Evans added A Vertebrate Fauna of the Tweed Area (1911) to the main series published in Edinburgh by David Douglas, while George Sim (1835-1908), an Aberdeenshire tailor who became well known as a naturalist and taxidermist in Aber- deen, filled the gap in the northeast with The Vertebrate Fauna of Dee (1903), published and printed in Aberdeen. Berwickshire had already been covered by George Muirhead (1845-1928) in his fine work The Birds of Berwickshire (1889) and Sir Hugh Gladstone (1878-1949) had done the same for Dumfries in The Birds of Dumfriesshire (1910) but the only subsequent volume in the direct Harvie-Brown tradition did not arrive until 1935 with A Vertebrate Fauna of Forth by the Misses Rintoul and Baxter. This book had originally been planned by William Evang (1851-1922), one of the most com- petent naturalists of his day and acknowledged authority on the fauna of the Forth area, but he died with the book un- written and it was on the suggestion of Dr Eagle Clarke that the authors undertook it jointly. Curiously, the nineteenth century did not produce a Birds of Scotland, but this was the golden age of the local naturalist and of the local natural history societies; throughout Scotland men like Thomas Edward (1814-86) the Banff shoemaker, one of the most energetic self-educated field naturalists the country has known, and Robert Service (1854-1911) the Sol- way naturalist, to mention only two, were examining and recording the fauna. Broadly speaking the nineteenth century ornithologists were regional recorders: in collecting records they necessarily collected birds. “The double-barrelled shot- gun is your main reliance” is the opening sentence of a standard textbook on field ornithology (Coues 1890), advice which was to remain sound for several decades, but species studies were now beginning to appear, though at first dis- tributional and historical only. Again Harvie-Brown led the way, with The Capercaillie in Scotland (1879) and a paper on “The Great Spotted Woodpecker in Scotland” (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist. 1892: 4-17). Mention should also be made here of Symington Grieve’s The Great Auk (1885) pub- lished when he was President of the Edinburgh Naturalists’ Field Club. The closing years of the century were to see a completely new development which began, as described elsewhere in this issue by Dr Eggeling, with the appointment of a special committee of the British Association to study bird migration at British lighthouses—yet once more at MHarvie-Brown’s 1966 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 135 instigation—succeeded most opportunely by the appointment in 1888 of William Eagle Clarke (1853-1938) as Assistant in the Natural History Department of the Royal Scottish Mus- eum. Previously Eagle Clarke had been Curator of Leeds Museum and had been one of the members of the British Association migration committee. His great influence as pioneer in the study of bird migration in Scotland cannot be over-estimated, and in recognition of these services he re- ceived the honorary degree of LL.D. from St Andrews Uni- versity (not Aberdeen as stated by Lack—Ibis 101: 73). Closely associated with Eagle Clarke were two outstanding and adventurous characters whose work on Fair Isle has been referred to by Dr Eggeling. These were Mary, Duchess of Bedford, and Surgeon Rear-Admiral John H. Stenhouse (1865- 1931). The former made full use of her unusual ability as a field naturalist combined with more than usual opportunity for indulging in birdwatching in out-of-the-way places (Bed- ford 1938), and in recognition Eagle Clarke dedicated to her his miagnum opus Studies in Bird Migration (1912). In the years preceding the first world war the Duchess of Bedford cruised extensively in northern waters in her steam yacht Sapphire, reaching as far as Jan Mayen. She visited Fair Isle nine times between 1909 and 1914, besides taking Dr Clarke there on other occasions, and also made extensive migration records on Barra and North Rona—the first ornithologist ashore there since Harvie-Brown’s visit in 1887, Like many others she failed to land on Sule Stack, but published (Bed- ford 1914) a fine series of photographs of it. Later she became one of the pioneers of aviation and had flown in most parts of the world before her tragic disappearance in March 1937 while on a solo flight over the flooded fenlands. Stenhouse was a doctor who graduated at Aberdeen Uni- versity in 1886. He studied zoology under Professor Cossar Ewart and while in his third year joined one of the vessels of the Scottish sealing fleet on a spring trip to Newfoundland. Little wonder he joined the Navy immediately after gradua- tion, and he lost no opportunity of observing and collecting birds wherever his service took him. On his retirement he settled in Edinburgh and spent the rest of his days actively engaged in ornithology at the Royal Scottish Museum and on his Fair Isle expeditions. The logical corollary to the study of visible migration, by this time firmly established as ornithological practice, was some form of marking individual birds for subsequent identification. The simultaneous but independent origins of the two marking schemes in 1909 are described elsewhere in this issue by Sir Landsborough Thomson, originator of one of the schemes, and happily still very much alive, though 136 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 4(2) furth of his native Scotland. Landsborough Thomson’s father, Sir John Arthur Thomson, was Professor of Natural History in Aberdeen and did much to popularise the study of his subject. He was an early exponent of the ecological concept of zoology, the seeds thus sown being well nurtured by his successor James Ritchie, author in 1920 of one of the finest books on Scotland ever written; and bearing fruit in the ecological studies for which Aberdeen University now has an established reputation. Scotland lost several ornithologists of great promise in the 1914-18 war, among whom were Lewis N. G. Ramsay of Aber- deen, and a forerunner in bird ecology, Sydney E. Brock of Kirkliston, author in 1914 of an important though possibly not well known paper, “The ecological relations of bird-dis- tribution” and of a second, published posthumously in 1921, on “Bird-associations in Scotland.’ Lewis Ramsay and Lands- borough Thomson were university contemporaries and both became assistants in the Natural History Department at Aberdeen. It seems appropriate to place on record here—as has not been done previously except for incidental mention in a letter to British Birds (Thomson 1958)—the former ex- istence of “The MacGillivray Society” and of its magazine The Halcyon (published in unique typewritten copy): The society was a private club of young Scottish field naturalists, especially ornithologists, in the period 1908-11. The total num- ber of members was 16, of whom ten were ornithologists, with a nucleus in Aberdeen and a rather older group in and around Edinburgh. The main object of the society was the compilation and circulation among members of The Halcyon, edited by Landsborough Thomson assisted by Lewis Ramsay. This was the form of communica- tion which kept members in touch with one another. It was to the ornithological members that Landsborough Thomson first turned for ringers for the Aberdeen University Bird Migration Enquiry. The function of the society and magazine appeared to have been fufilled when most of the members had reached the stage of belonging to recognised societies and of contributing to scientific journals, but the group did not lose its coherence and might have made a greater impact on Scottish ornithology if so many of its members had not lost their lives in the war. When Eagle Clarke made his first triv to Fair Isle in 1905 he had with him a young assistant from the Royal Scottish Museum, Norman B. Kinnear (1882-1957), a great grandson of Sir William Jardine, and who became an internationally known ornithologist and in 1930 was knighted for his services to the British Museum. Frequent visitors to the R.S.M. were two young ladies from Fife who had been birdwatchers from 1966 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 137 childhood and were so carried away by Eagle Clarke’s en- thusiasm for Fair Isle that they began in 1907 to visit the Isle of May with the idea of studying bird migration there. These were Leonora Jeffrey Rintoul (1878-1953) and Evelyn Vida Baxter (1879-1959), a working partnership affectionately known to everyone as ‘the good ladies’ which was to lead Scottish ornithology for the succeeding half-century and particularly in the period between the two world wars. From 1910 omwards they edited the “Report on Scottish Ornithol- ogy” in the Annals of Scottish Natural History (which in 1912 reverted to the original title of Scottish Naturalist), and in 1918 published their classic paper on bird migration in the Ibis, where attention was first drawn to the importance of migrational drift. In 1928 they completed The Geographical Distribution and Status of Birds in Scotland, a checklist to which subsequent amendments were regularly published, and in 1935 A Vertebrate Fauna of Forth. Their final work has been described as a landmark in Scottish ornithology, as indeed it was—The Birds of Scotland, a two-volume work and the first ever on the avifauna of the whole country, pub- lished in 1953. but alas just after the death of Miss Rintoul. In 1955 Miss Baxter had the honorary degree of LL.D. con- ferred upon her by Glasgow University. Much of the early ornithological work in Scotland was carried out by individuals working on their own, though a measure of coordination was achieved through the influence of Harvie-Brown, Eagle Clarke and the group in Aberdeen, but in the 1930s, influenced possibly by the work of E. M. Nicholson in Oxford, came a marked trend towards closer cooperation in fieldwork in Scotland. In the formation of the Midlothian Ornithological Club in 1933 with George Waterston as the central figure can be traced a similarity to the MacGillivray Society, even to the publication of an im- portant ecological paper by one of its members, Vernon van someren (1936). The M.O.C. was however a private club, and has remained so, but it was by now felt that “a common meeting ground for all those interested in ornithology in Scotland would be of great value,” so that early in 1936 a meeting was held in Edinburgh, attended by Miss Baxter, Miss Rintoul, H. F. D. Elder and George Waterston, where it was resolved that steps should be taken to found a national club. George undertook to be Honorary Secretary, and the first meeting of the newly formed Scottish Ornithologists’ Club was held in Edinburgh on 14th J anuary 1937, at which 64 out of a total of 80 members were present. Monthly meet- ings were thereafter held alternately in Edinburgh and Glasgow and the Scottish Naturalist was adopted as the official organ of the club. On the outbreak of war in 1939 meetings were suspended, although the club remained in 138 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 4(2) being with the Rev. Edward T. Vernon and Miss Elsie Mac- donald as Interim Chairman and Secretary, but when George Waterston was invalided home from Germany in 1943 he immediately began to establish and maintain contact with many members who were on service. Full activity was resumed after the cessation of hostilities. Professor V. C. Wynne-Edwards had come to the Natural History Department in Aberdeen and did much to revive interest in the north, with the subsequent formation of the Aberdeen branch of the club, but the first notable post-war occurrence was a conference held in Edinburgh in 1947 jointly between the B.O.U. and the S.O.C. This was the first occasion on which ornithologists had been able to meet to- gether after the war and was attended by 46 members from 14 different countries in addition to those from the British Isles, presided over by Norman B. Kinnear. This meeting was so successful that it became the pattern for the S.O.C. “Conference” held annually in October. No one who was present is likely to forget the first of these, held in Aberdeen in 1948 in the lecture theatre of the Natural History Depart- ment, or the afternoon tea party at Culterty, Newburgh, to which all the members were invited by Dr and Mrs Edgar Smith. It would be pleasant to think that it was from this S.0.C. tea party that the idea of an Aberdeen University Field Station at Culterty first germinated in Dr Smith’s mind. George Waterston continued to act as Honorary Secretary, but as the club’s membership increased so did the secretarial duties, and when in 1955 he was offered an appointment as part-time Scottish Representative of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds the Council of the S.O.C. resolved to employ him as part-time Club Secretary. This arrangement lasted for five years, office accommodation being provided free of all charges by the National Trust for Scotland, but it soon became apparent that efficient organisation of bird protection in Scotland needed more than half of even a man of George’s energies, and also a more spacious office; fur- thermore the N.T.S. was itself becoming pressed for office space. The club was therefore faced with the problem of finding both a new office and a new secretary. The latter was the easier to solve as George now had a wife, Irene, who was not only a competent secretary and ornithologist but was also looking for a part-time job. As the solution to the former, George himself put forward a proposal that it would be in the interests of both the R.S.P.B. and the S.O.C. for both organisations to have offices under the same roof and, further, stated that he thought there was a good possi- bility of obtaining a grant from a charitable organisation 1966 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 139 for this purpose. The proposal received the wholehearted support of the Council, and particularly of the then Presi- dent, Sir Charles G, Connell, whose enthusiasm and personal interest did much to bring the project to fruition. The whole idea aroused great interest in Scottish natural history circles, so much so that in a very short time the offer of a substantial sum of money was received from an anonymous donor. Several houses in Edinburgh were view- ed, among them 21 Regent Terrace, which was very suitable for conversion to offices with living quarters above, and finally on Monday 26th October 1959 The Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection was officially opened by the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Wemyss and March. Here are the offices of the club, reference and lending libraries, and more recently the S.O.C. Bird Bookshop. The Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust also has its headquarters here, and from another suite of offices the affairs of the R.S.P.B. in Scotland are administered by George and his assistant Michael Everett. A Scottish Branch of the R.S.P.B. formerly existed (from 1924 to 1927) but nothing on the present scale was done to organise bird protection north of the Borde? before the appointment of a salaried Scottish Representative. Publication of the Scottish Naturalist was suspended in December 1939 and resumed in April 1948 under the editor- ship of Professor Wynne-Edwards, but the need for some- where to publish local bird notes was made apparent by the appearance in 1950 of the Edinburgh Bird Bulletin edited by D. G. Andrew, followed in 1952 by J. A. Gibson’s Glas- gow and West of Scotland Bird Bulletin. The Scottish Naturalist remained the only national journal, but its light began to flicker in 1955—hbeing finally extinguished in 1964— and in 1958 Scottish Birds was launched as the journal of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, edited by Professor M. F. M. Meiklejohn until the end of 1961 and thereafter by Andrew T. Macmillan, the present editor; the two local bul- letins merged into the club’s journal. Although it is inevitable with the passage of time and the vast increase in membership that some of the early pioneer- ing spirit has disappeared, the club’s primary function re- mains exactly as declared in 1937 by the founder President, Miss Baxter, “to provide a common meeting ground for all those interested in ornithology in Scotland,” whether they be academic professionals or birdy amateurs. In the academic field Aberdeen has led the Scottish uni- versities in ornithological work, following the acquisition in 1957 of Culterty house and grounds at Newburgh as a field station for the Department of Natural History (Zoology). Culterty, it will be recalled, was formerly the home of Dr 140 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 4(2) and Mrs H. Edgar Smith, who kept a large waterfowl col- lection on the fresh and salt-water ponds in the grounds. Its situation on the Ythan estuary makes it an ideal centre for ecological studies, particularly on estuarine ducks and waders, such as are at present being undertaken together with population studies of Rooks in the Ythan valley and, further afield, of Fulmars on Eynhallow, Orkney, work which has continued unbroken since 1950. A fuller descrip- fae the research at Culterty is given by Dunnet et al. Aberdeen University has also been associated with the Nature Conservancy in a longterm research project on Scot- tish Red Grouse which has been described by Jenkins et al. (1964). This began in 1956 as an enquiry financed by the Scottish Landowners’ Federation and organised in his de- partment by Professor Wynne-Edwards, At the end of the initial three-year period the work was considered of such importance that the Nature Conservancy agreed to finance it as a separate research unit, now known as the Unit of Grouse and Moorland Ecology, with headquarters at Black- hall, Banchory, and still directed by Professor Wynne- Edwards, with David Jenkins as Principal Scientific Officer. Dr Jenkins has recently been appointed Director of Research of the Nature Conservancy, Scotland, and is succeeded at Blackhall by Dr Adam Watson. It is outwith the scope of this review to do more than mention the setting-up of the Nature Conservancy in 1949, but attention may be drawn to Dr W. J. Eggeling’s account (1964) of the Conservancy’s work, with particular reference to ornithology in Scotland. Birdwatchers are now adopting a broader approach to their subject and regarding the living bird in relation to its habitat and to other animals; in other words, as Dr Eggeling puts it, “More and more the intelligent birdwatcher is becoming an ecologist.” Moreover, the bird- watcher is rapidly appreciating the need to be a conser- vationist too, and the formation in 1964 of the Scottish Wild- life Trust was welcomed by all. With Sir Charles Connell as Chairman, the Trust performs a similar function to the County Naturalists’ Trusts in England, and is working in close association with the Nature Conservancy, the S.O.C. and the National Trust for Scotland. The need for this sort of movement has been made all the more urgent by human pressures on land use, not least of these being the tourist industry, and the stage has now been reached when the birdwatchers, as distinct from the shooters, are catered for as a recognised section of the Scottish tourist traffic, cul- minating in a single nest becoming the major tourist attrac- tion in the Scottish Highlands—the Osprey’s nest on Spey- side, visited, under supervision of the R.S.P.B., by over 1966 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 141 20,000 people in a season. Vivat, crescat, floreat Ornithologia (Hartert 1922)! Sources and references It is impracticable to quote the source of every piece of information used, but much has been gleaned from the Scottish Naturalist and the Annals of Scottish Natural His- tory (1871-1964) and also Mullens and Swann (1917). Sir Landsborough Thomson kindly sent me notes on the Mac Le a Society, and George Waterston on the history of the ».0.C. The division of Scotland into Faunal Areas on the basis of river basins and watersheds was originally worked out by Dr F. Buchanan White (1871); the boundaries, somewhat modified from his original description, are shown on the map in Baxter and Rintoul’s Birds of Scotland. A Vertebrate Fauna of Scotland, in order of publication. HARVIE-BROWN, J. A. & BUCKLEY, T. B. 1887. A Vertebrate Fauna of Sutherland, Caithness and West Cromarty. HaRVIE-Brown, J. A. & BUOKLEY, T. EH. 1888. A Vertebrate Fauna of the Outer Hebrides. HARVIE-BrRown, J. A. (Ed.) 1890. The Birds of Iona and Mull by the late H. D. Graham. 5 BUOKLEY, T. E. & HARVIE-BRown, J. A. 1891. A Vertebrate Fauna of the Orkney Isiands. HARVIE-BROWN, J. A. & BUCKLEY, T. E. 1892. A Vertebrate Fauna of Argyll and the Inner Hebrides, HARVIE-BrRown, J. A. & BUCKLEY, T. EB. 1895. A Vertebrate Fauna of the Moray Basin. 2 v. BucKLEY, T. E. & Evans, A. H. 1899. A Vertebrate Fauna of the Shetland Islands. SIM, G. 19035. The Vertebrate Fauna of Dee. Published in Aberdeen separately from the main series. HARVIE-BROowN, J. A. & MACPHERSON, H. A. 1904. A Vertebrate Fauna of the North-West Highlands and Skye. HARVIE-BRown, J. A. 1906. A Vertebrate Fauna of the Tay Basin and Strathmore. Evans, A. H. 1911. A Vertebrate Fauna of the Tweed Area including the Farne Islands. RINTOUL, L. J. & BAXTER, E. V. 1935. A Vertebrate Fauna of Forth. References not given fully in the text BAXTER, E. V. & RINTOUL, L. J. 1918. The birds of the Isle of May: a migration study. Ibis 1918:247-287. BEDFORD, DUCHESS oF, 1914. Spring bird-notes from various Scottish islands. Scot. Nat. 1914:175-181, 8 photo. pls. BEDFORD, DUOHESS oF, 1938. A Bird Watcher’s Diary. Edited by A. Duncan. London. Brook, S. E. 1914. Ecological relations of bird-distribution. Brit. Birds 8:350-44. Brook, S. E. 1921. Bird-associations in Scotland. Scot. Nat. 1921:11-21, 49-58. CovEs, E. 1890. Handbook of Field and General Ornithology. London. Douaetas, F. 1782. A General Description of the East Coast of Scotland from Edinburgh to Cullen. Quoted in Trail 1906. DUNNET, G. M. et al. 1965. Research at Culterty Field Station. Scot. Birds 5:219-255. Ea@GELING, W. J. 1964. The Nature Conservancy and its work: with mainly ornithological examples. Scot. Birds 35:59-72. GURNEY, J. H. 1915. The Gannet. London. GuRNEY, J. H. 1921. Early Annals of Ornithology. London. 142 ORNITHOLOGY IN SCOTLAND 4(2) HARTERT, E. 1922, Die V6gel der Paldarktischen Fauna (p. 2016). Berlin. JENKINS, D. et al. 1964. Current research on Red Grouse in Scotland. Scot. Birds 3:35-135. Monro, D. 1549.. A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides. Edinburgh. First pub. 1774. : MULLENS, W. H. & Swann, H. K. 1917. A Bibliography of British Ornithology. London. NEwTon, A. 1864-1907. Ootheca Wolleyana. London. PENNIE, I. D. 1962. A century of bird-watching in Sutherland. Scot. Birds 2:167-192. PENNIE, I. D. 1964. Scottish Ornithologists. 1. Sir Robert Sibbald. Scot. Birds 3:159-166. RITCHIE, J. 1920. The Influence of Man on Animal Life in Scotland. Cambridge. SELBY, P. J. 1836. On the quadrupeds and birds inhabiting the County of Suther- land. Edinburgh New. Philos. J. 20:156-161, 286-295. SOMEREN, V. D. van 19356. Territory and distributional variation in woodland birds. Scot. Nat. 1956:35-45. THomson, A. L. 1958. Social flying of Ravens. Brit. Birds 51:246-247, TRAIL, J. W. H. 1906. Natural Science in the Universities. In Anderson, P. J. (Ed). 1906. Studies in the History and Development of the University of Aber- deen. Aberdeen. WHITE, F. B. 1871. Insecta Scotica. Scot. Nat. 1871:161-162, map. The Scottish bird observatories W.. J. EGGELING The conception and genesis of the Scottish bird observa- tories was due to the imagination, organising ability and in- genuity of one man—George Waterston. It was he who was behind the establishment in 1934 of the Isle of May Bird Ob- servatory—the first cooperatively manned migration study centre in Britain—and it was he again who was responsible for the founding of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory in 1948. These are still the only observatories in Scotland; they set a pattern which has been copied time and again, elsewhere. To understand both the background against which the May observatory came into being, and the source of George Waterston’s inspiration, it is necessary to go back to the in- vestigation initiated by a Special Committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, appointed in 1880 as the result of preliminary work by J. A. Harvie-Brown and J. Cordeaux. Their suggestion was that, with the co- operation of lightkeepers, information of value to students of bird migration might be obtained from the chain of light- houses around the British coast. The concept proved work- able, organised observations were made from 1879 onwards, and the results were published regularly in a series of annual reports (British Association Migration Committee 1879-1904). Intimately concerned with this project and personally much attracted to migration problems was Dr William Eagle Clarke of the Royal Scottish Museum. So much was this the case that subsequent to the survey he spent over a year at 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD OBSERVATORIES 143 lighthouses and lightships, and on remote islands, concen- trating on those places where migration was known either to be observable on a large scale or to be of more than usual interest. It was as a result of acquaintance with Eagle Clarke and the stimulus of his exciting ornithological experielces on Fair Isle, Sule Skerry, the Flannans and St Kilda that the Misses E. V. Baxter and L. J. Rintoul, later to become fam- ous as the authors of The Birds of Scotland (Baxter & Rin- toul 1953), conceived the notion of a long-term study of migration on the Isle of May. Both had watched birds since childhood and they had already much experience behind them when, still in their twenties, they embarked in 1907 on the first of their annual spring and autumn pilgrimages to that island which were to continue, interrupted only by war, until 1933. This was the period of the collector—“what’s hit’s history; what’s missed, mystery’—so they were armed not only with pencil, notebook and binoculars but also with shotgun, cartridges and the tools of the taxidermist. They were pioneers and they did a first-class job (Eggeling 1964). In a notable paper, published in the Ibis in 1918 (Baxter & Rintoul 1918) ‘the good ladies—as they were afterwards to be referred to affectionately by so many—recorded their observations on the effect of easterly winds on autumn migration. They deduced that the direction of the wind has a great influence on the routes birds follow—and therefore on the species which reach our shores—and that deviation from the direct route is largely due to drift. The first of these conclusions was almost revolutionary, since there was then a general acceptance of Eagle Clarke’s belief that migration was affected not so much by wind direction as by the gen- eral weather situation. Their second conclusion was the earliest expression of the concept of migrational drift. The Isle of May Observatory Just as Eagle Clarke by his enthusiasm had influenced Miss Baxter and Miss Rintoul, so these two in their turn, by their discoveries on the May, inspired George Waterston and a group of schoolboy companions, operating first as the Inverleith Field Club and later as the Midlothian Ornith- ological Club, to follow after them. The story of the early days of the I.F.C. and M.O.C., and of the start of the May observatory, has been sketched elsewhere (Eggeling 1960) but is worth repeating. As described by H. F. D. Elder, the first Honorary Secretary of the observatoy: “In the spring of 1929 George Waterston asked six of us who were inter- ested in birds to meet at his house in Inverleith Terrace. We were all either still at, or had just left, the Edinburgh Acad- emy, our average age being, I suppose, about eighteen. At that 144 THE SCOTTISH BIRD OBSERVATORIES 4(2) meeting we agreed to start a club which would meet once a month at Inverleith Terrace to discuss birds*. Many names were proposed for the club but it was finally decided that we should call ourselves the Inverleith Field Club, after the area in which we held our meetings.” “From the beginning, the I.F.C. was as much a social club as a bird club. The New Year, spring, summer and autumn weekends were the highlights of the year, when we either camped out or, in winter, stayed at some hotel. Although or- nithology was the order of the daytime, the sing-songs and so on in the evening were strong attractions of these week- ends.” “By 1932-33, although a number of us had become more immersed than ever in the study of birds, others had found alternative hobbies and, whilst still retaining a general in- terest in ornithology, were not prepared to devote so much time to it as we were. Thus, by mutual agreement, certain of us started in March 1933 a second club, which we called the Midlothian Ornithological Club, with its sole object the study of birds; social attractions were to take a very sec- ondary place. The M.O.C. was and still is a private and very personal club, membership being by invitation only. Unlike most clubs, its members pay no entrance fee, and there is no annual subscription.” “Some of the best places for birds in the Edinburgh area are the reservoirs and the coast, so it was natural that we should concentrate on such places, where during spring and autumn unusual birds might be seen. This led us to a par- ticular interest in migration. The work of Miss Baxter and Miss Rintoul on the Isle of May was of course well known to us—our own first visits to it were those of Waterston and Elder in September 1932 and of a larger party the fol- lowing autumn.” “About this time an article by W. B. Alexander appeared in British Birds describing the bird observatory on Heligo- land, and R. M. Lockley was writing in The Countryman about his bird trap on Skokholm. We knew W.B. He had helped us already in many ways and when we suggested that it might be profitable for us to start an observatory on the Isle of May he was full of enthusiasm for the idea and promised to assist us in any way he could. Soon afterwards he visited Edinburgh to talk to the Royal Physical Society about Heligoland and he ended his lecture by explaining *The original members included A. G. S. Bryson (now Honorary Treasurer of the British Ornithologists’ Union), H. F. D. Elder, G. Waterston (now Scottish Representative of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and an Hon- orary President of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club) and J. H. B. Munro (who from its inception has been the Honorary Treasurer of the May observatory). 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD OBSERVATORIES 145 what we had in mind. The reaction of the meeting was most encouraging: Dr Stephen, Keeper of the Natural History Department of the Royal Scottish Museum, volunteered his help, and Professor James Ritchie spoke strongly in favour of what was proposed.” “The stage was now set for detailed planning. There were two main hurdles to surmount: we needed permission to establish an observatory on the island, and funds to build a trap and furnish living quarters. Mr J. Glencorse Wakelin, Secretary of the Northern Lighthouse Board, was appoached and we remember with gratitude his kindness in obtaining permission for us to do what we wanted. Funds had next to be found. We had estimated that we would require at least £50 to buy materials to build the trap and to furnish the small coastguard house on the island which the Commissioners said we could use. We were greatly heartened when W.B.A. guaranteed us £25, if we were unable to raise the full sum necessary. As it transpired, we did not have to avail our- selves of this generous offer. An appeal circular was sent out to people in Scotland and beyond who were known by us to be interested in birds, and this met with an unexpectedly grati- fying response. We raised £83 altogether, of which the M.O.C. themselves contributed £5, 1ls, and we were now all set to go ahead.” “Materials were assembled and on 28th September 1934 W. B. Alexander, R. M. Lockley, E. V. Watson (who was later to describe the mosses of the island) and H. F. D. Elder landed on the Isle of May to start the observatory. R. M. Lockley had already assisted us to plan the trap and we were much pleased when he agreed to come north and help us build it. That first party can be proud of their work, for the Low Trap has stood till the present day without any major rebuilding. The observatory was a success from the start, the trapping garden functioning splendidly. In the spring of 1938 a second trap (the Top Trap) was erected in the sunk garden beside the main lighthouse, but it had only been in use for a few months when we suffered a crushing blow. During the autumn the international situation became acute, the island was taken over by the Admiralty, the observatory had to be closed down in September and it was not until after the war that we were allowed back. On 13th April 1946 an M.O.C. party returned to the island expecting to find little trace of the traps, but to our great delight all that they needed was repair.” “In pre-war days boat-hire was cheap and no great drain on our pockets and we had managed to keep the station running by charging observers 1/- a night to cover the main- tenance of our headquarters, Now, however, costs had risen 146 THE SCOTTISH BIRD OBSERVATORIES 4(2) steeply and without some form of subsidy it would clearly be an expensive business for observers to visit the island. The M.O.C. believed, however, that the Isle of May Obser- vatory had proved its value for the study of bird migration, and felt that a special effort was justified to ensure its con- tinuation. The club therefore approached the four Scottish Universities, suggesting that the observatory deserved their support and proposing that in future it should be run by a Joint Committee composed of representatives from each University, the M.O.C. and the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses. The Universities and the Commissioners fell in with this proposal, the Universities agreed to make in- dividual contributions towards the cost of running the observatory, and a Committee was nominated. Because we felt that all aspects of the island’s natural history should be studied, not just the birds in isolation, the observatory was at this time renamed the Isle of May Bird Observatory and Field Station. When the observatory re-opened in 1946 the Commissioners allowed us to move our headquarters from the old coastguard house or Lookout to the much more comfortable and commodious Low Light, where it has been based ever since.” The Low Light is a comfortable residence with accommo- dation for six observers. It has a small and a large bedroom, a living-cum-dining room, a kitchen-cum-pantry, a bathroom and a store; bedding, cooking utensils, crockery, fuel, etc., are provided. Observers take their own food and do their own cooking. The present daily charge is 5s a person, and the boat trip from Pittenweem costs 15s each for the double journey. The observatory is normally open from mid March to early November and is available for the use of any student of natural history. Full records are kept of all work done, and accounts of it are published. The most important daily task is to complete a census of the amount of bird move- ment taking place. During the migration seasons in partic- ular, trapping occupies qa lot of time. Continuing studies of the breeding birds, of the other animal populations, and of the plants of the island are another important aspect of the work of the station. In 1956 the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses en- tered into a 99-year agreement with the Nature Conservancy which resulted in the Isle of May becoming a National Nature Reserve. Although the Conservancy has ultimate responsibility for the management of the reserve the position of the observatory is fully safeguarded and it continues to be administered by the Bird Observatory and Field Station Committee, In addition to supervising the running of the 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD OBSERVATORIES 147 station the Committee act also as agents for the Conservancy in the management of the reserve. The Fair Isle Observatory The first warden of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory was Kenneth Williamson. As he has recounted in Fair Isle and its Birds (Williamson 1965), he and his wife went there in the spring of 1948 charged with the task of organising a hostel and research centre for the study of bird migration. In his own words: “We were not the first to find George Water- ston’s enthusiasm infectious, and the idea presented a challenge. But the story of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory does not begin here, nor do I regard myself in any true sense as its first director.” With Fair Isle, as with the Isle of May, it was the pioneer work of Dr Eagle Clarke and his associates that inspired the conception of the observatory. Forty years earlier that great Scottish naturalist “had thought deeply about migration problems as he wandered through the tiny fields surrounding the white-washed crofts. He trained an islander, Jerome Wilson of Springfield, to hunt and work with him and...occasionally too he had the company of a kindred spirit, when the yacht Sapphire dropped anchor off Klingers Geo and Mary, Duchess of Bed- ford, and her maid-servant climbed the steep cliff path and installed themselves at the Pund.” Eagle Clarke’s work culminated in 1912 with his Studies in Bird Migration (Clarke 1912), but he continued to be a frequent visitor to Fair Isle until 1921 when, in William- son’s words, “he felt he was getting too old for this strenuous game and he made a last visit to his fabulous bird isle in the company of a younger and more active man, Rear-Ad- miral James Hutton Stenhouse, They bothied in the Duchess’s old cottage at Pund. George Stout of Field, who became to Stenhouse what Wilson had been to Clarke, said of this visit, ‘They lived on bad food and good whisky for a fortnight!’ During the next decade Stenhouse may be ‘said to have wardened Fair Isle. In 1929 he too felt the advancing years and began to look for a successor; he found an eager one in George Waterston.” “George was not able to go to Fair Isle until the autumn of 1935, when he and A. G. S. Bryson stopped the north- bound steamer off the South Harbour and were rowed ashore in an island boat. George made annual visits until 1939, by which time his great ambition was to establish at the isle an observatory for the trapping, ringing and study of migrant birds similar to the one which he and his friends had already started on the Isle of May.” “The war must have scotched thousands of ambitions, but at 148 THE SCOTTISH BIRD OBSERVATORIES 4(2) least one burned more brightly throughout those barren years. George was captured in Crete in June 1941 and was a P.O.W. in Germany for the next two and a half years, during much of which he was a sick man. But he had ample time and leisure to think of Fair Isle and what ought to be done there to reap the best possible harvest from its great ornithological poten- tialities. He fired a fellow-prisoner, Ian Pitman, an Edin- burgh lawyer, with his enthusiasm and ideas, and their plans gradually took shape. If George ever had misgivings as to the practicability of establishing a field research station in such an isolated corner of the British Isles, they probably disappeared for ever during the voyage when he was invalided home via Gothenburg in 1943, in an exchange of wounded officers arranged by the Swiss Red Cross. The liner was escorted northwards through Norwegian waters, and then headed west: at dawn there was a shout ‘Land ahead!’ and everyone who could rushed on deck. for a first sight of the old country. To one man the experience was something more than just that—it was an omen, a promise of things to come. For the land was Sheep Craig, with Fair Isle beyond bathed in the soft light of an October morning.” “George Waterston bought Fair Isle from the then pro- prietor, Robert Bruce of Sumburgh, in 1948, and the bird observatory was launched as a public Trust with Sir Arthur Duncan as chairman, Ian Pitman as treasurer, and George as secretary. Grants of £3000 from the Pilgrim Trust and £1000 for scientific equipment from the Nature Conservancy, together with many private donations and the annual sub- scriptions of the ‘Friends of Fair Isle,’ helped to put the venture on its feet.” Kenneth Williamson planned and supervised the conver- sion of the former naval headquarters at North Haven into hostel and laboratory, and had charge of its scientific pro- gramme until late in 1956. Peter Davis, who previously had been warden of the bird observatories on Lundy and Skok- holm, then took over until 1963, when he was succeeded by Roy Dennis, the present warden. In 1954 the National Trust for Scotland acquired Fair Isle from George Waterston, but the operations of the observa- tory, which continues under the management of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust, were not affected by the sale. In 1963 an agreement between the National Trust for Scot- land and the Nature Conservancy underlined the exceptional natural history importance of Fair Isle and recognised it to have the same scientific status as a National Nature Reserve. The Fair Isle Observatory hostel, open between 1st April and 30th November, can accommodate up to fourteen visitors at a time. The sleeping quarters are mainly single rooms, 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD OBSERVATORIES 149 but two have two beds and one has three; there is a large commonroom, a reference library and a laboratory. Meals are provided but visitors look after their own bedrooms and wash up after meals. The charge for board and accommo- dation is 25s a day for adults and 21s a day for persons under 21. Transport between Fair Isle and Shetland is by the island’s mail boat Good Shepherd which runs twice a week in summer (May to September) and once a week in winter (October to April). The return fare is 21s 6d. The present and the future There has always been a friendly rivalry between the two Scottish bird observatories. Fair Isle is undoubtedly the better known nowadays, partly because it has a permanent warden, provides board accommodation and can hold more visitors, partly because of the glamour of its remoteness, partly because of the great number of bird rarities recorded from it. Nevertheless for observing migration the May takes pride of place, for a comparison by Dr David Lack of migra- tion at Fair Isle, the May and Spurn Point in Yorkshire has shown (Lack 1960) that in providing opportunity to see the arrival of typical drift migrants—the night migrant chats, warblers and flycatchers—the May is most favoured of the three. This holds also for other types of migrants, except the vagrant rarities (Eggeling 1964). Fair Isle (1890 acres) is a relatively large island, with ex- tensive tracts of hill and moorland, high sea cliffs and stacks, and an inhabited village area with a considerable acreage of field and pasture. The May (140 acres) is small by com- parison, and lacks many of Fair Isle’s habitats, but it has the very great advantage for birdwatching that it can easily be covered thoroughly several times daily, so that day-to-day changes in the bird population can be assessed far more easily and accurately. Moreover, its natural history has been documented over a much longer period than that of Fair Isle, enabling fluctuations in its plant and breeding bird pop- ulations to be seen as part of a record extending back well over a century. The continuing study of these changes is a major objective of the field station’s programme. In regard to publications emanating from the two obser- vatories, there can be no doubt at all of the pre-eminence of Fair Isle. In particular this has been due to the wide-ranging interests of the resident wardens, such as Kenneth William- son’s work on many different aspectes of migration and his species studies on the Oystercatcher, Fulmar, and Great and Arctic Skuas. The observatory has been responsible also for a number of valuable papers from persons who arrived as casual visitors to the island but became intrigued with some particular aspect of the observatory’s work and then either 150 THE SCOTTISH BIRD OBSERVATORIES 4(2) assisted directly with studies in the field or undertook to analyse data that had been collected. If Fair Isle has been a better training ground than the Isle of May for ringers and students of bird migration it is because a resident warden is always on the spot to guide and instruct them. Nevertheless there are many who claim that the May serves an equally valuable purpose in another way—by encouraging self-re- liance, individual initiative and general resourcefulness. Per- haps it is fairest to say that the two observatories are com- plementary and that the work of neither should be viewed in isolation from that of the score or more other observatories which are now in operation—following the Scottish lead— around the coast of Great Britain and Ireland. This is not the place to enlarge in detail on the activities of bird observatories or on their especial contribution to ornithology. A general appraisal was made by Kenneth Wil- liamson in a paper submitted to the Twelfth International Ornithological Congress at Helsinki in 1958 (Williamson 1960) which considers the work of the British bird observa- tories as a whole—but especially that on Fair Isle and the Isle of May—as it relates to field work, migration theory, field taxonomy and the laboratory examination of trapped birds. Although now slightly out of date and in need of am- plification this paper still gives a good picture of the scope of study and accomplishments of the coastal observatories. As yet there are no recognised inland observatories or migration observation points in Scotland, although sporadic records from a variety of places inland suggest that contin- uous or regular observations there—and especially perhaps both in the higher passes and in the lower straths and valleys which traverse the mainland—would add materially to our knowledge of cross-country seasonal movement, particularly if they could be combined with the radar observations to which, ideally, for maximum profit, all observatory recording ought now to be linked. Equally, there can be no doubt that further recording from places like North Rona and St Kilda (from where a consid- erable amount of information is already available as a result of recent observations by the Nature Conservancy) and from Lewis and the Uists could fill gaps in our picture of migra- tion up, down and across the west coast of Scotland. Al- though difficulties of access and accommodation make this at present impractical for most of the outlying islands, even a 3-5 year period of observation covering the migration seasons at one of these centres would be well worth while, so that no opportunity which might make this possible should be let slip. Again—and this needs only the cooperative effort of a small group of enthusiasts, based locally, to fulfil the 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD OBSERVATORIES 151 particular requirement—there is wide scope for observing in detail on the coasts of East Lothian and eastern Fife (es- pecially perhaps at Fife Ness) the autumn arrival of all those drift migrants from the continent that reach the Firth of Forth without making a landfall on the Isle of May, but which alight instead on the mainland shore either north or south of it. Here is a challenge for a modern successor to the I.F.C. and M.O.C.—to a fresh alphabetic combination making new Scottish ornithological history. References BAXTER, E. V. & RINTOUL, L. J. 1918. The birds of the Isle of May: a migration study. Ibis 1918: 247-287. BAxTER, E. V. & RINTOUL, L. J. 19535. The Birds of Scotland. Edinburgh and London. BRITISH ASSOCIATION MIGRATION COMMITTEE. 1879-1904. Reports. London. CLARKE, W. E. 1912. Studies in Bird Migration. London. EGGELING, W. J. 1960. The Isle of May. Edinburgh and London. H@GELING, W. J. 1964. Migrants landfall—Isle of May. Scotsman 5.9.64. LaoK, D. 1960. A comparison of ‘drift-migration’ at Fair Isle, the Isle of May and Spurn Point. Scot. Birds 1: 295-527. WILLIAMSON, K. 1960. The work of the British bird observatories. Proc. 12th Int. Orn. Congr. 1958: 749-757. Helsinki. WILLIAMSON, K. 1965. Fair Isle and its Birds. Edinburgh and London. Bird ringing in Scotland A. LANDSBOROUGH THOMSON It is usual to date scientific bird-ringing from 1899, when Mortensen in Denmark was the first to use rings with an adequate address and individual numbers. The method was thereafter adopted in other countries, Germany and Hungary being early in the field, but it was not until 1909 that there were important developments in the British Isles. In various countries there had been pioneers who used cruder methods, both before and after Mortensen’s lead, and the first enter- prise of the kind seems to have been an English one starting in 1891—the ringing of young Woodcock on the Northum- berland estates by Lord William Percy. His rings bore only ‘N’ and the year; the ducal initial proved not ineffective as an address, in the case of a bird shot as game, and the date sufficed where species, age and place were constant. Probably the first ringed bird ever to be recovered in Scot- land was one of these Woodcock, an ‘N 1903’ bird reported from Angus in November of the same year (Percy 1909). The first from abroad seems to have been a Starling ringed as young in Denmark in 1904 and recovered at Biel, Prestonkirk, East Lothian, early in March 1906 (Mortensen 1907). Ringing in Scotland began with two pioneer undertakings in which inadequate methods were used. The first was by an 152 BIRD RINGING IN SCOTLAND 4(2) Englishman. J. H. Gurney, best known as a Norfolk naturalist but also making a special study of the Gannet at its Scottish breeding places. He wrote a book on the species; and his personal book-plate bears a Gannet volant, with the Bass Rock behind (reproduced in British Birds 16: 243). In 1904 he got the principal lightkeeper on the Bass Rock, John Laidlaw, to ring 40 young and 52 adult Gannets there (Gur- ney 1904). His rings were inscribed simply ‘1904 BASS ROCK,’ which in fact gave most of the data required in such a limited enterprise. It was probably also adequate as an ad- dress for the lighthouse, but fell short in not being obviously so. Two local recoveries shortly afterwards were the only result (Gurney 1913, p. 424 footnote). In the winter of 1906-07, as recorded by Harvie-Brown (1907), Richard Tomlinson ringed 71 trapped Starlings at Musselburgh, Midlothian, where he was living in retirement. The rings were serially numbered from ‘l’ upwards but, it seems, bore no address; this precluded recoveries from being notified except in the press or by people aware of the enter- prise. So far as known, none came to light, except that one can infer from the note that 42 of the birds ‘repeated,’ two of them twice, during the trapping period. Later Tomlinson joined my scheme. The year 1909 saw the simultaneous and independent launching of two major ringing schemes in the British Isles. Neither promoter knew of the other’s plans until arrange- ments were far advanced, and both schemes were announced in the same issue of British Birds (vol. 3, no. 1). One scheme was launched in association with that journal by its editor, H. F. Witherby, and eventually developed into the British national scheme, of which more will be said later in a Scot- tish context. The other was initiated by myself, as the ‘Aberdeen University Bird-Migration Inquiry,’ and with its history this paper is largely concerned. The account is neces- sarily a personal reminiscence, so a somewhat egocentric narrative may perhaps be excused. As a youth in September 1908, I was fortunate in being able to visit Rossitten and Heligoland. On the latter there was at that time no resident ornithologist, but at the former— in what was then East Prussia—there was the famous Vogel- warte of the Deutsche Ornithologische Gesellschaft. The ex- hibits of the ringing work centred on this observatory fired my imagination; notably there were the recoveries of Hooded Crows netted on autumn migration at Rossitten itself, and of White Storks ringed as nestlings over a wider area. From the Director, Dr J. Thienemann, I learnt much about the methods and received specimen rings. Thus I came home resolved to start a ringing scheme in Scotland. 1966 BIRD RINGING IN SCOTLAND 153 That I was, from the following year, able to operate such a scheme in the University of Aberdeen from the lowly station of a first-year undergraduate was due to the support of my father, Professor (later Sir) J. Arthur Thomson, in the Regius Chair of Natural History (incidentally, this had been MacGillivray’s chair; and it is now occupied by the current President of the British Ornithologists’ Union). This circumstance gave me official] cover, a working corner in the Department, and a ready source of wise advice. It also sec- ured a grant from the Carnegie Trustees for working ex- penses; these were trivial by present standards, even although rings were issued without charge. After some experimental beginnings, the seven sizes of aluminium rings were made by a small firm in Halifax; but how this came about is now forgotten. The four larger sizes had clasps on the Rossitten pattern—two unequal ends pro- jected outwards from the incomplete circle; the longer was folded over the shorter and eventually the three thicknesses could be pressed together with pliers. These sizes also had their edges turned outwards as flanges, The rings carried a serial number and the address ‘ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY’ (the second word contracted to ‘UNIV.’ on the smallest size). This was both short and obviously adequate; it also implied a scientific purpose that invited report. Witherby often ex- pressed his envy. A base having been secured and equipment provided, the next step was to deploy a field force. Happily the nucleus of this existed in the MacGillivray Society, a private natural history club, predominantly ornithological, which had been formed by some of us in Aberdeen as schoolboys and had taken in a slightly older group in Edinburgh, with later a few others elsewhere. This club thus had a part in the begin- nings of Scottish ringing not unlike that played. as recoun- ted elsewhere in this issue, by the Inverleith Bird (later Midlothian Ornithological) Club of a subsequent generation in the origins of Scottish observatories. This nucleus was quickly joined by others, including two young women in Fife who were destined to become leaders in Scottish ornith- ology, Evelyn Baxter and Leonora Rintoul. The inception of the scheme was widely noticed in the daily press, and this brought further offers of help; even- tually about two hundred ringers cooperated. Not all of these were in Scotland, a few being in England or Ireland. Correspondingly, Witherby was of course free to operate in Scotland; to use an idiom of a later era, no Tartan Curtain separated the two schemes. It was inevitable that publicity should also elicit some less helpful reactions, especially from the more _irascible 154 BIRD RINGING IN SCOTLAND. 4(2) types of habitual objector. One semi-literate correspondent from Middlesbrough concluded a vituperative tirade with the exhortation: “Ring yourself and shut up!” On a different plane were the apprehensions of some bird lovers about pos- sible harm to the birds. On this aspect I had a sympathetic letter from Lewis Bonhote, on behalf of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and was able to satisfy him that it was well under control. These were exciting days. Ringing had introduced a new dimension into bird study. My own personal experience was mainly with Lewis Ramsay and Arthur Davidson, two Mac- Gillivray Society members who lost their lives a few years later. First it was the chicks and nestlings. Then in the autumn it was catching birds on the seashore by dazzling them with bicycle lamps—until the coastguards stopped us! And when winter came we tried out various methods of trapping birds in our gardens. These things, now familiar to many, were then quite novel in our country. In the Department there was the further interest of seeing the ringing schedules come in—and then the thrill of the first recoveries. The earliest report from abroad was of a Wigeon caught in a decoy in the Netherlands on 3rd Septem- ber 1909; it had been ringed as one of a brood of ducklings in Sutherland that summer. The method was working well; letters addressed to the University were duly passed to the Department by the administrative office. Sometimes, how- ever, reports reached us through the press or the police; occasionally they were addressed to the Lord Provost of the City—once as “Senor Alcalde d’Alberdeen.” The well known ornithologist of Oporto, W. C. Tait, was assiduous in bringing Portuguese recoveries to our notice. Some early recoveries of particular note were published in two papers, the first of which was primarily a general dis- cussion of the marking method—its history, its application, and the hopes that were entertained for its results (Thom- son 19lla). These early records included Aberdeenshire Lap- wings from Ireland and Portugal, a Song Thrush from Por- tugal, a Guillemot from Sweden, Scottish-wintering Starlings from Arctic Norway ir summer, and Swallows returning to the same nesting place in the following year (Thomson 1911b). These were the high spots. A comprehensive list was given in a First Interim Report, running through the Scottish Naturalist in seven instalments (Thomson 1912-13). This sorely tried the patience of the editors, as it followed the thoroughness of the German model of that time in giving full particulars of every recovery, how- ever trivial. It did, however, serve the purpose of presenting an initial complete sample of the data that the method 1966 BIRD RINGING IN SCOTLAND 155 weuld produce. A Second Interim Report covered the results for 1912-14 (Thomson 1915); this was compressed by another hand from the material that I had put together before going on war service. By this time the scheme was fading out, al- though my sister (Maribel Thomson, herself a zoologist) kept the headquarters work going on a diminishing scale, and dealt with the reports of recoveries that continued to come in after ringing had virtually ceased. The last record was in fact as late as 1924. an Aberdeenshire Lapwing recovered in Ireland in the twelfth year of its life. After the war, a final report was published in the Ibis (Thomson 1921). This recorded that 27,802 birds had been ringed under the scheme, which was about a third of the total ringed for British Birds in the same effective period. The largest species totals were: Song Thrush 3770, Lapwing 3142, Blackbird 2641, Starling 1900, Common Tern 1352, Robin 1206, Swallow 1198, Black-headed Gull 1150, House Sparrow 1041, and Greenfinch 1021. The report also recorded that 879 ringed birds had been recovered (two others were recovered too late for inclusion—Thomson 1924), and it then presented analyses of the data for eight species; of these the Lapwing yielded the most valuable results, with 63 recoveries, mostly from a distance. Brief summaries of the data for a further 34 species followed, and 11 others were mentioned as having yielded one or two recoveries of no significance. The report ended with conclusions both about migration and about the ringing method. It may be added that the data for some species have since been put to further use, combined for analysis with those of the other scheme (at the Tring head- quarters of which all the recovery cards have now been deposited). From 1919 onwards, bird-ringing in Scotland has been vir- tually the Scottish aspect of ringing under what has become the British national scheme. To round off the personal remin- iscence: my own part in this was at first to prepare occa- sional analytical papers for British Birds: but when Witherby handed over the scheme to the British Trust for Ornithology in 1937 one of his conditions was that I should be chairman of the directing committee—a position held until 1965. The scheme has a headquarters staff at Tring whose salaries are mainly provided by the Nature Conservancy; and its rings now bear the address ‘BRIT. MUSEUM LONDON SW7,’ a shorter version of the original ‘BRITISH MUSEUM NAT. HIST. LONDON.’ Meanwhile, however, there was a purely Scottish enter- prise, or series of enterprises, for ringing Red Grouse; and in this work the University of Aberdeen has again been a focal point. The beginnings are slightly obscure, but it was 156 BIRD RINGING IN SCOTLAND 4(2) apparently from 1932 (Anon. 1932) and under the sponsorship of the Scottish Landowners’ Federation that Professor James Ritchie, the new incumbent in the Natura] History Depart- ment, directed a scheme in which rings marked ‘ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY’ were used. In 1936 Ritchie moved to the Chair of Natural History at Edinburgh; but he retained the direc- tion of what came to be called ‘The Grouse Migration En- quiry, and rings marked ‘EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY’ were brought into use. Some conclusions were given in a report published in the Field in 1938 (anonymously, but apparently emanating from the Federation). At that time 130 estates all over Scotland, and 21 elsewhere, were taking part in the ring- ing. The work continued until war intervened in 1939. Ringing of Red Grouse was resumed in 1956 under a scheme once more based on the University of Aberdeen and sponsored by the Scottish Landowners’ Federation; the work was, and remains, under the general supervision of Professor V. C. Wynne-Edwards and the immediate direction of Dr David Jenkins (succeeded within the last few months by Dr Adam Watson), with field headquarters first in Glen Esk (Angus) and now at Banchory (Kincardineshire). The project has an intensive side, comprising continuous population and behav- iour studies on particular estates and with ringing as merely one of its various methods; in 1959 this was taken over by the Nature Conservancy as a Unit of Grouse and Moorland Ecology based on the University. The extensive side of the project was the ringing of Red Grouse all over Scotland. This continued under the sponsor- ship of the Federation until it was wound up, apart from recoveries still to come, in 1962. In all 13,336 rings were used] and the recoveries (1246 to the end of 1964) are summarised in one published paper (Jenkins, Watson & Miller 1963) and another now in the press. At first No. 3 rings of the British national scheme were used; but from 1958 onwards special rings marked ‘Inform ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY’ have taken their place. The latter are still being used in the intensive programme in Kincardineshire, as are also coloured plastic back-tabs on birds caught in autumn (D. Jenkins in litt.). Finally, something may be said (with the help of Robert Spencer) about the Scottish activities of the British national scheme at the present time. At the close of 1963 this scheme had 70 ringers in Scotland (Spencer 1964). In proportion to the population this is rather less, but not strikingly less, than the number in England and Wales. The main concentrations of Scottish ringers are, as of old, in Midlothian and Aberdeen- shire; Shetland comes next. The chief centres of ringing work are the bird observatories on Fair Isle and on the Isle of May, the subject of another paper in this issue. 1966 BIRD RINGING IN SCOTLAND 157 The University of Aberdeen is again well to the fore, with long-term intensive studies of such species as Starling, Rook, Fulmar, Eider and Shelduck; a key centre for ringing has been its wildfowl research station at Culterty on the estuary of the Ythan. It was near that same estuary that so many of our own birds were ringed in 1909-14; and it was on it too that the late Betty Garden more recently ringed so many ducks on behalf of the Wildfowl Trust, providing a valuable northern component in a project heavily overweighted to- wards the south. The Midlothian Ornithological Club has over the years been responsible for a vast amount of ringing of tern species at colonies on the Firth of Forth. And in the last couple of years a North Solway Ringing Group, based on Dumfriesshire has been notably active in ringing in the southwest. In Scotland as a whole, however, ringers tend to be widely scattered; and the lack of personal contact tells against re- cruitment, as well as slowing down the spread of new tech- niques. On the other hand, the numbers of Scottish ringers are reinforced nearly every year by visiting parties from England, whose objective is usually the great seabird breed- ing stations; and twice, recently, parties from Northern Ire- land have done good work on Ailsa Craig. Also in recent years, as the result of qa special drive to ring Sand Martins in large numbers, English ringers have come north in search of further colonies of that species. Passerine migrants and seabird chicks have naturally bulk- ed largely in Scottish ringing, but neither of these categories is peculiar to the country. There are, of course, a few species that are not available for ringing elsewhere in the British Isles; for most of them the numbers ringed have been too small to produce recovery data worthy of analysis, but two exceptions may be mentioned. Hen Harrier chicks have been ringed mainly in Orkney (through the cooperation of E. Balfour, the representative of the R.S.P.B.), and it has been shown that at least in the first year of life, some remain there during the winter while others become distributed over the mainland of Scotland (Thomson 1958). Several thousands of Great Skua chicks have been ringed in Shet- land, and there are well over a hundred recovery records; the localities of these range from the coast of New England to far inland in western Russia, and from well above the Arctic Circle in W. Greenland to the coast of North Africa (Thomson 1966). It seems not inappropriate that this most recently published analysis of British ringing data should relate to a species that many members of this year’s Inter- national Ornithological Congress will be seeing at its breeding grounds, often for the first time, during the S.O.C. 158 BIRD RINGING IN SCOTLAND 4(2) Bird-Islands Study Cruise round Scotland. References—in chronological order GuURNEY, J. H. 1904. Marking Gannets at the Bass Rock. Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist. 1904: 245. HARVIE-BRown, J. A. 1907. Marked Starlings. Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist. 1907: 114. MORTENSEN, H. C. C. 1907. Ringfugle. Dansk Orn. Foren. Tidsskr. 1: 144-155. PERCY, W. 1909. Woodcock marked at Alnwick. Country Life 1909: 3523. THomson, A. L. 1911a. The possibilities of bird-marking, with special reference to the Aberdeen University Bird-Migration Inquiry. Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edin. 18: 204-218. j THomson, A. L. 1911b. Recovery of marked birds (Aberdeen University). Brit. Birds 5: 98-102, 129-130. THomson, A. L. 1912-15. Aberdeen University Bird-Migration Inquiry: first in- terim report (1909-12). Scot. Nat. 1912: 145-153, 169-174, 217-224, 241-248. 19135: 29-35, 79-84, 121-151. GURNEY, J. H. 1915. The Gannet. London. THomson, A. L. 1915. Aberdeen University Bird-Migration Inquiry: second interim report (1912-14). Scot. Nat. 1915: 516-517, 5359-545. THomson, A. L. 1921. Results of a study of bird-migration by the marking method. Ibis (XI) 6: 466-527. THomson, A. L. 1924. Marked Lapwing recovered in its twelfth year. Brit. Birds 18: 60. ANON. 1952. Migrant grouse. The Times 21.12.52. [ SCoTTisH LANDOWNERS’ FEDERATION] 19358. The Grouse Migration Enquiry: sec- ond report on ringing during 19358. Field 26.11.38, p. 1289. Tuomson, A. L. 1958. The migrations of British hawks (Accipitridae) as shown by ringing results Brit. Birds 51: 85-93. JENKINS, D., WATSON, A. & MILLER, G. R. 1963. Population studies on Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus (Lath.) in north-east Scotland. J. Anim. Ecol. 52: 517- 576. SPENCER, R. 1964. Report on bird-ringing for 1963. Brit. Birds 57: 525-582. THomson, A. L. 1966. An analysis of recoveries of Great Skuas ringed in Shet- land. Brit. Birds 59: 1-15. Scottish bird photographers CHK VIYaE NEE (Plates 13 - 24) The aim cf this paper is to review generally the photo- graphy of Scottish birds and to concentrate particularly on the work of those who are active today. To define a Scottish bird photographer is impossible. We shall include many ‘aliens’ who have worked in Scotland, but we have deliber- ately selected for publication only pictures of typical Scottish species taken by photographers now living in Scot- land. All are active in the field today, with two exceptions, Charles Kirk, one of the pioneers, whose early photographs are aS good as many being taken today, and Ian Thomson, who produced consistently fine pictures of many Scottish species in the old style of bird portrait. The rest have been picked as a representative selection of styles, subjects and 1966 159 PLATE 15. Common Gull, ‘“‘Kilchoan’’, 1912. Photograph by Charles Kirk 160 4(2) PLATE 14. Cock Wheatear, Isle of Mull, June 1965. Photograph by William S. Paton 1966 161 PLATE 15, Common Sandpiper, Isle of Mull, June 1965. Photograph by William S. Paton 4(2) 162 ‘pO6L ABIN ‘OITYUSYoIMIeg ‘MorIeds aspeH{ ‘oT aLvId 1966. YY 163 Photograph by Nigel G. Charles PLATE 17, Black-headed Gull, Perthshire, May 1964. 4(2) 164 uaydazs praog fq Yyadnib010Yd “p96BT SI. YINOg ‘MOID pepooH ‘gst ToVId 165 1966 Dw vd gq sazunyg fia ydvi6010Ud ‘SS6L AeIN ‘ [Asiy “stIM} & YIM ewWOYy SUIATIIe y[Npe ‘ ose Udp[O*r) 6. aLVId EN A TS a a ee ata i d UWa187— fi yous I H ‘Su Yo eo ISAO OS WLVT DH qa “6S6L 19qQ0100 ‘QILTYSoy, puel[s, e1q]1 ou, ro) V 2 dn16010Ud 4(2) 166 167 1966 uaydays prang fiq ydvubo10Yd ‘v96T ‘sleig esiry ‘youuey IINJePUWY] “TZ ALVId FLL ne EEE SqINO) Stuuag fq ydvibo10Yd ‘p96T $WNsny ‘pueyeys ‘uns o10}sSTYyoId e UT JoUUN, ke Jo TOOTF 94} UO SUTJSOU ‘TeTJ9q W04S °- So GLVId 4(2) 168 1966 AK i oh << 169 Photograph by Ian M. Thomson PLATE 25, Female Hider, Hascosay, Shetland, June 1953. 170 4(2) PLATE 24. Black-throated Diver, Argyll, May 1952. Photograph by Charles E. Palmar 1966 SCOMMISEH BIRD PHOROGRAPEERS 7 species which will, we hope, show that bird photography in Scotland is in the hands of an active and vigorous band of enthusiasts. We have made no attempt to be comprehensive and hope therefore that no apology is needed to the many whose work could well have been included. Nature photography has been revolutionised by the in- vention of fast emulsions for black-and-white film, and of colour materials of reasonable speed with a fine enough grain to stand considerable enlargement by projection on a screen or printing on paper. The miniature negative can now produce top-grade results and the single-lens reflex camera makes the use of the now comparatively inexpen- sive telephoto lenses quite straightforward. As a result there are thousands of people who can, and hundreds who do, take bird photographs. Standards however have risen too and the art of bird photography is still as demanding as ever. Many would still argue that for a true bird photogra- pher a larger format than 35mm is still essential. Others disprove this by their results. The best recent exposition of the case for miniature bird photography is by a Scot, the late V. D. van Someren, in the final chapter of his book A Bird Watcher in Kenya (Oliver & Boyd 1958). His illustrations, as well as some of those shown here, prove that the small format can produce excellent results in black-and-white photography, but, as all serious workers will emphasise, the greatest care is needed at every stage. To produce exhibi- tion prints from 35mm negatives is an art in itself. Black- and-white photography therefore perhaps more than ever before demands that the photographer should do his own darkroom work if he wishes to achieve high quality enlarge- ments. Colour is a different story. To take good transparencies is now within the reach of everyone who can afford the equip- ment and who is prepared to learn the camera techniques. Trade processing is standard and many colour emulsions cannot be processed at home. For colour therefore the defin- ition of bird photographer has changed and throws far more emphasis on knowledge of the subject and the field tech- niques used. It is a hobby now open to almost any owner of good equipment, and yet the number of really com- petent bird photographers remains comparatively small. We do not pretend to be able to cover them all, but will be delighted if this article stimulates a few more to prove themselves in public. Scotland has long been the happy hunting-ground of nature photographers, and it is revealing as well as grati- fying to see how many of the great names of bird photo- graphy have chosen to come north of the border to do some 172 SCOTTISH BIRD PHOTOGRAPHERS 4(2) of their best work. Any list is bound to be arbitrary and to omit many who could equally well claim to have found the challenge of Scottish birds their springboard to success, but certain names must be mentioned. In the many many books on the subject certain pictures will always stand out as classics of their kind. A glance through the pages of the compilation by Eric Hosking and Harold Lowes on Master- pieces of Bird Photography (Collins 1947) will show how often the stimulus to produce such classics has been pro- vided by Scottish species, most often in the Highland setting. In the 1890s the Kearton brothers, Richard and Cherry, started the whole process which put Britain in the lead in nature photography. At first, when equipment was almost impossibly difficult, they realised the advantages of situa- tions like those offered by the Gannet colonies of the Bass Rock and Ailsa Craig. The Keartons pioneered bird photo- graphy in the Hebrides, in Orkney and in Shetland. They voted Noss in 1900 “a perfect sea-fowl paradise,” and they toox splendid action shots of skuas knocking people’s hats off on Hermaness. At Muckle Flugga it is interesting to note how they recorded “a few fulmar petrels flying round the cliffs’ as an exciting new species. It seems surprising with sO many common species to start on how the early pioneers launched straight into the most challenging subjects Scot- land could offer. One of the Keartons’ earliest books, With Nature and a Camera (Cassell 1898), put St Kilda on the photographic map and stimulated the steady stream of or- nithologists and photographers who have come under its spell. Oliver Pike was one of the first to follow in their footsteps, realising its potentialities for his ‘bioscope.’ In Nature and my Ciné Camera (Focal Press 1946) he describes his visits to St Kilda in graphic detail. In 1908 he tackled a Fulmar cliff, running incredible risks with the help of the islanders, heaving bulky equipment to the most difficult places and nearly losing the lot when the weather changed for the worse. In 1910 he achieved the almost impossible by climbing the sheer 600 ft cliffs of Stac Lee to film the Gannets with camera equipment which most of us now would hesitate to carry on the flat. It is as much a tribute to the cragsmen of St Kilda as to this intrepid photogra- pher from Middlesex. Another pioneer was R. B. Lodge from Lincolnshire who, in 1907, was one of the first to work on the Golden Eagle. Recently an enquiry at the B.B.C. Natural History Unit in Bristol disclosed that there were a hundred feet of cine film on the Golden Eagle for every one on House Sparrows. As all nature photography is a challenge it is perhaps not sur- prising that the most difficult subjects of all appeal to the experts. In 1909 H. B. Macpherson, one of our first Scottish 1966 SCOTTISH BIRD PHOTOGRAPHERS 173 bird photographers, published his book The Home-Life of a Golden Eagle (Witherby 1909) and set the ball rolling. It makes exciting reading and he communicates the thrill of achievement in his story of how he obtained what was per- haps the first photograph ever taken of an eagle at the nest. After concealing his camera at the eyrie and watching the bird return, he stalked back unseen to the point only a few yards from the sitting bird to press the bulb. In stretching to reach it he nearly overbalanced, but the exposure was made just before the bird flew off. Since then a host of others have followed—A. J. Rooker Roberts in 1913 with his classic picture of the pair at the nest, and notably Arthur Brook in 1924-26. He illustrated H. A. Gilbert’s book The Secrets of the Eagle and Other Rare Birds (Arrowsmith 1925). Amongst the eagle hunters have been some of our earliest and best Scottish photographers. Seton Gordon is probably the best known. There is half a lifetime’s experience in his Days with the Golden Eagle (Williams & Norgate 1927). His great knowledge of Highland natural history from his homes in Aviemore and then in Skye, and his many illus- trated books and articles, have earned him an international reputation—and the C.B.E. in 1939. More recently C. E. Palmar, since 1949 Curator of Natural History at the Art Galleries and Museum at Kelvingrove, Glasgow, has pursued an ambition to make a complete photographic life history on colour film of the Golden Eagle. This work led him, like Seton Gordon, to do extensive fieldwork on the _ species, over 14 consecutive years, and he joined forces with Leslie Brown and Adam Watson to work on the census which in 1955 concluded that there were between 250 and 300 breed- ing pairs in Scotland. From the start Palmar has insisted on doing his own darkroom work and has therefore achieved the high stan- dard of print production which won him his A.R.P.S. in 1948. He took the first picture of a wild bird to be published in Picture Post before the war, and in 1954 his eagle photo- graphs were published in the National Geographic Maga- zine. The flight picture (pl. 19) is selected not just because it is different from the many eagle portraits taken at the nest; but because, by pressing the button as the bird swept up to the nest with talons lowered for the landing and carrying a stick in its massive bill, he has managed to con- vey something of the thrill of being in a hide at close quarters at such a moment. It is one of those pictures which tell everything—the setting, the nest site, the size of the bird, the power of its flight, with the protruding ‘thumbs’ and upswept primaries. The slight blur on the feather de- tail of the back, wings and tai] may not please the purist 174 SCOTTISH BIRD PHOTOGRAPHERS 4(2) but it does convey a wonderful sense of movement in the subject which the still photographer seldom has the chance to achieve. Perhaps it is not surprising that having mastered the art of taking such excellent portraits as this and the Black-throated Diver (pl. 24) Charles Palmar should have moved on to ciné work, his film ‘Highland Heronry” win- ning joint first prize in the 1963 B.B.C. film competition. Both J. E. Ruxton, a Scot who worked as a bank manager mostly in Northumberland, and the late Jan M. Thomson, a Harley Street dentist, spent precious holiday weeks every’ year in the Highlands specialising on their favourite species —as often as not the divers—and both eventually settled in Scotland. Ruxton, with an avowedly aesthetic approach, concentrated on woodland birds, several of which have been portrayed in this journal (Scot. Birds 1: 381, 447). Thomson’s Eider Duck (pl. 23) is typical of his best work, and although an easy species he captures the character of the bird to per- fection. His book Birds from the Hide (Black 1933) covers many other Scottish species. Apart from the challenge of new and rare species and the excuse for a Highland holiday, there are other factors in Scotland that appeal to bird photographers. The countryside has remained relatively unspoiled in many parts of the Highlands and provides a feature that is becoming increas- ingly rare in Britain—a wild and natural background. The knowledge of local people often saves days of labour, and the helpfulness of many who work on the land and know their wildlife has been repeatedly acknowledged. The open landscape and freedom from disturbance have attracted many to the Northern Isles. One of the early visitors to Shetland was Ralph Chislett as can be gleaned from the title of his book Northward Ho !—For Birds (Country Life 1933). Other famous Yorkshiremen came north too. like Tom Fowler and Harold Lowes who were there in 1933 to photograph the Whimbrel. which was not to be found on their native moors; and W. W. Nicholas and G. K. Yeates who also worked ex- tensively in Scotland. Walter Higham from Lancashire, John Markham and Eric Hosking from London, G. B. Keary from Manchester, Stuart Smith from Leeds, and H. G. Wag- staff from Coventry have all done outstanding work in Scot- land. The same species tend to crop up again and again—the divers, the predators, the Scottish specialities. John Mark- ham’s avowed favourites were Dotterel and Greenshank, both also brilliantly covered by Eric Hosking. Stuart Smith con- centrated first on the Crested Tit, Keary on the Capercaillie, C. W. R. Knight on the birds of prey. H. Willford from the Isle of Wight did some of his best work in the Northern Isles, and in recent years Harold Auger of Lincoln has done some exceptional work on Shetland species. 1966. SCOTTISH BIRD PHOTOGRAPHERS 175 Photography has played a major part in bringing nature before the public and in creating an appreciation of the value and the aesthetic appeal of wildlife. The conservation movement in Britain has made striking headway since nature was well illustrated. Just how much public opinion has been changed, and how effective this visual] education has been, can be gauged from looking back at the publications of 50, or worse ftill, 100 years ago. Standing out like a pointer to the future was the remarkable periodical Wild Life which first appeared in 1913 under the editorship of Douglas English with a striking photograph of a Scottish wildcat on the cover. Until 1918 it provided the market and therefore the stimulus for many nature photographers, though its contributors would have gasped at the brilliance and technical perfection of the coloured equivalents of today, such as Animals and now Birds. They were however in a better position to see the first impact of photography, and the editorial of Vol. 1 No. 1 claims full credit for the beginning of the revolution in nature study for the photographers. “It is not too much to say that our knowledge of British Birds has doubled within the past de- cade and that this duplication of knowledge has been due not to the ornithological societies, not to the museums, least of all to the collectors, but to the invaluable work accomplish- ed by a small band of nature photographers since in the early nineties Lodge, King and the Keartons pointed out the way.” _In the same volume (pp. 322-324) was an early example of the use of photography to establish a doubtful bird record, that of an aberrant Gannet on the Bass Rock. Here is the beginning of the new trend towards a more scientific atti- tude towards fieldwork, a major step away from the era of collecting. “There is no doubt,” writes Riley Fortune, the author of the article, “that the fact that this gannet was a genuine variety could have been proved in the usual way; but the policy of the writer, in common with his fellow mem- bers of the Zoological Photographic Club, is to depict truth- fully wildlife by the aid of the camera and to discourage by every means in their power the slaughter of rare and excep- tional birds and beasts, a slaughter apparently condoned and encouraged by many of the self-elected authorities. It would not have been difficult to secure this bird and to have thus satisfied the sceptics, but its life was in our judgement a thing of greater moment than the acceptance or otherwise of a record, and we are content to leave it to the new school of ornithologists to decide whether records can be properly established without a gun and a museum label.” The illustra- tions of a paired Gannet with a dark head and neck and rich patterning on the back sitting next to its pure white mate 176 SCOTTISH BIRD PHOTOGRAPHERS 4(2) are undoubtedly of far greater interest now than the bird’s skin would have been in the Royal Scottish Museum. The earliest Scottish bird photographer who really made good use of his work was Charles Kirk, who ran a taxider- mist’s business in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. He trained at Rowland Ward’s in London, and much of his taxidermy was based on photographs taken in the field. Like the Kear- tons his earliest known photograph is of a Song Thrush’s nest; it is dated 1894. It forms the frontispiece of the first of a series of 6d booklets entitled Wild Birds at Home (Gowans 1906). Other pictures of nests must be amongst the earliest recorded, a Lapwing’s in 1897 and a Mallard’s in 1898. A flash- light picture of a Barn Owl, taken before 1906, and flying shots of Gannets, Kittiwakes and terns show how quickly he developed his techniques beyond such static subjects as nests. Ailsa Craig was a favourite haunt and he visited it annually for 17 years. His format ranged from half-plate down to 33” square, the latter being used for stereoscopic photographs, of which he was particularly fond. His stereoscope and a sel- ection of his prints were presented to the Kelvingrove Mus- eum by the late David Wotherspoon, his chief taxidermist and later his partner. Among Kirk’s outstanding work are series on Dippers and Gannets. I am grateful to Charles Palmar both for the details of his work and also for the print from his negative of a Common Gull (pl. 13). This picture, dated 1912, compares favourably with many taken today with all the advantages of modern equipment. There is no doubt about the pictorial effect of such a portrait, where the bird is dominant but the nest-site still a vital part of the picture, with the background subdued by being thrown out of focus. The rest of our illustrations are by contemporary photo- graphers. Two, Dennis Coutts and W. S. Paton, are profes- sionals running their own photographic businesses. Dennis Coutts started as a press photographer but returned to his native Shetland Isles in 1959, exchanging assignments like the Bulganin and Kruschev visit or trips to Balmoral for the hunt after rare visitors to Shetland such as the recent Snowy Owls or a vagrant Osprey or Woodchat Shrike. His 5” x 4” press camera has given way to a 35mm Pentax with Novo- flex lenses of 16” and 25” focal length which with a 2x con- verter give him magnification factors up to sixteen (“widely used”) and even twenty-five. Steadiness means everything with such long lenses and like many others Coutts finds the use of his vehicle as a hide a useful way of achieving this. His photograph of the Storm Petrel (pl. 22) is unique, and was taken in the tunnel of a prehistoric ruin in Shetland where the birds were nesting in something slightly easier to work in than the usual burrow. Even so there was only one 1966 SCOTTISH BIRD PHOTOGRAPHERS 177 suitable nest and much crawling and squatting was entailed in setting up camera and two flash heads at 5 ft range. This particular nest had more nest material than any other found, and one small chick. After leaving his equipment for an hour Coutts returned to find the adult bird in attendance and he was able to take two exposures before it scuttled into the wall of the tunnel. As with another striking picture of a Peregrine Falcon and chick, Dennis Coutts is prepared to admit that he has had a good deal of beginner’s luck with the birds. His photographic expertise is, however, clearly de- rived from long experience. William S,. Paton has a more conventional approach, seek- ing the bird portrait rather than the ornithologically inter- esting picture that has appealed to Coutts. His results are no less striking, and in the last six years he has covered over 50 species of birds in Scotland, mostly at or around the nest. With a choice of six cameras he still does most of his bird work with an old field camera which he bought for 10/- and adapted to take an 8” Ektar lens and a Daz shutter. This is really following in the footsteps of the old masters, and like so many others (including the author) Paton acknowledges his debt to Eric Hosking. He gained his election as an Assoc- iate of the Royal Photographic Society from his first full season’s work on birds. He has worked mostly in Ayrshire, where he lives, but has a preference for islands, especially Horse Island and Mull. Both the pictures selected (pls. 14, 15) were taken on Mull. The prints are technically flawless and show exceptionally fine feather texture and foliage de- tail where it is required. In both the bird is in its typical setting in a completely natural posture. Two of our remaining contributors, David Stephen and Nigel Charles, are full-time naturalists in quite different spheres. David Stephen is well known for his books and writings on Scottish natural history, many of them illustra- ted with his own photographs. The Hooded Crow (pl. 18) is the sort of bird he knows and writes about superbly well and it is pleasing to find that he can photograph it superbly too. A notoriously difficult species has been caught from a most interesting angle, emphasising the treeptop situation and the massive nest. In contrast, his young Gannet (pl. 21) is an unconventional portrait that breaks many of the rules yet commands attention. David Stephen, who started writ- ing at the age of 19, was twenty years in local government before he retired to devote himself full-time to wildlife. Nigel Charles is a Senior Scientific Officer with the Nature Conservancy in Edinburgh. For many years he has specialised on grebes, and his aim is to cover every aspect of the lives 178 SCOTTISH BIRD PHOTOGRAPHERS 4(2) of the British breeding species. His studies of Great Crested Grebe displays and of Biack-necked Grebes at the nest are unsurpassed and will it is hoped appear in print in their own context before too long. Charles is a perfectionist even when the subject, like the Black-headed Gull (pl. 17), is incidental to his main purpose and was taken from a hide at a grebe’s nest. As most of his subjects are long-range, he tends to work in 35mm, using long-focus lenses, up to th 600mm Kilfitt, on an Exacta camera. | John Edelsten breaks our rule in that he is an Englishman. However, as a Customs and Excise surveyor living in Banff- shire, and already vice chairman of the Aberdeen branch of the S.O.C. after only three years in Scotland, he would seem to have some claim to be considered in this paper. His aim is the exhibition print, and with little spare time to devote to his hobby he just manages to keep up with the requirements of the Nature Photographers’ Society. The superb picture of a characteristic group of Oystercatchers at the water’s edge (pl. 20) was accepted for the Royal Photo- graphic Society’s exhibition in 1964 and was taken with a 4-plate reflex camera using a 21” Homocentric lens. Sidney Clarke, at 22, is the youngest of our contributors; but he made the selection of his charming study of the humble Dunnock (pl. 16) more difficult than most by provid- ing so many other first-rate prints. He started bird photo- graphy at the age of 14 on a simple snapshot camera, then acquired his first single-lens reflex miniature at 15, and was doing his own darkroom work at 16, so it is not surprising that his work shows the benefits of long experience. He now favours black-and-white and works with an old Gandolfi 5” x 4” camera using 120 size roll-film. He has achieved the honour of being admitted to the Zoological Photographic Club, an organisation to which many have acknowledged their indebtedness for the stimulus of open competition and the benefits of learning from the work of others. It was as a result of the Z.P.C. Exhibition of nature photography in London in 1912 that Wild Life, the first popular magazine incorporating bird photography, was produced. A_ great many chemicals have flowed through the developing tanks since then and there is no Scottish species left which has not been adequately portrayed by the camera. Yet the fraternity of bird photographers is still limited by the enormous de- mands of time and effort which the art imposes on its devotees. It is perhaps surprising how few have been Scots- men, but I would hazard the opinion that the present genera- tion of Scottish bird photographers is producing work that will stand comparison with that from any other country—as will our birds and the landscape in which they are found. 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 179 Hill birds of the Cairngorms ADAM WATSON Natural Environment Research Council, Nature Conservancy Unit of Grouse and Moorland Ecology, Natural History Department, University of Aberdeen Introduction This general survey of the Cairngorm hill birds and their habitats starts with the high-arctic ground on the summits and moves down to finish at the upper edge of the forests. The area covered is between Rothiemurchus in the north and Braemar in the south, and between Glen Feshie in the west and Inchrory in the east. The Cairngorms have two main attractions for a naturalist. One is that they include the biggest area above 3000 ft in Britain, supporting a largely arctic flora and fauna. This is remarkably like much of the country in the high-arctic and cannot be seen elsewhere in temperate Europe; one has to go north to Iceland, Scandinavia or the arctic to find it again. The other attraction is the great variety of habitat in a small area. The valleys round the Cairngorms have farms and villages up to 1200 ft. Nearby there are forests of pine and birch with juniper scrub, including some of the finest old pines in Britain, yet the tree line is very low at about 2000 ft or less. Beyond there are heather moors and bogs on hill slopes and open glens, stretching up to the dwarf arctic-alpine vegetation at 2500 ft. There is even more variety higher up, with cliffs, corries, lakes and plateaux, and finally the highest summits at 4200-4300 ft where the ground is almost devoid of plants and snow fields lie all the year round. In some places one can go from one extreme to the other in a walk of only six miles. The reasons for these rapid changes of habitat are the big temperature drop of 4°F per 1000 ft of altitude, the frequency and severity of gales on these hills, and the low summer temperatures. July temperatures even in the valleys are be- low those north of the Arctic Circle in Lapland, and at 4200 ft on Ben MacDhui are like those in high-arctic Canada (Baird 1957). Being in the centre of Scotland the Cairngorms get colder and snowier winters and drier sunnier weather than the mild, maritime and rain-drenched hills that make up most of the Highlands. This is why they provide the best skiing grounds and the biggest variety of snow and ice climbs in Britain, but thaws may occur in any winter month with winds from the Atlantic. The maximum snow depth is usually in February-March at 2000 ft, and above 3500 ft 180 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) usually in April but sometimes May. Snow may fall in any summer month on the higher ground, but in the uncommon periods of fine calm weather the summits may be warmer than the valleys. Most of the Cairngorms belong to several private landown- ers who use their hill land for hunting red deer. Apart from some heather burning on the lower slopes and grazing by a few stray sheep, the high ground of the Cairngorms has re- mained a natural habitat. Many sheep have been grazed in summer in the last two years but mainly on the lower hills and moors. Most of the area is in a National Nature Reserve, which gives the Nature Conservancy control of de- velopment and opportunities for research. The arctic-alpine zone A walker going up the hills can easily know when he reaches this zone by its dwarf plants, many of them arctic species, and also by seeing the fairly uniform heather moor change to a diverse mixture of grasses, lichens and heaths. This zone usually starts at about 2500 ft but this varies from 2000 ft to 3000 ft according to shelter and aspect. The vegetation is mainly heathy, but is grassy where the snow lies long. There are many boulders and frost-heaved gravel beds, and vege- tation decreases rapidly with height till at 4200 ft the sum- mits are barren wastes of stone and sand, with few plants other than some lichens and mosses. Ptarmigan. Ptarmigan are the commonest birds in the arctic- alpine zone. Except possibly for voles, which are sometimes abundant on grassy places up to 3250 ft but scarce higher up, Ptarmigan are the commonest resident vertebrates. Red deer do not graze in this zone in winter, and although many may be seen there in summer most grazing is done in the glens below. Ptarmigan food in the Cairngorms consists mainly of crowberry leaves, blaeberry stems and leaves, heather tips and some dwarf willow (Watson 1965a). They live wherever crowberry or blaeberry are abundant, especially where boulders give good shelter or cover. The highest breeding Ptarmigan live at 4100-4150 ft on Ben MacDhui, on patches of dwarf willow among boulders, and the lowest at 2000 ft on exposed ridges. They are not on the summits at 4200-4300 ft, nor on completely barren stone fields. They do not live on continuous grassland except where there are occasional islands of screes or stony moraines with some heathy vege- tation. Cliffs are occupied as well as vegetated hill slopes, screes and fiat ground. No Ptarmigan stay above 3500 ft in heavy winter snow, and in severe winters they may all be below 3000 ft for weeks on end, feeding largely on heather. 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THH CAIRNGORMS 181 But they do not desert even their local hill in snowy periods, far less the whole Cairngorms. The cocks defend their territories and pair with the hens in the early morning in autumn and winter, but all day long after February or March. In autumn and winter they do this only on fine mornings when the ground is largely snow- free, and on most winter days the weather is so bad that they are in flocks. On calm mornings in February or March the air is filled with the continuous croaking of the cocks, and in every direction there are Ptarmigan chasing each other or fluttering up and down in song flights. Summer on these hills is largely silent and lacks this vigorous outburst of life, although the cocks still challenge each other in the early hours after dawn. The cocks have favourite lookouts on pro- minent mounds, boulders or cliff turrets where many drop- pings collect in spring and where the vegetation is often different from the poorer soil nearby. In snowy weather the Ptarmigan feed in flocks wherever the continual winds have drifted the snow off the vegetation, sometimes scratching the snow with their feet to expose the plants. They roost in snow hollows or holes, but there is no danger of them being buried because they choose exposed places where falling snow quickly drifts away. However, they do not sit right out in the open, and nearly always use some small local shelter, such as behind a stone. Many climbers, fighting their way apprehensively in gathering darkness in a blizzard. have envied the Ptarmigan preparing to spend a comfortable night on the exposed summits. A population study in the Cairngorms showed that breed- ing stocks rose to a peak in the early 1950s and 1960s, and decreased in the mid 1950s after summers of poor breeding (Watson 1965b). They did not breed anv worse in summers after the winter and suring food supply had been greatly reduced by deep snow. However, breeding was late and poor after springs when the new growth of the vegetation was late, as Siivonen (1957) also found in Finland with other game birds. Breeding success was not related to the rainfall and temperature in summer. Summer snowstorms lasting a day or two and with less than six inches of snow had no effect even if they occurred repeatedly every few weeks throughout the summer as in 1965. However the great snowstorm of June 1953 was of winter severity, and lasted three days. Many Ptarmigan and Dotterel deserted their eggs, which were found cold after the snow melted, and most Ptarmigan and Dotterel were in flocks for the rest of the summer. Such severe summer snowstorms have occurred only _ twice (in 1942 and 1953) in the last 20 years (Nethersole-Thompson 1966). In any case breeding might have been as bad without 182 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) the snowstorms, as it was in many other years without snow. Similar catastrophic breeding occurred in 1955 with fine sunny weather; and conversely the birds bred well in 1948 in spite of several snowstorms, heavy rain and low tem- peratures. How do Ptarmigan and Dottere] chicks survive in some bad summers with occasional or even frequent snowstorms? I have sometimes ween amazed to see Dotterel and Ptarmigan chicks at the critical age of 2-5 days running about vigor- ously the day after a 12-inch snowfall. However, these snow- falls are usually accompanied by drifting, and unless they are of winter severity, which is exceptional, they do not cover the boulders. The large spaces under and among the boulders are usually completely free of snow, and the soil there is not frozen. Many insects are active there, even dur- ing the winter on mild days, and midges and other Diptera crowd into these places after summer snowstorms. Since Ptarmigan and Dotterel broods are very often found on ground with boulders, and Snow Buntings regularly hunt these places, food shortage is probably seldom serious after most summer snowstorms. Ptarmigan breed over most of the mainland Highlands above 2000-2500 ft, and on some of the islands. In parts of the northwest Highlands they breed down to 1000 ft, and even to 600 ft on one coastal hill near Cape Wrath, where the winter temperatures are like southern England but where the arctic-alpine vegetation grows at very low alti- tudes because of severe winds. However, they are generally scarcer in the west, where the peaks are sharp with little high ground and the vegetation is largely mossy and grassy due to high rainfall. The Cairngorms and neighbouring Lochnagar and other hills near Braemar are their strong- hold. Here there are vast areas of continuous high ground and a heathy vegetation supplying abundant food. The breeding population of the Cairngorms has been roughly estimated at 1300 in a low year and 5000 in a high year, with up to 13,000 in a peak autumn (Watson 1965a). One of the surprising things about Ptarmigan is that they reach much higher densities in the Cairngorms-Braemar area than have been recorded in the arctic. Snow Bunting. Apart from Ptarmigan, Peregrine and Dun- lin, Snow Buntings are the only circumpolar high-arctic birds breeding in the Cairngorms. However, they are very much scarcer than Ptarmigan and do not breed on most hills. Many thousands move into Scotland from Scandinavia and southeast Greenland every October and stay till March. Flocks of scores may be seen on any winter day in the hills or glens, feeding on seeds of rush, sedge or grass, and some- 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 183 times they concentrate in hundreds. Most of them have de- parted by late March. A few small flocks are occasionally seen in April in some years but have nearly all moved north by the third week, leaving only a very few individuals to breed. In May and June in the Cairngorms the cocks sing loudly from large boulders or crags where many droppings accum- ulate, and they often launch off from these places in far- ranging song flights. The song is sweet, unlike the jangling songs of other buntings, and has a far-carrying and ventri- loquial quality. Desmond Nethersole-Thompson, who has lived in the pine forest of Rothiemurchus below the Cairn- gorms for thirty years, has a monograph on the Snow Bun- ting in press. The Cairngorms are the Scottish stronghold of the Snow Bunting. They bred on several hills in Sutherland, Ross and elsewhere at the end of last century, but a brood on Ben Nevis is the only record in the last thirty years apart from the Cairngorms. In the best years such as 1947 the Cairngorms have had three pairs and seven or eight unmated cocks (Nethersole-Thompson 1966), and four pairs in one corrie in 1909 (Gordon 1915), but in other years only an odd pair or even just unmated cocks. There are only two fairly regular breeding areas, both in boulder-strewn ground above 3500 ft near large summer snowfields, but unmated cocks or breeding pairs occasionally live on other hills. The snowfields may be important, because they are often littered with dead or comatose insects that get stranded there and provide a ready and easily picked-up source of food. These are most abundant on warm days. Many are arctic species such as arctic weevils and beetles, but others are lowland ones such as pine weevils, flying wood ants and other species which presumably get carried from the pine forests far below by currents of warm air. Meadow Pipits, Snow Buntings and Wheatears feed there frequently and take these insects to their young. A major insect food of the Snow Bunting is the cranefly Tipula sp., which is found mainly off the snow and is sometimes very common. Snow Buntings often rear two broods in Scotland, but only one in the high-arctic. Nethersole-Thompson has done a detail- ed study of the behaviour and breeding of his few birds, which often had distinctive plumage and which he came to know very well as individuals. He has also tried to find if the Scot- tish birds are a distinct Scottish stock hanging on as a relic of glacial times, like the Ptarmigan, or simply ‘occasional arctic birds that stay to breed. The second explanation is the more likely. Iceland cocks have dark rumps and Norwegian and Greenland cocks white rumps. Both kinds occur in the Scottish breeding stock, and the proportion of dark-rump- 184 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) ed to white-rumped changes from year to year. This suggests that the proportion staying behind in Scotland from the Ice- land or Scandinavian stocks varies. The other possibility is that there is a distinct Scottish stock which is very variable because it is so small. This is unlikely, because no breeding hens have been recorded in some years, and in other years not even unmated cocks. Snowy Owl. This is the third high-arctic bird of the Cairn- gorms but has not yet been recorded breeding. The first rec- ord in the Cairngorm hills was an adult male on the Ben MacDhui plateau in summer 1952 (Van den Bos, Watson & Watson 1952). It ranged all over the plateau as far as Cairn- gorm but its favourite haunts were in the fine piece of high- arctic country northeast of Ben MacDhui. What was perhaps the same bird spent the following summer there also and was seen in one of these years on a cliff turret of Sgoran Dubh (Nethersole-Thompson in litt.). It was using certain prominent boulders as perching places where it sat motion- less for hours on end, and remains of prey found there show- ed that it had fed on a mountain hare and on several grouse- like birds, probably Ptarmigan (Tewnion 1954). The Snowy Owl’s food in the arctic is mainly small mammals, espec- ially lemmings, but voles and other small rodents are scarce on the grasslands of the MacDhui plateau. An adult male again frequented this area in summer 1963 (Gribble 1964) and in summer 1965. There is no doubt that breeding has not occurred. Breeding males in the arctic give themselves away by calling loudly, following the observer and often attacking him. This behaviour starts as soon as the observer enters the bird’s large territory, and intensifies the nearer he gets to the nest. By contrast the adult cocks in Scotland have been silent, although the 1965 bird angrily scolded Brock Nethersole-Thompson at one place. However, a few Snowy Owls breed in the central highlands of Iceland, living mainly on Ptarmigan in this rodent-free area, so it is not completely without reason to expect that a pair may nest on Ben MacDhui in some year of high Ptarmigan numbers. Incidentally. the years when a Snowy Owl was seen were all years of Ptarmigan abundance, and none was seen in the low Ptarmigan years 1956-58. Dotterel. The Dotterel is an arctic-alpine bird which has not colonised most of the New World, Greenland, Icelaned, and Spitsbergen. Its main breeding distribution is on tundra near or at sea level in the far north of Scandinavia, Russia and Siberia north to Novaya Zemlya and east to Mongolia and Alaska. However there ‘are many isolated outposts on mountains in Lapland, south Scandinavia, U.S.S.R., Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Appenines, Rumania, Scotland, 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 185 occasionally north England, and now the Dutch polders. It is not certain if the Dotterel is by origin a mountain bird, and only a recent colonist in the arctic, or vice versa (Voous 1960). Dotterel are summer birds in the Cairngorms, leaving the hills in August to migrate to North Africa and the Middle East, and returning again in early or mid May when the Cairngorm winter is past. They are much commoner than Snow Buntings but much scarcer than Ptarmigan, reaching densities of a pair per 200-400 acres on suitable habitat (Nethersole-Thompson 1951). They breed regularly on a few hills in Ross-shire, west Inverness-shire, Perthshire, and on the Monadh Liath hills west of the Spey valley; on some of the Grampian hills west and south of the Cairngorms: they are locally quite common. They breed on most hills in the Cairngorms, with up to 5 or 6 pairs on some hills and more in occasional peak years. They arrive in flocks and up to 40 have been seen together in May about the time when they come back (Watson 1955). They again form mixed flocks of old and young in August just before leaving. Occa- sional birds, especially cocks, sometimes live for several weeks on areas where no breeding has been recorded, and sometimes visit such places briefly on migration. Dotterel occupy mossy or grassy ground on rounded sum- mits, plateaux, gentle slopes and ridges. A few nest on fairly barren stony ground with patches of moss, lichens and grass, but none occupies the very barren screes of the Snow Bun- ting or the boulder-strewn heaths of the Ptarmigan. They breed from 3200 ft to 4000 ft, but on nearby hills in the Grampians many nests are found between 2700 ft and 3000 ft, with extremes of 2500 ft and 3700 ft. In the Grampians some of the Dotterel are also on mossy-grassy ground with peat hags. Their food is mostly insects and spiders. Dotterel are unusual in that the hen is bigger and more brightly coloured, does much of the courting, and leaves the cock to do nearly all the incubation and rearing of the chicks, Nethersole-Thompson has made a detailed study of the Dotterel, which we hope to see published in the next few years. He concentrated on studying the behaviour of well known. individuals. Dotterel can easily be approached within 30 yards even when they are not nesting. Their Gaelic name is An t-amadan mointeach, or fool of the moss; and the ‘daft dotterel’ is an expression from lowland Scotland. Some of Nethersole-Thompson’s earlier observations can be read in Witherby et al. (1938-41) and in Bannerman (1961). Unmated hens chase the cocks in the flocks and make advertisement flights with a special call. Later the cock may chase the hen and court it, and both take part in symbolic nest scraping. The cock does all or nearly all the incubation of eggs and 186 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) also shuffles away from a dog or man with injury flight and other distraction displays. When the cocks are brooding, the hens live in small groups and sometimes spar and display on communal display grounds. A hen Dotterel sometimes mates with two cocks in succession, leaving each with a clutch, but some hens do brood. Hens also sometimes rejoin cocks and chicks towards the end of the fledging period, whereupon the cock may try to drive the hen away. Dotterel usually lay in late May or early June and hatch the chicks in late June. The time of breeding varies with the snow cover. After the very snowy winter of 1951 the Ben MacDhui plateau was still under deep firm snow in the last week of June. There was a pair of Dotterel on every large snow-free area, frequently taking off in display flights over the snow. They were fully a month late in breeding. Nether- sole-Thompson in his Snow Bunting book shows the dates when he found first eggs of Dotterel, Snow Bunting and Ptarmigan. The Dotterel and Ptarmigan varied more from year to year than the Snow Bunting, possibly because they nest On open ground and not in sheltered holes under boul- ders like the Snow Bunting. Dotterel usually lay three eggs, like Oystercatchers and unlike most other waders, which lay four. As they rear only one brood, a 50: 50 ratio of young and old in August means very good breeding. In occasional years of severe summer snowstorms, such as 1953, the Dotterel desert their nests or lose all their young, and then go into flocks for the rest of the summer, but most summer snowstorms do not affect them. The fully grown young are remarkably unlike the adults in plumage, having a generally creamy ground colour with heavy blackish marks on the wings and back. The eye stripe and crescent on the breast, so prominent in the adult hen, are paler in the adult cock and indistinct in the full grown young. Other birds in the arctic-alpine zone. The other species breed- ing on the high ground are mostly arctic in distribution, but do breed down to sea level in Britain and other parts of their range in the temperate zone. Those of mainly arctic distribution are the Golden Plover, Dunlin, Wheatear and Meadow Pipit. The only other regular breeder in the arctic- alpine zone is the Ring Ouzel, which has a northern Euro- pean distribution. The abundance of these birds varies on different hills. The differences are due to the habitat selec- tion of the birds, with more Golden Plovers and Meadow Pipits on grassy hills and more Wheatears, Ring Ouzels and Ptarmigan on stony hills. One of the surprising things about the Scottish hills is the absence of breeding Ringed Plovers, although they breed at low densities over vast areas of 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 187 similar terrain in Iceland, northern Scandinavia and arctic Canada. Golden Plover. Golden Plovers breed on stretches of con- tinuous mossy grassland, with peat bogs or peat hags, some- times in the same area as Dotterel; but Dotterel do not breed below 3200 ft in the Cairngorms, whereas Golden Plovers breed on moors near sea level. Unlike Dotterel, Golden Plovers rarely occur on fairly barren stony areas with occa- sional patches of grass and moss, and seldom breed on contin- uous grassland without peat. They commonly nest up to 3500 ft on suitable areas, and occasionally up to 3700 ft on Beinn a’ Bhuird and Ben A’an, whereas many Dotterel in the Cairngorms are above 3900 ft. The highest grasslands at 3800- 4000 ft are occupied by Dotterel, and Goiden Plovers have not been found breeding there, although pairs have been seen occasionally. The most extensive areas for plovers are on the fairly grassy and peaty western hills of Carn Ban- Moine Mhor and the similar eastern hills between Yellow Moss and Ben A’an, but higher populations occur on the con- tinuous peaty grasslands of the Grampians further south. Below 3000 ft the Golden Plover breeds not only on grass- lands, which are now much more peaty and comprise a diff- erent plant community from the higher grasslands, but also extensively on heathery ground, even where it is open as a result of burning. The even slopes of heather on the hillsides are largely unvisited by Golden Plovers, but they occur on flat or gently sloping areas, especially among peat hags or bogs but sometimes on largely dry flat moorland. Hence there is often a gap on well drained slopes from 2000-2500 ft where few or no plovers occur (Nethersole-Thompson 1957a), but they occur at these altitudes wherever there are peat bogs. Golden Plovers are away from the hills in winter, but are early back in spring. On the first day of thaw in early March, after weeks of heavy snow, it is common to see a single plover paying gq fleeting visit to snowy wastes at 2000- 3000 ft, and this may be seen even in January or February on the moors at 2000 ft. The entire population returns in March or April as soon as there are scattered patches of completely snow-free thawed-out grass, even if 98°/ of the ground is buried in deep snow. Sometimes they start song flights with slow-beating wings on the day they return, with a greater intensity than at any time later. The song is a series of quick, mournful, piping calls going down, up and then down again in pitch. A single mournful piping note is given on the ground; this and the song carry fully half a mile on a quiet day. This single call, the croaking ground call of cock Ptarmigan, and the song of the Meadow Pipit are the com- monest sounds heard by the ornithologist camping on the Cairngorms in summer. Nethersole-Thompson has done a de- 188 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) tailed study of the Golden Plover’s spectacular courtship and aggressive behaviour (summarised in Witherby et al. 1938- 41, and in Bannerman 1961). Although they are usually in pairs, communal displays are also frequent. The Cairngorm Golden Plovers do not lay till early May, and after severe winters not till after mid May. Some of them appear to be non-breeders, staying in small groups and not pairing up; these have little or no black on the face, throat or belly. Most young are fully grown in mid July, and young and old then gather into flocks or 20 or more, reach- ing 50 or even 100 on hills with large areas of suitable hab- itat. Some of the birds move upwards on to the highest grasslands, which become deserted by Dotterel in August, and may be seen in flocks even at 3800-4100 ft where none has yet been found breeding. The arctic-alpine Golden Plovers remain in flocks on high grasslands at over 2500 ft into October and even into November if the weather is mild, and they are occasionally seen on the most barren ground; I once saw four near the cairn on Ben MacDhui on 15th Octo- ber, although there was some fresh snow on the ground. Yet breeding places on the lower moors and valley are deserted in August, coinciding with the appearance of flocks on low- land farms and estuaries. Some of the high-altitude birds are strongly marked with black and white on the head and neck like typical ‘northern’ birds Charadrius apricarius altifrons; many are intermediate and very few males look like the illustrations of ‘southern’ birds Charadrius a. apricarius in Witherby et al. (1938-41). These ‘northern’ birds and intermediates often occur on lower moors, but may be more frequent at high altitudes (Wynne- Edwards 1957, Gordon 1957, Nethersole-Thompson 1957b, Hewson 1957, Tewnion 1957, Watson 1957a). Dunlin. Dunlin are much scarcer than Golden Plovers or Dotterel, except on a few areas in the west Cairngorms, but on the few areas where they occur they are commoner than Dotterel. Small groups of pairs are concentrated on grassy areas with peat hags and boggy ground in the west and southwest Cairngorms, and on the Yellow Moss of Derry. Isolated pairs also nest on some of the slopes and ridges of the higher hills on the west Cairngorms up to over 3500 ft, and in 1962 and 1963 a pair nested on a ridge at 3600 ft on the Ben MacDhui plateau (Nethersole-Thompson in litt.). In the west Cairngorms Nethersole-Thompson occasionally found a Dunlin nesting on the same slope as a Dotterel, and once within five yards of each other. The distribution of Dunlin in Scotland is very unusual, Many nest locally on bogs at sea level and on mountain bogs, but there are very few in between. On Speyside, Nethersole-Thompson found 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 189 that an odd pair or two occasionally nest at two lochs in the valley floor and on a few boggy foothills near the edge of Abernethy Forest. No other nesting places were found in this large area, although there are quite large nesting groups not far away in the Cairngorms and high Grampians. Sim- ilarly on Deeside there are several bogs in the valleys around 1500 ft with a pair of breeding Dunlin, and no others till one reaches the peaty bogs of the arctic-alpine zone. Outside the Cairngorms proper many pairs also breed on the grassy peat mosses on the Glen Clunie-Glen Ey hills south and southwest of Braemar. The best time to look for Dunlin is soon after they return in May, when they are usually heard long before they are seen. The song is a long trill, at a distance sounding like a whistle with a rattle in it, and it can be heard easily half a mile away. Nethersole-Thompson has twice watched Dun- lin with greyish-white napes, large black patches on the belly, and other features resembling the northern race, which breeds in Scandinavia. One of these was a very tame bird near the Wells of Dee on Braeriach in June 1941. Passerines. Wheatears are common on dry stony ground and along dry cliffs; and Meadow Pipits are common on both heath and grassland, especially where the vegetation is fairly continuous and not broken up by many screes. Both breed up to 4000 ft and occasionally 4100 ft (I have seen newly fledged Meadow Pipits still with a lot of down being fed at 4200 ft on Braeriach) but they are commoner below 3500 ft. Meadow Pipits reach highest densities below 2500 ft on the well vegetated heathy lower slopes, whereas Wheatears are scarcer there than higher up, except where there are patches with many boulders. Both species return between early April and early May, according to the weather and snow cover, but in the arctic-alpine zone the bulk of the population does not usually return till late April and early May. In most years they are back at 2500 ft 10-14 days be- fore they come at 3500 ft, but in years when a rapid thaw and summer temperatures reach all altitudes they may colonise all the ground, simultaneously. By contrast, in the very snowy year 1951 they did not return at 3500 ft till late May. They show an intense burst of territorial behaviour and singing in the first few days. Both lay in late May like most other Cairngorm birds, and most young fledge in late June. The birds then flock together, and in July-August often move up to higher, more barren ground, especially in fine warm periods, when hundreds of Meadow Pipits and scores of Wheatears may be seen around the highest summits at 4200-4300 ft hawking for insects, in places where few or none bred earlier on. They 190 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) often concentrate on the remaining snow patches. On one day in mid August I saw over 150 Meadow Pipits and 20 Wheatears picking up stranded insects just northeast of the Ben MacDhui summit on a snow patch barely 100 yards long and 30 yards wide. Most Wheatears move away before late August and only an occasional bird is seen in September, but most pipits do not leave till mid September and some not till October if there is no snow. Many pipits also move down into the pine forests in August, so that nearly all are either above 3000 ft (sometimes all above 4000 ft) or in the forests. Apart from Snow Buntings, Ring Ouzels are the scarcest passerine in the arctic-alpine zone. They occur only on or near cliffs or among very large boulders on steep slopes, and are usually absent from the highest cliffs above 3500 ft, al- though Perry (1948) saw one cock singing at 4000 ft at the Wells of Dee, and I have seen a newly fledged brood at 4000 ft on Cairn Toul. Below 2500 ft it is much commoner, nesting on cliffs, steep screes, rocky gorges and among juniper scrub. Its piping song is sometimes mistaken for a Snow Bunting’s but is much more monotonous; one corrie has both species close together. Ring Ouzels, Meadow Pipits and Wheatears nesting below 2000 ft have young by the end of May in a mild spring, and the earliest nesting pipits may have fledged young by then, but in the arctic-alpine zone it is usually mid June before all three hatch their young. At 3800-4100 ft the young do not fledge till early July. After the breeding season Ring Ouzels gather into flocks and may move away from the stones, especially to places with many berries. They leave the arctic-alpine zone in late September and return in late April and early May, but the first ones are back in the glens below in mid April. Heather moors Red Grouse. The ground below the arctic-alpine zone is mostly well drained moor covered mainly by heather. On flat ground there are peat bogs with some cotton grass, and there are extensive grasslands on well drained valley floors and occasionally on patches of good soil on the slopes. Apart from Meadow Pipits, Red Grouse are the commonest breeding birds below the arctic-alpine zone, and on many hills near Braemar are commoner than pipits. Grouse are certainly the commonest bird of the Cairngorm heather moors in terms of numbers plus weight, just as Ptarmigan are in the arctic-alpine zone. The edge of the arctic-alpine zone is where Red Grouse and Ptarmigan are separated. On some hills this is a sharp contour line along the hillside and the territories of the two species are entirely separate. On most hills, however, patches of long heather occur up to 3000 ft in sheltered places, and patches of arctic-alpine vegetation 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 191 down to 2000 ft in exposed places or on screes. Thus although the two species overlap in altitude they do not overlap in habitat. In July and August, when there is hardly any terri- torial behaviour by grouse or Ptarmigan, grouse families often move up to the lower part of the arctic-alpine zone and in August-September flocks sometimes go as _ high as 3300 ft. In winter hardly any grouse are in the arctic- alpine zone, and in heavy snow the birds on the heather moors just below this zone move down several hundred feet. How- ever, in the worst winters such as 1951 they completely deserted the upper valleys and moved several miles to the lower valleys and near the pine woods, whereas Ptarmigan held on in the 2000-2500 ft zone. Counts of Red Grouse in the Cairngorms show breeding stocks varying from one to five pairs per 100 acres in differ- ent years. This density is the same as that of Ptarmigan higher up (Watson 1965b) if the total acreage of ground is included, but in fact large grassy areas on the high plateaux are unoccupied by Ptarmigan, whereas nearly all ground be- low 2500 ft is suitable habitat for grouse, since arctic-alpine vegetation comes below this level only on very exposed ridges or screes. Hence Ptarmigan densities on the best habitat in the Cairgorms are much higher than the highest grouse den- sities lower down. It should be said that these grouse stocks are very low by grouse-moor standards. Although most of the ground below 2500 ft is heathery and thus supplies plenty of food, cover is poor because of large fires burned there in spring. These commonly cover 50-100 acres, whereas high grouse stocks are usually on moors with fires of 10 acres or less. Ptarmigan and grouse both reach similar densities at Cairnwell, Carn an Tuirc and Lochnagar near Braemar, and both are much commoner there than in the Cairngorms; they may reach an average density of a pair per 4-5 acres, which is very high by grouse-moor standards, although these places are run primarily as deer forests. The reason why population densities of grouse vary so much on different moors is a major problem facing the Unit of Grouse and Moorland Ecology. Stocks tend to be higher where there is more heather (Jenkins, Watson & Miller 1964). However one moor east of the Cairngorms has had much higher stocks on average over a period of years than a nearby moor below Lochnagar where the amount of heather has been similar. In this case the low stocks occur on a moor over granite, and the high stocks over the mineral-rich diorite. Heather on the diorite is richer in phosphorus and nitrogen, so the higher grouse stocks may be due to food of better quality. 192 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) Therre are also examples of this in the Cairngorms. Most hills are granite and rarely support as much as a pair of grouse per 20 acres, and often only a pair per 50-100 acres. However some hills on the richer schists, for instance on the Yellow Moss, Meall an Lundain, Feith na Sgor and Glen Geldie, support higher densities of up to a pair per 10 acres in some years. The keepers have tried grouse shooting on all the hills but it is only on some of the schist hills that it is worthwhile and still done annually. Yet the schist hills are no more heathery than the granite hills, and in some cases, such as Yellow Moss, are less heathery. Predators. Golden Eagles are the commonest bird preda- tors in the arctic-alpine zone, but do most of their hunting on the heather moors. A few eyries are at 3000 ft but nearly all are below 2500 ft. Most are below 2000 ft, including many in pine trees at 1500-2000 ft. About one fourth of the hunting ground of eagles in this region is in the arctic-alpine zone (Brown & Watson 1964), and out of 17 pairs in the Cairn- gorms-Braemar area only one does not have arctic-alpine ground in its hunting range. Ptarmigan are an important food for some pairs, and eagles hunt all over the Cairngorms and regularly fly over the highest summits, even in the dead of winter when Ptarmigan and hares have entirely deserted these places. There are also favourite eagle perching places at high altitudes, including one on a summit rock at 3700 ft with a marvellous view over most of Scotland. The food of the Cairngorm eagles is mainly live Red Grouse, Ptarmigan, mountain hares and rabbits, and red deer carrion, They take a great variety of other prey, from moles and water voles to fox cubs and deer calves, but these extras make up a small part of the total diet. In autumn Nether- sole-Thompson has seen eagles chasing geese on passage, and in the goose season as many as five eagles sometimes hunt the ground above Loch Einch, which is one of the main routes followed by geese over the hills. The number of adult pairs on the Dee side of the Cairn- gorms has been very steady since 1944, with about one pair per 16 sq. miles (Watson 1957b); there was one extra pair around 1950 and another pair vanished in the late 1950s. Breeding success has also been very steady, with about 0.8 young reared per pair per year. This steady breeding was surprising in view of the big fluctuations in their food supply from year to year, with fluctuations in the numbers of grouse and Ptarmigan, myxomatosis in rabbits, and some years with many hundreds of dead deer and others with only a few scores. The eagles evidently had so much ground that these changes in food had no effect (Brown & Watson 1964). These high eagle densities are typical of a large area of 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 193 deer-forest country in upper Deeside to the east and in north- west Angus and north Perthshire to the south and southwest. Deer stalkers in this area have left the eagles alone during this period although the birds were often persecuted in earlier decades, as in most of the Highlands. Unfortunately the eagles on the Spey side of the Cairngorms have had a sorrier story of persecution lasting into the post-war years, with frequent changes of mate in different years, often known to be due to shooting, and territories often lacking one or both birds in summer. From 1932 to 1946 Nethersole-Thomp- son (in litt.) found that only 0.5 young were reared per pair per year. This is similar to what Sandeman (1957) found in 1950-56 in Perthshire, where eagles were also frequently shot, trapped or poisoned. Eagles are still generally shot and trapped on grouse moors on every side of the Cairngorms. Most of the Cairngorm eaglets disappear in September-Octo- ber, and this coincides with the appearance of many young eagles on the grouse moors, where few or no eagles breed successfully. Hence there seems to be a big export of young from the Cairngorms every year. Peregrines, Kestrels and Merlins all breed below 2500 ft and occasionally hunt in the arctic-alpine zone, but are seen there much less frequently than eagles. The Peregrine is the most frequently seen of the three on the highest ground above 3500 ft. Kestrels hunt regularly up to 3200 ft and oc- casionally higher, especially in years and places in which voles are locally abundant. Their pellets show that small rodents and beetles are the main prey. The Cairngorm Pere- grines live mainly on grouse, plovers, and sometimes Ptar- migan, and the Merlin hunts for pipits and Wheatears. How- ever all three falcons hunt mainly on the moors below the arctic-alpine zone, and also breed there. Four pairs of Pere- grines breed among the lower Cairngorm foothills at the edge of the forests in the Spey and Dee valleys, but only one pair breeds in the high massif itself. At least five or six pairs of Merlins are known on the Dee side of the Cairngorms, all in glens or on low hills below 2000 ft. Kestrels are commoner still but the exact number is not known. Ravens may also be seen flying over the highest ground in winter, though living mostly on the lower hills. None breeds in the Cairngorms although a few pairs do so nearby in the side glens of the Dee and Spey valleys. This absence is remarkable, considering the widespread distribution of Ravens in most mountain areas in Britain. It might be due to competition from eagles but might also be due to lack of abundant food in summer on the higher hills. Deer carrion in this area occurs mostly in winter and spring, with hardly ‘any in summer; moreover the amount of sheep carrion is 194 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) negligible because most of the Cairngorms are not used for sheep grazing. Ravens breed commonly on most hill-sheep areas in western Britain, but there ample carrion is avail- able, even in summer, because of the heavy mortality of sheep and lambs (Brown & Watson 1964). However, some Ravens appear every year in the Cairngorms in September and stay till January-February feeding largely on the intes- tines and other remains of shot red deer and on deer that have died naturally. During the stalking season Ravens some- times appear within 10 minutes of shots being fired, and may come down to feed on the discarded gralloch within 20 min- utes of the stalkers leaving. I know of no record of a Short-eared Owl breeding in the Cairngorms, but in May 1960 Nethersole-Thompson watched a male displaying above the forest southeast of Loch Morlich. A few breed nearby on the hills east of Invercauld and on the Glen Ey-Glen Clunie hills up to 1800 ft where voles are more common than in the Cairngorms, and occasionally hunt there in summer up to 3000 ft. An occasional bird is seen on the Cairngorms in autumn in Glen Einich, Glen Dee or Glen Derry. Similarly, no Hen Harrier has been found breeding in the Cairngorms, although a pair nested in 1936 on one of the foothills of Abernethy and a pair occasionally nests in Rothiemurchus and lower Glen Feshie. In autumn occasional birds on the move hunt the lower slopes of the Lairig Ghru and Glen Einich and one was seen in September on the Yellow Moss at. 2800 ft. By contrast the grouse moors not far away to the east of Braemar and north of the Cairn- gorms are visited every autumn by many juvenile and sometimes adult harriers, which stay there till March if not shot or trapped, living mainly on grouse and small rodents. The general absence of breeding harriers from the Cairn- gorms, and the complete absence of a breeding record from the Mar side of the hills, cannot be due to persecution by keep- ers. On the Mar side, birds of prey have been left alone since at least 1945, yet the harriers continually try to colonise grouse moors not far to the east where they are persecuted worse than eagles or Peregrines. Their absence from the Cairngorms must be due to something else, possibly a defi- cient food supply or inhospitable climate. No Buzzards were known in the Cairngorms _be- fore 1940, except a pair that nested in Inschriach forest in the 1920s (Nethersole-Thompson in litt.) but two pairs now breed in the main Dee valley near Braemar and occasionally hunt the lower hills up to 2500 ft. On Speyside Buzzards now nest also in Rothiemurchus Forest and at Pityoulish and occa- sionally soar above the high ground at over 3000 ft on either side of the Lairig Ghru (Nethersole-Thompson in litt.). Gor- 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 195 don (1912) noticed that no Buzzards or Ravens nested in the Cairngorms area and wondered if this was because eagles do not allow the species to nest near them. Ratcliffe (1962) gave some evidence of antagonism between eagles and Peregrines or Ravens, and Brock Nethersole-Thompson once watched a mid-air fight between an eagle and a Peregrine in May 1961 near a Peregrine nesting place. There are still no Buzzards in the central high mass of the Cairngorms, but this could also be due to lack of rabbits there. Other species breeding on heather moors. Cuckoos are com- mon in valleys and on lower slopes up to 2000 ft, arriving at the beginning of May. Most are in open parts of the pine forest but many live up to a mile from the nearest trees on open moors. Nearly all Cuckoos on the moors are reared by Meadow Pipits. Many Skylarks breed on the grassy valley bottoms up to 1500 ft and some up to 2200 ft, but some have been recorded singing higher up in summer, for instance at 2800 ft on Yellow Moss, at 3000 ft on the Moine Mhor, and even at 3500 ft on Glas Maol south of Braemar. Occasional pairs of Whinchats and Twites nest in the open treeless glens up to 1500 ft, but both are uncommon. Twites are occasionally seen higher, including one at 2700 ft in Glen Geusachan in March and one with a flock of Snow Buntings in Glen Dee in January. Occasional pairs of Pied Wagtails breed at bothies, ruined houses or inhabited cottages up to 1600 ft, and a pair breeds at the Cairnwell skilift station at 2100 ft. Curlews and Greenshanks live mainly on the moors and valleys below the tree line at 2000 ft. Most glens have one or two pairs of each. Nethersole-Thompson (1951) gave a full description of the Greenshank’s behaviour, breeding and habitat from a detailed study in the Spey valley. In recent years he has noticed fewer Greenshanks in central Strath- spey and there are fewer on the Dee side of the hills than in the late 1940s. Snipe are common in boggy gaps in the pine forest and on boggy valleys and hillsides but do not breed above 2000 ft. In spring they return one to two weeks later than Golden Plovers, but an occasional bird stays in winter, frequenting boggy flushes in the forest till frost and snow cover all these places. Lapwings have bred up to 2700 ft on the isolated hill of Morven east of the Cairngorms for many years and a pair sometimes breeds up to 2800 ft on the Yellow Moss east of Glen Derry and on Carn Ban Mor in the west Cairngorms, A few also breed on valleys on boggy ground at and below 2000 ft. The highest Oystercatchers breed on treeless valley bottoms at 1500-1600 ft. Occasional visitors, In July and up to mid August, many flocks of Rooks and some of Starlings appear on the valley floors and moors up to 2000 ft, sometimes almost reaching 196 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) the edge of the arctic-alpine zone at 2400 ft. Hundreds of Rooks are sometimes seen feeding on grassland up to ten miles from the nearest rookery. On the Dee side of the hills the only rookery above Ballater is a small one at Invercauld, and the numbers of adult Rooks in these flocks are far greater than in this rookery. In recent years Chaffinches have been seen at the skilift station on Cairngorm at 2500 ft, feeding on crumbs and scraps of waste food, although this place is fully a mile from the nearest pine trees. Streams and lochs Common Sandpipers breed along the main streams and by lochs at 1500-2400 ft, and one pair (occasionally two) breeds 3000 ft up at Loch Etchachan, and at 2850 ft at Loch nan Cnapan (Perry 1948). Nethersole-Thompson found a pair nesting at a tarn at over 3500 ft in 1961 west of Loch Et- chachan. Dippers have a similar distribution, except that they also live on smaller streams and regularly visit the Pools of Dee at 2700 ft or even the Wells of Dee at 4000 ft. They are very hardy and stay all winter in the hills up to 2000 ft, even when the streams are almost completely covered in ice and snow. It is common to see a Dipper flashing in and out of small holes in the snow over the streams, and even giving snatches of song. Occasional pairs of Grey Wagtails live in summer along the larger streams up to 2000 ft, and Nethersole-Thompson once found a nest at 2500 ft. There are regular colonies of Common Gulls in the arctic- alpine zone at 2850 ft at lochs in the west Cairngorms and at 2950 ft at Loch nan Eun on Lochnagar. A few Black-headed Gulls bred in 1958 at one west Cairngorm loch, and they nest regularly at small lochs at 2000 ft south of Carn a’ Mhaim and at 1700 ft near the tree line in upper Glen Derry. Both species may be seen visiting the highest plateaux in summer, where they pick up ground beetles and catch moths in mid air. A few Mallard and Teal breed up to 2000 ft near most moorland lochs and ponds in boggy ground, and occasionally near quiet-flowing parts of the larger streams. An occasional pair of Wigeon and Redshank also nests among ponds on boggy ground in the glens up to 1600 ft, and I once saw a pair of Moorhens with young at this altitude near Loch Builg. A few Goosanders breed in holes in trees or rocks up to 1700 ft along streams, and feed in pairs on the streams but sometimes communally on pools up to 2000 ft. Each pair lives along part of a major stream such as the Hinich or Derry, but the nest may be up a small side stream. Some glens have only one pair but others two or three. They are persecuted 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 197 everywhere, and the broods are often shot by keepers and stalkers when they move down to the larger rivers. In spite of this the number returning each spring is fairly con- stant. The scrub zone Hardly any of the scrub zone above the tree line now exists, owing to burning and grazing. Tiny patches of dwarf birch still grow on some wet bogs, dwarf willow on bogs and on rocky stream banks, and juniper here and there on dry ground. West of Morven near Ballater, extensive stands of 2-3 ft juniper growing up to 2000 ft, with scattered bushes much higher, show what this zone might have been like. It has variety, shelter, colour and many breeding Willow War- blers, Meadow Pipits and Ring Ouzels. The tree line The tree line of the pine forest is 1800-1850 ft in Glen Derry, 2000 ft at Creag Clunie and Glen Quoich, and 2100 ft at Creag Fhiachlach, with occasional trees higher up; the birch-juniper woods on Morrone go up to 2150 ft. On cliff ledges and rocky gorges of streams, many 6-10 ft pines, larches, birches, aspens and especially rowans grow up to 2250 ft, isolated trees to 2500 ft, occasional scrubby trees a foot high up to 3000 ft, and in two cases up to 3400 ft for a pine and 3500 ft for a larch. This tree line is not appreciably lower than in prehistoric times. Roots of pine (sometimes with birch and juniper also) are abundant in nearly all peat bogs up to 2000 ft, but most bogs above 2200 ft have none. Two cases at 2500 ft and one at almost 2700 ft refer to only a few roots in very sheltered places where the arctic-alpine vegetation at present does not go below 3000 ft. Probably these were isolated trees such as still occur above the nor- mal tree line. Unfortunately the present forests are small remnants owing to burning and to severe browsing of young trees by red deer, and most of the once-forested ground below 2000 ft is a treeless heather moor. Near the edge of the pines, woodland birds are sometimes seen out on the nearby hill. Capercaillies are often on the moor edge in summer and autumn, and Black Grouse and Woodpigeons even more, sometimes up to 2300 ft on hillside bogs and berry patches a mile from the nearest trees. Flocks of Bullfinches are often in long heather in winter up to 4 mile from the trees. Occasional Wrens breed on sheltered stream banks or rocky gorges up to 2000 ft and up to two miles from the nearest woods, but there are far more in the woods. Similarly most Woodcock breed in the woods but some nest up to } mile from the trees. A few Starlings breed in holes in trees in the old pine forest up to 1700 ft in places, 198 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) and may be seen occasionally on the nearby moors up to 2200 ft. In June 1964 Nethersole-Thompson watched a Star- ling which spent the night on a scree ridge at about 3700 ft. Willow Warblers breed in scrub or long heather up to a mile from the woods. Tewnion (1953) once saw one singing among a few birches on crags at 2000 ft in Glen Geusachan, two miles from the nearest wood, and Nethersole-Thompson has heard cocks singing in the few straggling trees under Creag an Leth Choin in the Lairig Ghru. Crows breed up to the tree line but often occur in the tree- less glens and lower hills, and occasionally fly up to the arctic-alpine zone. They take many grouse eggs and some Ptarmigan eggs, but feed mainly on insects in summer, They do not regularly hunt the high ground on the Dee side of the Cairngorms but in recent years have increasingly hunted the Spey side. These Crows are a mixture of Hooded, Carrion and every kind of intermediate. They leave the upper val- leys in winter, moving to the lower valleys and woods below 1500 ft where they have large communal roosts, one, for instance, near the Linn of Dee. Migrants Many birds move over the Cairngorms on migration. Grey Lag Geese regularly and Pink-footed Geese occasionally fly over in flocks of up to 100 through passes such as the Lairig Ghru, Lairig an Laoigh and Glen Einich, but may go right over the highest ground in fine weather. On exceptional days in autumn a continual succession of Greylag flocks moves south, numbering 500-1000 birds in a single afternoon. They occasionally land on Loch Builg and Loch Einich, along with small flocks of Whooper Swans. Occasional Goldeneye and Mallard stop briefly on Loch Etchachan and other high lochs. Gordon (1951) once saw a smal] flock of Teal on the Pools of Dee, and in June 1950 Nethersole-Thompson heard Teal and Oystercatchers flying through the Lairig Ghru at night from a camp on the plateau above. A few Lesser Black- backed Gulls sometimes cross over the hills through the passes at 3000 ft. More unusual birds seen only once include two drake Gad- wall at Loch Builg in October, a White-fronted Goose flying west at Derry Lodge in October, a Jack Snipe shot at 2100 ft near there in October, a Black-throated Diver on Loch Etchachan in June (V. C. Wynne-Edwards in litt.), a Sand Martin there in July, and a Rook flying south at 2400 ft at Cairnwell in late April. Nethersole-Thompson once saw a Curlew which spent several days on boggy ground near Lochan Buidhe at 3500 ft on Ben MacDhui, and Gordon (1921) found a Lapwing dead near the top of Ben MacDhui 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 199 after the winter, presumably a bird that had been overcome on migration. Scores or even hundreds of Swifts may often be seen over the highest tops during some days in summer, and flocks of Swallows and House Martins sometimes fly south over the Cairngorms in autumn, generally through the passes. Brock Nethersole-Thompson watched a Swallow over a tarn at 3700 ft in June 1964. Other birds have occasionally been seen in the arctic-alpine ground just after the first big thaw in March, such as an odd Robin, Greenfinch, Yellowhammer and Bullfinch, and Gordon (1951) once found a Robin in April at the Pools of Dee, lying dead on very deep snow. The bodies of a Robin and a Bullfinch. both of the British race, were picked up on a snowfield at 3700 ft on Braeriach in June 1941 (Nethersole-Thompson in litt.). The main migrants are Fieldfares and Redwings. Flocks of hundreds are common on the moors and hills every aut- umn and many can be heard passing over at night. Most of those that come to ground occur below 3500 ft but some stop briefly right up to the summits. Most move on after a day or two, often to be replaced by further arrivals. They quickly eat any berries left by Ptarmigan, Red Grouse and Ring Ouzels, and their droppings are deeply dyed and full of berry pips, but they also eat many insects while on the hills. A few Skylarks also fly south over the hills at this time, and flocks of up to 10 Pied Wagtails. Natural hazards and human pressures The hill birds are in no danger of extermination by natural predators. Although foxes and eagles are commoner than on preserved grouse moors further down Deeside or in Angus, grouse and Ptarmigan maintain as high breeding stocks on some hills near Braemar as anywhere in Scotland, and predation on Ptarmigan does not appreciably reduce the birds’ production of young. None of the Snow Buntings that Nethersole-Thompson knew so well disappeared in summer. Human pressures are more serious, Although egg col- lectors may have been a nuisance to the occasional ornith- ologist doing a detailed study it is very unlikely that they have had a lasting effect on any of the Cairngorm hill birds. On average, only about one pair of eagles in ten is robbed on the Dee side of the Cairngorms (Watson 1957b), an insignifi- cant number considering the big surplus of young reared. Egg collecting is even more uncommon and negligible with Ptarmigan, and Nethersole-Thompson considers it had no effect on Snow Bunting and Dotterel populations. Eagles on the Spey side of the Cairngorms have suffered heavier egg robbing in the last few years but the number of pairs has not 200 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORM'S 4(2) gone down during these years, nor is it likely to do so con- sidering the surplus produced in districts nearby. Some of the stalkers in the Cairngorms dislike egg collectors. One day I saw a collector being hounded down the glen by the stalker and warned in no uncertain terms of what would happen to him if he ever dared to show his face again, all because he was seen lifting the eggs of the only local pair of Oystercatchers! Shooters are no threat to the hill birds, and probably never have been. Ptarmigan were often shot in the past, but Ptar- migan shooting is no longer fashionable and shooters have become lazier. Few or no Ptarmigan are shot in most years now and the population could stand much heavier exploit- ation. I have known of only five cases where an eagle was kept so long off its nest that the eggs became cold and did not hatch; three involved men cutting trees, one an artist unwit- tingly painting a scene near the eyrie. and one an ornitholo- gist who should have known better. These hazards are of no major importance, and they have not increased, although more walkers and climbers visit the Cairngorms every year. Fortunately nearly all eagle eyries are in pines well off roads or tracks, or in broken cliffs of no interest to rock climbers. Birdwatchers are not a serious threat to the eagle but may become so if they increase at the present rate for another twenty years. The main danger will be chilling of the eggs on cold days, due to people hanging about too long near the nest. The worst that could conceivably happen is that continual disturbance might eliminate a few pairs, espec- ially on the Spey side of the hills, but this would have no noticeable effect on the eagle stock of Scotland. Snow Buntings, Dotterel and other hill birds are in no danger from climbers and walkers, because these birds pay little attention to people walking past and because walkers seldom stop long when they see them. Moreover, Snow Bun- tings in the arctic breed close together in village buildings or in nearby rubbish tips and become very tame. The win- tering flocks in Scotland also become tame wherever they see people every day. Flocks of tame Snow Buntings occur every year at the cafés and car parks near skilifts, and are often given pieces of food by the skiers. After the breeding season Scottish birds are often seen around the summit cairns, where they find crumbs left by walkers, and they often pay no attention to a man 10 yards away. Moreover the Scottish breeding birds are so scarce that very few people will ever exert the energy needed to find them. Dotterel may be in more danger, simply because they are so unwilling to move away, and also because some of the best 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 201 Dotterel areas are very near present and possible future skilifts. The most disturbing news from 1965 was of a group of birdwatchers throwing stones at Dotterel so that they could get better photographs, and there have been cases in past years and recently where photographers have kept Dotterel off chipping eggs for hours, On grassy ground their nests are not ditficult to find and broods even easier. How- ever, Dotterel stocks fluctuate from year to year as they have done for decades, and have not shown a sustained de- cline over recent years. Breeding success is still good on hills in the Grampians visited every summer by many walkers and a few birdwatchers, but no evidence on breeding suc- cess is available for the last few years from the Cairngorms or any other area frequented by large numbers of birdwatch- ers and walkers from skilifts. Such evidence should be ob- tained before birdwatchers are stopped from going there, but the tiny hooligan minority should meantime be warned to behave more responsibly. There is good evidence that Ptarmigan are unaffected by the enormous increase in the number of skiers and walkers near skilifts (Watson 1965a). Their breeding stocks have re- mained as high as on nearby undisturbed hills, and the birds become tame and pay little attention to people. I once thought that walkers might disturb and scatter broods on windy days, but in fact few people walk far, let alone on windy days, and breeding success has been no worse than on _ undisturbed places nearby. Loose untrained dogs may kill nesting Ptarmigan and Dotterel and their chicks, but fortunately they seldom find them. Moreover, loose dogs run about almost daily near the Cairnwell skilift in summer and on Cairngorm, yet Ptarmigan have bred no worse there than on other hills, and there has been no reduction in the adult stock during the summer, In recent years Crows have taken to visiting the arctic-alpine ground on the Spey side and have eaten some Dotterel and Ptarmigan eggs (Nethersole-Thompson in Bannerman 1963). However, Ptarmigan stocks have remained as high on the Spey side as on the Dee side, where Crows are still rare vis- itors to the high hills. Hence there is no evidence as yet of any important damage by tourists to the hill birds, and considerable evidence against this. j However the main threat may be indirect, affecting the birds by way of damage to the vegetation. The Cairnwell skilift is a tribute to those who built it, because damage was slight and the ground has already almost completely recov- ered. However the T-bar tow there has exposed much bare peat which will take longer to recover. Most of the damage at Cairngorm was caused during the building of the lifts, 202 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 4(2) tows, roads and chalets, and unfortunately there has been little or no recovery. The areas near the skilift station are bare of vegetation owing to trampling by summer visitors, and some vegetation between there and the nearby summits also has been partly killed. Nevertheless all this bare gravel and trampled vegetation, while undoubtedly an eyesore, has affected only a minute part of Cairngorm or Cairnwell and so has not yet affected the hill birds. Further increases might be prevented by making good tracks for people to come downhill along the line of the skilifts, and lines of promin- ent cairns to other places commonly visited in summer. The line of cairns recently put up on the Cairngorm-Ben Mac Dhui route to prevent people getting lost will have a long- term effect to the good by channelling the increasing num- bers of walkers. The more serious damage from building roads and lifts could probably be repaired by planting pioneer species of plants but this might take some years. The Cairngorms-Upper Deeside-Upper Angus area is the only part of Britain where the breeding success of Golden Eagle and Peregrine has not declined (Watson unpublished, Ratcliffe 1965), possibly because they feed largely on moor- land prey there and rarely come in contact with animals from farms. Nevertheless in 1964 an eagle which had been on the lower Cairngorms for at least six months contained small amounts of insecticide residues (Watson & Morgan 1964). An unhatched Ptarmigan egg that I found in 1965 on Ben Mac Dhui, where there are only a few stray sheep, had no residues (N. W. Moore in litt.). Hence the effects of toxic insecticides in the Cairngorms are not yet proven and probably unim- portant. To sum up, my view is that the outlook for these hill birds is good; but I would be the first to admit that a close watch needs to be kept and hard evidence found in the next few years, just in case there is trouble. These years will see a great increase of tourists, following massive building of hotels near Aviemore. Looking at the hill birds could become a big attraction for many of these people, and the Nature Conservancy, the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds must try to find ways to permit this without jeopardising the same opportunities for future generations. Acknowledgments I am grateful to D. Nethersole-Thompson who allowed me to use many unpublished observations, including those from a book still in press. Dr D. Jenkins and Prof. V. C. Wynne- Edwards made useful comments. 1966 HILL BIRDS OF THE CAIRNGORMS 203 References Batrp, P. D. 1957. Weather and snow on Ben MacDhui. Cairngorm Club J. 17:147- 149. BANNERMAN, D. A. 1961, 19635. The Birds of the British Isles. Vols. X, XII. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh. Brown, L. H. & Watson, A. 1964, The Golden Eagle in relation to its food supply. Ibis 106:78-100. GorpDon, S. 1912. The Charm of the Hills. Cassell, London. Gorpon, S. 1915. Hill Birds of Scotland. Edward Arnold, London. GoRDON, S. 1921. Wanderings of a Naturalist. Cassell, London. GorpDon, S. 1951. The Highlands of Scotland. Hale, London. GorRDoN, S. 1957. “‘Northern’’ Golden Plovers in northern parts of Scotland. Scot. Nat. 69:120. GRIBBLE, F. C. 1964. Snowy Owls in Aberdeenshire, Banff, Shetland and Orkney. Scot. Birds 5:51-52. Hewson, R. 1957. ‘“‘Northern’’ Golden Plovers in northern parts of Scotland. Scot. Nat. 69:120-121. JENKINS, D., Watson, A. & MILLER, G. R. 1964. Current research on Red Grouse in Scotland. Scot. Birds 5:35-13. NETHERSOLE-THOMPSON, D. 1951. The Greenshank. Collins, London. NETHERSOLE-THOMPSON, D. 1957a § Ecological notes on Golden Plovers in the Cairngorms. Scot. Nat. 69:119-120. NETHERSOLE-THOMPSON, D. 1957b “‘Northern’’ Golden Plovers in northern parts of Scotland. Scot. Nat. 69: 121-122. NETHERSOLE-THOMPSON, D. 1966. The Snow Bunting. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh. In press. PERRY, R. 1948. In the High Grampians. Lindsay Drummond, London. RATCLIFFE, D. A. 1962. Breeding density in the Peregrine Falco peregrinus and Raven Corvus coraz. Ibis 104:13-39. RATCLIFFE, D. A. 1965. The Peregrine situation in Great Britain 1963-64. Bird Study 12:66-82. SANDEMAN, P. W. 1957. The breeding success of Golden Eagles in the southern Grampians. Scot. Nat. 69: 148-152. SIIVONEN, L. 1957. The problem of the short-term fluctuations in numbers of tetraonids in Europe. Pap. Game Res. Helsingf. 19:1-44. TEwNION, A. 1953. Birds of the Cairngorms. Cairngorm Club J. 16:254-241. TEwnion, A. 1954. The Snowy Owl: an arctic bird in the Cairngorms. Cairngorm Club, Jo0 NT: 25-27. TEWNIOoN, A. 1957. ‘“‘Northern’’ Golden Plovers in northern parts of Scotland. Scot. Nat. 69:122-123. Van den Bos, S., Watson, A. & Watson, A. 1952. A Snowy Owl in the Cairn- gorms during summer. Scot. Nat. 64:176-177. Voous, K. H. 1960. Atlas of European Birds. Nelson, London. Watson, A. 1955. Spring records of Dotterel in Wester Ross and the Cairngorms. Scot. Nat. 67:113. Watson, A. 1957a ‘Northern’ Golden Plovers in northern parts of Scotland. Scot. Nat. 69:123-124 Watson, A. 1957b The breeding success of Golden Eagles in the north-east High- lands. Scot. Nat. 69: 1535-169. Watson, A. 1965a Research on Scottish Ptarmigan. Scot. Birds 3: 5351-549. Watson, A. 1965b A population study of Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) in Scotland. J. Anim. Ecol. 34:1355-172. Watson, A. & MorGAN, N. C. 1964. Residues of organo-chlorine insecticides in a Golden Eagle. Brit. Birds 57:541-544. WITHERBy, H. F., JouRDAIN, F. C. R., TicrEHurRST, N. F. & TucKER, B. 1938-41. The Handbook of British Birds. Witherby, London. WYNNE-EDWaRDS, V. C. 1957. The so-called ‘Northern Golden Plover’. Scot Nat. 69 : 89-935. 204 THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 4(2) The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club ANNUAL CONFERENCE The 19th Annual Conference and 29th Annual General Meeting will be held in the Hotel Dunblane, Perthshire, on 21st-23rd October 1966. In view of the Selective Employment Tax all hotel prices are provisional, Bookings should be made direct with the hotels. The full programme will be given in the next issue of “Scottish Birds.” The registration fee will be 10/-, and the Annual Dinner 25/- for those not staying in the Hotel Dunblane (both to be paid on arrival). Hotels in Dunblane Hotel Dunblane (Hydro) (Tel. 2551). Special Conference charge £7 (or 70/- a day) including tips, covering bed and all meals (except tea on Saturday afternoon) from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch, after-meal coffee, and the Annual Dinner (with wine or soft drinks). For less than a full day bed and breakfast is 40/-, lunch 13/6d and dinner 17/6d. Stirling Arms Hotel (Tel. 2156). Bed and breakfast from 25/-. Neuk Private Hotel*, Doune Road (Tel. 2150) B & B 20/- to 23/-. Schiehallion Hotel*, Doune Road (Tel. 3141) B & B 18/6 to 20/6. Soca Hotel (near Hotel Dunblane gates) (Tel. 2273) B & B 17/6 to a *These hotels are some distance from the Conference hotel. Hotels in Bridge of Allan (3 miles from Dunblane) Members with cars who have difficulty in getting single rooms in Dun- blane should find that these two hotels have ample accommodation. Alan, Water Hotel (Tel. 2293) B & B 37/6 to 42/-. Royal Hotel (Tel. 2284) B & B from 39/-. S.0.C. ENDOWMENT FUND Some years ago the late Miss Rintoul and Dr Baxter each bequeathed to the Club a sum of £1000, from which the income is to be used for the advancement of Ornithology. These generous donations have been of great value to the Club over the intervening years. They have formed a reserve which has given it confidence in developing its activities and interests. The Council has now decided to encourage similar provisions by setting up an endowment fund to be known as The S.O.C. Endowment Fund. It will be administered by the Council in terms of the Constitution and will again be used for the general purposes of the advancement of Or- nithology. Any conditions attached to gifts or bequests will of course be observed, but in addition the Fund will be divided into two parts— in the one case only the income will be expendable, but in the other both capital and income may be expended. The Council will very much welcome contributions to the Fund. The first, the proceeds of the recent lecture in the Usher Hall by George Waterston amounting to £75, has already been received. SUTHERLAND ARMS HOTEL GOLSPIE SUTHERLAND SCOTLAND Telephone: Golspie 216 Situated on the main North Road near the sea, Golspie offers invigorating open air holidays to all. In addition to its unique golf course, it has fine loch fishings, sea bathing, tennis, bowls, hill climbing, unrival- led scenery. including inex- haustible subjects for the field sketcher and artist and is an ornithologist’s paradise. It is, indeed, impossible to find elsewhere so many nat- ural amenities in so small a compass. The B.T.O. Regional Repre- sentative, who lives in the village, will be pleased to offer local advice regarding the as- tonishing diversity of bird life in the vicinity and to receive lists of birds from visitors. The Hotel is fully modern, but retains its old world charm of other days, and en- joyS a wide renown for its comfort and fine cuisine. including birdwatching, will Fully descriptive brochures, gladly be forwarded on re- quest. Proprietor, Mrs F. HEXLEY Central Heating A.A. R.A.C. R.S.A.C. GARAGE AND LOCK-UPS AVAILABLE THE BOAT HOTEL * Set amidst mountain and moor- land scenery, the Boat Hotel, with its reputation for comfort and good food, is an ideal centre for study- ing birds—the Ospreys at Loch Garten are only three miles away, and this is the country for Crested Tit, Crossbill, Capercaillie and much besides. Also ideal for photography, pony-trekking, fishing and climb- ing. 18-hole golf course 2 minutes from hotel. Now under new owner- ship of Mr and Mrs James Harris. Reduced rates for children. BOAT OF GARTEN Inverness-shire KILSPINDIE HOUSE @™~ZJ Comfortable Guest House in the lovely Seaside Village of Aberlady, 16 miles from Edinburgh. Be- side a Nature Reserve and several famous Golf Courses. Bird Books a Please support The Scottish Centre for Ornithology & Bird Protection by buying all your new Bird Books from The Bird Bookshop 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7 Managed by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, profits help to maintain services to ornithology at the Scottish Centre We offer expert advice on the largest and most comprehensive choice of bird books in Scotland We stock Peterson’s American “Field Guides” ALL BOOKS SENT POST FREE Terms: Strictly cash with order Ask for the latest Price List and Catalogue EITHER WAY YOU NEED A se BINOCULAR AUDUBON - FOR A CLOSE LOOK Field of view 445 feet at 1000 yards. Focus down to 12 feet. Designed to the suggested specification of an internationally known group of or- nithologists, this is one of the finest nature-study binoculars available. 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Forsyth’s also provide warm clothing for bird watchers: gloves, scarves, underwear, shoes, caps, weatherproof trousers, jerkins, raincoats and overcoats. ale Sted> 1 Eat a“ ee | i} a HH! cet it aA? \,! bee 1 m SET Pe Lag Bf p | fa! = " Cp) i: = = R ee: = emo hy AE CE =a ay e y ql . e e Fay oh ” a soaeeiyc lal ao R. W. FORSYTH LTD. PRINCES STREET EDINBURGH WaAVerley 5535 & AT GLASGOW 2 FAIR ISLE and its birds KEN NE TH WELLE PAM Ss ON The position of Fair Isle, starkly isolated between the North sea and the Atlantic ocean, makes it a focal point for migrating birds. Kenneth Williamson, the first director of the Fair Isle Observatory, writes this account of the eight years he spent there, during which time the station became internationally famous for its contributions to ornithological knowledge. This book is largely concerned with the author’s researches into bird migration which formed the main part of his work on the island. A valuable feature of the book is the check list of the birds of Fair Isle contributed by Peter Davies. 30s a AARNE ene SF lena ins Pee reenemeees Bor EE OPE evan, hy aca Bb © Y Db A SELECTION OF BINOCULARS AND TELESCOPES SPECIALLY ED BY MR FRANK The new LEITZ TRINOVID is indisputably the bino- cular of the century. It is of revolutionary design and performance, and the 10 x 40 model, which we par- ticularly like, is extremely light and wonderfully compact. Price with soft leather case is £81.14.2. Illustrated descriptive leaflet on request or, better still, try them without obligation. A SPECIALIST BINOCULAR FOR THE BIRD WATCH- ER. The Swift ‘AUDUBON’ 8.5 x 44 designed to the specification of the world-renowned Audubon Society of America. Unusually wide field of 445 ft. at 1000 yards. Extra close focusing of down to 12 ft. enables feeding activities etc., to be watched as from 18’. Included amongst other features are retractable eye- cups for spectacle users, built-in Adaptor to suit any camera tripod. This outstanding binocular has easy positive focusing by cylindrical control, weighs 38.4 OZ. and he height closed is 6?’’. Price with fine leather case, : SWIFT BINOCULARS. Good quality instruments which embrace many interesting features including retractable eyecups for spectacle wearers, tripod bush etc. Re- commended models are: 8 x 50 Apollo £16.18.6 Yf 38 SS) Woatiom £18. 0.0 8 x 40 Saratoga DAS) IMOO 10 x 50 Newport SOLO 7-12 x 40 Zoom £30.10.0 aq : Any instrument} willingly sent on approval NIPOLE binoculars from Japan are™@ made to our specification and are™@ jimported exclusively by us. Perfor- mance is excellent and we have suf-@ ficient faith in them to guarantee them for five years. The 10 x 50% costs £15 10s Od and the 8 x 30 £10 19s 6d (both with case). sienna lain In EX-GOVERNMENT binoculars, the following deserve special mention: 7 x 50 CANADIAN NAVAL (made under licence to Bausch & Lomb). Ideal for wild-fowling. Probable cost tolay about £60. Price £24. 7 x 42 BARR & STROUD. The most desirable of the Barr & Stroud Naval glasses and more compact than the older 7 x 50 model. Cost about £50. iRPricemeecie FOR be EW MAGSTRATED. CATALOGUE, A DIE ag General purpose 6 x 3O binoculars with waterproof web case. £7. 15 0 to £10. 15. 0. according to condi ion. ww i M We have a host of portable telescopes — but the NICKEL SUPRA is worthy of special mention. This fine portable instrument closes down to 12’. Power can be smoothly zoomed from 15x to 60x. Bushed for camera tri- jl, esas, 3, O- d Pied | Accredited agents for Ross, Barr & Stroud, Wray and Zeiss (both East & West Zones) : | (WALTER THOMSON) .| PRINTER, SELKIRK_/] | <<” Scottish Birds 0 ( Ht The Journal of The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club Vol. 4 No. 3 Autumn 1966 PEW S180 10 1G 1 ORY (ES The world’s finest binoculars for ornithologists. The field of view, 130 yards at 1000, has never been equalled in a10x 50 binocular. Send for the 1966 Zeiss binocular catalogue giving full details of all models including several for spectacle wearers. Degenhardt & Co Ltd aciteee | VWVestern Carl Zei H Gat eee London W 1 PO egenhardt Ponder eee British Agents for Carl Zeiss West Germany CHOOSING A BINOCULAR OR A TELESCOPE EXPERT ADVICE From a Large Selection New and Secondhand G. HUTCHISON & SONS Phone CAL. 5579 OPTICIANS - - 18 FORREST ROAD, EDINBURGH Open till 5.30 p.m. Saturdays Highland & Overseas Field Holidays Bird-watching and general Natural History holidays and expeditions in Scotland and on the Continent. 1966 programme includes Scandinavia, Iceland, Por- tugal, Austria and France. Small-scale Field Centre facilities for groups and in- dividuals at Pitmain Beag. For full details, write to: COLIN MURDOCH, Pitmain Beag, KINGUSSIE, Inverness-shire Tel. Kingussie 300. Early closing Tuesday BIRDS IN COLOUR Send for our list covering our incomparable collection of British, European and African birds — many fine studies and close-ups. Sets of 100 for hire, BINOCULARS Try the Swift “Audubon” bird watcher’s binoculars — made for the job. Other binoculars by the world’s leading makers. W. Cowen - Keswick Oat @ = It's a big job! Faced with the enormous task of satisfying the appetite of baby Cuckoos which can be three times larger than themselves, Meadow Pipits and many other small birds go about it bravely, and indeed make an excellent job of it. An even greater task is the one cheerfully undertaken by Haith’s who, it is estimated, feed more than a million birds each day. We can offer an unrivalled range of foods and seeds to satisfy the requirements of birds of all species, and to please even the most demanding of ornithologists. Just a few of our products are listed here, but a comprehensive list will gladly be sent on request. HAITHS. WILD BIRD FOODS WILD BIRD FOOD (contains only cultivated seeds—no wild seed used) 5 Ib 8/-, 9 lb 11/-, 13 lb 14/-, 28 Ib 19/6, 56 Ib 34/-, 112 Ib 65/-. FOOD FOR THE TIT FAMILY 5 lb 10/6, 9 Ib 16/3, 13 lb 21/-, 28 Ib 35/9, 56 lb 67/-, 112 lb 130/-. SONGSTER FOOD for Blackbirds etc. 5 lb 8/9, 9 Ib 12/9, 13 lb 17/-, 28 lb 25/6, 56 lb 46/-, 112 lb 88/-. SUNFLOWER SEEDS (mixed) 5 lb 9/9, 9 Ib 14/6, 13 Ib 18/9, 28 Ib 31/6, 56 Ib 57/-, 112 1b 110/-. MONKEY NUTS (in shell) for bird feeding 5 lb 11/-, 9 lb 17/3, 13 Ib 22/9, 28 lb 37/9, 56 lb 72/-, 112 1b 140/-. PEANUT KERNELS for bird feeding 5 lb 10/6, 9 lb 16/3, 13 lb 21/-, 28 lb 35/9, 56 lb 67/-, 112 lb 130/-. All Post or Carriage Paid JOHN E. HAITH LTD.. DEPT. S.B.. PARK STREET, CLEETHORPES Scottish Birds THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Contents of Volume 4, Number 3, Autumn 1966 Editorial aes eg nee ve dae ee Sos bes Sex and age ratios and weights of Capercaillie from the 1965-66 shooting season in Scotland. By F. C. Zwickel An investigation into the recent decline of the Barn Owl on an Ayrshire estate. By D. N. Weir Short Notes Great and Cory’s Shearwaters at Fair Isle and on east coast (R. H. Dennis; H. E. M. Dott) (plates 26, 27) Food of the Sparrowhawk on Speyside (D. N. Weir)... Goshawk in Midlothian (M. A. Macdonald, R. L. Swann) Little Ringed Plovers in Scotland in autumn (R. H. Dennis; J. H. Simpson; M. Macdonald, R. L. Swann) ... a Kentish Plover in Fife (E. Hutchison, J. J. C. Hardey) Dowitcher in Shetland (J. H. Simpson) _... ahs ee Great Snipe on Fair Isle (R. H. Dennis, E. J. Wiseman) Probable breeding of Wood Sandpiper in Perthshire (V. M. Thom) BY dle ae oe aa A big flock of Little Stints (J. O. Oliver) ta Temminck’s and Little Stints in East Lothian in spring (J. A. D. Hope) bas ae Bar Bae a Cream-coloured Courser in East Lothian (D. Baty, G. Waterston) als a ts see sat ue Lesser Grey Shrikes in Orkney and Shetland (E. Balfour, R. J. Tulloch) ae i ie ie ah ae: Woodchat Shrike in Shetland (D. Coutts) Current Notes 5c an eA are a Obituaries George Stout (plate 25) A. C. Stephen Be W. B. Alexander Reviews Birds of the Atlantic Islands. Vol. 2. By D. A. and W. M. Bannerman. Reviewed by D. Macdonald ae aa Birds in the Balance. By P. Brown. Reviewed by W. J. Eggeling i bie ae sa “2 ss ee Other reviews Letters The Birds of Renfrewshire (J. A. Gibson, J. Anderson) Notes on the birds of Berneray, Mingulay and Pabbay we ee ee Wiliams). .... Buzzards breeding in Clackmannanshire G M. ‘Crosthwaite) Garden Warblers in West Stirlingshire (H. Meyer-Gross) _ Notes from the Isle of Iona (W. J. Eggeling) ; Request for Information ssi Me vos vee The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club Page 205 Edited by Andrew T. Macmillan, 12 Abinger Gardens, Edinburgh 12. Assisted by D. G. Andrew, T. C. Smout and P. J. B. Slater. Business Editor T. C. Smout, 93 Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh 9. DWIgINnNY VY Ha. Soo £2 os eae 2 fae faa) feos pss as 5) co) od Od @ Or ame Oy m2 Ba Ne on eene ae vec soa a i .4 eg Ur ston fy oO On we Ow Ego Or Hof os" & < Ha sare Zz 5 § e) = aes » © Ceeesass HO shoaas © Of ne Sd Oy wa E 6 & “ O fe: 0 2 a Y » [Se > aS aa ——— w & & ——— fe) gy Y =o, o oa & S = 8 So 8 ~ 9 at A a e& “3 OQ = —— = & 2 ae OREN NN Sa AS . as 0 8 Be: —) vo GSO, ADKR, CT). Moorfoot reservoirs—1l between 17 Oct and 13 Feb (DGA). The most noteworthy reports of Pintail are from the isles: in Shetland there was one on Fetlar on 17th January and 13th April (WO) and eight birds at Yell on 27th April (RJT). Two males were seen at Stornoway, Lewis, on 24th May (WAJC, WMn). High counts of Scaup are of 2500 in St Andrews Bay, Fife, on 8th January (TCS), and 250 at Invergordon, Easter Ross, on 15th (RHD). Inland, 43 at Duddingston on 21st November is an exceptional number—their presence was no doubt due to strong easterly winds prevalent at the time (DGA). In Inverness-shire three males and a female were on Loch Garten from 2nd to 4th May (MJE, GW), and there was a male at Loch Ruthven on 25th (MJE, CCIM). June records are of a pair at Gullane Point, East Lothian, on 19th (WMME), and a male at Loch Kinnardochy, Perthshire, for at least a fortnight from 12th (VMT). Duck which winter inland are particularly susceptible to cold weather and their numbers are liable to fluctuate errat- ically. On 5th December, when Loch Leven was icebound, there were 300 Tufted Duck and 400 Pochard, as well as 500 Mallard, on the sea off Leven, Fife (DGA, RStJA). Numbers of Pochard at Duddingston stood at 2700 on 21st November— an early date for so large a count. By 8th January they had fallen to under 400 although there was no ice at the time, but by 8th February there were 4000 on the loch (DGA). At Kilconquhar Loch, Fife, the situation seems to have been the reverse, with a peak of 2100, about twice the normal, on 16th January (DWO). 1966 CURRENT NOTES 241 Winter peaks of Goldeneye were of about 950 at Invergordon on 15th January; about 450 at Inverness on 1lth January (RHD); and 650 which came in to roost at Kilconquhar on 3lst March (DWO). A bird answering the description of the aberrant Goldeneye described previously (3: 409) was seen at Monikie reservoir, Angus, on 16th April in the company of four normal Goldeneye with which it was identical in every respect except plumage (CMM). Single Goldeneye lingering into the summer were at Skinflats, East Stirling- shire, on 19th June (IT), and Cramond, West Lothian, on 28th “May and 3rd July (TCS). Two Long-tailed Ducks were seen off Ayr on 22nd Decem- ber (GAR). Inland occurrences have been of one at Glad- house on 14th November (DGA); one at Gartmorn Dam, Clackmannanshire, on 12th and 13th March (TP); a pair on Lindores Loch, Fife, from 5th to 30th March (JW); and a male which stayed on Kilconquhar Loch from 9th February to 12th May (DWO). A late female was at Fair Isle, Shet- land, between llth and 27th June (RHD). A summer record of Velvet Scoter is of three off the east shore at Tentsmuir, Fife, on 25th June (RJ). There were about 6000 Common Scoters in St Andrews Bay on 8th Jan- uary (TCS), and in Stirlingshire, a pair was seen flying past Inchcailliach, Loch Lomond, on 21st May (CEP). Two Eiders, the first for five years in the observer’s experience, were seen off Cramond Island on 24th April. On 3rd July a female with four small young was seen nearby at Dalmeny, West Fothian (irCS). Small numbers of Goosanders are seen throughout Scotland outside the breeding season, but the largest wintering con- centration is on the Beauly Firth, where a maximum of 560 was recorded on 28th December (RHD). The following are reports of wintering Smew, many of which tie up with those given previously (4: 107) (all ex- cept the Shetland bird were red-heads): Clickimin, Shetland—ad ¢ from 9 Mar to about 10 Apr (DC, RHD, WP, RJT). Strathbeg, Aberdeen—1 on 13 Mar (JE). Stormont Loch, Perth—1 on 16 Apr (VMT). Endrick Mouth—1 on 16 Jan (RWF). Tullibody, Clackmannan—1 on 6 Mar (TP). Barr and Castle Semple Lochs, Renfrew—at least 4 on 13 Feb (JND, WHW); 1 on 6 and 29 Mar (RAJ). Loch Libo, Renfrew—1 on 6 Jan (GAR). Rowbank Reservoir, Renfrew—3 on 23 Jan (RWF); 1 on 20-21 Mar and 1 Apr (HGC, MJE, RAJ). Roseberry Reservoir, Midlothian—3 on various dates between 12 Dec and 13 Mar (DGA). Horselaw Loch, Roxburgh—1 on 19-20 Mar (RSB). 242 CURRENT NOTES 4(3) There are also two summer records of this species: a male seen in Loch Eriboll on 11th June is the first record of a Smew in Sutherland (RJB), and a very late red-head was at Kilconquhar on 25th June (DWO). Eleven White-fronted Geese. suspected of being European, flew in to Gladhouse on 14th November (DGA), Counts of 55 on 9th January and 84 on 16th at the Moor of Genoch are large, even for the Greenland race, in Wigtownshire (RCD). Birds of undetermined race outside their normal wintering areas have been three at Loch Spiggie, Shetland, on 13th March (DC, RHD); 11 at Loch Heilen, Caithness, on 16th January (KG); one near Methven, Perthshire, on 31st January (VMT); and three flying over Tayfield, Fife, on 26th February (JBy). The largest flock of Bean Geese to be reported from the Castle Douglas area of Kirkcudbrightshire was of 70 birds seen on 20th February (JND). 102 Pink-footed Geese were at Loch Garten on 2nd May—a late date for such num- bers (MJE). A Snow Goose, which has previously been reported (4: 108), probably wintered in the area of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire, being seen there on various dates up to 13th March and at Meikle Loch on 7th April (HEMD, JE). Six birds, two of which bore rings, were at Wester Wooden Loch, Roxburgh- shire, from 31st March to 4th April (HD-H, AJS). Single blue-phase Lesser Snow Geese have been seen at Morton, near Tayport, Fife, on 26th February (JBy), and with Pinkfeet near Methven, Perthshire, on 3lst January and 4th February (VMT). There are a number of reports of Pale-bellied Brent Geese in the Forth area during February and March. Largest counts were of 27 going south at Fife Ness on 13th February (PGB), and 20 at Tyninghame on 27th (TB, EMS, RWJS). Two of this race and one Dark-bellied bird stayed at Eye- broughty, East Lothian, from 13th March to 3rd April (RSB). The occurrences of 28 Barnacle Geese at Dounreay, Caithness, on 26th January (EM), and two at Loch Strathbeg on 14th April (HEMD), are the most unusual for this species. Uncertainty with regard to the feral status of the Canada Goose in different areas makes it difficult to assess the records which are frequently sent in. There are, for instance, few reports for Wigtownshire but the species was introduced there in 1963 and has bred in the county each year since (JGY). A pair was discovered with a nest at Morton Lochs, Fife, on 23rd April (DWO). Large concentrations of Whooper Swans during the winter were of 144 at Loch Spiggie, Shetland, on 31st October (MC); 391 at Invergordon on 15th January (RHD); and 267 near Tullibody on 12th December (TP). Two at Forfar Loch, Angus, 1966 CURRENT NOTES 2A3 on 25th April were still there on 28th June (HB, GMC). Other late birds were two by Kinloch Rannoch at Dunalastair, Perthshire, on 13th May and one, which was probably in- jured, at Kingoodie in the same county between 2nd and 18th June (HB). The only report of Bewick’s Swan is of an adult and an immature on Tiree on 18th April (JADH). In Shetland, where Buzzards are rare, single birds were on Unst on Ist and 5th May (MS), and on Fair Isle on 14th and 15th April and on 24th May (RHD). Also noteworthy is one seen near Yetholm, Roxburghshire, on 12th May (RSB). A Honey Buzzard was at Fair Isle on 21st May (RHD). A Marsh Harrier seen briefly at Gartocharn, Dunbartonshire, on 9th June (IW), was doubtless the same bird as was seen flying over the Endrick Mouth on 12th June, and again on 3rd July (MF, DS). An immature was present at Tyninghame on 10th May (MJE, IHJL). There being few published records of Hen Harriers in Kincardineshire, it is worth noting that a brown bird was seen in the Glenbervie area several times in early January (WB). Most readers will already be aware of the misfortune which befell the two pairs of Ospreys breeding on Speyside this year. A storm-force wind on 28th April blew down both nests: the one at Loch Garten had contained three eggs, and the remains of at least one egg were found at the other site (DNW). The following are reports of Ospreys seen outside Speyside : Yell—1 on 7 Jun (RJT). Whalsay, Shetland—1 on 8 Apr (JHS). Fair Isle—1 on 25-26 Apr; 1 on 28 May (RHD). River Earn, Perth—l near Forteviot on 16 Apr (VMT); 1 at Dal- reoch, near Dunning, on 29 May (PCk). Kilconquhar—1 on 25 Jun (DWO). Isle of May—1 going S on 14 May (DWO). Eyebroughty—1 going W on 29 May (RSB). Loch Ken, Kirkcudbright—1 on 1 May (LAU, ADW). Notes continue to come in of the poor breeding success of birds of prey, but there is a glimmer of hope in the fact that Peregrines are doing better on Speyside (DNW). In Shetland, however, “after a promising early season, it is the same old story of a seeming loss of interest and departure from the eyries, with no hatching success” (RJT). Quail heard calling have been one near Paisley Moss on 21st May (IG, RAJ); one near Gifford on 27th May (per AMcD); and one on Fair Isle on 11th June (RHD). A Spotted Crake was found dead at Weisdale in Shetland on 9th April (RJT). The only April record of Corncrake is of one at Fair Isle on 10th (RHD). Nine Oystercatchers by the River Isla at Coupar Angus, 244 CURRENT NOTES 4(3) Perthshire, on 30th January were inland on a very early date (VMT). A high count of Grey Plover for Aberlady is of about 80 seen there on 6th March (MJE, GLAP). An early Dotterel was seen on Tiree, Argylishire, on 15th April (JADH), and two more migrating birds were at Machrihanish in the same county on 14th May (PGB). An odd record of a Turnstone is of one in summer plumage at Barr Loch on 14th May (LAU). Highest numbers of Whimbrel on passage were on 8th May when there were at least 16 at Tyninghame (HAF), and 21 at the Endrick Mouth (RWF). Black-tailed Godwits have been seen at the following places: Fair Isle—l in summer plumage on 25 May (RHD). Dornoch Point, Sutherland—4 on 28 Apr (DM). Montrose Basin—9 on 5 May; 1 on 20 May (GMC). Near Errol, Perth—2 on flooded grassland on 11 Apr (VMT). Eden Estuary—7 on 23 Apr (DWO). Seafield, Midlothian—2 on 22 Jan and 5 Mar (CT). Eaglesham, Renfrew—1l in summer plumage on 25 Apr (LAU). Luce Bay, Wigtown—10 on 1 May (GM, JGY). Apart from several seen at Fair Isle between 7th May and 9th June (RHD), single Green Sandpipers at Summerston, Glasgow, on 14th April (WR), and Lentran, Beauly Firth, on 3rd June (JAL, WMM), are the only ones reported. Pas- sage of Wood Sandpipers at Fair Isle took place between 23rd May and 18th June (RHD). Further south, one was calling over a marsh near Kilconquhar on 28th April (DWO); single birds were at Paisley Moss, Renfrewshire, on 12th May and 19th June (IG, RAJ), and on the Dunbartonshire side of the Endrick Mouth on 28th May (DS). The earliest report of Common Sandpiper is of four at the Endrick Mouth on 12th April (WR). There are a number of records in the south during the following week, but the first birds at Fair Isle and in Lewis were not until 2nd May (RHD, JM). | Single Spotted Redshanks were at Montrose Basin on 16th January (JD); Paisley Moss on 30th April (IG); and Luce Bay on Ist May (GM, JGY). Two were seen at Dornoch Point on 24th April (DM), and late birds in summer plumage were singles at Loch Dornal, Wigtownshire (RTS, JS, JGY), and at Fair Isle (RHD), on 19th June. An odd date for a Greenshank so far north is 24th December, when one was seen at Fort William, Inverness-shire (RHD). At least two were back at Gairloch, Wester Ross, on 30th March (ENH). A late migrant was at the Endrick Mouth on llth June (HGC, DLw). Single Ruff seen have been one at Tyninghame on 27th March (TB, RWJS), and a male at Elie, Fife, on 4th January 1966 CURRENT NOTES 245 (DWO). There were seven coming into summer plumage at Paisley Moss on 30th April (IG, RAJ); 11, including several sparring males, at Aberlady on 4th March (MFMM); and nine at Skinflats on 12th and 19th March (GD, JP, IT). Also at Skinflats a male was present between 7th and 10th May (IT). Two Avocets were seen on the bank of a freshwater loch in Whalsay on 16th May (JHS). Phalaropes in winter plum- age are tantalisingly difficult to identify with certainty: one such was at Gullane Point, East Lothian, on 2nd and 3rd April (IVB-P, JSO). Winter Great Skuas are unusual: one was off Whalsay ori 13th January (per JHS); one was seen flying north at Fife Ness on 20th February (PGB); another was with gulls on the Moor of Genoch, Wigtownshire, on 26th February (RCD): and a fourth record is of one found dead at Turnberry, Ayr- shire, on 15th March (GAR). Two Long-tailed Skuas were seen near Whalsay on 25th May (JBc). Ten Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Barassie, Ayrshire, on 21st February is a good number even for an area where this species winters (GAR). Two were at Tweedsmuir, Peebles- shire, on 4th February (MJE, GW); one at Paisley Moss on 28th February (IG); and the first to return to Shetland was seen on Fetlar on 15th March (RJT). A pair of Herring Gulls seen at a nest on a mud island in Loch Broom at Ballinluig on 7th June are apparently the first recorded breeding in North Perthshire since 1884 (VMT). A first-winter Glaucous Gull was seen at Tentsmuir on 13th March (RJ), and an immature was at Paisley Moss on 8th April (IG). Also at Paisley Moss was an adult Iceland Gull on 2nd March and an immature between 9th and 14th April (IG). Other reports are of singles at Inverness on 16th Jan- uary (RHD), 13th March and 10th April (WMM); Stannergate, Dundee, on 10th April (JKRM); and Gairloch, Wester Ross, on 2ist May (WAJC). The largest flock of Little Gulls in the Tay area was of 47 off Kingoodie on 20th April—there were still six there on 30th June (HB). Outside this normal wintering locality an adult was at Gladhouse on 10th April (RWJS). A Black Tern at Aberlady on 22nd May (RWF), was followed by no less than eight at Threipmuir, Midlothian, on 29th, though these had all gone next day (TD). A Common Tern at Fife Ness on 16th April (DWO) was the first reported, al- though a Common/Arctic bird had been seen at Aberlady on 14th (MAM, RLS). Three incubating Arctic Terns were located in a colony of Common Terns near Caputh on the River Tay, Perthshire, on 26th May (VMT). The earliest re- 246 CURRENT NOTES 4(3) port of a Little Tern is of one at Ardwell, Wigtownshire, on 23rd April (RCD). Sandwich Terns were well up to time, the earliest being two at Prestwick, Ayrshire (GAR), one at Largo Bay, Fife (DWO), and seven at Dornoch, Sutherland (DM), all on 2nd April. There are a number of reports of Little Auks outside the northern isles where they are often seen in winter—except where mentioned all were found dead: Bower quarry, Caithness—l1 caught on 19 Jan, died 2 days later (DMS). Rosemarkie, E, Ross—1 on 11 Feb (per MR). Nairn—1 oiled and dying on 23 Dec (per MJE). St Andrews—3 oiled on 25 Feb (PGB); 1 on 5 Mar (JARG). Gute, del seen in flight on 13 Feb (PGB); 1 found on 24 Mar Crail, Fife—2 on 5 Mar (JARG); 1 on 22 Mar (PGB). Elie Ness—1 on 26 Feb; 1 on 18 Mar (DWO). Largo Bay, Fife—1 on 9 Feb (PGB); 1 dying on 21 Mar (DWO). Aberlady—1 on 5 Mar (per MJE). Dirleton, East Lothian—1 on 16 Jan (RSB). Tyninghame—1 on 30 Jan (TB). A bridled Guillemot was at Cramond on 16th January—an odd date for a species which winters at sea (AWB, WMs). The discovery of a pair of Black Guillemots at Garroch Head, Bute, on 29th May raises hopes that they may be found nesting on the island soon (WW, BZ). At Inchkeith, Fife, where ten Puffins were seen and one egg found in summer 1965, there were some 40 birds offshore and on the rocks in June this year. Eleven were also seen off Fidra, East Loth- ian, in June—a single empty nest hole is the first indication of breeding on this island (EMS, RWJS). Turtle Doves have again nested near Longniddry, East Lothian, where a nest containing one egg was found seven feet up in an elder on 9th June, They also nested at this site, the same as that at which they were first found in 1958 (1: 120), in both 1964 and 1965, one hatching in the latter year (NM per JBM). The arrival of Cuckoos seems to have been on the late side, the first seen being one at Ladybank, Fife, on 22nd April (DWO), and one at Duddingston on 25th (DRA). One had reached Lewis by 30th (IMM). A female of the scarce rufous phase was seen near Sorn, Ayrshire, on 6th May (GAR). There was a Barn Owl by the Peffer Burn at Aberlady on 20th April (DS). Reeling Nightjars are reported at Southfield Hospital, Edin- burgh, on lst May (MAM); the south end of Glen App, Ayr- shire, on lst and 2nd June (GAR); and at Muir of Ord, Easter Ross, from 6th to 22nd June (DCH). In contrast to most other migrants, Swifts arrived early 1966 CURRENT NOTES 247 this year and there are many reports for the last few days of April. The first seen were singles at Ayr on 23rd (GAR); Forfar Loch, Angus, on 25th (HB); Edinburgh on 26th (PWS); and Girvan, Ayrshire, on 27th (RBT). Three Hoopoes were seen in May: one at Sumburgh, Shetland, from 2nd to 4th (MC); one at Moss Side, Strachan, Kincardineshire, on 18th (NP); and one at Kilmaron Castle, Cupar, Fife, on 10th (AM-L). Single Green Woodpeckers have been seen in Perthshire, on the fringe of their range, at Glenlochay, near Killin, on 7th and 8th April (RWS); and at Bonskeid, near Pitlochry, on 19th March (see also 3: 322) (RNC). An adult which had been dead for about two months, was found near Ballater, Aberdeenshire, on 15th June (AIS); and one heard at Bruce- field on the Fife/Clackmannanshire border, on 27th March, provides further evidence of the spread of this species (RC). They almost certainly bred in East Stirlingshire last year, as a pair with a nest-hole was found near Falkirk in late May, but no young or eggs were seen. The discovery of a dead bird in a nearby garden in late March, may explain why no nest was found this year, although at least one bird was in the area on 29th May (IT). The sudden appearance of heavy snow early on 19th February seems to have triggered off a very large movement of Skylarks, At Morningside, Edinburgh, 1000 were estimated to have passed during the course of the day, accompanied by 3000 Starlings. These are certainly understimates as only a very narrow front could be observed (DGA). At Powfoot, Dumfriesshire, on the same day an estimated 15,000 moved past in an easterly direction during the morning. A male Shore Lark was seen at the same place and at least three more were heard amongst the flocks of larks as they moved overhead (RHA, JRM). An exceptionally early Swallow was at Unst on 4th March (MS), but no others were seen until 7th April. On this date one was at Langbank, Renfrewshire (RAJ, GTW), and two were at Musselburgh, Midlothian (JSO). Although there are one or two records for the following ten days, the first birds in the north were much later: on 21st at Muir of Ord (DCH), on 23rd at Fair Isle (RHD), and on 25th on Lewis (IMM); and it was also at this time that the main arrivals seem to have taken place further south. Swallows bred in Stornoway this year and a nest containing young was loc- ated on 22nd June in the same place as they apparently bred last year, though the observer was not shown the nest till after the breeding season (IMM). The first House Martin was seen in Edinburgh on 19th April (ADKR), and there was one in St Andrews on 21st (MHEC), 248 CURRENT NOTES 4(3) with several records from the south on the weekend 23rd- 24th. A March Sand Martin record is of one at Roslin, Mid- lothian, on 3lst (ADKR). In April, there were two at Wem- yss Bay, Ayrshire, on 38rd (ALAL); one at Endrick Mouth on 4th (RKP); and one at Dumfries (JKRM) and seven at Loch Arthur, Kirkcudbrightshire, on 6th (PGB). The first at Fair Isle was not until 23rd April (RHD). A flash of yellow is often as much as one can hope to see of a Golden Oriole as the species is very secretive. A young male was heard calling and seen briefly in Camperdown Park, Dundee, on 5th June (CMM). The Magpie is very local in Perthshire: one was at Bal- haldie on 6th March and three were at Carsebreck on 20th (VMT). A pair was seen near Lochgilphead, Argyllshire, on 30th April and lst May (TCS). Tits are still being seen in Shetland—no doubt birds which remained behind after the small invasion there last Septem- ber (3: 430). Two Great Tits were still at Norwick, Unst, dur- ing January and there were at least three on Fetlar and three on Yell in February and March (RJT). The discovery of an adult feeding three fledged young in Stornoway Woods on 27th June is the first record of this species breeding in Lewis (IMM). A pair of Blue Tits was at Leagarth, Fetlar, up to 2nd February (WO), and one also wintered on Whalsay (JHS). Coal Tits were suspected of breeding in Stornoway Woods last year (3: 374). They were again present this year and a party, including some young birds, was seen on 25th June (WMn). Two Marsh Tits have been seen in East Lothian—an area for which there is only one previous record (Scot. Nat. 1957: 42). One was near Keith Bridge, Humbie, on 30th January (RS per GW), and the other was beside the Tyne, near Tyn- inghame, on 13th February (RWJS). At Yetholm, Roxburgh- shire, one was seen and heard on 3lst December and again on 17th-19th January, near where the first for the county was seen in 1964 (3: 204). Further to this, however, an adult was seen feeding two newly fledged young in the same area on 20th June, and another adult was seen flying in and out of thick cover nearby. The birds were again watched on 26th and 27th June. Hitherto the only Scottish county in eo this species was known to breed was Berwickshire ). A black-bellied Dipper, which b anenae on Fair Isle, was last seen on 15th April (RHD). Others in Shetland were one at Scatness on 24th April (DJ), and one, possibly two, on Fetlar from 23rd to 25th (WO). Ring Ouzels were very late in arriving, with only one 1966 CURRENT NOTES 249 March record—a male at Loganlee, Midlothian, on 26th (HEMD). In April, a male was near Barr, Ayrshire, on Ist (RBT); on 3rd there was a pair at Loganlee (ADKR); and the first had arrived at Fair Isle by 7th (RHD). There are many records of Wheatears during the first week of April, but few during March. The earliest male was at Flotterstone, Midlothian, on 19th (ADKR). On 26th a male was at Aberlady (MAM), and there were two males and a female near Yetholm (RSB). A male was at Barns Ness, East Lothian, on 30th (HAF). Single Whinchats at Fair Isle on 27th April (RHD), and Dunragit, Wigtownshire, on 29th (RCD), are the earliest reported. On 30th there was one at Paisley Moss (RAJ), a pair at Aberlady (JSO), and one at Storno- way (IMM). The Redstart illustrates well what seems to be the case with most April arrivals this year: while the first birds were well up to time and even early, the main arrival was de- layed till the end of the month. One on the Isle of May on 6th April (IT), and a male at Morton Lochs on 10th (CT), suggest an early year, but the next report is not until 23rd when two males were singing at Yetholm (RSB). The first on Speyside was not until 24th (DNW), and that at Fair Isle was on 27th (RHD). Several Black Redstarts were seen on Fair Isle during May and June (RHD), and one was at North Ronaldsay, Orkney, on 14th May (KW). Elsewhere, females were seen at Balgay Hill, Dundee, on 22nd May (HB), and at Tyninghame on 5th June (CT), and a male was at Laurieston Place, Edinburgh, on 30th May (MAM). It is worth listing the records of Grasshopper Warblers as this bird is local in its distribution—the three reported for 25th April were the earliest: Near Dunragit, Wigtown—1 on 26 Apr (RCD). Thornhill, Dumfries—1 on 25 Apr (JKRM). Near Martnaham, Ayr—first on 28 Apr (GAR). Yetholm, Roxburgh—1 seen and heard on 22 May (RSB). Georgetown, Renfrew—1 on 7 May (IG). Gifford, East Lothian—1 singing between 1 and 3 May (per AMcD). Duddingston—1 heard on 1, 4 and 6 May (DRA, CGC, ATM). Threipmuir—1 on 14 May (MAM. RLS). Toe Island, Midlothian—l, the first for the island, on 11 Jun Braid Hills, Edinburgh—1 singing on 12 and 28 May (HAF). Milngavie, Dunbarton—1 on 1 May (WR). Kilconquhar—1 on 25 and 26 Apr (PGB, DWO). Loch Mahaick, S. Perth—2 heard in area on 2 Jun (TP). Montreathmont Moor, Angus—1 on 3 May (GMC). Fair Isle—first passing on 25 Apr (RHD). The first Sedge Warblers were two at Morton Lochs on 23rd April (RJ). One was at Kilconquhar by 25th (DWO), and on 250 CURRENT NOTES 4(3) 28th the first was seen at Loch Fergus, Ayrshire (GAR), and at Fair Isle (RHD). A male Blackcap frequented gardens at Cumlodden Avenue, Edinburgh, during early March (HAW), and what was doubt- less the same bird was seen, and ultimately caught, in a nearby garden in Murrayfield between 12th and 27th March (ATM, EHLM), Other wintering birds were a male at Jor- danhill, Glasgow, for five weeks from 5th February (SG); a female near Maxwell Park, Glasgow, from 6th to 22nd January (JPDD, DJN); and another in Bonnyrigg, Midloth- ian, for a few days up to 13th February (PCI). It is inter- esting that wintering records of this bird are nearly always in town and often at bird tables, which Blackcaps would never visit in summer; no doubt the shortage of food is responsible. There are a great many reports of migrant Blackcaps this spring, and several observers have commen- ted on how common they seem to be this year in the south of Scotland. The first seen were two at the Isle of May on 6th April (IT). A male at Tyninghame on 18th (TB, EMS, RWJS), and a female at Portencross, Ayrshire, on 19th (DS), were the next. On 24th there was a female at Kilconquhar (DWO):; males were at Port William, Wigtownshire (RCD), and Thornhill, Dumfriesshire (JKRM), on 25th; and by 26th there were four in Saltoun Woods, East Lothian (AMcD). A male was seen and heard at Duddingston on 4th, 6th and llth May—there are few records for the reserve (DRA, CGC, ATM). The earliest Garden Warblers were one at Kilconquhar on lst May (RBH); one near Annbank, Ayrshire, on 6th (GAR); and two at Roslin on 11th (ADKR). One was singing at Dud- dingston on 10th June (DRA). The first Whitethroats were singles at Dunragit on 26th April (RCD), and Fair Isle on 27th (RHD). The number of records during the ensuing week suggest a large arrival throughout the country at this time—there were, for instance, five at Summerston by 30th (WR). Willow Warbler arrivals began with one at Port Logan, Wig- townshire (RCD), and one on the Isle of May (IT), both on 7th April. As with other migrants, there were only reports of odd birds thereafter until 23rd-25th April when the main influx occurred: 17 were at Yetholm on 23rd (RSB), and 10 at Arbroath on 24th (JD). The only March Chiffchaffs were two heard at Coodham Gardens, near Ayr, on 20th (FDEW per GAR), and one at Culzean Castle, Ayrshire, on 21st (RBT). The first at Dornoch was on 2nd April (DM), and small numbers were seen at Fair Isle from 4th onwards (RHD). These seem to have coincided with the main immi- gration further south as there were nine at Culzean on 4th 1966 CURRENT NOTES 251 April (GAR) and 10 on the Isle of May on 6th (IT). In Wester Ross one was singing at Leckmelm, Lochbroom, on 17th June (DCH). A Wood Warbler had reached Ballinluig, Perthshire, by 30th April (VMT), and there were at least two at Drumlan- rig, Dumfriesshire, on 7th May (RBT). The first definite record of a nest in Sutherland since 1885 is of one contain- ing six eggs at Spinningdale on 18th June (DM). Single Spotted Flycatchers at Roslin on 7th May (ADKR), at Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, on 9th (GAR), and at Kilconquhar on 9th (DWO), were the first. Two were at Fair Isle on 18th (RHD), and one at Stornoway on 19th (IMM). A male Pied Flycatcher was seen in Glen Lyon, Perthshire, on 8th May (VMT), and a pair at Roslin on 11th (ADKR). Two nests and one singing male were located at Inversnaid this sum- mer and this constitutes the first breeding record for West Stirlingshire (JSG). Few observations of Tree Pipits have been sent in, but the first were on Tiree on 16th April (JADH), and Fair Isle on 26th (RHD). A female Grey Wagtail was at Lerwick, where this species is something of a rarity, between 28th February and 3rd March (DC). Single Yellow Wagtails of undetermined race were seen at Aberlady on 23rd April and 14th May (MAM, JSO). A fine male of the blue-headed race was at Gladhouse on Ist May (DGA). There were unusually many Great Grey Shrike records: Bressay, Shetland—1 dead on 2 Feb (per RJT). Fair Isle—1-3 from 10 to 26 Apr (RHD). Inverness—1 on island in River Ness, 23-31 Jan (WMM, MR). Loch Mhor, Inverness—1 on 6 Apr (TW). Tulloch Moor, Inverness—1 from 2 to 29 Apr (HAF, DNW). Kincraig, Inverness—1 on 6 ae (MJE, JKS). Killin, Perth—1 on 3 Jan (VMT Comrie, Perth—l1 for 1 week to HA Apr (per VMT). Balmakin, Fife—1 still in area during Mar (see 4: 115); probably same as seen on Colinsburgh/Cupar road on 25 Jan (DWO). Fife Ness—1 on 29 Apr (PGB). Kincardine, Fife—l on 5 Mar tcp, JP). A pair of Hawfinches was seen in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, on 20th April (KRM), and two were at Roslin on 7th May (ADKR). In Shetland there were one or two in Lerwick ae early April, and one in Yell and two in Unst on 27th Four male and three female Crossbills were seen in Troon on 6th March (per GAR). Scattered reports in Shetland from 16th June onwards are perhaps a portent of an invasion (RJT). On Fair Isle they were seen daily in fluctuating num- bers from 12th June, with maxima of 37 on 24th and at least 30 on 30th (RHD). On Barra, Outer Hebrides, a female was 252 CURRENT NOTES 4(3) present on 18th June, a pair on 19th and three birds from 20th June to Ist July (AMm, MBM). Last winter was obviously a good one for Brambling as many large flocks have been reported, The following are the most notable of these: Fair Isle—peaks of 100 on 11 and 15 Apr (RHD). Near Edzell, Angus—at least 500 on 17 Apr (GMC). Near Brechin—at least 50 all winter (JD). Near Arbroath—at least 200 all winter (JD). Airlie Castle, Angus—50-60 on 24 Mar (VMT). Tibbermore, Perth—over 100 on 31 Jan (PFJ). Elie estate, Fife—150 on 13 Feb (DWO). Largo Bay, Fife—100 on 10 Feb (DWO). Portmore—over 250 on 29 Mar (HAF). Newbattle woods, Midlothian—peak of about 50 on 18 Jan (EHm). A late female was still at Arbroath on 15th May (JD). Unusual birds in the northern isles are a Yellowhammer seen on Foula, Shetland, on Ist May (MG), and two male Red-headed Buntings at Fair Isle in late May (RHD). One of the latter was wearing a foreign cage-bird ring which has not yet been identified—but at least it can be said with cer- tainty to have escaped from captivity. A pair of Reed Buntings has already been mentioned as showing signs of nesting on Cramond Island last year (3: 377); three pairs bred there this year (TCS). A very unusual record is of a fine male Lapland Bunting on 30th April at about 1500 ft on the hills just above Balmaha, Stirlingshire (DS). Six Tree Sparrows at Portsoy, Banffshire, on 25th March (JE), and one at Clunie Loch, Perthshire, on 29th June (VMT), were in areas where this species is not common. Hard as it may be to believe that the species has anywhere in the country left to colonise, the discovery of a pair of House Sparrows at Saxavord, Shetland, on 10th April is ap- Te only the second record there in the last five years MS). » Earlier observations—before Ist November 1965 An exceptional raft of at least 181 Eiders was counted off the Dunbartonshire shore of Loch Long at Coulport on 5th October 1965. Other recent counts have been 60 on 19th July 1965 and a mere 11 on 17th January 1966. When the obser- ver came to Coulport in 1954 there were no Hiders; the first were seen perhaps two years later, and numbers have increased gradually since. Breeding has not been proved, but two adults were swimming close to the shore with three half-grown young on 8th July 1965. There seems to be no previously published record of this species in Dunbarton- shire (EMK). Good views were had of an immature male Hobby at Mains 1966 CURRENT NOTES 253 of Tarty farm, Aberdeenshire, on 17th September 1965 (JG-C, WMy). The Herring Gull has not been recorded as breeding in Renfrewshire, but in 1964 there were several pairs on Loch Thom and one pair on Gryffe Reservoir nearby. Two chicks were located on the island in Loch Thom on 14th June that year, and there was one chick at Gryffe Reservoir on 27th (RAJ). The scarcity of Magpies in the islands makes it worth not- ing that one was found dead in Port Ellen, Islay, in April 1965, and one was seen at Gruinart on the same island in June that year (HK). General observations—behaviour, etc. A female Mallard seen on the Water of Leith in Edinburgh on 6th June had somehow adopted a brood of six newly hatched Moorhen chicks. Although there was a pair of Moor- hens in the vicinity they paid no attention as the Mallard escorted the chicks about on the water (RSB). The observation of a Golden Eagle flying past at the same time and same place on two successive days, llth and 12th June, near Loch Tay, Perthshire, made the observer wonder whether these birds follow a definite daily route during the breeding season (PWS). This would seem a likely occur- rence as being the most efficient way of defending a territory and exploring it for food. A stoat was seen to attack a Buzzard in the Black Isle, Easter Ross, on 17th May. The stoat followed the bird as it flew from one fence post to another, climbed the post it landed on and assaulted it, forcing it to fly up into a tree (MKM-D). The remains of a female Sparrowhawk were found at the nest of a Peregrine on Speyside on 28th April (DNW). When a sitting Oystercatcher was approached at its nest on an island on Loch Druidibeg in South Uist on 12th May, the bird rose, ran to the far end of the island and swam some 30 yards into the loch. There it waited until the ob- server withdrew before returning and settling on its eggs. Although Oystercatchers are known to be capable of swim- ming well, this form of distraction display must be very unusual (RNC). Two unusual nest sites are those of a Common Sandpiper on the sea shore just above the high tide mark near Balcary Point in Kirkcudbrightshire (WUF), and of a Black-headed Gull among some boulders in the middle of the River Almond at Almondell, West Lothian. The river was very low at the time and had the eggs not disappeared about 6th May they 254 CURRENT NOTES 4(3) would have been washed away with the next rainfall (JBt). A curious Sandwich Tern, having a completely yellow bill, was seen amongst normal individuals at Gullane Point, East Lothian, on Ist May (RSB). Hooded Crows were seen raiding Sand Martins’ nests at a large colony near Fochabers, Morayshire, last summer. The crows were seen to hang on to the entrance holes and pull out nest material until they reached the eggs or young (per PVU). A Blackbird which built its nest on a tenement windowsill in the High Street, Edinburgh, was no less than 45 feet from the ground (RSB). On 10th August 1965 near Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire, a Redstart was seen making persistent attacks on a wood mouse. The bird was seen trying to peck at the mouse while flying over it for about three minutes until the mouse dis- appeared into the undergrowth (JGY). A Willow Warbler’s nest near Ballater became covered by about a foot of water when the River Dee rose on 23rd May. On 26th the bird returned to it and laid three eggs in addi- tion to the two remaining in it from before the flood (JWT per AIS). The limitation of numbers of breeding birds through lack of nest sites in otherwise suitable areas is a well known phenomenon. In 1963 six nest boxes were erected in a locality in Dumfriesshire where Pied Flycatchers were unknown. Five were occupied by this species in the first season, and all six in the two subsequent years. Although the birds were in the area this year none bred, as the boxes had been removed in the interim (JGY). On the evening of 27th January, during thick fog, a large flock of Starlings crashed into the telephone wires strung across the main street of Yetholm. The birds had been heard circling the village and apparently lost, for about an hour beforehand. On 29th 62 bodies were counted on a 300-yard stretch of street and it is estimated that at least 100 birds were killed (RSB). Finally, an anecdotal tale of House Sparrows celebrating the New Year prematurely in Yetholm, About 100 drunken birds were found roistering in some cherry trees on 30th December. They had apparently been feeding from a sack of partly fer- mented grain thrown out into his yard by a local farmer. The following day “a number of seedy-looking sparrows were ob- served wandering morosely about the garden and drinking copiously from the bird-bath!” (RSB). 1966 OBITUARIES 255 Obituaries GEORGE STOUT (Plate 25) Fair Isle’s oldest inhabitant and best-known island ornith- ologist, George Stout of Field, known to everyone as ‘Fieldy’, died at Fair Isle on 5th April 1966 in his eightieth year. All who know Fair Isle will be saddened at the passing of this fine old man. His kenspeckle figure was a familiar sight trudging over the island roads in all weathers or searching the ‘banks’ for driftwood with always an eye open for a passing migrant. Fieldy was the last of the old-type collec- tor-ornithologists; he pinned his faith in his .410 shotgun and never used binoculars. Even in old age his eyesight was remarkably keen. It was in 1921 that Eagle Clarke paid his last visit to Fair Isle with a newcomer to the island, Surgeon Rear-Admiral J. H. Stenhouse. Fieldy’s comment on the two elderly or- nithologists bothying in the old cottage at Pund was “Man, they lived on bad food and good whusky for a month.” It was entirely due to Stenhouse that Fieldy first became ser- iously interested in birds. In 1923 Stenhouse began a succession of visits to Fair Isle. The first mention of George Stout of Field is in a paper by Stenhouse (Scot. Nat. 1927: 53) where he records that “after my departure, a female Short-toed Lark, Calandrella b. brachydactyla, was obtained by Mr George Stout on 19th October (1926).” From then on, Fieldy contributed regular notes to the Annual Report on Scottish Ornithology, edited by E. V. Baxter and L. J. Rintoul. Stenhouse paid his last visit to Fair Isle in May 1928; and after his death I began to correspond with George Stout, whom I had not met. On 8th May 1931 he obtained the first British specimen of the Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus. It was sent to the Royal Scottish Museum and the occurrence published by Percy H. Grimshaw (Scot. Nat. 1932: 1). There is however an inside story to the account given by Grimshaw. When the skin arrived at the R.S.M., Grimshaw telephoned to tell me that my friend George Stout had sent in a bird labelled “Pale Harrier Circus macrourus, o& Fair Isle 8th May 1931.” Grimshaw, an entomologist, thought that the bird was in fact a rather small male Hen Harrier and had written to Fieldy suggesting that it was a bit presumptuous of him to name the specimen ‘Pale Harrier,” and was he aware that the species had never been recorded in Britain before, Back came a letter from Fieldy: “Don’t judge other people by 265 (t; OBITUARIES 4(3) your own ignorance. The bird is a Pale Harrier.” Strong words from a crofter on Fair Isle to the Head of the Natural History Department of the Royal Scottish Museum! Grim- shaw sent the specimen to the British Museum where N. B. Kinnear pronounced that George, Stout’s identification was correct. Grimshaw sent him a handsome apology. It was not until September 1935 that I was able to visit the island with A. G. S. Bryson. Between 1928 and 1935 no outside ornithologists had landed on Fair Isle. It was obvious from the warmth of our welcome that Fieldy and Jerome Wilson had missed the live contacts with the outside world of ornithology. We worked the crops at the south end of the island every day accompanied by both islanders with their guns at the ready; they were expert shots. At the end of the day it was an education to watch them both skinning and preparing specimens, but a bit disconcerting to find that the skinning knife used by Fieldy (with arsenical soap as a preservative) was also used for cutting bread. In 1936 when I again visited Fair Isle in company with Dennis Sandeman we stayed with Fieldy in his croft. He was a widower and lived alone. When we arrived he was gutting a lamb on the kitchen table. We ate our way stolidly through the animal for a week, at the end of which I for one could hardly look a sheep in the face. As a change from the everlasting boiled mutton I suggested sheep’s head by way of variety. When we returned that evening, tired and hungry, Fieldy had a big iron pot bubbling and frothing on the open peat fire. “Well, what’s it to be tonight Fieldy?” Fieldy, with a broad grin, replied ‘Man, it’s the sheep’s heid!”’ I lifted the lid off the cauldron to disclose a simmering froth of hairy scum. I understand there is some technique about singeing the head first—but how were we or Fieldy to know? The grinning skull was forked out of the pot and placed in the middle of the table and we all dug in. I think the only bit I could face up to was the beast’s tongue. - Most people will remember Fieldy for his fund of stories —most of them highly imaginative. From the beginning of the War, Fieldy’s imagination began to run riot and greatly to the sorrow of his old friends we came to treat his sight- ings of rarities with suspicion. Those of us who were privileged to know him well will always remember his as one of Nature’s real gentlemen. It was a joy to hear him talking in his strong Fair Isle dialect about “Bairred Wairblers,” or clinching an identification ar- gument with “it had to be wan o’ thaim.” Dear old Fieldy— how we shall miss you and your chuckling laugh. GEORGE WATERSTON. 1966 OBITUARIES 257 A. C. STEPHEN, D.Sc., F.R.S.E. Dr A. C. Stephen, Keeper of the Department of Natural History at the Royal Scottish Museum from 1935 to 1958, died suddenly at his home in Edinburgh on 3rd June 1966 in his 73rd year. Born at Garvock, Kincardineshire. he was educated at Robert Gordon’s College and Marischal College, Aberdeen, which he entered in 1913. His academic course was interrup- ted by service in France and Belgium with the Special Brigade R.E. and he saw action on the Somme and at Ypres. He graduated B.Sc. with distinction in Zoology at Aberdeen in 1919. His first appointment was Junior Naturalist on the scientific staff of the Fisheries Board for Scotland in 1920 where he was responsible for an investigation into the dis- tribution of animal life on the bottom of the North Sea; his report threw fresh light on the animal communities and their relation to fishery problems. He joined the staff of the Royal Scottish Museum in Edin- burgh in June 1925 as Assistant in the Department of Natural History, and his period of service was notable for the open- ing of new halls and galleries which, in their presentation of material, were well in advance of other museums in this country. His chief interest was marine zoology and he was a world authority on the taxonomy of echiurids, sipunculids and priapulids. He completed a synopsis of the British species and at the time of his death was engaged in the preparation of a monograph of the world species. He came in closer touch with ornithologists as Editor of the Scottish Naturalist from 1935 to 1939. This journal was of course the principal outlet for notes on Scottish ornithology during the years up to the outbreak of war in 1939. The writer recalls with gratitude the encouragement and sym- pathetic interest shown by Alastair Stephen in the establish- ment of the Isle of May Bird Observatory and the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club. Under his editorship the Scottish Nat- uralist was adopted as the official organ of the S.O.C. He took a keen and lively interest in the setting up of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory, of which he was a Trustee. He never missed an annual meeting of the Trust. He served as Pres- ident of the Royal Physical Society and the Astronomical society of Edinburgh. He was a man of robust physique. His large, slightly stoop- ing figure, carrying a small shopping bag, could be seen trudging along Princes Street in the lunch hour, He endeared himself to his friends by concealing a sensitive and kindly nature below a rough hearty exterior. GEORGE WATERSTON. 258 OBITUARIES 4(3) WILFRID BACKHOUSE ALEXANDER “28th September 1934: W. B. Alexander’—this is the opening entry in the Isle of May visitors’ book, and at Christmas 1964 W.B.A. was able to write to his friends that he had fulfilled his dream of the coasts of Britain being en- circled by a chain of bird observatories. And although he paid many visits to Scotland, notably to Islay with the Ox- ford Ornithological Society in 1936, it is in connection with the Isle of May that he has had most influence north of the Border. He was also a visitor to Fair Isle and on one trip saw from the boat what he was sure was Bulwer’s Petrel, but which he, the author of Birds of the Ocean, refused to men- tion in print, as the view was so brief: a model of scientific caution which might be followed by many today. But his influence must also be a general, all-British one. After his work in Australia, when his many journeys from there to South America in search of the cactoblast, resulted in Birds of the Ocean, a pioneer work with diagrammatic sketches still essential to the sea traveller, he was appointed first director of the Edward Grey Institute at Oxford and was thus perhaps the first professional ornithologist in Brit- ain, a pioneer in this, as in so many other, modern trends. He was closely connected with The Handbook and, after the death of F. C. R. Jourdain, took over his sections of the work. His influence on others is as important as that of his pub- lished writings, and he, with B. W. Tucker, in the Oxford of the 1930s, initiated a new school of ornithologists. Those who today all over Britain are making censuses, making field identifications, and trapping birds for ringing are unaware how much their systems and techniques owe to this father of modern ornithology. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of bird literature combined with an extensive memory, and the library of the Edward Grey Institute is his deserved memorial. It is pleasant in a famous ornithologist to find a taste for the lighter side of the subject: W.B.A., just as he kept maps of Britain with every road marked along which he had driven, so kept a bird list for every British county. The present writer has had the privilege of bashing a hedge, in order that a Willow Tit might be driven out of Herts into Bucks for his benefit. Let not the modern ornithologist, who so often mistakes for knowledge the ability to count things, despise this attitude. If a man is able to make his profession also his hobby he is blessed, and W.B.A., with his exceptional memory, could use his list-making for a very thorough knowledge of bird distribution. In person he was short and round—un gentil bonhomme, as 1966 OBITUARIES 259 a French ornithologist affectionately described him. With his hat, his gumboots and his stick with a crook (so that it could be hung over the arm when he used his fieldglasses), his field characters were unmistakable. His round gold spec- tacles gave him an owl-like look of wisdom and, as you spoke to him, he would fix you through them, uttering, as a mark of attention, a curious plaintive mm, mm, mm, which remains one of the most memorable and lovable things about him. He was ready to laugh, or rather chuckle, and was always espec- ially pleased by rather learned jokes about birds. On reading in the paper about a poor mad woman in a London park who, in order to protect her friends the sparrows from imagined persecution, used to put them in her mouth, W.B.A. asked: “And did she bring up pellets?” He has been known to com- plain about trifles, but often amusingly, as for example, about lunch in a country hotel: “the whole thing was cold, except the icecream.” He had plenty of talents; a very wide knowledge of Eng- lish literature was among them. He was also a first-class swimmer. Once on the Isle of May, when the storm cone was hoisted, he swam round the rock at the entrance to the har- bour and, when disbelief was expressed, did it again as proof. He was then over fifty. A disappointment was that never in his long life did he manage to see a Little Auk, and mention of that bird in his presence was almost embarrassing. Nor, although he compiled a monograph on the Woodcock so ex- tensive that it was the chief feature of The Ibis from 1945 to 1947, did he ever have the luck of seeing a Woodcock carry- ing its young: “I don’t believe it does it at all!” he once ex- claimed crossly. One of three famous ornithologist brothers, he died shortly before Christmas 1965. It is hard to think that he was over eighty, and hard to imagine the world of ornithology without him. His generosity with his experience, knowledge and advice will not be forgotten by those who benefited from them. M. F. M. MEIKLEJOHN. Reviews Birds of the Atlantic Islands. Vol. 2. A History of the Birds of Madeira, the Desertas, and the Porto Santo Islands. By D. A. and W. M. Ban- nerman. Illustrated by D. M. Reid-Henry. Edinburgh and London, Oliver & Boyd, 1965. Pp. xlviiit207; 9 plates (8 in colour); 38 line drawings and fold-out map. 262 x 182 cm. 84/- Originally it had been Dr Bannerman’s intention to include the birds of the Madeiran islands and of the Azores in one volume but he has now sep- 260 REVIEW'S 4(3) arated the two groups, leaving the Azores to be dealt with in volume 3. His final aim is to complete the Atlantic Islands series with a fourth vol- ume on the birds of the Cape Verde Islands. A change from volume 1 (see 3:45) is that Dr Bannerman shares the authorship with his wife, al- though he remains entirely responsible for writing the text. In a historical introduction, which is preceded by a bibliography of the literature on Madeira, the reader is given a detailed and extremely inter- esting account of the numerous ornithologists, past and present, who have furthered the knowledge of Madeiran birds. Foremost, perhaps, of this distinguished company were Ernest Schmitz, a German padre, who resided on Madeira from 1874 to 1908, and the Portuguese, Senhor Adolfo de Noronha, who lived on the barren island of Porto Santo during the years 1900-1903. A criticism of volume 1 was that it did not contain an account of the topography and climate of the Canary Islands. Such an omission is rectified in this volume in a special chapter contributed by G. E. Maul, Curator of the Museu Municipal do Funchal, who gives a lucid description of the topography, climate, vegetation and geology of the Madeiran archi- pelago. Tucked inside the back cover of the book where it is readily avail- able for reference is a useful, folding map. Despite a similarity of habitats shared by the two island groups, it is rather surprising to find that there are considerably fewer resident species than in the neighbouring Canaries. Many common Canarian species, ranging far afield in their choice of habitats, are absent from the Madeiran islands. Nevertheless, several of the breeding land and sea bird species are of ex- ceptional interest, ranging from the Soft-plumaged Petrel, one of the least known of the Atlantic Islands seabirds, to the endemic Madeiran Firecrest, so aptly described by Meinertzhagen as an “exquisite and delicate little gem.” Dr Bannerman deals fully and authoritatively with each individual species, and his text is often interspersed with vivid descriptive passages as, for example, the account of his trip along a levada edge to the dense mountain woods overhanging a steep ribeira in search of the magnificent Madeiran Laurel Pigeon, which Reid-Henry has so splendidly portrayed in the frontispiece. Many problems, particularly regarding the breeding biology of the insular land birds, remain unsolved: an excellent oppor- tunity awaits a resident ornithologist prepared to undertake an intensive study of these species. About 170 migratory species have been recorded in the islands but barely a quarter of these occurs with any regularity. It might perhaps have been advantageous to have divided this section into two parts, one dealing with the regular passage migrants and another with irregular migrants and rare vagrants. Incidentally, the authors are to be congratulated on adding three new species to the Madeiran list. Appendices deal with unconfirmed and unsatisfactory records, the origin of migrants, ringing records, and additions and corrections to volume 1. The eight coloured plates, depicting 14 species, by D. M. Reid-Henry are of outstanding merit and, in addition, a few of them portray distinctive features of the Madeiran landscape. Although it is difficult to single out any one painting of this delightful set, the reviewer’s choice is the enchant- iag study of the Madeiran Barn Owl. As in volume 1 the line drawings by various artists enhance the pages of the text. This rich, fascinating and superbly illustrated book will not only be a valuable source of reference to the expert ornithologist but will provide the visiting birdwatcher with an indispensable guide to the birds of Mad- eira and their diverse habitats. D. MACDONALD. 1966 REVIEWS 261 Birds in the Balance. Survival Books series No. 5. By Philip Brown. Lon- don, Deutsch, 1966. Pp. 124; 15 photographs (9 plates), one in colour. 21 cm x 163 cm. 25/-. As an indication of the scope of this book it should be recorded that its stated aim is to be an introduction to some of the problems of conserving wild birds. It consists of eight chapters dealing with: why conserve? the historical background, the concept of the bird reserve, the post-war revol- ution, legislation (safeguard or shibboleth?), conservation and sport, intro- ductions and re-introductions, bird reserves (some problems and experi- ments), and birds in the balance. The chapters are basically individual essays, possibly written to pre-selected titles, and they do not succeed entirely in presenting a logically connected narrative. I have not found Birds in the Balance easy to review, although it is short and can easily be read through at a sitting. It is pleasantly and in- formally written, holds one’s attention, and performs a useful service in outlining the development of conservation thinking in the realm of bird preservation. Yet at the end I had doubts if I would ever wish to read it again, or to refer to it for the development of new ideas, so can I honestly recommend it as a book to buy? Suffice, that it is one that I am glad to ae read, and that others should read: how they get hold of it is their affair. In a somewhat florid and over-written foreword, Aubrey Buxton says that this is not another book just about birds, but a book about people and about what people have done about birds. “It is really about us, us frightful bird people...and of the splendid muddles we have managed to contrive, or allowed others to perpetrate, in the grand cause of keeping Britain a good bird place for our descendants.” He states also that it is “a stirring account of the wonderful things that have been done, partic- ularly since the war.” All this is true enough. Philip Brown is a well known figure; as the blurb tells us, he served with the R.S.P.B. for 17 years—for 11 of them as Sec- retary—and is now the editor of the Shooting Times. He is therefore in a position to take a broad view, and so he does. Equally, he has a fund of reminiscence to draw on, and does not hesitate to use it. This makes for good reading, and if at times the anecdotes tend to obscure the main theme this is understandable and readily forgiven, for there are some good stories. What is more unsatisfactory is that sometimes—and in particular in his chapter on legislation—Mr Brown is over-destructive and insuffic- iently constructive. In bird conservation, as in many other fields, what is needed is not so much new legislation or better law enforcement but a more enlightened public opinion, itself the most effective authority and sanction. Surprisingly, in view of his own close association with the pro- ject, the author does not stress as much as he might the splendid work done by the R.S.P.B. in safeguarding the Speyside Ospreys by making them of personal concern to so many ordinary people; it is not only the Ospreys that have benefited, but all the birds of Scotland and beyond. The choice of illustrations is disappointing; nearly half are of shot or trapped birds, and not all are particularly apposite. None of these is dated, and several have appeared before. It would be especially interesting to know just when the picture was taken of eight Buzzards and a Merlin decor- ating a keeper’s shed, and that of two Sparrowhawks on another gibbet. One might be forgiven for wondering from these if the reduction of birds of prey by toxics and traps has been as great as is popularly supposed. W. J. EGGELING. 262 REVIEWS 4(3) The Owl Family. By Frank Wenzel. Translated from the Danish by F. H Lyon. British edition. London, George Allen & Unwin, 1966. First pub- lished in Denmark 1965 (or 1963?) as “Hvad Hojen Fortalte.” Pp.2132; 32 colour photographs. 25? cm x 19 cm. 35/-. A succinctly described cameo of wildlife by the author of The Buzzard, centred on a family of Long-eared Owls on a Danish estate. A.T.M. The Golden Eagle. By Robert Murphy. Illustrated by John Schoenherr. British edition. London, Cassell, 1966. Previously published in America, 1965. Pp. 157; 11 drawings. 21 cm x 132 cm. 25/-. Vividly written biography of an imaginary American Golden Eagle, by the author of Varda: the Flight of a Falcon. A.T.M. The Living Air. The Memoirs of an Ornithologist. By Jean Delacour. Foreword by Peter Scott. London, Country Life, 1966. Pp. 173; 17 plates (35 photographs). 233 cm x 153 cm. 45/-. Attractive autobiography of world-famous ornithologist, author of The Pheasants of the World, The Waterfowl of the World (4 vols.) and other works. A.T.M. Letters SIR, The Birds of Renfrewshire The Council of the Paisley Naturalists’ Society and the Department of Natural History, Paisley Museum, are colla- borating in a complete resurvey of the natural history of Renfrewshire, last undertaken by the Paisley Naturalists’ Society almost exactly fifty years ago. It is hoped to pub- lish a series of up-to-date handbooks on each subject, and we have been appointed Recorders-for-Birds by the Joint Committee. In 1948 Dr Gibson and the late T. Thornton MacKeith pro- duced a joint manuscript on the “Birds of Renfrewshire”’ but owing to the sudden and unexpected death of MacKeith this was never published. We are now revising this and bringing it up to the end of 1965—fifty years after the last comprehensive accounts of Renfrewshire birds: MALLooH, T. 1915. Renfrewshire birds. Trans. Paisley Nat. Soc. 2: 69-84. ROBERTSON, J. & MACKEITH, T. T. 1915. The birds of Renfrewshire. Scot. Nat. 1915: 124-127, 244-250, 268-275. We shall be very glad indeed to hear from anyone who has unpublished information on Renfrewshire birds or who knows of records published in an out-of-the-way journal; records in the standard journals will have been noted. We are hoping to include a tribute to Thornton MacKeith, the leading Renfrewshire naturalist of his generation, but we are having difficulty in finding a photograph suitable for publication. If anyone possesses such a photograph we should 1966 LETTERS 263 be very glad to be allowed to borrow it. If anyone can assist we shall be very grateful if they will communicate with us at the Museum, High Street, Paisley, or at Foremount House, Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire. All letters will be answered, and full acknowledgment of all assistance received will be made when the handbook is published. J. A. GIBSON, JAMES ANDERSON. SIR, Notes on the birds of Berneray, Mingulay and Pabbay In their paper on the birds of Berneray, Mingulay and Pabbay (3: 397-404), Diamond, Douthwaite and Indge give an account of the birds they found there in June and July 1964. From 15th July to 7th August 1965 a further party from Cambridge visited Berneray and Mingulay, and changes in the status of several species were noted. Diamond et al. found no trace of petrels on the islands, but at 0530 hrs GMT on 17th August 1965 a single Storm Petrel was caught in a mistnet in the marshy area just above the landing slip on Berneray. No other petrels were seen or caught during our stay although the nets were left up for three days and nights under constant observation. There was no evidence to show whether or not this bird was breeding. Although Golden Eagles were seen throughout our stay in 1964, none at all was seen in 1965. It seems worth recording that sheep dips containing Dieldrin are used on the islands, although there is no evidence to connect this with the dis- appearance of the eagles. Four or five Swifts were regularly seen circling round a west-facing gully on Berneray, and the lighthouse keepers reported that they had been present for some time. None was recorded in 1964. There is no recent record of Corncrakes south of Barra; in 1965, at least two were heard calling throughout our stay on Berneray, and two were caught in a mistnet on 20th July. Song Thrushes had increased on Berneray to four pairs— two in the village, one just above the landing slip, and one at the lighthouse. On Mingulay there were two pairs in the village, but only one nest was found. In addition, single birds were seen on the north slopes of Carnan, and on Solon More; a stack to the northeast of the island. Migrants included a moribund Tree Sparrow at Berneray lighthouse on 3rd August, several Redshanks on the east point of Berneray and a Dunlin on Mingulay on 2nd-3rd August, D. P. L. WILLIAMS, 264 LETTERS 4(3) SIR, Buzzard breeding in Clackmannanshire In view of the report of Buzzards breeding in 1964 and perhaps earlier as the first record of breeding in Clackman- nanshire (3: 410) some earlier notes of mine may be of in- terest. In May 1956 I was informed of a nest in a 40 ft pine in a wood about 14 miles west of Dollar. On the 13th I found three eggs in it and these were showing signs of hatching by the 22nd. I was unable to return for almost a fortnight, but on 5th June I found the nest severely damaged by stones thrown into it and two young birds dead. I estimated that one was about 12-14 days old and the other about six days old; there was no sign of a third young bird. That was the first and only time I found a nest although I searched in 1957, 1958 and 1959 as Buzzards were still in the area. GorDON M. CROSTHWAITE. SIR, Garden Warblers in West Stirlingshire I see from the first records of Garden Warblers in West Stirlingshire (3: 396) that its status in this division has been neglected until lately and that breeding has not been recor- ded. On 5th June 1954 I found a Garden Warbler on a nest with 5 eggs in a bramble clump in a deserted garden at Coillie. Mhor, near Rowardennan. A week later I noted a bird near Balmaha. In 1955 one was singing in scrub wood- land on the east side of the Endrick mouth on 22nd May and there were a number in the area on 9th June, especially in bramble and rhododendron wilderness near Buchanan Castle. On 15th June 1957 I found a cock’s nest after hearing one singing at Clairinsh, an island off the mouth of the En- drick. For completeness I may mention my records from nearby areas at that time—a bird by the Lake of Menteith, South Perthshire, on 27th May 1956; three singing near Aberfoyle in woods at Duchray Castle, East Stirlingshire, on 25th May 1957; and three between Ardlui and Glen Falloch, Dunbarton- shire/Perthshire, on lst June 1957. H. MEYER-GROsS. 1966 LETTERS 265 SIR, Notes from the Isle of Iona In their notes from Iona (Scot. Birds 4: 80-81) Kerr and Hope say they saw no sign of Rooks having bred there, They have done so for a fairly long time round the manse—since at least 1948 I understand. W. J. EGGELING. (At Dr Eggeling’s suggestion we wrote to Dr D. S. Stiven just before he retired from being minister on Iona. He told us that the Rooks were there when he came to the island in 1958, and was able to take the story back to the early 1940s. He put us in touch with the Rev. D. MacCuish of Galashiels who was on Iona from 1933 to 1940, remembered that the birds were already there in 1933, and referred us back to Peter Macinnes on Iona. Here at last the loose threads of the tale were woven together. Early in his ministry in the period 1890-1930 the Rev. Archibald MacMillan planted trees in a Spare part of the manse policies, and these flourished. The Rooks seem to have first come to breed in the early 1920s and they have nested ever since at a fairly steady level of 20 to 30 pairs (sometimes rather more or less). There is a daily influx from the woods of Mull, and especially on stormy days they fly very low in the trough of the waves. We have also been reminded by T. Hedley Bell that in “Some notes on the birds of Mull and Iona’”—deposited in the S.0.C. Library—he had a note of a party of about 10 Knot flying over the island on 28th August 1963 which displaces the 1965 record as the first for Iona.—Eb.) Request for Information Influx of Great Shearwaters in autumn 1965. September 1965 heralded one of the largest influxes on record of Great Shearwaters to British and Irish waters. The biggest num- bers were seen in southwest Ireland, but it is apparent that the birds were widespread around our coasts, numbers being seen at Fair Isle and to the northwest of the Scottish main- land. Also involved were Sooty Shearwaters and very much smaller numbers of Cory’s Shearwaters. At the suggestion of the Seabird Group and British Birds A. Gibbs and R. G. Newell have agreed to collect all records relating to the distribution of these three species in the north Atlantic and western Europe during the summer and autumn of 1965 with a view to publishing a paper. Anyone who has records of Great, Cory’s and Sooty Shearwaters for this period is asked to send them to R. G. Newell, 55 Avonmore Road, West Kensington, London W.14. 266 THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 4(3) The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club NINETEENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE HOTEL DUNBLANE, PERTHSHIRE 21st to 23rd October 1966 Friday 21st October 5 to 7.30 p.m. Conference Office in the Hotel Dunblane opens for and 8 to 9 p.m. members and guests to register, and collect name cards and Annual Dinner tickets. 6.15 p.m. Meeting of Council. 8.30 to 9.30 p.m. S.O.C. BIRD-ISLAND STUDY CRUISE FILM AND SLIDE PROGRAMME in the Ballroom. At 9.30 excursion leaders will describe places to be visited on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. 9.30 p.m. to Lounges available for informal discussions and refresh- midnight ments (late licence). Saturday 22nd October 8.45 to 9.15 am. Conference Office opens for registrations. 9.20 a.m. Official Opening of the Conference in the Ballroom. ADDRESS OF WELCOME by the Provost of Dunoon. 9.30 a.m. LECTURE, “Problems of Irruptive Bird Migration” by Dr Staffan Ulfstrand (Lunds Universitets Zoologiska Institution, Sweden), followed by discussion. 11 a.m. INTERVAL for coffee and biscuits. 11.30 a.m. LECTURE, “Irruptions in the British Isles” by R. K. Cornwallis (former Vice-President of the B.T.O.), follow- ed by discussion. 1 to 2 pam: INTERVAL for lunch. 2 p.m. EXCURSIONS by private cars leaving the Conference Hotel car park. Details will be posted on the Conference notice board. 3 p.m. MEETING for R.S.P.B. members in the Ballroom. 6 p.m. 30th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE CLUB in the Ballroom. BUSINESS: (1) Apologies for absence. (2) Approval of Minutes of 29th Annual General Meeting of the Club held in Dunblane on 23rd October 1965 (see “Scottish Birds” 3: 438-440). (3) Report of Council for Session 29. (4) Approval of Accounts for Session 29. (5) Appointment of Auditor. (6) Election of President of the Club. Dr I. D. Pennie, having completed three years term of office, is due to retire. The Council recommends the election of Dr W. J. Eggeling. (7) Election of Vice-President. The Council recommends the election of A. Donald Watson to succeed Dr W. J. Eggeling. (8) Election of new members of Council. The Council recommends the election of Dr David Jenkins and 1966 THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 207 R. G. Caldow to replace Dr G. M. Dunnet and Dr D. H. Mills who are due to retire by rotation. (9) Any other competent business. 7.30 for 8 pm. ANNUAL DINNER in the Diningroom of the Hotel Dun- blane (dress informal). Sunday 23rd October 9.30 a.m. LECTURE, “Range Changes in European Birds” by Stanley Cramp (Senior Editor of “British Birds”), fol- lowed by discussion. 11 a.m. INTERVAL for coffee and biscuits. 11.30 a.m. FILMS, “Steller’s Albatross (Diomedia albatrus) in Torishima Island, Japan’, and “The Private Life of the Kingfisher” (awarded the Diploma of Merit in the first National Festival of Nature Films 1966). 1 to 2 p.m. INTERVAL for lunch. 2 p.m. EXCURSIONS by private cars leaving the Conference Hotel car park. Conference Office Outwith registration hours the Conference Office will also be open at intervals during the weekend for members to see the exhibits. A wide selection of new books from the S.O.C. Bird Bookshop will be displayed for purchase or orders. R.S.P.B. literature, Christmas cards, garden bird equipment and gramophone records will be on sale, and also a selection of B.T.O. literature and Christmas cards. Film and Slide Programme The programme from 8.30 to 9.30 pm. on Friday evening is intended to give members and guests an opportunity of showing 2” x 2” slides or 16 mm films taken on the Cruise. These must however be submitted be- forehand to the Conference Film Committee, and should be sent, by 7th October at the latest, to the Club Secretary, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7. The slides should be titled and sent with brief notes on what will be said about them, to enable the Committee to make a selection and to form a good programme. It will not be possible to show material which has not been received by this date. INFORMATION (1) Hotel Reservations. All reservations must be made direct. Owing to the shortage of single rooms, members are urged to make arrangements to share a room with a friend. (2) Conference Post Card. It is essential that members intending to be present should complete the enclosed printed post card and send it to the Club Secretary not later than 17th October. Because of limited seating accommodation, the Council regrets that members may invite only one guest each to the Annual Dinner. (3) Registration. Everyone attending the Conference must register on arrival (10s each) at the Conference Office (for opening times, see Pro- gramme). Members attending only the Annual General Meeting do not require to pay the registratioon fee, which covers morning coffees and in- cidental expenses. (4) Annual Dinner. Tickets for the Annual Dinner (price 25s inclusive of red or white wine or fruit cup, and of gratuities) shuld be purchased when registering. Members and guests staying in the Conference Hotel pay for the Annual Dinner in their inclusive hotel account, but must obtain a 208 THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 4(3) dinner ticket from the Conference Office as all tickets will be collected at the Annual Dinner. No payments should be made in advance to the office in Edinburgh. (5) Other Meals. Dinner on Friday evening is served in the Conference Hotel from 6.30 to 9 p.m. Non-residents will be able to obtain lunch on Saturday or Sunday by prior arrangement with the Hotel Reception desk. (6) Swimming Pool. The indoor swimming pool in the Conference Hotel will be available during the weekend at no extra charge. (7) Excursions. Members are asked to provide cars if possible and to fill their passenger seats; to avoid congestion in the car park the minimum number of cars will be used. The following 1” O.S. maps cover the area: Old Edition 62, 63, 66 and 67; New Edition 53, 54, 55, 60 and 61. Members wishing to go out on their own are particularly asked not to go in advance of led excursions to avoid disturbing the birds. Hotels in Dunblane Hotel Dunblane (Hydro) (Tel. 2551). Special Conference charge £7.11.0d (or 75/6 per day) including service charge, covering bed and all meals (except tea on Saturday afternoon) from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch, after-meal coffee, and the Annual Dinner (with wine or soft drinks). For cl than a full day, bed and breakfast is 42/-, lunch 11/6 and dinner 17/6. Stirling Arms Hotel (Tel. 2156). Bed and breakfast from 25/-. Neuk Private Hotel, Doune Road (Tel. 2150). B & B 20/- to 23/-. Schiehallion Hotel, Doune Road (Tel. 3141). B & B 18/6 to 20/6. Ardleighton Hotel (near Hotel Dunblane gates) (Tel. 2273). B & B 17/6 to 21/-. Hotels in Bridge of Allan (3 miles from Dunblane) Members with cars who have difficulty in getting single rooms in Dun- blane should find these two hotels have ample accommodation. Allan Water Hotel (Tel. 2293). B & B 37/6 to 42/-. Royall Hotel (Tel. 2284). B & B from 39/-. Owing to the Selective Employment Tax all hotel prices, except for the Conference Hotel, are provisional and should be confirmed. SUBSCRIPTIONS, COVENANTS AND BANKER’S ORDERS Your subscription for the new session is now due and should be sent at once with the enclosed form to the Club Secretary or paid to Branch Secretaries. The winter number of the journal will only be sent to paid- up subscribers. If you pay income tax at the full rate and have not already signed a seven-year Deed of Covenant, this is the way you can help the Club funds at no extra cost to yourself, as the tax we are allowed to reclaim on a subscription of 25s is nearly 18s. If only 50% of our members signed Cov- enants the Club would gain an annual income of nearly £600, which could be used to give increased services through the journal and other publica- tions, Conferences and lectures, more reference books for the Library, and in many other ways. May we invite you to use the enclosed form, which should be sent on completion to the Secretary, who will forward a Certificate of Deduction of Tax for signature each year. A Banker’s Order is enclosed for the use of members who find this a more convenient way of paying the annual subscription, and it will also help to lessen the administrative work in the Club office; this should be returned to the Secretary and not to the Bank. SUTHERLAND ARMS HOTEL GOLSPIE SUTHERLAND SCOTLAND Telephone : Golspie 216 Situated on the main North Road near the sea, Golspie offers invigorating open air holidays to all. In addition to its unique golf course, it has fine loch fishings, sea bathing, tennis, bowls, hill climbing, unrival- led scenery including inex- haustible subjects for the field sketcher and artist and is an ornithologist’s paradise. It is, indeed, impossible to find elsewhere so many nat- ural amenities in so small a compass. The B.T.O. Regional Repre- sentative, who lives in the village, will be pleased to offer local advice regarding the as- tonishing diversity of bird life in the vicinity and to receive lists of birds from visitors. The Hotel is fully modern, but retains its old world charm of other days, and en- joys a wide renown for its comfort and fine cuisine. including birdwatching, will Fully descriptive brochures, gladly be forwarded on re- quest. Proprietor, Mrs F. HEXLEY Central Heating A.A. R.A.C. GARAGE AND LOCK-UPS AVAILABLE R.S.A.C. THE BOAT HOTEL k Set amidst mountain and moor- land scenery, the Boat Hotel, with its reputation for comfort and good food, is an ideal centre for study- ing birds—the Ospreys at Loch Garten are only three miles away, and this is the country for Crested Tit, Crossbill, Capercaillie and much besides. Also ideal for photography, pony-trekking, fishing and climb- ing. 18-hole golf course 2 minutes from hotel. Ski-ing instruction, transport to ski-slopes, etc., avail- able this winter. Under owner- ship of Mr and Mrs James Harris. Reduced rates for children. BOAT OF GARTEN Inverness-shire KILSPINDIE HOUSE Comfortable Guest House in the lovely Seaside Village of Aberlady, 16 miles from Edinburgh. Be- side a Nature Reserve and several famous Golf Courses. Bird Books Please support The Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection by buying all your new Bird Books from The Bird Bookshop 21 REGENT TERRACE EDINBURGH, 7 Managed by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, profits help to maintain services to ornithology at the Scottish Centre We offer expert advice on the largest and most comprehensive choice of bird books in Scotland We stock Peterson’s American “Field Guides” ALL BOOKS SENT POST FREE Terms: Strictly cash with order Ask for the latest Price List and Catalogue G + S | Why — Laurence overnmen urp US Corner of course ! 1,001 Genuine Bargains Interest Everyone — Innumerable Walk-round Bargains on Two Floors, Greatest Variety, Keenest Prices. We specialise in Ex-Govt. Clothing, Camping and General Equipment. Huge Stock. We have innumerable items of particular interest to Naturalists. This will save you money! Protective and Outdoor Clothing, Boots, Wind- proof|Waterproof Clothing, Rubber Dinghies, Yacht Tenders, Cut Price Binoculars, Haversacks, etc. Our latest 50-page Catalogue with 1,001 genuine bargains and details of latest Government releases acquired by us now available, 1/- post free Quality — Service — Value i LAURENCE CORNER | 62-64 Hampstead Road, London, N.W.1. (2 mins., Warren Street, Euston) £2 offered for Wildfowl Trust Ist Ann. Rep. (1948). Also wanted : Svensson Lonely Isles ; Millais Surface-feeding Ducks and Diving Ducks ; Thorburn big Brit. Birds (4to); Old Statistical Account of Scot. (1791) ; Scottish topographical books with any nat. hist. interest, especially on St Kilda, Hebrides, Shetland, Orkney; pre-1892 Scot. Nat.; runs of local Scottish nat. hist. societies’ transactions etc. A. T. Macmillan, 12 Abinger Gdns, Edinburgh 12. The London Natural History Society This Society, which covers all branches of natural history, has a strong ornithological section, Lectures, film shows, practical demonstrations and field meetings are arranged and research work is undertaken, most, though not all, of these activities taking place within the Society’s area, that is within a 20 mile radius of St Paul’s. Members of this Society help run the independent Dungeness Bird Observatory, which provides experience in bird ringing, studying birds in the hand and migration watching. The London Bird Report, compiled by the Ornithological Section and published annually, includes papers, facts and figures of special interest to bird watchers in London. Further details can be had from the General Secretary: Mrs L M. P. SMatt, 13 Woodfield Crescent, Ealing, London, W.5. ‘EITHER WAY YOU NEED A BINOCULAR AUDUBON - FOR A CLOSE LOOK Field of view 445 feet at 1000 yards. Focus down to 12 feet. Designed to the suggested specification of an internationally known group of or- nithologists, this is one of the finest nature-study binoculars available. The ‘AUDUBON’ has all the unique ‘features of the SwiFT ‘BCF”’ range. * Straw-coloured ‘Ve-coated’ lenses for ‘white image.’ * Retractable eyecups for spectacle wearers. * Long cylindrical focus wheel. * Tripod adaptor built into the base of the centre spindle. * Top quality hide Ve-siot case. Cat. 6244B. Price including finest quality case and P.T. £36/0/0 er ~ PANORAMIC - FOR A WIDE VIEW = ane — WY Although not specifically designed for bird-watching, the fantastically wide field of view (578 ft. in 1000 yds.) together with its shape and weight, make this the glass for the smaller hand. It embodies all the special features of the Audubon, except the short-focus. Cat. 60448. Price including finest quality cowhide case and P.T. £34/10/0 ees eee ee cece ones eee esc essere see Seseee OSES OOOO OSE ETSSSEOTSSSESESSS SHSHOGHSHSD GSES SESSSOLESESOOESE Please send me leaflet giving details of the full range of SWIFT binoculars. IN AUIVITE ois otojoin ai ele « tie) efolelolelaei-inyolefolelamiel=tekat=iats B06 ADDRESS.........ccccccccccecerecccccsceses cones Cero eescese escort teste soessosgersrers oversee PYSER-BRITEX (SWIFT) LTD. Fircroft Way, Edenbridge, Kent Edenbridge 2434 (STD OSE 271) SB105 @yPYSER-BRITEX'S"”"7LTD SOLE IMPORTERS OF SWIFT INSTRUMENTS FIRCROFT WAY, EDENBRIDGE, KENT. Edenbridge 2434 (STD Code OSE 27%) The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club Tie Illustrated is the official Club Tie, of which R. W. Forsyth’s are the sole suppliers. The ‘Terylene’ tie is in blue, green or maroon, with the bird motif in silver. Forsyth’s also provide warm clothing for bird watchers: gloves, scarves, underwear, shoes, caps, weatherproof trousers, jerkins, raincoats and overcoats. Birds of the Atlantic Islands VOLUME II DAVID A, BANNERMAN and W. MARY BANNERMAN The second volume of this study of the birds of the Atlan- the islands describes the birds of Madeira and the adjoining islands. It brings together all that is known about the bird life of the Madeira group, using in addition to the authors’ own first-hand knowledge material collec- ted by earlier ornithologists. A special feature of the book is a detailed account of the topology of Porto Santo. The book is excellently illustrated by D. M. Reid-Henry. 84 s O) IE Wy We eae 18} (0) SCID A SELECTION OF NEW AND USED BINOCULARS SPECIALLY RECOMMENDED BY MR FRANK NIPOLE binoculars from Japan are made to our specification and are imported exclusvely by us. Per- performance is excellent and we have sufficient faith in them to guarantee them for five years. The 10x50 costs £15 10s 6d. and the 8x50 £10 19s 6d. (both With case). A SPECIALIST BINOCULAR FOR THE BIRD WATCH- ER. The Swift ‘AUDUBON’ 8.5 x 44 designed to the specification of the world-renowned Audubon Society of America. Unusually wide field of 445 ft. at 1000 yards. Extra close focusing of down to 12 ft. enables feeding activities etc., to be watched as from 18’’. Included amongst other features are retractable eye- cups for spectacle users, built-in Adaptor to suit any camera tripod. This outstanding binocular has easy positive focusing by cylindrical control, weighs 38.4 oz. and ue height closed is 6?’’. Price with fine leather case, £356. The new LEITZ TRINOVID is indisputably the bino- cular of the century. It is of revolutionary design and performance, and the 10 x 40 model, which we par- ticularly like, is extremely light and wonderfully complete. Price with soft leather case is £86.14.2. In good British glasses, we have no hesitation in sug- gesting the ROSS 9x65 STEPRUVA. Compact and weighing only 21 ozs. £435 4s 9d. We stock binoculars by Zeiss, Leitz, Barr & Stroud, Ross, Swift etc. Among SECOND-HAND binoculars, A ae a we recommend the following and, | SpHTLWE In SOnt subject to availability, can submit on approval On approval: | i | | | 7x42 Barr & Stroud, eyepiece focus, with case, condition | excellent £16 10s 6x50 Taylor Hobson, eyepiece focus, with web pouch £8 15s & 10x70 Ross, tripod mounted, magnificent condition £45 Os 25x105 German Reconnaissance, tripod mounted £195 Os der licence to Bausch & Lomb, | an ideal glass for wildfowl- ing £24 Os” | 7x50 Canadian Naval-made un- | } 7x50 Hensoldt, eyepiece focus | (conventional porro prism gg type), as new £58 10s | H | 7x50 Ross, eyepiece focus £14 10s | 7x40 Zeiss Delactus £350 Os | focus £25 Os | 8x50 Zeiss Deltrinteum, centre | | 7x50 Russian, eyepiece focus £12 Os ; 8x50 Barr & Stroud C.F.24, — centre focus £25 Os Used and Ex-Go t. 10x40 Ross, centre focus £115 10s Na vigation al Equipment. 7x50 Zeiss £35 Os ae ere go PENG OG NiNReeN GES SIS ee Ue 7x55 Swift, as new £14 Os TELESCOPES—Just a mention of the portable NICKEL SUPRA TELESCOPE It zooms from 15x to 60x with 60 mm. O.G. and is truly a remarkable instru- ment. Price £38 9s. | WALTER THOMSON? |\ PRINTER, SELKIRK. 4] / 7O LSE? 4 ds 7 Scottish Birds The Journal of The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club Vol. 4 No. 4 Winter 1966 FD VeES (Sol ib tN GS With or without spectacles Eric hosking F.R.P.S. the celebrated ornithologist and bird photographer, writes ‘| have recently found that for the mostexacting observations particularly at twilight or over the sea or misty ‘terrain, | need a binocular with greater brilliance of illumination. Consequently, after testing various types, | have changed to the new 8 x 50B Zeiss binocular which I find to be areally marvellous production; not only is the quality of illumination and optical correction beyond criticism, British Agents for Carl Zeiss West Germany but this binocular givesa remarkably wide field of view for both the spectacle wearer and the naked-eye.* The price is high but the Zeiss 8 x 50B binocular is beyond compare andl am delighted with it.” * Actually 130 yards at 1000 which has never been equalled in a spectacle wearer’s model of this specification. Degenhardt & Co. Ltd., Carl Zeiss House, 20/22 Mortimer Street, London, W.1. MUSeum 8050 (15 lines). !®Jegenhardt CHOOSING A BINOCULAR OR A TELESCOPE EXPERT ADVICE From a Large Selection New and Secondhand G. HUTCHISON & SONS Phone CAL. 5579 OPTICIANS - - 18 FORREST ROAD, EDINBURGH Open till 5.30 p.m. Saturdays Highland & Overseas Field Holidays Bird-watching and general Natural History holidays and expeditions in Scotland and on the Continent. j 1967 programme includes Norway, ‘France, Iceland, Holland and _ varied pro- gramme in Scotland. Small-scale Field Centre facilities for groups and in- dividuals at Pitmain Beag. For full details, write to: COLIN MURDOCH, Pitmain Beag, KINGUSSIE, Inverness-shire Tel. Kingussie 300. Early closing Tuesday BIRDS IN COLOUR ; Send for our list covering our incomparable collection of British, European and African birds — many fine studies and close-ups. Sets of 100 for hire: BINOCULARS Try the Swift “Audubon” bird watcher’s binoculars — made for the job. Other binoculars by the world’s leading makers. W. Cowen - Keswick GIFT PARCELS We will gladly dispatch gift parcels on your be- half to your bird-loving friends at Xmas and New Year: not the Kinetfisher ngfish Haith’s are noted for the extent of their efforts to satisfy the needs of birds, ornithologists and aviculturists. Although the Kingfisher’s staple diet is not part of our stock in trade we are able to satisfy the needs of most other species. For two generations the Haith family has studied birds and their feed- ing requirements. The resulting knowledge backed by the advice of experts in avian nutrition enables us to offer an unrivalled range of foods and seeds which we are sure will satisfy the most demanding of ornith- ologists. Just a few of our products are mentioned here. A comprehensive list of foods and seeds will gladly be sent on request. WILD BIRD FOOD (contains only cultivated seeds—no wild seed used) —5 lb 8/-, 9 lb 11/6, 13 lb 14/-, 28 lb 19/6, 56 Ib 34/-, 112 Ib 65/-. FOOD FOR THE TIT FAMILY—5 lb 10/6, 9 lb 16/9, 13 Ib 31/-, 28 Ib 35/9, 56 lb 67/-, 112 Ib 130/-. ‘ SONGSTER FOOD for Blackbirds etc—5 lb 8/9, 9 Ib 13/3, 13 Ib 17/-, 28 Ib 25/6, 56 Ib 46/-, 112 lb 88/-. SUNFLOWER SEEDS (mixed)—5 Ib 9/9, 9 lb 15/-, 13 Ib 18/9, 28 Ib 31/6, 56 Ib 75/-, 112 Ib 110/-. MONKEY NUTS (in shell) for bird feeding—5 Ib 11/-, 9 Ib 17/9, 13 Ib 22/9, 28 lb 37/9, 56 Ib 72/-, 112 lb 140/-. PEANUT KERNELS for bird feeding—5 lb 10/6, 9 Ib 16/9, 13 Ib 21/-, 28 Ib 35/9, 56 lb 67/-, 112 Ib 130/-. SULTANAS for bird feeding—5 Ib 10/-, 9 lb 15/9, 13 Ib 20/6, 28 Ib 33/9, 56 Ib 62/-, 112 Ib 120/-. _ ALL POST OR CARRIAGE PAID — JOHN E. HAITH LTD., S.B., Park St., CLEETHORPES Scottish Birds THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Contents of Volume 4, Number 4, Winter 1966 Page Editorial Be we oy ie oy The R.S.P.B. protects and conserves all birds, rare and common. More than 25 reserves y b BYRON Boeceatales ‘ i { 4 S27 /—- \ DU. 72> Bi yet OY Pos >< SOS Soe — fe BOD Rr SONS OS SE CONC La Oh BRS SN SS OS eo SS eee”C—Cw”*é‘<‘a‘C“<‘(‘i ie ~ UREA EAR GRA SE WN WON BNR os a ANNAN == SEBS a acs oe ‘. : ey Why not become a member of this progressive Society? 4 ES) SPB ~— R are managed throughout Britain and these can be Tel. WAVerley 6042 visited by permit. to ‘protect and conserve’ THE ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7 Scottish Birds THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 4 No. 4 Winter 1966 Edited by A. T. MACMILLAN with the assistance of D. G. ANDREw, T. C. SMouT and P. J. B. SLATER. Business Editor, T. C. SmourT. Cover Design (Red-breasted Mergansers) by LEN FULLERTON. Editorial “The Birds of the Western Palearctic.”” Perhaps more than any other factor in recent years the publication of A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe led British amateur birdwatchers to look at birds in a wider context than whether or not they were on the British List. The book filled a great need for a good pocket guide to the birds that might be seen on a continental holiday. Translated into numerous languages it proved not only a spur to birdwatch- ers to explore all over Europe but also the means whereby they could identify the birds they saw with comparative ease. Correct identification is however a mere preliminary to more serious topics. Here there is an equally great need for everything to be brought together. Ornithology has surged ahead in the last 20 years and a tremendous amount is known of the basic facts about European birds; but it is scattered through so many books and journals that much of it is in- accessible and easily overlooked. The editors of British Birds (59: 321-324) have just an- nounced most ambitious plans to put this right in the early 1970s with a seven-volume work covering the whole of Kurope west of Russia plus the Mediterranean countries of North Africa and east to Turkey. The promised contents make one’s mouth water, and it will obviously be one of the major ornithological works of the next decade. One can readily believe that it will do as much to channel serious ornithological study as the Field Guide has done to stim- ulate an international outlook in birdwatching. ‘Nature Trails 1966.’’ This is the title of a new Council for Nature publication. Well over 50 trails (12 in Scotland) are listed county by county with details for each trail of how to get there, when it opens, its length, habitat and interest, who is responsible for it, and where to get a guide or permit. 270 EDITORIAL 4(4) This useful list may be had for 1/6d from the Information Officer, Council for Nature, c/o The Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London N.W.1. A well planned nature trail is a most valuable means of interesting all sorts of people in natural history, and it is good to see that the idea is spreading. Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise. The organisers of the cruise can now be very glad that all the work is over and that it was such a success, Yet many S.O.C. members must still have only a hazy idea of the whole operation. We hope that Nancy Gordon’s account, illustrated with photographs and the first cartoons to be published in Scottish Birds, will bring it to life for those who did not go on the trip. S.0O.C. Annual Conference. The nineteenth annual confer- ence of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club was held in Dun- blane at the end of October. Somehow Irene Waterston had found time to organise it at the same time as dealing with the climactic stages of the cruise and compiling an extensive winter programme of branch lectures. As usual it was a highly enjoyable and valuable weekend. R. K. Cornwallis and Dr Staffan Ulfstrand linked up skilfully in their contributions on irruptive migration, stimulating an excellent animated discussion of the subject. Stanley Cramp presented a broad survey of changes in the ranges of birds in Europe and of some of the factors involved. There were films and slides of the cruise, Japanese films of cranes and albatrosses, and an absolutely superb prize-winning film on “The Private Life of the Kingfisher,” top favourite with cruise passengers three months earlier. Waxwings. The invasion of Waxwings in the autumn of 1965 was greater than any recorded before. Records from more than 1000 people are being worked upon by M. J. Everett, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7. From as early as the middle of October 1966 there have been reports of an- other invasion and all records of this one also will be welcomed by Mr Everett if they have not already been sent to the editor. Collared Doves. A small press notice early in September indicated another milestone in the spread of the Collared Dove. Officially it now becomes an ordinary common British bird. No longer will it be specially protected with a £25 penalty; its value will be reduced to the standard £5. This is an entirely realistic move. One may well wonder whether this bird may yet complete the highly improbable transition from specially protected Schedule 1 rarity to outlawed Schedule 2 pest. | 1966 EDITORIAL 271 Current literature. Recent papers and reports of special in- terest to Scottish ornithologists include: Nature Conservancy Unit of Grouse and Moorland Eco- logy, Twelfth Progress Report, 1966. Pp. 76+. Duplica- ted typescript. Studies of Red Grouse from many angles, and also of Ptarmigan, Black Grouse, Caper- caillie, Golden Eagle, Crow, and roe and red deer. A census of the Great Crested Grebe in Britain 1965. Ian Prestt and D. H. Mills, 1966. Bird Study 13: 163-203. Half the Scottish population still in Fife, Perth and Angus, but total of 311-351 birds at end of May 1965 was about twice that in 1931. The plumage of the Fulmars of St Kilda in July. W. R. P. Bourne, 1966. Bird Study 13: 209-213. Suggestion that birds in wing moult with mottled mantles might be senile, discussed in relation to mechanics of population expansion. Catching wildfowl by artificial light. R. H. Dennis, 1966. Ann. Rep. Wildfowl Trust 17: 98-100. Fair Isle tech- niques. Movements and flock behaviour of Barnacle Geese on the Solway Firth. E. L. Roberts, 1966. A.R.W.T. 17: 36-45. Data on Caerlaverock flock—up from 1000 in 1957-58 to 3700 in 1965-66. Winter food habits of Capercaillie in north-east Scotland. F. C. Zwickel, 1966. Brit. Birds 59: 325-336. Eats mainly Scots pine. Purple Sandpipers feeding above the littoral zone. Letters from E. Waters and C. J. Feare, 1966. Brit. Birds 59: 345-348. Habit noted in Shetland and O. Hebrides. The seabirds of the Forth islands. R. W. J. Smith, 1966. Seabird Bull. 2: 58-60. Changes in past ten years. Recording breeding seabirds on Sumburgh Head. M. Car- ins, 1966. Seabird Bull. 2: 63-65. Preliminary discussion. Colour marking of Sandwich Terns. A. J. M. Smith, 1966. Seabird Bull. 2: 49-51. Methods used in Aberdeenshire study. The status of the Chough in the British Isles. Richard Rolfe, 1966. Bird Study 13: 221-236. Scottish population dropped sharply to about 70 birds, all in Argyll, in 1963 (11 breeding pairs found). The migrational dispersal of British Blackbirds. D. W. Snow, 1966. Bird Study 13: 237-255. Fresh analysis of ringing data. Waxwings in Scotland. M. J. Everett, 1966. Birds 1: 92-93. Preliminary summary of 1965-66 greatest-ever invasion. 272 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 4(4) The Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise— an intimate account NANCY J. GORDON (Plates 28-39) On a calm sunny day in the middle of July 1966 the cruise ship m.s. Devonia steamed slowly down the Clyde with over 900 ornithologists on board from all over the world, on the start of a memorable tour of Scottish bird-islands, planned and executed by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club. Nearly 400 of the passengers were delegates to the International Conference on Bird Preservation and to the 14th Internation- al Ornithological Congress held in Cambridge and Oxford before and after the cruise, which was the official excursion for both these gatherings. The huge success of the venture may be summed up by one delegate’s remark: “I have attended the Congress; but I have lived the Cruise.” Add to this the many verbal thanks and over a hundred letters, some quite lyrical, which flowed in afterwards, praising especially the planning and organ- isation and the friendly atmosphere on board. “To describe the excellence of the planning and organisation to those who were not there would be almost impossible,” as David Wilson put it in B.T.O. News. There are three good reasons for a success greater than anyone had dared to hope: the hours, days and months of work and careful planning by the Cruise Committee—above all by the secretary, Irene Waterston; the carrying-out of all these plans on board by cruise staff and a band of willing helpers (mostly S.O.C. members); and, last but not least, the cheerful cooperation of passengers and crew and the spirit of goodwill (helped by good weather) which pervaded the whole cruise. Many cannot have realized quite how much preparation was necessary. The burden borne by Irene Waterston could best be illustrated by a photograph of her hard at work be- hind a typewriter, stacks of letters, a card index and num- erous files, seen dimly through a haze of smoke late at night in the basement office at Regent Terrace. To go back to the beginning, it is reputed (but may be disputed) that it was James Fisher who first thought of the cruise, way back in 1962 when Britain was chosen as the venue for the next I.0.C. At this stage is was hoped that the Congress might be held in Edinburgh, but later that year Oxford was chosen and the S.O.C. (with great abandon) agreed to organise a water-borne excursion for the delegates, later extended to include a day in Edinburgh and a reception 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 273 MUCKLE FLUGCAQ} ~~ Oiunsr Ase o; OCaRRIES a} SHETLAND: S0:C FOULA oe SCOTTISH BIRD ISLANDS i Qo: Noss Study Cruise 16-22 July 1966 =i eos ee if FAIR ISLE : pea Pe e pews tere hye “ , <2: NORTH RONA ae SULA SGEIR- — oe : ORKNEY PE CAPE WRATH o FLANNAN .” % ISLES a > ye LEWIS re, ST.KILDA S ‘ao: : ie + hy ei : 2 lv) INVERNESS : ‘bs {Y ABEROEEN Y DUNDEE a a a ISLE OF MnY aa G38 BASS ROCK Hf” Guas@w Stn i( GREENOCK EDINBURGH BERWICK) ¥ AILSA CRAIG at the University. By the end of 1962 the British India Com- pany had been approached and m.s. Devonia provisionally booked for mid July 1966, Things lay fairly dormant for the next two years, but by January 1965 an official Cruise Committee had been formed from S.O.C. Council members, with Irene Waterston as secretary, Joe Eggeling as chair- man and cruise leader, and George Waterston, Maxwell Hamilton, Ian Pennie, Alastair Macdonald, Chris Mylne and Ian Munro as members. They were assisted then and later, 274 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 4(4) particularly on sub-committees, by Dougal Andrew, Charles and Marjorie Waterston, and others. Meetings were held on average once a month, but in the early days and in the end towards C-Day, when the pace was hottest, there were meet- ings two or three times a week, and even on a Sunday. In the earliest stage, financing the cruise was the main worry, but a solution was found by floating a Limited Liability Company (S.O. Cruise Ltd) in August 1965 with guarantors from within the Club. Prices had been decided—£30 for dormitory; £54 to £75 for cabin passengers—and a good deal of work had been put into preparing a leaflet about the cruise. This brochure, printed free of charge by Oliver & Boyd Ltd, well known as publishers of many fine bird books, as a contribution towards the cruise, bore an attractive vig- nette of St Kilda on the cover. Copies were posted in April 1965 to Oxford and New York—where the Audubon Society kindly agreed to handle distribution and replies—for send- ing on to Congress applicants. Press notices went out to editors of ornithological journals for their summer issues, and appeared again in autumn and winter issues. From then on the bookings rolled in; priority was given to Congress delegates and overseas applicants, but several hundred other ornithologists would be needed to fill the ship, and it was some months before the target seemed certain to be accomplished. In the event, fears were groundless and by October all 200 cabin places were booked and about half the dormitory ones; the others soon filled and about 140 appli- cants were disappointed. The day before the cruise there was still a waiting list of 40 who were prepared to take a last- minute cancellation. Dealing with bookings, cancellations, forms and cheques consumed much of the time of Irene Wat- erston and her assistant Fiona McLaren (specially recruited to the S.O.C. staff), not to mention the volume of other paper- work and telephone calls. One lengthy headache was the sorting of people into cabins and dormitories, and choosing dormitory leaders and sleeping companions. Meanwhile, and assisted by the generous advice of the National Trust for Scotland, based on their wide experience of previous big ship cruises, the committee continued to de- liberate on many other matters: planning the itinerary, possible stops and visits (distances, times and tides permit- ting); shore excursions to Rhum, Shetland and Orkney, involving guided walks, visits to archaeological sites, wet- weather shelter, special opening of shops, hire of buses, and even a specially constructed landing stage; preparation of a booklet about the places to be visited; arranging and timing the programme of films and lectures to fit in with meals and commentaries (and of course choosing and button-holing the lecturers); collecting material for exhibitions; choosing, cata- 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 275 loguing and packing books from the S.O.C. bookshop for sale on board; arranging press publicity for before, during and after the cruise; planning the final day in Edinburgh; preparing folders for each passenger to contain a name label, a cafeteria card (for dormitory passengers), cruise booklet, Rhum leaflet, bookshop list, special issues of Scottish Birds (for delegates), leaflets on the Devonia timetable and facil- ities, excursions and Edinburgh Day, and a letter of welcome from the cruise leader. There was aslight panic at the time of the seamen’s strike, until it was confirmed that, as an educational cruise, Devonia would not be affected. Perhaps the worst struggles were with the various transport arrangements, not only fleets of buses to Greenock, from Leith, on excursions, and to the reception, but also rail transport to the Congress after the cruise, for which special overnight sleepers were needed. This require- ment led to a two-year struggle, the train being satisfactorily guaranteed only one month before the cruise, after the com- mittee had taken the matter to their local Member of Par- liament. Train troubles did not end there, and it will suffice to say that the confusion at Waverley at the final departure to Oxford was in no way the fault of the Scottish Ornitholo- gists’ Club, and that by a miracle it did not visibly dampen the strongly surviving spirit of goodwill. So much for the ‘before’ and ‘after’, and even then only some of it—the rest can be told only by the organisers, by 16 fat box files, and by the bills for paper, telephone calls, cables and stamps. At 5 p.m. on the eve of C-day an advance party left Regent Terrace for Greenock with a van load of books and an as- sortment of equipment and exhibition boards, much of this loaned by the National Trust for Scotland, in readiness for loading on board next morning. Eight persons slept that night in various corners of the S.O.C, headquarters and were joined by other staff on board the coach at 6.30 a.m. on the 16th, leaving Alastair Macdonald in charge of the fleet of buses from Edinburgh. The staff arrived at Greenock in time for their first orders from George Waterston. Armed with coloured flags, they began the task of welcoming and sorting the passengers into cabin and dormitory queues, and in little more than an hour all 900 were shepherded on board and consuming coffee. A special tribute is due to Alec Warwick, Jim Nicholson and Allen Aitken who came through to Green- ock as part of the advance party and assisted in the prepara- tion of the exhibition rooms, direction signs and map studies. All three had past experience of National Trust for Scotland cruises and knew exactly how best these things could be arranged. 276 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 4(4) At noon, 26 tons of anchor and cable were lifted and we slid past the sister ship Dunera down a calm Clyde towards Ailsa Craig, in brilliant sunshine. George Waterston opened the batting from the bridge with a commentary over the Tannoy as we passed the Cumbrae Islands, after which the coastline and islands of Scotland continued to unfold before our eyes accompanied by relevant (though occasionally ir- reverent) commentaries from the bridge on birds, other wild- life, geology, land forms, archaeology, vegetation, land use and history, given by James Fisher, Joe Eggeling, Charles Waterston, Ronald Miller, Sandy Fenton, George and Irene Waterston, James MacGeoch, Nancy Gordon and Tom Hux- ley, with others chipping in. Two of our overseas guests, Walter Thiede and Raymond Lévéque, gallantly undertook translations into German and French of nearly all the com- mentaries. A few spicy words were added here and there by the Captain, as when he hinted at the alternative name chosen for the Muckle Flugga by his fellow seamen, lying off that treacherous headland in submarines during the war. All this information, over the loudspeakers and in the cruise booklet, was some compensation for being unable to land on many of the enticing islands—Ailsa Craig, Soay, Canna, St Kilda, the Flannans, Sula Sgeir, North Rona, Foula, Unst, Fair Isle, the Isle of May, the Bass Rock and other Forth islands. However, we had excellent views of most of these (several of them National Nature Reserves) and saw a large proportion of Britain’s seabirds, some of them concentrated in huge cliff-nesting colonies: Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, gulls, terns, skuas and six of the eight Scottish Gannet colonies, which represent half the world population of this species. Many other birds were seen—even the most common of them giving pleasure to overseas visit- ors who had never seen, for instance, a Skylark. Most of the seabirds were fairly unconcerned about the presence of an extra-outsized Gannet peering at them with 1800 eyes; a greater response was evoked from the inhabited islands, es- pecially from lighthouses, which answered Devonia’s fog- horn salute with waved handkerchiefs and hoisted flags. Sunday dawned sunny and warm for the first shore ex- cursion, to the Isle of Rhum. The setting was perfect with distant blue views of Skye and the Cuillins, the mainland mountains from Kintail to Ben Nevis. and the surrounding islands of the Inner Hebrides. All went ashore in the ship’s boats, assembled in front of the massive Kinloch Castle, and dispersed on excursions varying in energy from the ascent of Hallival and Askival or the walk to Kilmory Bay to a gentle potter along Kinloch Glen and the Bay, or just a snooze on the castle lawns, Kinloch Castle itself, with its period furniture, fantastic baths and mechanical organ, 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 277 proved a great attraction. The mountaineers saw the bur- rows of the huge Manx Shearwater colony on the higher slopes, and Red-throated Divers on the high lochans, as well as many red deer. Back on board, we cruised up Loch Scavaig in the sunset, close to the hills of Skye, passing Soay and Canna before night fell. Next morning, in thick mist, cruising apparently in the open Atlantic, we suddenly saw a fantastic sight—great rock stacks rising five or six hundred. feet sheer out of the water in the middle of nowhere. To many of us this was our first view of the St Kilda group, and the swirling mist made it memorably impressive. The huge seabird colonies, espec- ially the world’s largest single colony of Gannets on Borer- ay and nearby stacks, were just visible and easily audible. Gannets formed a welcoming party, hundreds following Devonia as she circled the stacks and squeezed through the narrow gap between Stac Lee and Stac an Armin. Long after the last Gannet had returned to its ledge we sighted the Flannan Isles and were told the grim story of the mysterious disappearance of three keepers from the light- house soon after it was built in 1899. We saw a variety of seabirds on the islets, rocks and stacks, but not the rare Leach’s Petrel which nests there. Towards dusk the ship passed a third Gannet colony on the rocky island of Sula Sgeir where the men of Ness from Lewis have an annual expedition to collect young Gannets or ‘gugas’ for food. James MacGeoch, who has been on several of these expedi- tions, gave us fascinating accounts of both this and the next island, North Rona, which we approached at dusk. It was still light enough to see some of its grey seals, numbering about 7500 in the breeding season—one seventh of the world population. By breakfast-time on Tuesday morning we were nearing Shetland; the magnificent 1200 ft cliffs of the Kame of Foula loomed out of the mist, and those who were stationed at the stern of the ship were rewarded with the unusual sight of hundreds of Great Skuas following the wake as we circled the island. Nearly a thousand pairs of these ‘Bonxies’ now breed on Foula. Cruising up the west coast of Shetland we saw the hump of Ronas Hill, the highest point of these islands, with its forbidding steep and barren cliff slopes; then as we passed the sharp Ramna Stacks, lying off the north tip of Mainland, James Fisher ordered all binoculars to be trained on the largest, where for several years he has been eagerly awaiting proof of nesting by the small group of Gan- nets which has been frequenting them. Alas, he will have to wait at least another year. By the time we reached Herma- hess, its wonderful seabird cliffs were completely shrouded in thick mist; even the top of Muckle Flugga lighthouse was 278 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 4(4) ON THE Port sive is Sr Kitpa WHERE THE Now EXTINCT GREAT AUK once BReo. Guillemots but could not see them. At 8 p.m., as we dropped anchor in the fog, three of us and the First Officer prepared to be lowered in one of the ship’s boats from the davits high up on C Deck. Shortly afterwards we departed into the mist to reconnoitre the Noss shore for the proposed landing of 250 passengers next morning, This feat, never before attemp- ted from the Devonia or Dunera, depended entirely upon the weather and the efficiency of a landing stage built by Tom Moncrieff of the Bressay Ferry Services. Both of these were unknown quantities throughout the months of plan- ning, but were risks that in the end proved well worth taking. A floating platform of planks and barrels, roped to the shore, greeted our advance party on Tuesday evening. After many soundings the crew was satisfied that the landing would be possible. Meantime our guide to Noss had come out to Devonia from Lerwick with the Lord Lieutenant, the Editor of the Shetland Times, and a group of musicians to welcome the ship to Shetland and entertain passengers as she sailed towards Bressay Sound. The Noss survey party followed later, guided by the Bressay foghorn and consum- ing cheese sandwiches, whisky and coffee. Next morning over 600 passengers disembarked at Ler- wick, where they had a chance to explore its shops, the new museum (under the direction of Tom Henderson) and the 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 279 nearby Clickhimin Broch. Both in the morning and after- noon a fleet of buses took off for a tour of the south Main- land, which included a visit to Jarlshof and a view of croft- ing townships, land reclamation schemes, peat cuttings, Mousa Broch, and the Lochs of Spiggie and Brow. Some of our visitors were lucky enough to see Red-necked Phalaropes. While all this was going on, Devonia had gone across to Noss and in ideal calm and sunny weather the ship’s crew and boats had carried out a most efficient transfer of 250 pas- sengers onto its beach via Tom Moncrieff’s landing stage. Even Captain Downer dared to come ashore, but went back to his ship in time to sound the signal to remind stragglers to return to the boats by 2 p.m. Everyone had a good view of the seabird colonies on the Noup of Noss, and the Great and Arctic Skuas on the moorland: some saw Red-throated Divers on the hill lochan. Stage by stage in the afternoon the Noss and Lerwick passengers were safely returned to ship and Devonia lifted anchor at 5.30 p.m. for the next leg of her voyage. By the time we had finished dinner she was circum- navigating Fair Isle, where the islanders were out to welcome us with flares at the South End. Later, beside a magnificent bonfire near the bird observatory, Roy Dennis and visiting birdwatchers waved from the cliff edge and received a mes- sage of thanks from George Waterston over the Tannoy. Thursday dawned another sunny day for our visit to Ork- ney, but a stiff breeze and our distance from Kirkwall made the journey in the ship’s boats rather wet and bumpy. Buses from all corners of Orkney carried 450 people on a tour of Mainland in the morning and another 450 in the afternoon. Despite the shortage of time and the inevitable difficulties of narrow lanes, nearly everyone had a chance to see some of the prehistoric sites of Orkney—the Standing Stones of Stenness, Ring of Brogar and Skara Brae; also Puffins, Kitti- wakes and Guillemots on the cliffs of Marwick Head, and Pochard on the Loch of Skaill. Orkney’s R.S.P.B. Warden, Eddie Balfour, stopped some of the buses near a Hen Harrier’s nest on the moorland edge, and a number of people had ex- cellent views, both of nearly fledged young and of the parent birds in flight. As in Shetland, the croft fields and hillsides were bright with flowers. In Kirkwall many of our passen- gers took advantage of the guided tours of St Magnus Cath- edral, arranged by the Custodian, and also saw the remains of the sixteenth-century Bishop’s Palace and Earl’s Palace. The return trip to the Devonia was if anything wetter and Wwindier than in the morning, and many rushed at once to seek internal central heating in the bar. As the final day of the cruise dawned we were approaching the Bell Rock in thick mist, which began to lift as we reached the Isle of May, where Joe Eggeling gave us a lively account 280 . THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY: CRUISE. 4(4) of the island’s history and birds, and we were greeted by the lighthouse keepers and the occupants of the bird observatory. Then, in brilliant sunshine, the Bass Rock, teeming with Gannets, loomed ahead, and now we had seen the six main Gannet colonies of Scotland. After passing the Forth islands —Craigleith, the Lamb, Fidra, Inchkeith, Inchmickery—with their varied seabirds (especially terns, Shags and Puffins), we sailed under the the two Forth Bridges—the Devonia’s mast seeming to clear the centre spans by only a few milli- metres, and slowly turned around to make for Leith. At this point all passengers were mustered on the foredeck and Joe Eggeling gave votes of thanks to all the organisers and help- ers, the ship’s Captain and crew, and the lecturers, commen- tators and translators, each of whom in turn took a bow from the bridge. Thanks on behalf of the delegates and passengers were expressed by Roger Tory Peterson, Jean Delacour and Karel Voous in American, French, Dutch and German. Nearly at the end of the cruise, but before disembarking at Leith, a word about the ship itself. The m.s. Devonia (12,796 tons), now run as an educational cruise ship by the British India Steam Navigation Company, was built on the Clyde in 1938 as a troop ship, and it was not until 1962 that she was converted to take 200 cabin and 834 dormitory pas- sengers, with 300 officers and ratings. It was Captain F. A. J. Downer’s last voyage in Devonia—throughout the cruise he was most kind and helpful to everyone and very tolerant of the increasing number of.commentators cluttering the space on his bridge. The Asian crew, mainly from northeast India, are usually employed for 6-month periods; it was noted that at times their cheerfulness exceeded their skill in tying knots! The organisation on board Devonia was a result of care- ful -planning beforehand, and efficient execution by willing helpers. As James Fisher remarked: “What impressed me more than-anything else was the complete unselfishness and cooperation of all members of the S.O.C. in establishing such a splendid atmosphere of friendliness on board.” Many of the domestic arrangements were planned on the model of the National Trust for Scotland’s Adventure Cruises, and a great deal of thought had to be given to the timing of meals, lectures and commentaries. Nearly every day there was a staff meeting to decide the details of the next day’s pro- gramme, when to sell excursion tickets, when to fit in a re- peat of a popular film, how to speed up meal queues, when to open the bookshop, and so on. Each evening, the next day’s programme had to be stencilled for issue to all passen- gers. A. typical day in the life of a dormitory passenger bean with ‘lights on’ at 7 a.m, and the muted strains of Tchaikoy- 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 281 “He's SCARED OF HEIGHTs " ; Lysne, sky or of Sibelius’s Finlandia floating over the Tannoy. Some of the taller passengers were quite glad to get out of bed in the mornings because of the slightly cramped conditions and the proximity of their neighbour’s feet or face, other- wise all were comfortable. In fact several cabin passengers were heard to complain that they were missing all the fun by not being in a dormitory. It is hoped that James Fisher will publish his survey of the different greeting habits of husbands and wives emerging from their separate dormit- ories each morning. The meal system was a study in itselfi— the dormitory passengers had to be divided into four sittings for each meal in the cafetaria, so were issued with grey, red, yellow and pink cards, each colour called to the meal (in a 282 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 4(4) marshalling the queue at each meal, Considering the num- bers catered for, the meals were good and very substantial, the courses neatly fitted into the compartments of a metal tray, served by a row of cheery Indian crew all talking like Peter Sellers. Packed lunches were equally large (I was still consuming accumulated Kit-Kat, apples and biscuits several days after the cruise) and were efficiently handed over at the head of each gangway as the passengers climbed down to the ship’s boats. Of the other facilities on board, one of the most popular was surely the bar, where some distinguished ornithologists found their true habitat, and were seldom seen to migrate to other parts of the ship. The swimming pool—only a few cubic feet of it—proved very popular after the first brave venturer had established the fact that the water was not near freezing but nearer boiling point (in fact its temperature rose by some accounts to near 100°F). At times a number of eminent ornithologists and others could be seen wallowing or playing a sort of water polo therein, providing an alter- native spectacle to diving Gannets or Bonxies. Some disap- pointment was registered when the pool was _ suddenly emptied at odd times of day (or night). . It took time to discover secluded spots and good vantage points on board; the stern deck and rails proved ideal for watching and photographing wheeling. birds following the 1966 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 283 ship; the bows were good for watching the sea; the foredeck plethora of ropes, funnels and pipes, for seeing over people’s heads; the bridge for watching other people watching the bridge; the bar for observing the true character of ornith- ologists; and the cruise office for watching an _ endless sequence of heads in small square holes. To turn to the more serious aspects of the cruise: apart from sleeping, eating, drinking, swimming, sunbathing, shop- ping, watching birds, listening to commentaries and going on excursions, there was a full programme of lectures and films, all of which were very well attended, and covered just about every aspect of the life of the Scottish highlands and islands, and many other topics further afield. Nearly all the speakers had to repeat their lectures (in the large assembly hall and smaller lecture rooms), and the halls were compulsorily emptied after each talk, to overcome the ten- dency of passengers to stay (or sleep?) in the same seat throughout an evening. Most popular were the first two lectures on Saturday evening—Joe Eggeling on “The Isle of Rhum” and Charles Waterston on “Coastal Scenery of Scotland.” On other days we heard Ian Pennie on “A 17th Century Doctor’s Island Travels,” Chris Mylne on “Foula,”’ Sandy Fenton on “Daily Life in Orkney and Shetland” and “Scottish Country Life,” Charles Waterston again, on “Prehistoric Sites in Orkney and Shetland,” Joe Eggeling again, on “Conservation in Scotland,’ George Waterston on “Fair Isle,” David Lea on “Conservation and Wildlife Reserves” and Ronald Miller on “The Geographical Background.” The bird films were all very popular ; they included James MacGeoch’s “Sula Sgeir Gan- nets,” Bryan Nelson’s “Gannet City,” Eastman’s “Private Life of the Kingfisher” and the R.S.P.B.’s “Birds of Strathspey.” More-general films about wildlife and conservation were “Journey into Spring,” “The Last Stronghold,” “The Grey seals of North Rona” (James MacGeoch), “Island Hills” and “A Summer Safari” (Gordon Hollands), “The Wild High- lands,” “The Vanishing Coast” and, standing out among all these, Roger Tory Peterson’s “Wild Europe.” A number of very Scottish, non-ornithological films occupied the late-night viewing time—“The Maggie,” “Whisky Galore,’ ‘“Laxdale Hall,” “Greyfriars Bobby,” and “Geordie.” Added to this were two sessions of Any Questions, and a Brains Trust held in the cafeteria, which found great difficulty in retaining an atmosphere of serious discussion, lapsing frequently into un- seemly frivolity. 7 Tireless S.O.C. staff and helpers manned the Cruise Office nearly all day long, and the bookshop for many hours each day. The shop did a roaring trade in postcards and sold a 284 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 4(4) Tr RAzORBILL 2 = GUILLEMOT... + Sy ~ affe Dy ol. purFIN.. + * _— Sree & ~~ —_ = large number of books. Quite a number of the authors were on board, and it is not surprising that Peterson’s European Field Guide was a best-seller, followed closely by Scottish books on St Kilda, Fair Isle, Orkney and Shetland, and the Highlands and Islands. In all, books to the value of about £1000 were sold and many orders received, thus helping con- siderably the Club’s finances. The bookshop staff, Ruby and Jim Smillie, Cathie MacGeoch and Evelyn Fenton, also managed to ensnare and enroll nearly 50 new members for the S.O.C. Next door the R.S.P.B., B.T.O,, Nature Conser- vancy, National Trust for Scotland, Seabird Group, and Royal Naval Birdwatching Society had exhibits and sold their wares or spread their gospel. 1965 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 285 Stationed for much of the time in the bookshop was the President of the S.O.C., in plain clothes, ostensibly getting people to sign an album as a memento of the cruise, but surreptitiously gathering donations from passengers. Dr Pough of the U.S.A. was involved in a similar activity, and the word spread like wildfire that there would be a presen- tation to Irene and George Waterston after the cruise of a pair of Leitz Trinovid binoculars each, with the surplus going to the “Waterston Exploration Fund.” This took place just before the final dinner in the Assembly Rooms and was ap- parently quite unexpected by the recipients—a much deser- ved reward for all their hard work. The end of the cruise came with our arrival in Leith on Friday evening. Many passengers left, much unloading was done, but the Congress delegates did not disembark until 7 a.m. on Saturday (all except one passenger who was found fast asleep in one of the dormitories by the cruise leader doing the rounds to collect lost property). The rest of the lost property contained some quite amusing items, some of which have still to be claimed. Has no one yet missed their dressing gown (man’s), or a pair of wellingtons in a shopping bag? Whilst we were enjoying ourselves on board Devonia, Tom Delaney, Peter Slater and helpers were preparing in Edin- burgh for the invasion of delegates. The Assembly Rooms were decorated with exhibitions of paintings and _ photo- graphs; binoculars and cameras were on display; and there were exhibits from the Glasgow Museum and Aberdeen University. Excursions round the city, to Duddingston, the Zoo and the Museum had been organised, and several small groups were taken to the border hills to see Red Grouse, In the late afternoon a programme of dancing and singing by members of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and the Silver Cross Club was followed by dinner in the Assem- bly Rooms. There was then a mass migration to the Univer- sity’s magnificent Upper Library (with Audubon’s Birds of America on display) for an official reception by Professor Michael Swann, at which the Senior Past President of the I.0.C., Dr Stresemann, gave a vote of thanks on behalf of delegates, just before they all left for Waverley Station and the trains to Oxford. Dr Ian Pennie, President of the Scot- tish Ornithologists’ Club, was Master of Ceremonies through- out the whole of Edinburgh Day. | The passenger list of the cruise included many of the world’s leading ornithologists; it was certainly the first time that so many had been brought together in such circum- stances. No more than a few have been mentioned here, but what a volume could be compiled from the many anecdotes 286 THE SCOTTISH BIRD-ISLANDS STUDY CRUISE 4(4) and photographs—both of birds and of people. Some cartoons that appeared from time to time, and a few photographs, are reproduced to illustrate this account of the cruise, It is hoped that they convey something of the atmosphere of this mem- orable occasion. Unfortunately it has seemed kindest to the victims to suppress all the funniest stories and most remark- able ‘quotes,’ but everyone who took part in the cruise will have his own memories to add between the lines. Of the 905 passengers, 392 were conference delegates— about 400 were from overseas from 37 countries. Every country in Europe was represented, including Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. There were about 200 visitors from America, and others from India, Venezuela, Chile, Egypt, Israel. Bermuda, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. There could be no finer tribute to the success of the cruise, nor greater reward for all who worked so hard to achieve it, than the pleasure it gave to so many people. Review of ornithological changes in Scotland in 1965 ) DOUGAL G. ANDREW Introduction | This is the thirteenth report of the Scottish Bird Records Committee, and it is concerned with records published dur- ing 1965. The periodicals searched, with the abbreviations used in this report, are as follows: SB Scottish Birds, Vol. 3: 217-454 BB —sSCBritish Birds, Vol. 58 ‘ . Bird Study, Vol. 12 FIBOR ~~ Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report, 1964 BN “Bird Notes, Vol. 31: 213-404 Ibis, Vol. 107 Bull BOC Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club. Vol. 85 Sixteenth Annual Report of the Wildfowl Trust, 4 1963-64 ENHS ~~ Edinburgh Natural History Society News-Letter, 1965 ) Reference will also be found to A Check-List of the Birds of Ayrshire (B Ayr) by G. A. Richards—an unpublished dup- licated typescript of which a copy has been placed in the S.0.C. Library (reviewed SB 3: 434). Abbreviations are also used for the following works: BofS Birds of Scotland, 1953 1966 REVIEW OF ORNITHOLOGICAL CHANGES 287 GDSBS Geographical Distribution and Status of Birds in Scotland, 1928 ASNH Annals of Scottish Natural History, 1892-1911 SN Scottish Naturalist, 1871-1964 FIBOB Fair Isle Bird Observatory Bulletin, 1951- There have been no changes in the composition of the Committee. The members are listed in our last report (SB 3: 390), which also lists references to previous reports. Birds new to Scotland [Ruppy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis. Drake seen, Kilconquhar Loch, Fife, 20th June to end July 1965 (SB 3: 422). This North American species is commonly kept in captivity, and fair numbers are now breeding in a feral condition in Eng- land: it must be assumed that all birds occurring in Scot- land are of captive origin unless there is positive evidence to the contrary. ] Birds new to areas and counties RED-THROATED DitvER Gavia stellata. One found dead, Port- more Loch, 7th March 1965 (SB 3: 367); first for Peebles. BLACK-NECKED GREBE Podiceps nigricollis. One found _ shot, Reay, 29th January 1964 (SB 3: 267); first for North Coast and Caithness. One, Kilmory, Rhum, 15th March 1960 (SB 3: 377); first for Inner Hebrides. One, Loch Mhor, 29th July 1965 (SB 3: 422): first for East Inverness (an earlier refer- ence to an occurrence in this division (SN 1933: 74) ap- pears to be based on a record from Loch Lochy (SN 1932: 168) and this locality is in South Inverness). Manx SHEARWATER Procellaria puffinus puffinus. One flying up the Beauly River near Beauly, 27th August 1965 (SB 3: 422): first for East .Inverness. PuRPLE HERON Ardea purpurea. One, Fair Isle, 17th-22nd June 1965 (BB 58: 391; SB 4: 81); ‘this (the fifth Scottish record and the first since 1917) is the first for Shetland faunal area and Fair Isle. WHITE STORK Ciconia ciconia. One, near Innerwick, 16th-17th March 1965 (SB 3: 406): first for East Lothian and also the first for Forth apart from the pair that nested on St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, in 1416 (BofS: 333). The possibility that this bird had escaped from captivity cannot be ruled out. SPOONBILL Platalea leucorodia. Immature, near Crieff, 16th July 1964 (SB 3: 310); first for Tay and North Perth. One, Isle of May, 16th September 1964 (SB 3: 285); first for Isle of May. Immature, mouth of Findhorn, 19th October 1964 (SB 3: 310); first for Moray Basin and Moray (not 288 REVIEW OF ORNITHOLOGICAL CHANGES 4(4) Nairn as has been stated—BB 58: 32). GREEN-WINGED TEAL Anas crecca carolinensis. Drake, Barr Loch, 10th-19th April 1965 (SB 3: 408); first for Clyde and Renfrew. RED-CRESTED PocHaRD Netta rufina. Female, Loch Mahaick, 19th September 1965 (SB 3: 422): first for South Perth, though the possibility that this bird had escaped from captivity cannot be ruled out. LONG-TAILED Duck Clangula hyemalis. Drake, Gartmorn Dam, 8th May 1965 (SB 3: 422); first for Clackmannan. SuRF ScoTter Melanitta perspicillata. Drake off Moray coast (the locality was off Findhorn), 14th October 1964 (SB 3: 252); first for Moray Basin and Moray. Drake, Luce Bay, 23rd February 1965 (SB 3: 364); first for Wigtown. HarLEquin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus. Pair, Fair Isle, lith January-2nd February 1965 (BB 58: 352; SB 4: 83); first for Shetland faunal area and Fair Isle. Pair, near Wick, 18th April-lst May 1965 (BB 58: 352; SB 4: 84); first for North Coast and Caithness. It seems likely that these records both refer to the same two birds. PINK-FOOTED Goose Anser arvensis brachyrhynchus. One, Hunterston, 26th November 1957 (B Ayr: 10); first for Ayr. We can find no published record to support the descrip- tion of the species as “Occasional” in this county (GDSBS: 230), and Paton & Pike in their Birds of Ayrshire (1929) give no record for the county. BARNACLE GOOSE Branta leucopsis. One, Baddinsgill, 8th Nov- ember 1964 (SB 3: 263); first for Peebles. Two out of three shot (one had been ringed in Spitsbergen in July 1963), Bowhouse, Alloa, 4th January 1965 (SB 3: 320); first for Clackmannan. CanaDA Goose Branta canadensis. Fifteen near Devonmouth, 18th June 1965 (SB 3: 423); first for Clackmannan. BuzzaRD Buteo buteo. The 1956 breeding record (see under “First breeding records” below) also provides the first oc- currence for Clackmannan, antedating an October 1962 record accepted in an earlier report (SB 3: 171) as the first for the county. ROUGH-LEGGED BuzzarRpD Buteo lagopus. One, Durness, 18th September 1965 (SB 3: 423); first for North Sutherland. Marsu HarrRieER Circus aeruginosus. Adult or near-adult, Tarriefessock, 3lst May 1952 (B Ayr: 18); first for Ayr. Adult female, Loch Sween, 18th May 1964 (SB 3: 268); first for Argyll faunal area and North Argyll. OspREY Pandion haliaetus. One, St Kilda, 29th March 1965 (SB 3: 369); first for St Kilda. 1966 REVIEW OF ORNITHOLOGICAL CHANGES 289 Hossy Falco subbuteo. Male found dead, Stornoway woods, 9th May 1965 (SB 3: 369); first for Outer Hebrides faunal area. QuaiL Coturnix coturnix. One calling, Thornhill, early August 1965 (SB 3: 424, corrected SB 4: 116); first for South Perth. LittLteE Bustarp Otis tetrax. Male, Kidsdale Farm, Luce Bay, 29th April 1964 (SB 3: 253); first for Solway and Wig- town. LONG-BILLED Or SHORT-BILLED DoOWITCHER Limnodromus scolo- paceus or griseus. One, West Ardmore Bay, 15th August 1964 (SB 3: 255); first for Dunbarton. BLACK-TAILED Gopwit Limosa limosa. One, Loch Fleet, 22nd July 1965 (SB 3: 424); first for South East Sutherland. Woop SANDPIPER Tringa glareola. One, New Cumnock, 5th September 1965 (SB 3: 425); first for Ayr. SPOTTED REDSHANK Tringa erythropus. One, Tarradale, 31st August 1965 (SB 3: 425); first for East Ross. RED-NECKED PHALAROPE Phalaropus lobatus. One, Clerklands Loch, 29th October-8th November 1964 (SB 3: 430); first for Roxburgh. Biack TERN Chlidonias niger. One, Gartmorn Dam, 12th Sep- tember 1965 (SB 3: 427); first for Clackmannan. COLLARED Dove Streptopelia decaocto, First appeared at Bo’ness about 1960 (SB 3: 295); first for West Lothian. First appeared at Banff in 1960 or 1961 (SB 3: 296); first for Banff. Two first seen at Inverbervie in 1961 (SB 3: 296); this antedates and replaces the 1963 record from Dun- ottar Castle accepted in an earlier report (SB 3: 173) as the first for North Kincardine. The 1962 breeding record at Arbroath (see under “First breeding records” below) is also the first occurrence for Angus. Two, Cambuslang, March 1963 (probably some months earlier) (SB 3: 298); this antedates and replaces the September 1963 record from the same locality accepted in an earlier report (SB 3: 173) as the first for Lanarkshire. One, Killearn, 23rd April 1963 (S'B 3: 298); first for West Stirling. One, Munches, Dal- beattie, 27th May 1963 (SB 3: 298); first for Kirkcudbright. Two, Clattering Brig, June 1963 (SB 3: 296); first for South Kincardine. One, Elphin, early in June 1963 (SB 3: 299); first for North West Highlands and West Sutherland. Pair, Upper Duntuilm, throughout summer 1963 (SB 3: 299); first for Skye. Two, Iona, August 1963 (SB 3: 299); first for North Argyll. One, Shieldaig, about second. week March 1964 (SB 3: 299); first for West Ross. One, Dornoch, 27th April 1964 (SB 3: 297); first for South East Sutherland. One, Kilcreggan, 14th May 1964 (SB 3: 299); first for Dun- barton. Single birds at Berriedale, Lybster and Thurso 290 REVIEW OF ORNITHOLOGICAL CHANGES 4(4) and pair at Wick, all in May 1964 (SB 3: 297); first for North Coast and Caithness. One, Aird Torrisdale, 10th June 1964 (SB 3: 297); first for North Sutherland. One, Macharioch House, June 1964 (SB 3: 299); first for South Argyll. Two, Dollar, 4th August 1964 (SB 3: 295); first for Clackmannan. | ALPINE SwirtT Apus melba. One caught, North Ronaldsay, 8th June 1965 (SB 3: 418); first for Orkney. Hoopor Upupa epops. One, Eigg, 18th-26th May 1965 (SB 3: 373); first for Inner Hebrides. GREEN WOODPECKER Picus viridis, Pair has been present in central Ayrshire since 1961; nest-holes have been bored but breeding has not yet been proved (B Ayr: 29); first for Ayr. An earlier record of one heard calling by the Girvan Water on 19th July 1925 was subsequently placed in square brackets by the observer, E. R. Paton, in his Birds of Ayrshire: 93. One, Walkerburn, 30th March 1965 (SB 3: 322); this is the first published record for Peebles, but in fact records go back to 1953 when a pair was seen at Traquair (T. MacLaren per George Waterston) and a pair probably bred in Plora Wood near Walkerburn in 1961 and 1962 (J. Ballantyne). One near Alva, 16th April 1965 (SB 3: 373); first for Clackmannan., GOLDEN ORIOLE Oriolus oriolus. Male, Iona, 27th May 1965 (SB 3: 374); first for Argyll faunal area and North Argyll. Male, Carloway, Lewis, 29th May 1965 (SB 3: 374); first for Outer Hebrides faunal area. CHoucH Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax. One, Stroma, May 1965 (SB 3: 374); first for Caithness. CoaL Tir Parus ater. Two, Stornoway Castle woods, 2nd April 1965 (SB 3: 374); first for Outer Hebrides since July 1906, when several family parties were seen in the same locality and the species was evidently breeding (ASNH 1907: 19). Two, Whalsay, 29th September 1965 (SB 3: 430); first for Shetland other than Fair Isle. DrerperR Cinclus cinclus. One showing the characteristics of the black-bellied continental race, C. c. cinclus, North Ron- aldsay, 4th April 1965 (SB 3: 374); first record of this race for Orkney. Dippers have not bred in Orkney since the mid 1940s. This bird was therefore certainly a migrant and it seems reasonable to discount the possibility of its having been an abnormally-plumaged bird of British stock (see SB 1: 386). GREENLAND WHEATEAR Oenanthe oenanthe leucorrhoa. At least one trapped and a few present on Island Roan dur- ing the period 26th August/20th September 1963 (SB 3: 405): first identification of this race for North Sutherland. 1906 REVIEW OF ORNITHOLOGICAL CHANGES 291 GRASSHOPPER WARBLER Locustella naevia. One, St Kilda, 1st May 1965 (SB 3: 375); first for Outer Hebrides faunal area and St Kilda. GREAT REED WARBLER Acrocephalus deutainacons One heard singing and seen, East Inverness, 8th-20th June 1964 (SB 3: 315); first for Moray Basin and East Inverness. It is also the first record for the Scottish mainland and has the unusual distinction of being the second-equal Scottish record—another bird having been trapped on _ Fair Isle on the same date (FIBOR 1964: 18). [Aquatic WaRBLER Acrocephalus paludicola. One, North Ronaldsay, Orkney, 3rd May 1965 (BB 58: 352); this record was subsequently withdrawn by the observer. ] ICTERINE WARBLER Hippolais icterina. A record of a_ bird which was either this species or a Melodious Warbler H. polyglotta, seen at Elie, 8th September 1965 (SB 3: 429), has been followed by a definite Icterine Warbler, Fife Ness, 2nd-5th September 1966 (SB 4: 323); first for South Fife. BaRRED WARBLER Sylvia nisoria. One, Reay, 22nd September 1965 (SB 3: 429); first for Caithness. CuirrcHaFF Phylloscopus collybita. Two singing, Lochinver, 1lith June 1964 (SB 3: 323); first for West Sutherland. Two, Island Roan, 2nd September 1963 (SB 3: 405); first for North Sutherland. FIRECREST Regulus ignicapillus. Male, Seafield, Lerwick, lith June-3rd July and 29th August-27th September 1965 (BB 58: 391; SB 4: 99); this, the third Scottish record, is also the first for Shetland faunal area. PIED FLYCATCHER Muscicapa hypoleuca. Male, Kishorn, 12th June 1965 (SB 3: 376); first for West Ross. LESSER GREY SHRIKE Lanius minor. One found dead, North Ronaldsay, 30th May 1965 (SB 3: 420); this is the first pub- lished record for Orkney, but an earlier record has sub- sequently been published—one, Finstown, 11th November 1962 (SB 4: 232). [BLACK-HEADED BUNTING Emberiza melanocephala. Male, Whalsay, Shetland, 1st-5th June 1965 (BB 58: 391; SB 4: 103); a male Red-headed Bunting E. bruniceps was present in the same area at the same time, and it seems very likely that both birds were escapes from captivity. | Rustic Buntinc Emberiza rustica. One, South Uist, 7th May 1965 (BB 58: 352; SB 4: 104); first for Outer Hebrides faunal area. First breeding records for areas and counties BLACK-THROATED DIVER Gavia arctica. Pair present at one 292 REVIEW OF ORNITHOLOGICAL CHANGES 4(4) loch in Ayrshire in 1955 and bred in 1956, hatching two chicks, neither of which survived (B Ayr: 1); first breed- ing for Ayr. RED-THROATED DIVER Gavia stellata, Pair laid two eggs (both subsequently taken) at a loch in Ayrshire in 1957 (B Ayr: 1); first breeding for Ayr. GOOSANDER Mergus merganser. Has bred regularly since 1950 at one locality and more recently elsewhere in south Ayr- shire (B Ayr: 9); first breeding for Ayr. GREY LaG Goose Anser anser. A pair (no doubt from the expanding feral colony in Wigtownshire) bred at a loch in Ayrshire in 1963 and 1964 (B Ayr: 10); first breeding for Clyde and Ayr. BuzzaRD Buteo buteo. Pair at occupied nest, King’s Seat Hill, 14th May 1965 (SB 3: 410); this is the first published breeding record for Clackmannan, but a much earlier record has subsequently been published—a nest with three eggs near Dollar in May 1956 (SB 4: 264). HEN HARRIER Circus cyaneus. Pair bred in Ayrshire in 1960, hatching three young (B. Ayr: 13); first breeding for Ayr this century. OYSTERCATCHER Haematopus ostralegus. A pair or two breed each year on an island in the Tweed below Rutherford House (SB 3: 48); first breeding for Roxburgh. CuRLEw Numenius arquata. Pair with at least three young found in Lewis, 20th June 1965 (SB 3: 370); first breeding for Outer Hebrides faunal area. BLACK-TAILED GoDWIt Limosa limosa. Pair hatched at least two young at a locality in southern Scotland in June 1964 (SB 3: 256); eggs were again laid in the same locality in 1965 (SB 3: 424); first breeding for southern Scotland. GREAT SkKuA Catharacta skua. Pair bred, Handa, 1964, hatch- ing one chick which was killed shortly before fledging (SB 3: 313); first breeding for North West Highlands and West Sutherland. GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL Larus marinus. Breeding on Craig- leith was first suspected in 1963 and proved in 1965 when - a single chick was found (ENHS 1965: 14); first breeding for East Lothian since the old Bass Rock colony became extinct some time after 1851. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL Larus fuscus, Pair breeding, near Cove, 28th May 1965 (SB 3: 480); first breeding for North Kincardine. Arctic TERN Sterna macrura. Two or three pairs bred (two nests found), Largo Bay, July 1949 (SB 3: 313); first breed- ing for South Fife. PuFFIN Fratercula arctica, Egg located in one of three bur- 1966 REVIEW OF ORNITHOLOGICAL CHANGES 293 rows on Inchkeith, 1965 (ENHS 1965: 14; SB 4: 246); first breeding for South Fife. COLLARED Dove Streptopelia decaocto. One pair nested at Arbroath in spring 1962 (SB 3: 296); first breeding for Tay and Angus. Three birds first noticed in Hamilton Place, Perth, in May 1962 and two free-flying young observed there later that summer (SB 3: 295); first breeding for North Perth. Now breeding at several localities in East Ross, and breeding is thought to have first taken place at North Kessock, Tarbat and Invergordon in 1962 (SB 3: 297); first breeding for East Ross. Several pairs bred at Gullane and Aberlady in 1963 (SB 3: 294); first breeding for East Lothian. One pair bred at Stonehaven in 1963 (SB 3: 296): first breeding for North Kincardine. In 1964 there were three nests at Garlieston (SB 3: 298); first breeding for Wigtown, although breeding had been sus- pected in 1963 (but not proved as has been implied— BB 58: 127). Pair bred at Linlithgow in 1964 (SB 3: 295); first breeding for West Lothian, though there is evidence (but not proof as has been implied—BB 58: 114) that breeding had taken place at Bo’ness since about 1960. Pair bred at Cambuslang in 1964 (SB 3: 298); first breeding for Lanark. Pair bred near Campbeltown in 1964 (SB 3: 299); first breeding for South Argyll. Single pairs bred success- fully at Dunfermline and Crail in 1964 (SB 3: 295); first breeding for South Fife. Pair bred at Inverness in 1964 (SB 3: 297); first breeding for East Inverness. Single pairs nested at Wick and Castle Mey in 1964 (SB 3: 297); first breeding for North Coast and Caithness. Nest with eggs at Binscarth Wood in 1964 (SB 3: 300); first breeding for Orkney. At least three pairs bred at Lerwick in 1965 (BN 31: 398); first breeding for Shetland faunal area. Repwine Turdus iliacus. Adult singing, and later adult seen with two recently-fledged young, West Sutherland, 13th June 1964 (SB 3: 315); first breeding for North West High- lands and West Sutherland. GARDEN WARBLER Sylvia borin. Pair seen carrying food into thick bushes and scolding intruders, Binscarth Wood, 15th/16th July 1964 (SB 3: 268); first breeding for Orkney. Records carried forward The following records are carried forward for further consideration: BarKAaL TEaL Anas formosa, Fair Isle, 30th September 1954 (FIBOB 2: 194); Loch Spynie, Moray, 5th February 1958 (Bull BOC 78: 105). EASTERN SUBALPINE WARBLER Sylvia cantillans albistriata. Fair Isle, 23rd April 1964 (FIBOR 1964: 19). 294 SHORT NOTES 4(4) Short Notes Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon in Inverness-shire On 30th December 1965 I identified an adult drake Amer- ican Wigeon swimming with a fiock of Wigeon off the south shore of the inner Moray Firth just east of Inverness. I last saw it on llth February 1966, and in between it had been seen by several other people. It was identical to the one I aoe in the same area on 17th January 1965 (Scot. Birds 3: After looking at this bird on 5th January 1966 I examined a flock of 400 Teal nearby and found a drake Green-winged Teal swimming with them. It was still there on the 16th, when M. Morrison and I saw it with 340 Teal. This is the same place where I recorded a similar bird with 300-400 Teal between 5th and 22nd February 1963 (Scot. Birds 2: 418). Hs = the seventh Scottish record of this American race of eal. Full descriptions have been submitted to the Rarities Com- mittee. These two American ducks are usually associated with their European counterparts when seen in the British Isles. It seems reasonable to assume that the two birds were the same ones previously recorded and had stayed with their respective flocks. The few recoveries of ducks which I have ringed at Inverness suggest that Teal and Wigeon wintering in this area migrate northeast in spring to breed in northern Europe and Russia. As it is feasible that these two American strays might interbreed with European Teal and Wigeon it will be worth looking for hybrids in future winters at Inverness. Roy H. DEnnIs. Surf Scoter in Kirkcudbrightshire A drake Surf Scoter was reported from Southerness on 27th December 1965, This is the same place where a drake was seen on lst January 1964 (Scot. Birds 3: 195) and from 13th February to 14th March 1965 (Scot. Birds 3: 362). We went to Southerness on lst January 1966 and even- tually located the bird when it flew in from the west with several Common Scoter. It settled with them and started feeding. Even at extreme range it was relatively easy to pick out, though the light shining on the backs of the heads of Common Scoter could be confusing at certain angles. Full notes were made and have been submitted to the Rarities Committee. On both lst and 2nd January, when we saw the drake again, we thought that there was a female present as well, but we were not able to establish this with 1966 SHORT NOTES 295 certainty and most subsequent observers noted only the drake. It was seen later by W. Austin, Miss P. G. Baxter, D. G. Bell and many others and stayed in the area until at least 27th February, when it was seen by A. D. K. Ramsay. ANDREW PATERSON, D. I. REDHEAD. King Eider in Shetland Ferrymen crossing from Scalloway on the Shetland Main- land to Hamnavoe in Burra Isle reported seeing a duck with an orange lump on its forehead among Eiders on 19th, 20th and 21st April 1966. A gale was blowing on the 22nd and I declined an opportunity to look for the bird, as the Eiders tend to move further from the land in rough seas. On the 23rd it was calm and bright. I left Scalloway by boat and found the bird with about 200 Eiders near the Atla Holm, a low rocky skerry off Hamnavoe. It was a male King Eider, conspicuous with the large orange knob on its fore- head. The raft of Eiders swam out to sea and we followed and had excellent views of the King Eider, As we tried to get closer the flock broke in two, leaving the King Eider between them, I hurriedly took some photographs before it flew off into the distance. Apart from the orange knob, the head was very noticeable, for the. velvety grey (rather like the wing of a Common Gull) contrasted sharply with the black crowns of the male Eiders; the cheeks were green; the eyes seemed thickly set in the large angular head, which looked very wide from be- hind. Comparing this bird: with the Field Guide illustration I noted that the head was slightly less blue, longer from front to back, and highest at the back, with a bigger orange shield protruding further forward. The bird seemed scarcely smaller than an Hider, although one I saw in October 1964 (Scot. Birds 3: 311) had been noticeably smaller. The white line. on the wings did not show when it was at rest. It rose from the water with almost the ease of a surface feeder, unlike the laborious flapping of an Eider. The black on the back was obvious now, with the white wing patches showing a narrow black line on the fore-edge.. The bird was seen again in the same area on 26th and 29th April, and after a gap it reappeared in Lang Sound, Burra ay on poy ia and 20th June. Dennis Courts. Black Kite in Orkney and Shetland | On 18th May 1966 a pair of Hen Harriers which I was watching in the Lyde area of Harray were joined by a Black Kite. It had a much greater wingspan than the har- riers and a slightly forked tail. The flight was graceful and 296 SHORT NOTES 4(4) buoyant and it used its flexible tail a lot. I had it under observation for well over an hour that day and again the following morning. E. BALFOuUR. A Black Kite was first seen about noon on 27th May 1966 being mobbed by gulls near Sumburgh Airport. Subse- quently it was seen throughout Dunrossness in the south of Shetland. It remained in the area until 2nd June and was seen by many people and successfully photographed by Dennis Coutts, both in the air and at bait put out at the airport. G. D. Joy, M. Cartns. (Detailed descriptions have been supplied for both these records, and very extensive field notes on the Shetland oc- currences. Full details of these records and of others in England about the same time will be published in British Birds. together with photographs taken in Shetland. Although the Black Kite is a summer visitor to many parts of its range and breeds regularly as near as northern Germany, there is only one previous Scottish record—a male which was shot near Aberdeen in mid April 1901 (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist. 1901: 133). There has been no acceptable British record since a bird was obtained in Northumberland on 14th May 1947 (Brit. Birds 40: 251).—Eb.) Stone Curlew in Lanarkshire On 21st April 1966 on a visit to Scotland my wife and I had good views of a Stone Curlew near Abington. I am fam- iliar with this species, having seen it in East Anglia and in Sussex. It was standing motionless and upright on barren pasture—stony ground with weeds and low scrub—and we watched it for about two minutes before it scuttled away, head down, and disappeared over a rise. It was not seen in flight and no call was heard. I made the following field des- cription of the bird: Large long-legged bird with smallish rounded head; prominent staring yellow eye with white stripe below; upperparts sandy brown, streaked darker brown; crown appeared darker brown; white band clearly visible on closed wing; chin, throat and belly white; breast and flanks streaked light brown; bill short and yellow with black tip; legs long and yellow. SrpNEY KENT. (This is the tenth Scottish record and the first for Lanark- shire; it is also the earliest in spring by two days.—Eb.) 1966 297 PLATE 28. Dr W. J. Eggeling, leader of ihe Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise, 16th-22nd July 1966. Photograph by J. MacGeoch 4(4) 298 yIoayHanwW “¢ fq ydn.bo010Yd I9AO AIIGD 0} ZOGT UL pelsoAuod pue 826T UL epATO 942 UO zInNG ‘SUO} 961 ‘ ot 6 ‘00E JO MoD & puke SJasUaSSed QOOT pywoaag ‘sw diys aesInsio au, ‘63 TLVWId 1966 yooayonvyy “¢ fiq ydoi6o010Yd -uod pue p iJeoq UO popseydesys JIOM Sfesuessed QOG& aNOoYy ue UeY} sI0UL PTT UL “Yooussty 32 ‘sajjoo sutumNns SUIYIPQqUIQ ‘OS ALVId 4(4) 300 aujiw “MO fq ydnuboj,0Yd ‘yueuldinbe [eojdo jo AjolieA v YIM Ssjlet 94} 0} SuUIPMOJO sitesuessed JYsnoIq Sotoeds surjsouoyur “Aue jo UOoTUSeUL pue UOT}UEI}e JwoIs YIM 0} Poua}sT, o19M IdPIId 94} WOi} SolIeyUSWWIOD “Te ALVTId 301 1966 aujiwW “M °O youuesy) ou hq ydv.6010Ud “OUTYSUNS SNOTIOTS UI Uses SEM ‘pazISIA Ss XQGCG : QOS . i € WS SSS dIUOTOI N s N N N N RECS ‘puURISE SIU} WoOry oUIeU SqI Seye1 DUDSsDg DNS youuey YSI}}00§ ay} JO YIXIS SERA’ SSS S SSSR Sk SSE ‘yooy sseq SSS SAGX FUL “Se ALVId RSs SSE RRAVVWg RO : BES Sass SRAQQE RASA yooayonvpy ‘“¢ fiq ydoubo10Yd ‘oSINJO OY} UO Saosuessed jo JUeWAOLUS PUe SUIPULSTOpUuUN oY} O} peyNql1zUOD SeIN}oe,T puke Sel1eJUSUTUIOD 1/97) UOISTNSAA VBd1095 PUe UOSTOJOq AIO], Jesoy “Joust sewer ‘oo aALVId y1edxe SSOUM 2SOY4} SuowmIe 210M (7Yb2L 07 4(4) 302 303 1966 yIoaHov jy -195) OqUT ‘fia sydvs6010Yd SoTTeJUSMUIUIOD 9} [[e@ A[reau Jo Suoresues yooyrepun “AJPATIedSaL YOUeTA pue ueUL Ay\ueles anbgaaT puourskey pue (7/27) eperuy, JCM “pe ALVIC 304 as) PLATE 55. C. K. Mylne with the much photographed lone Indian officer on the ship. The cheerful Asian crew came mainly from northeast India. Photograph by J. NMacGeoch 1966 305 PLATE 56. Irene Waterston, Secretary of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club and responsible for the detailed planning and administration of the cruise. Taken on Noss. Photograph by J. MacGeoch 306 4(4) PLATE 57a. Passengers going ashore on Noss from Devonia’s launches over a floating landing stage specially prepared for the day by Bressay Ferry Services of Shetland. More than 250 people were able to land on Noss. Photograph by C. K. Mylne Whi Ui PLATE 37b. Buses from all corners of Orkney were called in to take 450 people in the morning and another 450 in the afternoon on a tour of the local bird haunts and prehistoric sites. Photograph by J. MacGeoch SR ARRE SARA Sed PLATE 58. An assortment of cameras and binoculars 307 RAE KS AN at Marwick Head, Orkney. For many people the great colonies of cliff-nesting seabirds were a new ex- perience and an exciting highlight of the cruise. Photograph by J. MacGeoch 308 PLATE 59. The best part of 900 passengers gathered on the foredeck, and elsewhere, iled ip sai German and Dutch as the sh for speeches of thanks in English, French, up the Forth to berth at Leith. Gordon by Nancy J. Photograph 1966 SHORT NOTES 309 The Collared Dove in Scotland—some first records All known records of the Collared Dove in Scotland to the end of 1964 were listed recently (Scot. Birds 3: 292-301). It is too soon for a further paper on these lines, but a lot of new records have been gathered and it seems worth keep- ing local lists up to date by publishing details of first oc- currences and breeding records for particular faunal divisions. Kinross. Two at Milnathort on 10th May 1966 are the first for the county (Miss V. M. Thom). Southeast Sutherland. Up to 20 birds were resident in Dor- noch by the end of June 1966; two nests found earlier (2 nestlings died in the first; 2 eggs were taken by a predator from the second) are the first evidence of breeding in the county (D. Macdonald). Atran. One at Lamlash on 13th September 1966 is the first for the division (L. A, Urquhart). Bute. Two on Little Cumbrae early in April 1966 are the first for the division (H. Miller). Dunbarton. A nest with two eggs in a copper beech in Glenburn Road, Bearsden, in June 1965 is the first breeding record (J. Watson; and C. Johnston, Prof. M. F. M. Meikle- john, C. E. Palmar). St Kilda. The first three records were in 1965: one ap- peared on a building about 2 hours after the arrival of a ship from South Uist on 29th April; one was in the village area on 25th and 26th May; and one was on Hirta on 11th and 12th June (D. Gwynne). Shetland. At least three pairs bred in gardens in Lerwick in 1965 (first nest found at end of June) and about 20 birds were present on 3rd August 1965; this is the first breeding record for Shetland (D. Coutts). Only a few records have been given here, but this does not mean that other reports are not of interest. All of them are being carefully filed for future use. Any notes on Collar- ed Doves in new places, or breeding anywhere in Scotland. and details of increases and decreases. are still wanted and should be sent to the editor. Collared Doves have now been seen in every Scottish county except Peebles and Selkirk, and, in fact, in every one of the 50 faunal divisions except these two and East Stirling, South Perth and West Inverness. They have been recorded breeding in 26 divisions, but not yet in those mentioned above nor in Roxburgh, Isle of May, Kinross, Clackmannan, North Fife, South Kincardine, North Suther- land, Kirkcudbright, Renfrew, West Stirling, Arran, Bute, North Argyll, South Inverness, West Ross, West Sutherland, Skye, St Kilda and Fair Isle. ANDREW T. MACMILLAN. 310 SHORT NOTES 4(4) Alpine Swift in Shetland An Alpine Swift was seen at Compass Hill at 0800 hrs GMT on 3lst May 1966 by R. A. Richardson and myself, and again two hours later by R. H. Dennis. Compass Hill is barren and 320 ft high, with a vertical cliff from the summit to the North Sea. The large swift shape, with brown wings, back, tail and breast band, and the white belly and chin, were unmistakable. The wingspan of almost 2 ft, and the rapid wingbeats alternating with long soaring glides, were almost hawklike. At times the bird was 200 ft above the summit, and at others almost at sea level under the cliffs. We were all impressed by this jet fighter of the bird world. Go Di Sor (One on Unst on 13th June 1962 (Scot. Birds 2:249) is the only previous Shetland record.—Eb.) Bee-eaters in Orkney On 5th June 1966 a number of people, including Dr Bruce Campbell, E. J. Williams and myself, watched three Bee- eaters in Binscarth Plantations. The birds stayed fairly close together, usually perching on the topmost twigs or high branches of half-dead trees, from which they made sallies to capture insects, mainly bumble bees, which were brought back to the perch to be prepared (removing the sting) and: eaten. They called to each other a good deal, especially when moving from one perch to another. The single, repeated call note is difficult to describe but it had a liquid quality. The flight was graceful and swallow-like. These brilliantly coloured birds were quite unmistakable, with long curved beaks, projecting middle tail feathers, chestnut and orange-yellow upperparts, bright green under- parts and tails, and vivid yellow throats. It appears that they arrived about 3lst May and had dis- appeared by 6th June. This is the first recorded occurrence of the species in Orkney. EK. BALFOUR. (We understand that a Bee-eater, the first for the island, was recorded on Fair Isle on 13th June 1966.—Eb.) Grey-cheeked Thrushes on St Kilda and in Morayshire On 29th October 1965 a bird flew ahead of me along Village Street, St Kilda, and began to feed in short grass 1966 SHORT NOTES 311 among stones. In colour it suggested a Song Thrush but it was clearly far too small, being more the size of a Robin. Apart from size it was in every respect a thrush, having a large dark eye, a moderate-sized bill and no peak to the crown (such as, say, a Whitethroat has). It moved like a Song Thrush or Blackbird, pitching forward with each hop or run and returning to a more upright stance when stop- ping; it also pecked for worms and other things in the same manner. It kept near cover—boulders, walls or woodpiles— and once hopped into a cleit. In colour it was olive-brown, like a Song Thrush but less yellowish, with pale buffish grey underparts. There were one or two distinct pale spots on the forewing. There were some marks on the upper breast but these could not be made out clearly until the bird faced me, when they showed as two conspicuous black moustachial stripes ending on the upper breast, where they gave way to black spots. The legs were pink. Later in the day it rained heavily and I caught the bird in a ruined house. It was very bedraggled and had blood on the flank. It recovered when brought inside but unfortun- ately injured itself further by flying into the window. It fed eagerly on worms, but by evening appeared in poor condi- tion, and it was found dead next morning. A full description was made on the 29th after its capture. Of the soft parts, the iris was very dark brown; bill dark brown, with whitish horn base to lower mandible; gape chrome yellow, showing at base of closed beak; rictal bristles, three pairs; legs pale pinkish buff, paler on ventral surface. After it died the bird was skinned and found to be extremely thin. The skin was sent to Kenneth Williamson, who re- ported: “Tt is a Grey-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus, It is the fourth record for the British Isles and all have occurred during October, two early and two on 29th.” “Description. Upperparts from head to tail uniform dark olive-brown. Wings browner, the primaries a little paler on their outer margins, the primary coverts and alula broadly tipped blackish olive. Large pear- shaped buffish white spots on two median coverts in the left wing, and one in the right wing, indicate unmoulted juvenile feathers. Sim- ilar but smaller spots, almost worn off, remain at the tips of the inner- most greater coverts of each wing, and there is a faint brownish buff line across mid-wing formed by the worn pale tips of the greater cov- erts.” “Underparts: chin white, with dark olive moustachial streaks at either side, descending onto throat; dark brown mottling at sides of neck. Throat and upper breast creamy to pale buff, heavily spotted with dark olive-brown, the spots becoming larger but more clouded on the breast. Lower breast and flanks washed with greyish olive; belly and vent white. Axillaries greyish, tinged olive; under wing-coverts mostly white, tinged brownish.” ‘ 3i2 SHORT NOTES 4(4) “Head: ear-coverts dark greyish olive, their hind-margins uniform and strongly outlined, but the feathers otherwise speckled buffish; no buff eye-rim. These two features rule out the possibility of its being a specimen of C. ustulatus.” “Measurements: wing 103 mm, tail 68 mm, tarsus 31 mm, bill from skull 173 mm. Wing formula: 3rd primary longest; 2nd 43 mm shorter, fall- ing between 4th and 5th. Other primaries shorter than 3rd by: 4th 1 m; 5th 73 mm; 6th 14 mm; 7th 20 mm; 10th 30 mm. Distal secondary 3 mm shorter than innermost primary. Emarginated deeply on outer webs of 3rd-4th and very slightly near tip of 5th.” “Soft parts: Bill blackish brown above, yellowish white on basal half of lower mandible. Tarsi pale brownish in front, straw-coloured behind. As the skin did not reach me till 22nd November some changes may have taken place.” “Previous British occurrences of this North American thrush have been at Fair Isle, 5th-6th October 1953 (Fair Isle Bird Obs. Bull. 2: 3-8; Scot. Nat. 1954: 18-20), 29th October 1958 (Brit. Birds 52: 316), and Bardsey (N. Wales), 10th October 1961 (Brit. Birds 56: 192). The Bardsey speci- men was examined by Charles Vaurie and was referred to the form C. m. bicknelli; the Fair Isle birds were indeter- minate as to race but the St Kilda specimen would appear on wing length to belong to the northern form C. m. mini- mus, which ranges across Canada and Alaska and extends to Anadyrland in E. Siberia.” I should like to thank Dr W. J. Eggeling for his advice and assistance and Kenneth Williamson for critically exam- ining the skin and identifying it. PETER GRUBB. (This St Kilda specimen was also examined by Ian H. J. Lyster of the Royal Scottish Museum, where it now is. The wing-length (103 mm) is well into the range of C. m. mini- mus—o' co’ 99-109 (average 104), @9 97-1074 (100)—and seems too big for C. m. bicknelli—co o* 883-98 (92), 9 9 85-93 (883) (Ridgway, R. 1882 Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 4: 377-379; 1907 Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 50 (4): 59-63). Another Grey-cheeked Thrush, a first-winter male, was found dying at Lossiemouth on 26th November 1965 (Brit. Birds 59: 293). Full details will be published in British Birds. We understand that the wing of this bird measured 111 mm, making it unquestionably an example of the larger race C. m. minimus. Subject to confirmation by the Rarities Committee these are the first British records of the species that can be defin- itely ascribed to the northern race C. m. minimus. As noted above, the two Fair Isle birds were indeterminate, while the Welsh one was referred to the southern race C, m. bick- nelli.—ED.) 1966 CURRENT NOTES 313 Current Notes Compiled by P. J. B. SLATER (Key to initials of observers: Miss P. Alexander, D. Kk. Anderson, N. k. Atkinson, R. S. Baillie, J. Ballantyne, D. A. Barbour, Miss P. G. Baxter, G. Bloor, H. Boase, T. Boyd, Miss E. Brown, R. J. Buxton, R. G. Caldow, A. Campbell, R. Campbell, J. F. M. Carson, D. Coutts, G. M. Crighton, N. P. Danby, Major P. Deas, R. H. Dennis, D. Dewar, R. C. Dickson, J. Douglas, J. M. Dunn, W. M. M. Eddie, N. Elkins, Sir R. Erskine-Hill Bt. M. J. Everett, J. Faulkner, M. Forrester, I. Gibson, A. G. Gordon, J. C. R. Gubbins, G. H. Gush, M. K. Hamil- ton, B. L. S. Hardy, R. Hewson, E. E. Jackson, P. James (PJs), A. Japp, oks Ax Jeffery, P.. Johnson (PJn); D..Joy, D. J. Law): A..F. Leitch, R. Lévéque, J. A. Love, I. H. J. Lyster, A. Macdonald, D. Macdonald (DMcD), M. A. Macdonald, Miss E. McEwen, J. Mac- Geoch, W. G. McKay, Dr P. MacMorran, Dr P. S. Maitland, D. Manning (DMg), Prof. M. F. M. Meiklejohn, T. D. H. Merrie, D. G. Middleton, F. M. Moore, W. M. Morrison, J. H. B. Munro, C. Mur- mye to: Murray,.D. J Norden, C.; Ogston, D:..W. Oliver,. Jo S: Oliver, T: Paterson, P. N. Paul, Dr I. D. Pennie, N. Picozzi, R. M. Ramage, A. D. K. Ramsay, G. A. Richards, S. Roberts, I. B. Roy, W. K. Russell, J. H. Simpson, I. C. Sinclair, P. J. B. Slater, Mrs E. Slee, Dr J. Slee, Mrs E. M. Smith, R. W. J. Smith, Dr T. C. Smout, G. Speedy, D. M. Stark, R. L. Swann, C. Tait, I. Taylor, Miss V. M. Thom, R. J. Tulloch, L. A. Urquhart, F. Walker, K. Walker, D. I. M. Wallace, G. Waterston, Mrs M. I. Waterston, A. D. Watson, J. Watt, Hon. D. N. Weir, Dr R. S. Weir, T. Weir, J. P. M. Whipp, G. T. ere oe W. H. Wild, R. D. Wilson, W. Wyper, J. G. Young, B. onfrillo. Unless otherwise stated all dates refer to 1966.) Distribution This section does not include records from before lst May 1966. As usual the arrival of geese and winter thrushes is being held over to allow a fuller account in the next issue. Details of an influx of continental migrants on the east coast in late August and early September are given separately at the end of this section. No doubt on its way to the sea, an adult Black-throated Diver was seen at Lintrathen Loch, Angus, on 10th August (GMC). There seems to have been an increase in the number of Great Crested Grebes nesting in Fife this year. At Morton Lochs, where three pairs bred in 1965 (3: 367), there was a further increase to five pairs this year and seven broods were raised (CT), At Lindores Loch there were at least ten pairs with young on 1lth August—last year there were only about six pairs (JW). A few Red-necked Grebes seem to winter annually along the south coast of the Forth: near Gullane Point, East 314 CURRENT NOTES 4(4) Lothian, the first was on 3rd and 10th September, and there were 2 on the 18th and 26th and 3 on the 25th (JSO, WW, BZ). A Slavonian Grebe was inland at Linlithgow Loch, West Lothian, on 19th September (TB, EMS, RWJS); and a Black-necked Grebe was at Cobbinshaw Reservoir, Midlothian, on 18th September (JB). An interesting occurrence is that of a Leach’s Petrel which was found exhausted in Inverness on 6th September and died two hours later (JM). A new breeding locality for Storm Petrels is Bressay, Shetland, where seven birds were caught and a nest found (EEJ). A colony of Manx Shearwaters at West Neap, Fetlar, was also discovered for the first time this year—a visit on 26th August suggested that there were at least 100 pairs in the area (RJT). Not surprisingly, several noteworthy records are as a result of the Devonia cruise: a Great Shearwater was seen off St Kilda on 18th July and a Sooty Shearwater was south of Foula, Shetland, on 19th (MFMM). Other occurrences of this last species are of four seen during a sea-watch from Rudh’ Re, Wester Ross, on 2nd September (PNP, RDW); one seen at sea off Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, on 1st September (NE); and one flying past Fife Ness on 25th (DWO). Although not previously published, Herons have apparently bred on the small islands in Loch Shuna, Argyllshire, for at least six years. They used to nest on the island of Dun but a visit on llth August gave no sign of them there, though five nests were discovered on Buidhe Isle nearby (JD). An additional heronry for Banffshire is one at Parkmore House, Dufitown, which has been occupied for several years and consisted of at least nine pairs this year (RH). Night Herons have not been reported so much in the Edin- burgh area recently although there is still a free-flying colony at Edinburgh Zoo, but an immature was at Dudding- ston Loch between 26th August and 20th September (DRA). An escaped Flamingo of the Chilean race has already been reported at Tyninghame, East Lothian, in May (4: 240). Since then there have been several records, the descriptions and dates suggesting that all could refer to a single Chilean bird. On 30th July it was at Ardoch, Dunbartonshire (DMg), and it was seen at Endrick Mouth, Stirling /Dunbartonshire, on various dates between 3lst July and 13th August (MF, PSM, TDHM). On 16th August it was at Ardmore Bay, Dun- bartonshire (TDHM); on 19th it was seen at Skinflats, Stir- lingshire, and on 21st at Longannet, Fife (IT). It was again at Ardmore Bay on 25th (TDHM), and at Loch Lomond on 26th (AGG, DMg). The last record is for 11th September seg seen near Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan, Argyllshire 1966 CURRENT NOTES 315 A female Garganey on Whalsay on 25th September (JH5), and a drake Gadwall at Loch Hillwell on 26th (RE-H), are both unusual occurrences in Shetland. Three Pintail at Thriepley Loch, Angus, on 26th August (HB), and two at Stormont Loch, Perthshire, on 18th September (VMT), are also noteworthy. At least one pair bred successfully at Loch Ken, Kirkcudbrightshire, where a female was seen with three young on 3rd July (ADW), while what was pro- bably a different bird was seen with five young at about the same time (GHG per ADW). A count of 32 Shoveler at Dud- dingston on 18th August is a high one (DRA), and three pairs were noted at the Almond Estuary, on the border of Midlothian and West Lothian, on 18th September (TCS). Summering drake Scaup have been a single at Eden Es- tuary, Fife, on 26th June and two there on 10th July (CT); Ohne on a pond near Dunalastair, Perthshire, on 3rd July (RL); and three on Loch Ryan at Stranraer, Wigtownshire, on 10th July (PJBS). In August, two were at Loch of Lowes, Perthshire, on 18th; one was at Loch Shandra, Perthshire, on 20th (RMR); and one was at Lochgoin, Renfrewshire, on 25th (LAU). An immature male was seen at Loch Leven, Kinross-shire, on 19th September (TCS). There are three interesting breeding records for Tufted Duck: a female with two young on Loch Asta, Shetland, on 3lst July (DC); one with three young on Loch Ospisdale in Southeast Sutherland on ist July (DMcD); and one with four young on the Union Canal at Craiglockhart, Edinburgh, on 7th August (IDP). Five birds of this species were on the pools behind the dunes at Aberlady, East Lothian, on 17th September (PJn, AFL). A duck Pochard with four small young was seen on Castle Semple Loch, Renfrewshire, on 23rd July (LAU). Some idea of the numbers of Common Scoter spending the summer off the east coast may be gained from the fact that they were flying north past Fife Ness at a rate of 100 per hour on 17th July (DWO). The discovery of an Eider duck with young at Sandgreen, near Gatehouse-of-Fleet, Kirkcudbrightshire, on 8th June is the first definite breding record for that county since 1908 (GB per ADW). The raft of moulting birds off Troon and Prestwick in Ayrshire reached a peak of 1120 on 19th July, when it included only five females (GAR). Other ducks found in unusual places were two female Goosanders at Virkie, Shetland, on 27th September (DJ); and a female Shelduck inland at Yetholm, Roxburghshire, on 25th September (RSB). A wary Barnacle Goose on Hilean Hoan, Sutherland, in mid June made only short flights when disturbed and may have 316 CURRENT NOTES 4(4) been unable to migrate north in the spring (RJB). A further increase is reported in the number of Canada Geese at Rowbank Reservoir, Renfrewshire/Ayrshire (see 2: 377). On 27th July 52, including 10 immatures, were counted there (RGC, LAU). Possibly on their moult migration, 11 were seen in flight at West Links, between Gullane and North Berwick, East Lothian, on 25th June (WGM); and 14 were at Duddingston on 15th June (DRA). The flock on the Beauly Firth numbered about 110 on 3rd June but later counts suggested that about 160 birds were present (WMM). Three Whooper Swans spent the summer on the Forth in Clackmannanshire (TP); two were seen at Forfar Loch, Angus, on 16th August (HB); an adult was on the south side of the Beauly Firth on 27th August (TCS); and another was on the Tay in Perth on 31st July (IG). At the west end of Loch Tulla, Argyll, an adult was seen on 3lst July (JPMW) and on 28th August (GW, MIW). Another, which is injured and unable to fly, is still on Glenbuck Reservoir, Ayrshire, after three years there (GAR). The Hen Harrier has not been recorded breeding in Bute, but a female was seen at the south end of the island near Quien Hill on 9th July (DGM). An Osprey was in the area of Endrick Mouth between 19th and 21st August (AC, JMD, AGG, DJL, TDHM), It was seen to catch a fish at Balmaha, Stirlingshire, on 20th (TW). Single birds were noted during July at Tentsmuir, Fife, on 9th (DWO, JW), and flying northwestwards at Eyebroughty, East Lothian, on 3lst (RSB, FMM). One flew over Loch of Lowes on 18th August (RMR), and one was seen in flight at Brechin, Angus, on 20th (GMC). The only Quail reported is one which was both heard and seen at Paisley Moss, Renfrewshire, on 22nd May (RGC, IG, RAJ). A curious place for a Ringed Plover to be seen is on top of Carn Ban Mor, Inverness-shire, where one was found at a height of 3500 feet on 3rd August (ADKR). Two early Grey Plover were at Barassie, Ayrshire, on 30th August (GAR). A Woodcock was flushed from its nest containing four eggs at Eaglescairnie, Haddington, East Lothian, on the late date of 24th July. This nest was also unusual in being sit- uated in the middle of a field some 40 yards from the nearest cover, though concealed in a clump of ryegrass. Despite this the eggs hatched successfully on 10th August (JCRQG). There are rather few records of Black-tailed Godwits for this autumn: Tarty Burn, Ythan Estuary, Aberdeen—1 on 10 Sept (CO). 1966 CURRENT NOTES 317 Arbroath, Angus—l on 7 Aug (NKA, IG). Tentsmuir—9 early birds on 3 July (TP). Eden Estuary, Fife—50, many in breeding plumage, on 14 Aug (DWO). Skinflats, Stirling—l on 30 Aug (TDHM). Seafield, ’Edinburgh—2 on 28 Sept (MJE). Barassie—l4 on 2 July (JGY); 1 on 20 Aug (LAU). Troon, Ayr—1 on 8 Sept (GAR). Piltanton, Luce Bay, Wigtown—1 on 17 Aug, 2 on 23 Aug (RCD). A pair of this species bred once again this year in south- ern Scotland close to where they nested in the previous two years (3: 256, 424). On 23rd May the nest contained four eggs and at least two young are reported to have been reared to the flying stage (ED.). A Bar-tailed Godwit was seen at Achnahaird Bay, Wester Ross, on 25th August (TCS). | The following are Green Sandpiper records: Whalsay, Shetland—1 on 5 Sept (JHS). Foula—1 on 13 Aug (RJT). Fair Isle, Shetland—2 on 4 Aug and small numbers till 13 Sept; maximum 3 on 10-11 Aug (RHD). Scrabster Brae, Caithness—l on 3 Aug (PM). River Don near Kinaldie, Aberdeen—1 on 31 Aug (CO). (emo Basin, Angus—2 on 8 Aug; 4 on 10 Aug; 1 on 12 Aug North Esk mouth, Angus—1 on 12 Aug (GMC). River Kelvin, Summerston/Bardowie, Stirling/Renfrew/Dunbarton— up to 4 between 20 Aug and 8 Oct (WMME, DJN, WKR). Dow Loch, Cleish Hills, Kinross—1 on 28 Aug (JB). Aberlady—1 at freshwater pools on 6 Aug (JSO). Tyninghame—regular from 31 July with 3 on 28 Aug and still 2 on 18 Sept (TB, EMS, RWJS, CT). River Bowmont, Yetholm, Roxburgh—1 on 7-9 Sept (RSB). Bogside, Ayr—1 on 15 Aug (GAR). Near New Cumnock, Ayr—1 on 19 Sept (GAR). Migrant Wood Sandpipers have been seen as follows: Unst, Shetland—1 on 12 Aug (FW). Fair Isle—l on 31 July; singles on 11 days between 5 Aug and 7 Sept, with 2 on 9 Aug and 5 Sept (RHD). Montrose Basin—1 on 11 and 13 Sept (GMC). St Vigean’s Marsh, Arbroath, Angus—7 on 8 Aug; 1 on 10 Aug (NKA, IG). Skinflats—1 on 22 Aug; 1 freshly dead on 25 Sept (iT). Aberlady—1 on 13 Aug (EMS, RWJS). Tyninghame—1 on 10 Sept (ADKR). Gadloch, Lanark—1 on 27-31 July (BZ). Paisley Moss—1 on 31 July and 1 Aug (RGC, IG. DJN). A Redshank which was picked up dead at Piltanton Es- tuary, Luce Bay, Wigtownshire, on 10th September was of the Icelandic race as it had a wing measurement of 172 mm (RCD). Spotted Redshanks have been seen at the following places: 318 CURRENT NOTES 4(4) Fair Isle—3 on 27-30 Aug,-with 4 on 28th; 1 to 3 on 9-14 Sept (RHD). Castlehill, Caithness—5 on 3 Sept (DMS). Dornoch Point, Sutherland—1-on 28-29 Aug (DMcD). Longman Bay, Inverness—1 on 19 Sept (JM). North Esk mouth—1 on 12 Aug (GMC). Montrose Basin—2 on 12 Aug; 1 on 5th; 2 on 9th; 3 on 11th; 1 on 13th and 1 on 17th Sept (GMC). St Vigean’s Marsh, Arbroath—1 on 9 Aug (NKA, IG). Fife Ness—I on 4 Sept (PGB, DWO). Rosyth, Fife—1 on 11 Sept (DWO). Skinflats—1 on 21, 22, 26, 27 Aug, 3 and 4 Sept (IT). Aberlady—1 on 11 Aug (DIMW); 2 on 25 Aug (MAM, RLS); 1 on 14 Sept (ADKR). Tyninghame—l1 on 14 Aug (MFMM): 7 on 28 Aug (TB, EMS, RWJS). Bogside, Ayr—1 on 15 Aug (GAR). Loch Ryan—2 on 17 Sept (RCD). Wigtown Merse—3 on 18 Sept (RCD). A Greenshank at Soleburn, Loch Ryan, is worth mention as being so far south as early as 9th July (RCD). A Knot was seen inland at Rowbank Reservoir on 4th September (IG, RAJ, GTW). The following are reports of Little Stints: Virkie, Shetland—singles on several days about 21 Sept (DC, DJ). Foula—singles on several days in mid Aug (RJT). Fair Isle—1 on 30 Aug; 1 on 6-11 Sept (RHD). Montrose Basin—5 on 11 Sept; 1 on 23rd and 6 on 28 Sept (GMC). Buddon, Angus—2 on 2 Sept; 1 on 19 Sept (GMC). Skinflats—2 on 4 Sept (JFMC); 1 on 25 Sept (IT). Aberlady—1 on 25 Aug (MAM, RLS); 1 on 26 Sept (WW, BZ). Tyninghame—1 on 10-11 Sept: 1 on 17th and 2 on 18 Lene (TB, ADKR, IBR, EMS, RWJS, CT). As with most other waders the number of Curlew Sand- pipers seen has been about average: Fair Isle—1 caught on 4 Sept (RHD). Thurso, Caithness—1 on 11 Sept (PJs). Gruinard Bay, W. Ross—1 on 18 Sept (RE-H). Montrose Basin—2 on 13, 17 and 23 Sept (GMC). Eden Estuary—1 on 3 Sept (WMME, WKR). Fife Ness—2 on 24 Sept (DWO). Skinflats—1 on 25 Sept (IT). Gullane Point—2 flying past on 17 Sept (PJn, AFL). Tyninghame—1 on 3 Sept (ADKR); 3 on 10 Sept (MAM). Barns Ness, E Lothian—1 on 1 Sept (MJE, THJL, ADKR). Troon—1 on 10 Sept (RGC). Two Sanderling were seen at Achnahaird Bay on 25th Aug- ust (TCS). This species is unusual as far up the Forth as Skinflats, where there were three on 19th and two on 22nd August (IT). One was at Seafield, Edinburgh, on 28th Sep- tember (MJ EK). Ruff records are again too numerous to give in detail. The earliest was a male moulting from breeding plumage at 1966 CURRENT NOTES 319 Buddon Burn on 22nd July (DAB). At Skinflats the first was on 27th July and varying numbers were seen regularly thereafter, with a peak of 25 on 7th September (IT). Num- bers seen elsewhere were smaller but for a flock of 55 at Tyninghame on 14th August (TB, MFMM, RWJS). A juvenile Red-necked Phalarope at Barassie on 20th Aug- ust was rather wary when in association with some Dunlin but after it parted from them it could be approached to within a few yards, as is characteristic of this species (GAR). On the west coast, seven Great Skuas were seen from Rudh’ Re, Wester Ross, on 2nd September (PNP, RDW), and one was seen from a boat between Brodick and Ardrossan in the Firth of Clyde on 17th September (LAU). Single light-phase Pomarine Skuas were seen between the Great Cumbrae and Largs on 23rd May (BLSH), and off Fife Ness on 17th July (DWO). In Shetland a Long-tailed Skua was seen from the Devonia near Foula on 19th July (EM), and another was near Hascosay on 27th September (RJT). Four Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying west off Troup Head, Banffshire, on 6th September and one going south at Sands of Forvie, Aberdeenshire, on 7th were of the Scandinavian race (CO). Single Glaucous Gulls seen have been an immature at Rav- elston, Edinburgh, on 11th and 12th September (PA); an- other at Paisley Moss on 18th August and 25th September (MJE, IG, GTW); and an adult at Nigg Bay, Kincardineshire, on 28th September (ADKR). This species continues to be seen regularly on the Ayrshire coast each winter; an im- mature was at Ayr Harbour on 26th August and a near ad- ult was found dead at Turnberry on 15th September (GAR). The earliest Little Gull was at Kingoodie, Perthshire, where an immature was seen on 8th July (HB). The first was at Kilconquhar Loch, Fife, on 10th July and numbers there reached a peak of 310 on 17th August (DWO). Other high counts are of 96 at Buddon on 2nd September and 134 at Carnoustie on 16th (GMC). In less usual places, an immature was on the Tay above Perth on 12th September (CM), and one was seen flying past Gullane Point on 14th August (JAL). A. first-summer Kitttwake seen near Carsphairn, Kirkcud- brightshire, on 22nd May was some 25 miles from the sea (ADW). Two Black Terns have been seen: one at Kilconquhar Loch on 17th August (DWO), and the other at Linlithgow Loch on 19th September (TB, EMS, RWJS). Three adult Common Terns with two chicks were discovered on a smal] islet in the new Westwater Reservoir, near West Linton, Peeblesshire, on 31st July. The island, which will be 320 CURRENT NOTES 4(4) submerged eventually by the rising water, was at that time eighteen inches above water at its highest point (MKH, JHBM). Little Terns first bred in Wigtownshire in 1957 (1: 120). This year two pairs were found at Chapel Rossan Bay, Ardwell, on 29th June and the breeding of one pair was confirmed when two chicks were found on 6th July (RCD). A Sandwich Tern was at Seilebost, Harris, on 4th July and another at Back, Lewis, on 13th (MAM), On Fair Isle, there were two on 3rd July and one on 14th August (RHD). High autumn counts in more usual places are of about 100 at Musselburgh, Midlothian, on 11th August (DIMW), and 500 at Aberlady on 14th (ADKR). A Turtle Dove was recorded at Kinlochewe, Wester Ross, on 17th and 20th May (EB, RC), and one was at Bixter, Shet- land, on 16th July (DC). Though within their range, single Green Woodpeckers at Eskdalemuir, Dumfriesshire, on 25th June (DIMW), and in the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, on 25th September (ICS), are worth mentioning in view of the local distribution of this species. A pair was discovered in Craigmaddie Wood (near Milngavie), Stirlingshire, on 31st July (WMME). Two pairs of Swallows nested on Unst, Shetland, this year, the young leaving their nests on 7th and 10th August res- pectively (FW). In the Outer Hebrides one was at Rodel, Harris, on 5th July, and a House Martin was seen at Storno- way, Lewis, on 13th (MAM). The numbers of this last spec- ies breeding in the northeast seem to have fallen this year ac ki could be found at their usual sites in Banchory P): At Borve, Harris, there was a Blue Tit on 22nd July and a pair of Coal Tits was in the same place on 25th (MAM, RLS). Two Grasshopper Warblers were singing at Yetholm Loch on 8th July as well as the bird previously reported from there (4: 249) (RSB). Singles were heard at Carron, Moray- shire, between 7th and 11th June (SR), and at Barnhill in Perth on 29th June (VMT). Far north for these species, two Blackcaps were singing in Strath More, Wester Ross, between 29th May and 9th June (LAU), and a Chiffchaff was in the wood at North Bay, Barra, between 30th July and 11th August (WHW). One was also heard at the end of June in Rothiemurchus, Inverness-shire (DNW). . A Grey Wagtail flew west over the Meadows, in the centre of Edinburgh, on 8th September (TCS). Outwith its breeding range a female was seen at Rodel, Harris, on 18th July (MAM). On the east side of the country a female Yellow Wagtail was at Skinflats on 9th July (IT), and a male flavissi- 1966 CURRENT NOTES 321 ma was recorded at Leith Docks, Edinburgh, on 18th Septem- ber (CT). A juvenile Hawfinch died when it flew into a glass window- pane at Crieff, Perthshire, on 30th June (VMT). In south Selkirkshire, an area for which there is no breeding record of this species, a fully-fledged juvenile was seen at Ettrick Marsh (at the confluence of the Tima and Ettrick Waters) on 10th August (DIMW). Another Hawfinch is reported from Roslin, Midlothian, on 8th September (ADKR). An adult male Siskin was watched by several cruise mem- bers at Jarlshof, Shetland, on 20th July (MKH). Single males were also at Fair Isle on 12th and 23rd of that month _(RHD), and one was singing at Kilconquhar on 10th (DWO). At a more normal time for migrants two were noted in the company of about 150 Redpolls at Yetholm on 25th Septem- ber (RSB). A particularly large flock of Twite at Rhilochan, Rogart, Sutherland, on 10th September consisted of over 200 individuals (DMcD). A hint that a Crossbill invasion might be approaching was given by one or two observations in the last number (4: 251). There have indeed been several further reports but these suggest a more limited influx, confined mainly to the north. The daily record at Fair Isle indicates two separate arrivals, the first from mid June to early August and the second in early September, possibly connected with the appearance of other continental migrants at the same time (see below). Other reports also fit nicely into this picture. Numbers at Fair Isle in July showed irregular fluctuations with peaks of 20 on 7th, 36 on 9th and 47 on 16th. Thereafter the num- bers fell off and the only August record was of five on 5th. From lst September more began to arrive: maxima were 16 on 2nd and 15 on 5th and 6th. The last was seen on 12th (RHD). In the rest of Shetland there were many reports of singles, pairs and small parties during July and again in early September (RJT). In late September a few remained in gardens in Lerwick (DC). In Kirkcudbrightshire 12 were in Cairn Edward Forest on 25th June and 12 were seen at Dalry on 2nd July (ADW). Flocks of continental birds, dis- tinguishable from the local ones by their call, were noted on Speyside from 5th July (DNW), and eight were at Loch Broom, Wester Ross, on 2lst August (TCS), Finally, nine which arrived on the Isle of May, Fife, on 28th August (DWO), and a female and two immatures at Finstown, Ork- ney, on 3rd September presumably formed part of the sec- ond movement (PJBS). Lapland Buntings are seen regularly at Fair Isle in Septem- ber, and this was a good year for them with a maximum of 41 on 11th (RHD). Elsewhere, one was at Scatness, Shet- 322 CURRENT NOTES 4(4) land, on 14th September (DC, DJ), and two were at the North Esk mouth on 22nd (GMC). A good count of Tree Sparrows is of about 60 at Marlee, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, on 18th September (VMT). Continental migrants A substantial fall of continental migrants took place on the east coast in late August and early September. On Fair Isle numbers of the commoner migrants began to build up on about 25th August and the main arrivals were between then and 3rd September (RHD). The daily records there pro- vide a more sensitive ‘migration meter’ than is possible else- where, but other reports fit well into this picture, though concentrated mainly in the period 30th August to Ist Sep- tember. The main species involved were Whinchat, Redstart, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Wil- low Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher and Pied Flycatcher and there are too many reports of these to set out in detail. There were many occurrences of less usual birds, however, and some of the more notable of these are given below, excluding those classified as ‘rarities’ : Hoopoe—one at Reay, Caithness, on 4th and 12th Septem- ber (JF, PJs, DMS). Cuckoo—one tired bird in an Inverness garden on 30th August (WMM); one at Fife Ness on 23rd August and 3rd September (PGB); immature at Barns Ness, East Lothian, on 3lst August and 10th September (AM, MAM). Wryneck—many Shetland reports: one at Sandwick from 25th August to 4th September (DC); two on Out Skerries from 30th August to lst September (JHS, RJT); one on Whalsay on 3lst August (JHS); and one at Halligarth, Unst, on 4th September (RJT). First on Fair Isle were three on 26th August and peak was of 12 on 2nd September (RHD). Many on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, with maximum of seven in one day (KW), and three on the Isle of May be- tween 27th August and 3rd September (DWO). Treecreeper—one on Out Skerries on 30th August (JHS). Bluethroat—at least five on Out Skerries on 3lst August (RJT); one at Sumburgh on 9th September (DC, JHS); and one on Vord Hill, Fetlar, on 16th (per RJT)—all in Shetland. On Fair Isle one to two were noted on twelve days between lst and 23rd September (RHD). Reed/Marsh Warblers—one at Unst on 31st August (FW), and one at Barns Ness between 30th August and lst Septem- ber (MJE, IHJL, ADKR). One or two Reed Warblers were at Fair Isle between 31st August and 12th September, with five on 2nd (RHD). One was on ee Ronaldsay on -3l1st August (RHD, KW). 1966 CURRENT NOTES 323 Icterine Warbler—different singles at Fair Isle on 26th and 30th August and on 3rd September (RHD), and one killed by a cat on North Ronaldsay at about the same time (KW). Four on the Isle of May between 27th August and 3rd Sep- tember (DWO); one at Fife Ness between 2nd and 5th September (PGB, TCS, RSW); and one at St Monance, Fife, on 8th September (DWO). Barred Warbler—immature at Whalsay on 3rd September (JHS), and small numbers at Fair Isle from 23rd August with peak of nine on 26th (RHD). Several on North Ronaldsay in late August and early September and two were ringed (KW). Four were recorded on the Isle of May between 27th August and 3rd September (DWO). An immature at Barns Ness between 29th and 31st August (MJE, IHJL, AM), was joined by an adult, showing strong barring and a bright yellow eye, on 3lst (MAM, ADKR). Red-breasted Flycatcher—one at Barns Ness on 3lst August (MAM, ADKR), and one on the Isle of May at about the same time (DWO). Red-backed Shrike—singles on Fair Isle from 23rd August, with five on 2nd September and six on 3rd (RHD). Several also seen on North Ronaldsay and the Isle of May (KW, DWO). Ortolan Bunting—in Shetland, one on Out Skerries on 31st August (RJT), and one at Grutness on 4th and 9th Septem- ber (DC, DJ). Singles at Fair Isle from 2nd to 8th September with three on 3rd and two on 5th (RHD). Although they are rarities still requiring the official stamp, this is no more than a formality for single Scarlet Grosbeaks at Fair Isle on various dates between 26th August and 28th September. Four Yellow-browed Warblers were trapped there on 28th September, and at least one further bird was present on 29th. On 21st a first-year Lesser Grey Shrike was caught and ringed (RHD). Earlier observations—before Ist May 1966 An ailing Gannet seen on the edge of a Common Gull colony at Archiestown, Morayshire, on 4th April and later found dead was nearly 15 miles from the sea (SR). . Five Red-breasted Geese were feeding separately from about 1000 Pinkfeet in a grass field adjoining the moor half way between Longformacus and Greenlaw, Berwickshire, all afternoon (except when they flew over to drink at a nearby burn) on 21st March. The record has been accepted by the Rarities Committee on the basis that the birds were aa bably escapes (PD, GS). An adult Water Rail was found perched on a fence post by 324 CURRENT NOTES 4(4) a field full of rushes next to the road three miles south of Comrie, Perthshire, in early May 1961. After it had been watched for some time five small chicks covered in black down appeared from amongst the undergrowth (AJ). Near Harlaw Reservoir, Midlothian, on 15th April a Nightjar rose from a fern-filled valley, flew close past the ob- server and out across a field (RLS). General observations—behaviour Early in the summer a cock Black Grouse was seen display- ing to a male Pheasant at Culloden, Inverness-shire. Neither this Pheasant nor a hen which was nearby paid much at- tention to the bird’s misguided behaviour (WMM). In late June several Common Gulls were noticed sitting in old Scots pines in Millbuie Forest in the Black Isle, Easter Ross. Two broken eggs were discovered beneath the trees, and a nest containing one warm egg was found at a height of eighteen feet, though this may in fact have been built by another bird and later adopted. By early July the egg had disappeared and there was no sign of any chicks, An- other interesting point about this site is that the nearest water is some five miles away (NPD). A previous instance of Common Gulls building in a tree was also in Easter Ross (2: 266). A fully-fledged juvenile Arctic Tern was seen practising fishing at Burray, Orkney, on 25th August. When given a small fish by one of its parents it flew up from the rock on which it was perched and repeatedly dropped the fish in the water and swooped down to pick it up again. The bird did this about thirty times above almost exactly the same spot before it finally landed again and began to eat (PJBS). On 7th August two immature Ravens were watched prising limpets off the rocks and eating them on the shore at Black- ness Castle, West Lothian (JBM). Strange tales are often told of aggressive encounters be- tween two species which could not possibly achieve any nutritional satisfaction from each other. One of these oc- curred recently in Midlothian where a cat was disturbed playing with a shrew. On being disturbed, the cat made off and the shrew proceeded to run round in circles on the road. After a short time, however, a Robin began to swoop down on it and finally landed and attacked it on foot for a moment or two before losing interest, both animals remain- ing all the while oblivious of the presence of the observer (DD). Such behaviour is certainly strange and without any apparent function: the Robin’s aggression may have been triggered off by some predator-like aspect of the shrew’s odd behaviour. 1966 CURRENT NOTES 325 Corrections Dr John Berry points out that the pair of Canada Geese found with a nest at Morton Lochs, Fife, on 23rd April (4: 242) were not in fact pure Canadas but descendants of cross breeding between a Barnacle gander and a Canada goose in the feral flock at Tayfield, Newnort-on-Tay, Fife. This pair of ‘Barnadas’ has bred successfully at Morton Lochs in previous years but this year they appeared to desert their nest. : The record of a Tree Sparrow at Clunie Loch, Perthshire, on 29th June (4: 252) was made by HB and not VMT as stated. Reviews Europe: A Natural. History. The ee ene ‘We Live On series. By Kai Curry-Lindahl. British edition. London, Hamish Hamilton (Chanticleer Press), 1964. Pp. 300; 243 photographs (108 in colour) and 21 halftone maps; coloured endpaper maps. 314 cm x 24% cm. 94/6. This is no mere picture book; but it does contain quite superb colour photographs of European scenery and habitat and wildlife. Many people would buy it for these alone. They should then discover that the Coxe is most readable and interesting. It might, inadequately, be described as:a semi-popular ecological sur- vey of European natural history from a conservation angle. Written with a broad sweep over the better-known forms of wildlife, and with plenty about birds, it covers one by one the most important regions from the Mediterranean and the Russian steppes to the tundra,, taiga and the Arctic. The richest natural history areas are described, along with the hazards they face and efforts being made to preserve, them. There is much to admire and much to worry about. The quality of the chapters is a little uneven,-some Koa far. more informative than others, and it is not difficult to pick out errors of de- tail, but this is. misleading. The total effect is highly instructive, and a tremendous amount of information is given. It is very good for us to be made to see our problems in an international perspective. For instance, anyone who thinks of the Mediterranean area as a semi-tropical holiday paradise will have his eyes opened to learn how much of the land is being steadily eroded into desert through gross: misuse; the worst villain, apart from man, is the domestic goat, picturesquely herded by the peasants and tugging up every tuft of vegetation before it Can spread and bind the soil. At. times the prose, at least in translation, is unfashionably colourful (“the mighty symphony of nature’) and the author has an adjectival habit that makes it difficult to know what is bird and what is descrip- tion (“the long-legged stone curlew’), but he is never dull. Britain is put in its place as “Europe’s largest island” and our complacent view of ourselves is confirmed from outside by his comment that “My theory is that the British -have- a deeper feeling — and interest in nature gece any other people i in Europe.” é This is a: truly international volume : planned in News York, written in Stockholm, rhanufactured in Zurich, and ‘published in London. The spell- ing, but only some of ‘the bird names, reflects its American origin, With 326 REVIEWS 4(4) a delightful British touch the price is “4$ gns. net”’—a sum to baffle the bookseller’s assistant. It is worth the money. ANDREW T. MACMILLAN. Birds in Colour. Illustrated by Karl Aage Tinggaard. Descriptive text by Bruce Campbell. Revised edition. London, Blandford, 1966. First published, Penguin, 1960; based on “Faglarna i Farg” (Sweden) and “Fugle i Farver” (Denmark). Pp. 231; 128 coloured plates (256 illus- trations). 18 x 114 cm. 21/-. This edition is little changed. The Handbook order is followed, and the plates precede the text. Each bird is numbered, and reference to its description is easy, and possibly quicker than when the relevant text is either a few pages before or after the illustration. It is essential to look at both together, since the picture is usually of one male bird in breeding plumage, and gives no size or scale. Many of the birds are drawn with great felicity; a few are rather wooden. Some colours might be misleading, such as the brilliance of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, while the pinkish-buff Goosander could not gleam white in the distance. The original publication in Scandinavia determined the choice of species, or White-tailed Eagle and Scarlet Gros- beak, for instance, might not have been selected. The Nuthatch belongs to the paler race. Bruce Campbell’s concise and excellent text is written to supplement the plates. Included for each bird are status, distribution and habitat, and descriptive points not obvious in the plates, such as plumage differ- ing with sex, age and season. Voice and habits follow, including stance, gait, feeding methods, flight, flocking and roosting. Most accounts end: “May be confused with Nos....”’ The cumulative effect of this could well depress beginners, and the more positive “Distinguish from Nos....” would be preferable. Inevitably comparison must be made with the Freld Guide, for this book would fit the same pocket and also is concerned with identification, not breeding. Beginners may find it easier to deal with the smaller number of birds, but the pictures cannot compete for ease of recognition. The three black-and-white pages of ducks and birds of prey are insuffic- ient, when compared with the innumerable silhouettes, the rows of birds in similar positions and the Petersonic lines to which we have become accustomed. One feature in which the book does score is that habitat and distribution, concerned only with Britain, can be treated more fully. WINIFRED U. FLOWER. Sea Birds. A Shell Nature Record. British Bird series. No. DCL 701. One 3313 r.p.m. 7” record in illustrated descriptive sleeve. Recorded and edited by Lawrence Shove. Published by Discourses Ltd, 21 Man- chester Square, London W.1, 1966. 12/6. This is the first of five records, and promises well for the series. The voices of Gannets and five species of gull fill one side, while auks and petrels call from the other. The sleeve, with pictures of the birds by Hilder, White and Ennion, is delightful. Inside are Jeffery Boswall’s brief, clear notes on each bird and its calls. The introduction is simple and sufficient. Each bird is named before it is heard. The recordings were made on Skomer, Skokholm and Grass- holm, but take you immediately to wherever you have heard these sounds, watching the Guillemot ledges and looking for the Razorbills in their crevices. Puffins moan and complain, and every movement of a pair of 1966 REVIEWS 327 Fulmars can be imagined to fit the sounds. Yet a more ecstatically vocal pair, with a more varied repertoire, might have been found. The Storm Petrels are fine, and then, best of all, come the Manx Shearwaters. The Gannet chorus and the throaty gurgles of individual birds are typical of a colony. Not all the vocabulary of the gulls can be given, but basic differences are well demonstrated. Attention is called to the deeper note of the Lesser Blackback, following several of the Herring Gull’s calls. There is rather much of the Greater Blackback’s alarm call. This record can teach, but its main value is probably to give nleasure in retrospect. The Manx Shearwater made my day. WINIFRED U. FLOWER. (We have also received Garden and Park Birds and Woodland Birds, Nos. DCL 702-3 in the same series.—ED.) Letter SIR, The birds of Cramond Since 1960 I have been making regular observations on the estuary of the Almond and its hinterland at Cramond and Dalmeny in Midlothian and West Lothian. In this fascin- ating area I have tried to concentrate on three aspects: 1. In making regular counts of duck, waders and gulls to trace and if possible explain their seasonal and annual fluctuations. 2. To chronicle the rapidly changing birdlife of Cramond Island. 3. To compile a full checklist of the area, comparable to that made by Hamilton and Macgregor for Aberlady Bay (the total for the Almond area now stands at 154 species). This threefold task is laborious but also fun. I would enor- mously appreciate any help which members of the S.O.C. could give me, for many people must visit the area and see much that I miss. In particular I would value: 1. Any counts or estimates of the numbers of ducks (especially Mallard, Wigeon and Shelduck), waders or gulls made at any time on the Almond estuary, but especially before 1960. 2. Any notes, however slight, from Cramond Island at any time at all. 3. Any other records, new or old, that are unpublished or may seem of interest. This would include any records at all of herons, divers, grebes (except Great Crested), hawks (except Kestrel), Sanderling, auks, Cuckoo, woodpeckers, Pied Flycatcher, warblers (except Willow and Whitethroat), Hawfinch, Snow Bunting and Brambling; also any records of Shelduck before 1960, Eider between 1940 and 1965, large numbers of Cormorants or Shags, irruption species such as Waxwing and Little Auk, and Collared Dove, as well as proof of breeding of Woodcock or Redstart in the area. If you can help I would be most grateful. All letters will be promptly acknowledged, all loaned notebooks promptly returned, and all help fully acknowledged in any publication of results. My address is 93 Warrender Park Road, Edin- burgh 9. T. C. Smovt. 328 REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION 4(4) Requests for Information. Micro-lepidoptera in nests. A study is being made of micro- lepidoptera in birds’ nests, It is thought that old nests of passerine birds may yield some interesting species. Readers are asked if they will help by sending some old nests, up to the end of February 1967, to B. Morrison, Room R/127, Government Buildings, Sighthill, Edinburgh 11. Telephone crA 4010, Extension 244. Birds of Threipmuir. With a view to writing up the results of observations at Threipmuir Reservoir, Midlothian, over the past three years R. L. Swann would be very glad to hear from anyone who has records of common or uncom- mon birds seen there at any time. His present address is Plot 36, Highover Park, Station Road, Amersham, Bucks. The Scottish feng: Club ~ REPORT OF COUNCIL The Council submits the following poe for i past year: Membership By the end of the session the membership of the Club had reached a total of 1628, an increase of 140 over the past year. 285 new members were enrolled while 145 members resigned or failed to renew their subscriptions. The comparative figures given below reflect an aver- age increase of 120 members per year over the period of five years: 31/8/61 31/8/62 31/8/63 30/6/64 30/6/65 30/6/66 Ordinary 852 918 1062 1194 1263 1373 Junior 177 181. 195 198 ZLe, 250, Honorary 6 Ae tes 4 5 5 3 ee 1035 1103 1261 1395 1488 1628 The number of Deeds of Covenant signed by members rose from 205 to 228, representing 256 subscriptions and contributing a total of £216 as additional income to the Club. As many of these Covenants will ‘have completed the seven-year period by the end of the coming session, the Council hopes that these members will be willing to renew them for a further period, and that more members who pay income tax at the standard rate will consider paying their subscriptions in this way. Death The Council records with deep regret the death of George Stout of Field, Fair Isle, one of the first Honorary Members of the Club. An appreciation is published i in Scottish Birds 4: 255. 1966 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 329 Honorary Member At the’ Annual General Meeting in October 1965 the Council had the pleasure of recording the election of Henry Boase, In- vergowrie, aS an Honorary Member of the Club. Business of Council Five meetings of Council were held during the session. The Council approved a proposal to establish an Endowment Fund, to be used for the advancement of ornithology in Scotland and to further the objects of the Club. The Fund will be administered by the Council, and the Endowments bequeathed by Miss E. V. Baxter and Miss L. J. Rintoul are incorporated in it, with the addition of the pro- ceeds of a special lecture on Greenland given by George Waterston. The Committee appointed to organise the Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise met frequently under the chairmanship of Dr W. J. Eggeling. In January Mrs D. A. Harley left the staff and Miss Fiona McLaren was appointed in her place as Assistant Secretary with special responsibility for Cruise administration. Dr I. D. Pennie and George Waterston served as members of the British Executive Committee concerned with the organisation of the International Ornithological Congress at Oxford, and Dr Pennie was appointed official Club Delegate to the Congress. Dr John Berry and George Waterston represented the Club at meet- ings of the British Section of the International Council for Bird Preser- vation and attended the I.C.B.P. Conference at Cambridge, to which Mrs Waterston was also invited as a Club Delegate. Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise The organisation of the Cruise as the sole excursion for the I.C.B.P. Conference and the International Ornithological Congress continued throughout the session. Sub-~com- mittees were formed to deal with publications, transport, lecture pro- grammes, shore excursions and the entertainment of delegates during their final day in Edinburgh. A Cruise booklet describing the islands to be visited was printed for issue to all passengers. Administrative work increased in volume and an immense amount of correspondence was handled by the staff. By the end of the session the ship was fully booked with a long waiting list of applicants, and on 16th July she sailed with 905 passengers, half of whom travelled from overseas, representing 37 different countries. 392 of the passengers on board were also conference delegates. Shipboard organisation was carried out under the leadership of Dr W. J. Eggeling by members of the Committee, sub-committees and staff, with the assistance of members of the Club who were on board. The great success of this venture is shown by the number of letters of appreciation received from passengers, and nearly 50 have since become members of the Club. , The delegates who remained in Edinburgh before travelling on to the Congress were entertained in the Assembly Rooms, which were booked for the whole day for this purpose. Exhibitions were arranged and ex- cursions were organised. In the evening the delegates were present at a reception in the University Library at the invitation of the Principal of Edinburgh University, and a specal train was chartered by the Club to take them overnight to Oxford. A full report of the Cruise will be published in Scottish Birds. - Annual Conference The Eighteenth Annual Conference was held in Dunblane in October with an attendance of 260 members and their guests. Lectures were given by Professor V. C. Wynne-Edwards, Dr Adam Watson and M. A. Ogilvie, on the theme of Arctic Adaptations in Birds and Mammals, and films were shown. The principal lecturer, Dr Finn Salomonsen, was prevented by illness from attending and the gap was filled at the last minute by Dr Watson, to whom the Council is greatly indebted. 330 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 4(4) Special Lecture During the autumn the Club sponsored a public lecture in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, given by George Waterston, on the Danish Expedition to West Greenland 1965. The lecture was well attended, resulting in a profit of £75 which was given to the Endowment Fund at Mr Waterston’s request. Branches A full programme of lectures was carried out in eight Branches. Members of the Thurso group held regular informal meetings and also two public lectures during the winter. Attendance at Branch meetings showed an encouraging increase, particularly in Glasgow. The annual Solway weekend, organised with the assistance of the Dumfries Branch, was well attended, and local excursions were also organised by the Branches during the summer. “Scottish Birds” Four numbers of the journal and a special supplement on “The Birds of Foula” were published during the year, completing the third volume with an index and commencing volume 4. The summer issue was devoted to articles of particular interest to Cruise passengers, and copies of this number and the special supplement were given to all delegates on the ship. Scottish Bird Records Committee The Committee met once during the year under the chairmanship of D. G. Andrew. The Review for 1965 will be published in Scottish Birds. Club Library A number of books were purchased for the reference library, and generous donations of scarce books, journals and reprints were also received. The lending section was used regularly by younger members of the Club. Bookshop Sales of books throughout the year increased and regular orders were obtained from libraries and museums, in particular from Aberdeen University Library. Special displays of books were taken to the annual conferences of the Club at Dunblane, the British Trust for Ornithology at Swanwick, and the British Ornithologists’ Union at Cam- bridge, and at each of these a large number of books was sold. The Bookshop was also taken on the Cruise, and the profit from the many books sold and orders since received will be shown in next year’s ac- counts. Scottish Centre As in previous years, a party of American birdwatchers on a tour of Britain, led by Orville Crowder, was entertained by members of the Edinburgh Branch Committee at the Scottish Centre. Ornitholo- gists form overseas taking part in the Cruise also visited the Centre to obtain information on birdwatching in Scotland, and numerous postal enquiries were answered. Facilities were provided for informal meetings of Club members and discussion groups, for meetings of the Young Or- nithologists’ Club, and for executive meetings of the Fair Isle Bird Ob- servatory Trust and the Isle of May Committee. In October the Scottish Wildlife Trust moved their office from the temporary accommodation provided in the Centre to new premises. Votes of Thanks In closing this Report, the Council wishes to record their sincere thanks to the many people who have given their help so freely to the Club throughout the session. These include the members who have covenanted their subscriptions, the donors of books and papers to the library, the lecturers to the Annual Conference and Branch Meet- ings, and the Branch Secretaries, Office-Bearers and excursion leaders who have worked so hard for the benefit of our members. The invitation extended by the B.T.O. and B.O.U. to display books at their Annual Con- ferences is also greatly appreciated. The Council is particularly indebted to the Cruise Committee and sub-committees who gave so much of their time to Cruise affairs, and to all the members who helped to make the Cruise such a success. They also wish to thank the Editor and Business 1966 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 331 Editor of Scottish Birds for their invaluable services to the journal, which is now well established among the leading ornithological journals in Britain. For the Council, IAN D. PENNIE, President. THIRTIETH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE CLUB The 30th Annual General Meeting of the Club was held in the Hotel Dunblane, Perthshire, on Saturday, 22nd October 1966 at 6 pm. Dr I. D. Pennie, President of the Club, presided over an attendance of over one hundred members. Apologies Apologies for absence were received from Dr David Bod- dington, Dr Bruce Campbell, Sir Charles and Lady Connell, Miss Mary Henderson, and Professor and Mrs V. C. Wynne-Edwards. Minutes The Minutes of the twenty-ninth Annual General Meeting, held in Dunblane on 23rd October 1965, were approved and signed. Report of Council The Report of Council for the last session, presen- ted by the Chairman, was adopted. Election of Honorary Member In view of his great service to ornith- ology in Scotland, the Council had decided to elect Sir A. Landsborough Thomson an Honorary Member of the Club, and he had accepted the invitation with great pleasure. The meeting warmly approved the deci- sion of Council. 1.C.B.P. British Section The Council had also appointed Sir A. Lands- borough Thomson as Club representative to the British Section of the International Council for Bird Protection, in place of Dr John Berry who already served as a representative of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise The Chairman read a letter received from members of the Audubon Naturalists’ Society of Washington, U.S.A., expressing their thanks for a memorable Cruise. An appropriate reply would be sent. Endowment Fund The Chairman reported that the first donation to the Endowment Fund, the sum of £5, had been received from a member, and he expressed the appreciation of the Council for this gift. Accounts The Accounts for the past session, presented by the Hon. Treasurer, were approved. He told the meeting that a surplus of at least £3500 might be expected from the Cruise, a substantial proportion of which was likely to accrue to the Club. The disposal of these funds was not yet decided. Election of Auditor Mr Arthur Walker, C.A., was re-elected Auditor for the ensuing session. Election of new Office Bearers and Members of Council In the ab- sence of any other nominations, the Council’s recommendations for the following elections were approved. President, Dr W. J. Eggeling to re- place Dr I. D. Pennie who had completed his term of office. Vice-Presi- dent, A. Donald Watson to replace Dr W. J. Eggeling. Council Members: Dr David Jenkins and R. G. Caldow to replace Dr G. M. Dunnet and Dr D. H. Mills, who were due to retire by rotation. The Chairman thanked the retiring members for their services to the Club. Votes of Thanks The Chairman moved a warm vote of thanks to the Conference lecturers, the projectionist, exhibitors, excursion leaders, staff and all the members who had helped with the organisation. A vote of thanks was also warmly accorded to A. T. Macmillan, Editor of Scottish Birds and to M. K. Hamilton, Hon. Treasurer of the Club. The meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks to the retiring President on the motion of Dr W. J. Eggeling, President-elect of the Club. 332 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 4(4) THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Revenue Account for the year ended on 30th June 1966 Yearto Year to 30/6/66 30/6/65 INCOME— : Subscriptions received for year... _ .. £1771 19 9 £1628 Income Tax recovered on Covenanted Subscriptions 215.19: Foss 7k Dividends and Interest received . a Me, ba8eh 85° 4s 7.2 208 Surplus on Bookshop (Sales £2390) as ie .. 6421210 605 Sale of “Scottish Birds” to non-members ©... Pa 88 4 6 83 Sutidry (Sales) ss. wa 16110 8 123 Contribution from Scottish Wildlife Trust’ Ltd towards facilities granted by Club... 1 GTS eZ Contribution from Scottish Ornithological Cruise Ltd ; towards facilities granted by Club... % 00 — Donations received... de sa _ de son 59 4 6 2 £3136 16 3 £2876 EXPENDITURE— : Branch expenses including lectures ws “3 .. £309 15 0 £284 Travel expenses of Council Members Bee oF Delegates to Conferences sd 18 ihe A. 65°14 °9' 9.55 Secretarial Services se ye Lid Se .» 1142 711 845 Office Expenses . . 268 9 -4 . 267 Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection: Club’s share of running expenses including £100 annual contribution to the House Fabric Fund... 317 °8 1 364 Cost of books purchased for Library _... “ee a" Bh dibs aches ted 4 Cost of publishing “Scottish Birds” (less advertising revenue £266) Betrayer we 523.8% a4 Bae Cost of publishing “Foula” Supplement _ eal 148 13 11 — Net Cost of Annual Conference... he oe bi y Ail eee | 5 Subscriptions paid... fi . “eth sch ii 15 12 - Oc amas sundry Parchases ree. ime hr ae- okt cei. ieern a 2 le | | £2987 9-11 £2415 Excess of Income over Expenditure carried to Balance Sheet see ju eeey uses on ntevne, ovis ay se ae £3136 16 3 £2876 ——____ Balance Sheet as at 30th June 1966 As at As at 30/6/66. 30/6/65 Accumulated Surplus: As at 30th June 1965 | 7 a «+. £2280 OA £tG25 Add: Excess of Income over Expenditure for year 149 6 4 461 £2435 15 8 £2286 1966 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 333 Made up of: Cash: In fends of Scere me ue, ae: £13 1210 £11 In Royal Bank of Scotland No. 1 A/c 5 6 owe 21912 5 635 In Royal Bank of Scotland No. 2 A/c _... oe 61 4 2 3 In Edinburgh Savings Bank ... 357 17 8 346 In Account with Scottish Ornithological Cruise Ltd 65 18 5 9 £718 5 6 £1004 Bookshop stock at valuation ai es Mae ak 666 0 0 314 Debts due to Club He gc se gis a, 140 3 6 174 £1524 9 O £1492 5% erence Bonds _... Bat 500 0 0 500 Loan to Edinburgh Corporation Mortgage at 61% repayable 1968 208 500 0 0 — Safeguard Industrial Investments Ltd—700 Ord. Shares of 5/- each at cost u. - 507 19 11 508 £3032 8 11 £2500 Less: Subscriptions paid in advance shia a £71 0 0 56 Donation from the late Miss E. A. Garden—amount not yet exugneed dee 28) 7 Siull 29 Debts due by Club is ie 384 3 6 129 Amount due to Endowment Fund _ aan 113 1 8 es 596 13 3. £214 £2435 15 8 £2286 House Fabric Fund—Summary of Accounts for year to 30th June 1966 Yearto Year to 30/6/66 30/6/65 RECEIPTS— Balance as at 30th June 1965 .. £16219 1 £151 Year’s rent from Royal Society for Protection of Birds cs ad 100 0 0 100 Year’s rent from Mr and Mrs George Waterston Be 100 0 0O- 100 Annual Contribution from S.O.C. Revenue Account 100 0 0 100 Miscellaneous Interests sad ae a Phi ve 414 7 4 £467 13 8 £455 EXPENDITURE— Repairs and maintenance Cineluding Seripping woodwork in hall—£60)__.... a i 3 £69 0 O £115 Property burdens He be ay sta Sie Sie 181 610 162 Insurance a i hie aed sai See a LSE gi y/ 15 £265 10 5 £292 Balance on deposit with Dunedin Building Society... 202 3 3 163 £467 13. 8 £455 Note: The balance of £202.3.3 includes £38.13.5 unexpended from the Harvey Donation. 334 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 4(4) Scottish Ornithologists’ Club Endowment Fund (the free annual income of which is available for the advancement of ornithology) Year ended 30th June 1966 Income Interest and Dividends received (gross) ... ie es - | fo Meo Expenditure Grants made ase wa ae Bee ana as) i me Nil Unexpended income for year ke ae sich ate i,. | A13- eS Balance Sheet Endowments as at Ist July 1965 Miss L. J. Baxter... mii ods 4 see au .. £1000 0 0 Miss E. V. Rintoul ee sal sae ae — .. 1000 0 0 £2000 0 0 Additional Endowment during year George Waterston O.B.E.: Proceeds of Edinburgh Lecture on Greenland sie 7419 6 £2074 10 6 Unexpended income ... 333 cae aes ‘ial ee sat 113-18 £2188 1 2 Made up of: £1151 34% War Stock at cost... oo ews 6D 2 0 976 Units of the Equities Investment Trust for Charities at cost... a ms an .- 1000 0 0 On Deposit receipt ae ote 8 ee mee 7419 6 Due by Club’s main funds — as sce = a ane 113 1 8 £2188 1 2 EDINBURGH, 3rd October 1966—I have audited the foregoing revenue accounts for the year to 30th June 1966 and the Balance Sheet as at that date. I have accepted as correct the subscriptions and other receipts shown as received in the Books and the value placed on the Bookshop stock. Subject to this I certify that in my opinion the foregoing accounts are correctly stated and sufficiently vouched. (Signed). ARTHUR WALKER, Chartered Accountant. 1966 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 335 COUNCIL AND OFFICE BEARERS OF THE CLUB FOR SESSION 30 Hon. Presidents: David A. Bannerman, O.B.E., LL.D., Sc.D., F.R.S.E.; Sir Charles G. Connell, W.S.; Rev. ‘John Morell McWilliam, M.A.; George Waterston, O.B.E., BRS E President : W. J. Eggeling, Beer Ph.D., F.R.S.E. Vice-President : A. Donald Watson. Hon. Treasurer : Maxwell K. Hamilton, C.A. Hon. Treasurer of House Fabric Fund: D. G. Andrew, W.S. Secretary and Treasurer: Mrs George Waterston. Editor of “Scottish Birds”: A. T. Macmillan. Assistant Editors of “Scottish Birds’: D. G. Andrew, Dr T. C. Smout, Po jeB. Slater: Business Editor of “Scottish Birds”: Dr T. C. Smout. Council : William Brotherston, R. -G. Caldow, Dr David Jenkins, H. A. Maxwell, J. H. B. Munro, C. K. Mylne, G. L. A. Patrick, A. J. Smith, R. T. Smith, Miss V. M. Thom. Branch Representatives to Council: J. M. S. Arnott (Glasgow); J. Forrest (Dundee); Miss F. J. Greig (Aberdeen); J. K. R. ee (Dumfries); G. A. Richards (Ayr); Miss O. T. Thompson (Edinburgh) ; J. Wiffen (St Andrews). BRANCH AND GROUP OFFICE BEARERS Aberdeen: Chairman, Prof. V. C. Wynne-Edwards; Vice-Chairman, J. Edelsten; Secretary, Miss F. J. Greig; Committee, A. Anderson, J. L Riddell, Dr G. Swapp. Ayr: Chairman, G. A. Richards; Vice-Chairman, S. L. Hunter; Secretary, Dr M. E. Castle; Committee, Miss J. E. Howie, T. B. Kay, R. M. Ram- age, A. G. Stewart. Dumfries : Chairman, William Austin; Vice-Chairman, A. D. Watson; Secretary, H. M. Russell; Committee, Miss J. M. Donnan, J. K. R. Mel- rose, D. Skilling, J. F. Young. Dundee : Chairman, J. E. Forrest; Vice-Chairman, D. B. Thomson; Sec- retary, Miss J. Stirling : Committee, We: iG: Henrickson, GC. Sime; R. Summers, J. Hunter Sutherland. Edinburgh : Chairman, M. K. Hamilton; Vice-Chairman, J. H. B. Munro; Secretary, Miss O. T. Thompson; Committee, T. Delaney, M. J. Everett, Miss M. E. Grace, I. H. J. Lyster. Glasgow: Chairman, J. M. S. Arnott; Vice-Chairman, A. L. Ogilvy; Secretary, Mrs J. B. Hutchison; Committee, R. G. Caldow, Dr I. T. Draper, A. D. R. Palmer, G. L. A. Patrick. Inverness : Chairman, H. A. Maxwell; Vice-Chairman, C. G. Headlam; Secretary, James MacGeoch; Committee, Miss J. Banks, Miss G. M. Bush, D. Gardiner, L. W. Payne, Dr Maeve Rusk. St Andrews : Chairman, Dr W. Cunningham; Vice-Chairman, Miss D. M. Wilson; Secretary, Miss M. M. Spires; Committee, Miss J. V. Black, Miss M. H. E. Cuninghame, Miss G. L. C. Falconer, J. Wiffen. Thurso : Chairman, Dr P. M. McMorran; Vice-Chairman, M. K. Good- child; Secretary, D. M. Stark. 336 SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 4(4) SCOTTISH BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE Chairman: D. G. Andrew. Committee: A. G. S. Bryson, Dr J. W. Campbell, Sir Arthur Duncan, Dr W. J. Eggeling, A. T. Macmillan, Prof. M. F. M. Meiklejohn, Dr I. D. Pennie, Kenneth Williamson, George Waterston, Prof. V. C. Wynne-Edwards. LIBRARY COMMITTEE Dr W. J. Eggeling (Convener), Ritchie Seath (Hon. Librarian), Dr I. D. Pennie, George Waterston. HONORARY MEMBERS Clyde Bain Henry Boase P. W.G. Gunn Sir A. Landsborough Thomson WEEKEND EXCURSION TO DUMFRIES A weekend excursion has been arranged with the County Hotel, Dum- fries, for the weekend 3rd to 5th March 1967, to see geese on the Solway. Accommodation: inclusive terms £5.5.0, inclusive of gratuities, as fol- lows—bed on Friday 3rd; breakfast, packed lunch, dinner and bed on Saturday 4th; breakfast and packed lunch on Sunday 5th. Members should inform the hotel in advance if they require dinner on Friday evening (extra). Members may bring guests and should book direct with the Manager, County Hotel, Dumfries (tel. 5401), notifying him that they are attend- ing the Club excursion. It is advisable to bring warm clothing, gum boots if possible, and thermos flasks. WINTER EXCURSIONS AYR Sunday 4th March BARR LOCH. Leader, Miss J. M. Howie. Meet County Hotel, Ayr, 10 a.m. or Howwood Railway Station 10.30 a.m. Saturday Ist April GALLOWAY. Leader, Dr M. E. Castle. Meet County Hotel, Ayr, 10 a.m. DUNDEE Sunday 6th November 1966 LINTRATHEN LOCH. Sunday 11th December TAYPORT AND TENTSMUIR. Sunday 8th January 1967 STORMONT LOCH. Sunday 5th February EDEN ESTUARY. Sunday 5th March DUNS DISH. Sunday 2nd April FORFAR/RESCOBIE LOCHS. Meet City Square, 10 a.m. Details will be announced at Branch meetings, or may be obtained from the Branch Secretary. CHANGE IN AYR BRANCH MEETING The meeting of the Ayr Branch on Wednesday 18th January will be held jointly with the Ayrshire Branch of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, in the Savoy Park Hotel, Ayr, at 7.30 p.m., to hear Mr Tom Huxley speak on “Conservation in a Changing Landscape.” Members are asked to note the change of meeting place on this occasion. ‘EITHER WAY YOU NEED A BINOCULAR AUDUBON - FOR A CLOSE LOOK Field of view 445 feet at 1000 yards. locus down to 12 feet. Designed to the suggested specification of an internationally known group of or- nithologists, this is one of the finest nature-study binoculars available. The ‘AUDUBON’ has all the unique features of the Swirr ‘BCE’ range. * Straw-coloured ‘Ve-coated’ lenses for ‘white image.’ Retractable eyecups for spectacle wearers. * Long cylindrical focus wheel. * Tripod adaptor built into the base of the centre spindle. * Top quality hide Ve-slot case. Cat. 6244B. Price including finest quality case and P.T. £36/0/0 Although not specifically designed for bird-watching, the fantastically wide field of view (578 ft. in 1000 yds.) together with its shape and weight, make this the glass for the smaller hand. It embodies all the special features of the Audubon, except the short-focus. Cat. 60448. Price including finest quality cowhide case and P.T. £34/10/0 one-one recesses scenes ensesseeeeesesses Ge seen eessTTeOS9S099099099999' PFD SFSS9% + T0RST99RS ODES EE DII0R Please send me leaflet giving details of the full range of SWIFT binoculars. Pore cere es 2 ® oe est FFr2 FF eo oaeG09S9F77 99 FF HH99FFO PYSER-BRITEX (SWIFT) LTD. Fircroft Way, Edenbridge, Kent Edenbridge 2434 (STD OSE 271) SB103 ) PYSER-BRITEX'S" LTD “SOLE IMPORTERS. OF SWIFT INSTRUMENTS FIRCROFT WAY, EDENBRIDGE, KENT. Edenbridge 2454 (STD Code OSE 271) THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB MPuE Scottish Ornithologists’ Club was founded in 1936 and membership is open to all interested in Scottish ornithology. Meetings are held during the winter months:in Aberdeen, Ayr, Dumfries, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and elsewhere at which lectures by prominent or- nithologists are given and films exhibited. Excursions are organised in the summer to places of ornithological interest. The aims and objects of the Club are to (a) encourage and direct the study of Scottish Ornithology in all its branches; (b) co-ordinate the efforts of Scottish Ornithologists and encourage co-operation between field and indoor worker; (c) encourage ornithological research in Scotland in co-operation with other organisations; (d) hold meetings at centres to be arranged at which Lectures are given, films exhibited, and discussions held; and (e) publish or arrange for the publication of statistics and information with regard to Scottish ornithology. There are no entry fees for Membership. The Annual subscription is 25/-; or 7/6 in the case of Members under twenty-one years of age or in the case of University undergraduates who satisfy the Council of their status as such at the time at which their subscriptions fall due in any year. Joint membership is available to married couples at an annual subscription of 40/-. “Scottish Birds” is issued free to members but Joint members will receive only one copy between them. The affairs of the Club are controlled by a Council composed of the Hon. Presidents, the President, the Vice-President, the Hon. Treasurer, the Editor and Business Editor of “Scottish Birds”, the Hon. Treasurer of the House Fabric Fund, one Representative of each Branch Committee appointed annually by the Branch, and ten other Members of the Club elected at an Annual General Meeting. Two of the last named retire annually by rotation and shall not be eligible for re-election for one year. A Scottish Bird Records’ Committee, appointed by the Council, produce an annual Report on “Ornithological Changes in Scotland.” An official tie with small white Crested Tits embroidered on it can be obtained in dark green or in navy blue by Members only from Messrs R. W. Forsyth Ltd., Princes Street, Edinburgh, or 5 Renfield Street, Glasgow, C.2 at a cost of 17s 9d post extra. A small brooch in silver and blue can be obtained for the use of Members of the Club. Price 2s 6d each from the Secretary, or from Hon. Branch Secretaries. Forms of application for Membership, copy of the Club Constitution, and other literature is obtainable from the Club Secretary, Mrs George Waterston, Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7. (Tel. Waverley 6042). CLUB-ROOM AND LIBRARY The Club-room and Library at 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7, will be available to Members during office hours, and on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. during the winter months. Members may use the Refer- ence Library and borrow books from the Lending Library. Facilities for making tea or coffee are available at a nominal charge and Members may bring guests by arrangement. The Aldis 2” x 2” slide projector and screen can be used for the informal showing of slides at a charge of 2s 6d per night to cover the replacement of bulbs. BIRD BOOKS & Please support The Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection your new Bird Books from by buying all THE BIRD BOOKSHOP 21 REGENT TERRACE, EDINBURGH Managed by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, profits help to maintain services to ornithology at the Scottish Centre We offer expert advice on the largest and most comprehensive choice of birds books in Scotland WE STOCK PETERSON’S AMERICAN “FIELD GUIDES” ALL BOOKS SENT POST FREE Terms: Strictly cash with order ASK FOR THE LATEST PRICE LIST AND CATALOGUE KILSPINDIE HOUSE Comfortable Guest House in the lovely Seaside Village of Aberlady, 16 miles from Edinburgh. Be- side a Nature Reserve and several famous Golf Courses. THE BOAT HOTEL * Set amidst mountain and moor- lJand scenery, the Boat Hotel, with its reputation for comfort and good food, is an ideal centre for study- ing birds—the Ospreys at Loch Garten are only three miles away, and this is the country for Crested Tit, Crossbill, Capercaillie and much besides. Also ideal for photography, fishing and climbing. 18-hole golf course 2 minutes from hotel. Ski- ing instruction, transport to ski- slopes, etc., available this winter. Under ownership of Mr and Mrs James Russell. Reduced rates for children. BOAT OF GARTEN Inverness-shire WZ SUTHERLAND ARMS HOTEL GOLSPIE SUTHERLAND SCOTLAND Telephone : Golspie 216 Situated on the main North Koad near the sea, Golspie offers invigorating open air holidays to all. In addition to its unique golf course, it has fine loch hishings, sea bathing, tennis, bowls, hill climbing, unrival- led scenery. including inex- haustible subjects for the field sketcher and artist and is an ornithologist’s paradise. It is, indeed, impossible to find elsewhere so many nat- ural amenities in so small a compass. The B.T.O. Regional Repre- sentative, who lives in the village, will be pleased to offer local advice regarding the as- tonishing diversity of bird life in the vicinity and to receive lists of birds from visitors. The Hotel is fully modern, but retains its old world charm of other days, and en- joys a wide renown for its comfort and fine cuisine. Fully descriptive brochures, including birdwatching, will gladly be forwarded on re- quest. Central Heating Proprietor, Mrs F. HEXLEY A.A. R.A.C. R.S.A.C. GARAGE AND LOCK-UPS AVAILABLE GOVERNMENT SURPLUS ? Why, Laurence Corner of course ! 1,001 Genuine Bargains interest everyone. Innumerable Walk-round Bargains on Two Floors. Greatest Variety, Keenest Prices. We special- ise in Ex-Govt. Clothing, Camping and General Equipment. Huge stock. We have innumerable items of particular interest to Naturalists. Protective and Outdoor Clothing, Windproof and Waterproof Cloth- ing, Rubber Dinghies, Yacht Tenders, Cut Price Binoculars, Haversacks, etc. Our latest 30-page Catalogue with 1,001 genuine bargains and details of latest Government releases acquir- ed by us now available, 1s post free. Quality — Service — Value LAURENCE CORNER 62-64 Hampstead Rd., London NW1 (2 mins. Warren Street, Euston) WILDLIFE & NATURE TOURS 1967 all within the £50 allowance * Send for our 20 page brochure, ready shortly. TOURS PLANNED Majorca, Estartit, Hungary, Bul- garia, Salonica, Greece, Abisko, Sweden, Iceland, Camargue, Fair Isle and Scotland. xT WRITE TO: ACADEMY TRAVEL Lid. 26 Bloomsbury Way LONDON, W.C.1 Telephone HOLburn 2417 The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club Tie Illustrated is the official Club Tie, of which R. W. Forsyth’s are the sole suppliers. The “Terylene’ tie is in blue, green or maroon, with the bird motif in silver. Forsyth’s also provide warm clothing for bird watchers: gloves, scarves, underwear, shoes, caps, weatherproof trousers, jerkins, raincoats and overcoats. R. W. FORSYTH LTD. PRINCES STREET EDINBURGH SAV eHley 3335 & AT GLASGOW ELE TF Se The Snow Bunting DESMOND NETHERSOLE-THOMPSON The snow bunting is a rare bird about the size of a sparrow and possibly the most romantic and elusive bird in the British Isles, and certainly the hardiest small bird in the world. The author gives a full description of the bird, its habits and habitat in Scotland, distribution, numbers and movements which cover all aspects of the life of these seldom- seen and little-known birds, and summarises excellently what he has learnt not only from personal experience, but also from relevant literature. 45s net Oliver & Boyd A SELECTION OF NEW AND USED BINOCULARS SPECIALLY RECOMMENDED BY MR FRANK NIPOLE binoculars from Japan are made to our specification and are imported exclusvely by us. Per- performance is excellent and we have sufficient faith in them to guarantee them for five years. The 10x50 costs £15 10s 6d. and the 8x50 £10 19s 6d. (both With case). A SPECIALIST BINOCULAR FOR THE BIRD WATCH- ER. The Swift ‘AUDUBON’ 8.5 x 44 designed to the specification of the world-renowned Audubon Society of America. Unusually wide field of 445 ft. at 1000 yards. Extra close focusing of down to 12 ft. enables feeding activities etc., to be watched as from 18”. Included amongst other features are retractable eye- cups for spectacle users, built-in Adaptor to suit any camera tripod. This outstanding binocular has easy positive focusing by cylindrical control, weighs 358.4 OZ. end. she height closed is 6?’’. Price with fine leather case, ; The new LEITZ TRINOVID is indisputably the bino- cular of the century. It is of revolutionary design and performance, and the 10 x 40 model, which we par- ticularly like, is extremely light and wonderfully complete. Price with soft leather case is £86.14.2. In good British glasses, we have no hesitation in sug- gesting the ROSS 9x55 STEPRUVA. Compact and weighing only 21 ozs. £43 4s 9d. We stock binoculars by Zeiss, Leitz, Barr & Stroud, Ross, Swift ete. Ts A on approval CATA | ir ; 4 ¢ VAAL ~ A 5 = | New,Used and Ex-Govt. and Navigational Equipment. | TELESCOPES—Just a sseaatietinan Any instrument willingly sent Among SECOND-HAND binoculars Wwe recommend the following and Subject to availability, can submit on approval: 7x42 Barr & Stroud, eyepiece focus, with case, condition i excellent £16 10s 6x50 Taylor Hobson, eyepiece focus, with web pouch 10x70 Ross, tripod mounted, | magnificent condition £45 Os) £8 15s 25x105 German Reconnaissance, tripod mounted £195 0 7xSO Canadian Naval-made un- é der licence to Bausch & Lomb, an ideal glass for wildfowl- ing £24 Os 7x50 Hensoldt, eyepiece focus (conventional porro prism type), as new £38 10s 7x50 Ross, eyepiece focus £14 10s 7x40 Zeiss Delactus £30 Os 8x50 Zeiss Deltrinteum, centre focus £25 Os 7x50 Russian, eyepiece focus £12 Os. 8x50 Barr & Stroud C.F .24, centre focus £25 Os 10x40 Ross, centre focus £15 Os 7x50 Zeiss £55 Os 7x55 Swift, as new £14 Os mention of the portable NICKEL SUPRA TELESCOPE. It zooms from 15x to 60x with 60 mm. O.G. and is truly a remarkable imstru- ment. Price £38 9s. (WALTER THOMSON: [N PRINTER, SELKIRK- d 4. SO ba S Zz H gathering hill Fie. 1. Map of Hermaness Nature Reserve showing areas of the reserve and sections of the coast used in the census work, and also the Great Skuas’ ‘gathering hills,’ 342 GREAT SKUAS ETC. OF HERMANESS 4(5) Each area in turn was traversed systematically by both workers, with the aim of encountering every Great Skua territory. A territory was detected by the behaviour of the occupying birds. With a breeding pair this was normally as follows. Already disturbed and in the air, the pair would direct swoops at the observer whenever he trespassed into the territory. If he then moved in different directions the persis- tence of attack by the parents increased directly as a nest or chick was neared (chicks wander from the nest from as early as one day old). But this method did not detect all breeding pairs. The aggression of parents increased noticeably about the time of hatching, and intensified as the chicks grew older. Strongest aggression was seen in parents with chicks of about two weeks old (the oldest encountered during the visit), when the observers’ heads were hit hard by the par- ents’ trailing feet. Aggression also varied individually. On a few occasions an unhatched (warm) clutch was chanced upon without either parent demonstrating its presence. This could have resulted from the parents being absent, or par- ticularly unaggressive, and it is not known how many other nests may have been missed in this way. Thus breeding pairs were missed from this cause, or from our failing to penetrate territories when we passed close between two of them, or in some other way. Estimation of numbers of breeding pairs was therefore made by two methods. The first consisted of recording all nests or broods actually located, each nest or brood being marked by a numbered wooden peg to eliminate double counting. The second method was designed to account for all other breeding pairs. The total numbers of birds within each area were counted. From these totals we subtracted the numbers of pairs proved breeding (above method) and the numbers of birds not breeding (see below). The counts thus obtained, of pairs proved breeding and of additional esti- mated pairs, are given in table 1. Details of all clutches and broods found are given in an appendix. Up to this point I have dealt only with breeding birds. In any colony birds which do not breed successfully or at all in a given year may belong to any of several categories. Carrick and Dunnet (1954) have defined four such categories —non-breeders, prevented breeders, failed-breeders, and pre- breeders. I follow their definitions here and use ‘birds not breeding’ for the four categories collectively. It is not known whether ‘non-breeders’ exist amongst Great Skuas, and ‘pre- vented-breeders’ may exist in certain years only. There were some paired birds holding territories whose behaviour was distinct from that of breeding pairs. Their territories were typically well away from those of other 1967 GREAT SKUAS ETC. OF HERMANESS 343 Table 1. Numbers of breeding Great Skuas at Hermaness Pairs with nests Pairs whose nests Total Area or broods arbroods were breeding found not located pairs A 0 0 0 B 10 5 15 G 19 7 26 D 14 20 34 E 0 0 0 F 0 0 0 G 2 3 5 H 16 24 40 I 26 5 31 J 20 12 32 K 48 55 103 155 Sit 286 Great Skuas (as in areas A and E), in less dense breeding areas (as in B), or at the edge of denser breeding areas (as in I). When their territory was entered by an observer these birds made a few casual dives at the intruder and then re- tired to watch from an observation mound. Scrapes without nest material were sometimes found and birds were seen to sit in them. It is probable that these birds were pre-breed- ers, as described by Williamson (1965, p. 77), but they could have included prevented-breeders, failed-breeders or even non-breeders. The numbers counted are given in table 2. Table 2. Numbers of territory-occupying Great Skuas in late June not breeding Area LOAM 8} ES A Sa SS Cea | Te oe Ke | Motal ‘Pars’ . | 3 3 0 2 0 4 O eon lee 20 0 24 A regular feature of the colony was the presence of what Perry (1948) describes as ‘gathering hills, and correspond- ing to what in other species have been called ‘clubs’ or ‘par- liaments’ by other authors. These were well-defined, compact: non-territorial areas where numbers of birds congregated singly or in pairs. There were four gathering hills within the reserve, and their positions are shown on fig. 1. Some move- ment of birds between gathering hills may conceivably occur, and the one in area D was apparently not permanent. As it was occupied when area D was counted (and at other times) it is included here. The numbers counted for the gathering hills in areas D, H, J and K were 16, 80, 41 and 40 birds respectively, giving a total of 177 individuals. The impression gained was that the great majority of these birds Were not breeding, perhaps pre-breeders and failed-breeders; but there was also the distinct possibility of the presence of off-duty parents amongst them. A very profitable future 344 GREAT SKUAS ETC. OF HERMANESS 4(5) study would be the investigation of the status of birds pres- ent at gathering hills, and of territory-holding birds not breeding, by marking birds individually. There were yet other birds which had to be considered in estimating the size of the colony. The Loch of Cliff (see fig. 1) was regularly used by the colony for bathing. Every day birds were present either on the water or on the banks during daylight hours, numbers declining sharply each evening. All counting was done during the middle hours of the day and the average number present per day at the bathing loch was 60 birds. Finally, Great Skuas could be seen patrolling round the coast each day, and three days’ watching gave an average of 24 such birds ‘at sea,’ assuming that a negligible number was not visible from the shore; in fact very few were seen during arrival and departure voyages. Summary of results The Great Skua population of Herman- ess National Nature Reserve, in late June 1965, may be esti- mated from the above counts as follows: 1. Breeding pairs cquited (table 1): with nests or broods located 155) ‘ estimated additional pairs 131) BOE 2 2. Territory-occupying birds not breeding (table 2): 24 ‘pairs’ 3. Counts incorporating several categories of birds: at gathering hills 177) at Loch of Cliff 60) 261 birds ‘at sea’ 24) Total population as sum of counts: 881 birds As ail counts were minimal: Probable true population: between 875 and 975 birds, including birds not breeding (guess only): between 250 and 300 birds. A proportion of the 261 birds in the third group may have been accounted for in the total of pairs with nests or broods located, as occasionally both parents were not present at a nest together. But counteracting this, the total of estimated additional pairs may be too low, owing to the same possible source of error. Arctic Skua The behaviour of the Arctic Skuas was such that it was not possible to count them as the Great Skuas were counted. Al- though aggressive towards the latter, Arctic Skuas seldom attacked either of the observers. When disturbed they usually rose and made wild flights over wide areas, frequently in groups of three or five, and would land again apparently any- where. Three nests only were found (by chance), all with 1967 GREAT SKUAS ETC. OF HERMANESS 345 unhatched eggs. This, and the birds’ behaviour, confirmed that the breeding season was later than the Great Skua’s, as Perry (1948) found on Noss. In the limited time available (patient watching from a dis- tance should have been employed) we were unable to distinguish many pairs, or where breeding occurred. There- fore we counted individuals. As the figures (table 3) show, Arctic Skuas were most numerous in areas EH, F, G and the ad- jacent part of D (fig. 1). These were places where Great Skuas were scarce or absent, and the nearest Great Skuas were not breeding. Small numbers of Arctic Skuas were, however, present in every area of the reserve. In some places a pair was surrounded by breeding Great Skuas and, while no nests were found, the Arctic Skuas vigorously de- fended the areas from their larger neighbours. Table 3. Total numbers of Arctic Skuas by areas A B Cc D E F G H I I K ‘at sea’ Total (average) 2 4 Ze 2 aa Ze? w W LLG) 3) ZO 6 8 2 4 6 113 Coast-nesting seabirds The remaining species to be considered are the Fulmar, Gannet, Shag, Kittiwake, Razorbill, Guillemot, Black Guille- mot and Putiin. An attempt to establish the approximate numbers and distribution of these species was made on 27th, 28th and 29th June. As the coastline is complex, with cliffs rising to over 500 ft at one point, the accuracy obtainable in assessing numbers was limited. Counting methods and problems Counts were made from cliff- tops and numerous promontories with the aid of 10x50 bino- culars. Little of the coast was completely invisible from the land. The only hidden parts of major importance were the western faces of the large sea stacks on the western coast of area K. That part of the Neap facing northwest was partly invisible. The north-facing cliff beside the number 11 in fig. 1 was not visible, but as no seabird activity was seen around it the number of nests was probably few or none. In addi- tion a large number of minor sections of rock-face were just out of sight (notably parts of the Tonga headland), most of them appearing unsuitable for nesting species except per- haps the Fulmar. For each species separate counts were made for each of a number of short successive sections of coast. Along with each count an estimate of the margin of error was recorded in the field—a combined measure of the difficulties presented by the species and the particular section of coast concerned. The totals of the counts and the estimated margins of error GREAT SKUAS ETC. OF HERMANESS 4(5) 346 sioysyo pure] uo pur] uo pur] uo sated, spiiq sp1iq sp1iq soys spsiq SOHS SOS 06ZZ7*0698 SI SZO0ZFOELZ8 ObI +08Z oczFeoce SIFSIE O006FO0SPE 098 F088 0 8 0 0 0 Oc 0 02+0Z2 ZI-91 (0) Z 0 0 0 C+0Z 0 0S +09P 9I-ST 0 0 0 0 0 Ov 0 0 CI-vl 0S +08 0 0 0 0 v 0 O€+0S2 PI-ET OOT +00E 0 C+0S O1 +08 0 17 0 OS FOOSE £1-ZI Of F0ZT 0 0Z FO8E Ol el 0 0 02 +005 cI-Il 0S +092 0 0 OF 0 Of 0 OL F081 II-0l 00S+O0ZT 0 OOE FOOT OT+0S 001 +0S9 OT OOS FONZT 0S+002 OI-6 OOS + 008 0 OOF FOOET OL 0S +0ST S 0 0S+00€ 6-8 OOF + 008 0 0SZ7¥006 0S+00I 0S + 0ZE 9 OOIFOSE OF+0¢C2 8-2 002 +009 0 002 + 0082 Ol 00S + 0002 Ol 00S +0061 00Z2+006 Z-9 0S + 002 0 002 + 00S 02 02 +0S ¢ 0 OOT+OSE 9-S OOF + 008 0 OOEFOOST 0S +0SZ OT +021 OL FOV 0 0S$+00b S-P OOvVFOOTT O 0 O1+0cT 0 02 0 OO1F00Z v-£ 002 +008 0 0 OI FOOT 0 ce 0 0S+00r €-2 OO€+FOOIT O 0 0 0 9 0 OS+0SP CI wn os 3 oboe aioe 2a ee Peel t eeu 2 2 es z = = 0 . va 5 3 "oO 3 o % = ® v ma 3 o 9) &. 2 us ) ) = x re) or er @® ©) ®Q [ seoie jo aurjyseoy I 8 WY Seere jo Japs1oq OF Pf AL PI UL PI 24} OF purer ayy puresy oY} 0} por) oy prox) oY} 0} ,pue[pesy 4xoN, YOIMSSOO'T (sx9e}s jO Sopis premeas SuIpN[oXs) YormMs -SOOT JO Sule], 0} 49eIG sS19Y}0S aETS SI9Y}OS 0} BNOAeINO|, jo owmey Snoaeinopy jo ouiey 0} dean 24} .Jo juIOod, dean oy} gO julod 9y4}, 0} sWey eppnoson{g owWey eppnosonig oO} C voy C eore 0} Joyjay eyuniy JoNJIH eyunIy 0} Yoejg esuoy, YOeIG esuoT, 0} FOF S,wuN}0%) q aie fO JseOd SIA S961 OUNL 27] Ul SsoUeULIOF] Je Spaiqeos Suijsou-jseod JO aoquinyy ‘p 2qe] 1967 GREAT SKUAS ETC. OF HERMANESS 347 for each species are given in table 4. All place names men- tioned can be found on the 1” Ordnance Survey map, but for convenience the limits of each section of coast have been given numbers, identified in table 4 and shown in fig. 1. Each species presented its own particular problems of counting, Fulmar The number of apparently occupied nest sites was counted. This included many sites containing no egg, per- haps mainly owing to the presence of pre-breeders and failed-breeders, but all categories of birds not breeding could have been represented. The proportion of Fulmars without egg or chick but occcupying sites at colonies is known to be very great in late June. Thus the present census of ‘sites’ embraces birds breeding and birds not breeding, in un- known proportions. Gannet The number of ‘sites’ was counted, as for the Fulmar but with more difficulty. The closely spaced nests made it less readily obvious when a second parent was present, which might have given rise to double counting. There were ledges at the edges of the colonies where birds gathered in ‘clubs.’ These may well have included off-duty parents and birds not breeding. Neither of these difficulties is thought to have had a great effect on the counts. Shag This was a very difficult species owing to its behav- iour and to the situation of nests. All ‘birds on land’ were counted. Although many of these were obviously resting before or after fishing, and others were at or near nests, others were not definitely in either situation. A rigid dis- tinction was therefore impossible. It is doubtful if these figures are very meaningful, but they are given as they may indicate to which part of the coast the birds were attached, and to give a guide to total numbers. Very few birds not in breeding plumage were seen, and nests were seen at gone of Loosswick and on the north and east coasts of area Kittiwake As with the Fulmar and Gannet, ‘sites’ were counted. These were readily distinguished whether or not one or both parents were present. It is possible that the fig- ures represent breeding pairs almost exclusively. No sug- gestion of ‘clubs’ was noted. Razorbill and Guillemot These two species were treated in the same manner. The method applied was the only one possible, consisting of counting all birds seen on land. Dis- tinguishing members of pairs amongst the tightly packed individuals was quite impossible, and there was also no way of discovering what proportion of birds was on the breeding ledges or on the sea. As the state of the weather 348 GREAT SKUAS ETC. OF HERMANESS 4(5) may have an effect on these proportions it may be worth recording that a strong west wind of about Beaufort force 7 was blowing at the time of counting. Black Guillemot This is the only species considered here which was not proved to be breeding. The birds seen were swimming just offshore, usually singly, and no time was available for further investigations. But as it is probable that breeding occurred, numbers of ‘birds offshore’ are given. Puffin This was the most problematic species to count, and no proper method was established. Although very many Puffins were on land at or in their burrows or resting else- where, there was at the same time a vast number both swimming and flying. There was a constant passage of birds between sea and burrow. The counts actually recorded were of ‘pairs,’ but were arrived at largely by impression, By ob- serving a small area with burrows, and noting the arrivals and departures of birds over a short period, an indication was obtained of the number of pairs represented by the number of birds visible at a single time. This had to be a flexible method where, for instance, birds were obviously merely perched on convenient places unrelated to any bur- rows. Owing to the great difficulties presented by this ae the estimated margins of error were greater than for others. , Conclusion The increase in size of the Great Skua colony at Hermaness during this century, from a very few pairs present through- out the 19th century, is traced by the Venables (1955). The most recent estimate given is their own—300-350 pairs in- cluding ‘many’ birds not breeding, in 1949, in the reserve and the adjacent land ‘south to opposite the Loch of Watlee.’ In 1958 the population in the reserve alone was estimated to be 340 breeding pairs, or 900-1000 birds altogether, including not more than 200-300 birds not breeding (Eggeling 1958). Between 1958 and 1965 the numbers are believed to have risen slightly and fallen again (Miss N. J. Gordon, pers. comm.). But the results of the present census are strikingly similar to those of 1958, and the methods used are closely comparable. It could thus be inferred that any change over the period 1958- 65 has been insignificant, and that the population within the reserve has, in effect, recently remained constant. The numbers of Arctic Skuas cannot be traced with any accuracy. Seton Gordon states that in 1937 there were ‘at least 100 pairs’ (Baxter & Rintoul 1953), and the species is said to have ‘decreased within living memory’ (Venables 1955) at Hermaness, No proper census was made in 1958, but the population of the reserve was then judged to be 50-75 1967 GREAT SKUAS ETC. OF HERMANESS 349 pairs (Eggeling 1958). It has been widely assumed that the decline of the Arctic Skua, in places where the Great Skua has become established, is a direct result of the increase of the latter. The present census suggests that the number of Arctic Skuas at Hermaness has decreased only slightly, if at all, since 1958, and it is thus possible that the species is now holding its own against the Great Skua. This may or may not be due to a recent stabilisation of the Great Skua population. I know of no relevant recorded information on the coast- nesting seabirds of Hermaness, except for the Fulmar and Gannet. The Fulmar was first proved to breed there in 1897, and estimates for 1939, 1944 and 1949 are c. 1000, c. 1500, and c. 2000 ‘sites’ respectively (Fisher 1952). The time of year when these estimates were made is unfortunately not speci- fied, but it can safely be said that the present estimate shows a substantial increase in numbers since 1949. Gannets were not known to breed at Hermaness until a ‘few pairs’ bred in 1917. A ‘count from land’ in 1938 gave 1581 pairs (but a full count including all the stacks gave 2045 pairs), and an ‘esti- mate from land’ in 1949 gave 3150 pairs (Venables 1955). The present estimate, which was similarly made from land, in- Bes that the rate of increase has been considerably reduced. However, the relative distributions of the coast-nesting species revealed by this work are likely to be of more pre- cise value than the numerical estimates. The composition of seabird colonies may always be in a state of change, and the Gannet and Fulmar have certainly spread recently at Hermaness, possibly at the expense of some other species. Competition between any of the species discussed is poorly understood. It is hoped that others will continue seabird studies at Hermaness, and compare their findings with those recorded here. Acknowledgments My first thanks are due to my companion, Donald S. McLusky, without whom this work would never have been accomplished, Financial assistance was kindly given by the Nature Conservancy. I am grateful to Dr W. J. Eggeling and Dr G. M. Dunnet for advice, and in particular to A. Anderson for valuable criticism of earlier drafts. References BAXTER, E. V. & RINTOUL, L. J. 1953. The Birds of Scotland. Edinburgh and Lon- don. CaRRIcK, R. & DuNNET, G. M. 1954. Breeding of the Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis. Ibis 96; 356-570. Ea@GELING, W. J. 1958. Census of Great Skua nesting colony, 1958, Hermaness 350 GREAT SKUAS ETC..OF HERMANESS 4(5) Nature Reserve. Unpublished report in possession of the Nature Conservancy. FISHER, J. 1952. The Fulmar. London. PERRY, R. 1948. Shetland Sanctuary. London. : VENABLES, L. S. V. & U. M. 1955. Birds and Mammals of Shetland. Edinburgh. WILLIAMSON, K. 1965. Fair Isle and its Birds. Edinburgh and London. Appendix Clutches and broods of Great Skuas at Hermaness in late June 1965 155 separate nests or broods were found Date Area Nests empty 1 egg found orwith legg 2 eggs and 1 chick 2 chicks eggshell only 1 chick 20th I 3 4 6 4 7 Zz, 20th G 0 1 0 0 0 1 21st il 1 1 8 4 5 1 22nd iB 1 1 1 3 2 2 22nd YC 5 3 8 0 3 0 24th K 8 4 9 7 15 6 25th D i} Z 4 0 4 3 25th H 0 Z, 4 0 4 5 19 18 40 18 40 20 Notes 1. Eggshell indicates either hatched or destroyed eggs. 2. A bias exists towards finding one chick rather than two chicks. Isle of May Bird Observatory and Field Station Report for 1966 Prepared for the Observatory Committee by Nancy J. Gorpon, Honorary Secretary The Observatory was manned for a total of 202 days be- tween 2nd Avril and 25th November 1966 and was officially closed down for the season rather later than usual—7th January 1967. The number of observer nights was 670. The spring migration was fairly normal, but some was missed during a gap in mid April. For the first time for many years the Low Light was occupied almost continuously throughout the summer months, mainly by the Durham University team carrying out research on the gulls; this provided a valuable continuity of observation. Apart from a gap in mid August, the autumn migration was entirely cov- ered and the several sizeable falls in late August and the first half of October included a good crop of rarities. Thanks mainly to Miss Winifred Flower, who volunteered to keep the observatory open much later than usual, much useful in- 1967 ISLE OF MAY REPORT FOR 1966 351 formation has been obtained on late autumn and _ winter movements on the island. No new species were recorded in 1966, but the rarities in- cluded Firecrest, Aquatic Warbler, Red-headed Bunting and Yellow-breasted Bunting (see below). Two species ringed for the first time were seven Dunlin on Ist-2nd September and a Waxwing on 24th October. Spring migration Observers were on the island 2nd-13th, 21st-28th April, and 6th May-llth June. April. For the first half of the month winds were consis- tently east, but there was no more than a small trickle of migrants until the visibility deteriorated overnight on 5th/ 6th, bringing in many birds—the first Chiffchaffs (10 or more), 2 very early Blackcaps, one common and 4 Black Redstarts, about 40 Wheatears, a Stonechat, 5 Ring Ouzels, 35 Goldcrests, 3 Bramblings, 3 Redwings, 15 Fieldfares, 4 Song Thrushes, 2 Mistle Thrushes and 20 Blackbirds. Similar movements con- tinued during the next six days, when fog and mist accom- panied the east winds. On the 7th the number of Goldcrests increased to 80, Ring Ouzels to 8, Black Redstarts to 6, and the first Willow Warbler arrived. Over the next few days numbers of Goldcrests and warblers diminished, Wheatears (up to 20 daily) and Meadow Pipits (up to 35) were passing through, and numbers of other species increased to a climax on the 10th with an influx of 200 Robins, 150 Song Thrushes, 60 Bramblings, 40 Fieldfares, 10 Ring Ouzels, a Green Sand- piper and a Woodcock, most of which appeared very tired and remained on the island for several days. Observers re- turning to the island on the 21st found quite a heavy popu- lation of migrants—more than 100 Blackbirds, 200 Robins and 150 Song Thrushes—but most of these departed when the wind swung to the west on the 24th. From then unti] the 28th there was a small trickle of warblers including the first Sedge Warbler and Whitethroats. Up to 20 Dunnocks passed through each day, but very few waders, and few Wheatears until the 27th when about 30 arrived, despite a strong SW wind, with 18 Fieldfares, 5 Redpolls, a Cuckoo, a Whinchat, 7 Redstarts, a Swift and 6 House Martins (the first Swallow had arrived on the 22nd, the first Sand Martin on the 23rd). Few Linnets were seen. Apart from a Pere- grine on the 25th, perhaps the most interesting bird of the week was a Dipper on the 22nd, correctly described by the writer of the Daily Log as “only the second recorded since the Boer War”! May-June. There were east winds and rain between 7th and 12th May, but only small numbers of migrants—a Lesser 352 ISLE OF MAY REPORT FOR 1966 4(5) Whitethroat and 30 Dunlin on the 7th, a few Blackbirds, Red- wings and Redstarts on the 8th; a few warblers arrived over- night on 8th/9th and on 10th/11th, followed by a slight build-up of hirundine passage over the next few days. The season’s first Garden Warbler came on the 12th, the first Spotted Flycatcher on the 13th. The 14th was the start of a 12-day spell of mainly west winds, but was not without interest—a trickle of hirundines, a common and a Black Redstart, a White and a Yellow Wag- tail and an Osprey. The small passage of terns started on the 10th and continued all month, mainly ‘Comic’ (up to 30 daily) and Sandwich (up to 18 daily), with 3 Roseate Terns and one Little Tern on the 17th. Up to 5 Manx Shearwaters were seen daily between the 17th and 20th. The 16th and 17th saw a small influx of warblers after a short spell of east winds, and also one Merlin, a Cuckoo and a Turtle Dove. Two spells of east winds on the 21st and 24th each brought some warblers, the second date 35 Willow Warblers, 12 Sedge Warblers and 6 Whitethroats overnight. An uncommon visitor on the 26th was a Corn Bunting, only the seventh record for the island. Despite east winds the only species of interest during the last few days of May was a Collared Dove which arrived at 1700 hrs on the 31st. June started with fine weather and west winds and a few late warblers, notably a Chiffchaff on the Ist, single White- throats on the 4th and 11th, and 2 Sedge Warblers on the 4th. A very late Brambling arrived on the 1st in company with the only Tree Sparrow seen in 1966. Other late stragglers were a Robin on the 7th and a Greenfinch on the 11th (only two others were seen during the year). A typical June fog blanketed the island, off and on, from 7th to 10th June, the only arrivals being a Willow Warbler and a stray House Spar- row on the 10th. Summer From mid June to the end of July, observers were con- centrating on studies of the breeding populations, but a few late oddments turned up, notably 2 Long-eared Owls on the 16th and a Chiffchaff, Redstart and Turtle Dove on 17th June after SE wind and fog. The rest of the month, and July, were mainly fine and sunny. July produced a Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper on the 4th, a young Cuckoo on the 8th, and saw the arrival of Purple Sandpipers, 6 on the 13th rising to 35 by the 15th. A Great Skua was seen on the 19th. Autumn Observers were in residence from 30th July to 7th August and from 19th August to 25th November. 1967 ISLE OF MAY REPORT FOR 1966 353 August. After several days of NW winds the first sign of movement after a change to east winds and rain on the 3rd was a single Willow Warbler, followed by two more on the 4th with a Wood Warbler and a few Wheatears. In spite of a change of wind to NW that evening, the first Garden War- bler, Swift and Pied Flycatcher of the autumn arrived on the 5th. Observers returned to the island on the 19th to find that some migration was in progress, with Wheatears pass- ing, and 7 Pied Flycatchers, 25 Willow Warblers, and a Whimbrel already on the island. The next influx was on the 2lst when with east winds and mist Wheatears trickled through all day with a few Willow Warblers, and in late afternoon 3 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Garden Warblers and a Barred Warbler. Other arrivals were 18 Curlews, a Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper and 2 Teal. For the next three days winds were mainly west and little movement was recorded; then it was east winds until the end of the month and ideal weather for seeing migrants. The movements started overnight on 24th/25th with 15 Pied Fly- catchers, a Barred Warbler and a Scarlet Grosbeak (the earliest yet recorded), followed by a few Swallows, Willow Warblers and Wheatears during the next day. There was sim- ilar movement on the 26th, with the addition of 5 Whinchats, a Redstart, a Red-backed Shrike and the first Whitethroat of the autumn; and again on the 27th, with a Green Sandpiper, 3 Whimbrels, 9 Sandwich Terns, 25 Whinchats, 10 Garden Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Tree Pipit. Most of these migrants had gone by early morning on the 28th, but that day, with east winds and hazy spells, turned into the best day of the year for variety of migrants, With the Red- starts (15), Whinchats (30), Willow Warblers (20), Garden Warblers (10) and Pied Flycatchers (50) came 2 Barred and 2 Icterine Warblers, an Aquatic Warbler, 2 Spotted Fly- catchers, a Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Blue-headed Wagtail, 9 Crossbills, a Yellow-breasted Bunting, 5 Whimbrels, a Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpipers and a Greenshank. There was further passage next day, and several species reached maximum numbers—Pied Flycatcher (150), Garden Warbler (50) and Willow Warbler (40). Additions were the first Black- cap of the autumn, 5 Tree Pipits, a “flava” Wagtail and an Ortolan Bunting. On the 30th thick fog inhibited visible migration, but newcomers included 5 Lesser Whitethroats, a Red-headed Bunting, 30 Dunlin and 4 Golden Plovers. As the weather cleared and the wind dropped on the 31st there ar- rived 2 Red-backed Shrikes, 3 Wrynecks, a Wood Warbler and a Nightingale—a fitting postscript to an exciting spell of migration. September. The first day of the month started with east 354 ISLE OF MAY REPORT FOR 1966 4(5) winds and the tail end of the late-August influx (plus one Cuckoo), but for the next two weeks winds remained inex- orably and unutterably west. However, there was a good deal of coastal movement—Swallows, Skylarks, Wheatears, pip- its and a few ‘Comic’ and Sandwich Terns, also a Spotted Redshank on the 2nd. This movement reached a maximum on the 3rd with 500 Swallows and 1200 Meadow Pipits, but dwindled over the next few days as the wind strengthened. The first Goldcrest of the autumn arrived on the 4th, but without a change of wind, and about 10 Willow Warblers and a Sedge Warbler came in on the 7th. The first 2 Song Thrushes were seen on the 9th with a few more Goldcrests and the first Chiffchaff of the autumn. After this there was only small local movement (including several Kestrels) until two days of SE wind brought in 9 Pied Flycatchers 4 Whinchats, 25 Goldcrests, a Long-eared Owl, 3 Garden Warblers, a White Wagtail and a Redstart on the 18th. The autumn’s first Snow Bunting was seen this day too. The wind returned to the west for the next six days and apart from local pipit and hirun- dine passage (50 Sand Martins on the 20th) the only arrivals were the odd Golden Plover and Dunlin, a Common Sand- piper, and on the 22nd the season’s first Brambling. A Merlin was seen on the 24th, as if to herald a change in the weather; there followed several days of east winds, bringing the autumn ’s first Fieldfare, 2 Redwing, 20 Pied Wagtails, a Tree- creeper, a Whimbrel and 10 Brambling by the evening of the 25th, and the next day a Garden Warbler, a Chiffchaff, a Reed Bunting and more Brambling. Several flocks of Redwings and Fieldfares came in on the 27th, 25 Canada Geese flew past Kirkhaven, and a Bluethroat was seen. The 28th was calm and misty, and observers were rewarded during the day with 12 Siskins, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Yellow-browed Warbler, 2 Redstarts, a Peregrine and the first autumn Chaffinches. Next day saw a slight change in the pattern of migra- tion, with the first sign of Blackbird movement, accompanied by 2 Ring Ouzels, 2 Short-eared Owls, a Whitethroat and the year’s second Scarlet Grosbeak. The last of the spell of east winds yielded a Grasshopper Warbler on the 30th; the same day an Arctic Skua, a Golden Plover and a Whimbrel were seen. October. Before the wind backed SW on the Ist a number of thrushes arrived—200 Redwings, 40 Song Thrushes, 40 Blackbirds and also 40 Goldcrests. Only local movement was recorded in the clear weather that followed, with a Green- shank on the 2nd, the last Whimbrel on the 3rd, a few Pied Flycatchers and Goldcrests on the 5th, when a Long-tailed Duck and the last tern of the season were also seen. After an overnight easterly gale there was sudden calm and mist 1967 ISLE OF MAY REPORT FOR 1966 355 on the 6th and heavy arrival and movement of turdidae (about 1500 passing per hour all morning) and Bramblings (about 500 per hour). The totals estimated were 3000 each of Song Thrushes, Redwings and Blackbirds, 200 Fieldfares and 20 Ring Ouzels. With them came 2 Woodcock, 48 Lapwing, a Jack Snipe, a Turtle Dove, 2 Whinchats, 20 Redstarts, 2 Garden Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Chiffchaffs, 3 Pied Flycatchers, a Great Grey Shrike, 50 Chaffinches and 3 Reed Buntings. Smaller numbers of the same species were moving during the next few days, newcomers being 20 Dunnocks, 15 Siskins, 5 Corn Buntings and a Firecrest on the 7th, and a Red-throated Diver, a Great Skua and a Tree Pipit on the 8th. With continuing easterly winds there was another huge movement of turdidae from dawn until noon on the 10th, and flocks of 20 to 50 Fieldfares, Redwings, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes coming in from the east every few minutes, some alighting, many continuing towards the Lothians. Bramblings were also migrating, and other arrivals were a Red-breasted Flycatcher, a Bluethroat, a Sparrowhawk, a Great Grey Shrike, Chiffchaffs, Redstarts, Goldcrests, Robins and a Blackcap. Numbers of turdidae dwindled over the next two days, but there were more Siskins, Chaffinches and Robins. More mist on the 13th brought a fresh influx of turdidae, es- pecially Blackbirds, also Goldcrests, Redstarts and Robins, 5 Great Grey Shrikes, 2 Black Redstarts and 2 Barred War- blers. There were still thousands of birds on the island on the 14th, plus a large number of Starlings and many more Robins. Most of the migrants passed on during the next few days, only a few species increasing in number (Chiffchaffs to 200 on the 15th, Blackcaps to 10 on the 16th). There was a small passage of Starlings and Skylarks on the 16th, but few new arrivals until the 19th—40 Bramblings, a late Spot- ted Flycatcher and one Red-breasted Flycatcher, 2 Red- starts and a Water Rail. This day marked the end of a long spell of east winds and visible migration, and the wind blew from the northwest for the rest of the month. The only signi- ficant arrivals were 250 Blackbirds, a Woodcock and a Wax- wing on the 24th, a Long-eared Owl on the 25th, a Bar-tailed Godwit on the 26th, and 70 Blackbirds, 200 Starlings and a Barred Warbler on the 28th. November. There was very little visible migration during November, with strong, mainly west, winds and good visibil- ity. There were small movements of Blackbirds and thrushes on the 2nd, 3rd, 10th and 11th, accompanied by the odd Bramblings and Snow Buntings. Other arrivals were 2 Nor- thern Chiffchaffs on the 3rd, single Blackcaps on the 5th and 7th, a late Dunlin on the 7th, another Chiffchaff on the 8th, a Greenfinch on the 9th, and then nothing until a short spell 356 ISLE OF MAY REPORT FOR. 1966 4(5) of east winds bringing about 24 Blackbirds, 2 Redwings, and a Robin on the 19th; and on the 20th 8 Fieldfares, 3 Redwings, 20 more Blackbirds and a Blackcap, Despite the return to west winds there was another very similar small movement on the 23rd, including a late Blackcap. Winter Because of the rarity of winter observers it is worth re- cording that at the closing of the Observatory on 7th Jan- uary 1967 there were 5 Blackbirds, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Red- wings, 1 Fieldfare, 2 Short-eared Owls, 1 Dunnock and 2 Wrens present on the island, and a Black Guillemot and a Little Auk offshore. Unusual occurrences Velvet Scoter One, 17th May. First spring or summer record. Canada Goose Twenty-five, 17th September. Fourth record. Mute ewe Two, 26th September; one, 25th-30th October. Only second record. Osprey One, 14th May. Seventh record. Greenshank One, 4th July. First July record, and earliest by a month. Little Tern One, 17th May; four, 7th June. First spring records. Turtle Dove One, 6th October. Latest record. Collared Dove One each, 3lst May, 3rd June. Third year of occurrence. Dipper One, 22nd April. Sixth record (only the second this century). Nightingale One, 3lst August. Eighth year of occurrence. Bluethroat One, 10th October. A late record. Red-spotted. Aquatic Warbler One, 28th-30th August. Fifth record. Blackcap Two, 6th April. Earliest spring record. Barred Warbler One, 28th October. Latest autumn record. Chiffchaff Two, 11th November. Latest autumn record. “Northern.” Firecrest One, 7th October. Third record. Spotted Flycatcher One, 19th-20th October. Latest autumn record. Pied Flycatcher 150, 29th August. Largest number in one day. Red-breasted Flycatcher One, 28th August. Earliest autumn record. Great Grey Shrike Five, 13th October. Highest number in one day. Scarlet Grosbeak One, 25th-27th August. Earliest autumn record. Brambling One, Ist-2nd June. Latest spring record. Red-headed Bunting One, 30th August-2nd September. Second record. Nellore Bunting One, 28th August and 2nd September. Fifth record. Breeding populations In his count of Shag nests in June, Dick Potts reached a total of 709, slightly fewer than in his 1965 count. The breed- ing birds include a number ringed as pulli on the Farne Islands. No estimate of Puffin numbers was made, but several observers reported an increase, and noticed a spread of the nesting area towards the Low Light. Fulmar numbers re- main steady at about 30 pairs, and 10 young were reared. Between 100 and 200 pairs of Eider Duck were present during the breeding season and many attempted to nest; as usual hatching success was limited by gull (and human) distur- bance. Great Black-backed Gulls bred for the fifth succes- 1967 ISLE OF MAY REPORT FOR 1966 357 sive year—this time at least two pairs (one bird wearing a ring); two young were ringed. A three-year study of the Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gull breeding colonies was started in 1966 by two members of Durham University, who spent the whole of July on the island and ringed a large number of pulli. They estimated there to be about 7000 pairs of Herring Gulls and 900 pairs of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. In June, John Coulson estimated 2143 pairs of Kittiwakes— an increase of 500 pairs on his 1959 count. About 15 pairs of Oystercatchers nested; and of the smaller birds a pair of Swallows reared two young, a pair of Dunnocks reared four young by the Low Trap, and at least two pairs of Pied Wag- tails nested successfully, the first time for five years, and four young were reared. Ringing and recoveries 6877 birds of 58 species were ringed. This impressive record annual total (several thousand more than the previous high- est) was due mainly to the large-scale ringing of gulls—4413 Herring and 183 Lesser Black-backed—by Durham Univer- sity. But apart from this there was more ringing activity than usual, especially during the heavy autumn migration. Record totals for the year were Razorbill (12), Puffin (87), Wren (51), Chiffchaff (34), Icterine Warbler (4), Goldcrest (138), Pied Flycatcher (86) and Great Grey Shrike (5). Other high totals were Brambling (99), Chaffinch (75), Ring Ouzel (8), Robin (273), Blackcap (43), Barred Warbler (9) and Siskin (15). Apvart from the Dunlin and Waxwing, unusual birds ringed included 2 Scarlet Grosbeaks, a Kestrel, a Water Rail, an Aquatic Warbler and a Yellow-breasted Bunting. Low totals were Whitethroats (42) and Rock Pipits (21), and no Linnets or Greenfinches were ringed. Fewer Shags (210) were ringed than in 1965. The list of recoveries totals 109, and includes 33 Shags. Recoveries of the 1966-ringed Herring Gulls have been coming in fairly steadily, and of the 42 so far reported, there were 17 from the Fife coast (where there have also been sightings of colour-ringed birds), 8 from the Lothians, and the rest fur- ther afield in Northumberland, Ayr, Dumfries, Essex and Ireland. In addition there were 379 recoveries of dead un- fledged birds. The following recoveries from abroad include the island’s first Chiffchaff recovery. Ringed Recovered Lesser Black- Vizcaya, Spain 20.10.66 backed Gull Ad. 26. 4.66 Lesser Black- Plomeur, Finisterre, backed Gull Pull. 24. 7.66 France 30.10.66 Lesser Black- Agadir, Morocco 30.11.66 backed Gull Pull, 27. 7.66 358 ISLE OF MAY REPORT FOR 1966 4(5) Fieldfare Ad?) 427.10:63 Oise, France 11.12.66 Song Thrush lst W 7.10.65 Moissac, Tarne-et- Garonne, France end 11.65 Song Thrush Ist W 2.10.65 Meschers, Charante Maritime, France 15. 1.66 Song Thrush Ist W 2.10.65 Bazas, Gironde, France 12.12.65 Ring Ouzel Ad@ 3.10.65 Campan, Hautes- Pyrénées, France FLHOD Blackbird Ado 1.11.63 Stokka, Sandnes, Norway 26.3.66 Blackbird IstWo 21.10.64 Fjelberg, Hordaland, Norway 26. 3.66 Blackbird Ad@ 26.10.63 Lillesand, Norway 20. 4.66 Blackbird Ad@ 28.10.64 Visseltofta, Osby, Sweden 21. 4.66 Blackbird Ad@ 3. 4.65 Valle, Aust Agder, Norway 18. 4.66 Blackbird IstW@ 21. 4.66 Rofors, Laxa, Sweden 6.10.66 Blackbird FG 6.11.62 Isoroyhis, Ikaalinen, Finland —. 8.66 Redstart IstW@ 25. 9.65 Zanzur, nr. Tripoli, Libya 6. 4.66 Robin FG 29. 4.65 Benaria, Orleansville, Algeria 12. 2.66 Garden Warbler FG 13. 8.65 Biarritz, France 25. 4.66 Willow Warbler FG 9. 3.66 Cadima, Cantanhede, Portugal 7. 9.66 Chiffchaft lst W 9.10.65 Trapani, Sicily 22 FOS Spotted Flycatcher lst W 4. 9.66 Amou, Landes, France 20. 9.66 Interesting recoveries of birds ringed elsewhere included a Greenfinch caught on 23.4.66 (ringed Alnwick, 23.9.60), and two Puffins, ringed as pulli on the Farnes in 1960 and 1961, the first confirmation of the suspected origin of the new large breeding colony on the May. Other observations Rabbits are once again very numerous, and there is no sign of the myxomatosis which nearly wiped out the popu- lation in 1964. No change in the grey seal population has been observed, groups of up to 50 frequenting the shores throughout the year; no pups were born. Malcolm Smith of the Nature Conservancy spent a week on the island in August collecting insects. In two visits he has added 71 species to the island’s list of Coleoptera (which now stands at 169 species) and verified a 60-year-old record of one species by a chance discovery at the bottom of a corn-bin in the tomato shed! The island’s geology came under some scrutiny in April when staff of the Geological Survey came to investigate the possibility of using island water for the lighthouse instead of imported water. One of them, R. A. Eden, returned in sum- mer with a group of divers to search (off the east shore) for the junction between the island’s voleanic rock and surroun- 1967 ISLE OF MAY REPORT FOR 1966 359 ding sedimentary rocks. Among the several submerged wrecks encountered was the remains of the Island, identified by the crockery on board, which matched that salvaged in 1937 for the Low Light. Thanks to the lighthouse keepers, the Bain Trap was almost completely rebuilt in the summer. The Committee is most grateful to the Principal Keeper and his staff for all the other help given to the Observatory during the season. The Rock Dove in Scotland in 1965 RAYMOND HEWSON Introduction It seems clear from various authors that the Rock Dove Columba livia is less widespread in Britain than formerly (see e.g. Ritchie 1920; Witherby et al. 1940). This paper is an attempt to define the distribution of Rock Doves in Scotland in such a way that future comparisons can be made and changes detected. It is based on replies to questionnaires sent out from 1963 onwards and on other information. Derek Goodwin (in litt.) has pointed out that even good ornithologists may not be competent to distinguish between a ‘blue’ feral pigeon (i.e. one with plumage resembling that of a Rock Dove) and a Rock Dove. He provided the following criteria for distinguishing Rock Doves from feral pigeons: — his categories are listed here to assist ornithologists who may wish to make a more detailed study: 1. All pigeons in the area are blue-grey with two black wing bars (some birds with traces of a third) and with white lower back and white underwing. All appear to be the same size and shape and if flying as a flock maintain the same speed. At close quarters the slender bill and small cere can be seen. Females show less irridescence on’ the neck than males; unmoulted juvenile females show none. Males show uniform irridescence, clearly visible at close quarters. Orbital skin is blue-grey and narrow, not contrasting with surrounding feathers. 2. As above but a few (proportion to be stated) of chequer- ed (black-spotted wing coverts) or velvet (blackish wing coverts) pigeons among them, 3. Birds of varying colours but blues and chequers pre- dominating and the majority of fairly uniform Rock Dove size and shape. 4. Birds of varying colours and with considerable diversity of size and shape, many having proportionately thicker bills, larger ceres and more extensive orbital skin than Rock Doves. 360 THE ROCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND 4(5) The presence of a few obviously lost racing pigeons during the racing season (May to September) should not be taken into account in determining the above categories. It should be noted in case of future significance. It could be assumed that pigeons in category 1 are pro- bably pure or nearly pure Rock Doves; in category 2 they are probably largely, possibly all, pure Rock Doves. Category 3 represents a mixed population probably derived largely from dovecote pigeons and/or Rock Doves; while category 4 is a feral population probably derived partly from racing pigeons and other domestic breeds. It was clear that a large-scale enquiry employing such critical standards was unlikely to succeed, but Mr Goodwin agreed that where 80% or more of the pigeons living wild in any coastal area were blue with two black wing bars and pure white lower back contrasting with blue-grey rump and white underwing, then the population could be regarded as largely or entirely Rock Doves. A simple questionnaire was compiled asking for details of location, the number of pigeons with white rump and two distinct black wing bars and the number of other pigeons. Where the proportion of apparent Rock Doves was three-quarters or more the birds were taken to be mainly Rock Doves; where the pro- portion was less they have been regarded as feral pigeons or as mixed flocks which could not safely be allocated to one form or the other, The ‘blue’ type of feral pigeon, which resembles the Rock Dove, is common in urban flocks. Results Forty questionnaires were returned for mainland coastal areas and 21 for islands; other information, often detailed, was included in letters and lists. No information was re- ceived for Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Wigtown in the west, or from Easter Ross, Kincardine and Berwick in the east. A representative selection of islands was covered and recent information on islands not shown in table 2 can pro- bably be obtained from lists of birds seen there by visiting parties. Where such lists have been readily available I have included them and have indicated the source. The data from mainland returns have been summarised for each county in table 1. If a coastal pigeon flock can be considered to be Rock Doves when three-quarters of its members show Rock Dove colouration, the Rock Dove was restricted on the mainland to the east coast from Easter Ross or east Sutherland northwards, the north coast of Caithness and Sutherland and the west coast from Bute or Argyll northwards. No recent information was available from Easter Ross and the evidence that Rock Doves occur 1967 THE ROCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND 361 there was obtained from the Rev. J. Lees’s study of breed- ing in 1944-45 (Lees 1946), There was however a mixed (as- sumed to be feral) flock at the Mound in east Sutherland. A questionnaire referring to the Angus coastline betweer Lunan Bay and Arbroath mentioned isolated groups of Rock Doves (whose status would need to be examined in the light of Goodwin’s classification) along a coastline prin- cipally inhabited by feral pigeons. Along part of the same coast a second observer found a higher proportion of feral pigeons near Arbroath than further north. The distribution of Rock Doves in the islands was more straightforward. While ‘lost’ racing pigeons and other dom- estic pigeons occurred, the coastal population consisted almost entirely of Rock Doves, from Islay in the south to Shetland in the north. Petersen and Williamson (1949) found an average of 50-60 pairs of Rock Doves on the Faeroese island of Nolsoy, at the northwestern limit of its range, and this colony contained birds showing a chequered wing pat- tern as well as those of the more usual plumage type. There was evidence of Rock Dove migration from Fair Isle, with a breeding population of about 10 pairs (March to November), obvious southward passage in autumn, and few or no Rock Doves in winter (P. E. Davis in litt.); and also from Rhum, with over 200 Rock Doves in November 1959 and 100 in October 1960, compared with a breeding pop- ulation of about 15 pairs (P. Wormell in litt.). Discussion The Rock Dove is widely distributed along the coasts of Europe from the Faeroes to Spain and Portugal. It occurs also along the north coast of the Mediterranean and in North Africa, and along the coasts of Asia Minor, the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Caspian and Aral Seas. Other forms of the species occur in the Canaries, West Africa, the Sahara, Lib- yan desert, Nile valley, Red Sea, east Mediterranean, Pales- tine, Turkestan and Baluchistan to India and Ceylon (Witherby et al. 1940). A sibling species, the Blue Hill Pigeon C. rupestris, replaces the Rock Dove in the higher and colder parts of central and east Asia (Goodwin 1959). The Rock Dove’s maritime habitat may mitigate the effects of severe weather on a not particularly hardy species, although Peterson and Williamson (1949) found that many Rock Doves died in the Faroes in the hard winters of 1945 and 1946/47. In its feral state the species endures severe winters—e.g. in Moscow, Iceland and Finland (Good- Win in litt.) The Rock Dove seems to be at least partially dependent on cultivation for its food. Goodwin (in litt.) suggested that 362 THE ROCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND 4(5) the ‘heathy brows’ referred to as part of the Rock Dove’s foraging range in the Handbook might be sources not of food but of nesting material. The same work suggested a greater dependence on seeds and Mollusca, in the partial absence of cultivation, than was the case with the Woodpigeon C. palumbus or Stock Dove C. oenas. Petersen and Williamson (1949) found in the Rock Dove’s diet in the Faeroes barley and potatoes, seeds of Plantago, Brassica and Rumex in summer, and seeds of Rumex from December to March. Fallow ground was preferred to grassland because of weeds, especially sorrel Rumex acetosa. Dependence upon cultivation would explain the presence of about 70 Rock Doves upon the small highly cultivated island of North Ronaldsay (with few nesting cliffs) compared with 20-40 on each of the rather larger cliff-girt islands of Rhum, Fair Isle and Foula or about 4 pairs on the island of Handa. It would also explain, as suggested by Williamson and Boyd (1960), the absence of Rock Doves from St Kilda since its evacuation. Murton and Westwood (1966) have shown that the Rock Dove has the same food requirements as the Stock Dove and consider that inter-specific competition could be expected in areas of overlap, But in northern and northeastern Scotland at least, the Stock Dove, after rapid expansion (Harvie- Brown and Buckley 1895), is no longer a common bird, and it has certainly decreased in numbers in Banff and Moray during recent years. In Ireland the Rock Dove appears still to be widely distributed (Kennedy, Ruttledge & Scroope 1954), while the Stock Dove may still be increasing its range. It is possible that different agricultural practices are respon- sible for this state of affairs in Ireland and that recent changes in agricultural methods in general are unfavourable to both Rock Dove and Stock Dove in England and Scotland. In Banff, and probably also in Easter Ross, Sutherland and Caithness (and perhaps elsewhere throughout the area ap- parently now occupied by Rock Doves) the agricultural land along the coast is normally treeless and exposed. It is not a suitable habitat for Stock Doves, although they continued to nest in sand dunes along the Moray coast until the 1930s (R. Richter pers. comm.), and competition for food between Rock Dove and Stock Dove is unlikely to occur, particularly as the Stock Dove has never seriously encroached upon the main strongholds of the Rock Dove indicated by the present enquiry. Competition for food between Rock Doves and feral pig- eons must however have occurred throughout several cen- turies, and the original dovecote pigeon may have been so similar to the Rock Dove that interbreeding occurred. Dove- 1967 THE ROCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND 363 cote pigeons, numerous from the 15th to the 18th centuries, were expected to forage for themselves throughout most of the year and were fed only at those seasons when they found it difficult to sustain themselves (Smith 1931). Prior to the agricultural improvements which began in the 18th century corn was harvested much later in Scotland, and arable land was abandoned to revert to coarse grazing, pro- ducing in the process a great quantity of weed seeds (Hand- ley 1953). The food available for pigeons would therefore be somewhat different from that of modern times. As the distribution of dovecotes was mainly coastal (Ritchie 1920, and personal observation) these feral pigeons, far outnum- bering Stock Doves and Woodpigeons, would have been feeding on the same ground as Rock Doves. The much quoted estimate of 36,000 pairs of dovecote pigeons in Fife in the 18th century (Thomson 1800) assumed an average of 100 pairs of pigeons per dovecote. About 120 dovecotes remain- ing in Fife were listed by the County Planning Officer a few years ago as buildings of historic or architectural interest. Many of these have been examined by George Dick of Dun- fermline. Where the original number of nestboxes could be estimated the average was about 660, and if the surviving dovecotes are typical of the 360 mentioned by Thomson the total nestbox capacity must have exceeded 200,000. It is not known what proportion of the nestboxes in a dovecote might be occupied—Smith (1931) cites an 18th century authority that two nestboxes should be provided for each pair of pigeons—but it seems likely that the domestic pigeon pop- ulation must have been enormous and competition with Rock Doves potentially severe over a period of several cen- turies. Similarly 12 dovecotes in Moray remaining about 1930 contained an average of 670 nestboxes (Douglas 1931) and 17 in Banff, out of 25 examined between 1960 and 1965, had, on average, about 400 nestboxes (Hewson, unpublished). Against such competition it seems remarkable perhaps that any Rock Doves remain, But Goodwin (1958) has poin- ted out two possibly significant factors: 1. Domestic pigeons (or Rock Doves raised in captivity) showed a sexual preference for birds similarly coloured to their own parents, i.e. Rock Doves would be unlikely to mate with domestic pigeons of a different colour. 2. In parts of Egypt Rock Doves and dovecote pigeons (here presumably of equal size) rarely or never interbred with the usually much larger pied, white, or red domestic pigeons. Rock Doves appear to have survived best in those areas, sometimes rather sparsely cultivated, where dovecotes were least common, While large free-standing dovecotes fell into 364 THE ROCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND 4(5) disuse from the 18th century onwards, substantial dovecotes were incorporated in some of the larger farm steadings at a later date, probably during the first half of the 19th century. How long these survived, and how many pigeons they held, is uncertain, and the decrease in the Rock Dove’s range may have occurred after the final decline of the large dovecote. The decline of the Rock Dove in Norway has been describ- ed by Collett (1921) and I am grateful to Dr I. D. Pennie for drawing my attention to this reference. Between 1830, when Rock Doves were numerous on islands near Stavanger and on the adjoining mainland, and about 1860, many were killed because of damage to cornfields. This destruction, coupled with severe winters and predation by Goshawks Accipiter gentilis and Eagle Owls Bubo bubo, led to a severe decline in numbers and restriction of range. The last Rock Dove was shot near Stavanger in 1873, although a few birds persist«:d on some of the islands after this date. On the other hand a pair of feral pigeons imported into the island of Uvitingsay in 1885 had descendants numbering over 50 by 1900. Persecution of Rock Doves may have played a part in Scotland also. Persecution of dovecote pigeons was pro- scribed by stringent laws from the 15th century onwards, when presumably they were held to be distinguishable from Rock Doves. Murton and Westwood (1966) in considering inter-specific competition, suggest that the dovecote pigeon must always have been tied to a feeding area within reasonable range of the loft, whereas the Stock Dove could inhabit a wider range of country, using either trees or rock holes for nesting. The distribution of dovecotes in Banff and Moray (and probably also in Fife) was, however, such that their occupants could have fed throughout most of the cultivated coastal area, and contemporary sources indicate that there would be very few trees for Stock Doves to nest in. The area now occupied by Rock Doves in Scotland has the following characteristics: 1. It has not been successfully colonised by Stock Doves. 2. The feral pigeon population has never been large. There were very few large dovecotes in Easter Ross, east Suther- land and Caithness: few or none in N.W. Sutherland or Wester Ross. 3. The rocky coastline provides abundant nest sites in caves to which the Rock Doves may also resort during the day and to roost. 4. Arable land tends to be restricted to a narrow, compar- 1967 THE ROCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND 365 atively treeless, coastal strip. This restricted habitat might favour the Rock Dove against competition from Stock Dove and Woodpigeon. It would be of interest to know more of the Rock Dove’s feeding habits and its relationship, in feeding flocks, with other pigeons; information might be obtained by regular ob- servations in a selected area rather than by shooting. The extent to which Rock Doves breed throughout the year is, in many nesting caves, a problem for the more agile ornitholo- gist. Downhill (1965) for example found three nests with eggs on Island Roan, Sutherland, in September with a pop- ulation of 9 or 10 birds, while P. E. Davis (in litt.) found the aaa season on Fair Isle short, with perhaps only two roods. Acknowledgments I am grateful to Derek Goodwin for much help and advice and to Dr I. D. Pennie for information and for reading a draft of this paper. George Dick made a detailed examina- tion of many of the Fife dovecotes. The following completed questionnaires or supplied information: A. F. Airey, N. K. Atkinson, R. O. Blyth, British Girls’ Exploring Society, R. N. Campbell, Dr M. E. Castle, R. Corbet, E. Cowieson, G. L. A. Patrick, P. E. Davis, Dr G. M. Dunnet, W. M. M. Eddie, J. Edelsten, J. J. D. Greenwood, E. N. Hunter, V. P. W. Lowe, D. Macdonald, M. J. C. Maclean, R. W. Marriott, Dr D. H. Mills, A. Neal, D. J. Norden, D. Oliver, G. A, Richards, Dr R. Richter, Dr M. Rusk, D, M. Stark, C. Tait, Cyr. Walker, Ke Walker, Ev) D. Wilson, Ps Wormell, AD A. Wright, B. Zon- frillo. References CoLLETT, R. 1921. Norges Fugle, Christiana. DramMonpD, A. W., DouUTHWAITE, R. J. & INDGE, W. J. E. 1965. Notes on the birds of Berneray, Mingulay and Pabbay. Scot. Birds 3: 397-404. Doueias, R. 1931. The Dovecotes of Moray. Elgin. DownHILu, I. R. 1965. Further notes from Island Roan, Sutherland. Scot. Birds 5: 404-405. Goopwin, D. 1958. The existence and causation of colour-preferences in the pairing of Feral and Domestic Pigeons. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 78: 156-139. GooDwIN, D. 1959. Taxonomy of the genus Columba. Bull Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Vol. 6 (1). HARVIE-Brown, J. A. & BuckKLEY, T. E. 1895. A Vertebrate Fauna of the Moray Basin. Edinburgh. HanDLEy, J. E. 1953. Scottish Farming in the Eighteenth Century. London. Jackson, E. E. 1966. The Birds of Foula. Scot. Birds 4: 1-60. KENNEDY, P. G., RUTTLEDGE, R. F. & Soroopz, C. F. 1954. The Birds of Ireland. Edinburgh. LErEs, J. 1946. All the year breeding of the Rock Dove. Brit. Birds 59: 1356-141. Murton, R. K. & WESTWooD, N. J. 1966. The foods of the Rock Dove and Feral Pigeon. Bird Study 13: 150-146. 366 THE ROCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND 4(5) PETERSEN, N. F. & WILLIAMSON, K. 1949. Polymorphism and breeding of the Rock Dove in the Faeroe Islands. Ibis 91: 17-23. RIToHIE, J. 1920. The Influence of Man on Animal Life in Scotland. Cambridge. SMITH, D. 1931. Pigeon Cotes and Dove Houses of Essex. London. THOMSON, J. 1800. General View of the Agriculture of the County of Fife. Edin- burgh. WILLIAMSON, K. & Boyp, J. M. 1960. St Kilda Summer. London. WITHERBY, H. F., JOURDAIN, F. C. R., TicEHuRST, N. F. & TuoKER, B. W. 1940. The Handbook of British Birds. Vol. 4. London. Table. 1. Rock Doves and feral pigeons on the Scottish mainland No. of —_ Pigeons Apparent County returns examined Rock Doves % Comments Dumfries 0 Kirkcudbright 0 Wigtown 0 Ayr 2 143 69 48 Renfrew 1 no suitable coast Bute ul 3 3 100 Argyll 3 c.28 c.28 100 1 30+ — — Perhaps a few feral W. Inverness 0 W. Ross 6 121-131 212 93 N. & W. Sutherland 14 313 313 100 also some ferals Caithness 1 200+ = 83 about 80% coast covered E. Sutherland 1 5 5 100) at Ord of 1 several 100) Caithness 1 15 i2 80 Mound- Aberscross 1 21 6 29 Bonar Br.- Mound E. Ross 0 see Lees (1946) E. Inverness 1 no coastal cliffs Nairn 0 no coastal cliffs Moray 1 55 25 46 Banff 1 78 8 10 Aberdeen 1 35-45 10-15 22-43 Kincardine 0 Angus 2 c.1220 c.502 4] Fife 1 112 14 13 East Lothian 1 12 0 0 Counties shown in heavy type are those to which the Rock Dove is probably now restricted. Table 2. Rock Doves and feral pigeons on Scottish islands No. of Pigeons Apparent Island returns examined Rock Doves % Comments Islay 1 88 88 100 Jura 1 34 34 100 Colonsay { 15 15 100 367 1967 ssue dealing we take the chance to publish portraits of four June 1965. With the main paper in this i Handa, ’ PLATE 40. Razorbill (see p. 540) With seabirds cottish species. Ss Photograph by William S. Paton 368 4(5) PLATE 41, Great Skua, Hermaness, 1966. Photograph by William S. Paton 369 1967 uU01Dd S wom fiq ydo 16010Ud 996T ‘ SsourULIoH ‘ enyg dy1y sseyd y1ed Sp TLVIg 4(5) 370 & gg, Cormorant at nest. PLATE 46. Photograph by William S. Paton 1967 THE ROCK DOVE IN SCOTLAND 371 Tiree 1 22 Zz 100 Rhum i 20-30 all 100 afew ‘strays’ at farm Skye Z 31 31 100 Longa, small island Gairloch 1 c.100 c.100 100 near mainland Pabbay & Diamond et al Berneray - 20 20 100 1965 Barra Z 87-127 all 100 Vatersay 1 2 2 100 Benbecula & 1 5 flocks of S. Uist 5-40 all 100 Harris 1 68 68 100 Handa 1 8 6 75 Eynhallow 1 89 83 93 N. Ronaldsay 4 71 ha 100 mean of 4 counts, range 68-74 Fair Isle 1 c.30 c.30 100 Obvious pas- sages in Nov Mousa 1 10 10 100 Foula - 20-40 Jackson 1966 Short Notes Gyr Falcons in Orkney and Shetland On the forenoon of 13th May 1966 I had a Gyr Falcon under observation for 15 minutes as it cruised about over Burrien Hill between Firth and Harray. It was an obvious falcon, with a fairly similar flight silhouette to the Pere- grine but with broader-based and more blunt-tipped wings and a relatively longer and slightly squarer-ended tail. Gliding against the breeze it was very Peregrine-like but its wing action was noticeably slower. The light was quite good though there was no sun at the time. The bird was fairly uniform darkish grey above and paler below. When it turned sideways I saw that there were no clear-cut head and face markings or moustaches. I had the opportunity of comparing it with a female Hen Harrier and would say that the falcon’s wingspan was at least as great if not great- er. I might add that I am very familiar with the Peregrine and had been watching the species fairly extensively. The Gyr Falcon has occurred in Orkney from time to time. Several records are given in The Birds of Scotland, and the late G. T. Arthur lists one in April 1947 and another in August 1949. EK. BALFOour. On 2nd, 3rd and 4th August 1966 we identified a Gyr Falcon 372 SHORT NOTES 4(5) at Halligarth in the Baltasound district of Unst when Stephen Saxby flushed it from trees which it had been frequenting since late May. It perched on a stone dyke and on a pole but could not be approached. An Oystercatcher and Common Gulls were seen to mob it. Description A very large greyish-brown falcon (slightly smaller than Great Skua) with the whole body mottled brown on buff; wings and tail greyish-brown; no tail bar seen; plumage, especially wings, much abraded; no distinctive marks or moustachial stripe, but dark area round eye; tail long and less tapered than Peregrine’s, looking very broad when fanned as bird landed; wings long with broad bases and slightly blunted tips; head seemed small when neck stretched. The flight was direct and fairly fast but the shallow wing- beat was slower than a Peregrine’s. The blunter wings and longer but less tapered tail gave it a different silhouette. When gliding for four or five seconds it held its wings very flat. Fuller descriptions have been submitted to the Rarities Committee. FJW has watched Lanner and Saker Falcons abroad and we are both familiar with Peregrines. The most recent of a number of Gyr Falcons recorded in Shetland was at Kergord on 9th September 1965 (Scot. Birds 4: 87) but the long stay of the 1966 bird is interesting. Macnus SINciarr, F. J. WALKER. Spotted Crakes in West Sutherland In late June 1966 W. A. Sinclair of Inverness was told about some unusual birds which, since early June, had been haunting a marsh in northwest Sutherland. Each evening from dusk onwards they called loudly and continuously and one observer who had heard them suggested that they were Spotted Crakes. WAS went to the marsh on 25th June and obtained a sound recording of the birds’ calls which con- firmed the identification. The following day D. M. Bremner, A. Munro, WAS and DM visited the locality and found that there were three crakes present in the marsh. Each bird appeared to hold a strip of territory and it was noticeable that the individual holding the middle portion had a distinctly louder note than those of the other two birds. During the daylight hours of early evening, occasional calls only, mostly single, were heard, but from 2100 hrs GMT calling became almost in- cessant. In order to entice the birds to come nearer WAS played back the sound recording from the edge of the marsh while the others patrolled the shallower parts around the outer edge. Several times a bird approached to within about six or seven yards of a searcher but, owing to the treacher- ous nature of the surface, the thickness of the vegetation and, perhaps most of all, to the elusiveness of the birds them- 1967 SHORT NOTES 373 selves, all efforts to flush or even to catch a glimpse of one were unsuccessful. The crakes remained in full voice until the end of the third week of July when calling became less frequent, and finally it stopped early in August. The prolonged period of territorial calling suggests that they were three unmated males, The best accounts of the unusual nature of the Spot- ted Crake’s call have been given by P.F. Holmes (Brit. Birds 42: 364) who describes it as “like the lashing of a whip, but without the crack at the end,’ and by Dr Kurt Bauer (Brit. Birds 53: 523) as “a quite toneless sound, strongly recalling ...a Short and sharp stroke of a lash cutting through the air.” Holmes also refers to the bird watched by him as tak- ing no notice of the flashing of a torch; similarly, when car headlights were shone across the Sutherland marsh the crakes were quite undisturbed and continued calling. These papers are ably summarised by Dr Bannerman in his essay on the Spotted Crake in Volume 12 of The Birds of the British Isles. D. Macpona.p. (R.W.J. and Mrs E. M. Smith independently discovered these birds and reported up to four calling one evening, but it is clearly very difficult to arrive at an exact figure where more than one or two birds are calling. There is no previous record for the Northwest Highlands. Other 1966 records are of one calling on 29th April, but not later, at the same Dunbartonshire marsh as last year (Scot. Birds 3: 416) (T. D. H. Merrie); single birds heard in Kast Inverness-shire at marshy places two miles apart on Speyside on 6th July (R. Lévéque), and again at one of them two days later (Hon. D. N. Weir); one dead at Weisdale, Shetland, on 11th April (Scot. Birds 4: 243); and one calling during June or July (full details not yet received) on Foula (E. E. Jackson). The status of this species in Scotland is obscure. Many of the reports obviously refer to migrants. and it may be that these spring birds come here more or less by chance, but reports of birds calling at particular marshes in Scotland for weeks and even months in recent years suggest that they could well breed. Breeding is difficult to prove, but the bird’s call is most characteristic and easily remembered so that visits to suitable marshes on calm evenings in spring and early summer would readily show whether Spotted Crakes were there or not.—ED.) White-winged Black Tern in Orkney At 4 p.m. on 11th June 1966, a sunny day with light east- erly winds, A. Swanney telephoned to say that he and his 374 SHORT NOTES 4(5) sister had identified a White-winged Black Tern on Ancum Loch close to their farm on North Ronaldsay. Within five minutes of getting there I found the bird. Its behaviour was very similar to that of a Black Tern we saw in 1965. The most obvious plumage differences were the white tail, the distinctly white leading edge of the wing as it flew towards us, and the three shades of the upper wing, very noticeable as it flew past. Compared with Arctic Terns, which mobbed it as it flew towards their nesting area, it was decidedly smaller—about the same size as a Little Tern but appearing daintier, with a more fluid flight. The following description is compiled from notes taken at the time: Head, nape, mantle, throat, underparts and under wing-coverts black; rump, tail and under tail-coverts white; primaries and secon- daries grey with outer tips of primaries appearing slightly darker; greater wing-coverts off-white to light grey; lesser wing-coverts white, very noticeable as bird rested on a post; tail slightly forked; legs and feet red. We could not find the bird next day, but I saw it again on the 18th, perched on a fence post in the water. It flew off across the loch and was not seen again. I understand that the only previous record of a White-winged Black Tern in Scotland is of one in the Outer Hebrides on 23rd May 1964 (Scot. Birds 3: 258). KENNETH G. WALKER. Some breeding notes on the Collared Dove As few observations regarding the breeding of the Collared Dove in the British Isles have been published, the following note, which refers to the nesting of a pair at Dornoch in Southeast Sutherland, may be of interest. The nest was placed at a height of about 15 feet, and one foot out from the trunk of a dead cypress, which stood amongst a small clump of trees bordering the local curling pond. It was found on 2nd September 1966 but the incubating bird was not flushed until the following day, when the nest contained two eggs, At 1730 hrs GMT on 16th September it held one egg and a newly hatched nestling; the second chick hatched out between 0930 and 1800 hrs on the 17th, giving incubation periods of at least 13+ and 14+ days respectively. As the normal incubation period is stated to be about 14 days it appears probable that the second egg may have been laid on 2nd September, but unfortunately the nest contents were not known on that date. With the exception of a period of six days from 19th to 24th October, the nest site was visited at least once daily from 15th September to 5th November. The growth of the 1967 SHORT NOTES 375 nestlings followed the normal stages of development. After the 6th day they were not observed to be brooded during the daytime and by the 17th day they were fully feathered. At 0830 hrs GMT on 6th October the young were still in the nest but by 1230 hrs they had left and were perched on a branch about two feet away. The fledging period was thus 19+ and 18+ days respectively. On 8th October however both fledglings were back again sitting in the nest, where they remained for two days. A return to the nest site has been recorded by Marchant (Ibis 105: 527) who, referring to the breeding of the Collared Dove in Iraq, states that “after 15 days or so the young tend to move out of the nest onto neighbouring branches or may even leave the nest-site altogether one day and return the next.” Ferguson-Lees (Brit. Birds 57: 174) gives the fledging period as between 14 and 21 days. Two reasons could account for this wide variation—disturbance of the nestlings when they are near- ing the fledging stage and/or the fledglings habit of return- ing to the nest—either of which could have occurred in the present case. To avoid the risk of premature fledging through disturbance by climbing un to the nest the fledglings were observed from the ground from the 16th day onwards, and had the site not been visited daily the fledging period might have been recorded erroneously as 21 or even 22 days. Up to list November there was no indication that the fledglings had ever left the area of the nest site, and even when observed at close range they hardly showed any sign of wariness. Throughout this period they appeared to be entirely dependent upon the parent birds and during the first week after fledging were invariably accompanied by at least one adult, but later they were frequently left un- attended. By 29th October one juvenile had acquired the black half-collar. On lst November however a sudden change of behavour became evident; when approached they quickly flitted from branch to branch in a somewhat restless manner and next day they were flying around freely. Thereafter the two juveniles were seen only occasionally in the vicinity of the nest site, but they and the adults continued to roost there. From 20th November only one of the juveniles turned up at the roost, and during a spell of severe weather in early Dec- ember the roost was abandoned. D. MAaAcDoNaLp. Roller in Orkney Returning from watching a White-winged Black Tern on 11th June 1966 on North Ronaldsay I saw a bird making short shrike-like flights from a pillar of stones on top of a dyke. I stopped the car and viewed it through my binoculars and 376 SHORT NOTES 4(5) identified it as a Roller, evidently the first Scottish record since 1959, when one was seen in Shetland in July (Scot. Birds 1: 190). The weather was bright and sunny with a light easterly wind. I watched the bird for ten minutes and obtained the following description: Head, nape, throat and underparts greenish-blue; mantle and scap- ulars russet-brown; rump deep blue; centre tail feathers brown, con- trasting with greenish-blue of others and of upper tail-coverts; appar- ently a faint black tip to the tail, more evident on outer feathers; primaries almost black at the tips to pale blue at the base; secondaries pale blue at the tips to brown at the base; greater wing-coverts pale greenish; lesser wing-coverts deep blue, almost purple. When the bird was at rest the greenish-blue, russet and black were very noticeable, but when it took to the wing it seemed to explode into various colours. It looked nearly twice as bulky as a male Blackbird with food in its mouth which made two attacks, driving it off with the second. It had a rapid wing-beat and flew straight out to sea in the general direction of Fair Isle. KENNETH G. WALKER. American Robin in Kirkcudbrightshire About 5 p.m. on 12th May 1966 at Woodhall Loch, near New Galloway station, my wife and I had the pleasure of watching an American Robin for 20 minutes. Its movements were thrushlike as it fed on open ground beside reeds and some trees at the north end of the loch, I was able to get excellent views with a telescope and with binoculars from about 30 ft. The bird moved about quite slowly and would stand upright and motionless for several seconds at a time, but it also walked and hopped across the fairly tufty grass of the meadow. Once it was chivvied by a Blackbird and the two birds seemed much the same size. When I approached too closely it flew off at a low height and was lost to view. It was a striking bird, reddish orange below from throat to white under tail-coverts. The upperparts, including the tail, were grey-brown, but in some lights the head seemed to be a little darker. The light broken eye-ring and throat feath- ers were less well defined than in the Field Guide illustra- tion. The thrush-length bill was straw coloured. Unfortunate- ly I did not note the leg colour, and I failed to see any pale area on the lower belly or white tips to the outer tail feath- ers. Nonetheless both my wife and I are quite certain the bird was an American Robin. We considered whether it might have been an escape but there was nothing to suggest this. The wind was fresh south- westerly and had been in roughly that quarter for several 1967 SHORT NOTES Si days. We searched for the bird again on the 14th with A. Donald Watson but could not find it. E. HALES. (The only American Robin recorded previously in Scot- land was one at Grimsetter in Orkney on 27th May 1961 (Scot. Birds 2: 343).—Eb.) Nesting of a leucistic Song Thrush in Sutherland On 10th March 1966 there appeared in the vicinity of my garden at Dornoch a bird in creamy white plumage without a single dark feather, later identified as a male Song Thrush. It appeared identical with a bird which haunted the same locality for a few days in August 1965, and which was recor- ded erroneously as a leucistic Blackbird (Scot. Birds 3: 431). During April this bird had numerous skirmishes with an established pair of Song Thrushes but was ultimately driven away by them. By mid May, however, it had secured a nor- mal-plumaged mate, which on list June hatched out a brood of five nestlings from a nest built in a holly bush in my garden. Within the first few days three of the young dis- appeared and during the following days the female appeared to be brooding the remaining two nestlings for abnormally long periods. However, they survived until the evening of 10th June, by which time they were just beginning to feather. Unfortunately, they were then taken by a predator, most probably a cat. The feathers which were visible at that stage appeared to be quite normal, The only song heard from this abnormal male was of a very fragmentary nature and only heard twice at widely separated intervals, the last occasion being on the morning following the disappearance of the two nestlings. On that same day the bird disappeared and it was not seen in the area again until late September. D. MACDONALD. Red-throated Pipits in Shetland in spring On 1st June 1966 while watching Rock and Meadow Pipits along the cliff edge of Inner Brough, Strandburgh Ness, Fet- lar, I observed a pipit with a brick red throat and upper breast. I watched it for short periods between 1500 and 1520 hrs GMT as it appeared and disappeared on the undulating surface at the top of these low cliffs feeding on short grassy areas. The light was excellent. Description Upperparts, including rump and _tail-coverts, buffish brown, broadly streaked black-brown; sides of head and lores pinkish; upper breast palish uniform brick red, with narrow black-brown streaks on breast broadening as colour of upper breast merged into 378 SHORT NOTES 4(5) pinkish buff of lower breast; flanks pinkish buff, heavily streaked black-brown; belly and under tail-coverts uniform buffish; tail feathers black-brown, central ones browner and outer ones white; bill brown; legs and feet dirty flesh. The only call identified as coming from this bird was a frequent chup, repeated as it fed and with great frequency when it was disturbed by other pipits. Although I have no previous experience of this species the bird could only have been a Red-throated Pipit. I was not able to visit the area again. KeiTrH L. Fox. (Another Red-throated Pipit in Shetland was on the Out Skerries on llth and 12th May 1966. Details of this bird will appear in an account which the observer, R. J. Tulloch, is preparing of several visits he made to these islands in 1966. ne records, usually in May, are rarer than autumn ones. —ED.) Lesser Grey Shrike in Shetland While birdwatching on Whalsay on 17th October 1965 I found and identified an adult Lesser Grey Shrike. I was able to watch it many times as it stayed in the same area until the 24th. During all this time I never saw it perch higher than fences and dykes, although there were telephone and electricity cables overhead. It often sat on fences and fence posts turning and tilting its head as it watched for insects, which it darted after, returning to the fence, but sel- dom to the same perch, to eat them. Several times I saw it hover Kestrel fashion for about 15 seconds before diving into the long grass after insects. Its stance was noticeably more upright than a Great Grey Shrike and its flight was more direct and low. On 22nd October I took E. J. Wiseman to confirm its iden- tity. While we were viewing it from behind a dyke, to our great astonishment a Great Grey Shrike came and perched only 30 yards from it. We were able to compare the two on the spot, surely a very rare chance. I dread to think how I would have felt if it had been the Great Grey Shrike which was there when we arrived. The following is a description I made of the Lesser Grey Shrike during its stay: Crown, nape, back and scapulars grey, with rump slightly paler; broad black stripe through eye, continuing across forehead and lower part of crown (so clearly defined that I took the bird for a male); underparts white, with a definite pinkish flush on sides of breast; wings black with broad white bases to primaries showing as white patch on closed wing; tail black with white outer pair of feathers; bill black and hooked; legs dark; eye dark. JOHN H. SIMpsoN. 1967 SHORT NOTES 379 Rose-coloured Starling in Shetland It was reported to me that a “pink starling, marked like a Hooded Crow” had been seen at Gonfirth, Voe, on 24th June 1966. On 5th July John Walterson, caretaker of Ler- wick Museum, saw a bird similar to the museum’s specimen of a Rose-coloured Starling on a roadside fence at Voe with a small flock of Starlings. The next evening I went to Voe honing to find the Star- lings’ roosting place—four gardens in the village have suit- able sycamore trees, I found no Starlings, but I found the Rose-coloured Starling right away, roosting alone in a dead fir tree. My attention had been drawn by the breast colour, show- ing very pale at 30 yards. The bird sat quite still, only turn- ing its head slowly from side to side as I watched. It was raining lightly and the wet black crest drooved to a fine point behind the neck. The breast was pink, paler and less brilliant below the black bib. The legs were pink like a Greenfinch’s and bore no rings. The bill looked yellow, not pink as stated in most books except the new edition of the Field Guide. As I moved closer the bird became nervous and hopped to a higher branch, where it sat back-on and showed the pink mantle and black wings. Now it flicked its tail frequently— very unstarlinglike—then flew off giving an impression of even more pink. It was seen again next day, 7th July, near where Mr Wal- terson had seen it, and again it was with a small flock of Starlings. DENNIS CourTTs. Current Notes Compiled by P. J. B. SLATER (Key to initials of observers : D. R. Anderson, D. G. Andrew, W. Austin, Reo weoalliies ©. i. Bam, Miss eG, a Baxter, Dr J: Berry, Miss F. M. Black, H. Boase (HBs), H. Boyd (HBd), T. Boyd, W. Brother- ston, D. G. Bruce, R. Byres, A. Campbell, C. Campbell, R. N. Camp- bell, Mrs V. E. Carrick, J. F. M. Carson, M. Cayne, P. Clark, Miss E. T. Connacher, Miss H. Coppock, D. Coutts, G. M. Crighton, W. A. J. Cunningham, R. H. Dennis, D. Dewar, R. C. Dickson, Miss J. M. Donnan, H. E. M. Dott, Mrs J. D. Doyle, Dr G. M. Dunnet, Dr W. J. Eggeling, N. Elkins, Sir R. Erskine-Hill Bt, M. J. Everett, R. Far- mer, J. Ferguson, H. Fisher, Miss G. A. Fleming, H. A. Ford, R. W. Forrester, K. L. Fox, I. Gibson, Rev. J. Gibson, Miss E. Grace, Mrs tener in Grant. Masaki. -S) G@.sHalliday, K. GR: Halliday, -C..G: Headlam, J. A. D. Hope, D. C. Hulme, E. N. Hunter, E. T. Idle, Rev. G. T. Jamieson, R. A. Jeffery, P. Johnson, G. D. Joy, D. J. haw, oA, B. Veitch i. Hj, iyster;, D, Macdonald (DMcD), M.A. 380 CURRENT NOTES 4(5) Macdonald, J. W. McEwan, K. S. Macgregor, R. D. Macgregor, Dr H. N. MacLachlan, I. M. MacLean, J. M. Macleod, A. MacRae (AMcR), A. Mainwood (AMd), S. Manson, W. Matheson (WMn), G. Maxwell, W. S. Medlicott, Prof. M. F. M. Meiklejohn, Mrs D. Melrose (DMs), J. Mitchell, N. C. Morgan, W. Moss (WMs), W. Ogilvie, D. W. Oliver, J. S. Oliver, N. Picozzi, R. K. Pollock. A. D. K. Ramsay, C. P. Rawcliffe, G. A. Richards, W. K. Richmond, G. Rod- ger, I. B. Roy, Dr M. Rusk, Mrs H. M. Russell, R. Shaw. M. Sin- clair, A. J. Smith, Mrs E. M. Smith, R. W: J. Smith, Dr- Tf) @ Sment, T. Spence,.D. M. Stark, C. Tait, I. Taylor, Miss V. M. hom, ene: Tindal, R. B. Tozer, R. J. Tulloch, C. Walker, F. Walker, K. Walker, D. I. M. Wallace, G. Waterston, Dr A. Watson, A. D. Watson, M. Watson, I. S. Watt, J. Watt, Hon. D. N. Weir, G. T. White. Unless otherwise stated all dates refer to 1966.) Distribution Observations made before 1st August 1966 are not in- cluded in this section except where they are relevant to more recent topics. A Great Crested Grebe, apparently the first recorded in the Outer Hebrides, was diving offshore at Broad Bay, Lewis, on 30th October (IMM). Slavonian Grebes seen inland have been two at Linlithgow Loch, West Lothian, on 31st October (JFMC, MC, IT), and one at Portmore Loch on 9th and 16th October, the first record for Peeblesshire (DGA, EMS, RWJS). One was seen at the mouth of the River Luce in Luce Bay, Wigtownshire, on 5th November (RCD), and one in Loch Ryan in the same county on 8th December was ac- companied by four Black-necked Grebes (GAR). A Little Grebe was seen on the Peffer Burn at Aberlady, East Lothian, on 18th December (RSB). A late Sooty Shearwater was flying north against a strong wind off Fife Ness on 6th November (PGTB). A few ‘Blue’ Fulmars are seen in Shetland every year, but the sighting of at least five between Fair Isle and Sumburgh on 11th Octo- ber was certainly exceptional (RJT). The Gadwall at Kilconquhar Loch, Fife, showed a peak of 23 birds on 13th November (DWO), and in the middle of that month an estimate of the Wigeon present along the south shore of the Dornoch Firth and in the Cromarty Firth, but excluding the Black Isle, suggested a figure in the region of 22,000 (CGH). Three Pintail were on the River Don at Bridge of Don, Aberdeenshire, on 19th November (ADKR), and there was a pair at Stormont Loch, Perth- shire, on 13th (VMT). A high count of Shoveler for the area was of 22 at Hoselaw Loch, Yetholm, Roxburghshire, on 27th November (RSB). Scaup winter in very large numbers off Seafield, Midlothian, and odd birds are seen inland in the Forth area not infre- quently. But single drakes at Duddingston and St Margaret’s 1967 CURRENT NOTES 381 Lochs, Edinburgh, on 25th September are interesting in view of the fact that only 12 had arrived at Seafield on the same date. Another male had arrived at Portmore Loch by 11th September and was last seen there on 2nd October (DGA). Other records on fresh water are of a drake on a loch near Dalrymple, Ayrshire, on 17th October (GAR); seven birds at Kilconquhar Loch on 18th December (DWO); and single females at Loch More, Caithness, on 6th November (per oe and Fala, Midlothian, from 20th to 26th December ). The numbers of Pochard on the lochs in the Queen’s Park, Edinburgh, increased steadily from October until 26th Dec- ember, when 6000 were present (DGA). The count then remained high and on 2nd January 1967 there was this number on Duddingston Loch alone though they left in hundreds on the next day as ice closed in (DRA). Inland Long-tailed Duck have been seen as follows: a female at Loch of Lowes, Perthshire, on 29th December (HBs): a female at Meikle Loch, Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, on 16th November (NE): an immature female at Rosebery and Gladhouse reservoirs, Midlothian, on 20th and 27th Nov- ember respectively (DGA, EMS, RWJS); an immature male at Carlinwark Loch, Kirkcudbrightshire, on 28th December (GAR); and a pair at Lindores Loch, Fife, on 13th and 14th November (JW). A particularly large count for Ayrshire was of 41 at Barassie on 13th December (GAR). In places where Goosanders have become less frequent in recent years, three females were seen at Morton Lochs, Fife, on 27th November (CT), and a drake was at Duddings- ton on 17th December and on Ist and 2nd January 1967 (DRA, DGA, AFL). The Smew records include several drakes: Bridge of Don—redhead on 19 Nov (ADKR). Stormont Loch—redhead on 13 Nov (VMT). Gullane Point, E. Lothian—redhead on 15 Oct (CT). Gartocharn, Dunbarton—redhead on 20 Dec (RS). Castle Semple Loch, Renfrew—d on 27 Nov (RWF, RF, RDM, RBT); 3 and 2 redheads on 11 Dec (1G, RAJ, GTW Ayr—a on sea on 13 Dec after severe frost (GAR). Martnaham, Ayr—d on 5 Dec (GAR). Carlinwark Loch—redhead on 13 Nov (GAF). Loch Ken, Kirkcudbright—redhead on 28 Dec (GAR). September records of Grey Lag Geese are all of small num- bers and most probably therefore refer to our local breeding stock. Though late in the month this may be true of 11 seen circling near the Lake of Menteith, Perthshire, on 22nd eae (RKP), and six flying over Duddingston on 24th DRA). Eight Greenland White-fronted Geese were at Fair Isle on 25th October (RHD). Eight Whitefronts were seen at Brub- 382 CURRENT NOTES 4(5) ster, Caithness, on 23th October and 30 of the Greenland race were there on 29th (per DMS). Also in Caithness, 115 Green- land birds were at Loch Winless on 12th November and 140 on 29th (JARG), while 100 were noted at Loch Soarach on 26th (per DMS). Abnormally early, a Greenland bird was at Loch Leven, Kinross-shire, on 5th October (CC). An im- mature was near Dunning, Perthshire, on 22nd November (VMT). On 25th November 71 arrived at the Moor of Genoch, Wigtownshire, and the number there had increased to 84 by 4th December (RCD). Near Gartocharn, Dunbarton- shire, 14 Greenland birds on 3lst December was the peak number (RS). Three at Montrose Basin, Angus, on 9th September (GMC), and a skein over Cupar, Fife, on 12th (DWO), are the first reports of Pink-footed Geese for the winter. On 16th 13 flew west at Balmerino, Fife (HBs), and in Midlothian, 40 flew south at Loanhead (RWJS) and 20 at Roslin (ADKR). There- after there are rather few reports spread out over the rest of the month, suggesting steady passage without any note- worthy peaks. From time to time strange-looking hybrids or colour forms arise amongst geese and cause some confusion. This year there has been a spate of such reports, including one of a white domestic goose seen at Aberlady on various dates between 19th November and 24th December (MAM, RBT). One of a local flock, it had escaved on the way to the butcher. Another oddity was a goose shot near Crieff, Perthshire, on 12th December, which was thought to be a hybrid between a Chinese and a Grey Lag Goose as it had characteristics in many ways intermediate between these two species (JB). A leucistic Pink-footed Goose was at Loch Leven on 5th October (CC), and an almost pure white individual was seen at Fala Hill, Midlothian, on 11th (per WB), and subsequently at Aberlady on various dates between 15th and 30th October (DJ, KSM, NCM). Not all white geese seen have been lacking in black wing- tips however. An unringed Snow Goose was at Loch Leven between 24th October and 6th November and again on 14th December (HBd, CC). One was at Aberlady on 26th November and 11th and 16th Decemher (DJ, WKR). The dates suggest that all these reports might refer to the same individual. A blue-phase Lesser Snow Goose was at Loch Leven on 28th November (CC), and in the area of Morton Lochs, Fife, on 3rd, 19th and 27th December (JB, WJE), where what might well have been the same bird was seen last winter (4: 242). A Pale-bellied Brent Goose was seen at Loch Leven on 27th September, 5th October and 9th December (CC), and one was at Dupplin, Perthshire, on 13th November (TCS). Two 1967 CURRENT NOTES 383 at the mouth of the River Don, Aberdeenshire, on 23rd Oct- ober were acccompanied by three of the Dark-bellied race (ADKR), and another Dark-bellied bird was at Caerlaverock on llth December (RBT). There are widely scattered reports of Barnacle Geese away from their normal wintering grounds: Sumburgh—5 in flight on 26 Sept (RE-H). Foula, Shetland—10 on 27 Oct (AMd). Loch Winless, Caithness—1 on 12 Nov (JARG). Meikle Loch, Aberdeen—4 with roosting Pinkfeet on 20 Nov (HEMD). Montrose Basin, Angus—l on 3 Oct (GMC). Dupplin—1 on 19 Nov (TCS). Abernethy, Perthshire—1 on 15 Oct (JW). Endrick mouth, Stirling/Dunbarton—12 on the shore on 27 Sept (RKP) ; 4 on 2nd and 8 Oct (IG, DJL, GTW). Eden Estuary, Fife—l on 2 Oct (CT). Fife Ness—l on 9 Oct (JW). Aberlady—a ringed bird on 9 Oct (DWO); 5 on 26 Dec (MAM); on 27 Dec (DJ). Tyninghame, E. Lothian—19 flying up estuary on 9 Oct (MFMM, CT) Almond Estuary, Mid/West Lothian—3 on 2 Oct (TCS). Gladhouse—1 on 23 Oct (EMS, RWJS). A particularly early Whooper Swan was an adult at Fair Isle on 18th August, and five were there on 2lst September (RHD). Also in Shetland, two were on Loch Hillwell on 21st and three on Loch Spiggie on 22nd September (per DC), while the first in Lewis were three at Tolstachaolais on 24th (WAJC). The earliest further south were at about the same time with one on Loch Morlich, Inverness-shire, on 24th (ADKR); two at Invergordon, Easter Ross, on 23rd (AMcR); and another at Black Loch, near New Cumnock, Ayrshire, also on 23rd (GAR). Several large concentrations have been reported: Loch Hielen, Caithness—110 on 16 Oct (per DMS). Loch Calder, Caithness—peak of 100 on 28 Oct aa DMS). Invergordon—500 from mid Nov (CGH). Spey valley, Inverness—over 100 between Kingussie and Nethy Bridge at end Dec (DNW). Near Kinross—175 on stubble on 24 Oct (HBs). Barr Loch, Renfrew—maximum of 184 on 27 Nov (RBT). Kaimsflat, near Ednam, Roxburgh—over 120 in stubble field on 5 Dec (WSM. : The early arrivals in Shetland showed a low proportion of immatures with as few as three young for every 50 adults (RJT), and this also seems to have been the case at Barr Loch, where of 160 on 22nd November only 11 were im- mature (MJE). A herd of 72 near the mouth of the River Earn, Perthshire, on 3rd December was accompanied by an adult Bewick’s Swan (VMT), and an adult Bewick’s was at 384 CURRENT NOTES 4(5) Kilconquhar Loch on 26th (DWO). During a snow shower on 8th December a pair of Golden Eagles was seen at the coast at Port Glasgow, Renfrewshire: they were in flight and appeared to have come across the Clyde (RF). Several Rough-legged Buzzards have been seen in Glenesk on the Angus/Kincardine border. There were three there on 20th October, 2 on 26th, one on 29th October and one on 30th November (GMC, WKR). One was nearby, three miles north- east of Brechin, Angus, on 12th November (GMC). Else- where, single birds have been at Cullivoe, Yell, Shetland, on 23rd December (RJT); at Fair Isle on 18th-22nd and 21st- 22nd October (RHD); at Aberlady on 19th October (WMs, MW); and near Evanton, Easter Ross, between 13th Decem- ber and 6th January 1967 (CGH). An Osprey was seen at Loch Macleod, Lewis, on 8th October (WMn); and a later bird, though in a more usual area, was one near the south end of Loch Ness, Inverness-shire, on 23rd October (GM per DNW). Coot are not often recorded on the sea except in hard weather but six were on Loch Ryan on 24th September. On 15th October numbers had increased to 61, and there were 60 on 12th November and 45 on 17th December (RCD). A flock of 1700 Oystercatchers at the Almond Estuary on 17th December is the highest number recorded there and indicates a complete recovery from the heavy losses suffered in the winter of 1962-63 (TCS). Grey Plovers are scarce in Caithness, where there was one at Reiss on 25th and 27th October and one at Sandside on 16th December (per DMS, JARG). Large concentrations of Golden Plover have been of 700 at Milton, Caithness, on 8th October (per DMS), and about 1000 near Penicuik, Midlothian, in mid October (RWJS). Single Black-tailed Godwits were seen in October at Skin- flats, Stirlingshire, on 9th (JF MC, MC, IT); Tyninghame on 8th (AFL, MAM); and at Barassie from 3rd right on to 14th December (GAR). Ten were at the Eden Estuary on 2nd October (DWO). Wintering Green Sandpipers have been one at Aberlady on 26th November (CT), and one at Tyninghame on 27th and again on 4th December (TB, IBR, RWJS, CT). A Spotted Redshank was heard at Tyninghame on 15th Oc- tober (DIMW); one was at Aberlady on 13th November (NE); and one was seen two miles south of Ayr on various dates from 19th November to 22nd December (GAR, RBT). One was on the beach at Thurso, Caithness, on 27th and 28th August, and three were in the same place on Ist October iB yoy | 2nd October three were noted at the Eden Estuary 1967 CURRENT, NOTES 385 Very far north for the time of year, a Greensnank was rec- orded near Evanton, Easter Ross, on 20th December (CGH). The peak in Knot numbers at the Almond Estuary was a month earlier than usual on 6th November when about 4000 were in the area (TCS), At Tyninghame the estimate of about 1000 present on 11th December was exceptional (RWJS). Single Little Stints in October were at Eden Estuary on 2nd (DWO); Skinflats on the same day (JFMC, MC, IT); and Aberlady on 16th (IG, GTW). A visitor from across the At- lantic was a Pectoral Sandpiper at Virkie, Shetland, which was first seen in flight at dusk on 2lst September. The next day better views were obtained of it and its Ruff-like char- acteristics, but with speckled breast delineated sharply from light underparts, were clearly seen (GDJ). An August Curlew Sandpiper not mentioned previously (4: 318) was at Barassie on 2lst (RWF). Singles were at Eden Estuary on 2nd October (DWO); Tyninghame on 2nd and 16th (TB, IBR, RWJS); and Montrose Basin on 3rd (GMC), One was seen on 2nd October at Skinflats and there were two there on 8th and 16th (JFMC, MC, IT). Great Skuas staying rather late in the north were lone birds seen at Foula on Ist, 2nd and 8th November (AMd). Also in Shetland, a Pomarine Skua was seen between Fair Isle and Sumburgh on 11th October (RJT). At the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire, a Long-tailed Skua was seen in flight on 23rd August (FMB, ETC). Winter records of Lesser Black-backed Gulls in Edinburgh are of one at Lochend Loch on 20th November (DGA), and three at Duddingston on 28th December (MAM). One of the Scandinavian race was at Gullane Bay, East Lothian, on 22nd October (MAM). An immature Glaucous Gull was at Wick on 27th October (per DMS), and there was another at Nigg Bay, Kincardineshire, on 16th October (ADKR). Single Iceland Gulls in Aberdeen were seen at Seaton Park on 19th November and over King’s College on 2nd December (ADKR). A bird of this species was at Scrabster, Caithness, on 21st November and 24th December (per DMS), and singles on Fair Isle on 9th and 21st November and 8th December (RHD). In Angus 180 Little Gulls were counted at Carnoustie on 7th October (GMC), and there were 53 nearby at Buddon on 10th (HBs). In Fife single adults were seen at Kilconquhar on 17th October (PGTB), and near Elie on 20th November (DWO). A first-winter Kittiwake was inland at Gladhouse on 20th November (RWJS). The only report of a Little Auk outside Shetland is of one found alive in Tentsmuir Forest, Fife, on 13th December (ISW per VMT). 386 CURRENT NOTES 4(5) Guillemots do not normally return to their breeding cliffs until well into the new year especially in the north. On Han- da, Sutherland, they returned some three weeks earlier than they had been known to do previously on 24th December 1965 and even sooner this year when they were back on the cliffs in their thousands on 14th December (per GW). Further south, Guillemots were seen in large numbers on the White Heugh and stacks at St Abb’s Head, Berwickshire, on 22nd Decem- ber, the shortest day of the year (GW). In 1965-66 Guillemots at Fair Isle were recorded ashore on 15th November, regular- ly from 12th January, and continuously from ond April (Fair Isle Bird Obs. Bull. 5: 203). A Turtle Dove on the Isle of May, Fife, on 6th October (HAF), and another at Ballaggan, Stirlingshire, on 7th (JM), were no doubt continental migrants. There were two on Fair Isle on 12th October and one on 19th-22nd (RHD). A Nightjar, discovered at the Moor of Genoch on 21st September, had a broken wing and unfortunately died subsequently (per RCD). A Kingfisher was found at Skibo Estuary, Dornoch Firth, Sutherland, on 12th November and was still in the area on 26th (DMcD). A Hoopoe at Badenkep farm, Buchlyvie, Stir- lingshire, on 24th October (JWM per JM), and one which flew up from beside the road near Luss, Dunbartonshire, on a November (JDD) could well both have been the same ird. There was a Woodlark on Fair Isle on 24th October (RHD). Three Shore Larks were seen at two different places in Octo- ber: at Spike Island, Tyninghame, on 16th (RWJS), and among sand dunes one mile south of Newburgh, Aberdeen- shire, on 30th (GMD). November Swallows have been reported from the following places: Newburgh—1 on 3rd and several on 4th (GMD). Brechin, Angus—1 on 29th (GMC). Lundin Links, Fife—2 Hees on 4th (PGTB). Aberlady—5 on 7th (PC, G Longniddry, E. earn ita on Sth (HAF, MFMM). Stranraer, Wigtown—Z on 27th (HF). Sandhead, Wigtown—1 on 3rd (RCD). A late House Martin nest containing two young was found in Dunbar, East Lothian, on 8th October (PJ, AFL). The lat- est report of this species is of one at Dumfries on 28th Octo- ber (JMD, DMs). A Hooded Crow seen near Sorn, Ayrshire, on 20th October was rather to the south of the normal range of this species (GAR). The first Magpie to be recorded in North Sutherland was originally seen a few miles south of Bowside on the River Strathy on 16th June and remained in the area until 1967 CURRENT NOTES 387 mid September (AC, RNC). A. few Great Tits appeared in Shetland in late October and early November and some were still present at the end of December (RJT). One of the Continental race was trapped on Fair Isle on 10th October (RHD). Several observers have commented on the good numbers of Long-tailed Tits to be seen about in the south but the reports from the north are more striking. In Caithness the first for many years were seen in October when there were 20 beside the Wick River on 8th, 15 in Wick on 15th and 15 at Castletown on 24th, with smaller numbers in several areas thereafter (per DMS). In Orkney two appeared on North Ronaldsay on 20th October (KW), and in Stornoway Woods, Lewis, the first were two on 5th November and they were seen regularly thereafter until the end of the year, the highest count being of eight (IMM, JMM, WMn). Also in an unusual area, well north of its normal range, a Treecreeper was seen in Scalloway, Shetland, be- tween 21st and 23rd October (RHD, RJT). The first Fieldfares in Shetland were very early with one on Fair Isle on 30th and 31st July, and in August, five on 4th, 14 by 6th and 20 on 7th (RHD). Four were in Unst by Sth August (MS, FW); three on Foula from 13th to 19th (AMd); two on Fetlar on 29th (WO); and one on Out Skerries on 3lst (RJT). Surprisingly the only August record from elsewhere is of three in Glen Clova, Angus, on 14th (GR per GW), nor indeed are there reports of more than a few birds in September though there were 90 at Fair Isle on 28th and 250 on 29th (RHD). In the Moorfoots, Midlothian, several hundred were seen on 2nd October (WB). A large influx occurred on 5th and 6th October, when numbers reported in the south of the country were very great, though in Caithness there appeared fewer than usual (DMS). On 5th there were many hundreds in Glen Affric, Inverness-shire (DCH), and about 1500 were counted going south at Cross- hill, Ayrshire (RBT), while a similar number were seen pass- ing over Ayr (GAR). On 6th a big movement began at Fair Isle (RHD), there was a noticeable increase in Caithness (DMS), and hundreds were passing Fife Ness (DWO). There was a big fall in Shetland on 7th (RJT), with a Fair Isle peak of 800 on 7th-8th (RHD), and on 9th 1500 were counted going south during the day at Yetholm (RSB). The arrivals seem to have carried on right through the middle of the month. On 13th there was a concentration of about 680 near Barr, Ayrshire (GAR), and a further large influx was noted in Shetland on 16th (RJT) with 750 at Fair Isle on 19th (RHD). At the end of the month a further movement took place in the east. On 29th and 30th parties were going west at Dirle- ton, East Lothian, at a rate of about 500 per hour (MFMM), 388 CURRENT. NOTES 4(5) and further down the coast hundreds were passing north- west at Tyninghame on 30th (RWJS). On 3l1st they were passing WNW over the Meadows, Edinburgh, at a rate of 300 per hour (TCS). Most of these reports refer to passage, but the impression gained by most observers is that the numbers wintering are well above average this year, Two Song Thrushes at Gladhouse on 27th November showed the white underparts and grey backs of the Continental race as well as being at a higher level than that at which British birds normally winter (DGA). Big movements were noted at Fair Isle from 6th to 22nd October, with peaks of 800 on 7th- 8th and 300 on 19th-20th (RHD). The first Redwing was seen in Unst on 2nd September (MS); two were on Fair Isle on 13th (RHD); and six were seen at Bridge of Orchy, Argyllshire, on 22nd (ADKR). The first big flocks arrived in Shetland on 29th (RJT), when 500 were on Fair Isle (RHD). On 1st October there were 600 on Out Skerries (RJT), over 600 on Fair Isle (RHD), and 200 at Fife Ness (DWO); and on 2nd Fair Isle numbers had doubled to 1200 (RHD), the first was seen in Lewis (WMn), parties were migrating in the Moorfoots (WB), and 80 had reached Yetholm (RSB). Fair Isle had a peak of 2500 on 6th, 2000 on 7th-8th and 1000 on 10th (RHD). At Crosshill, Ayrshire, on oth October some 500 were seen going south (RBT), and the same number were seen during the 9th at Yetholm (RSB). On 14th 400 were seen coming in off the sea at St Abb’s Head (DIMW). In Shetland Redwings outnumbered Fieldfares on passage up to 16th October and thereafter the situation was reversed (RJT). Of over 2000 thrushes at Fife Ness on 6th October the majority were Redwings and, as was the case with the early Shetland arrivals, a good proportion were Song Thrushes (DWO). Good numbers of Ring Ouzels were seen in Shetland with the early thrush movements and again around 16th October (RJT), and there are also several re- ports for this period from further south. The scarcity of Blackbirds in their usual October numbers was noticeable both in Shetland and in Caithness (RHD, DMS, RJT). A Redstart at Castlebay, Barra, on 16th October (MR), and a female Black Redstart at Fife Ness on 6th (DWO), were both well off their migratory routes. Large numbers of Robins arrived on the east coast in the first half of October: after spectacular arrivals in Shetland, many were reported to be wintering (RJT). The main move- ments on Fair Isle were from 6th to 23rd October with a peak of 250 on 13th (RHD). At Fife Ness there were 12 on Ist October, 20 on 2nd, 40 on 6th and 100 on 13th (DWO). On 9th October there was one every few yards along the cliffs at Dunbar, making a total of about 50, most of them 1967 CURRENT NOTES 389 singing (MFMM). Rather further east, at St Abb’s Head, the maximum count was of 55 on 15th (DIMW). Several Blackcaps were seen in October along with other migrants, the most off course being two females at Castle- bay, Barra, on 16th (MR), and the biggest count 25 on 7th at Fair Isle, where the latest was seen on 8th November (RHD). The first birds which could be said to be wintering were a female at Colintraive, Argyllshire, on 21st November (MMR), and a male in the Castle grounds at Stornoway on 2ith (IMM). A hen was in a garden at Roslin, Midlothian, from 25th December until at least 30th (ADKR). Three Barred Warblers were recorded in October: one in Lerwick, Shetland, from 3rd till 5th (DC), one on Fair Isle on Ist (RHD), and one at St Abb’s Head on 17th (DIMW). A Chiffchaff was in Castle Wocds, Stornoway, on 20th November (IMM, WMn, MFMM), and the last at Fair Isle the same day (RHD). A large influx of Goldcrests took place on the east coast in late September and Octcber. Some were reported from Tar- bat Ness lighthouse, Easter Ross, each night from 24th to 28th September (per CGH), and a fairly large fall was noted in the second week of October at Scurdie Ness lighthouse, Angus (per GMC). Many arrived in Shetland during the first half of October (RJT), with 200 on 10th and 300 on 13th on Fair Isle (RHD), and counts at Fife Ness totalled 15 on Ist, 10 on 6th and 50 on 13th (DWO). Minimum figures at St Abb’s Head were 75 on 14th, 130 on 15th, 60 on 17th and 50 on 19th (DIMW). An influx was also recorded at Wick on 15th and 16th (per DMS); at Dalmeny woods, West Lothian, on 16th (TCS); and at Barns Ness, East Lothian, on 15th, when ten were present (DIMW). In Shetland three Red-breasted Flycatchers were seen in the first week of October: one in Yell, one in Lerwick and one in Unst (per RJT). One was at Fair Isle on 13th (RHD) and another at Fife Ness on 10th (PGTB). A Grey Wagtail frequented Castle Woods, Stornoway, be- tween 5th November and 16th December (JMM, IMM, WMn). Also in an unusual place, one was perched on the fountain in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, on 13th September (DGA). Great Grey Shrike records are very numerous, even consid- ering that it is a conspicuous species and not all sightings may refer to different birds. They have been reported from the following counties: Shetland—about 24 reported 6-22 Oct: up to 6, Unst, 15th-22nd (MS, FW); up to 5, Fetlar, 7th-16th (WO); at least 3-4, Whalsay, 8th-12th (J. Simpson); 2, Sumburgh, 6th (DC); 1, Yell, 6th (A. Gear) and 16th ae 1, Collafirth, 7th and 16th (A. Nicolson); 1-2, Foula, 7th-11th 390 CURRENT NOTES 4(5) Caithness—1 at Bilbster on 11 Oct (JARG); 1 at Loch Dhu on 8th; 1 at Wick on 15th; 1 at Tister on 29th (per DMS). Sutherland—1 in outskirts of Dornoch on 3 Nov (DMcD). Ross—l between Inverpolly and Badagyle on 22 Oct (RNC); 1 near Garve on 10 Nov (ENH); 1 between Evanton and Dingwall on 2 Nov CGH). : ee ee catching insects between Eabost and Dunvegan, Skye, on 10 Oct (HSCH, KCRH); 1 at Boat of Garten in early Oct; 1 at Laggan Bridge throughout Nov; 1 at Dunachton, Kincraig, at end Nov and early Dec; 1 at Dulnain Bridge in late Dec (DNW); 1 at Torlundy, Fort William, on 25 Dec (RHD). Perth—1 catching insects at Loch Rushy, near Callander, on 15 Oct (VEC); 1 at Killin on 30 Oct (VMT); 1 beside Loch Lubnaig on 11 Nee (EG); 1 seen to pursue Blue Tit at Aberfoyle on 26 Nov (PC, ARDY. Aberdeen—1 in Old Aberdeen on 1 Dec (ADKR); 1 at Strachan, Banchory, on 16 Dec (AW). Angus—1 at Airlie, Kirriemuir, on 22 Oct and 17 Nov (DAT); 1 at (me Basin on 17 Oct; 1 in Glenesk on 20 Oct and 2 on 23rd Fife—1 on Isle of May on 6th and 7 Oct (HAF); immature at Fife Ness on 8 Oct and adults on 14 Oct and 5 Nov (DWO). Dunbarton—1 at Ardlui on 30 Oct (VMT); 1 at Endrick Mouth (on Stirlingshire border) on 23rd and 29 Oct (ETI, TM), 13 Nov (WKR), and, after disappearing for most of December, on 31 Dec (ETI, JM). Midlothian—1 at Fountainhall, Stow, from 28 Oct to at least 20 Nov (H1INM, AJS); 1 found dead beside parked cars in George Street, Edin- burgh (though not necessarily having succumbed there), on 19 Nov (JG per WA); 1 at Rosslynlea reservoir on 20 Nov (EMS, RWJS); 1 in Dens Cleuch on 26 Nov (MAM), and 1 nearby at Threipmuir on 4 Dec (DJB, JADH); 1 seen to catch Brambling on Braid Hills on 4 Dec (HG). Peebles—1 at Portmore Loch on 1 Jan 1967 (DD). Berwick—1 at St Abb’s Head on 15 Oct (DIMW). Ayr—1 seen to kill Robin and skewer it on thorn bush at Dalrymple on 27 Nov (per GAR). Kirkcudbright—l1 near Dundrennan on 25 Oct (RB per JMD); 1 at Pee on 22 Nov (GAF); 1 at Woodhall Loch on 4 Dec (WA, GAR, ADW). Dumfries—1 at Drumlanrig Castle on 10 Nov (JF). A migrant immature or female Red-backed Shrike was at Tyninghame on 16th October (TB, IBR, EMS, RWJS). Towards the end of the year a new Starling roost was found at Broubster in Caithness. It was estimated that 50,000 birds were packed into an area of about 600 square yards in a small coniferous plantation (per DMS). A Hawfinch was seen at Winchburgh, West Lothian, on 20th November (per IHJL). Also local and therefore worth recording, Goldfinches seen have been: four at the River Creed, Stornoway, on 27th November (IMM); six at Strachan, Aberdeenshire, on 9th December (NP); and 30 feeding on thistles in a garden in Aviemore, Inverness-shire, in late November and early December (DNW). A few records of Siskins show some to have arrived with 1967 CURRENT NOTES 391 the other migrants in the first half of October, Parties of 12 and upwards were to be seen in Shetland at that time (RJT), and Fair Isle had peaks of 58 on 7th and 45 on 13th (RHD), while at Fife Ness the maximum count was seven on 2nd (DWO). Also on 2nd, one was seen in Dalmeny Woods (TCS), and two were at Drummore Harbour, Wigtownshire (RCD). 25 were seen at St Abb’s Head on 14th (DIMW), and ten were at Stormont Loch on 16th (VMT). The number of Twite in the southwest during the autumn was much greater than usual. In Wigtownshire, 33 were seen at Piltanton Estuary on 12th November and 45 were in a turnip field beside Wigtown Merse on 18th December (RCD). In Ayrshire parties were larger with over 150 near Colmonell on 22nd November, and flocks of over 80 at Dunure on 29th November and at Bogside on Ist December, as well as many parties of up to 20 along the coast (GAR). The first record of Bullfinches in Lewis is of a pair in Castle Woods, Stornoway, on 21lst November (MFMM). Two males were seen in Shetland on 19th October (DC), and Fair Isle had at least one male (22nd-24th October) and one female (5th-9th November) of the Northern race (RHD). The only reports of Crossbills are of one at Fair Isle on 13th and 15th October (RHD), one at Fife Ness on 13th October (DWO), and four at Ford, Midlothian, from about 3lst October until at least 16th December (CW). As with winter thrushes, observers of Bramblings often re- port “large numbers” or “a good year” so that the more num- erous the species becomes the fewer concrete figures there are to support the impression. Where numbers have been esti- mated this year they proved to be very large. The first in Shetland was an early female at Fair Isle from 7th to 9th August and odd birds were there from 27th August to 5th September. On 28th September there were 90 and on 29th at least 200 (RHD), when there were also 150 at Out Skerries (RJT). The big fall took place the following week, however, for on 7th October 400-500 were on Yell and over 1500 on Fair Isle, and flocks of 300-400 were seen in the islands during the rest of the month (RHD, RJT). The earliest further south was at Fife Ness on 2nd October and 150 were there on 6th (DWO). On 5th, 40 were seen going south at Crosshill, Ayr- shire (RBT). Of the many flocks seen subsequently through- out the country the largest were: 400-500 near Heriot, Mid- lothian, on 5th November (WB); at least 300 at Yetholm Loch between 6th November and 26th December (RSB); at least 1000 near Hawick, Roxburghshire, on 16th November (WSM); about 500 and over 1000 in fields at Middleton Moor, Mid- lothian, on 20th November (WB); over 300 at Watten Mains, Caithness, on 24th November (JARG); 500-600 near Stane, 392 CURRENT NOTES 4(5) Shotts, Lanarkshire, on 11th December (RF, RWF); and at least 1000 at Dunbog, Fife, also on 11th December (TS per JW). Good views were had of an immature Ortolan Bunting at Fife Ness on 14th October, and it was also heard to call on a few occasions (DWO). After the strong arrival at Fair Isle in September (4: 321), there are several reports of Lapland Buntings from elsewhere, including a few in Shetland during October (RJT). About 20 were seen near Tain, Easter Ross, on 17th December (CGH), and one was heard at Barns Ness on 15th October (DIMW). At Aberlady there were nine on 8th October (EMS, RWJS), five on 16th (IG, GTW), a male on ae als three on 13th November (NE), and one on 19th Apart from a male which spent the summer on Foula (per RJT), the first Snow Bunting was one at Fair Isle on 11th Sep- tember, and numbers on the island rose progressively there- after, though maxima of 100-120 were less than usual (RHD). On Fetlar, Shetland, there were at least 50 by 16th (WO, RJT), and four were at Aberlady by 25th (JSO). In Caithness two Tree Sparrows were at Gersta on 11th Nov- ember and one was at Castletown on 4th December (per DMS). A large flock in a more normal area was of 200 on stubble between Silverknowes and Cramond, Midlothian, on 4th December (TCS). Earlier observations—before Ist August 1966 A Little Auk, still in winter plumage, was seen flying out of Mid Yell Voe, Shetland, on the late date of 2ist May. Also staying longer than usual into the summer was a Redwing flying up the Burn of Northdale on Fetlar, Shetland, on 28th May (KLF). General observations—behaviour Additional information has come to light on the habit of Common Gulls of nesting in trees (see 4: 324). In 1952 a nest was discovered 22 feet up in an oak tree beside Loch Tummel, its presence there perhaps being connected with the fact that the level of the loch had recently been raised and had swamped the sites previously used (RNC). A more recent record is of two nests found in the crowns of small Scots Pines at heights of eight and ten feet respectively near Evan- ton on 10th May 1966. Each contained three eggs which were being incubated. Local information suggested that this was a normal habit and that these nests tended to be more suc- cessful than those in the same colony on the ground which were subject to heavy predation (CGH). A Wren’s nest at an unusual height was found at Currie, Midlothian, on 29th June some 25 feet off the ground in a 1967 CURRENT NOTES 393 Scots Pine. By 29th July there were young in the nest, and it contained no remains on 24th November, suggesting that the young had fledged (CPR). On 23rd April a Blackbird was heard singing in a com- pletely dark shed at Leith docks. A nest, which contained young on 12th August, was constructed at a height of 25-30 feet above the ground in another shed nearby (CPR). Correction Loch Shandra, where a Scaup was seen on 20th August (4: 315) is not in Perthshire but in Angus near Kirkton of Glenisla. Reviews Ireland’s Birds: their Distribution and Migrations. By Robert F. Rutt- ledge. London, Witherby, 1966. Pp. xv + 207; map and 11 plates (16 photographs, one double-page). 214 x 14 cm. 30/-. It was as recently as 1954 that Irish ornithology was brought up to date by the publication of The Birds of Ireland, of which Major Rutt- ledge was one of the three authors. This was the first general survey of Irish birds for over 50 years, and now after only 12 years the picture is again brought up to date (to the end of 1965) by the present work. It is a tribute to the amount of ornithological activity in Ireland that enough material has accumulated over this short period to justify a new publica- tion. Much new information on migration has resulted from the opening of observatories on the islands of Copeland, Tory and Cape Clear—es- pecially the last-named, which has revealed movements of seabirds on a scale quite unsuspected previously—and a great deal more is now known about the status and distribution of the breeding birds. These developments are all fully summarised in Ireland’s Birds, which is illus- trated with well selected habitat photographs and contains some excellent introductory sections on general and local topography and on migration. This is a book which will be indispensable for any ornithologist vis- iting Ireland, but its value goes further than this and it will be of particular interest to Scottish ornithologists. The bird faunas of the two countries have much in common, and Ireland is an important wintering ground for many of the Scottish breeding birds, and also for many of the migrants which have passed through Scotland on their way from northern Europe. Many of the changes in status that have taken place in Ireland during the present century are closely parallelled in Scotland. Thus big increases have been recorded in almost all the breeding and wintering duck, and one feels some sympathy with the wildfowl counters at Lough Neagh who have to cope with such numbers as 4,000 Golden- eye, 14,000 Pochard and 25,000 Tufted Duck. The numbers of wintering Grey Lag Geese have decreased greatly over the past 25 years, due to the fact that virtually the whole of the Icelandic population is now remaining to winter in Scotland, and one could wish that Ireland would be equally generous in exporting ‘in our direction some of the Pale-breast- ed Brent Geese that have shown such a gratifying increase in the past ten years. Our export to Ireland—the pair of Golden Eagles which first bred in Antrim in 1953 and which attracted some notoriety by continuing to bring Scottish blue hares to their eyrie—has unfortunately led to no permanent colonisation, and the last record of breeding was in 1960. Hen Harriers are continuing their recovery, but with the commoner birds 394 REVIEWS 4(5) of prey it is the all-too-familiar story of a general decline. Wood Sand- piper, Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Little Gull and Black Tern are species which have all proved only recently to be regular on migration. As in Scotland, Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls have increased greatly, and the Collared Dove was well established and breeding in 15 counties by the end of 1964. Other breeding species which are increasing are Carrion Crow, Jay, Chough, Grasshopper War- bler, Chiffchaff, Pied Wagtail, Bullfinch and Tree Sparrow, while on the debit side Arctic Tern, Barn Owl, Ring Ouzel and Corn Bunting all show material decreases. Nightjar and Kingfisher, two species which have declined drastically in Scotland over the past 20 years, appear to be holding their own in Ireland although there is some recent evidence of local decrease on the part of the Kingfisher. One may perhaps regret that the author did not devote more space to showing how these and other changes in status and distribution fit into the wider pattern of current changes throughout western Europe as a whole, and one may query his decision to include no section on foreign distribution. These criticisms, however, need not deter us from giving a warm welcome to this latest and most valuable addition to the ornithological literature of our islands. DOUGAL G. ANDREW. Birds of the Atlantic Islands. Vol. 3. A History of the Birds of the Azores. By David A. and W. Mary Bannerman. Illustrated by D. M. Reid-Henry, G. E. Lodge, C. F. Tunnicliffe and others. Edinburgh and London, Oliver & Boyd, 1966. Pp. xix + 262; 20 plates (7 in colour) of 6 paintings and 23 photographs (2 in colour), 54 line drawings and 8 maps. 26% x 182 cm. 8&4/-. Detailed reviews of the two earlier volumes in this series were pub- lished in Scottish Birds 3: 45; 4: 259. One marvels at the prodigious output of fine bird books from Dr Bannerman and at the energy of his field excursions at the age of 80. This latest volume is very much in the best Bannerman tradition. In place of the dry abbreviated checklist that one must often accept for an area that has been ornithologically rather neglected, here is a spacious treatment that allows the author to give of his best. It is the third volume in a series originally planned to fill two but now to be completed in four with an account of the birds of the Cape Verde Islands. Individual volumes for the different groups of islands are clearly an advantage and have enabled the author to work on his canvas expansively and to include extra background which might have been squeezed out. The layout is attractive and uncramped and in addi- tion to the detailed accounts of the individual species there are chapters on local ornithological work and personalities as well as contributed ar- ticles on the various islands and many maps. Wisely Dr Bannerman continues to call on his friends to write on their particular subjects, and the result is a better book. The new coloured plates by D. M. Reid-Henry are as acceptable as ever, but one cannot feel the same enthusiasm for the inclusion of plates by George Lodge that have already appeared in The Birds of the British Isles. Doubtless this makes it economically possible to illustrate the work in colour, and probably it will be perfectly satisfactory for readers in the Azores, but many people who buy the book may feel slightly aggrieved, especially as there seems to be no indication that these are not new illustrations. Without the same reservations one notes also that many of the attractive vignettes which add a lightness to the text pages have already appeared in one or both the previous volumes in the series. 1967 REVIEWS 395 Birdwatchers visiting the Azores must obviously have this book, but they will still be few in number. Most of us will buy it for other reas- ons, some for reference and interest and others because it is a real pleasure to own and to handle. Let us not forget that this is a Scottish book—written, printed and published in Scotland. We should be grateful that Edinburgh is still producing work of this quality. It cannot be said too often that Oliver & Boyd have done a magnificent job on this as on all the earlier Bannerman volumes they have published since the war. ANDREW T. MACMILLAN. Population Studies of Birds. By David Lack. Oxford, Clarendon Press (Oxford University Press), 1966. Pp. v + 341; one plate, 31 line drawings, 31 text figures and 50 tables. 233 x 153 cm. 63/-. Many ornithologists and ecologists will have been eagerly awaiting the publication of Dr Lack’s latest book. It is a sequel to his earlier work on The Natural Regulation of Animal Numbers, published in 1954, and is a critical assessment of the ideas there put forward, in the light of the longterm studies of bird populations carried out since it was written. The book is therefore concerned with such problems as breeding seasons, clutch size, age of maturity, density-dependent mortality, and territory, in relation to the current and widely conflicting views of various work- ers on how animal numbers are determined in nature. Studies on 24 species are reviewed, including familiar birds such as tits, owls, Wood- pigeon and Blackbird. The work of Scottish ornithologists figures pro- minently, particularly their studies of Red Grouse and Ptarmigan. The value of this book lies not only in its being a standard reference on bird population studies, but also in its review, in an appendix, of the theoretical controversies concerning animal populations. In this, Lack summarises the main points of his earlier book, chapter by chapter, and then discusses density-dependent regulation, the attack on density- dependence and, lastly, animal dispersion. He suggests that in evaluating these population studies the reader should keep in mind three divergent theories of population dynamics. The first is based on the assumption that animal populations are nor- mally in a state of balance and that, though they fluctuate, they do so in a more or less stable and restricted manner. This situation can be brought about only through density-dependent factors which tend to depress the population at high densities and to increase it at low den- sities. The chief factors influencing numbers which might vary in a density-dependent way are the reproductive rate, the mortality due to food shortage, predation or disease, and self-regulating behaviour such as territorial fighting. On the second theory density-dependent control is held to be quite unimportant in nature, and most animal populations are considered to fluctuate irregularly in numbers from year to year through factors, not- ably those linked with climate, which act independently of density. On the third view, developed comprehensively by Wynne-Edwards, the concept of density-dependent regulation is accepted, and food shortage is considered to be the ultimate factor limiting numbers; but animals normally regulate their own density far below the potential upper limit set by food, because through group-selection they have evolved both dispersive behaviour and restraints on reproduction. Lack maintains the first theory, combined with the view, developed especially for birds, that the reproductive rate (in particular, the number of eggs in the clutch) has been evolved through natural selection to correspond with the number which, on average, gives rise to the great- 396 REVIEWS 4(5) est number of surviving offspring. Since clutch size varies little with population density, the main regulation of numbers must be brought about by density-dependent variations in mortality; and in wild birds the commonest density-dependent mortality factor is food shortage. Lack points out, however, that the effects of food shortage may be greatly modified by movements, local as well as long-distance. This is a scientific book more likely to appeal to the research worker and student, to whom it will become a standard work, than to the amateur, who may find it a little heavy. However, I recommend it to the amateur, with the advice that if he reads it carefully future reflections on nature will prove more rewarding. DoH. VEE Ss: The Shell Bird Book. By James Fisher. London, Ebury Press and Mich- ael Joseph, 1966. Pp. 344; 20 colour plates, numerous text figures and illustrations; endpaper maps, 193 x 12% cm. 25/-. This is not an easy book to review. Following, as it does, a run of Shell nature publications of wide ‘popular’ appeal one not unnaturally expects to find The Shell Bird Book somewhat similar in outlook. It comes as rather a surprise, therefore, to find that the emphasis is very much on the historical aspects of ornithology. In his preface James Fisher says that he felt it was time to write an essay on fossil birds and also to analyse the birds of mediaeval times. He has done both these things and also reviewed birds in literature and ornithologists through the ages in the historical section which oc- cupies one third of the book (chapters 1, 2, 8, 9 and 10). There is an impressive amount of information crammed into this section—so much, in fact, that at times readability tends to be sacrificed for the sake of detail. This assembling of historical facts is obviously invaluable for reference purposes but one wonders if a ‘popular’ book is really the most suitable place for such detailed essays as these. Migration, protection, bird-gardening, song and “the peculiarity of British birds”’—subjects likely to be of great interest to many readers— receive by comparison only sketchy treatment in a further 100 pages. The final third of the book comprises a detailed guide to birdwatching areas, societies and publications and a complete list of British birds, with brief indications of present status and a note of the earliest known records. The small colour plates by Eric Ennion are unusual and attrac- tive but the portraits of bearded birdwatchers, which outnumber the bird studies in black-and-white, do little to enliven the text. The reviewer was left with an impression of lack of balance in this book. Most of the author’s interest and attention seem centred on the historical aspects of his subject and his treatment of more recent topics is less comprehensive than usual for a James Fisher book. VALERIE M. THOM. Shell Nature Lovers’ Atlas of England, Scotland & Wales. By James Fisher. London, Ebury Press and Michael Joseph, 1966. Pp. 16 + 32 un. + 32 pp. coloured maps. 21% x 14 cm. 7/6. At last! A guide, with maps, to places in Britain (about 700 of them) of interest to naturalists of all sorts, and not an atlas of great weight and cost but a low-priced pocket-sized compendium containing a maxi- mum of information in a minimum of space. The 32 sectional maps of Britain, mostly 12 miles to 1 inch, drawn by John R. Flower, are over- printed with the National Grid, main roads and towns and 15 different symbols (the larger areas defined by grey tint) representing the different types of areas under some form of protection, from National Parks, 1967 REVIEWS 397 Forest Parks and Nature Reserves to smaller local reserves and sanc- tuaries or areas of specific interest to the botanist and birdwatcher; also selected archaeological and geological sites, and many zoos, aquaria and botanic gardens. The maps are interleaved with the text notes describ- ing the essential features of each site. The whole is prefaced by an index and four pages of addresses of organisations responsible for or connected with the areas in the atlas. No small task for one man to compile such an atlas, but who better to undertake it than James Fisher, whose interests cover every branch of natural history, and who, to quote the small print on the inside cover, “has pursued his hobby and profession in every county of England, Scotland and Wales, has seen every island in the United Kingdom and landed on most.” Nor has he placed dry paragraphs from official publica- tions in the limited space for the description of each site. As one would expect, the notes have an individual touch and a number of Fisherisms; and it is right and proper that the author should wax lyrical about the Yorkshire Dales “ ...loved alike by hard-headed farmers, adventurous pot-holers, tender artists and dedicated naturalists.’ There is, under- standably, a slight bias towards ornithology, but it is up to the botanists of Orkney, and others, to notify any omissions to Mr Fisher, who wel- comes suggestions or corrections for future editions. Taking a closer, critical look at the maps and the text: the best points are that (1) the concise details about each site are always on the page opposite the relevant map, and (2) the decimal reference system allows for insertion of later additions, and is easy to use in all directions be- tween map, text and index. Inevitably there are several small misprints, but also a couple of premature Nature Reserves; and some confusion (but one hopes no ill feeling) may arise from the inclusion of proposed conservation areas or reserves, using the same symbols as for established sites. Inevitably too, some omissions: where are White Coomb and the Grey Mare’s Tail? The system of grid lines on the maps and grid refer- ences should suffice for anyone with one-inch maps, but the lack of road numbering necessitates constant reference to other maps. The grey tint sometimes obscures underlying detail, and is confusing in representing several different types of area, especially on map 18 where two small grey Nature Reserve blobs overlie a large grey blob comprising mixed National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and suggested northward extension. Some users may have small quibbles over the class- ification of some sites. But these are all minor points which detract little from the main achievement, the production of this Atlas, for which there has long been a need, a need voiced by members of the public during both National Nature Weeks, and proved by present sales. Let us hope it has a long life, undergoing periodic moult into revised editions. NANCY J. GORDON. Requests for Information Carrion and Hooded Crows. David J. Heath, c/o Zoology Department, West Mains Road, Edinburgh 9, is making a study of relationships between these birds and of the reasons why the hybrid zone remains relatively narrow. He would particularly like to know of localities of interbreeding pairs and of any changes in the range of these two crows. Scar Rocks. At the suggestion of the Rev. John M. McWil- liam, the ornithological information on the Scar or Scare 398 REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION 4(5) Rocks, Luce Bay, Wigtownshire, is being brought up to date by John G. Young, The Nature Conservancy, Tadorna, Hol- lands Road, Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire. He would be most grateful for any contributions, especially counts or estimates of the development of the Gannet colony and of other sea- bird numbers. Full acknowledgment will be given. The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club SUMMER EXCURSIONS Important Notes 1. Members may attend excursions of any Branch in addition to those arranged by the Branch they attend regularly. 2. Where transport is by private cars please inform the organisers if you can bring a car and how many spare seats are available. All petrol expenses will be shared. 3. Please inform the organiser in good time if you are prevented from attending an excursion where special hire of boats or buses is involved. Failure to turn up may mean you are asked to pay for the place to avoid additional expense for the rest of the party. 4. Please bring meals as indicated (in brackets) below. ABERDEEN For all excursions, please notify Miss F. Greig, 9 Ashgrove Road, Aberdeen (Tel. 40241, Ext. Old Aberdeen 342, 9 am.-5 pm.), one week in advance. Sunday 14th May. BLACKHALL FOREST (subject to permission). Meet Blackhall main gate 10.30 a.m. (lunch and tea). Sunday 11th June. DINNET LOCHS (lunch and tea). Sunday 10th September. YTHAN ESTUARY AND LOCHS. Meet Cul- terty 10.30 a.m. (lunch). Sunday 29th October. LOCH STRATHBEG. Leader: J. Edelsten (lunch). AYR Saturday 22nd April. CULZEAN CASTLE, MAYBOLE (by kind per- mission of the National Trust for Scotland). Leader: A. G. Stewart. Meet Wellington Square, Ayr, 2 p.m. or car park, Culzean Castle, 2.30 puna (tea): Saturdays 13th and 20th May. HORSE ISLAND, ARDROSSAN (joint excursion with Scottish Wildlife Trust). Leaders: G. Fraser and T. Kay. Meet Wellington Square, Ayr, 1 pm. or Ardrossan Pier 2 p.m. (tea). Boat fare 5s. There will be a maximum of 11 passengers per excursion and members must contact A. G. Stewart, Branshuie, St Andrews Ave., Prestwick (Tel. 77113), at least seven days before the excursion. Saturday 3rd June DRUMLANRIG CASTLE, THORNHILL, DUM- FRIES (by kind permission of the Duke of Buccleuch). Leader: J. F. Young. Meet Wellington Square, Ayr, 1 p.m. or entrance to Queens Drive (near main road), Drumlanrig Castle, 2.30 p.m. (tea). Saturday 10th June AILSA CRAIG, NEAR GIRVAN (joint excursion with Scottish Wildlife Trust). Leader: J. T. F. Swarbrick. Meet Wel- lington Square, Ayr, 9.30 am. or Girvan Harbour 10.30 a.m. (lunch and tea). Boat fare 12s 6d. There will be a maximum of 20 passengers ne members should contact A. G. Stewart (address above) before 31st ay. 1967 tie SCOT sh -ORNIVHOLOGISTS? CLUB Se) Sunday 10th September. ABERLADY BAY NATURE RESERVE, EAST LOTHIAN. Leader: G. A. Richards. Meet Wellington Square, Ayr, 9 am. or Timber Bridge, Aberlady, 11.30 am. (lunch and tea). Sunday 17th September. FAIRLIE FLATS. Leader: Miss J. Howie. Meet Wellington Square, Ayr, 10.30 a.m. or on road immediately in front of Hunterston Nuclear Power Station 11.30 a.m. (lunch). DUMFRIES Sunday 7th May. WILLIAMWATH BRIDGE AND LOCHMABEN LOCHS. Leader: W. Austin. Meet Ewart Library, Dumfries, 1.30 p.m. Sunday 4th June. CASTLE POINT AND ROUGH ISLAND. Leader: J. K. R. Melrose. Meet Ewart Library, Dumfries, 130 p.m. (bring Wellingtons or boots). Sunday 2nd July. LUCE BAY AND ISLE OF WHITHORN. Leader: Donald Watson. Meet Ewart Library 10 a.m. (lunch and tea). Sunday 20th August. CAERLAVEROCK NATURE RESERVE (by kind permission of the Nature Conservancy). Leader: E. L. Roberts (War- den). Meet Ewart Library 1.30 p.m. (bring Wellingtons or boots). DUNDEE 4 All excursions by private car, leaving the City Square, Dundee, at a.m. Sunday 2nd April. FORFAR/RESCOBIE LOCHS. Sunday 30th April. FIFE NESS AND KILCONQUHAR LOCH. Sunday 28th May. GLENESK. Sunday 25th June. ISLE OF MAY. Numbers limited to 12. Details will be sent to applicants. Sunday 16th July. LOCH BEN-A-CHALLY. Sunday 20th August. MORTON LOCHS AND SHELLEY POINT. Sunday 17th September. SCURDYNESS AND MONTROSE BASIN. EDINBURGH Saturday 8th April. ABERLADY BAY NATURE RESERVE (spring migrants). Leader: C. K. Mylne. Meet Timber Bridge 2.30 p.m. (tea). Saturday 13th May. WESTWATER RESERVOIR, WEST LINTON (subject to permission). Afternoon excursion. Applications by 6th May to W. Brotherston, 22 Rutland Square, Edinburgh 1, who will supply details of time and meeting place (tea). Sunday 28th May. THE HIRSEL, COLDSTREAM (by kind permission of Sir Alec Douglas Home). Excursion by private cars. Applications by 20th May to J. A. Stewart, 109 Greenbank Crescent, Edinburgh 10 (Tel. MOR 4210), stating number of seats required or available. Cars leave Edinburgh from square behind National Gallery 10.30 am. for Hirsel at 12 noon (lunch and tea). Saturday 17th June. ISLE OF MAY (numbers limited to 12). Private cars. Applications by 10th June to Alastair Macdonald, Hadley Court, Haddington (Tel. 3204), stating number of seats required or available. Party meets and sails from West Pier, Anstruther, 11 a.m. prompt. Cost of boat about 12s 6d (lunch and tea). Saturday 15th July. BASS ROCK (by kind permission of Sir Hew Hamilton Dalrymple). Numbers limited. Applications by 8th July to Miss O. T. Thompson, 3a Falcon Road West, Edinburgh 10 (Tel. 031-447 1637). Boat leaves North Berwick Harbour 2.30 p.m. returning about 7 p.m. Tickets, about 10s 6d, will be purchased on the boat (tea). If weather is unsuitable for landing an alternative excursion from North Berwick will be arranged. 400) THE , SCOTTISH ORNITHBOLOGISTS CLUB 4(5) Saturday 23rd September. ABERLADY BAY NATURE RESERVE (autumn migrants). Leader: K. §$. Macgregor. Arrangements as for 8th April. GLASGOW Saturday 24th Jume. BASS ROCK (by kind permission of Sir Hew Ham- ilton Dalrymple). Leader: G. L. A. Patrick. Applications by 10th June to Mrs J. B. Hutchison, 27 Northbank Road, Kirkintilloch, by Glas- gow (Tel. Kirkintilloch 1464). Boat leaves North Berwick Harbour 1.30 p.m., returning about 7 p.m. Tickets (approx. 12s 6d) must be purchased at Harbour Office before embarking (lunch and tea). If weather is unsuitable for landing an alternative excursion from North Berwick will be arranged. Owing to growing lack of support over the past few years no excur- sions have been arranged for 1967 to either Little Cumbrae or Horse Island. INVERNESS Excursions Secretary: David Gardiner, 15 Grigor Drive, Inverness. Picnic flasks for all excursions except 14th June. Saturday 6th May. FALLS OF DIVACH, LEWISTON, DRUMNA- DROCHIT. Leader: David Gardiner. Meet Ness Bank Church, Island Bank Road, Inverness, 2 p.m. Sunday 14th May. CULACHY, FORT AUGUSTUS. Lea McNally, well known Gamekeeper/Naturalist, will be leader over Culachy Estate. Meet Station Square, Inverness, 10 am. (this excursion will be con- firmed by local circular). Friday 19th to Monday 22nd May. THURSO. Joint weekend with Thurso Group, whose Secretary, David Stark, will arrange day excursions to Caithness sea cliffs. Hotel accommodation and times of departure from Inverness to be arranged. Sunday 4th June. LOCH AFFRIC (by kind permission of the Forestry Commission and Mr Iain Wotherspoon, Glen Affric Lodge). Leader: James MacGeoch. Meet Station Square, Inverness, 10 a.m. Saturday 10th June. BLACK ISLE FORESTS (by kind permission of Mr H. A. Maxwell, Branch Chairman, who will also be leader). Meet Ness Bank Church 2 p.m. or North Kessock 2.30 p.m. Wednesday 14th June. STRATHNAIRN LOCHS. Leader: David Gar- diner. Meet Ness Bank Church 7 p.m. Sunday 25th June. BEINN EIGHE NATURE RESERVE (by kind per- mission of the Nature Conservancy). Leader: Reserve Warden Dick Balharry. Meet Station Square, Inverness, 9 a.m. ST ANDREWS Applications, not later than one week before each excursion, to Miss M. M. Spires, 4 Kinburn Place, St Andrews (tel 523). Saturday 20th May. KILCONQUHAR LOCH (by kind permission of Elie Estates). Meet North Lodge 2.30 p.m. (tea). Sunday 4th June. AN ANGUS GLEN (provisionally Glen Doll). Cars leave St Andrews Bus Station 9 a.m. (lunch and tea). Sunday 11th June. ST SERF’S ISLAND (subject to permission from saree) Estates). Boats leave the Sluices, Scotlandswell, 11 a.m. (lunch and tea). Saturday 17th June. TENTSMUIR. Cars leave St Andrews Bus Station Z p.m. (tea). pre nd Ts, wn NSD way So Woe ‘s whe Z » 84 NI bel ts [ 1 SS D Ss ee — . 2 = Y, z Leo ——_ SSS _—————~. - ~~ ee SS ee SSS Se = eS vy", SSS 5 Py ‘. Wy SSNS Ny BG S aN ~sS AY . +o AA NS ENR & USAR Saas LOW Shetland and Speyside— but much remains to be done. We need your support. Please write for Membership Prospectus. maintains eight Reserves and In Scotland “the R-.S:P-B: employs regional representatives in Orkney, Doar L} eer ae. BOO RSPB TE ROYALE SOCIETY FOR: @HE-PROTECTION OF BIRDS e protect and conserve’ to Tel. WAVerley 6042 Edinburgh 7 ’ 21 Regent Terrace AN ORNITHOLOGICAL TREASURE HOUSE Some of the 200 species which have been observed in Iceland: — LITTLE AUK Spend the long summer days in this intriguing country. The scale of the landscape and the ever-recurring contrasts of the scenery’ are only now being discov- PURPLE SANDPIPER ered by the tourist. Its GREY PHALAROPE wealth in birdlife, not BRUNNICH’S GUILLEMOT only in numbers but in ISEA-EAGLE the variety of the SNowy OWL species has caused it to ARcTIC TERN be described as “a real BaRROW’S GOLDENEYE paradise for birdwatch- HARLEQUIN DUCK Ely direct from GLASGOW AIRPORT by ICE LANDAIR NEW BOEING JET AIRCRAFT 2 ne ‘come into service in July fy “ hi 4 \ ae ; SPECIAL REDUCED RATES FOR GROUP TRAVEL | Consult your Local Travel Agent, any Office of B.E.A., or @ICELANDAIR 33 ST. ENOCH SQ., GLASGOW, C.I. Telephone: CiTy 36382 Cliff House 7 US toa Residential Club bird-watching Dunwich holiday in ORKNEY & SHETLAND In walking distance of Minsmere Bird Sanctuary Open from Easter till the from LEITH & ABERDEEN end of September Study, at close hand, an extraor- 1889—June, J. A. Harvie-Brown. 1913—23rd June, J. Kirke Nash, D. Hamilton. 1930—8th August (Horse Island only), G. Waterston, A. G. S. Bryson. 1934—15th-17th June, J. H. B. Munro, A. G. S. Bryson. 1955—24th July, W.U.F. 1960—18th May, K. Williamson, B. Campbell, P. A. Banks. 1963—15th-20th July, W.U.F. CANNA 1881—June, J.-A. Harvie-Brown. 1887—June, J. A. Harvie-Brown. 1902—26th June, W. H. Workman. 1920s—several visits, J. Kirke Nash. 1920s and early 1930s—notes kept by A. C. Thom, then owner of Canna. 1933—12th June, Miss D. Steinthal. 1933—16th-20th June, G. Waterston, A. G. S. Bryson. 1936—July, R. Carrick. ) 1937—June and July, J. D. Robertson. 1948—20th August-l0th September, Merchant Taylors’ School, Crosby, and Monkton Combe School, Bath; joint expedition. 1953—13th-24th June, H..A. Course. 1954— early July, R. Napier, W. Law. 1956—23rd-30th June, H. A. Course. 1956—4th-11th July, Miss D. Bradley. 1967 THE BIRDS;OF THE SMALL ISLES 445 1958—31st July, A. N. Sykes. 1961—17th-29th July, P.R.E., B. R. Slattery, Miss P. Harrison. 1961—14th-27th August, Repton School party. 1962—2nd-4th June, W. Wyper. 1962—31st July-15th August, P.R.E. and Ampleforth College party. 1962—8th-18th August, Miss E. Kiddie, Miss E. Cubitt. 1962—13th-25th August, ae pee. party. 1963—17th-29th June, P.R.E., R. Slattery, P. Woods, Mrs P. Woods. 1964—30th July-10th August, K eee Short Notes American Wigeon in Shetland Shortly after my return from leave on Fair Isle, in the middle of October 1966, I heard that a duck with an American ring had been shot during my absence. For the next few weeks I attempted to get information on the bird, but it was the middle of December before I was able to contact the fisherman concerned and obtain the ring and relevant in- formation. On 7th October 1966 George Leslie of. Virkie was hunting duck and encountered a flock of five on the Loch of Mails, two miles north of Sumburgh airport. He shot one, which he later found to have an American Fish and Wildlife Service ring 665-58773. When I saw him he said it was a normal Wigeon, but I discovered that it was somewhat smaller and lighter than others he had obtained on previous occasions, I did not see the bird at any time, but it was claimed to be good eating although rather small. Later I learned through the Ringing Office that the bird was an American Wigeon Anas americana and had been ringed as a female chick near Sheffield, Grand Lake, New Brunswick, Canada, on 6th August 1966, just two months before it was shot. I calculated that the distance between the ringing and recovery points was 2760 miles NE. I understand that this is the first satisfactory record for Shetland. It is of particular interest since there can be no doubt that this was a genuine wild bird, whereas there is frequently the suspicion with records of rare ducks that the birds have in fact escaped from collections. On published in- formation this is only the third recovery of an American- ringed duck in Britain. The other two were Pintail. M. Carns. ear details of another Scottish record see Current Notes. —Ep.) 446 SHORT NOTES 4(6) Surf Scoter in Fife In late autumn and winter there are big flocks of Common and Velvet Scoters off the east shore of Tentsmuir, On 2nd October 1966 my wife and I were using a 60x telescope to examine a flock of about 300, moving out on the ebbing tide, with a few Scaup and Slavonian Grebes and single Red- throated Diver, Great Crested Grebe and Guillemot, when We came on a drake Surf Scoter. It was a large black duck and at 4 mile range clearly showed a bold pear-shaped patch of white on the back, of the head, tapering almost to a point towards the base of the naye. When it faced us the bird showed a smaller narrow patch of white above the bill, which at that range looked pale orange and similar in size to the other scoters’ bills. R. Jos. (Surf Scoters were seen in the same area in 1928 and 1955 (Scot. Birds 2: 135). In the past five years there has been an increase in the number of Scottish records, with reports from the Solway and Moray firths, the Outer Hebrides, and Orkney (Scot. Birds 2: 306; 3: 195, 252, 362; 4: 294).—Eb.) King Eider in Shetland On 6th September 1966 G. D. Joy found a King Eider in a flock of about 1000 common Eider off Sumburgh Head. I had examined a raft of 700-800 Eiders there two days before but failed to find it. On the 7th with James Irvine I scanned these birds for 45 minutes before finding the King Eider. Being a drake in full eclipse it was most inconspicuous. The birds were diving and feeding and being harried slightly by a small party of Herring Gulls. One Eider was seen with a crab in its bill. After feeding, the King Eider preened and flapped its wings, showing the colour of the feet and the wing and underwing markings. We watched for about two hours and made the following description: Slightly smaller than Eider; similar shape, but forehead steep and tail shorter and more pointed. Colour mostly brown like female Eider, looking much darker when sun went behind a cloud; back and tail darker brown; breast creamy brown; scapulars white, but area smaller than Ejider’s; underwing dirty white; no sails visible in wings, nor white patch near legs; head brown, with pale line at edge of hood, extending down and back from eye; pale creamy ring round eye; bill dull pinkish orange, with white tip to upper mandible, the colour er more obvious when bird looked to one quarter; legs dull orange- yellow. We had both previously seen a drake King Eider in full plumage and another in the final stages of eclipse plumage (Scot. Birds 3: 311; 4: 295) and were able to confirm G. D. 1967 SHORT NOTES 447 Joy’s identification. On 9th September the big raft of birds was still there and I showed the bird to John H. Simpson of Whalsay, who also identified it although he had no pre- vious experience of the species. DENNIS COUTTS. Buzzards breeding in Orkney Until well into the 1950s the Buzzard was a very uncom- mon visitor to Orkney. Buckley and Harvie-Brown in A Ver- tebrate Fauna of the Orkney Islands (1891) only give four occurrences, to which James Omond in How to Know the Orkney Birds (1925) has nothing to add. On the other hand the Rough-legged Buzzard has for long been known as a regular passage migrant and sometimes a winter visitor, I saw my first Buzzard in Orkney in 1954, and in the next few years odd birds were turning up with increasing fre- quency. Ever since 1961, when a pair were seen together in spring, there have been speculations on the probability of their breeding. Then in 1962 and again in 1964 two different people in each case saw a pair of Buzzards in late summer accompanied by what were apparently flying young, During the intervening summer of 1963 I spent a good deal of time searching, but though the pair was occasionally seen there was no proof or evidence of successful nesting. ln April 1965 I thought the problem was going to be solved when I saw a pair building their eyrie on an inland cliff, but three weeks later the nest seemed to have been abandoned. It was on 27th April 1966, while exploring a Peregrine cliff, that I came across, by mere chance, a Buzzard incubat- ing three eggs. Two young were subsequently reared. They were fed on leverets and rabbits and on one occasion there was a pigmy shrew in the nest. There is strong evidence that a second pair attempted to breed. I saw the pair on 28th April, but they had not yet started building. However on 2Zoth June there was a substantial nest at the 1965 eyrie, which showed every sign of fairly recent occupation but was empty. This pair had evidently failed again. E. BAaLFour. Crane in Aberdeenshire A common Crane was first seen at the farm of Drums, 3 miles north of Newburgh, on Saturday 15th October 1966, and many of the local ornithologists watched it next day. The weekend was characterised by quite thick mist and a southeasterly breeze, bringing a considerable landfall of Fieldfares, Blackbirds, Ring Ouzels, Redstarts, Goldcrests and other birds around Newburgh. The Crane was seen 448 SHORT NOTES 4(6) again on the morning of the 17th and on the 23rd but not since. We had good views of it both on the ground and in the air. In flight we noted the extended neck, relatively short bill, short rounded tail, and the feet extending far behind. The wings were distinctly splayed at the tips, which were much darker than the rest. On the ground the large size was unmistakeable, as were the long neck and legs and the droop- ing feathers over the tail. The head and neck markings were not well developed, though there was a suggestion of a light stripe extending through the eye to the back of the head. The upper neck was not distinctly darker than the rest and I concluded that this was an immature bird. GEORGE M. DUNNET. Gull-billed Tern in West Lothian While watching a procession of terns moving west up the Forth at Dalmeny two hours before the afternoon high tide on 38rd September 1966 I had the good luck to see a Gull- billed Tern among the several hundred Common and Sand- wich Terns. I was using 9x35 binoculars, and the bird was about 50 yards away, flying between two Sandwich Terns. My attention was first caught by the shorter, relatively thicker and apparently all-black bill of the middle bird, together with its compact and short-tailed appearance be- tween the others. Realising I would have only a moment to observe significant detail, and knowing from past experience how difficult it is to make sure of the shape and colour of a beak against the background of the sea, I concentrated on the colour of the bird’s upperparts. The grey of the mantle, which seemed a little darker than a Sandwich Tern’s, stretch- ed all the way over the rump and upper tail-coverts and graded without clear demarcation into a somewhat paler grey tail. The bird had the white forehead but substantially dark nape of an adult entering winter plumage, but I also got the impression of some dark markings on the wing-coverts, which would be consistent with the Handbook description of a year- old bird. It did not call. In most respects I thought it much like a Sandwich Tern, and I observed no indication of either a different rhythm of flight or a different general outline, apart from the more compact appearance. T..C. SMeuE (The only previous Scottish records of the Gull-billed Tern are of one in Orkney on 7th May 1913 (Scot. Nat. 1913: 154) a a Kast Lothian on 11th September 1960 (Scot. Birds : 2)—ED.) 1967 SHORT NOTES 449 Bee-eater in North Sutherland At the beginning of May 1966, from the 2nd to about the 4th, we had a visit from a Bee-eater at Durness. I was busy with the lambing at the time but saw it when I came home for my lunch. It was a most striking bird with deep green breast, yellow throat, and a deep rusty golden colour on the crown and back, and it flew in a most distinctive way like a Swallow. Fuller details have been supplied to the Rarities Committee. D. E. MacKay. (Other 1966 records of three in Orkney from about 31st May to 5th June and one on Fair Isle on 13th June have been noted in Scottish Birds 4: 310.—Ep.) The Magpie in western Scotland The Magpie in Scotland is extremely local in its distri- bution. Whereas it is common around Glasgow (8 on map) and to the south of the Clyde, it is never seen in Dumbarton (5). The shaded line on the map marks the western limit of the area in which it commonly occurs. The crosses north of Glasgow represent scattered observations in the Drymen (6) to Buchlyvie (7) area from which one may deduce that the aN ANGE TEE IS) a ike L, e550 WK x \ x NS AW N SS NX WO R\\\\\S QQ 450 SHORT NOTES 4(6) species is consolidating a recent advance, made possibly in the direction indicated, along the Blane Valley. Within the last four years Magpies have been seen reg- ularly at a few places in Argyll: Ardtyne Point, south of Dunoon (3), Ardlamont Point, south of Tighnabruaich (2), and Asknish Forest, north of Lochgilphead (1). It is reason- able to assume that these birds have spread from Renfrew- shire along the lines indicated. It would be interesting, there- fore, to hear of any occurrences of Magpies between these three points, perhaps in Bute or along the farmland forming the southeastern shore of Loch Fyne. 3 T. D. H. MERRIE. Nuthatch in Kirkcudbrightshire In the middle of October 1966 on a visit to Dumfries I saw a Nuthatch at a bird table and a nut basket in a garden a few miles west of the town. About a month before this I had a letter from my father telling me that he had seen one at the same place. We both know this bird well, with its blue-grey back, pinky front, dark line through the eye, long- ish straight sharp beak and short blunt tail, and can be quite sure that what we saw was a Nuthatch. It was seen again towards the end of November. : V. E. C. BaLrour-BROWNE. (It is worth looking for this species anywhere in the south of Scotland. Another winter record, of one in Perthshire between November 1963 and February 1964 (Scot. Birds 3: 83), is the only other Scottish record for over 20 years, but there have been rumours of one or two others which sounded quite possible, but for which we could not get adequate con- firmation.—Eb.) Dippers diving in icebound loch On 20th November 1966 about 1.30 p.m. I stopped on the B 846 overlooking Loch Kinardochy, Perthshire. The loch was almost frozen over, with one or two patches of open water. Amidst the snow and ice my attention was drawn to three birds on the ice. They would suddenly dive into the water and stay under for 10-15 seconds, then bob to the sur- face, where they swam about like miniature penguins, with their tails sticking up, before jumping clear of the water onto the ice again. They were very small birds and I could not recognise them until I got the glasses out and found them to be Dippers. I was so fascinated by their behaviour that I watched for about 20 minutes before pushing on. During this whole time they were constantly diving in and out of the water. I have never 1967 SHORT NOTES 451 seen Dippers behaving in this way before, and indeed I have never seen Dippers anywhere but beside running water. J. B. Murray. (We referred this note to James Alder, who recently pub- lished a picture of two Dippers feeding at an ice hole (Birds 1: 9), and he commented: “I would describe this behaviour as characteristic. Dippers are forced by hard weather to come down from smaller streams to seek more oven water. I have often watched them behaving like this (although from hun- dreds of stopwatch checks, I have never recorded dives of longer than 10 seconds). I assume that the Dippers described in the note were foraging at the loch’s edge, where the water was shallow. The birds watched by me have never been in water more than 3 feet deep. One was diving from moving icefloes in the River Tyne; another used a small hole in thick ice and obviously foraged well under the ice; two males, both ringed, shared an ice hole, although they had been fighting over territory when the river was unfrozen. All of these birds were feeding outside their normal upstream territories and returned to them before dark. These are but a few typical examples from observations of many known in- dividuals. It is obviously standard practice. What is strange is the shortage of observations by other ornithologists.” —ED.) Blue Rock Thrush in Orkney At 1030 hrs GMT on 29th August 1966, in the courtyard of the lighthouse on North Ronaldsay, Iris Walker saw a bird which she described as about the size of a Starling but blue-grey all over excent for darker wings and tail. It flew off towards the shore and was lost until the evening, when R. Smith found it under the air receiver tanks. When we flushed it I immediately saw the all-over slate-blue plumage. It was extremely shy, and only by following it about for 30 minutes was I able to write down a descrivtion. From my books I recognised it as a male Blue Rock Thrush, and as there was no British record of this species I teleohoned Roy Dennis on Fair Isle. On 30th August I watched it for an hour from 0600 hrs as it fed in a park by the lighthouse, most of the time close to the foundations of a wall which had been taken down. Its feeding movements were very quick; sometimes it would pick at the ground two or three times in succession, and once six times. It took what I thought was a fly from the wall, running quickly forward to get it. None of the food it picked up was recognised, but it definitely did not eat worms, as two Blackbirds were doing close by. Any approach by the 452 SHORT NOTES 4(6) Blackbirds caused it to retreat, once with a short flight. By the afternoon it had moved to the ruins of a house about a mile away, where I watched for another two hours. It would perch on a rock, make a short low flight to the ground, where it was hidden by the heavy growth, and re- turn to its stone after about 30 seconds. Sometimes it cocked its head on one side. A Starling landed near it and I saw that it was about the same size as the Blue Rock Thrush and its legs were a similar length, but its tail and bill seem- ed longer and its body slimmer. A flock of Starlings landed on the roof of the house and the rock thrush shot under a stone at a surprising speed. It reappeared after a minute, first sticking its head out to look round. It then began to in- vestigate under stones, and disappeared into an opening for ten minutes before emerging to perch on its stone again. It held its wings low as Blackbirds and Wheatears often do, and constantly flicked its tail up and down, occasionally with a side movement and a twirl] like a shrike. The only call I ever heard was similar to a Fieldfare’s. On 3lst August Roy Dennis and a partv of ornithologists from Fair Isle chartered the Good Shepherd to visit North Ronaldsay, but in spite of a long search the bird could not be found. I had two further revorts of it, the last on 6th September in a force 10 storm. Description Head, nape, mantle, back, rump and scapulars slate-blue, decidedly lighter than the “Field Guide” illustration; upper tail-coverts slate-blue; tail dark slate-blue with tips very badly worn and about a third of ‘outer right feather broken off; lesser wing-coverts slate-blue; greater wing-coverts slate-blue but dark towards ends, with extreme tips lighter; primaries dark slate-blue with slight paleness at tips; ear coverts slightly darker than head, showing fairly plainly in good light; eyestripe, slightly darker than head, not noticeable except in very good light; chin, throat, breast, belly and axillaries slate-blue; under wing-coverts slate- blue; primaries slate-blue below, seeming ” darker than above; bill dark brown, paler on lower mandible, especially at base; legs dark brown. KENNETH G. WALKER. (The identification of this bird is acceoted by the Rarities Committee, but in view of the number of Blue Rock Thrushes that are now imported it is impossible to be sure that the bird was not an escave. The damaged tail and the fact that this is not a strongly migratory species indicate the need for caution.—ED.) Greenish Warbler in Berwickshire Under a dull sky at about 0930 hrs BST on 15th October 1966 I was engaged in a count of grounded night migrants concentrated round the loch behind St Abbs Head. Near the mid point of the western shore an isolated clump of mature 1967 SHORT NOTES 453 sycamores held about 20 small birds, mainly Goldcrests and Robins but also several Chiffchaffs and a cock Blackcap. Whilst watching these birds from the adjacent slope (I was some 20 yards away and above the tree canopy) I spotted a noticeably light-coloured phylloscopus moving the canopy of the nearest two trees. Compared to two or three Chiff- chaffs moving about in the same foliage it was a paler yet brighter bird. It was also slimmer (though overall its length appeared similar) and much more active, constantly flicking its wings and tail. After two or three minutes it came into open branches and I noted that there appeared to be a light thin bar on the left wing. As several of the Chiffchaffs were showing a light shade on the greater coverts (as they often do) I was not immediately certain that the bar was real. I therefore moved closer and lower down the slope to a posi- tion still slightly above and under 15 yards from the bird. From there I saw that the left wing-bar was whitish and a definite plumage mark. On the right wing the bar was slightly less marked, appearing as a thin greyish line. Realising that the bird was therefore one of the ‘single- barred’ leaf warblers I then concentrated on the head. This showed a distinct white supercilium, from bill to end of ear coverts, and a noticeably dark line through the eye, both under a greyish-toned crown. The bill was similar in pro- portion to a Chiffchaff’s, which indicated that the bird was a Greenish Warbler. I then switched my attention to the legs and feet. The tarsi were grey, but not as dark as the legs of the Chiffchaffs, and the feet showed a greenish tinge. I therefore concluded that the bird was in fact a Greenish Warbler, a species that I had seen twice before. A fully annotated field sketch was made and this forms the basis for the following description and a finished coloured drawing made on my return to Edinburgh. A lighter, whiter bird overall than Chiffchaff, with upperparts green- er, greyer, cleaner, less brown, and underparts whiter, brighter. Ob- vious against dark sycamore canopy, easy to pick out, not getting lost like Chiffchaff. Slimmer than Chiffchaff but same length overall. Very energetic, more so than Chiffchaff, constantly flicking wings and tail. Head well marked with thin white superciliary, fading at end of ear coverts, and dark line through eye, both more prominent than on Chiffchaff. Head less domed than Chiffchaff’s and finer. Greyish wash over crown and nape. Dusky patches on sides of chest, surprisingly yellow wash in mid-chest; greenish-yellow wash along top of flanks; white throat and belly. Left wing-bar whitish, more prominent than right; pale but not bright fringes to folded secondaries. Light on rump, contrasting with tail. Thin weak bill. Legs grey (not as black as Chiff- chaff) ; greenish at feet. D. I. M. Wat.tace. (This is the second record for Forth and the first for the 454 SHORT NOTES 4(6) Scottish mainland. The species was first recorded in Scotland in 1945. Between then and 1961 there were six records from Fair Isle and one each from Whalsay and the Isle of May— one at the beginning of June and the others between 15th July and 19th September.—ED.) Pallas’s Warbler at Fair Isle—a new Scottish bird Fair Isle experienced southeast winds, due to an anti- cyclone over northern Europe, from 6th to 11th October 1966. These winds produced large numbers of thrushes, a record total of 1500 Bramblings, and several Richard’s Pipits, Great Grey Shrikes and Scarlet Grosbeaks. After a morning of rain on 11th October my wife and I found a Pallas’s Warbler beside a building near the Bird Ob- servatory. G. J. Barnes and D. Parkin were soon on the scene and we watched it for about five minutes as it fed on the ground and then in thistles. It was very confiding and at one stage was feeding only six feet from me. It fed busily in the vegetation and made short sallies after small flies, like a Goldcrest. Quite suddenly it flew off over North Haven and landed in the cliffs; we did not see it again. It was a very small warbler, even slightly smaller than a Yellow-browed Warbler. It was rather like that species in colour, but the upperparts were greener, more Firecrest col- our. The rump was yellow and showed as an obvious yellow patch when the bird was in flight. The head pattern was most distinctive, with a prominent yellow crown stripe and a long yellow superciliary in front of, over and behind the eye, being brighter yellow in front of the eye. The wings were greenish with two creamy-yellow wing-bars formed by the tips of the median and greater coverts, the latter being more prominent. The tertials were fringed creamy-yellow. The tail was short and greenish. The underparts were white, suffused yellowish on the sides of the breast and flanks. The legs, bill ae eye were similar to Yellow-browed Warbler. It did not call. This is the first record for Scotland and the nineteenth for Great Britain. This rare species, which breeds in south Siberia and normally winters in southeast Asia, has been becoming more frequent in England, in late autumn, during the last decade, and seventeen of the eighteen English records have been since 1951. Roy H, DEnnIs. 1967 CURRENT NOTES 455 Current Notes Compiled by P. J. B. SLATER (Key to initials of observers : D. G. Andrew, R. S. Baillie, I. V. Balfour- Paul, Dr D. A. Bannerman, W. T. G. Bates, Miss P. G. T. Baxter, G. Bennett, F. N. Betts, H. Boase (HBs), H. Boyd (HBd), T. Boyd, W. Brotherston, Miss E. Brown, D. G. Bruce, D. Buchan, N. G. Campbell, J. Carson, R. A. Cheke, D. Coutts, Miss V. C. Cowan, J. K. Cowden, C. N. L. Cowper, G. M. Crighton, W. A. J. Cunning- ham, R. H. Dennis, G. A. Dickson, R. C. Dickson, Dr I. T. Draper, M. M. Draper, J). Dunbar, Mrs J. P. Dunlop, A. Dunthorn, W. M. M. Eddie, M. J. Everett, K. Forrest, J. E. Forrest, I. Gibson, Mrs J. A. ReeGrant, )e) Geubb; 2) Halliday, C..G. Headlam, M. J. Helps, R. Hewson, D. C. Hulme, Mrs E. Hunter, E. N. Hunter, E. T. Idle, A. iapp, x. A. jettery, Dr D. Jenkins, PY Johnson, A. R. Kitson, “D: J. Law, R. M. Leaney, A. F. Leitch, J. Lister (Jr), J. Lockerbie (JLb), D. Macdonald, D. W. R. Macdonald, M. A. Macdonald, M. K. Mac- duff-Duncan, Dr H. N. MacLachlan, A. T. Macmillan, M. P. Macmil- lan, R. Marrs, Mrs J. Matthews (JMs), Prof. M. F. M. Meiklejohn, T. D. H. Merrie, J. Mitchell (JMl), M. Morrison, C. C. I. Murdoch, D. J. Norden, D. W. Oliver, A. Paterson, R. K. Pollock, J. A. Pollok- Morris, Mrs I, Rainier, A. D. K. Ramsay, G. A. Richards, W. K. Richmond, I. B. Roy, Dr M. Rusk, W. Russell, Miss M. Salmond, J. G. Selwyn, J. R. T. Shanks, Mrs A. F. W. Sharp, P. J. B. Slater, Mrs E: M. Smith, K. G V. Smith, R. W. J. Smith, D. M. Stark, A. G. Stewart, R. A. Straton, R. L. Swann, C. Tait, I. Taylor, Miss V. M. Thom, B. Thurston, R. B. Tozer, R. J. Tulloch, L. A. Urquhart, K. Walker, G. Waterston, A. D. Watson, J. Watt, Hon. D. N. Weir, G. T. White, Dr D. F. Whyte, Mrs J. A. Whyte, W. H. Wild, D. R. Wise. (Upless otherwise stated January to April dates refer to 1967 and all others to 1966.) Distribution Observations made before 1st October 1966 are excluded from this section except where they are used to amplify more recent topics. In Shetland Red-throated Divers were reported from many voes in January and February, whereas usually only odd birds winter (RJT). In January two Great Crested Grebes were inland at Castle Semple Loch, Renfrewshire, on 22nd (LAU), and an im- mature was at Loch of Lowes, Perthshire, on 28th (HBs). A Red-necked Grebe was seen off Innermessan on Loch Ryan, Wigtownshire, on 17th December (RCD), and three off Sea- field, Midlothian, on 5th February were further up the Forth than usual (DGA). In the west, a Black-necked Grebe was seen at Loch Ken, Kirkcudbrightshire, on 6th January (AP); one was on Loch Ryan on 27th January (JGS), and two were there on 10th March (GAR). Two were near the Lomond Hills in Kinross-shire on 3lst December (TDHM); two were 456 CURRENT NOTES 4(6) off Gullane Point, East Lothian, on 28th January (CT), and one in summer plumage was there on 26th March (PJ, RLS). A Cormorant showing the characteristics of the southern race, with the sides and back of its neck white, was seen at Eastfield, Midlothian, on 26th February (MFMM, DRW). Nearby, in Leith Docks, about 30 Shags were noted on 18th February and about 10 on 5th and 20th March, the locality being unusually inshore and urban for this species (DGA); though odd birds occasionally appear on the tidal part of the Water of Leith (ATM). A drake American Wigeon was seen at Inverness from 16th December to 9th March, almost certainly the same bird as in the two previous winters (3: 360; 4: 294) (RHD, MM). A male Pintail in an unusual area was one seen in a flock of about 400 Wigeon on Hoselaw Loch, Roxburghshire, on 31st December (RSB). A drake Tufted Duck was seen at Aberlady Bay, East Lothian, on various dates between 29th December and 24th March (GB, PJ, DWRM, MAM). A female Long-tailed Duck was on Loch Leven, Kinross- shire, on 19th November (WTGB), and a pair was on Lindores Loch, Fife, on 12th February (JW). One, perhaps the same as that previously seen on Carlinwark Loch (4: 381), was on Loch Ken from 6th January until at least 4th March (AP, ADW); two were there on 11th February (RBT). On the sea, a particularly high count of 423, mostly males, was made at Leven, Fife, on 12th March (DWO), In Ayrshire, 33 were seen at Barassie on 20th January and at least 20 on 16th March (GAR). Also in that county, a duck and two drake Velvet Scoters were recorded at Turnberry on 5th February (AGS), and a single bird was at Barassie on 12th March (GAR). Four Goosanders, including one drake, were at Mor- ton Lochs, Fife, on 5th February (DWO). Wintering Smews have been seen in the following places: River Conon, E. Ross—redhead on 18 Nov (CGH). Montrose Basin, Angus—od on 18 Mar (ADKR). Kilconquhar Loch, Fife—redhead on 5 Feb (PGTB). Roseberry reservoir, Midlothian—d on 26 Feb (DGA), and 5 Mar (EMS, RWJS). Castle Semple and Barr Lochs, Renfrew—d and redhead on several dates between 15 Jan and 18 Mar (GW, GIW, WHW); od and 2 red- heads on 22 Feb (GAR). Rowbank reservoir—d and redhead on 31 Mar (GAD, IG). Doonfoot, Ayr—d on sea after frost on 5 Jan (GAR). Near Stranraer, Wigtown—d shot on 11 Jan (JKC). Grey Lag Geese were noted going south on Speyside in Inverness-shire as late as 5th February, and they had started going north by Ist March (DNW). An early departure from their wintering area was also noted in Fife (DWO). 1967 CURRENT NOTES 457 The following are reports of White-fronted Geese in less usual areas: Loch Eye, E. Ross—45 Greenland birds on 23 Feb (RHD). Aberdeen—9 over city on 23 Feb (ADKR). Dunning, Perth—7 with Pinkfeet on 27 Nov and at least 4 on 8 Jan (TDHM). Tibbermore, Perth—European bird on 10 Feb (VMT). Near Kinkell Bridge, Perth—2 Greenland birds on 4 Mar (VMT). Near Kilconquhar—1 on 12 Feb (DWO). New Cumnock, Ayr—18 on 18 Dec (JLb). Despite efforts to locate more, the only Bean Geese found in Kirkcudbrightshire during the winter were eight at Castle Douglas on 9th January (ADW). Outside their usual range 20 Pink-footed Geese were at Bridgend, Islay, on 19th Feb- ruary (MFMM). Five Snow Geese have been seen in various localities dur- ing the winter. In Fife, they were in the area of Flisk and Balmarino on 21st October, 23rd November and 15th Jan- uary (HBd), and again on 8th March, having been at Kings- kettle on 25th February (JRTS). What were presumably the same birds were in Perthshire with Greylags at Powgavie on 6th March and with Pinkfeet on Mugdrum Island on 12th (VMT). It is probable that they had escaped from a collec- tion in Fife. Two were at Loch Leven on 3lst December (WTGB); one at Aberlady on 4th January (DJL); and two at Loch Eye from 19th February until at least 10th March (CGH). Birds of definite species were a blue-phase Lesser Snow Goose on Mugdrum Island on 12th March (VMT), and a Ross’s Goose with Greylags near Meigle, Perthshire, on 5th March (JMs). A. Pale-bellied Brent Goose was at Dunning, Perthshire, on 27th November and 25th December (TDHM). Two Dark- bellied birds were seen at Loch Ken on 11th February (RBT), and one was at Kilconquhar between llth February and l1ith March (DWO, JW). The more noteworthy occurrences of Barnacle Geese have been as follows: Loch Winless, Caithness—l1 with Whitefronts on 5 Mar (JARG). Old Aberdeen—2 going south on 17 Feb (ADKR). Kinkell Bridge, Perth—16 on 22 Jan (VMT). Carsebreck, Perth—19 on 4 Mar (VMT). Loch Leven, Kinross—2-4 in Nov and Dec (WTGB). Endrick Mouth, Stirling/Dunbarton—2 on 1 Jan (TDHM), 5 Feb, 6 Mar and 26 Mar (ETI, JM1). Muasdale, Kintyre, Argyll—9 on 12 Mar (WR). Clachan, Kintyre—4 on 12 Mar (WR). Further counts of Whooper Swans confirm the low propor- tion of immatures previously reported (4: 383). At Kings- kettle, the winter maximum of 312 apparently included only 458 CURRENT NOTES 4(6) three immatures (JRTS), and the same number was found in a flock near Loch Garten, Inverness-shire, where the total present varied between 68 and 78 from January to March (RHD). On list January an adult Bewick’s Swan was at Barr Loch (LAU), and five were at Bogside, Ayrshire, on 18th (GAR). Two adults and three immatures were found on ponds near Gartocharn, Dunbartonshire, on 15th January (ETI), and six birds were in a field near Aberlady on 22nd February (DJ). Rough-legged Buzzards have already been reported in Glen- esk, Angus/Kincardine, in the early part of the winter (4: 384); two were still there on 15th January and again on 6th February (GMC, RAC). The bird reported at Evanton, Eas- ter Ross, was still there on 15th March (CGH). In Midlothian, one was seen at Glencorse on 30th December (PJ, RLS), and one was at Garvald, near Heriot, on 29th January (WB). Sev- eral have wintered in Shetland on Yell and Unst, the most seen at once being three on Yell and two on Unst, and one was on Fetlar on 22nd February (RJT). Early Ospreys were one seen flying over Upper Loch Tor- ridon, Wester Ross, on 10th March (DFW, JAW), and one perched on a fir tree near Cumnock, Ayrshire, on 27th (RM). Between 20th January and 20th February a Peregrine was seen on five occasions in the area of Carlton Place, Glasgow, whither it was no doubt attracted by the large number of pigeons (LAU). A cock Pheasant seen on Bernera, Lewis, on 25th March was a survivor from several hatched under a hen some five or six years ago and allowed to fend for themselves (WAJC). Most of the birds which, though resident in this country, are summer visitors to Speyside, were found on their breed- ing grounds there earlier than usual (RHD, DNW). Oyster- catchers, Curlews and Lapwings were all present by early Feb- ruary, left during a storm shortly afterwards, but were back again by 20th (DNW). Oystercatchers well inland during January were pairs at Endrick Mouth on 26th (RKP), and on ae in the Tweed at Kelso, Roxburghshire, on 28th B). Ten Black-tailed Godwits were seen feeding up to their chests in water at Troon, Ayrshire, on 22nd October (RBT). The bird previously mentioned at Barassie (4: 384), wintered there, being seen up to 4th March (GAR). One was seen at the Peffer Burn, Aberlady, on 5th February (RSB). Also at Aberlady, a wintering Spotted Redshank was noted on 8th January (WKR), 21st January (GB), 12th February (WMMEH, PJ, WR, RLS) and 24th March (MAM). One, probably the same as reported previously (4: 384), was at Broomberry, 1967 CURRENT NOTES 459 just ‘south of Ayr, on 15th January (RBT), and one was at Tyninghame, East Lothian, on 8th (CT). A Greenshank was back at Upper Loch Torridon by 12th March—an early date (JAW). There are several records of Ruff seen in the first three months of the year. Two males were at Aberlady on 15th January and 11th February (WKR), and in a field near there at least 14 were seen on 4th February and 18 on 18th (DJ). On 16th February a male in near summer plumage was seen at a muddy pool near Langbank, Renfrewshire (RAJ). In March, a male was at Fife Ness on 29th (PGTB); two birds were at Skinflats, Stirlingshire, on 24th (JC, IT); and two were at Maybole, Ayrshire, on 26th (RBT). In a gale on 18th December a dark-phase Arctic Skua was seen amongst Herring Gulls at Loch Keills—an arm of Loch Sween, North Argyll (EH, IR). As was the case with waders, Lesser Black-backed Gulls were noted inland unusually early. On 25th February 25 were at Errol Airfield, Perthshire (VMT), and nine were at Lindores Loch (JW). The first in Lewis was slightly early, on 23rd March (WAJC). A Herring Gull which was larger than nor- mal and had darker wings and black patches round the eyes was noted at Belhaven, East Lothian, on 29th January. It was thought to belong to one of the Siberian races (MFMM). An immature Glaucous Gull was at Paisley Moss, Renfrewshire, on 11th and 18th March (IG, GTW). Single immature Iceland Gulls have been observed at Arbroath har- hour, Angus, on 25th February (JD); at Oban, Argyllshire, on 25th March (WMME, DJN); and at Doonfoot on 18th February, in the same place as an adult was seen on 15th (GAR). Though they do not usually overwinter in the area, Little Gulls have been seen regularly off Leven, Fife, this year, the maximum being six on 12th March (DWO). Further afield. an immature was at Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeenshire, on 5th October (JD), and an adult was on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, on 3rd February (KW). A Kittiwake away from the sea was found dead on Incheailliach, Loch Lomond, in Stir- lingshire, on 5th February (RAJ, JMl, BT). Single winter-plumage Black Terns seen in October were over the marsh at Summerston, Glasgow, on 8th and 9th (WMME, WR), and off Gullane Point on 22nd (DGB, Pu, AFL, DWRM). Outside Shetland, Little Auks have been found in the fol- lowing counties: Caithness—about 15 found dead in Dounreay, Dunnet, Murkle and Sinclair Bays between Jan and Mar. 1 swimming in | Scrabster harbour on 2 Jan (per DMS). 460 CURRENT NOTES 4(6) E. Ross—1 found alive on 27 Jan on hill farm between Dingwall and Evanton died subsequently (CGH). Moray—1 found ashore at Garmouth on 8 Jan and later released (RH). Fife—l found dead at St Andrews on 17 Feb; 1 dead at Fife Ness on 15 Feb (PGTB); and 1 recently dead there on 5 Mar (DWO). E. Lothian—1 seen close in at Aberlady on 29 Jan (DJ). A Black Guillemot was found dead inland at Loch Watten, Caithness, on 29th January (per DMS). A Little Owl was found sitting on the road, apparently stunned, near Dunragit in Wigtownshire on 3rd November; it was released in a nearby field (JKC). A Kingfisher was recorded at Montgreenan, Ayrshire, on about 1st December (DNW). Earlier, one had been at New Cumnock in the same county on 3lst August and 21st September (JLb). A Shore Lark, the first recorded in Edinburgh, was found at Leith Docks on 5th January (DGB, MAM). It remained in the area for over a month and was seen by many people, the last report being on 11th February (WKR). Outwith its normal range, a Magpie was noted near Hose- law Loch, Roxburghshire, on 18th February (RSB). A pair of Jays was present at Montgreenan, Ayrshire, from the be- ginning of December till at least 14th January (DNW). Several Stonechats have been recorded wintering in East Lothian. An adult male was seen at Aberlady on 30th Octo- ber (WMME, DJN, WR), 4th March (NGC, PJBS), and 24th March (CT); and it was seen with a female on 18th (PJ, RLS). A male was at Dirleton on 12th February (RSB), and three were there on 25th (PJ, RLS); and a female was recor- ded at Tyninghame on 12th March (TB, IBR, EMS, RWJS). In Shetland, a male was at Grutness for a week from 7th March (DC), and a female was noted at Cunningsburgh on 13th (RHD). In the autumn, single female Black Redstarts were seen at St Andrews on 19th October (RAC), and at Fife Ness on 20th (JARG). The following are reports of wintering Blackcaps: Inverness—d in garden on 9th and 16 Feb; @ in another garden on 11 Feb (MR). Banff—@ in garden from 22 Feb to at least 29 Mar (AFWS). Maxwell Park, Glasgow—d from 20th to 29 Jan (JPD). Bonnyrigg, Midlothian—2 dd in separate gardens early in Jan (per RWJS). A migrant Red-breasted Flycatcher was on St Kilda on 14th October and a very late one was there from 5th to 8th Nov- ember (PG). There are good numbers of Great Grey Shrike records to add to those already given (4: 389), though these should be com- pared with the previous list as some probably refer to the same individuals: 1967 CURRENT NOTES 461 Ross—l1 at Garve on 8 Mar (CGH), 25 Mar (MKM-D), 7 Apr (CGH); 1 in Torridon/Kinlochewe area on 24 Feb (EB), 2 on 25 Feb (ENH), 1 on 6 Mar (CGH). Inverness—l1 at Loch Moy on 5 Jan; at least 1 at Nethy Bridge from 11 Jan to 25 Feb (RHD); 1 near Coylumbridge on 23 Jan (RH). Moray—1 at Grantown between 14 Jan and 8 Feb (RHD). Nairn—1 in Glenferness on 14 Feb (RHD). Perth—1 at Bridge of Gaur, Loch Rannoch, on 19 Mar (PGTB). Angus—1 at Balgavies Loch on 15 Jan (GMC, RAC). Argyll—1 at Loch Don, Mull, on 10 Nov and nearby on 12 Feb (FNB); 1 at White House of Aros, Mull, on 28 Feb (VCC, MS). 1 be- tween Taynuilt and Connel on 25 Oct (KF, MPM). Stirling—l1 at Mugdoch Wood on 14 Jan (WMME); 1 at Blanefield on 12 Mar and 3 there on 19th (ITD, MMD); 1 at Endrick Mouth (on Dunbarton border) on 1 Jan (TDHM), 14 Jan (ETI, JMI), 13 Feb (RKP), and 18-19 Mar (ETI, AGS). Glasgow—1 at Summerston on 7 Jan (WMME) and 20-22 Jan (WR). Renfrew—1 at Langbank on 15 Jan was seen to swoop behind a hedge and reappear with a Hedge Sparrow in its beak (RAJ); 1 at Lochwinnoch on 12 Mar (LAU). Midlothian—1 still present at Fountainhall, Stow, up to 30 Mar (see 4: 390) (HNM); 1 flying over reeds at Duddingston on 9 Dec (PJ); 1 at Glencorse on 4th and 5 Jan (MJE, JLr). Ayr—1 at Kilantringan Loch on 9 Feb (RBT); 1 at Muirhead reser- voir on 18 Mar (JAP-M). Kirkcudbright—1 on west side of Loch Ken on 6 Jan (AP). North of their normal range, four Goldfinches were noted in the outskirts of Dornoch, Sutherland, on 4th February and six were there on 11th March (DM). A Redpoll of the Mealy race was seen at Aberlady on 29th December (DWRM). and 25th February (MFMM, DRW); a particularly pale indiv- idual was there on 11th February (WKR). Further reports of Bramblings confirm the impression that this year has been exceptional, certainly in the south of the country, the numbers in the largest flocks having proved very hard to assess. The largest concentration was of at least 3000 and possibly uv to 5000 near Broughton, Peebles- shire, on 23rd and 25th January (DAB), At Middleton, Mid- lothian, there was a flock of about 1000 on 1st January (CNLC), and at least 2000 on 2nd March (IVB-P). Other counts have been much smaller, suggesting that the numbers seen earlier in the winter had spread out. About 200 between Heriot and Stow, Midlothian, on 8th January (DB, RAS); 300 near Falkirk, Stirlingshire, on 23rd December (AJ); 250 near Hoselaw Loch on 27th February (RSB); and at least 200 in the vicinity of Forfar, Angus, on 2nd April (JEF), are the highest figures. Lapland Buntings have already been mentioned near Tain, Easter Ross, in December (4: 392); ten were still in the area on 14th January (CGH). Further south, singles have been reported from Aberlady on 29th December and 7th January 462 CURRENT NOTES 4(6) (DWRM, DWO); the shore at Ayr on 17th February (AGS); and Skinflats on 5th and 7th April (JC, IT). Earlier observations—before 1st October 1966 On 7th August 1966 a Bittern was seen at close quarters be- side Loch Connel, Wigtownshire, for a short time before it rose vertically into the air and flew off (TH). An interesting observation is of a compact flock of about 20 Skuas, in all probability Arctic, and mostly or all light- phase birds, flying northeastwards low above the trees near Loch Garten, Inverness-shire, on 24th May 1966 (CCIM). On 20th August 1966 two Jays were noted in the planta- tion of Pitcowdens, Durris, in North Kincardineshire, an area in which this soecies was recorded for the first_time in 1961 (1: 460) (AD). Some rather older records have come to light of birds seen at Rattray Head, Aberdeenshire. Between 1st and 6th September 1962, 47 Sooty Shearwaters were seen passing north (MJH, RML); in 1963, 23 were seen between 25th August and 5th September (ARK); and in 1965 three were seen on 25th September and 14 on 26th (MJH). Between Ist and 5th September 1962 a female Marsh Harrier was in the area, and two were present on 6th (MJH, RML), a date for which one was previously recorded (2: 256). During the big fall of migrants in late September 1965 there was a Wryneck at Rattray Head on 28th, a Red-breasted Flycatcher on 26th and 27th, and an Icterine Warbler, the first for Aberdeenshire, on 27th (MJH). There are very few rec- ords of Lapland Buntings in Aberdeenshire, where one was at Rattray Head on 31st August 1962 (MJH, RML). General observations on behaviour Early return to their breeding grounds has been noted already in the main section for several species, Some others have been found nesting early—no doubt due to the mild weather. Two Woodpigeon nests with eggs were found on Speyside on 4th and 5th February (per RHD), and a bird was found sitting on eggs near Alness, Easter Ross, on 14th (CGH). There was a nest containing well-grown young at Culterty, Aberdeenshire, on 13th March and one at Evanton, Easter Ross, on 21st (CGH). Snow Buntings on Ben Wyvis, Easter Ross, on 22nd Feb- ruary were found to be feeding on small flies dispersed at a density of about one per square yard all over the snow on top of the mountain above 2000 feet (DCH). The fly was later identified as Leria modesta czernyi (KGVS). 1967 REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION 463 Requests for Information Seabird Breeding Distribution Survey. In 1969 the Seabird Group will be conducting “Operation Seafarer,” a general census of the seabirds breeding in the British Isles, This cen- sus will include the continuation of the Fulmar, Gannet and Kittiwake censuses falling due in that year, but will also include counts of selected other species to obtain for the first time a national count of the major seabirds breeding in these islands; this will provide the base from which future changes in their populations can be recognised. To prepare this census the Group has set up its Breeding Censuses Committee, for which it has secured the services of James Fisher and Dr John Coulson as Chairman and Scientific Advisor respectively, and of George Waterston as Scottish Representative. The committee has decided to or- ganise this summer a survey of the breeding distribution of seabirds in the British Isles, with the aim of establishing the presence or absence of each species at colonies in each coastal 10-kilometre square of the National Grid; it is hoped also to obtain rough estimates of the size of each colony, together with information on any special difficulties encoun- tered in censusing that colony. If necessary the survey will be continued next year also. In this way it is hoped to ob- tain maximum information towards the success of Operation Seafarer in 1969. Ornithologists living on the coast or holidaying there this summer are invited to complete survey cards for their area this year. Information from past years is also welcome, par- ticularly for colonies in Scotland and Ireland or if the infor- mation has not been published in an established ornitholog- ical journal. Cards (one for each 10-km square and separate cards for each year) and any further information required may be obtained from the Census Committee Secretary, Ray- mond O’Connor, Department of Physics, Birkbeck | College, Malet Street, London WC1. Whooper Swans. There have been few young Whoopers with the wintering flocks this year. R. Hewson, 170 Mid Street, Keith, Banffshire, would like data from other parts of Scot- land to compare with the situation at Loch Park, which he has studied since 1955. He asks for information on herd size, brood size and number of first-winter birds; and, in view of the smaller numbers wintering at Loch Park now, he would also be glad to hear of any recently colonised areas. 464 THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB 4(6) The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club ANNUAL CONFERENCE The 20th Annual Conference and 30th Annual General Meeting will be held in the Hotel Dunblane, Perthshire, on 27th-29th October 1967. Bookings should be made direct with the hotels. The full programme will be given in the next issue of “Scottish Birds.” The registration fee will be 10/-, and the Annual Dinner 25/- for those not staying in the Hotel Dunblane (both to be paid on arrival). Hotels in Dunblane Hotel Dunblane (Hydro) (Tel. 2551). Special Conference charge £7.11.0d (or 75/6 per day) including service charge, bed and all meals (except tea on Saturday afternoon) from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch, after-meal coffee, and the Annual Dinner (with wine or soft drinks). For less than a full day, bed and breakfast is 42/-, lunch 11/6 and dinner 17/6. Stirling Arms Hotel (Tel. 2156). Bed and Breakfast from 25/-. Neuk Private Hotel, Doune Road (Tel. 2150). B & B 20/- to 23/-. Schiehallion Hotel, Doune Road (Tel. 3141). B & B 18/6 to 21/-. Ardleighton Hotel (near Hotel Dunblane gates) (Tel. 2273). B & B 22/6 to 25/-. Hotels in Bridge of Allan (3 miles from Dunblane) Members with cars who have difficulty in getting single rooms in Dun- blane should find these two hotels have ample accommodation. Allan Water Hotel (Tel. 2293). B & B 42/- to 53/6. Royal Hotel (Tel. 2284). B & B from 39/-. Prices, except for the Conference Hotel, are provisional and should be confirmed. LIBRARY ARRANGEMENTS The Library Committee has formed a duplicate section of the Refer- ence Library, consisting of standard reference books and runs of certain important. journals. These are available, at the discretion of the Club - Secretary, for lending out to students and others wishing to read up a particular subject. A list of books and journals in this section will be supplied on request. Normally, not more than two items may be borrowed at one time, to be returned within two weeks. Borrowers will be asked to sign for the books when they take them out, on the understanding that they accept full liability for any loss or damage to the books. Requests for books sent by post will carry the same implication. Borrowers are asked to pay postage both ways and to make sure that the books are adequately packed when returned. Books cannot be lent out from the Reference Library (except the duplicate section) but any item may be studied on the premises by ar- rangement with the Club Secretary. Juniors who wish to choose a book for general reading will still be able to do so. The books available for lending in this way have been incorporated with the collection kept for members of the Young Ornith- ologists’ Club, so that a wider selection is now available to both groups. THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB MPHE Scottish Ornithologists’ Club was founded in 1936 and membership is open to all interested in Scottish ornithology. Meetings are held during the winter months in Aberdeen, Ayr, Dumfries, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and elsewhere at which lectures by prominent or- nithologists are given and films exhibited. Excursions are organised in the summer to places of ornithological interest. The aims and objects of the Club are to (a) encourage and direct the study of Scottish Ornithology in all its branches; (b) co-ordinate the efforts of Scottish Ornithologists and encourage co-operation between field and indoor worker; (c) encourage ornithological research in Scotland in co-operation with other organisations; (d) hold meetings at centres to be arranged at which Lectures are given, films exhibited, and discussions held; and (e) publish or arrange for the publication of statistics and information with regard to Scottish ornithology. There are no entry fees for Membership. The Annual subscription is 25/-; or 7/6 in the case of Members under twenty-one years of age or in the case of University undergraduates who satisfy the Council of their status as such at the time at which their subscriptions fall due in any year. Joint membership is available to married couples at an annual subscription of 40/-. “Scottish Birds” is issued free to members but Joint members will receive only one copy between them. The affairs of the Club are controlled by a Council composed of the Hon. Presidents, the President, the Vice-President, the Hon. Treasurer, the Editor and Business Editor of “Scottish Birds”, the Hon. Treasurer of the House Fabric Fund, one Representative of each Branch Committee appointed annually by the Branch, and ten other Members of the Club elected at an Annual General Meeting. Two of the last named retire annually by rotation and shall not be eligible for re-election for one year. A Scottish Bird Records’ Committee, appointed by the Council, produce an annual Report on “Ornithological Changes in Scotland.” An official tie with small white Crested Tits embroidered on it can be obtained in dark green or in navy blue by Members only from Messrs R. W. Forsyth Ltd., Princess Street, Edinburgh, or 5 Renfield Street, Glasgow, C.2 at a cost of 18s 9d post extra. A small brooch in silver and blue can be obtained for the use of Members of the Club. Price 3s 6d each from the Secretary, or from Hon. Branch Secretaries. Forms of application for Membership, copy of the Club Constitution, and other literature is obtainable from the Club Secretary, Mrs George Waterston, Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7. (Tel. Waverley 6042). CLUB-ROOM AND LIBRARY The Club-room and Library at 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7, will be available to Members during office hours, and on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. during the winter months. "Members may use the Refer- ence Library and borrow books from the Lending Library. Facilities for making tea or coffee are available at a nominal charge and Members may bring guests by arrangement. The Aldis 2” x 2” slide projector and screen can be used for the informal showing of slides at a charge of 2s 6d per night to cover the replacement of bulbs. NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS All contributions should be sent to Andrew T. Macmillan, 12 Abinger Gardens, Edinburgh 12. Attention to the following points greatly sim- plifies production of the journal and is much appreciated. 1. Papers should if possible be typed with double spacing. All contri- butions should be on one side of the paper only. 2. Topical material for Current Notes should reach the Editors before the end of March, June, September and December, at which time they begin to compile this section. All other notes should be sent promptly but important items can be fitted in until a month or so after these dates. _ 3. Proofs will normally be sent to authors of papers, but not of shorter items, Such proofs should be returned without delay. 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Scientific names should be used sparingly (see editorial Scottish Birds 2:1-3) and follow the 1952 B.O.U. Check-List of the Birds of Great Britain and Ireland with the changes recommended in 1956 by the Taxonomic Sub-Committee (Ibis 98:158-68), and the 1957 decisions of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (Ibis 99 :369). When used with the English names they should follow them, underlined to indicate italics, and with no surrounding brackets. 7. Dates should normally be in the form “Ist January 1962”, with no commas round the year. Old fashioned conventions should be avoided— e.g. use Arabic numerals rather than Roman, and avoid unnecessary full stops after abbreviations such as “Dr” and “St”. 8. Tables must be designed to fit into the page, preferably not side- ways, and be self-explanatory. 9. Headings and sub-headings should not be underlined as this may lead the printer to use the wrong type. 10. Illustrations of any kind are welcomed. Drawings and figures should be up to twice the size they will finally appear, and on separate sheets from the text. They should be in Indian ink on good quality paper, with neat lettering by a skilled draughtsman. Photographs should either have a Scottish interest or illustrate contributions. They should be sharp and clear, with good contrast, and preferably large glossy prints. Bird Books Please support 1% Dy The Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection by buying all your new Bird Books from The Bird Bookshop 21 REGENT TERRACE EDINBURGH, 7 Managed by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, profits help to maintain services to ornithology at the Scottish Centre We offer expert advice on the largest and most comprehensive choice of bird books in Scotland We stock Peterson’s American “Field Guides” ALL BOOKS SENT POST FREE Terms: Strictly cash with order Ask for the latest Price List and Catalogue CONSERVATION COSTS MONEY... . and in May of this year, the R.S.P.B. launched an Appeal for £100,000 to cover the costs of establishing four new Reserves in Britain —one of them at Vane Farm on the southern shores of Loch Leven. In the years ahead, every Scottish ornithologist will be able to benefit from the ambitious developments planned for Vane Farm. In addition to being a wildfowl sanctuary and educational reserve of the first order, the farm will provide facilities for watching geese and duck at close quarters. But all this is only possible if the R.S.P.B. can count on YOUR support. Please send a donation, or write for further particulars of the Reserves Appeal, to George Waterston, R.S.P.B. Scottish Office, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7. YOU ‘NEED NOT PAY HIGH PRICES FOR YOUR NATURAL HISTORY BOOKS .. . The following paperbacks feature in our current range: Bird Migration, by D. R. Griffin 0... Heinemann, 8/6 The Badger, by Earnest Neal .................00000...... ek ee eee Pelican, 3/6 The Sociology of Nature, by L. Reid ....................000..00.. {ee Pelican, 6/- Wildlife in Britain, by Richard Fitter .............00..0000.0000000.. Pelican, 7/6 Dictionary of Biology, by Abercrombie, Hickman and Johnson. Penguin, 4/- Social Behaviour in Animals, by Niko Tinbergen. Science Paperbacks, 8/6 Animal Ecology, by Charles Elton .................... Science Paperbacks, 13/6 Territory in Bird Life, by E. Howard .................00..000.ce Fontana, 7/6 Bird Display and Behaviour, by E. Armstrong ............................. Dover, 20/- Fundamentals of Ornithology, by Van Tyne and Berger. Science Editions 23/- THE S.0.C. BIRD BOOKSHOP, 21 Regent Terrace, Edin. 7. aitagncaitetenea WES SS ASS \A SS SN LOS XY AN AS \A AN R.S.P.B. now Shetland and Speyside— but much remains to be done. egional representatives in We need your support. Please write maintains eight Reserves and for Membership Prospectus. In Scotland the employs r Orkney, MO a SNS SNS, ~ Wass, INONONL, SQCURIN IOI ITWENs IROWMACINOIN Oley WIIDS 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7 e to protect and conserve’ Tel. WAVerley 6042 A SELECTION OF NEW AND USED BINOCULARS SPECIALLY RECOMMENDED BY MR FRANK NIPOLE binoculars from Japan are made to our Specification and are imported exclusvely by us. Per- performance is excellent and we have sufficient faith in them to guarantee them for five years. The 10x50 costs £15 10s 6d. and the 8x50 £10 19s 6d. (both with case). A SPECIALIST BINOCULAR FOR THE BIRD WATCH- ER. The Swift ‘AUDUBON’ 8.5 x 44 designed to the specification of the world-renowned Audubon Society of America. Unusually wide field of 445 ft. at 1000 yards. Extra close focusing of down to 12 ft. enables feeding activities etc., to be watched as from 18”. Included amongst other features are retractable eye- cups for spectacle users, built-in Adaptor to suit any camera tripod. This outstanding binocular has easy positive focusing by cylindrical control, weighs 358.4 oz. and the height closed is 6%’’. Price with fine leather case, £356. The new LEITZ TRINOVID is indisputably the bino- cular of the century. It is of revolutionary design and performance, and the 10 x 40 model. which we par- ticularly like, is extremely light and wonderfully complete. Price with soft leather case is £86.14.2. In good British glasses, we have no hesitation in sug- gesting the ROSS 9x35 STEPRUVA. Compact and weighing only 21 ozs. £435 4s 9d. We stock binoculars by Zeiss, Leitz, Barr & Stroud, Ross, Swift etc. For wildfowling, etc., we recommend the ex-Admiralty 7 x 42 or 7 x 50 Barr & Stroud binoculars and can offer these instruments in specially good conditions, complete in original cases, at £16 10s. The Bausch & Lomb (Canadian naval) 7 x 50 is still available at £24. Amongst general purpose binoculars, which will stand up to a tremendous amount of rough usage, there is little to beat the 6 x 30 Service IAsenenO Bir fan Regus z cade hs z o.2 oO gah 6 3 Siegress OS Fe ~ asa FE bs Besesue : Sa Hiss = Oo 8 y 5 . o§ ee ola v 2 Y) Ops o N Avs ae UY g 5 eo ee 2 ae 2 3 8 Eye mm YY eee 28 ~ 2 aie 5 v BA Bs 4:3 << aes 2 8 mp He ane ALN — Ss : : Y ys Scottish Birds or THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB : > Vol. 4 No. 7 Autumn 1967 Edited by A. T. MAOMILLAN with the assistance of D. G. ANDREW, T. C. SmovuT and P. J. B. SLATER. Business Editor, T. C. Smour. Cover Design (Leach’s Petrel) by LEN FULLERTON, Editorial Vane Farm. In January the R.S.P.B. bought this 300-acre farm on the south shore of Loch Leven, one of the most important waters for wildfowl in the country. The farmer is sympathetic to conservation and has managed the land in such a way that it attracts large numbers of geese in winter; he will continue to farm the arable land as the R.S.P.B.’s tenant. Vane Farm is a fine vantage point for viewing the ducks and geese on Loch Leven, and an observation post equipped with powerful binoculars will be built, The idea is to de- velop the reserve partly as a refuge and partly as an educa- tional area, where people can come and sée the birds and learn something about them without disturbing them. A nature trail is planned on the birch-clad hillside above. In announcing the purchase of this important new reserve the R.S.P.B. also revealed plans for two new reserves in Wales and one in England which include Kites and Black- tailed Godwits among their breeding birds. Money is needed to pay for these reserves and to enable the society to take the chance to buy other good sites which may come on the mar- ket from time to time, and a New Reserves Appeal for £100,000 has been launched, An attractive brochure with details of the plans for these reserves and of the different ways in which one can help may be had from George Water- ston, Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7. A vintage year, Rare Scottish birds have been much in the news in 1967, with huge portraits and full coverage in the daily and Sunday press. First it was a lone Crane striding about an Argyll farm which sent reporters and cameramen hurrying off to the Mull of Kintyre. Then out to the Bass Rock following reports that a distinguished zoologist had acciden- tally photographed a Black-browed Albatross among the Gannets and would have fallen off with surprise had the slope been steeper. After a whole day waiting for the bird 466 EDITORIAL 4(7) they returned with a fine series of pictures, and christened it Albie the albatross. Next came front-page photographs of the eggs of Snowy Owls, revealed by the R.S.P.B. to be nesting on Fetlar, where parents forbade their children to go on the moor for fear of attack. Word of this excitement had already spread all over Shetland and so many people were heading for Fet- lar that there was nothing for it but to set up a full-scale show on the lines of Operation Osprey. Meanwhile the R.S.P.B.’s Loch Garten Ospreys were rearing a healthy brood of three young, the second pair again failed to hatch their eggs (which were then sent for analysis), and it was announ- ced that, at last, a third pair had been found breeding in Scotland, with two young in the nest. Such spectacular items made the headlines, but on top of all this it was a good spring for interesting migrants, includ- ing unusual numbers of Black and White-winged Black Terns, Icterine and Grasshopper Warblers, Red-headed Bun- tings (at least six escaped cocks!) and many others; and an unprecedented scatter of summering and breeding Redwings. Sober accounts of these things will appear in time in Scottish Birds. A vintage year indeed. Protection of Birds Act 1967. At the time of the last General Election this measure had almost become law, but with the dissolution of Parliament it had to start over again (Scot. Birds 4: 205). It has been making unobtrusive progress since then, and in July it reached the statute book, so quietly that hardly anyone noticed, The provisions have already been described (4: 61), and should serve to simplify and therefore improve enforcement of the law. Perhaps the change of widest interest is that the Secretary of State no longer has power to deprive the eggs of common wild birds of the gen- eral protection given to all birds and their eggs, Children can be taught to watch birds rather than rob them, and teachers will no longer have the impossible task of explain- ing that it is right to take the eggs of some birds and wrong to take those of others. Current literature. Recent references of special interest to Scottish ornithologists include: Bird life in the islands. E. Balfour, 1966. In The New Ork- ney Book (J. Shearer et al.), ch. 15, pp. 103-111. Includes status list of breeding and other birds. The arrival and departure of auks at St Kilda, 1961-62. W. E. Waters, 1967. Seabird Bull. 3: 19-20. Also notes for other sites. The Hatton Castle rookery and roost in Aberdeenshire. A. Watson, 1967. Bird Study 14: 116-119. 1967 EDITORIAL 467 Territory, behaviour and breeding of the Dipper in Banff- shire. R. Hewson, 1967. Brit. Birds 60: 244-252. Migration-seasons of the Sylvia warblers at British bird observatories. P. [E.] Davis, 1967. Bird Study 14: 65-95. Includes full discussion of Fair Isle data. Olive-backed Pipits on Fair Isle: a species new to Britain and Ireland. R. H. Dennis, 1967. Brit, Birds 60: 161-166, plate. Seen 17th-19th October 1964 and 29th September 1965. Birds on Out Skerries, Shetland, 1966 R. J. TULLOCH (Plates 49-51) Introduction A small group of low-lying, rocky and rather barren is- lands called Out Skerries lies some ten miles east of the Shetland Mainland, and about the same distance south and east of the two larger islands of Yell and Fetlar. Its nearest neighbour, Whalsay, is about five miles to the southwest, between Out Skerries and the Shetland Mainland. The group comprises three main islands, surrounded by numerous stacks, holms and reefs which make navigation in the area rather tricky. On the most easterly of these, Bound Skerry, there is a large lighthouse, the most prominent feature of the Out Skerries landscape. Of the three main islands, the total area of which is only about 600 acres, only Bruray and Housay are inhabited, and these are connected by a bridge. With the third island, Gruney, they combine to form an excellent natural harbour, and this is undoubtedly the reason why there is a popula- tion of about 90 people whose living is made almost entirely from the sea. Three large modern fishing boats prosecute the seine net and herring drift-net fishing, and smaller boats fish for lobsters around the rocky shores. There is only a thin covering of soil, covered with short grass, which in places has been painstakingly cleared of stones to provide little fields where some potatoes and ‘Shet- land’ oats Avena strigosa are grown, the potatoes mainly for human consumption and the oats to provide some winter feeding for the few cattle of the smal! Shetland breed which are kept to provide the islanders with fresh milk. The re- mainder of the islands is grazed by the small hardy breed of Shetland sheep, renowned for the fine quality of its wool, ies the island women hand-knit into garments, mainly to e sold. The highest ‘hill’ is only about 170 feet above sea level, 468 BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 4(7) and during the winter storms the whole islands are swept by the salt spray, so that flowering plants are confined to those resistant to or needing the salty soil, and in summer there is a profusion of species such as thrift, vernal squill, and moss campion, while some of the offshore holms have a carpet of scurvy grass. In the autumn there is often an abundance of excellent field mushrooms which are never eaten by the islanders, who view them with susvicion, but will buy an inferior variety in a tin from the local shop! When I took on the responsibility of Shetland representa- tive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, I realised that, although I was a Shetlander born and bred, my know- ledge of the more remote parts of Shetland was at best in- adequate; so, pursuing a policy of learning as much ag pos- sible about at least one new district each season, I decided to pay as many visits to the Out Skerries as was practicable during the 1966 season. The small amount of literature available about bird life on Out Skerries deals exclusively with the breeding species, but different writers suggested that the group might be well worth looking at with regard to migration, and it is known that regular visits were paid to Out Skerries by the late Sammy Bruce, a noted Shetland bird collector whose collec- tion of skins, now in the new museum at Lerwick, contains such rarities as Britain’s first Red-flanked Bluetail and the first Scottish Greenish Warbler and Collared Flycatcher. Spring Living in Shetland made it easier to time my visits to coincide with a movement of birds actually taking place, and it was not until gales and rain from east and northeast on May 8th and 9th brought the first trickle of birds to Yell that I decided the time was ripe for a visit to Skerries, as it is usually called. I had hoped to do the 17-mile crossing from Mid Yell in my own 20-foot open boat, but the weather that brought the birds also brought stormy seas, and it would have been fool- hardy to go on my own at that time, so I took advantage of the fact that the Out Skerries’ only regular link with the rest of Shetland, the mail steamer Earl of Zetland, was due to make her weekly call on Tuesday 10th, and I was deposited, complete with tent and primus, on Bruray about midday. In spite of warnings (joking I thought) about a coming force 9 gale I set up camp in the doubtful shelter of a loose stone dyke, and already it was evident that there were many mig- rants on the island. Willow Warblers and Whitethroat were hunting flies along the wall, a Pied Flycatcher was making sorties from the top, while in the little field at the back a 1967 BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 469 ‘flava’ and two White Wagtails were running in and out between the legs of the sheep grazing there. After I had sorted out myself and belongings, I set out on what I intended to be a quick tour of the two main islands, telling myself I would not be sidetracked by individual birds but try to get a general picture of what birds were on the islands. However I had not gone very far along the stone dyke when I was brought up short by a bird which at first glance I took to be a Lesser Whitethroat but which, through my binoculars, proved to be a bird I had never seen before, and which I recognised as a male Subalpvine Warbler in beautiful breeding plumage. I slowly lowered myself to the wet ground and watched as the bird worked its way along the wall towards me, some- times hopping on the ground with its tail held at an almost Wren-like angle, and occasionally fluttering up over the lower stones of the wall after some insect. It continued to approach until it was so close I could not focus my glasses on it, and until, even without them I could see the red eye and the clear white ‘moustache’ stripe, Finally, when no more than 5 or 6 feet from me, the bird decided I was not just part of the scenery, and promptly disappeared into a hole in the wall. A little further on a Corncrake did the same disappearing trick into the wall, being unable to use its usual cover of grass, which at that point came barely up to its knees. A freshly manured field next attracted my attention and among the birds I found feeding on it were Woodpigeon, a Turtle Dove, a small fiock of Twites with eight Linnets and single Redpoll, Chaffinch, Brambling and Siskin, a few Reed Buntings and a single Tree Svarrow. Parties of Turn- stone were everywhere, most having probably wintered, and some were already showing signs of the attractive summer plumage. Down near the south end of Housay a stone dividing wall about 400 yards long had attracted many small birds, and walking along it, I gathered them in front of me until at the end of the wall I had some 30 or 40 mixed Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat. Lesser Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Pied Flycatcher, Blackcap, Redstart and Dunnock, which then doubled back to the shelter of the wall again. Below the bridge which joins the two islands a Sand Mar- tin was hawking flies as I crossed back to Bruray in the evening, and on Bruray hill there were a few Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Ring Ouzel and a solitary Snow Bunting. Some par- ties of Twites were probably passage birds, the resident pop- ulation usually spending the winter in the stackyards with 470 BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 4(7) the House Sparrows, where they are assured of a plentiful food supply. The warning about the weather which I had scoffed at be- came too evidently true during the night, and I got very little rest, with the tent threatening to tear out its moorings at any minute, my only consolation being in the hope that the gale would blow in more birds. The next morning showed that little change had taken place during the night. Most of the birds on Bruray seemed to be the same ones, but the Sand Martin, which was still by the bridge, had been joined by a House Martin, and three Carrion Crows—unusual visitors to Shetland—were new. A better thrill awaited me on the rocky knoll above the island’s tiny post office where a splendid Red-spotted Bluethroat was showing off his livery as he flirted from stone to stone, be- having quite differently from those I had seen in Yell and on Fair Isle, where they usually skulked in cabbage patches or the like and were very difficult to get a good look at. At the back of the ‘village’ on Housay there is a little marshy patch of perhaps half an acre, and when I got there after midday a number of pipits were moving around and through it, so I sat down in the lee of a knoll from where I could get a good view and started to my lunch. A few Rock Pipits, possibly resident birds, were feeding on the drier ground round the edges, Meadow Pipits were calling and moving from place to place among the long grass, and the odd Tree Pipit identified itself by its wheezy call. A bird got up from quite close to me which looked like a Meadow Pipit in flight but which had me grabbing for my glasses when it uttered a call I had certainly never heard before, a loud clear tseee-ip, quite unlike the call of any of the other pipits nearby. Lunch forgotten, I hurried to where it had dropped in the grass, but again the bird got up with- out my being able to see it on the ground, and again gave this strange call. I decided these tactics were not getting me anywhere and went back to my ‘piece’ and just waited, and I was rewarded about ten minutes later by having a Red- throated Pipit come out on the dry short grass only 30 yards away, giving me ample time to study its distinctively marked cheeks and throat, which was clear enough to enable me later to pick out the bird at over 200 yards. It particularly pleased me to be given this opportunity of comparing the calls of four different species of pipit, and I spent some time at the marsh then and on the following day, when the birds were still there. On my way back I called on an old lady to pass on greet- ings from friends in Yell, and while she regretted that she 1967 BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 471 knew nothing about birds she rather apologetically told me she had seen a ‘pink Starling’ a short while before, and went on to give me a description of a Rose-coloured Starling that would have no trouble getting past the Rarities Committee, had I been able to get fuller details. The wind had dropped during the day, but the forecast was again of gales, so I gladly accepted the offer of the sail loft on the pier to set up house in, and spent a much more comfortable night with a pile of nets for a mattress. The 12th was very wet and windy as another front passed through the Fair Isle sea area. I decided to have a look at the other island, and a young lobsterman put me off on Gruney and arranged to pick me up later in the day. Gruney has even less shelter than the other two islands. It was obviously less attractive to small migrants, and I saw little other than some Wheatears and the odd Redstart. There was a solitary Grey Lag Goose beside a little pool and it seemed reluctant to leave the isle, perhaps a ‘pricked’ bird which did not feel up to the long flight to northern breeding grounds. The only other new birds were a couple of Arctic Skuas speeding past, and the first Arctic Tern to appear in the islands, although I had seen a number around Yell be- fore I left. Back on Bruray I found that there were quite a few birds I had not seen the day before. A fair number of Whinchais had arrived, and where I had seen the Bluethroat the day before there was now a female Black Redstart, and I later saw another—also a female—at the other end of the isle. A visit to the manured field found several new and ex- citing species, and at one time I lay prone with a o& Reed Bunting, a o Lapland Bunting, and a o& Ortolan Bunting in the field of view of my binoculars at about ten yards range, each in perfect summer plumage. The Lapland Bun- ting would stop feeding every now and then to give a burst of song. While lying there I added another bird to my life list; although it was only a humble hen Greenfinch they are quite rare in Shetland. The fact that I smelled strongly of cow manure for some time afterwards in no way de- tracted from my enjoyment of that afternoon. I had arranged to get a lift back to the mainland on Fri- day 13th on a fishing boat and only had time for a quick dash round before we left, but it was obvious there had been a big departure during the night. Numbers of nearly all Species were very much down, but passing a little cabbage yard on my way to the boat I had a tantalising glimpse of a bird which could have been a Thrush Nightingale, and I 472 BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 4(7) did not have time to follow it up, with the boat waiting and the crew anxious to be off. Summer My next visit to Out Skerries, on 10th-llth June, was mainly to look at the breeding birds and to see what, if any, changes had taken place since Venables did a survey in 1950 (Birds and Mammals of Shetland 1955). I found the situation to be very much the same, even to the small cliff-nesting colony of House Sparrows with the rather unusual nesting neighbours of Fulmar and Puffin. Venables says that the Shetland Wren T. t. zetlandicus be- came extinct in Out Skerries about 1930 and certainly I saw no signs of any in June, although I did see a pair on my visit in October which appeared to be of the local race. Blackbirds are another species which, although breeding all over Shetland, are absent from Out Skerries. Oystercatchers seem to think they own the Out Skerries, and a walk round the shore can be a most exasperating business, with the incessant piping as one pair takes over where the last leaves off, making the possibility of coming on, say, a Ringed Plover leaving the nest, completely out of the question. Still in June there was some evidence of migration, and I saw Garden Warblers, Spotted Flycatcher, White Wag- tails, Heron, Swallow and House Martins. The weather was at its Shetland best, and I had made the crossing in my own small boat in 23 hours, and on the fol- lowing day spent the forenoon going round all the little offshore holms and rocks, going ashore on most of them to count nesting birds and enjoy the sunshine and the pink and white carpet of thrift and scurvy grass, I went ashore on Bound Skerry, where I was made welcome by the light- keeper and his assistant, who invited me to climb the 120 feet of stair to the balcony, from where I could take photo- graphs of the panorama of islands and skerries shimmering in what was the nearest we get to a real heatwave. In the afternoon I made a leisurely trip back to Yell, calling 3 miles northwest of Skerries at Muckle Skerry, with its gulls, Fulmars, Eiders and Black Guillemots, and disturbing the grey seals at their siesta on the rocks, The sea was glassy smooth and I could hear the short ss-ss as a porpoise came to the surface to breathe, its round little body glistening in the sun. On the way back I saw the great bulk of a lesser rorqual break the water half a mile away, and its back fin had al- most disappeared before the snort of its expelled breath came faintly across the water. 1967 BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 473 Autumn The last few days of August were pleasant, with sunshine and light northeast winds as an anticyclone built up over Scandinavia, and I began to see an odd Willow Warbler and Pied Flycatcher, but did not expect to see any numbers of birds until the weather broke a bit and adverse winds and bad visibility encouraged the migrants to come down on to the islands to rest. However on the evening of 30th August I had a telephone call from John Simpson, a keen and knowledgeable birdwatching friend from Whalsay, who told me that he had been given the chance of a few hours in Out Skerries that day and that among a lot of interesting birds he had seen a Treecreper and a Wryneck. The high over Norway, although weakening, was still keeping the winds light, so early next morning I set off in my boat accompanied by a young birdwatching visitor from the south who was keen to see Out Skerries. Although there was a long swell which often hid us completely from the shore, we made good time on the trip out and arrived in Skerries to find the pier cluttered with strange equipment, as a group of London treasure hunters prepared to go out to the site of a wreck near the south tip of Housay, where they hoped, with the aid of skin-diving equipment, to re- cover some of the fortune in coin reputed to be on board the ship which had been wrecked there about 1700. Our ‘treasure’ was more likely to fly off the islands, so we wasted little time in setting out to see what we could find. Almost the first thing we saw was a Bluethroat scolding from a wall. As we came closer it was joined by another, and we could see that the cause of their displeasure was a cat which was obviously considering the nutritional—rather than the rarity—value of Red-spotted Bluethroat. We later decided there were certainly five, possibly more, Bluethroats on the island, all in varying stages of moult, usually show- ing only a faint crescent of blue and mostly lacking the red spot.- Again I was struck by the ease with which we could watch these usually very shy birds, although on this occa- sion there was a lot of cover available in the potato and oat fields and in the vegetable and cabbage yards. We spent a long time looking for the Treecreeper, but never found it, and came to the conclusion it had either moved on or been taken by a cat. The Wryneck—a new bird for me—was still where Johnnie Simpson had found it, and We saw a second one pecking about in its slow sedate manner among some House Sparrows in a stack yard, so tame that I was able to poke my camera over the wall and take photographs from only about twelve feet away. 474 BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 4(7) A party of ten Herons was flying around, and was rather ridiculously upset when a hen Merlin impudently stooped past them. A nice flock of 300-400 Golden Plovers was mov- ing about, many of them—or they may have been young birds—already in winter plumage, but many still with traces of summer dress dark enough to suggest they were of a more northerly origin. Very few Oystercatchers were left on the islands, but we saw a single Ruff and a Dunlin, and there were many par- ties of Turnstones along the shore or up on the fields. | Of the small passerine migrants Wheatear, Whinchat, and Willow Warbler/Chiffchaff were most numerous, with pro- bably a hundred of each on the islands; next were Garden Warbler with an estimated 50, and there were smaller num- bers of Redstart, Blackcap, Whitethroat, 20+ Pied Flycatch- ers, and single Lesser Whitethroat, Crossbill, Ortolan, and ‘flava’ Wagtail, and as we returned to the boat in the evening two Fieldfares came in from the northeast and carried on to- wards the Shetland Mainland, chacking to each other as they flew. Next day, Ist September, the weather was showing signs of breaking up, and in any case it was apparent that many birds had left during the night. On a quick tour round the best areas we found one Bluethroat, one Wryneck and much reduced numbers of the other birds. We left for Yell on a swell that was occasionally showing a white crest in the rising wind. Although we had seen a couple of Fieldfares on this trip, the large movements of turdidae had not yet started, and I decided to make one more visit when this got under way. It was not until 29th September, when I went up the hill at West Yell to show a visitor a fine male Snowy Owl which had used the same roost for a couple of weeks, that I found quite a few small parties of Redwing on the hills, and decided I would try to get into Out Skerries for my last visit of the season. The weather had been unsettled for a time and it was too rough to make the journey in my own boat, but I was lucky enough to get a lift on a fishing boat, and we arrived as dark- ness fell on the last day of September. The following morning was dull and rainy with a strong northeast wind, and even before it got light I could hear calls of Redwing and Fieldfare as they passed overhead. My forenoon tour showed that there were indeed large mixed flocks on the islands and a rough estimate gave a figure of well over a thousand. Probably half of this was made up of Redwings, with Song Thrush next and smaller numbers 1967 BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 475 of Fieldfare, Blackbird and Ring Ouzel, Several times in the past I had listened to thrushes going over in the dark and had been puzzled by a call heard only once or twice, a chortling cail something like the flight call of a Skylark, but louder and more bubbly, and I was pleased when I heard this again in daylight and was able to see that a Ring Ouzel was responsible. All day there was a continual movement of birds on the 600-odd acres, flocks of thrushes were seen to leave in the direction of Shetland, and others were seen arriving from the direction of Scandinavia. A flock of about 50 Wigeon came in from the northeast, flying at a tremendous speed before the rising wind, and after a moment of indecision sped on towards Whalsay. A little group of dark specks low on the waves resolved into a party of Siskins which fell to feeding on the faded thistle heads with much twittering, and a small flock of Snow Buntings settled up on the hill, followed by a lone Lapland Bunting. There were many other birds already on the islands: Wheatear, Redstart, Robin, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Pied Flycatcher and Dunnock, and on the stubble a flock of over 150 Bramblings and a few Chaffinches. It rained most of the night and the wind veered to south- east, and almost the first thing I saw in the morning was a very tired-looking o Kestrel sitting hunched up in _ the shelter of a rock, ignoring the scolding of a pair of Rock Pipits. As I made my way along the narrow road a wisp of three Jack Snipe got uv and flew a short distance before dropping silently into some long grass. Thrush numbers appeared to be about the same except that there were a few more Ring Ouzels. The Bramblings were still on the stubble, the Snow Bunting flock had about doubled and had five or six Lapland Buntings with it now. There had obviously been an arrival of Goldcrests; they were creeping mouse-like along walls and up docken stems, all the while keeping in touch with their penetrating psst psst. Two Red-breasted Mergansers were resting on the west voe, and another pair came flying from the east but, like the Wigeon of the day before, carried on past. As I made my way back to my home on the fishing boat, just as it was getting dark, I heard an excitement of Gold- crest calls from the side of the road, and from only a couple of feet away watched six of these tiny creatures jostling for position on a short bit of dock stem which was sticking hori- zontally through a tuft of grass. Later on at night, on my way back from visiting some of the islanders, I shone my torch briefly on the six—now pressed tightly ‘together and 476 BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 4(7) locking like little headless green balls. The wind veered round to the north and all next day blew a severe storm. Huge seas pounded the coast with an inces- sant roaring, and the whole islands were wet with driven spray. Not a day to do much birding, but I dressed in oil- skins and had a walk round, and all over the island were thrushes sheltering under whatever cover they could find. It would have been a shame to have flushed the small birds from the cabbage patches and walls. A large number of Turnstone had blown in; I saw one flock of over 50 and a number of smaller parties, A Great Skua flew past, causing momentary anxiety among the pier Her- ring Gulls. A party of Twites was flying about on the lee side of the hill and one looked a little larger than the others in flight. I had difficulty in getting a look at the bird on the ground, and when I did finally get a few seconds view I did not know what it was. I could only see the head and neck and noted the stubby finch bill and the greyish-brown, faintly streaked head with a prominent dark eye; it was not until next day when I was in Fair Isle and Roy Dennis showed me a @ Scarlet Grosbeak, that I was pretty cer- tain that this was the same bird I had been puzzled by on Out Skerries. I was not able to convince the Rarities Com- mittee. The storm abated sufficiently for us to get off the next day, and I caught the boat for Fair Isle with only five minutes to spare. , Conclusion The possibilities of Out Skerries as a regular migration observation station cannot be reliably assessed upon such short acquaintance, and there is no one at present living on the islands who has the interest or knowledge of birds to make regular observations. Certainly it could never com- pete with Fair Isle in this respect, but it is a fascinating place to visit, and for the individual observer there is the attraction of the small area and very limited cover which makes it possible to see practically every bird that lands on the islands, added to this the fact that Out Skerries lie fur- ther east, and therefore nearer the Scandinavian peninsula, than anywhere else in Shetland, which could mean—and my limited observations would seem to support this—that Out Skerries must be the first landfall for some of the birds crossing the North Sea from Scandinavia and the continent. Summary The Out Skerries, 10 miles east of the Shetland Mainland, are describ- ed, particularly in relation to observing bird migration there. An account is given of short visits, totalling 8 days, in spring, summer and autumn 1966, together with a systematic list of the birds noted each day. 477 BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 1967 peei1qg jou soop ToyUIM “qoid Jamey ‘sid Q7i—spoe1q WO ¢ asessed;—poo1iq sid ¢-7 UOUNMMOI—sp201q ABW IT Uo 0g ‘yp ‘xeut ‘sid QQTs—spoo1q UOUIWIOI—sps01q (sorqeusr) SOggt 238] posq VIOYSJO SsuIpsey WOUWIMIOI—spo01q sioquinu |[euIs—spoo1q WO € PO 9961 uw PO PO sny Ge 02 9 Or Ol I 5 c (o> Wo OZ OSC OSA OSC 00 oe / / i, i / /, Ol 7 / / 7, 9 / / i T T ¥y /; if / / / OS I Cc c O1 I I / i, / / / OT if j; ” 7, / / / / / é I I€ 1 él SOIAAIYS INO ye Spalg SSS SS rt =S SS Il rn SS SK SK ri IS ol ung Ae Aepy AeA yueyspoy MoIny adiug yor adius 2uo}suIN [, J9AO[q usapjoy JOAOC[q AI15) JQAO[q pasuryy suimdey I9Y9}e919}SAD dyeINUIO) Je11Ss9 yy UII TT 9sOOr) sey AI JosuesiIaj pojseoiq-poy DG UoIsI A preyew uolo yy Beys JUeIOUIIO? Jouuer) Jewyny JeI}9q WA0}S la ~ wa + BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 478 sid ¢-7—spoo1q pezq AjjuapiAa (sunoA sulAy ¢) Id (sojqeusA) Al][euoIses90 spaaig (sojqeusA) ysed ur poiq aAey Aew yIog Uses 4s1Vy sid ¢[ ‘d—spoo1q speoiq UOUIWIOI—Spsa1q SOIUO[OD |[[eWIs—spoo1q SaIUO[OD [[euIs—spoo1q ojo1y Apjsour ‘sid QOOTé—peetq S3IUO]OD [[eUIs—sps01q sid QZ ‘I—Spse1q SI9}JUIM *{ WOWIUIOI—sSps901q sid 0¢4—spoo1q SIOJUIM ! WOUTUIOI—sps01q ~N ™ re cl SSS ~ T v4 PO re oD © ioe) as einmN NNN St os NNR ato MNS WNNNN ON NNN SS SS Ss ~ TaN) SSS OS BSS EN SONS OS OT NANNY NNNSO OEE ENS TOE SS re pO sSny une Aepy Ae AvP MOI) papooy MOI UOlIIe) UdAeY UljIey. pues Ul}Ie]. + osnop_T MOT[EMS YTeEAIS 3IOUAT A VAOd 93]}IN J, woasidpooM eA0q YoY Od JOUSTINA) Yxoepg OUTS TTIND) I}qsozey SUJIT, 9101VW/uoUUIO? oeMI} TY [[ny) wouruto0sy [25 surstisy [IN pexoseq-yoe[g sssso’T THD pexseq-yoelg yeoin enyS s11V enyS yes15 alta uljunqg OUST BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES 479 1967 sid Qp-0Z—speerq = f/ / peeiq jou soop 0) 9 0d Of I! 14 Vv I Ell c 074 02 v 8 sid 9¢i—spso1q ~ 7 9 cl cl Be 009 009 OS 002 OO€ 052 (sajqeusA) OL6I “9 Peseed Suipse4iq € Z PO PO i / if / / T T c v Cc Ol Of Os 0s I T I 02 \ I I c I c OOT OG. =. 0F T if Ol I a cl GT 9 Osre 3v OL 9 v I S I c ST 8 ) c OOT Ol ) QOr OOT 002 002 SC O£ 009 002 I O81 ¢ 1 c I 1s or él Il Ol cl 00C NN or ~POQ Sny une Ae, Ae AvP] HdIq YoY ydiq peyeosyy-poy Wdig V1], yidiq Mopeeyy yoouunqg JayoyeoAL J pat JayoyeoATy pozods JsaIOpfO+) peyoyryD/721q1e@M MOTLM Jojqie\\ suidjeqns Jeosy IY AA Iessa’T Teor yoy yNN JojqieA\\ Uspsier deoyoelg pide yeoryyoN[ JIeIspyy Arg J1eISPIY FEC OLEAN Jeayeoy pace elal J9ZNO sury SUIMPOY ysniy., 8uos He ual udtI AA ~~ MN 7) + sid QO[é —Speesq Ajuo s]{qissod ‘ WOUIMIOI—Sps01q BIRDS ON OUT SKERRIES ysossiq o1e soinsy ‘Maj—spoo1q 480 peyunos jou jnq yussoid — / c / 00¢ y 3 cl ~POQ Sny une Aepy Avy ALP] Some b oe | bom on™ Mosiedg 991 MOIIeds oasnopT suijung Mous suijung puedey Ssuljung psy suljung wUej[oulO Ssullquielg yourgey) ITIqssorD [yeoqsoIr) yo]pIeIS | 1odpey IML JOUUTT ULISIS youyuIeI+) SULICIS EISEN MOTI A, eIBeM OFM 1967 ORKNEY CORMORANTS 481 Orkney Cormorants—their breeding distribution and dispersal E. BALFOUR, A. ANDERSON and G. M. DUNNET Introduction Information on the breeding status of the Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo in Orkney in former times is scanty and rather vague. Buckley and Harvie-Brown (1891) say: “The Cormorant, though by no means an uncommon bird, is still far from numerous, and seems to prefer the west side of the islands to the east.” In context, this statement seems to refer to breeding birds, The authors give no indication of the size of the colonies they saw over 80 years ago, but say that there was an interesting Cormorant colony on Seal Skerry off North Ronaldsay (numbering 50 nests with eggs in July 1892 according to Briggs 1893); that many were nest- ing at Rothiesholm at the south of Stronsay; that there was a colony on a small stack near Costa Head (called the Stan- dard); and that nesting also took place on the Calf of Eday, Rousay and Hoy. They also state that Salmon found Cor- morants breeding on Copinsay in 1831, but that Irvine-For- tescue saw none there in 1884 (a local boatman recently reported that they began breeding there again in the late 1930s). This list of breeding places rather conflicts with the theory of a western distribution. The present distribution of breeding colonies could be described as central and eastern (fig. 1), with none on the western side of Orkney. The three largest colonies are in the central area of the North Isles and there are four smaller ones strung out along the eastern seaboard, from Little Pentland Skerry in the extreme south to Seal Skerry, North Ronaldsay, some 53 miles away, in the extreme north. Since Buckley and Harvie-Brown’s time, Cormorants have ceased to breed at the Standard, Rousay and Rothiesholm, and new colonies have become established at Little Pentland Skerry, Horse of Copinsay, the Brough of Stronsay, Muckle Green Holm, Holm of Boray and Taing Skerry. The present Orkney Cormorant colonies are on very small islands, with the exception of the Calf of Eday (600 acres) and Muckle Green Holm (about 100 acres); they are all un- inhabited. Little Skerry and Seal Skerry are low, bare, rocky skerries which are storm-washed in winter. The Horse of Copinsay and the Brough of Stronsay are small stack-type islets. The Horse lies about three-quarters of a mile north of Copinsay and the Brough is separated from the main cliffs 492 ORKNEY CORMORANTS 4(7). SEAL SKERRY f N. nonatosayf (~ CALF OF EDAY SANDAY WESTRAY 6 od enna < EDAY 0 . f 4 f 1) V4 muckie @ STRONSAY GREEN HOLM Ss GAIRSAY, (DJ tHe prouscn HOLM OF BORAY pons (Se Bens MAINLAND SHAPINSAY DP [1 Horse oF copinsay 7? copinsay S. RONALDSAY yy) oO PENTLAND SKERRIES KEY: + EXTINCT COLONIES CAITHNESS (J) ALM Y ? x is Please support The Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection by buying all your new Bird Books from The Bird Bookshop 21 REGENT TERRACE EDINBURGH, 7 Managed by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, profits help to maintain services to ornithology at the Scottish Centre We offer expert advice on the largest and most comprehensive choice of bird books in Scotland We stock Peterson’s American “Field Guides” ALL BOOKS SENT POST FREE Terms: Strictly cash with order Ask for the latest Price List and Catalogue Notice to Contributors (revised ist December 1967) 1. General notes (not of sufficient importance to be published on their own as Short Notes) should be sent to the appropriate local recorders for inclusion in their summary for the annual Scottish Bird Report, not to the editor. A list of local recorders is published from time to time, but in cases of doubt the editor will be glad to forward notes to the right person. All other material should be sent to the editor, Andrew T. Macmillan, 12 Abinger Gardens, Edinburgh 12. Attention to the following points greatly simplifies the work of producing the journal and is much appreciated. 2. If not sent earlier, all general notes for January to October each year should be sent to the local recorders early in November, and any for Nov- ember and December should be sent at the beginning of January. In addi- tion, local recorders will be glad to have brief reports on matters of special current interest at the end of March, June, September and December for the journal. All other material should of course be sent as soon as it is ready. 3. All contributions should be on one side of the paper only. Papers, es- pecially, should be typed if possible, with doubie spacing. 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WHERE TO WATCH BIRDS John Gooders ‘An admirably practical, well-mapped guide, county by county, to the chief areas of feathered interests in Great Britain. The information is succinctly given, Clearly catalogued and indexed, and easy to get at. The format too is right. Sunday Times Introduction by Roger Tory Peterson Maps and 8 pp photographs 30s A WEALTH OF WILDFOWL Jeffrey Harrison ‘Dr Harrison, with the assistance of his wife Pamela’s admirable photographs, Foreword by Peter Scott traces the history of the revolution which Survival Book No. 8 has turned wildfowlers towards Edited by Colin Willock conservation and has reconciled naturalists to cooperation with them. Guardian Maps and 12 pp photographs 30s ANDRE DEUTSCH 105 Great Russell Street London WC1 ap A SELECTION OF NEW AND USED BINOCULARS SPECIALLY RECOMMENDED BY MR FRANK NIPOLE binoculars from Japan are made to our Specification and are imported exclusvely by us. Per- performance is excellent and we have sufficient faith in them to guarantee them for five years. The 10x50 costs £15 10s 6d. and the 8x30 £10 19s 6d. (both with case). A SPECIALIST BINOCULAR FOR THE BIRD WATCH- ER. The Swift ‘AUDUBON’ 8.5 x 44 designed to the Specification of the world-renowned Audubon Society of America. Unusually wide field of 445 ft. at 1000 yards. Extra close focusing of down to 12 ft. enables feeding activities etc., to be watched as from 1S, Included amongst other features are retractable eve- cups for spectacle users. built-in Adaptor to suit any camera tripod. This outstanding binocular has easy positive focusing by cylindrical control, weighs 38.4 oz. and ile height closed is 63’. Price with fine leather case, £56. The new LEITZ TRINOVID is indisputably the bino- cular of the century. It is of revolutionary design and performance, and the 10 x 40 model. which Wwe par- ticularly like, is extremely light and wonderfully complete. Price with soft leather case is £86.14.2. In good British glasses. we have no hesitation in sug- gesting the ROSS 9x35 STEPRUVA. Compact and weighing only 21 ozs. £43 4s 9d. We stock binoculars by Zeiss, Leitz, Barr & Stroud, Ross, Swift ete. ets For -wildfowling, etc., we recommend Any instrument | ee Ss Aciantivallicy u x 42, 0n x70 willingly sent } Barr & Stroud binoculars and can on approval | offer these instruments in specially good conditions, complete in original cases, at £16 10s. The Bausch & Lomb (Canadian naval) 7 x 50 is still available .at £24, Amongst general purpose binoculars, which will stand up to a tremendous amount of rough usage, there is littie to. beat the 6 x 530 Service Prismatic: lates 15s; if remind- ed, we will probably be able to select a pair in new condition and can provide a web pouch at 4s 6d extra. ecenseeameeesceeseecs | Amongst heavyweight prismatic binoculars suitable for mounting, we can offer a host of truly won- derful bargains; for instance, a | (ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE | Ross 7 x 50 Heavy Duty binocular ; hen aS me | with filters in brand new condi- . ES [2 : A N K LTD. | tion, and complete in fitted box, ats can be supplied for 7 gns. (original ae ages : aN se cost estimated over £120); the 10 145 QUEEN ST., GLASGOW Cl x 70 model can be supplied for STD 041-221 6666 £20. These instruments are too heavy to be hand-held, and mount ] and tripod can be provided at a YOUNG BIRD WATCHERS moderate charge. of up to 18 years of age qualify for spec- | fiat Visa v9 ey ial price concession. Details on request. Co TELESCOPES—Just a mention of the portable NICKEL SUPRA TELESCOPE. It zooms from 15x to 60x with 60 mm. O.G. and is truly a remarkable instru- ment. Price £38 9s. (WALTER THOMSON [NPRINTER = SELKIRK_Y} Scottish Birds INDEX TITLE PAGES AND LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Volume 4 1966 - 1967 SCOTTISH BIRDS - BINDING Arrangements have been made for binding Volume 4 of “Scottish Birds.” The charge is 25/- for binding in red buckram, or 30/- for binding in red quarter leather, both prices including return postage. The parts to be bound (Nos. | to 8, Foula Supplement and Index) should be sent direct to the binders together with your remittance to cover the cost of binding. Back numbers may be purchased from the Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7, at 5/- each, but not from the binders. Please be sure to complete the binding form on the back cover (with details of your name and address, remittance, and style of binding required) before sending the parts to: G. BLUNT & SONS LTD. North Acton Road Harlesden LONDON N.W.10 Index The index is in three parts. The first is a general index to the various sections of the journal; the second is a list of all papers and short articles; and the third is an index of all significant mentions of each species. Only the first page of each reference is given, except in the index of papers and short articles. English names are used throughout. A complete list of scientific names is not given in this volume, but those not included at the end of volume 2 or volume 3 are noted. We continue to follow the amended 1952 B.O.U. list, as detailed in volume 2, page 515, as the new British List is not yet published. The species index is selective rather than comprehensive. Titles of short papers and short notes dealing with particular species are in- cluded in abbreviated form, and various sub-headings are added; other- wise only page numbers are given, All references in short and current notes, reviews of changes in status, local status lists, and lists of unusual occurrences, have been indexed. As most contributions are concerned with migration and distribution of birds in Scotland it may generally be assumed that where no further details of the references listed for a species are given they are mostly of this nature. Passing and compar- ative references have usually been omitted, and also references within the body of papers, reviews, obituaries and other contributions, unless they are status reports or considered of special interest apart from the context in which they appear. In particular it has to be emphasised that detailed and valuable information on migration and numbers of common birds, in papers such as the Isle of May reports, finds no place in the index to species. Regular Features Corrections 116, 325, 393, 521 Current Notes 106, 234, 313, 379, 455, 509, 558 Editorial 61, 125, 205, 269, 337, 401, 465, 529 Letters 121, 262, 327, 523, 584 Obituary George Stout, 255, plate 25 A. C. Stephen 257 W. B. Alexander 258 Requests for Information 121, 265, 328, 397, 463 Reviews B. Ede & W. D. Campbell: Birds of Town and Village 117 R. K. Murton: The Woodpigeon 118 T. Soper: The Bird Table Book 119 H. Frieling: The Young Specialist Looks at Birds 120 N. Elkins: The Birds of the Isle of Lewis 1963-1965 121 G. Waterston: Ospreys in Speyside 206 D. A. & W. M. Bannerman: Birds of the Atlantic Islands Vol. 2 259; Vol. 3 394 P. Brown: Birds in the Balance 261 F, Wenzel: The Owl Family 262 R. Murphy: The Golden Eagle 262 J. Delacour: The Living Air 262 K. Curry-Lindahl: Europe 325 593 504 SCOTTISH BIRDS Vol. 4 K. A. Tinggaard & B. Campbell: Birds in Colour 326 R. F. Ruttledge: Ireland’s Birds 393 D. Lack: Population Studies of Birds 395 J. Fisher: The Shell Bird Book 396 J. Fisher: Shell Nature Lovers’ Atlas 396 J. Harrison: A Wealth of Wildfowl 521 H. M. Dobinson: Longman’s Birds 522 L. Hicks: At Man’s Door the Crime 523 A. Rutgers: Budgerigars in Colour: their Care and Breeding 523 D. Nethersole-Thompson: The Snow Bunting 581 M. J. Lawrence & R. W. Brown: Mammals of Britain—their Tracks, Trails and Signs 582 E. A. R. Ennion & N. Tinbergen: Tracks 583 The Penguin Dictionary of British Natural History 583 Shell Nature Records 326, 523 Scottish Ornithologists’ Club 122, 204, 266, 328, 398, 464, 525, 585 Short Notes 80, 218, 294, 371, 445, 502, 553 Papers and Short Articles The birds of Foula (E. E. Jackson) 1-56, plates 1-8 The significance of Foula as a migration station (C. K. Mylne) 57-60 Scottish Ornithologists. 2. Martin Martin c.1656-1719 (I. D. Pennie) 64-73, plates 10-11 Isle of May Bird Observatory and Field Station report for 1965 (N. J. Gordon) 74-79; 1966 350-359 Ornithology in Scotland (I. D. Pennie) 126-142 The Scottish bird observatories (W. J. Eggeling) 142-151 Bird ringing in Scotland (A. L. Thomson) 151-158 Scottish bird photographers (C. K. Mylne) 158-178, plates 13-24 Hill birds of the Cairngorms (A. Watson) 179-203 Sex and age ratios and weights of Capercaillie from the 1965-66 shooting season in Scotland (F. C. Zwickel) 209-213 An investigation into the recent decline of the Barn Owl on an Ayrshire estate (D. N. Weir) 214-218 The Scottish Bird-Islands Study Cruise—an intimate account (N. J. Gordon) 272-286, plates 28-39 Revicy of ornithological changes in Scotland in 1965 (D. G. Andrew) 286-293 Numbers of Great Skuas and other seabirds of Hermaness, Unst (H. E. M. Dott) 340-350 The Rock Dove in Scotland (R. Hewson) 359-371 ae oe of the Small Isles (P. R. Evans, W. U. Flower) 404-445, plates Birds on Out Skerries, Shetland, 1966 (R. J. Tulloch) 467-480, plates 49-51 Orkney Cormorants—their breeding distribution and dispersal (E. Bal- four, A. Anderson, G. M. Dunnet) 481-493 The “Carrick” gull and others—Iceland or albino? (A. T. Macmillan) 493-502, plate 48 Waxwings in Scotland, 1965/66 and 1966/67 (M. J. Everett) ,534-548 plates 53-54 A visit to Stack Skerry and Sule Skerry (D. M. Stark) 548-553, plate 52 Vol. 4 SCOTTISH BIRDS 595 Index to Species ALBATROSS, BLACK-BROWED Bass Rock 465 AUK, GREAT 72, 133, 134 AUK, LITTLE winter 41, 246, 356. 385, 459, 515; late May 392 AVOCET Shetland 245 BALDPATE, see WIGEON, AM- ERICAN BEE-EATER Orkney and Faiz Isle 310: Sutherland 449 BITTERN Wigtown 462 BITTERN. LITTLE Ayr _ and Shetland 82 BLACKBIRD 46, 78, 271, 388, 411, 436, 479. 575; ringing 46, 79, 155, 358: nesting albino 96, plate 12: high nest 254: sino- ing in shed 393; imitating Mistle Thrush 521 BLACKCAP 47, 114, 250, 320, 322, 351, 356, 389, 437, 479, 518, 576: ringing 79, 357; winter 114, 250, 389, 460, 518 BLUETHROAT spring 75. 470, 479, 517: autumn 47, 76. 78, 114, 322, 356, 473, 479, 575: Red- spotted 78, 356, 470. 473, 479. 517: White-spotted 114, 517 BRAMBLING winter 52, 75, 77, 115, 252. 391, 440, 461. 480, 578; June 356; ringing 357 BULLFINCH 197, 199, 391, 440; Northern 391 BUNTING, BLACK - HEADED Shetland and Fair Isle 103, 291 BUNTING. CORN 52, 80, 412, 440 BUNTING, LAPLAND 53, 60, 77, GI252"321, 392. 461 480,520, 578 BUNTING, LITTLE 440, 578 BUNTING, ORTOLAN spring 53, 480) 520; autunon 53!) 77. 323, 353, 392, 480, 578 BUNTING, RED-HEADED pre- sumed escapes 53, 103, 252, 291, 356, 466, 520, 578 BON TING .IREED (53,.7 2527 '410, 440, 480 BUNTING, RUSTIC Outer Heb- rides 104, 291; Fair Isle 520 BUNTING, SNOW winter 53, 182, 195, 392, 441, 480, 578, 579, 581: breeding and summer 53, 182, 186, 199. 200, 578; feeding method 462 BUNTING, YELLOW-BREAST- 1D) SG Siay/p SYS BUSTARD, GREAT 126 Beate LITTLE Wigtown BUZZARD (784 10; 194" 215," 243) 204, | 288, 292, AZ 512) 567: breeding in Orkney 447; at- ore by stoat 253; early nest BUZZARD, HONEY Northern Isles 116, 243; Aberdeen 521 BUZZARD, ROUGH-LEGGED waler 110, 288, 384, 458, 512, CAP ERCAMLLUE sell0:. M126 132, 134, 174, 197, 271, 339; hybrid x Blackcock 88, plate 9; sex and age ratios and weights 209 CHAFFINCH 52, 196, 440, 480; ringing 357 CHIFFCHAFF 48 250, 291, 320, 437, 479, 519, 576, 579: Novem- ber 355, 389: ringing 79, 357 358; Northern 355, 356 CHOUGH 80, 271, 290, 430, 517 COOT 26, 512; on sea 384, 423, 512 CORMORANT 22, 70, 127, 205, 417, 477, 564; ‘Southern’ 456, 510; Orkney breeding distribution and dispersal 481 CORNCRAKE 26, 71, 243, 263, 412, 422, 477, 512, 568 COURSER, CREAM-COLOURED East Lothian 230 CRAKE, SPOTTED migrants 26, 243, 372, 512; summering (Sutherland etc.) 372, 512, 568° CRANE Aberdeen 447; Argyll 465, 556, plate 55 CROSSBILL migrants 52, 251, 321, _ 391, 440, 480, 578 CROSSBILL, TWO-BARRED Foula 52 CROW, CARRION 45, Ze 27 397 4305478 CROW, HOODED 45, 73, 121, 198. 201, 386, 397, 430, 478, plate 18: raiding Sand Martins’ nests 254 CUCKOO 42, 73, 195, 246, 322, 429, 55, 2579 73, 198, 596 SCOTTISH BIRDS CUCKOO, BLACK-BILLED Foula 43 CUCKOO, YELLOW-BILLED Muck 429 CURLEW 36. 195, 198, 292, 424, 458, 477, 569: young swimming 580; rate of worm-eating 580 CURLEW, STONE Lanark 296 DIPPER 176, 196, 356, 410, 435, 467, 574; diving in icebound water 450, 521; early nest 517; nest over still loch 521; Black- bellied 248; Continental 290 DIVER, BLACK-THROATED 198, 238, 291, 313, 415, plate 24 DIVER, GREAT NORTHERN 6/7, 106, 238, 415, 558 DIVER, RED-THROATED 20, 67. 238, 277, 279, 2875 292, Al10. ANS: 455, 558 DIVER. WHITE-BILLED 67 DOTTEREL 174, 181, 182, 184, 199. 200, 244; breeding Sutherland 513, 569 DOVE. COLLARED 425880010270 289, 293, 356, 428; some first records 309; breeding notes 374 DOVE, ‘FERAL’ 42 DOVE, ROCK 42, 73, 121, 428, 478; in Scotland in 1965 359 DOVE, SHOCK. 428.5573 DOVE, TURDPLE breeding, East Lothian 246; spring 42, 75, 320, 352, 428, 478, 515, 573; autumn 42, 320, 355, 356, 386, 428, 573 DOWITCHER sp. Shetland 226; Dunbarton 289 DUCK, HARLEQUIN Fair Isle and Caithness 83, 288 DUCK, LONG-TAILED 23, 241, 288, 419, 456, 565; inland 107, 241, 381, 456, 511; summer 241. 511, 565; big flocks 381, 456 DUCK, MANDARIN escape 23 DUCK, RUDDY escapes 287, 566 DUCK, LUPSED) 265 7/8ans 5419; 456; x Pochard 553 DUNLIN 38, 80, 182, 186, 188, 263 425, 478; ringing 351; sea-level nests 38, 206 DUNNOCK, see SPARROW. HEDGE ~~ BAGLE;, GOLDEN E202 W/Z2i0173, 192, 199, 202, 263, 271, 384, 409, see 533, plate 19; regular beat 3 EAGLE, WHITE-TAILED 24, 70, Vo. 4 409, 421 EIDER 24, 70. 121, 127, 2Aley 2s 315, 356, 419, 477, 552, 565, plate 23; ringing 157 EIDER, KING Shetland 295, 446 FALCON, GYR _ Inverness and Shetland 86; Orkney and Shetland 371; Muck 421; Out- er Hebrides and Shetland 555 FIELDFARE 45, 113, 199, 386, 435, 479, 517. 574; ringing 358 FIRECREST Shetland 99, 291: Isle of May 356 FLAMINGO escapes 240, 314, 564 FLYCATCHER, PIED 49, 60, 63, 251, 254, 291, 322, 356, 438, 479, 519, 577; ringing 79, 357 FLYCATCHER, RED-BREAST- ED autumn 49, 76, 77, 78, 115, 323, 355. 356, 389, 460 (Novem- ~ ber), 462, 577 FLYCATCHER, SPOTTED 48, 60. 251, 322, 356, 438, 479, 519, 577; ringing 358 FULMAR 3, 7, 21, 28, 68, 78, 140. 149: 172, 208,. 239: 271, 3475350, 409, 417, 477, 510, 533, 549, 552. 564, plate 26; ringing 8, 157; ‘blue’ phase 380, 564 GADWALL 107, 198, 240, 315, 380, 510, 565 GANNET 21, 61, 69, 126, 127, 172- 176, 239, 277, 339, 347, 417, 477, 549-551. plate 21; ringing 152: ee 323, 564; odd plumage 17 GARGANEY spring 240, 510, 578; autumn 315, 564 GODWIT, BAR-TAILED 36, 317, 424, 569 GODWIT, BLACK-TAILED breed- ing 292, 317, 513; autumn, win- ter, spring 110, 244, 289, 316, 384, 424, 458, 513, 569 GOLDCREST 48, 81, 389, 437, 479 577; ringing 357 GOLDENEYE 23, 107, 198, 241, 419, 565; summer 241, 511, 565: aberrant 241 GOLDFINCH 390, 439, 461, 577 GOOSANDER 107, 315, 381, 419, 456; breeding 196, 292, 566; big flocks 107, 241 poe E, BAR-HEADED escapes 11 GOOSE, BARNACLE 109, 242, 271, 288, 383, 420, 457, 511, 567; Vol. 4 summer 315, 567 Boe BEAN 24, 108, 242, 457, GOOSE, BRENT 420, 511; Pale- breasted 109, 242, 382, 457, Sle 567 (July); Dark-breasted 109, 242, 383. 457 (corrected 521) GOOSE, CANADA 288, 420, 567; Beauly Firth moulting flock and possibly associated move- ments: 116% 316;+ 356, 511, 567: breeding 242 (corrected 325), 316, 511: x Barnacle 325, 567 GOOSE, ‘DOMESTIC’ 382, 566 GOOSE, GREY LAG 24, 70, 80. 108, 198, 381, 420, 456, 477, 566- summer and breeding 24, 70, 292, 420, 511, 566; gosling eat- en by pike 579; pale birds 566; possible cross x Chinese Goose 382 GOOSE, PINK-FOOTED 24, 108. 198, 242, 288, 382, 420, 457, 511, 566; leucistic 382 GOOSE, RED-BREASTED pro- bable escapes 323 GOOSE, ROSS’S and GOOSE, SNOW escapes 108, 242, 382, 457, 511, 566; Blue Lesser 109, 242, 382, 457; Ross’s 457 GOOSE, WHITE-FRONTED 108 198, 242, 381, 420, 457; Green- lancdieatOS. 242, 381. 420." 457: European 242, 457 GOSHAWK 126; Midlothian 224; Aberdeen 555 GREBE, BLACK-NECKED 178. 287; inland in autumn and win- tem 239) Sl4 455, 563): sea in winter 239, 380, 415, 455, 510 GREBE, GREAT CRESTED 220, 178-9236. 2/7) 313, 380,. 563; in- ~ land winter 455 GREBE, LITTLE 20, 78, 106, 239, 380, 409, 415, 563 GREBE, RED-NECKED August- April 106, 239, 313, 455, 563 GREBE, SLAVONIAN 415; win- ter 20, 239, 380; inland winter 106, 239, 314, 380, 563 GREENFINCH 50, 80, 199, 439, 480: ringing 155, 357, 358 GREENSHANK 37, 174, 195, 244, 318, 356. 424, 459, 514, 570; win- ter 244, 385, 424 GROSBEAK, "SCARLET spring Sap vasstumi 195% 515) 323°0 353, 354, 356, 480, 509, 578: ringing 356; Shetland male 509 SCOTTISH BIRDS 597 GROUSE. BEACK 7171262197" 271. 422; display at Pheasant 324; x 2 Capercaillie 88, plate 9 GROUSE RED? 7112651405190: ae 199, 271, 411, 422; ringing GUIREEMOim 3s. 45 72, 1275) 208; ae 347, 386, 409, 427, 478, 549, GUIEL EMORY BACK) 3S, 411568 73, WAZ, NZ72AG 359, BAS AZo 478, 552, 573; inland 460; ring- ing 4] GULL. BLACK-HEADED 40, 196, 427, plate 17; ringing 155; nest in mid river 253%; albinos 501, 584 GULL, COMMON 339, 196, 426, 478, plate 13; tree nests 324, 392. 580; albinos 501, 584 GULL, GLAUCOUS AN) WA, FS). 319, 385) 427. JA59) 5145/2: identification 500, 502 GULL, GREAT BLACK-BACK- ED. 39, 78, 292, 356; 425, 478 550; 552 GUE BIER RING 3972. 116))5245, oe 357. 409, 425, 478, 552; ring- es5/, 426 « Siberian 459 - the ‘Carrick cull 112, 493, 584, plate GULL. ICELAND 40, 112, 245. 385, 450, 514, 572; the ‘Carrick’ gull 112, 493, 584, plate 48 GULL; IVORY SONAL; tion 501 GULL, LESSER BLACK-BACK- ED 39, 198, 245, 292, 357. 425, 459, 478, 572; winter 245, 385; ringing 357: Scandinavian 339, 111, 319, 385 GULL, Tesfolseis es Fife, Angus and Perth P1290 2459 2319505385104 59; Silda SA elsewhere 2A5,. 319, 427, 5/2, 548 identifica- HARRIER. HEN 25, 194, 243, 316, 421, 568; breeding 194, 292: ringing 157, 568 HARRIER, MARSH 243, 288, 462, 512, 567 HAWFINCH 251, 321, 390, 520, 577; ringing 520 HERON 22. 70, 418, 477; unrecor- ded colonies 239, 314, 564 HERON, NIGHT escapes 314 HERON, PURPLE Fair Isle 81, 287 HOBBY Aberdeen 252; Outer Hebrides 289; Shetland and 598 SCOTTISH BIRDS Banff 568 HOOPOE spring 44, 247, 290, 429. 5153 pautumin 477, pehon lee, moe, 386, 574 JACKDAW 45, 408, 430 JAY 460, 462, 516 KESTREL” 25,7193; "213, 420) 477; ringing 357 KINGFISHER 386, 460, 573 KITE, BLACK Orkney and Shet- land 295 KITTIWAKE 3, 18, 31, 40, 72, 176. 347, 357, 409, 427, 478, 549, 551. 552, 5/2 einiand, | 12531980385, 459; man-made nest site 521 KNOT 37, 80, 265, 385, 424, 478. 570; inland 318, 570 LAPWING 35, 61, 71, 176, 195, 198. AZ) TA23 4581477 feet) She 09% ringing 154, 155 LARK, SHORE 247, 386, 429, 460, 516, 521, 574 er SHORT-TOED Fair Isle 1 LINNET 51, 439, 480; ringing 357 MAGPIE 248, 253, 386, 460, 574; dis- tribution in west 449, map, letters 522 MALLARD 23, 106, 176, 196, 198, 240, 410, 419, 477; adopting Moorhen chicks 253 MARTIN, HOUSE 4, 121, 199, 247, 320, 430, 478, 516, 579; late nest 386; late records 113, 386 MARTIN, SAND 4, 121, 198, 248, 430, 478, 516; late records 113; ringing 157; nests raided by Hooded Crows 254 MERGANSER, RED-BREASTED 24, 419, 477: flocks 565 MERLIN 25, 126, 193, 215, 421, 477, 568 MOORHEN 26, 110, 196, 409, 422: feeding on sands 579; eaten by pike 579 NIGHTINGALE spring 517; aut- umn 356 Nee 43, 116, 246, 324, 386 NUTHATCH Kirkcudbright 450 ORIOLE, GOLDEN spring 80, 248. ; autumn 113 OSPREY 176; breeding 140, 205, Vol. 4 243, 466, 568; spring 75, 78, 243, 288, 356, 458, 512, 568; autumn 110, 316. 384, 568 OUZEL, RING 46, 114, 186, 190, 197, 248, 388, 436, 479, 517, 575; ringing 357, 358 OWL, BARN 176, 246, 429; Ayr decline 214 OWL, LITTLE Wigtown 460 OWL, LONG-EARED 43, 215, 411, 429, 515: hunting by day 515 OWL, 'SCOPS Foula 43 OWL, SHORT-EARED 43, 194, 215, 420 « hiding voles 580 OWL, SNOWY 176, breedine 466 OWL, TAWNY 215, 429 OYSTERCATCER 26, 71, 121, 149. 195, 198. 243, 292, 357, 384, 423, 458, 477, 513, 568, plate 20; ringing 26; swimming 253; killed by Great Skua 580 184, 429; PARTRIDGE 422 PEREGRINE 25, 71, 110. 126, 177, 182, 193, 195, 202, 208, 215, 243. 421, 458: remains of Sparrow- hawk at eyrie 253 PETREL; LEACH’S #6759415 was. 553, 563: probable breeding on Foula 20; inland 239, 314; ringing 20 PETREL, STORM. 3, 20, 65, 67. 239; 263; 314, 415-1477. s55iosee. plate 22 (on nest); inland 510: ringing 21 PHALAROPE sp. 245 PHALAROPE, RED-NECKED 38, 289, 319, 572; breeding 206 PHEASANT 71, 217, 422, 458; dis- played at by Blackcock 324 PINTAIL 445; breeding 315; spring and summer 23, 240, 419, 510: autumn and winter 23, 107, 240. 315, 380, 419, 456, 565 PIPIT, MEADOW 49, 183, 186, 189, 195, 197, 412, 438, 479 PIPIT, OLIVE-BACKED Fair Isle 467 PIPIT, RED-THROATED Fair Pe and Shetland 377, 470, 479, PIPIT, RICHARD’S Shetland 507; numbers at Fair Isle 577 PIPIT, ROCK 49, 63, 409, 438, 479, 552; ringing 79, 357; Scandin- avian /4., 75, 78, 100 Beier TREE 49, 60, 81, 251, 438, 9 Vol. 4 PIPIT, WATER comment on Shetland record 101 PLOVER, GOLDEN 35, 71, 110, 186, 187, 384, 423, 477 PLOVER, GREY autumn and winter 35, 244, 316, 38, 423. 477, 569 PLOVER, KENTISH Fife 226 PLOVER, LITTLE RINGED aut- umn 224 PLOVER, RINGED 35, 80, 187, 316, 409, 423, 477, 569; ringing 35 POCHARD 23, 240, 565; breeding 315: big flocks 240, 381; x Tuft- ed Duck 553 POCHARD. RED - CRESTED Perth 288: Aberdeen 511 PRATINCOLE Orkney 90 PTARMIGAN 71, 132, 180, 184 186, 192, 198-202, 271, 422, 568 PUFFIN 3, 41, 68, 72, 78, 246, 292. 348, 356, 409, 428, 478, 515, 549. Phe 552, 573; ringing 79, 357 QUAIL 25. 116, 243, 289. 316, 422, 512, 568: correction 116 RAIL, WATER breeding 323, 422- migrants and winter 26, 110, 355, 422: ringine 357 RAVEN 44. 73, 193, 195. 324, 430, 478, 574: flock 574; ringing 45: eating limpets 324 RAZORBILL 40, 72, 127. 347, 409, a7 47/849, 552, plate..,.40; ringing 357 REDPOLL breeding 440; spring 480; autumn and winter 51, 59 mis. 321. 440, 5/8: ringing 51; Greenland 51, 59; Mealy 51. a5. 115. AGE REDPOLE: ARCTIC: 115 REDSHANK 37, 111, 263, 424, 477, 552; Icelandic 111, 317 REDSHANK. SPOTTED | spring 244, 513: autumn 37, 111, 289, 317, 354, 384, 570; winter 244. 384, 458, 513 REDSTART 47, 60, 249, 322, 388, 437, 479, 517, 575; ringing 79, 358; attacking wood mouse 254 REDSTART, BLACK spring 47, 74 75,0249. 35), 1352; 9 517 au tumn 47, 77, 114, 355, 388, 460, 479, 575 REDWING 46, 113, 199, 388, 436, 479, 575; breeding 293, 339, SCOTTISH BIRDS 599 466; late spring 392, 517; ring- ing 46 ROBIN 47, 199, 208, 411, 437, 479; big numbers 78, 388; ringing eh 155, 357; attacking shrew 3 ROBIN, AMERICAN _ Kirkcud- bright 376 ROLLER Orkney 375 ROOK 45, 81, 140, 195, 198, 265, 430, 466; ringing 157; game 580 RUFF spring 244, 514, 571; autumn Son ie SIS 477.571: awinites, 244, 459, 514; big flocks 111. 318, 514, 571 SANDERLING 38, 80, 318, 425. 571 SANDPIPER. COMMON 37, 110, 196, 244, 409, 410, 424, 570, plate 15; nest on shore 253 SANDPIPER, CURLEW June 514; autumn 38, 111, 318, 385, 571; correction 116 SANDPIPER, GREEN spring 36. 74, 244, 351, 513; autumn 36, 76, 110, 116, 317, 352-355, 569; win- ter 384 SANDPIPER, LEAST Clyde 504 eee MARSH Caithness SANDPIPER, PECTORAL aut- umn 19, 38, 385, 571 SANDPIPER PURPIO 37, 2/1, 424, SANDPIPER, WHITE-RUMPED Outer Hebrides 506, plate 51 SANDPIPER, WOOD probable breeding in Perth 228; spring 37, 244,°513= autumn. 3/,. 76, 78, 110, 289, 317, 570 SCAUP 23, 419, 565; breeding in Orkney 503; summer 240, 315 (corrected 393), 511, 565; in- land 107, 240, 315, 380,511, 565: high counts 240 SCOTER, COMMON 24, 419; breeding 565; summer flocks 315; big flock 241; inland 241 SCOTER, SURF 288; Kirkcud- bright 204: Fife 446 SCOTER;, VELVET 24". 2415 356; 419, 456 SHAG 3, 22, 70, 78, 347, 356, 409. 417, 456, 477, 520, 549, 551, 552. plate 43; ringing 22, 79, 357, 418 SHEARWATER, CORY’S 265: Fair Isle 218 SHEARWATER, GREAT 265; Fair Isle and east coast 218; 600 SCOTTISH BIRDS St Kilda 314; Fair Isle and Wester Ross 563 SHEARWATER, MANX 3, 21, 67. 219, 277, 287, 314, 415, 417, 563. plate 44; ringing 416 SHEARWATER, SOOTY autumn 21, 219, 265, 314, 380, 417, 462, 563 SHELDUCK 24, 409, 420; 108, 315, 566; ringing 157 SHOVELER 565; big flocks 315, 380, 565 SHRIKE, GREAT GREY spring 50, 75, 78, 251, 461, 520: autumn 50: 78 itd, 2355. * 350," 369) 290! 577: winter 50, 115, 251, 390, 439, 461, 520; ringing 357 SHRIKE, LESSER GREY Ork- ney and Shetland 50, 60, 232. 291, 323, 378 SHRIKE, RED-BACKED spring 50, 60; autumn 76, 77, 115, 323, 353, 390, 577 SHRIKE, WOODCHAT 176; Nor- thern Isles 50, 60, 234, 508, 520. 577; Fife and East Lothian 101 SISKIN breeding 439: migrants and winter 50, 115, 321, 390, 439, 480, 577: ringing 357 SKUA, ARCTIC 15, 38, 72, 149, 425, 478, 514, 549, 572; Herma- ness 344, plate 42; winter 459: Speyside flock 462: ringing 17 SKUA, GREAT 9, 28, 29, 32, 38, 149, 208, 292, 319, 425, 478, 514, 549; Hermaness 340, plate 41; winter 245, 385; ringing 15, Noy following ship 277; killing Oystercatcher 580 SKUA, LONG-TAILED spring 38. 245; autumn 319, 385 SKUA, POMARINE spring 319, 514; autumn 111, 319, 385, 425 SKYLARK 44, 195, 199, 247, 412.. 429, 478 SMEW summer 242; winter 107, 241, 381. 456, 521 rer SNIPE 36, 12 1957-412, 423: 227 ; SNIPE, TACK 36, ringing 79 ringing 36 SNIPE, GREAT Fair Isle 110, 198, 424. 477, 569 SPARROW, HEDGE 49, 78, 80, SPARROW, HOUSE 53, 252, 441, 480; ringing 54, 155; drunk 254 inland Eigg 423 357, dll, 438, 479, plate 16: Vol. 4 SPARROW, TREE 54, 116, 252 (corrected 325), 263, 322, 392, 413, 441, 480 SPARROWHAWE 110, 127, 215, 421: Speyside food 223; remains on Peregrine’s eyrie 253 SPOONBILL 287, 419 STARLING 50, 121, 195, 197, 439, 480; ringing 50, 152, 154 155, 157; _roosts. 390, 403; = hittine wires in mist 254 STARLING, ROSE-COLOURED Foula 50; Shetland 379 STING, LITTLE East Lothian spring 229: autumn 38, 76, 111. 228, 318, 385, 425, 3570; Shet- land 571: big flock 228 STINT, TEMMINCK’S Foula 38 514; East Lothian .-88)% 229: Dumfries (November) 111; - Shetland 571 STONECHAT 47, 114, 436, 460, 533 "Geet WHITE East Lothian SWALLOW 44, 78, 199, 247, 320, 357, 429, 478, 516; early March 247: November 112, 386; bie flock 574: ringing 154, 155 SWAN, BEWICK’S winter 109, 243, 383, 458, 512 SWAN, MUTE 356, 420 SWAN, WHOOPER 24, 70, 78, 109, 198, 242, 383, 420, 457, 463, 512; summer 24, 70, 116, 242. 316, 420, 512, 567 SWIFT 43, 199, 246, 263, 429, 515. 973; big flock 573; unable to rise from water 521; catching insects over snow 515 SWIFT, ALPINE Orkney 290; Shetland 310 TEAL 23, 196, 198, 419 TEAL, BAIKAL 293 TEAL, BLUE-WINGED Orkney 503 TEAL, GREEN-WINGED Ren- frew 288; Inverness 294; Lan- ark and Dunbarton 502 TERN, ARCTIC 40, 121, 245, 292, 427, 478, 515, 5a2;" javenile practising fishing 324 TERN, BLACK spring 245, 466. 514, 573; autumn 112, 289, 319, 459, 573; big flocks 112, 245 TERN, ‘COMIC’ see TERN, COM- MON TERN, COMMON 40, 112, 245, 319, 427,478, 515, 552. gare ringing 155 Vol. 4 TERN, GULL-BILLED West Lothian 448 ehN, Litt, 245, 320; 356; 515 TERN, ROSEATE big flock 515 TERN, SANDWICH 246, 271, 320, 427, 515: inland 573; yellow- billed 254 TERN, WHITE-WINGED BLACK 466; Orkney 373 THRUSH, BLUE ROCK Orkney escape 451 THRUSH, GREY-CHEEKED St Kilda and Moray 310 THRUSH, MISTLE 435, 574 THRUSH, SONG 46, 176, 263, 388, 436, 479: ringing 79, 155, 358; nesting of leucistic 377; Con- tinental 388 TIT, BLUE 81, 113, 248, 320, 435 TIT, COAL 113, 248, 290, 320, 435 TIT, CRESTED 174 ; TIT, GREAT 45, 248, 387, 430 TIT, LONG-TAILED 387, 435 TIT, MARSH East Lothian and Roxburgh 248 TREECREEPER 435; autumn Shetland 322, 387; Northern 74, 77, 78 TURNSTONE 35, 423, 477, 549; inland 244, 569 TWITE 51, 195, 321, 391, 439, 480: status of 508; ringing 51 WAGTAIL, GREY 50, 115, 196, 251, 320, 389, 410, 439, 519 eal all PIED 49, 195, 199, 357, WAGTAIL, WHITE 49, 438, 480 WAGTAIL, ‘YELLOW’ 50, 115. 251, 320, 439, 480, 519, 577; ‘Blue-headed’ 77, 78, 251; ‘Grey-headed’ 519 WARBLER, AQUATIC 291, 356; ringing 357 WARBLER, ARCTIC Shetland and Fair Isle 576 WARBLER, BARRED spring 519; autumn 48, 60, 76, 77. 114, 291, 322, 399; 355, 350, 389. 576: ringing 357 WARBLER, GARDEN 48, 60. 78, 81, 250, 264, 293, 322, 479, 519 576; ringing 79, 358 WARBLER, GRASSHOPPER 75. 249, 291, 320, 437, 466, 517, 575 WARBLER, GREAT REED 291 oe eLEE, GREENISH Berwick 2 WARBLER, ICTERINE - spring 78, 466, 518; autumn 47, 291, SCOTTISH BIRDS 601 323, 353, 462, 576; singing An- gus 518; ringing 357 WARBLER, MARSH autumn 322 WARBLER, PALLAS’S Fair Isle 454 WARBLER. REED autumn 47, 76, Te SAR STS es SEDGE 47, 249, 437, 8 WARBLER. SUBALPINE Shet- land 469, 479; Eastern 293 WARBLER, WILLOW 48, 60, 197, 198, 250, 322, 437, 479, 519, 579- possible ringing 79, 358; return to flooded nest 254; abnormal plumage 97 WARBLER, WOOD 48, 251, 353, 437, 519, 576 WARBLER, YELLOW-BROWED autumn 77, 115, 323, 354, 576 WAXWING 50, 78, 270, 271, 355, 439, 533; 1965/66 and 1966/67 invasions 534, plates 53-54; ringing 351, 547 WHEATEAR 46, 73, 183, 186, 189. 249, 436, 479, 517, 575, plate 14: mid November 114; ringing 47; Greenland 290 WHIMBREL 36, 78, 174, 244, 424, 569 WHINCHAT 47, 60, 78, 81, 195, 249, 322, 436, 479, 517, 579 WHITETHROAT 48, 60, 115, 250, 322, 437, 479, 519; ringing 357 WHITETHROAT, LESSER spring 48, 60, 75, 351, 479, 519; autumn 48° 77, 81, 115, 322, 353, 479, 576 WIGEON 23, 419, 477, 565; big flock 380; ringing 154 WIGEON, AMERICAN Inverness 294, 456; Shetland 445 WOODCOCK 36, 197, 424; ringing 151; late nest 316; carrying young 579 WOODLARK autumn 44, 386 WOODPECKER, GREAT SPOT- TED 44, 429 WOODPECKER, GREEN 112, 247, 290, 320, 515, 574; Clackmannan 95 WOODPIGEON 42, 118, 197, 208, 411, 428, 478; early nests 462 WREN 45, 73, 197, 435, 479; ring- ing 357; high nest 392 WRYNECK spring 44, 516; autumn AAW 1/0, Gil MIC, 932253935 402, 478, 574, plate 51 YELLOWHAMMER 533, 80, 199, 9 602 SCOTTISH BIRDS Vol. 4 Scientific Names This is a list of species mentioned in the index to volume 4 but not previously detailed in Scottish Birds 3: 454 or 2: 515-517, where a complete list is given together with details of the authorities followed for scientific and vernacular names. Diomedea melanophrys Black-browed Albatross Ardea purpurea Purple Heron Izobrychus minutus Little Bittern Anas discors Blue-winged Teal Aix galericulata Mandarin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus Harlequin Duck Branta ruficollis Red-breasted Goose Milvus migrans Black Kite Otis tarda Great Bustard Charadrius dubius Little Ringed Plover Tringa stagnatilis Marsh Sandpiper Calidris minutilla Least Sandpiper Calidris temminckii Temminck’s Stint Calidris fuscicollis White-rumped Sandpiper Glareola pratincola Pratincole Gelochelidon nilotica Gull-billed Tern Alca tmpennis Great Auk Coccyzus americanus Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythrophthalmus Black-billed Cuckoo Merops apiaster Bee-eater Coracias garrulus Roller Calandrella cinerea Short-toed Lark Catharus minimus Grey-cheeked Thrush Monticola solitarius Blue Rock Thrush Acrocephalus paludicola Aquatic Warbler Sylvia cantillans Subalpine Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus Pallas’s Warbler Regulus ignicapillus Firecrest Anthus novaeseelandiae Richard’s Pipit Anthus hodgsoni Olive-backed Pipit Anthus spinoletia spinoletta Water Pipit Lanius senator Woodchat Shrike Lozia leucoptera Two-barred Crossbill Emberiza melanocephala Black-headed Bunting Emberiza pusilla Little Bunting Please complete the Binding Form overleaf RECEIPT FOR SCOTTISH BIRDS BINDING From G. 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SSeS Se Se Se SS ee ee eM ee OO SE TSE SE SSE SE SS er Oe Se Se SS eS Se SS Se Se Se Se SS Please fill in your Name and Address in both spaces on this page. Failure to do so may cause delay. The lower half of this sheet will be sent back to you as a receipt; the upper half is the label for the return of your bound volume. CUOMO CO HCE ERS H ETRE SERESEL ET SSE SEES EET EOE SES EEL SE EOSEEESO SESE EEOTESESSSSOS SSH ET OSS OSESEEEH HOST CROP PME eRe ERE REED ERE EEE EEE OEE HS EHEC EE HEHE SEES EE EEE HOHE EEE EE ESE SETS OES EE SOO SSE SETS ESET ESET SES The Journal of The Scottish Ornitholgists’ Club THE BIRDS OF FOULA By E. E. JACKSON Vol. 4 Special Supplement Spring 1966 Bee ee ae Se Lies lee NG Ges THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB MPHE Scottish Ornithologists’ Club was founded in 1936 and membership is open to all interested in Scottish ornithology. Meetings are held during the winter months in Aberdeen, Ayr, Dumfries, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and elsewhere at which lectures by prominent or- nithologists are given and films exhibited. Excursions are organised in the summer to places of ornithological interest. The aims and objects of the Club are to (a) encourage and direct the study of Scottish Ornithology in all its branches: (b) co-ordinate the efforts of Scottish Ornithologists and encourage co-operation between field and indoor worker; (c) encourage ornithological research in Scotland in co-operation with other organisations; (d) hold meetings at centres to be arranged at which Lectures are given. films exhibited, and discussions held; and (e) publish or arrange for the publication of statistics and information with regard to Scottish ornithology. There are no entry fees for Membership. The Annual subscription 1s 25/-; or 7/6 in the case of Members under twenty-one years of age or in the case of University undergraduates who satisfv the Council of their status as such at the time at which their subscriptions fall due in any year. Joint membership is available to married couples at an annual subscription of 40/-. “Scottish Birds” is issued free to members but Joint members will receive only one copy between them. The affairs of the Club are controlled by a Council composed of the Hon. Presidents, the President, the Vice-President, the Hon. Treasurer, the Editor and Business Editor of “Scottish Birds”, the Hon. Treasurer of the House Fabric Fund. one Representative of each Branch Committee appointed annually by the Branch, and ten other Members of the Club elected at an Annual General Meeting. Two of the last named retire annually by rotation and shall not be eligible for re-election for one year. A Scottish Bird Records’ Committee, appointed by the Council, produce an annual Report on “Ornithological Changes in Scotland.” An official tie with small white Crested Tits embroidered on it can be obtained in dark green or in navy blue by Members only from Messrs R. W. Forsyth Ltd., Princes Street, Edinburgh, or 5 Renfield Street, Glasgow, C.2 at a cost of 17s 9d post extra. A small brooch in silver and blue can be obtained for the use of Members of the Club. Price 2s 6d each from the Secretary, or from Hon. Branch Secretaries. Forms of application for Membership, copy of the Club Constitution, and other literature is obtainable from the Club Secretary, Mrs George Waterston, Scottish Centre for Ornithology and Bird Protection, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7. (Tel. Waverley 6042). CLUB-ROOM AND LIBRARY The Club-room and Library at 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh 7, will be available to Members during office hours, and on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. during the winter months. "Members may use the Refer- ence Library and borrow books from the Lending Library. Facilities for making tea or coffee are available at a nominal charge and Members may bring guests by arrangement. The Aldis 2” x 2” slide projector and screen can be used for the informal showing of slides at a charge of 2s 6d per night to cover the replacement of bulbs. Gog anions gp Parte bo tence eT ns ee SE ope pt nen a a AE RN NE a A FG epee ae Maggies 5 Set AAS pe do et GR arte ET ETT Scottish Birds THE JOURNAL OF THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Vol. 4 Special Supplement Spring 1966 Edited by A. T. MACMILLAN with the assistance of D. G. ANDREW, T. C. Smout and P. J. B. SLATER. Business Editor, T. C. Smovurt. THE BIRDS OF FOULA E. E. JACKSON Inst of contents Page Introduction Bs ee a as 1 Maps of Foula x. P2 a2 alk General description ee ae 3 Ornithologists on Foula z 5 Some breeding birds Fulmar a a. ae i 7 Great Skua ae La ae 9 Arctic Skua a mt a 15 Kittiwake Se oe ee 18 Classified list i = ap 19 Acknowledgments aa Ba ae 54 Bibliography 55 Appendix. The significance of Foula as a migration station. By, Giak Myine ~ We a 5/ Introduction Low (1879) wrote regarding the birds seen on Foula in 1774, “Tt is the number not the variety that amazes one, and indeed all the flights I had before seen were nothing to this: as far as the eye can stretch, the whole precipice swarms, the sea around is covered, and the air in perpetual motion, flocking either to or from the rock. This puts one in mind of a capital city to which the whole kingdom resorts once a year. Here they are in perpetual motion, passing and repassing, going and returning; everything is noise and uproar, bustle and hurry reigns, every creature attentive to the great law of nature, hasting to perform its function before the return of winter when it knows it must take its departure.” THE! BIRDS ‘OF FOULA 4(SS) GAADA LogaT STACI SELcuie EOC TAQ KITTIWAKES HAR EAST HOEVDI THE NESS RISTIE Wy © MARSH Supe J S Wingy, S640 SOsERLIE 7 4, SKIORDAR’ Vy, ast EB ia 2 ‘Z = = ~ ~ STREM NESS gg ~Z TR < ys = wane! ///) 7; SS THEPLECK = SS, aN VE noua LITTLE KAME METHERFANDAL a iP EE Zz Z il; lity “ie * ssinaes ‘ty, ae SNUG YZ % = ean tochZ TING Uy = HEAD “TI | \ HN My, 2 \ Wipe LIORAFIELD Z 126% & q a Ml /yy SHAM NAFIELD = Se ee = 4 nee at Uy e THANE HAM VOE > Ih, = MILL Ns oe WESTER = rin Ti sgt inn DTN =toen|\ wien HOEVD! ee “anys gg \K\h AOHANY IIS X,, 4 : SNECK i MUGKLEBREK ee THE DAAL WW! : i MANSE ye ni ny, Neo, ae f pos) HEDLIECLIV 803 W TL MELLIBREK'S Wick I NE MIbE i SouTH NESS Map 1. MAP OF FOULA 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 3 General Description Foula is a small island situated in the North Atlantic 26 miles west of Scalloway and 14 miles from the nearest point of the Shetland Mainland. It lies just north of the sixtieth parallel, which passes through Cape Farewell in Greenland, and Oslo in Norway. Foula is over 100 miles from the north coast of Scotland and 45 miles NNW from Fair Isle. The island is 34 miles from north to south, 22 miles from east to west, and almost 4000 acres in area (map 1). To the east the ground is comparatively flat (plates 4, 7) but it rises steeply to the west, where the four hills—Soberlie (721 ft), the Kame (1220 ft), the Sneug (1373 ft) and Hamna- field (1126 ft)—dominate the rest of the island. The Noup (803 ft) in the southwest is separated from the other hills by the broad glaciated valley of the Daal which runs approxi- mately east to west across the south end of the island. The cliffs between Wester Hoevdi and East Hoevdi, a distance of over two miles, are never less than 500 ft and often over 1000 ft. They reach their peak at the Kame of Foula where there is a 1220 ft sheer drop into the sea. These cliffs clearly show the stratification of the old red sandstone with horizontal ledges, which in places, especially near the sea, are sufficiently weathered to provide breeding ledges for numbers of Kitti- wakes* and auks, especially Guillemots. The main cliff faces however are characterised by vast expanses of flat vertical rock, Wester Hoevdi (plate 5) and Nebbifield especially are sheer walls and, like the unbroken faces of the North Bank, provide very few ledges even for Fulmars to get a foothold. The higher parts of the North Bank and the Kame are broken up with grassy ledges and in some places, such as the Little Kame, with long grass slopes. These are colonised by large numbers of Fulmars and countless Puffins. In places the cliffs do not drop sheer into deep water, but erosion and cliff falls have resulted in the accumulation, at their base, of consider- able quantities of detritus, which forms an ideal habitat for such species as Shag and Black Guillemot. The talus on the south side of the Noup provides secure nest sites for Manx Shearwaters. Storm Petrels are also numerous here, amongst a jumble of boulders and steep grassy slopes. Most of the island is composed of old red sandstone. In the extreme northeast, however, the rock is composed of highly metamorphosed pre-Cambrian strata which now appear as greenish grey micaceous schists through which are intruded veins of pinkish granite. Boulder clay is also present in places, and particularly near the Ness, The sandstone gener- *Scientific names are given in the classified list of species. 4 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) ally dips southeastwards at an angle of about 35°. This dip causes landslips at the south end where the strata dip sea- wards. On the north coast there is a fine series of razor- edged stacks where the strata dip landwards. Some of these stacks are penetrated by caves and natural arches as a result of unequal erosion in strata of varying hardness. The stacks,. with the exception of the Gaada Stack, are not important breeding areas, but are used as roosting places, particularly by gulls. The shore line drops below 50 ft only at South Ness, and from Ham Voe to Taing Head, and for short stretches north and south of Strem Ness. Waders are largely confined to these seaward-sloping ledges along the east coast, and to lochans and marshy areas inland. Geos, deep narrow inlets due to erosion along vertical joint and fault lines, are features of the coastline which provide rather more shelter than else- where and usually hold more concentrated numbers of breed- ing birds. - The inland surface of the island (plate 6) has been well smoothed, probably by ice, and is covered either with very thin stony soil with poor grass, or with peat, The peat is a major feature of the island and is still being actively formed. In most areas it has accumulated to a depth of many feet. Drainage is generally poor and the resulting areas of damp and marshy ground are particularly favoured by the breeding skuas. Lochs or lochans are situated in numerous places and, whilst some are only tiny pools, the Mill Loch (plate 2) is about 300 yards long. Extensive grazing on the island by sheep, cattle and rabbits has modified the natural vegetation. Information regarding the flora of Foula may be found in Turril]l (1929) and Messen- ger and Urquhart (1959). _The ground has been influenced by man’s activities for generations. In some places, such soil as there was has been removed to improve cultivated plots, and in others the land has been drained by ditching. The ditches however have not been maintained and in many places they are now choked with reeds. The small areas of arable land are still largely cultivated by hand, and whilst some machinery is now uséd its value is hardly worth the capital expenditure to the crof- ter. Oats and barley were once major items in the islanders’ diet, being ground either by hand querns or in the clack mills situated along the Ham and Daal Burns. Some oats are still grown for cattle and hens, but none are ground now, and flour is bought from the mainland. The main crops today are vegetables, particularly potatoes. | There are numerous stone enclosures known as ‘plantie- 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 5 crubs’ (plate 4) in which young plants (e.g. kale) could be grown, with protection from the wind, until their rooting systems were sufficiently well developed to allow transplant- ing into the rigs. Most are now unused for their intended purpose, but many shelter flowers not growing so profusely in more exposed situations. Since there are not many gardens (plate 1), and few trees (none being higher than the stone walls that shelter them), it is the arable areas which provide most cover for migrant passerines, The plantiecrubs, reed- beds, and sheltered areas such as Ham Voe and the Sneck of the Smallie are also favoured Human settlement has been confined to the land suitable for crofting on the east side, with concentrations at Hametoun in the south, at Ham in the centre, and at more isolated places in the north, many of which are now abandoned. The shop, school, post office (plate 1), and only suitable landing place es 8) are at Ham. The kirk and the manse are to the south of Ham. Each township is enclosed by a stone wall within which are the cultivated plots and the hay. Within the infield animals are tethered. The crofts (many are now in ruins) are nor- mally situated around the perimeter of the enclosed areas, inside the surrounding wall. Beyond are the peat workings and free grazing land. In 1790 the population was 143 and this had risen to 267 by 1881. Since then there has been a steady decline, with 175 in 1911, 118 in 1931, 73 in 1953, and 35 at the present time. The occupant of Breckans, the last inhabited Black House in Shet- land, died in hospital in Lerwick in December 1964 after being taken from Foula only a short time before. The friendliness and hospitality of the islanders is a byword among people who have visited Foula. They are deeply attached to their island home and it would be a sad day were the Se nee of evacuation ever to become a reality. } 7 Ornithologists on Foula Ornithological visitors to Foula have been infrequent owing to the island’s remoteness, the danger of the crossing in bad weather and the unreliability of sailings to and from the mainland. Prolonged periods of work have also been preven- ted by the general lack of facilities and accommodation avail- able to visitors. Records are few, and scattered in various publications and private notes. The object of this paper is to collect together all available information, which I hope will serve as a useful basis for future workers on the island. A few of the eighteenth and nineteenth century naturalists 6 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) made their way to Foula, but, although their accounts make interesting reading, detailed information on the status of the birds is usually lacking, Evans and Buckley (1899) do how- ever quote a number of the older records. In the present century the first regular observations were made by W. H. Greenaway, schoolmaster on Foula for a number of years from 1917, Unfortunately his observations were never fully written up, though some of his notes survive. After Green- away there were only very occasional visits by ornithologists until Pennie (1948) published a brief paper following 16 days stay on the island. Venables and Venables (1955) brought up to date the previous work by Evans and Buckley and included a number of fresh references to Foula. C. K. Mylne has contributed an Appendix on ‘The signifi- cance of Foula as a migration station’ and also a great number of valuable records as a result of his eighteen-month stay on Foula from April 1954 as schoolmaster-missionary. Were it not for his observations, recent records for the period from mid September to May would be almost non-existent. Since 1956 the Brathay Exploration Group has been visiting Foula and using an old croft as a base camp for three fort- nightly expeditions each year. The first expedition normally arrives in the last week of July. These expeditions have an organised programme of field studies which embraces many aspects of biology and geography. Ornithology is a major study and experienced people are appointed to each expedi- tion to supervise this aspect of the work. The author first visited Foula with the Exploration Group in 1959, and has returned each year since, both with the group and indepen- dently, for periods of up to six weeks. Since 1960, parties of ornithologists connected with Brathay have been able to visit the island throughout July, but though some cover has been maintained in May and June a fully continuous cover through- out the breeding season has not yet been achieved. No mention of ornithologists on Foula could be complete without reference to the islanders themselves. They are very keen and knowledgeable about their birds and have been responsible, in the first instance, for a good many of the records that follow. 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA yl Some breeding birds Separate articles below deal with four of the more impor- tant breeding species—Fulmar, Great Skua, Arctic Skua and Kittiwake. All other species are discussed in the classified list which follows. Fulmar During the residence of Saxby in Shetland (1859-71) this species was commonly seen out to sea, but at that time the only British breeding station was St Kilda. On 4th June 1878 about twelve pairs were found nesting on the Kame, making Foula the second known breeding area. In 1879 the number had increased to about 20 pairs (Garriock 1879). A stranded dead whale which the first-comers discovered, is said to have been the immediate attraction to the island. The same story is told of birds in other places. In 1887 at least 16 pairs were breeding and in 1890 there were between 60 and 100 pairs in two groups about a mile apart. In 1898 there were ‘multi- tudes’ on the Kame, and on other cliffs, the increase having been very remarkable, Large numbers of birds were present in 1919 (Fisher 1952). Many authorities consider that the spread is more likely to have come from Iceland and the Faeroes than from St Kilda. Attempts to reach accurate figures for the breeding popula- tion in several recent years have resulted in our realising how cautious one must be in accepting single counts as reliable. Fisher and Venables estimated a little over 10,000 occupied sites in July 1938, and Stewart reached the same conclusion in 1939. In each year from 1959 to 1961 a census was made by dividing the island coastline into sections. The method used was direct counting from the land of all ap- parently occupied Fulmar sites. Four early July counts all agreed to within 500 sites, and suggested a total population of a little over 8,000 pairs. Three late August counts agreed to within 300 sites and suggested a figure of 4,000 pairs. At the time of the August counts the young birds had not started to leave the nest. During the early part of the breeding season large numbers of non-breeding birds occupy sites on the cliffs, but they move away as the season progresses. In the vast majority of cases it is quite impossible to tell whether a bird occupying a site is in fact a breeding bird. In July 1961 it was discovered that a considerable number of Fulmars left the cliffs just after dusk and returned again at dawn. The sites were left abandoned for several hours and therefore most probably belonged to non-breeding birds. There was no way of making a reliable overall estimate of the proportion of these birds, but in Ham Voe (which cannot be regarded as 8 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) typifying other areas) 26 pairs occupied sites during the day- time; only six pairs were actually breeding and, at the time when these six sites were always attended throughout the night by one or both of the adults, the remaining 20 sites were usually, but not always, deserted at night. Apart from the early departure of non-breeding birds, such factors as mortality and desertion will also contribute towards the drop in numbers during the breeding season. Birds which have left their sites for these reasons will clearly not be in- cluded in the late-season estimates of 4,000 pairs. There has been little evidence of predation on the Fulmar. Some islanders occasionally take the eggs for food but the number taken is insignificant. On 8th August 1961 a Great Skua was seen to take a partly grown youngster from its nest near Hedliecliv and hold the bird underwater until it had drowned. In 1963 two similar occurrences were noted pe the North Bank during late August. Away from the cliffs, nests can be found in ruined crofts, plantiecrubs and amongst boulders both on the hillside and at beach level. Forty of these inland sites were recorded in 1961. Dead Fulmars are often found in the plantiecrubs which are too small in diameter to allow the birds sufficient lift to escape once they have alighted inside. This used to be a serious nuisance as the birds broke the cabbage plants in their efforts to get out. The plantiecrubs were covered with a net to keep the Fulmars out, but since very few cabbages are now grown in this way a net is no longer necessary. The majority of young hatch during the second and third weeks of July, leaving the cliffs in early September. By the end of September there are few birds left on the cliffs, but many can be seen offshore, The ledges are reoccu- pied in late October and November. In spring there is a per- iod when the birds which have been on the ledges all winter depart in large numbers for about three days, just before laying. This decrease in numbers was recorded on 11th-13th May 1954, and 12th-14th May 1955, with marked increases on 14th May 1954, and 17th-19th May 1955. From this time the birds settled in to breed without further interruption. Dark-phase birds have been recorded on only four occasions, twice in March 1955 and in August 1957 and 1958. Ringed Recovered pull. 4.8.56 10.6.63 Foula (found dead) pull. 21.8.56 14.3.58 off Newfoundland, 49°N, 50°W; 210 mls WSW. pull. 4.8.58 31.5.63 Hirtshals, Jutland, Denmark. pull. 29.8.60 18.9.62 North Sea, 54936’N, 0°12’ E. ad. 12.7.60 20.6,65 Seahouses, Northumberland; 315 mls S, 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 9: Great Skua The first mention of the Great Skua on Foula is for 1774, when six pairs were present on Liorafield, with possibly some on the Sneug (Low 1879). At this time the Bonxie was greatly favoured by the islanders. Low wrote “In Foula there is a privileged bird, no man will dare shoot it, under the penalty of 16s. 8d. sterling, nor destroy its eggs: when they meet it at sea, whatever fish they have in the boat Skua always gets a share, and all this out of gratitude for beating off the Eagle, who dares not venture to prey on the island during the whole of the breeding season. Skya is not so strong as the Eagle, but much more nimble: strikes at him without mercy, with such effect that he makes the other scream aloud, and his retreat is so sudden as to avoid all danger from the Eagle.” At the turn of the century there were about a dozen pairs, and in 1804 Foula was described as the principal breeding place in Shetland with about 30 pairs (B&R)*. Vetch (1822) said that Bonxies were in exclusive possession of the Sneug above 1300 ft and nowhere else, with probably no more than 30 pairs. In 1806 Laing (1815), 1809 (Edmonston 1809) and at the beginning of the 1880s (Barrington 1890 a, b) the only breed- ing places for Bonxies in the British Isles were said to be on Unst and Foula. A colony to the north of Ronas Hill, Main- land, is however mentioned by Dunn. (1837) who shot several birds there. Bonxies were greatly persecuted during the nineteenth century and had become so rare in 1831 when Dr L. Edmond- ston began to protect the Unst colony that its total extinc- tion seemed inevitable. In 1872 “numbers” were shot on Foula by Bullock (E&B), and in 1874 the colony was “cruelly thinned down” (Saxby 1874). At about this time the islanders were reported to be taking most of the eggs, and excursion steamers Visited the island for the express purpose of shooting skuas. Fortunately John Scott of Melby, then laird of Foula, introduced some measure of protection and even employed a man to follow strangers into the hills. As a result of this protection Saun- ders (1880) and Russell (1887) said that the skuas were now tolerably safe although a few eggs were still being taken and sold surreptitiously. John Scott was later awarded the silver medal of the Council of the Zoological Society of London for his efforts towards skua protection (Clarke 1892). : There were either 16 or 60 pairs in 1884 (E&B), 60 pairs in *A key to abbreviated references is given with the classified list of species. 10 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) 1887 (E&B), 84 in 1889 (Barrington 1890), and 50-100 in 1890. All first and second layings were taken that year and only 35-40 young of third layings were reared (Barrington 1890a; Traill 1890). John Scott’s protection was now no longer in effect and persecution had resumed. From 100 pairs in 1891 all first layings were taken except for six eggs, but 60 young were reared from 40 second layings (E&B). 1892 was a very successful year with 120 pairs breeding, but in 1893 the eggs were taken and probably no young reared at all (E&B). In spite of a gradual increase in numbers, great concern was shown about the future of Bonxies on Foula. Harvie- Brown and Traill both condemned the shooting and egg col- lecting in letters to the Zoologist. Lord Lilford in a letter to R. Scott Skirving (2nd President Edinburgh Naturalists Field Club) dated 25th February 1892, was concerned about the preservation of the Great Skua from extinction. He com- plained that the absurd sums offered for skins and eggs were too great a temptation to a poor population, and feared that little could be done unless the owner had legal power to prohibit the use of firearms and also to punish for egg steal- ing. His concern was so great that he was apparently even prepared to consider purchasing the island (which was up for sale at the time) to protect the colony either himself or in cooperation with other subscribers (this letter is now in the possession of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club at Regent Terrace, Edinburgh). No further information has been traced until “about 1920” when the Noup was first colonised by one pair; there were 30-35 pairs here in 1948 (V&V). In 1938 the total population was estimated at about 300 pairs (V&V). Islanders reckon that the low-lying ground to the north of Ham was first col- onised about 1940. 400-500 pairs in 1948 included many non- breeders. Eggs were still being taken for food (V&V). From 1956 to 1959 various estimates by the Brathay Group gave between 500 and 700 pairs. In 1963 careful counts of nests suggested a breeding population of about 900 pairs, but this figure was thought to be reduced in 1964 (map 2). The num- rs of the non-breeding population have not been estima- ted. The Bonxie is now widespread and numerous as a breed- ing species in Shetland and has extended its range to Orkney, the Outer Hebrides (including St Kilda), Handa, and the mainland of Scotland. In some quarters it has been sugges- ted that the Bonxie should no longer be afforded the protec- tion it receives under the 1954 Protection of Birds Act. In Shetland it is accused of driving out other birds, and of 1966 | THE BIRDS OF FOULA 11 Map 2. The main skua territories on Foula in 1963. The breeding area of the Arctic Skuas is shown by horizontal shading, and that of the Great Skuas by vertical shading. Note the small area of overlap in the north of the island. 12 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) causing a serious decline in the numbers of Kittiwakes, Puffins and Arctic Skuas. While it is unquestionably guilty of attacks on these species, it is by no means certain that it has in fact caused any decline in numbers, It may be that Great Skua numbers have increased parallel with, or sub- sequent to, an increase in the numbers of the prey species. Vetch (1822) recorded that Kittiwakes nested only in Kitti- wakes Haa. They now use suitable places all round the island. This apparent increase in Kittiwakes may have led to a sub- sequent increase in skuas which could rob them and in some cases prey on them. The increase of the Bonxie in the British Isles has resulted in statements relating to its abundance which should also be subject to more critical examination. Andrew (1964 a, b) suggests that the Atlantic population has increased by a factor of ten in the present century. This has been challenged by Dickens (1964) who suggests that the increase in the southeastern part of its range may well be balanced by the drastic decrease in Iceland. The entire Atlantic population breeds in Iceland, Faeroe and northern Britain. The great increase in Shetland and Faeroe, first noted in the 1930s, seems to coincide with the decrease in Icelandic numbers. A probable shift of the centre of population from Iceland to Shetland (for reasons not immediately apparent) has given some people the idea that a population explosion has occurred. The evidence suggests that this is not true, and that the Bonxie remains one of the rarest sea birds in the North Atlantic. Bonxies arrive on Foula from the beginning of April on- wards, 27th March 1891 being the earliest recorded date. There is a marked preference for nesting about the hill- tops and on peat moors, often in damp situations. Most of the island surface exhibiting these features has now been colonised. Coition has been observed from as early as 1st May to as late as 6th August. Egg laying is at its peak during the latter half of May, and, following (on average) 30 days for incuba- tion and 45 days for fledging, the young fly during early August. Adults often dive at newly flying young and force them to the ground, This possibly has some survival value in that it prevents the young from straying into territories of other skuas where fatal injuries are sometimes received. Birds begin to leave the island from mid August, though some remain throughout September. The latest record is of one on 9th October 1954. At one time the islanders collected Bonxie eggs for food. 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 13 Though the practice has been less common in recent years Mylne gives an interesting account for 1954. The first col- lecting was done on 16th and 17th May, and according to tradition a second excursion to the hills was made a fort- night later to collect the eggs freshly laid in the same nests. The colony from which the collecting was made later pro- duced large numbers of young. On 26th July many young were still in down and some not more than two weeks old. These were probably the chicks of parents whose eggs had been collected twice and had not laid again until mid June. The half-fledged chicks at this date were probably from nests which had been robbed once in mid May, and where incuba- tion of the second clutch had not started till early June, with a hatching date in early July. The first flying young were also seen on 26th July and these probably represented eggs which had escaped the collectors and were laid in mid May. It is unlikely that the collection of Bonxie eggs would have much effect on the breeding success of the skuas themselves, since replacement layings may take place even after the second or third clutches have been taken. It is interesting however to speculate on the possible effects on the prey species. The collecting of the eggs may mean four or five weeks postponement in the breeding season. This means that the maximum requirements for food to satisfy growing young coincide with the period when young Kittiwakes are leaving their ledges and young Puffins their burrows. In an uninterrupted season the skuas would presumably select a food supply more readily available at an earlier date. Ob- servations have shown that young skuas are fed at first al- most entirely on fish, but later (particularly when the skuas have a late breeding season) birds, especially young Kitti- wakes and Puffins, become an important part of their diet. The corpses found on Bonxie territory vary from one year to another, From 1956 to 1959 adult Puffins were particularly numerous; in 1960 young Kittiwakes predominated; but from 1961 to 1964 relatively few bird corpses were found, and in these years fish remains were much more in evidence than previously. Comparatively few of the characteristic piratical attacks made to obtain fish have been seen immediately offshore. There is a marked passage of skuas to and from Shetland and presumably much food is collected on these journeys, possibly from the Shetland Gannets. If any boats are gutting fish offshore large numbers of Bonxies quickly collect and are so greedy that they will almost take offal from the hand. | Bonxies undoubtedly kill large numbers of the island’s birds, but it is still questionable whether they cause any 14 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) serious depletion in populations. There are three main meth- ods of attack. The commonest is where a Bonxie selects an individual bird and pursues it with incredible agility. Un- like the occasions when it is pursuing for fish the skua repeatedly drives straight into its victim, striking it with feet, breast or wings until it has been forced to ground (or water), where it quickly kills its prey with a few well direc- ted blows of its powerful bill. Quite often a bird coming down on land is not further attacked, but those brought down on the sea almost invariably are, The fury of these aerial attacks is sometimes so great that the skua itself may be injured (broken wings sometimes result), and other skuas quickly move in and take advantage of the damaged bird. It is on such occasions that cannibalism amongst adults takes place. In the second method the skua waits at the en- trance to a burrow for a bird to emerge. A well directed blow with the bill at the base of the skull of the prey is sufficient. Thirdly, a skua sometimes swoops along the cliffs passing close to Puffins gathered on the slopes. The Puffins take to flight and wheel round in dense flocks before relanding. The skua climbs to a height above a chosen flock, and with half- closed wings dives like a hawk into the concentration of flying Puffins. Sometimes after the first dive, but usually after a few attempts, a Puffin is struck and, if not caught in flight, falls to the sea below, where, if not already dead, it is killed by the skua. Bonxies occasionally work in groups to obtain their food (see under Arctic Skua), They will attack almost any species, and successful killings noted on Foula have included Storm Petrel, Fulmar, Eider, Oyster- catcher, Lapwing (young), Arctic and Great Skuas (adults and young), Herring Gull, Arctic Tern, Black Guillemot, rabbit and hedgehog. Red-throated Diver and Heron (see under Heron) have also been subjected to fierce attacks, but ultimate killings have not resulted. In May and June 1958 Dr A. C. Perdeck visited Foula with other Dutch ornithologists. Results of his studies relating to a behaviour were published in Ardea (Perdeck 1960, 963). Non-breeding or off-duty birds spend a great deal of their time either in the Bonxie ‘clubs’—traditional sites where they rest and display—or in bathing parties. The Bonxie is particularly fond of bathing in fresh water, and at almost any time of the day parties may be seen splashing, diving and rolling in the water, Most lochs are used for bathing, but Overfandal Loch, the Fleck Lochs, and particularly the Mill Loch, are the favourites (plate 3). Bathing parties are at their largest at about midday, especially on warm sunny days. The largest party on record is of 175 birds at Mill Loch. 1966 . THE BIRDS OF FOULA 15 Recoveries of Great Skuas ringed as chicks on Foula Recovered in First Second Second Third Third Fourth Winter Winter Summer Winter Summer Summer Total Greenland 6 6 Faeroes 1 1 2 British Isles 6 1 1 1 1 10 Denmark 7(4) 7 Germany 6(5) 6 Holland 8(5) 8 Belgium 1 1 U.S.S.R. 1 1 Poland 1(1) 1 Austria 2(2) Z France 13 (6) 1 1 15 Spain 4 Z 2 8 Portugal 4 Zz 6 Tunisia 1 1 53(23) 5 8 4 2 2 74 Figures in brackets indicate birds involved in the 1963 ‘wreck’; 17 of these were recovered between 2nd and 25th October 1963, some of them far inland. 3464 Great Skuas—all pulli—have been ringed on Foula since 1954. Selected Great Skua recoveries Ringed Recovered 31. 7.59 28.12.59 at sea off W coast of Ireland, 52045’N, 12°00’W. 29. 7.60 20. 6.63 at sea NW of Faeroe Islands, 62030°N, 8°00°W. 1. 8.61 16. 6.63 Jakobshavn, Greenland, 69010’N, 51900’W. 1. 8.61 10. 5.63 Gabes, Tunisia, 33952’N, 10°06’E. 14. 7.62 1. 9.62 Cherven, Minsk, U.S.S.R., 52041’N, 28930’°E. 2. 8.63 3. 9.64 off Sezimbro, Portugal (2 birds), 38°26’N, 9°06’W. (the two birds were caught together in fishing tackle) 26. 7.63 9.11.63 Aix les Bains, France, A504V’N, 5°55’E. 27. 7.63 2.10.63 near Glogow, Poland, 51940’N. 16°06’E. 6. 8.63 10.10.63 Jochenstein, Germany (released), 4803)’N, 13043’E. and again 10.10.63 Niederkappel, Austria, 48028°N, 13°53’E. 26. 8.63 18.10.63 Hard, Lake Constance, Austria, 47020'N, 9042’E. Arctic Skua - Barrington (1890a, b) estimated the colony at about 60 pairs. Pennie (1948) reckoned the adult population at about 250 individuals but said they were diminishing in numbers owing to the ravages of the Bonxies, “practically none of the young being allowed to reach maturity.” Estimates of breeding birds made in mid June by Dickens and Rushforth, and in early July 1960 by Bell and Jackson, gave a total of about 130 pairs. Similar figures were obtained in 1961 and there was no apparent change in 1962 or 1963 (map 2). An incomplete survey made by Mylne in 1955 gave comparable figures for the area covered. 16 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS). Bonxies kill a few of the unfledged Arctic Skuas, normally by two or more birds diverting the attention of the parents while another one moves in to make the kill. Many young birds are killed when making their early flights. Once they fly from their own territory and the immediate protection of their parents they may fall easy prey to the Bonxie. In 1960 mortality in newly fledged birds was high, with pro- bably as many as 20% falling victims to Bonxie attacks. Venables frequently found tarsi of Arctic Skua chicks in Bonxie castings during June 1948. The proportion killed clearly varies from one year to another. In 1961, after 117 young Arctic Skuas had been ringed, a search was made to see if remains of any of the ringed birds could be found. Only three of the ringed young were found killed. It would appear that the species is still as numerous as in 1948. Over the period 1959-64, however, the Bonxies have encroached on the Arctic Skua territory to the north of Ham, and the total area occupied by the Arctic Skuas is slowly being reduced. A continuation of this process might well lead to a reduction in numbers of Arctic Skuas. Probably the largest single factor contributing towards this encroachment is that the Bonxies, now in larger numbers, arrive on the breeding ground and take up territory well before the Arctic Skuas. Newly matured or other Bonxies seeking a new nesting site move into the fringe area of the main colony. When the Arctic Skua arrives back at its old nesting place it may find that a Bonxie is already present and well established, and will not be moved. It remains to be seen whether a balance of populations will be reached, or whether the present trend will continue and the Arctic Skua be ultimately driven out. The main date of arrival on Foula for the summer is variable and probably dependent on weather conditions. Greenaway recorded first arrivals on 27th, 26th, 30th, and 28th April in the years 1917-20 respectively. Mylne gives the following details: 1954—1 on 23rd April, then 4 on 29th, 13 on 3rd May, 20 on 4th, with main arrival on 5th-8th May. 1955—1 on 23rd April, 2 on 24th, over 30 on 26th, and main arrival from 27th April to Ist May. Coition has been observed on 10th May and eggs are laid towards the end of this month. In 1919 Greenaway recorded the first young on 20th June, and for 1954 and 1955 Mylne gives his first dates as 19th and 15th June. Nearly all the young are on the wing by the end of July. Once the Arctic Skua has taken up its territory it becomes very aggressive towards any intruders. Bonxies flying over the Arctic Skua’s territory are harried unmercifully, some- 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 17° times by half a dozen birds, and generally come off worse for the encounter. Gulls and crows are seldom seen over skua territory, but when they or birds of prey are about, they are attacked with equal ferocity. In addition the Arctic Skua will attack human beings, cows, sheep, dogs, rabbits and even hedgehogs. There are two records of dogs catching skuas when being attacked by them. Non-breeding birds congregate round the lochs on the lower part of the island and parties of up to 30 or more can frequently be seen. These birds generally leave at the be- ginning of August, the breeders moving off, more or less overnight, shortly afterwards. The breeding grounds are almost deserted by early September and the latest record of an Arctic Skua is of one on 23rd September 1955. Un- fledged young are occasionally deserted when the adults leave. There is one winter record of a bird seen on 21st November 1892 (E&B). An extremely tame dark-phase Arctic Skua returned to Leraback every summer for 31 years, eventually being found dead near its nest with a broken wing in 1941. Its partner continued incubation for about a week and then secured a new mate. In June 1938 James Fisher and L. S. V. Venables were amused to see Robina Isbister of Leraback feeding this bird with the remains of the breakfast porridge. In 1948 the old tradition still continued and both birds came for their morning porridge. James Rattar of Broadfoot also had a ‘tame’ dark bird which had come to his house for food every summer for 12 years (V&V). In the years 1956-65 a tame bird still visited several of the crofts for scraps. A phase count at dawn on 15th July 1961 of all Arctic Skuas other than birds of the year, but including non-breeders, gave the following results (map 2): Number of Arctic Skuas of each phase Area Light Intermediate Dark Daal 15 13 18 Wurrwusbanks 47 48 77 Bitten 13 12 13 Lioag 14 26 39 Sandvadden 4 lid 15 Skiordar 10 12 30 103 128 192 Of a total of 423 birds 24.39, were light-phase. From a sample of 134 birds in 1955 Mylne counted 34, or 25.3%, light- phase, and in 1960 Bell and Jackson counted 50, or 23.9%, light-phase out of a sample of 209 birds. Ringed Recovered pull. 7. 7.60 Foula 26. 6.62 Bressay ; 40 mls E. pull. 18, 7.56 Fair Isle 16, 7.61 Foula; 45 mls NNW. 18 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) Kittiwake Vetch (1822) recorded Kittiwakes Haa as being the only breeding place of this species on Foula. There are now col- onies at North Bank, Kittiwakes Haa, Selchie Geo, Hodden Geo, South Ness, Noup, Wester Hoevdi and Nebbifield. In 1961 the total breeding population was estimated to be be- tween 5000 and 8000 pairs. Great difficulty was experienced in counting the more remote colonies and it was impossible to produce a more precise result. Venables says that “the number of Kittiwakes breeding on Foula becomes less every year, this being mainly due to the Bonxies which prey on the adults all the summer and take eggs and chicks from the nests.” In recent years it has become apparent that the great majority of Kittiwakes killed by Bonxies are immature birds and at the number of adults killed or nests robbed is quite small. Foula used to be famous for its Kittiwake flight from the breeding cliffs to the Mill Loch at Ham. The islanders tell how the string of singing birds was never broken. The Isbis- ters of Leraback said that sometimes they could hardly hear themselves speak, but they did not mind; it was so “light- some” hearing the birds. Powell (1938) says that when he was on Foula in 1936 he saw Kittiwakes bathing in one end of the loch. L. S. V. Venables found very few using Mill Loch in 1938, and ten years later they had been completely ousted by the Bonxies. On 20th May 1955 Mylne saw a large flock heading towards the Mill Loch, but was not able to confirm whether they were were allowed to use their traditional bathing place. Rosie’s Loch is now the regular bathing place for Kitti- wakes and parties of up to 1000 birds may be seen here throughout the breeding season. After bathing they frequent- ly remain preening and resting on the rocks at Taing Head. They pay little attention to the skuas nesting all round Rosie’s Loch, and the skuas have not been seen to make any attacks on the bathing Kittiwakes. Greenaway recorded arrival dates of 29th April 1917 and 3rd April 1919. Mylne recorded most Kittiwake activity in early May. Birds from the cliffs flew down to Rosie’s Loch and the Manse pools in noisy parties of up to 200 to bathe and gather nesting material. They formed a continuous pro- cession to and from the cliffs and gathered mud and peat ‘mould’ in large beakfuls. The cliffs begin to be deserted in mid July and by mid August very few birds are to be seen. The latest record in recent years is of a single bird on 23rd October 1954. 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 19 Classified List The list which follows includes all species for which there is a positive record for Foula. Other species have been repor- ted but, since details were lacking or the evidence insufficient, I have considered it necessary to exclude them completely from this paper. _ References to published records are given in the text. Much information has never been published and, unless otherwise stated, all records for which no reference is given are from notes by W. H. Greenaway 1917-20, C. K. Mylne 1954-56, and the Brathay Exploration Group 1956-65. Ornithologists work- ing on Foula with the group since 1956 have included J. F. W. Bruhn, J. V. Boys, M. Bell, R. F. Dickens, R. W. W. Dawe, J. C. Gittins, D. B. Iles, E. E. Jackson, A. E. Land, A. R. Mainwood, D. A. Rushforth and W. C. Wakefield. D. R. Wilson has also worked on Foula in some recent years, and his records are included. Records coming within the scope of the British Birds Rarities Committee have all been accepted ex- cept for 1961 Pectoral Sandpipers and 1961 and 1965 Scarlet Grosbeaks which, as indicated in the text, are still being con- sidered as this supplement goes to press. The following abbreviations are used in the text: B&R—Baxter and Rintoul, 1953. The Birds of Scotland. E&B—Evans and Buckley, 1899. A Vertebrate Fauna of the Shetland Islands. V&V—Venables and Venables, 1955. Birds and Mammals of Shetland. Local names, often ambiguous, exist for many of Shet- land’s birds. Those which have been heard in use by the Foula people are included after the scientific name. 20. THE BIRDS OF FOULA. 4(SS) RED-THROATED DIVER Gavia stellata. Rain Goose. Summer resident. Breeds. Recorded breeding as early as 1829 (B&R), but none in 1899 (E&B), Several islanders recall breeding starting again in the 1930s, indicating that breeding had ceased for a number of years previously. The name of a favourite breeding loch, Loomieshun or Liumisheddon, in- dicates a long history of breeding. This name is applied to. several other similar lochs throughout Shetland, and means loma-tjorn, or tarn of the diver (Jakobsen 1936). Breeding is now regular at most small lochans, with up to 7 pairs in some years. From 45 eggs laid in the period _1959-63 18 young birds reached the flying stage. Birds leave breeding sites by the end of August or early September. GREAT CRESTED GREBE Podiceps cristatus. One on 27th May 1963. SLAVONIAN GREBE Podiceps auritus. One in October 1895 (E&B). LITTLE GREBE Podiceps ruficollis. One on 1st November 1895 (E&B). LeacH’s PETREL Oceanodroma leucorrhoa. Present in small numbers in summer. Probably breeds. Nests are said to have been found by islanders in the past, but the evidence is not conclusive (Wilson 1958), Thirteen birds caught in 1965 all had brood patches. It is difficult to assess the significance of a Foula-ringed bird recovered on North Rona in the following breeding seas- on. Ringed Recovered ad. 6.8.57 6.7.58 North Rona; 150 mls WSW. StorM PETREL Hydrobates pelagicus. Ala Moutie. Summer resident. Breeds. Undoubtedly very numerous on the is- land. In the nine years 1957-65 a total of 3216 birds have been trapped inland and at points around almost the entire coastline. Greatest numbers occur between South Ness and Wester Hoevdi. Their breeding sites are mostly still un- known which, considering the nature of the terrain, is not surprising. Hewitson (1832) found them breeding in great numbers “in holes in the cliff at a great height above the sea.” Evans and Buckley mention a few pairs breeding be- tween Ham and the Ness; and at Hellibreks Wick the species occupied a series of burrows on some green ledges 30 feet from the top of the island—Pennie found a nest here in 1948 though the site now seems to be occupied entirely by Puffins. Islanders have reported nests on the Sneug, the Kame and Hamnafield. In the last few years a 1966 THE BIRDS: OF BOULA 21 number of nests have been found near the Sneck of the Smallie and at the back of the Noup. The number of birds captured in these areas suggests that sizeable colonies may exist. Ringed Recovered ad. 18.8.62 22.60.64 Fair Isle; 45 mls SSE. ad. 15.8.63 5.8.64 Fair Isle; 45 mls SSE. ad. 12.7.60 30.6.61 Mousa; 36 mls ESE. ad. 3.8.61 31.8.61 Garderhouse, Mainland; 30 mls ENE. ad. 28.8.63 2.2.64 False Bay, South Africa, 34°08’S, 18°25’E Manx SHEARWATER Procellaria puffinus. Leerie. Summer resi- dent. Breeds. Dunn (1837) said that “considerable numbers” bred in the island, Evans found nests in 1887 (E&B), pro- bably on the Noup, but Drosier (1831) suggests nesting high up on the Kame. When the Venables visited Foula in 1938 they found quite an extensive colony on the Noup but this was considerably smaller when they revisited the island in 1948. R. Isbister of South Biggins said that shearwaters were becoming less numerous every year and their burrows were being taken over by Puffins. It seemed to him that Puffins were actually driving out shearwaters for, apart from the nests on the Noup, there used to be an extensive breeding colony on Leerie Heads up to about 1910. This locality is now occupied only by Puffins. He gave 50 pairs as a very rough estimate of the total Foula breeding pop- ulation in 1948, mostly on the Noup but with a few pairs on the South Ness and about the Sneck of the Smallie. In 1956 Wilson estimated the colony at possibly 30-40 pairs, and in 1963 Bell and Jackson considered numbers to be much the same. On many evenings in July and August 1961 the shearwaters collected into a flock of up to about 50 birds and could be seen flying around the island before coming in to their bur- rows on the Noup. This flocking has not been recorded in other years. SOOTY SHEARWATER Procellaria grisea. Occasional visitor in early autumn. Since 1959 up to 3 birds have been recorded off the coast every year except 1960, between 11th August and 13th September. FuLtmMAaR Fulmarus glacialis. Maalie. Breeds. Abundant throughout the year, See separate article. GANNET Sula bassana. Solan. Common offshore, especially in late summer. Usually in small numbers but with anything up to about 250 birds present. Adults have been seen pat- 22 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) rolling the cliffs in recent years, though there has been no evidence of breeding. CormMorANtT Phalacrocorax carbo. Lorin. Occasional visitor. “Evans observed an occasional specimen, but the bird must be rare in that quarter as Mr F. Traill, who lived on Foula, reported it only once.” (E&B). The species seems to be no more numerous today as only occasional birds have been re- corded in recent years. Most occurrences have been of single birds in August and September, when they come to fish on Mill Loch. A bird at Mill Loch on 9th March 1955 disgorged three trout when disturbed, and left two others killed, but not eaten, at the side of the loch. On most days in July and August 1963 a bird could be seen off Hedliecliv. SHaG Phalacrocorax aristotelis. Scarf. Abundant throughout the year. Breeds in vast numbers around the coast, and nests can be found anything up to 300 ft above sea level. The largest colony is in the Wick of Mucklebrek where approx- imately 1000 pairs were breeding in 1961 and 1962. In 1955 birds were carrying nesting material by 13th March, the first eggs were reported on 19th April and young on 20th May. In bad weather flocks of over 300 birds can frequently be seen gathered on the headlands. Rafts of over 1000 birds were gathered off the east coast in August 1963 and 1964, presumably fishing for the mackerel and piltock (young saithe) which were extremely abundant at the time. Recoveries of Shags ringed as chicks on Foula Recovered in First First Second Second Fourth Winter Summer Winter Summer Summer Total Shetland 50 16 10 3 1 80 Orkney - 2 1 i 4 Scotland 10 Z 1 13 Norway Zz ; 2 Denmark 1 : 1 65 19 11 4 1 100 3132 Shags—all but 17 were pulli—have been ringed on Foula since 1954. Selected Shag recoveries Ringed Recovered 10. 8.57 11.10.57 near Golspie, Sutherland; 160 mls SSW 12. 8.57 13.10.57 Peterhead, Aberdeenshire; 180 mls S. 10. 8.59 5. 3.60 Loch Eynort, S. Uist, Outer Hebrides; 270 mls SW. 12. 8.63 8.4.64 Monifieth, Angus; 255 mls S. 14. 8.61 15.10.61 Voersa, Jutland, Denmark; c.450 mls SE. 11.861 2.12.61 Batalden Isle, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway; c.250 mls E. Heron Ardea cinerea. Haigrie. A regular passage migrant, 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 23 especially in late summer and autumn. Up to six annually between 4th July and 13th November. One frequented the Ham Burn in December 1954. A bird flying high over Hamnafield on 25th August 1963 became the object of a vicious attack by a Great Skua. Once the Heron had been driven to the ground the skua soon lost interest but almost an hour elapsed before the Heron moved off. Manuarp Anas platyrhynchos. Stock Duck. An _ occasional visitor, especially in late autumn. Thought to have bred in 1948 (Pennie 1948). In recent years small numbers have occurred from late July to November, with a maximum count of 9 on Mill Loch from 17th to 23rd October 1954. Odd birds also occurred on 24th-27th March 1955, 13th- 16th June 1961, and 4th-7th July 1965. TEAL Anas crecca. Summer visitor. Breeds. Up to four pairs have bred each year since 1954. Venables (1955) suggested that breeding was not regular on the island. On 23rd June 1955 four ducks were seen with a total of 20 ducklings. WIcEON Anas penelope. Seen in winter in the 1890s, but never stayed long (E&B). Since 1954 up to 8 birds between 3rd May and 17th September. PiInTaIL Anas acuta. One duck on 26th May 1954. A pair on 29th April 1955 attempted to land on Mill Loch but was disturbed by Great Skuas and flew off to the south. A male in eclipse plumage was on the pools by the kirk on 6th September 1962, and one was on Fleck Lochs on 11th-15th August 1963. Noted singly on 6th July and 4th September 1965. [ManpD4RIN Aix galericulata. One, doubtless an escaped bird, on 15th and 16th June 1942 (V&V).] Scaup Aythya marila. Two drakes on 7th August 1957, another on Mill Loch from 4th September 1958 until observers left on 8th, and one from 21st to 26th June 1965. TuFTeD Duck Aythya fuligula. A pair in late November 1892 and two in 1895 (E&B). A drake on 27th May 1955, and a duck on Mill Loch from 27th July to 2nd August 1961. One on 17th July 1965. PocHarp Aythya ferina. One on 6th September 1904. GOLDENEYE Bucephala clangula. A drake on 17th and 18th and a duck on 30th October 1954. LONG-TAILED Duck Clangula hyemalis. Calloo. Although a reg- ular winter visitor to Shetland there are very few records for Foula, Frank Traill saw only one in the winter of 1892- 24 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) 93. Up to five, mostly drakes, were recorded between 20th September and 14th November 1954. VELVET ScoTER Melanitta fusca. An adult drake in Ham Voe on 22nd July and a duck there on 9th August 1963. Common ScoTeR Melanitta nigra. Surprisingly uncommon summer visitor. Six, four drakes and two ducks, on 10th June 1955, one on 3lst August 1959, and one on 7th July 1960. EER Somateria mollissima. Dunter. Resident. Breeds. No estimate of numbers before a count of about 30 breeding pairs in 1960, and no apparent change since then. Nests are found not only near the shore but frequently on Overfandal and in the Fleck Loch area at heights up to 650 ft. Females with young chicks can usually be seen scattered along the coast into early September. Many of the young are taken by skuas and gulls and breeding success is probably very low. There is a large non-breeding population, and total numbers of Eiders are usually between 350 and 500 during August, when males outnumber females three to one. RED-BREASTED MERGANSER Mergus serrator. Eight records of single birds, mostly off Ham Voe between 13th May and 24th October, all since 1954. SHELDUCK Tadorna tadorna. One from 30th July to 5th August 1964. GREY LaG Goose Anser anser. One on Ist May 1954 was re- ported by islanders to have been there since the previous autumn, consorting with domestic geese. Up to 16 from 24th June to 30th July 1965. BEAN GOoOOSE Anser arvensis arvensis. One on 15th June 1955. PINK-FOOTED GOOSE Anser arvensis brachyrhynchus. One wintered in 1955 and another, which had apparently been frequenting the island since December 1958, was seen in August 1959. One caught at Liumisheddon on 15th August 1962. Twelve grey geese flying NW on the evening of 3rd September 1959 were probably of this species. WHOOPER Swan Cygnus cygnus. An occasional winter visitor to Mill Loch. One on 9th April 1955, two on 18th June 1955, and one from mid June until 26th July 1962. All other records fall between 15th August and 8th November, with most from mid October. Birds have been recorded arriving from the west and passing over Foula towards the Main- land. The maximum recorded is 7 on 30th September 1954. WHITE-TAILED EAGLE Haliaetus albicilla. Erne. The first men- tion of breeding on Foula was in 1809 (B&R). Drosier 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 25 recorded breeding in 1830, Hewitson in 1832 and T. Ed- monston in 1843. There is no evidence when the eyrie was last occupied, but a clutch of two eggs was taken in 1900 and again in 1901 (B&R). The last occurrence on Foula is reputed to be of a dead bird which was washed ashore in 1903 wath its claws embedded in a halibut, too large for it to lift. HEN HaRRIER Circus cyaneus. On 19th February 1955 two were seen by Peter Rattar chasing Starlings near his croft, and later in the day Mylne saw a male flying south over the snow. On the following day a male flew south off Ham Voe while the Christmas mail was being unloaded from a relief boat. One on 25th June 1965. PEREGRINE Falco peregrinus. Stock Hawk. Evans recorded one, possibly two, pairs breeding in 1877 (E&B), and a pair was reported screaming on the Noup in 1955. The islanders say that odd pairs nested, but not in every year. Single birds have been seen on occasions from July to September in each year from 1957 to 1963 by Brathay parties, but not in 1964 or 1965, and there is no evidence of breeding in these recent years. MERLIN Falco columbarius. Maalin. Passage migrant. There has been no evidence that the species breeds at all since Venables (1955) stated that “we do not know whether breeding is regular or only sporadic in Foula.” In 1954 and 1955 up to 3 birds were recorded between 9th February and 28th May. Autumn occurrences in recent years have been between 18th July and 18th October. In 1954 Merlins were noted on 23 days between 15th September and 18th Octo- ber, but since 1960 single birds only have been seen and none was noted in 1964 or 1965. KESTREL Falco tinnunculus. A spring and autumn migrant in small numbers. Four spring records of single birds between Ist and 14th May in 1954 and 1955. One or two birds every autumn 1954-64 (except 1956 and 1964) between 28th July and 19th October, with the majority in late August and early September. QuaIL Coturnix coturnix. Deadchick. Occasional summer visitor. Records since Venables have been of one calling between 9th June and 7th July 1955; one seen on 3rd August 1958 which had apparently been present for most of the summer; one bird certainly, and a second possibly, calling on 13th June 1960—islanders reported that birds had been present for about three weeks previously; and one seen in his crops by John Holbourn on 19th August 1964. One on 28th June 1965. 26 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) WatTER Rait Rallus aquaticus. A passage migrant and regular winter visitor (V&V). On 29th April 1954 one was caught at South Biggins when there were several in ditches at the south end. Single birds were seen until 10th May. SPOTTED CRAKE Porzana porzana. One was well seen at close range in a roadside ditch above the School on 4th Septem- ber 1961. CoRNCRAKE Crex crex. Formerly bred. Eggs were taken in 1897, but long since extinct as a breeding species. There are a few records for recent years. One male present in early June 1948, and up to 4 in five years since 1954, be- tween 4th May and 27th August. MoorHEN Gallinula chloropus. Has bred. Scarce passage mig- rant. A pair or so used to breed on Foula but they are recently extinct (V&V), On Ist September 1959 two partly- grown young and two or more adults were seen in the Hametoun Burn, Other records presumably refer to birds of passage: 12 around Hametoun on 24th April 1955, single birds on 31st August and lst September 1958, on 18th August 1961 and on 12th August 1965. Coot Fulica atra. An injured bird present during the spring of 1963 was cared for by Ken Gear. OYSTERCATCHER Haematopus ostralegus. Shelder. Summer resident. Breeds. Passage migrant, No estimates made of breeding population before 1960. From 1960 to 1963 between 12 and 20 pairs breeding, with rather more in 1963 than in the three previous years. Parties of non-breeding birds are present each summer and frequently number 50+ birds. About 110 were at the Boulder Beach on 10th August 1959. In 1954 six birds remained until December. None was seen subsequently until 15 on 13th March; numbers increased to 30 by 21st. A tame bird known as Charlie, originally hand-reared by an island boy, returned to certain crofts each summer from 1954 to 1960. It was in the habit of taking shell fish, and even expedition biscuit from the hand. In its first winters, which it spent on the island, it came regularly into the crofts. At South Biggins is would keep the dogs away from its favour- ite place in front of the stove, and could be quite aggressive to humans as well. Later, this bird, which was recognisable by its tameness and an old break in one of its toes, was known to spend each winter in Lerwick. Ringed Recovered pull. 8.8.61 145.65 Karmoy Island, Norway, 59°20’N, Sols: Zi 1966 aujhyy °M yeod pue ‘9 fia udp IOOUI 93} L6010Ud ‘ eaIe paljeM oY} UT 1aA00 Poy, suLMoYs ‘ ‘puoseq Ppjetjeuwme_ jo Sado[s UMeaI}s-yYOOI OY} pue ‘ssuUTyIOM yoo pue (SuIptmaq peyoos-7eTJ ) 991J70 3Sod eINog I @ivid 4(SS) Uosyont ‘q ‘gq fq yadv1b6oj0Y4d ‘InoI1 eos PUe JNO} UMOIG SUTeJUOD II ‘SIOpeM JUeISIUT Aq eoIe SuUIpssy e& se pue ‘sj[ns pue Siew[ng ‘sorxuog Aq SuTyjJeq OF posn ‘eTNoOy UO JoJeM YSeIF JO YOJoIS Jesse, 94} “YOOT ITN PUL “3 TLVId 29 1966 aujhih MO fq ydvubo10"Ud ‘90uU0 Je PoJUNOD Ussq eAeY GLT 0} dn pue SSE e[nNOW UO JUSIS TeYIWeZ & ST SIL YooT THN 94} ur sulyyeq serxuog ‘¢ aLVIg 4(SS) 30 wosyone “a “a fiq ydpv1b60,0Ud jerjue0 9} Fo qnokel 94} pure (7fa7 Wwo7J0q) SsuUIyIOM. yeod pu *PULISI OY} JO OpIS seo oY} UO “eee sUTFOID eB Sqnaoetjurtd surmoys ‘YooT [ITN 9u} pure POA Wey ‘ph ALVId 31 1966 Uosyoner “gq “gq fq ydvubojioyd ‘SJJI]D JSOUSTY oY} SUPOU OU Aq YSnNoOUL “setuojoo ‘YSoToeoys 94} 91e BSeYy} “UMOYS JUTOd JSAMOT 9Yi 18 13 OOG Noqe ATUO Sulaq exeM}IY pue YNe YIM “pueryst sy} JO opls sam 9Y} UO IPADVOH{ J9ISOeM ‘SG TLVIG 4(SS) 2 UosyxaDe “W ‘Mm fq ydoiboioyd “eore SITY} JNOYUsNoIy. pae1q serxuog : 100ur 24} ssorloe seo ou} WOIFJ oWey 33 1966 aujhyy . Df O fiq ydoubol0yd ‘syoeys pue (Yoveq Joprnoqg IO) Yoveq wWu0}s ‘ yor po uInI eno jo pue yy10Uu peyiesep suL L TLVIg 4(SS) 34 awhin ‘MO fiq Yydvsbo010YUd ‘puosoeq ore doys pure eepT eu, “AJoyes 107 AeMdiys oy} dn uMmerp st Yorum ‘yeoq|reul oy} OF oov[d surlpury e[qeyns ATUO S,puLst 9Y} ‘9eOA Wey je oes JOJUIM Y *8 TIVIg Mihi Ge PE spas ee Pe GH 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 35 LaPwinc Vanellus vanellus, Tieves Nicket. Breeds occasion- ally. Passage migrant. Only one breeding pair in 1948, but R. Isbister of South Biggins said there had previously been about six pairs (V&V). There was a large reduction over the whole of Shetland after the abnormally severe winter of 1946-47 and the population took several years to recover (V&V). In 1960 up to 10 pairs were seen regularly in June and early July, and the species was thought to breed at both north and south ends of the island. In 1961 four pairs were present throughout the summer, but only one pair reared any young. In July 1962 a single bird occupied terri- tory in Ristie marsh where a second bird was found freshly killed. There was no attempt at breeding in 1963. On 24th March 1955 there was a considerable influx following an easterly gale. Birds were scattered all over the island, with about 100 round the school in the morning. Small migrat- ing parties of up to 12 Lapwings have also been noted dur- ing the period July-October. RINGED PLOVER Charadrius hiaticula. Sandi Loo. Summer resident and passage migrant, During the period 1960-63 from eight to twelve pairs bred each year along the north- ern and eastern sides of the island. Numbers build up during August and early September with maxima usually peeneen 25 and 40 birds; 62 were present on 27th August 60. Ringed Recovered pull. 1.8.57 28.7.58 Tresta, Mainland; 28 ml ENE. GREY PLover Charadrius squatarola. Two on 11th August 1965. | GOLDEN PLOVER Charadrius apricarius. A passage migrant in both spring and autumn, with a few birds occasionally seen throughout the summer. Usually most numerous from mid August to early September, with up to 30-40 birds fairly regularly; 80 were present on 25th April 1954. TURNSTONE Arenaria interpres, Ebb Pecker. A regular passage migrant and winter visitor, but with some summer records -in recent years. Autumn birds usually begin to arrive in early to mid July and numbers build up steadily during August, reaching a peak towards the end of. the month. The largest flock recorded is of 100 birds on 9th November 1954. By October Turnstones can be seen feeding regularly with Redshanks on the rigs, and during a period of bad weather in December 1954 birds were feeding freely inland in flocks of 40-50. There were frequent records during May 1954, with 5 as late as 29th and 6 on 26th June. In 1955 ten birds were in almost complete summer plumage on 27th April. 36 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) The last were seen on 6th May. Four were seen on 14th June 1961, Available information from islanders and Bra- thay observers suggests that a few birds spent the full summer of 1963 on the island. SNIPE Gallinago gallinago. Snippick. Very common at all seasons. In early June 1960 about 30 pairs were estimated to be on the lower eastern half of the island, and later birds were found to be equally numerous on higher ground, particularly in the Overfandal and Fleck Loch areas. Three nests were found over 1000 feet. The island’s breed- ing population was estimated at 60-70 pairs, In every year 1956-64 nests with eggs or small young have been found in August, with latest date for newly hatched young 25th August 1961. Ringed Recovered fg. 9.9.61 27.11.62 Hareyo, Spain, 42°28’N, 3°34’W. JacK SNIPE Limnocryptes minimus. Frank Traill reported this species as occurring in September and October (E&B). It is probably regular on passage in small numbers, and has occurred singly on 10th May 1954 and in the autumn of eight years since 1954 between 11th August and 26th November, Woopcock Scolopax rusticola. A number occurred in the autumn of 1898 (E&B); 2 between 29th October and 26th November 1954; and several in the third week of January 1955 were probably only seen because of snow, making the birds more conspicuous; one on 18th July 1962. CuRLEW Numenius arquata. Whaup. Does not breed. Small parties of Curlews occur fairly regularly from May (earliest date 4th) to early July. From then until October they be- come much more numerous, with flocks of up to 40. A few birds were about the island from November 1954 to February 1955, and some 25-30 throughout March 1955, but none in April. WHIMBREL Numenius phaeopus, Peerie Whaup. A regular summer visitor (extreme dates 29th April-9th September). Does not breed. Numbers are usually below 12, but flocks of 20-25 doubtless passage birds are occasionally seen, as on 17th August 1962 and 16th August 1963. A flock of 42 on 2lst August 1963 was exceptional. BAR-TAILED Gopwit Limosa lapponica. Occasional passage migrant. Recorded in five years since 1954, with up to 5 birds between 4th August and 24th September. GREEN SANDPIPER Tringa ochropus. Venables lists only seven 1966 — THE BIRDS OF FOULA 37 occurrences of the species in all Shetland, yet since 1954 it has been noted on Foula in every year except 1963. There is one spring record for 30th April 1955, and about 40 autumn records between 13th July and 6th September. Records are usually of one or two birds about mid August; 6 were present on 23rd August 1962. Woop SANDPIPER Tringa glareola. Single birds on 25th May and 27th July 1954. A very tame bird fed by Gossa Loch from 30th August to 8th September 1958, and one was present on dth-9th and 18th-23rd August 1962. CoMMON SANDPIPER Tringa hypoleucos. A few birds appear on passage in spring and autumn, though no more than 3 have been recorded at one time. Seen in each month from May to early September. REDSHANK Tringa totanus. Ebb Cock. Does not breed. Seen regularly each year from early July with numbers seldom exceeding 30, The maximum recorded was 57 on 22nd Aug- ust 1962. Mylne reported birds present in winter. SPOTTED REDSHANK Tringa erythropus. Neither B&R nor V&V list this species for Shetland. Single birds have occurred on Foula from 27th August to 8th September 1958, on Ist September 1959, on 4th August 1962 (with 3 on dates be- tween 5th and 10th), and from 7th to 15th August 1964. GREENSHANK Tringa nebularia. Occurs regularly on autumn passage during August and early September, usually only one or two birds, but 4 were at Strem Ness on 25th August 1960. In 1961 one was present on 14th July. Knot Calidris canutus. Ebb Cock. Not recorded by F. Traill during his time on Foula (E&B), though it is now a regular autumn migrant in small numbers. On 17th July 1960 a bird in full breeding plumage was present and other red birds have been seen up to mid August. Numbers are usually small. Maxima in recent years have been 34 on 20th August 1959, 27 on 23rd August 1962, and 35 on 16th Aug- ust 1963. Most have moved on by early September. PURPLE SANDPIPER Calidris maritima. Ebb Sleeper. A reg- ular winter visitor. F. Traill reported the species as “ex- ceedingly abundant in the winter months, generally on the coast, but occasionally on lochs and burns.” In the autumn storms of 1954 they were often seen feeding and resting on stubble and up on the rigs around the crofts. The earliest arrival date is 3rd July 1965, but birds are seldom seen regularly until August. In recent years there have been up to 33 birds present during August and Sep- 38 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) tember. The species was recorded all through October and November 1954, and from 23rd March 1955, with 20 on 4th May and the last one on 13th May. A few were present until late May 1963. LITTLE STINT Calidris minuta. Three on 14th August 1963, and one or two from 22nd August to 12th September 1965. TEMMINCK’S STINT Calidris temminckii. One on 10th and 11th June 1954. PECTORAL SANDPIPER Calidris melanotus. Two birds frequen- ted grassy pools near Ristie from 31st August to 7th Sep- tember 1961. One was caught and ringed. One caught on 18th September 1965. The 1961 record is still being consid- ered by the Rarities Committee. DuNLIN Calidris alpina. Ebb Cock. Bred successfully in 1965; the first breeding record. Mostly seen in autumn, but there are several records for June in recent years and the species is probably regular at this time, The earliest autumn date is 20th July 1962 and after this birds are seen regularly. Numbers seldom exceed 6, but about 40 were seen on 22nd August 1965—a year in which the species was particularly numerous. CURLEW SANDPIPER Calidris testacea. One in September 1896 (E&B). One on 9th September 1965. SANDERLING Crocethia alba. Occurs regularly on autumn pas- sage in small numbers, with the earliest date 19th July 1962. A maximum of 20 on 8th September 1954 is recorded. Birds are still on the island when Brathay observations finish in early September. Rurr Philomachus pugnax. Regular autumn migrant. Recor- ded each year 1954-65 between 3rd August and 24th Sep- tember, with a maximum of 9. RED-NECKED PHALAROPE Phalaropus lobatus. One “procured” by Frank Traill on 28th August 1898 (E&B). Dr H. Hol- bourn recorded “one in autumn in the 1930s”, and one was seen by Mrs D. M. Gear on 15th June 1961. Great SKkua Catharacta skua. Bonxie. Summer resident. Breeds, See separate article. Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus. Allan or Scootie-allan. Summer resident. Breeds. See separate article. LONG-TAILED Skua Stercorarius longicaudus. One was present in May and June 1958 (J. Gear). Ivory GuLL Pagophila eburnea. One was captured on: 8th December 1892 and sent by Frank Traill to the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art, It was caught by means of 1966 _ THE BIRDS OF FOULA 39 -a rod and line, the hook being baited with a bit of fish (Clarke 1893). GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL Larus marinus. Swaabie. Resident and visitor. Generally numerous in Shetland but not so on Foula. Drosier (1831) saw only a few pairs in 1828, Graves and Ralfe (1899) found them rather scarce in 1898, and Venables found very few breeding pairs in 1948. Care- ful estimates in 1960 put the breeding population at about 15 pairs. It has been suggested that the large number of skuas on Foula tend to keep down the number of breed- ing gulls. At the present time this would seem a reason- able argument, but it would not account for the situation in the 1800s when skuas were far less numerous. During July and August additional flocks of up to 300+ birds may be seen, especially after easterly winds; they seldom stay long. Great Blackbacks were considered more numerous during the colder months in Foula (E&B). In 1954 numbers increased up to 100 by mid October but decreased during November. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL Larus fuscus, Saide Fool or Peerie Swaabie. Very few breed. Visitor in small] numbers, No more than 2 or 3 pairs, all at the south end, in 1960, when one pair was nesting amongst Arctic Terns at South Ness. In 1963 P. J. Reay reported a Lesser Blackback x Herring Gull pair sharing incubation of a clutch of 4 eggs on Logat Stack. Totals of 30+ on 4th August 1957, up to 25 from 1st to 8th September 1961, and about 50 on 21st August 1965 would seem to have been exceptional, One of the Scandinavian race L. f. fuscus on Wester Hoev- di on 25th August 1963. HERRING GULL Larus argentatus. Maa. Scarce compared with the mainland distribution. In 1960 there were about 20 pairs along the east and south sides, with probably rather more on the west. Up to 200 birds recorded, but numbers are very variable and increases in the normal resident population have been noted in most months. Common GuLL Larus canus. Peerie Maa. Three pairs bred in 1954, and a pair attempted to nest near Loch Croft in 1955 but lost their eggs. In 1960 there were probably no more than 5 pairs nesting, all on the eastern side. Increases in the population are noted in August and September, with recent examples of 26 on 8th August 1954, about 40 on 11th August 1956, about 100 on Ist September 1958, and 4th August 1962, 30 from Ist to 7th August 1963, and about 300 on 16th August 1965. Smaller influxes have been noted in spring. 40 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) In the summer of 1955 a Great Skua with a broken wing, swimming on the sea, was attacked and hit by a Common Gull. GLAUCOUS GULL Larus hyperboreus, Iceland Scorie. Regular winter visitor in small numbers. In the winter of 1892-93 Frank Traill reported some dozen birds frequenting the coast. One was seen on 25th August 1963, but most records are from late October with a maximum of 8. An adult bird in full breeding plumage was seen from 8th to 16th May 1954, but died on this latter date. On dissec- tion it was found that the bird had died of starvation as a result of having a sea urchin stuck in its gullet. IcELAND GULL Larus glaucoides. Frank Traill records one in 1893 feeding on marshy ground inland (E&B). An immature bird was present from 10th to 13th July 1955, when it oc- casionally took scraps from the Voe. BLACK-HEADED GULL Larus ridibundus. Peck Maa. Frequent visitor. Many records of up to 4 (once 10) birds between 25th March and 30th September. One or two “in the middle of winter” 1892-93 (E&B). One on 26th-27th November 1954. KITTIWAKE Rissa tridactyla. Waeg or Rippick Maa. Summer resident. Breeds. See separate article. Common TERN Sterna hirundo. A pair at Ruscar Head be- tween 5th and 26th June 1954, and 2 pairs there on 7th July 1955, are the only records. Arctic TERN Sterna macrura. Tirrick. Summer resident. Breeds. The number of birds and situation of breeding colonies vary considerably from year to year. The main colonies are usually at Strem Ness, Wurrwusbanks and South Ness, but odd pairs can be found at almost any place along the east coast. From 1954 to 1964 the breeding pop- ulation has varied erratically between 100 and 300 pairs. Birds usually begin to leave the island in late July and most have gone by mid August. In some years however they may still be at their colonies until the end of August. The latest record is of 4 at sea on 14th September 1955. RaZORBILL Alca torda. Sea Craa or Wilkie. Summer resident in large numbers. No estimates have been made of the breeding population because many ledges are quite in- visible from the cliff tops, and a considerable number of birds nest hidden amongst loose boulders at the foot of the cliffs. On a summer day in the 1930s, when large shoals of sand eels were in Gruting Voe, J. Peterson saw at least 3000 Razorbills fishing there and considered that most of these must have come from Foula (V&V). Greenaway re- 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA, 41 corded the arrival of Razorbills and Guillemots on 20th March 1919 and said they were “nesting on the east side of the island and fast increasing.” Very few nest there now. Razorbills have not been recorded on Foula after 11th August. LitTLE AuK Plautus alle. Rotchie. Winter visitor, probably numerous at times. The tide streams off Foula are one of the main Shetland wintering places of this species. Frank Traill reported Little Auks as numerous at sea in December 1892 and January 1893 (E&B), and the mail crew have often reported large numbers at sea in winter. GuILLEMOT Uria aalge. Loom or Lung Wheeda. Summer resident in large numbers. More numerous than the Razor- bill, with several thousand pairs breeding on the western cliffs. On 27th July 1960 many Guillemots and Razorbills were still present on their breeding ledges and yet the following morning they seemed to have vanished over- night, with only seven further records for either species up to 19th August. A similar overnight disappearance was recorded for 25th/26th July 1961. Frank Traill saw young at sea in the autumn and winter of 1892, and at the be- ginning of February 1893 a few individuals were noticed on the cliffs in the early morning (E&B), Of 3418 birds counted in 1960 and 1961 on the northern and western cliffs, 715 were ‘bridled’, a proportion of 20.9%. Witherby et al. (1941) give the proportion of bridled birds on Foula as 24.2°%. BLACK GUILLEMOT Cepphus grylle. Tystie. Common resident. Breeds all round the coast wherever there are suitable _ boulders. The main concentration of breeding birds is in the Boulder Beach of Wurr Wick and, though numbers are difficult to determine, 153 adults were counted here on 10th June 1960. Arctic Skuas frequently sit on the boulders in this colony waiting for birds entering their nest sites with butterfish Centronotus gunnellus, which appear to be the young Black Guillemot’s commonest food. In 1959 young birds were being fed in at least one nest as late as 6th September, From late August rafts of over 100 birds can be seen off the east side and there has been no apparent per ease in numbers when observations cease in mid Sep- tember. Frank Traill records a bird which had attained full sum- mer plumage by 30th January. Ringed Recovered pull. 9.9.61 30.9.61 Eshaness, Mainland; 30 mls NE. Purrin Fratercula arctica, Norie. Abundant summer resident. 42 THE BIRDS OF FOULA A(SS) Countless thousands breed along the western cliffs with smaller numbers elsewhere. Until recently the species was thought to be increasing and many Manx Shearwater burrows had been taken over by the Puffin. In 1962 and 1963 it was noted that Puffins were absent or present in reduced numbers in some of the smaller colonies. It was also felt that the density of birds on the western cliffs was less than in 1959 and 1960. Both adult and young birds are frequently taken by Bonxies on Foula, but there is no evidence that this is the cause of any decrease, which may be following the pattern of similar decreases. else- where. In 1955 the first birds of the season were seen on 2nd April. Most birds leave the cliffs during the last week of July and the first week of August, and very few remain by mid August. The latest record is of one on 5th Sep- yemney 1960. Two were seen during the winter of 1892-93 (E&B). Rock Dove Columba livia. Doo. Resident in small numbers. Evans’ and Buckley’s statement that “Foula is hardly such a stronghold of the rock dove as might be expected from its nature and position” still holds good. The summer pop- ulation seems to vary from 20 to 40 birds and, apart from the locality of one or two traditional nesting sites, there is no information about the breeding of the species in Foula. Flocks of up to 20 birds may often be seen, especially on newly sown corn on the rigs in spring, when they can be quite a menace to crofters who sow and harrow by hand. A maximum flock of 65 was recorded on 8th May 1954. Birds became scarce in December 1954 during bad weather, but numbers were back to normal in January. Racing pigeons occur very occasionally on Foula but sel- dom stay for more than a few days. Some interbreeding has however occurred. WoopDPIGEON Columba palumbus, Occasional visitor. Sixteen records 1954-65, mostly in May and June, between ist May and 8th November. TURTLE Dove Streptopelia turtur. Passage migrant in small numbers. Single birds recorded in spring on 5th July 1954, Ist June 1955, 7th June 1963 and 23rd-24th June 1965. More regular in autumn with up to 4 birds between 20th August and 15th September in all recent years. COLLARED DoveE Streptopelia decaocto. One from 31st May to 2nd June 1963, and several records by islanders from May to August 1964 and 1965. Cuckoo Cuculus canorus, Occasional visitor. Several spring records between 12th May and 10th’June. In 1960 single 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 43 adults were at Ham on 9th and 10th June and islanders reported that 2 birds had been about; a juvenile was at Ham on 18th-20th July. The only two autumn records are of juveniles on 6th September 1958 and 25th August 1963. BLACK-BILLED Cuckoo Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. On 11th October 1953 Mrs D. M. Gear found an exhausted bird which subsequently died and was sent to the British Mus- eum (Sims 1953; Williamson 1954). Scops Ow. Otus scops. Of five Shetland records two come from Foula; one in late April 1900 (Clarke 1900), and one on 10th May 1926 (Greenaway 1926). LONG-EARED OwL Asio otus. Occasional visitor. One was blown ashore after heavy gales a week before 27th Octo- ber 1898 (E&B); Greenaway captured one on 19th June 1919; and one was seen from 9th to 12th May 1954. The is- pers reported several in the autumn and winter of 1963- SHORT-EARED OWL Asio flammeus. Catyogle. Occasional visit- or, 1954—Single birds 3lst May-2nd June, 9th August, 27th October and 12th-13th November. 1955—One on 31st May. 1958—One on 3rd August. 1959-60—One found with a broken wing at Hametoun by the Isbisters in early May 1959 was kept at South Biggins until August 1960, when it died. Remains of others were found in August 1963 and 1964, and one was seen on 23rd August 1965. NiGHTJAR Caprimulgus europaeus. Rare visitor. Greenaway recorded one on 29th May 1917 and watched one hawking for moths at midnight on 10th June that year. One was churring in the hills of Foula during the nights of 5th and 6th July 1924, and the species was reported to have been present during the two previous summers (Bishop 1931b). In 1955 single birds were seen at North Biggins on 10th June and near the Manse on 7th and 8th July. Swirt Apus apus. Frequently recorded from 4th May to 7th September. Greenaway was “amazed at this derelict” when he recorded one on 5th September 1919 on qa warm sunny day. The majority of records are for August, and the maximum number recorded is about 30 on 27th August 1958. A bird flew from a hole on the northeast slopes of Soberlie hill on 27th July 1960—a year when odd birds were seen far more regularly than usual] about this period 44 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) —though a subsequent search failed to reveal any signs of a nest. Hoopor Upupa epops. One seen on 10th June 1957 by G. H. Davenport. GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER Dendrocopos major. Rare visitor. The islanders report that they have seen birds very occa- sionally in autumn, but no dates have been recorded. One was seen near the Hametoun Burn on 17th August 1963. WRYNECK Jynx torquilla. Occasional visitor. One captured alive in a byre on 30th April 1898 (Traill 1898); since 1954, one spring record for 10th May 1954 and 9 autumn records between 24th August and 4th October. WoopLaRK Lullula arborea. One on 4th November 1954. SKYLARK Alauda arvensis, Laverock. Breeding pairs are scattered all over the island making numbers very diffi- cult to assess, but probably 20-30 pairs. Influxes have been noted during August and early September, particularly after periods of northwesterly winds. Many birds leave the island for the winter, although a few can usually be seen even then. Swa.LLow Hirundo rustica. Regular migrant in small num- bers. On 6th July 1924 a nest was found on the beam of a stone out-building. The adult birds were hawking in the vicinity and the nest (which was not disturbed) was thought to contain young (Bishop 193la). Up to 15 birds in a day have been recorded on many dates between 27th April and 19th October. House Martin Delichon urbica. Regular migrant. R. Isbister reports the species as having nested once, and in 1958 House Martins attempted to breed in the old kirk but gave up when the nest collapsed. A regular migrant, usually in very small numbers, with extreme dates 3rd May and 3rd October. Appears to be more regular in spring than autumn. About 50 birds were seen on 2nd June 1955. SanpD MartTIN Riparia riparia. Single birds between 10th May and 29th June on five days in 1954, two days in 1955 and one in 1963. One on 29th August 1960 and one on 2nd Sep- tember 1959. Eleven on 3rd and one on 4th September 1965. RavEN Corvus corax, Corbie. Two to three breeding pairs on the island up to 1960, but probably no more than one pair each year since then. The species is certainly less numerous than it used to be and is sometimes shot or the nests destroyed by the islanders. In the years 1956-59 up to 10 birds were frequently seen in a day, but it is now 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 45 quite exceptional to see more than half a dozen. It seems probable that parties of Ravens from Shetland occasion- ally visit the island. On 17th October 1954 there was a flock of 27 birds over Hamnafield and others were seen later. Smaller influxes have also been recorded on 24th March 1955 and 11th August 1963. Ringed Recovered juv. 11.6.60 18.1.61 Foula. CARRION Crow Corvus corone corone, One from 15th to 17th _ May 1954, and one on 17%th July 1965, when 2 freshly dead corpses were also found. Hoopep Crow Corvus corone cornix. Hoodie Craa. Resident in small numbers. One or two pairs breed in most years. Seldom more than five birds seen in a day; 13 on 14th Sep- tember 1954 were considered not to be island birds. Rook Corvus frugilegus, An occasional visitor, usually after southerly winds. In the years 1917-19 Greenaway recor- ded birds on 5 occasions between 7th February and 12th May with a maximum of 50 on 29th March 1918. Ten arriv- ed after a week of southeasterly gales on 26th November 1954, and were still present the following day. Two were at Ham on 19th March 1955. JACKDAW Corvus monedula. One on 12th February 1918. GreEat Tit Parus major; A single bird spent most of the 1959- 60 winter about Ham (Mrs D. M. Gear). WreEN Troglodytes troglodytes. Robbie Cuddie or Stenkie. Resident. A not uncommon breeding species. In the sum- mer months singing birds occur around crofts, along walls and among boulders, ranging from cliffs at sea level to the top of the Sneug. In December 1954 birds were apparently occupying the same territories as during the summer. The birds were badly affected by the severe weather of Jan- uary-March 1955 and none was seen on inland territories, - except on one occasion, until mid June. Numbers in cliff territories were also much reduced. FIELDFARE Turdus pilaris. Regular migrant. Passes through in small numbers each spring. In 1954 this passage oc- curred from 3rd to 12th May (the latest spring date) with 50 on 7th. In 1955 birds were seen between 3rd and 9th May with a maximum of about 15 birds on any one day. In 1954 the first autumn birds appeared on 8th October, but there was no inrush until 17th-19th, when 300 were noted; about 200 on 27th had increased to about 1000 by the 29th, with a further increase on the 30th. These immi- grants mostly left the island at dusk in flocks of 50+. This 46 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) was most noticeable at South Ness where flocks could be heard and occasionally seen climbing to gain height as they left in company with Blackbirds. One alighted in a field at Ham for a few minutes in thick fog on the ex- ceptionally early date of 21st August 1959, and one occur- red on 7th September 1962. First noted in September 1965 on 8th and over 300 on 27th. Sona THRUSH Turdus philomelos. Occasional visitor. One which arrived on 27th February 1919 and stayed for sev- eral weeks was the only Song Thrush seen in 7 years on Foula by W. H. Greenaway. From 1954 to 1964, there were 14 records of single birds between 5th March and 28th Ceieber, with 2 on 26th, 7 on 27th and 5 on 28th September 1965. REDWING Turdus musicus. A regular spring and autumn migrant. A typical autumn movement in 1954 started on 8th October with 300+, which had moved on by next day; the maximum number recorded was about 500 moving south on 16th October; smaller numbers were noted until the end of the month. In 1962 single birds were seen on 4th and 7th September. The last dates for spring birds in 1954 and 1955 were 11th and 13th May respectively. Ringed Recovered Ist. W. 12.9.65 Fair Isle 14.9.65 Foula. RING OvuzeL Turdus torquatus. On 29th April 1917 Greenaway recorded a flock of about 40 which stayed only one night after arriving on a northeast wind. A pair was seen on 7th June 1955. In 1960 several islanders reported that a bird had stayed for several weeks in May and June and ‘had been in song near Mill Loch. One was seen on 3lst August 1960. A singing male was recorded on 20th June 1963. One on 28th September 1965. BLACKBIRD Turdus merula. Black Starrie. Breeds in small numbers. Passage migrant. Greenaway recorded a few, mostly single birds, in October and November 1917-20, with one on 27th February 1919. First bred 1930 (Greenaway 1930) and has continued ever since. Since 1954 about 12 pairs have nested each year. In 1954 autumn movements were noted on many dates from 8th October to 4th Nov- ember with a maximum of 100 on 1st November. Ringed Recovered juv. 15.8.56 19.1.59 South Skeld, Mainland. Juv. S657, 15.7.61 Retrapped Foula. WHEATEAR Oenanthe oenanthe. Stanechak or Steinkle. Sum- mer resident and passage migrant. A common migrant in 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 47 “spring and particularly in autumn, when numbers may rise to 200+ on some days in August, Breeding pairs scat- tered all over the island, but probably more numerous around the open peat banks. Most summer residents have left Foula by the end of July and those seen from August onwards are on passage through the island from the continent or the far north. The latest date in recent years is 4th October 1954, though Greenaway noted 6 on 14th October 1918. Ringed Recovered f.g. 6.9.62 18.10.63 Gironde, France, 44934N, 1°09 W. f.g. 25.8.63 21. 4.64 Fair Isle (retrapped) ; 45 mls SSE. STONECHAT Saxicola torquata. One on Ist May 1955. WHINCHAT Saxicola rubetra. Passage migrant. A few records ‘in spring between 2nd and 30th May. More regular in autumn when there are many records of up to 12 birds from 18th July to 28th September, with the majority dur- ing the latter half of August and early September. REDSTART Phoenicurus phoenicurus. Passage migrant. Fairly regular as a spring and autumn migrant in small numbers, though some years pass without the species being recorded. First and last dates recorded in spring are 23rd April and 3lst May, and in autumn 20th August and 24th October. Buack ReEpDsTaRT Phoenicurus ochruros. Occasional visitor. Two on 3lst May 1948 (Pennie 1948). Since 1954 there have been 7 records of single birds between 18th April and 29th October. BLUETHROAT Cyanosylvia svecica. One on 29th September 1955 (Mrs J. Rattar). Rosin Erithacus rubecula. Migrant and winter visitor in small numbers. Has occurred on passage in autumn from 22nd September, and in spring to 6th May. One on 25th June 1963. Fifteen on 27th September 1965. REED WARBLER Acrocephalus scirpaceus, One on 4th and 5th September 1964, and one on 16th August 1965. SEDGE WARBLER Acrocephalus schoenobaenus. An occasional passage migrant recorded in spring from 10th May to 2nd June, and in autumn from 18th July to Ist September. Singing birds were recorded on 11th and 12th August 1958 and 18th July 1961. ICTERINE WARBLER Hippolais icterina. One caught in Ham Voe on 7th August and another at Hametoun on 23rd August 1963. One, and probably another, present from 18th to 23rd August 1965. BuackcaP Sylvia atricapilla. Regular passage migrant in 48 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) small numbers. Recorded in spring from 23rd April to 13th June, and in autumn from 30th August to 7th October. Five were present on 21st September 1954. BaRRED WARBLER Sylvia nisoria. A regular autumn migrant in small numbers. It has occurred in most recent years between 14th August and 27th September, with a maximum of 4 birds at one time. All records are of juveniles. GARDEN WARBLER Sylvia borin. Regular passage migrant. Up to 6 recorded in spring between 27th April and 15th June. More numerous in autumn, when they have been noted between 9th August and 16th October. The maximum was 30+ on 25th August 1963. WHITETHROAT Sylvia communis. Regular passage migrant. A few in late May 1898 (Graves & Ralfe 1899). Spring and autumn dates 6th May to 7th June and 11th August to 24th September. A maximum of 6 birds is recorded. LESSER WHITETHROAT Sylvia curruca. Passage migrant in small numbers. One or two in most years with extreme dates 7th May to 18th June and 11th August to ist Octo- ber. One caught on 7th May 1955 was of the Siberian race S. c. blythi. WILLOW WARBLER Phylloscopus trochilus. Regular passage migrant. Bred successfully in 1949 (V&V). A common mig- rant in spring and autumn with extreme dates for passage birds of 27th April to 16th June and 7th August to 27th September. Numbers are usually small in spring, but in late August and early September up to 30 are recorded in most years. On 24th August 1963 it was estimated that over 90 were on the island. CHIFFCHAFF Phylloscopus collybita. Single birds on 8th, 9th and 23rd September and 9th October 1954, and on 8th May 1955. One bird present from 29th July to 4th September, and another on 24th and 25th September 1965. Woop WarBLER Phylloscopus sibilatrix. One on 24th and 25th August 1954; one on 21st and 22nd August 1963, at least 4 on the 23rd, and single birds to 4th September. GoLpcrEST Regulus regulus. Greenaway recorded Goldcrests on 22nd October 1918 and 6th-8th October 1920. On this last date, after three days of heavy southeast gales, “Foula had an invasion of Goldcrests and they were scattered all over the isle. Many succumbed.” Since 1954 single birds have occurred between 20th July and 17th October. Islanders reported the species as particularly numerous in autumn 1959. | SPOTTED FLYCATCHER Muscicapa striata. Irregular passage 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 49 migrant. Up to two birds seen in 6 years since 1954. Recor- ded in spring from 14th May to 13th June and in autumn from 7th August to 27th September. Pigp FLYCATCHER Muscicapa hypoleuca. Regular passage mig- rant. A few spring records between 4th May and mid June, but more regular in autumn with up to eight between 10th August and 28th September. RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER Muscicapa parva. An adult female was seen in Ham Voe on 21st September 1955; one on 5th September 1964. Dunnock Prunella modularis. Single birds have occurred on 28th May 1955, 27th August 1958, and 8th August 1959. Merapow Pirir Anthus pratensis. Teetick or Hill Sparrow. Summer visitor and passage migrant. Common as a breed- ing species, and pairs are scattered over the entire island. Probably between 30 and 50 breeding pairs. During August and September birds on passage are frequently seen. Some come down to rest on the island, as did about 300 on 23rd August 1963, but many fly on, sometimes at a considerable height. Such birds are nearly always moving in a south- easterly direction. The return passage in spring is not nearly so pronounced. TREE Pipit Anthus trivialis. One or more present on 22nd September 1954; recorded at North Biggins on 19th Sep- tember 1955 (J. H. Hyatt); one caught at Hametoun on 25th August 1963; about 5 on 27th September 1965. Rock Pipir Anthus spinoletta. Banks Sparrow. Very numer- ous as a breeding bird around the rocky coastline and some are to be found on the inland hills. Foula seems to be one of the few places in Shetland where the ranges of the Rock and Meadow Pipits overlap to some extent (V&V). Numbers appear to drop considerably during per- iods of bad weather in winter. On 19th March 1955 Mylne recorded the first bird for some considerable time at Ham. It is not known whether birds leave Foula for the main- land in severe conditions or whether they find more shel- tered places where they are less easily observed. Wuite WactaiL Motacilla alba alba. Kirk Sparrow. Prep WactaiIL Motacilla alba yarrelli. The majority of ‘alba’ wagtails identified on Foula have been M, a. alba though there are three records of M. a. yarrelli—two birds in Ham Voe on 4th May 1955, one near Ristie on 5th August 1960, and one in Ham Voe on 24th August 1961. There are ‘a few scattered records of ‘alba’ wagtails in spring, but they become quite numerous each autumn, with up to 40 50 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) seen on one day. Extreme dates are Ist August-22nd Octo- ber. Grey WactaiL Motacilla cinerea, One on 19th May 1951. Up to three between 30th July and 3lst August in 1959 and 1961-63. YELLOW WactalL Motacilla flava. Single ‘flava’ wagtails on 23rd-30th September 1954, 27th and 28th August 1958, 5th August and 5th September 1959, and 17th September 1965. Waxwine Bombycilla garrulus. Islanders reported a few in autumn 1960, and said that Waxwings were numerous be- tween 30th October and 30th November 1963. GREAT GREY SHRIKE Lanius excubitor. One on 25th May 1963. A scarce migrant in autumn from late September to Nov- ember. Islanders reported that a bird at Ham Voe in autumn 1959 fed mainly on Robins, Goldcrests and Siskins which were present at the time. LESSER GREY SHRIKE Lanius minor. One from 8th to 12th August 1956 (Mylne 1957 a, b). WoopcHaT SHRIKE Lanius senator. One on 28th May 1955 (Mrs A. J. Isbister). RED-BACKED SHRIKE Lanius cristatus collurio. An adult male from 25th to 28th May 1954. STARLING Sturnus vulgaris. Starn or Starrie. Common resid- ent. In 1960 there were probably about 100 breeding pairs on the island, the majority nesting at the foot of walls and amongst boulders, Island-bred birds form small flocks from mid July and these build up to several-hundred-strong by the end of August, roosting in the boulder beach, among boulders on the hillsides, or in caves at Logat Head and elsewhere. A sudden increase in numbers in late August 1959 was apparently the result of immigration. Ringed Recovered ad. 9.5.49 Fair Isle 20.10 52 Foula. ROSE-COLOURED STARLING Sturnus roseus. Robertson (1907) saw 5 or 6 in the garden of the manse on 28th October 1906. Excellent views were obtained of an adult bird near the school on 10th and 12th August 1960. On 13th August the bird was caught by one of the islanders but died soon af- terwards. eee Ss Chloris chloris, One from see to 28th August SISKIN Carduelis spinus. Reported by islanders as a regular autumn migrant, sometimes in large numbers. One on 7th 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 51 May 1954 and two from 10th to 13th July 1961; 2 on 14th September 1965 had increased to about 10 by 27th. LINNET Carduelis cannabina. One on 3rd December 1954. Twitt Carduelis flavirostris. Sistimoustie or Lintie. Com- mon resident. Probably up to 15 breeding pairs in the years 1961-63, mostly in the crofting areas, but also in heather well up the slopes of Hamnafield. In 1955 birds were seen up to the hard weather in early January but were not recorded again until 29th April. Small influxes were noted in early May and complete clutches found in mid June. Every year the numbers increase during July and August, with up to 100 birds frequently recorded. These are all considered to be island birds, but of about 200 present on 9th September 1961 some were almost cer- tainly immigrants. Ringed Recovered pull. 3.8.58 15.1.60 Westerskeld, Mainland; 25 mls E. REDPOLL Carduelis flammea, One on 30th May 1955, two on 8th and 9th July 1962 and one on 9th and 14th May 1963. There are many records from 5th August to the end of September but comparatively few birds have been definite- ly attributed to a particular subspecies. Meaty ReEppPOLis C. f. flammea were identified on 18th (2) and 27th (8) September 1954 and 27th (1) to 28th (5) Aug- ust 1959. Single GREENLAND REDPOLLS C. f. rostrata were recorded on 16th September 1954 and 29th-30th August 1959. In sum- mer 1961 Mrs J. Rattar of North Biggins had a bird of this subspecies which she had found injured the previous autumn. In 1955 there was a considerable invasion of Greenland Redpolls into Scotland, and many were ob- served on Foula. During the first week of September there were said to be many birds about the island, espec- ially at the south end crofts, which had built up to at least 200 by the 16th. Numbers were reduced by 23rd Septem- ber, after which no further influxes occurred (Williamson 1956). Ringed Recovered fig. 15.9.55 12.10.55 Sundraquoy, Uyeasound, Unst; He salle Nes ScaRLET GROSBEAK Carpodacus erythrinus. Occasional aut- umn visitor. One from 16th to 21st September 1954, single birds on 16th and 23rd September 1955, one from 2nd to 5th September and another on 5th and 6th September 1959, one caught on 11th September 1961, one from 10th to 52 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) 13th September 1965 and two from 14th to 16th. All records are of female or first-year birds. The 1961 and 1965 records are still being considered by the Rarities Committee. CrossBILL Loxia curvirostra. Irregular passage migrant. The first. record for Foula is 16th August 1894 when birds ar- rived “after a strong breeze which blew from N.W. to N.E. during the two preceding days.” There were 5 more birds on 38rd September. Since 1958 Crossbills have been seen in most years, between 7th July and 8th September, and -occasionally in good numbers; 75 were on Hamnafield on 18th July 1962. In 1963 birds were seen from 13th July to 8th September with a maximum of 40+ on 16th August. ' A straggler from the 1962 invasion remained on Foula, and in weakened condition was caught and kept in a bird cage. When released it returned to feed in the open cage every day and in bad weather even returned to roost in the croft. After a 12-month stay on the island it finally left, with other Crossbills, in September 1963. Venables mentions Crossbills feeding on blaeberry fruits in the hills of Foula. In recent years birds have fed mainly on seeds of thrift, but ragwort and various grass seeds are taken, and one bird fed on ears of barley. TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL Loxia leucoptera. An immature bird on 21st August 1959. CHAFFINCH Fringilla coelebs. A common migrant ciseimnie in Shetland but recent records for Foula have been few, partly because of lack of observers between late autumn and May. One or two birds on five dates in October and November 1954; two on 22nd April 1954; single birds from 29th July. to 8th September with an additional bird on 4th and 5th September 1958; single birds on 13th June, 20th August, lst and 2nd September 1960; two on 13th and one on 18th July 1961; and one on 10th August 1962. About 50 arrived on 27th September 1965. BRAMBLING Fringilla montifringilla. In 1954 the first of the autumn was on 14th October with influxes of about 100 on 16th and about 50 on 28th; single birds were recorded on 4th and 7th May 1955, with two more on 11th; an adult male was present from 6th to 10th August 1957. The first in 1965 was on 3rd September, and about 20 were present when observations ceased on 28th September. Corn BuntTING Emberiza calandra. Formerly bred. Common in June 1890 (Barrington 1890b) but when Venables visited the island in 1948 the species had ceased to breed. The only recent record is for a single bird from 4th to 10th May 1954. 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA ke 33 -YELLOWHAMMER Emberiza citrinella. One on 7th April 1919. One on 2nd April 1964 (Mrs J. Rattar). RED-HEADED BUNTING Emberiza bruniceps. An adult male from 6th to 22nd August 1961 and another from 10th to 24th August 1963. A further bird was caught on 16th May 1964, whilst in a weakened condition, and kept in a cage until recovered. It was later ringed and released and was still present on 7th September. This species is now commonly kept in captivity and this is thought to be the reason for the great increase in the number of records of it in recent years. For the same reason the Rarities Committee has not considered the records although the species was still on its list in 1961. ORTOLAN BUNTING Emberiza hortulana. One with House Sparrows on 12th May 1954, and an adult male from 5th to 9th September 1963. REED BUNTING Emberiza schoeniclus. Occasional passage mig- rant. Four spring records between 23rd April and 27th May in 1954-55. One from 21st to 23rd August 1963, and 2 on 27th September 1965. LAPLAND BUNTING Calcarius lapponicus. Passage migrant. One on 6th and five on 10th May 1954. The earliest autumn date is 27th August. Numbers have usually been small but about 50 were present on 6th September 1959. Snow Buntinc Plectrophenax nivalis. Snaa Fool. Common winter visitor and passage migrant. There is a rather doubt- ful account of breeding (E&B). In 1954 there were 3 on 1st May, 10-15 between 8th and 11th, and one or two until 18th. Two on 15th September were followed by 4 on 19th and they were regular from 21st, The chief arrivals were 10 on 25th September, about 30 on 6th, 24th and 30th October, about 150 increasing to about 350 from Ist to 3rd November, about 300 on 9th November and a maximum of about 1000 on 11th November. In spring 1955 birds were present until 24th May, and one was singing on 9th March. A few have been seen in most recent years, with the first of autumn noted as early as 5th September, and spring birds present until 25th June. House Sparrow Passer domesticus. Kirk Sparrow. Resident. Common round crofts. Venables was told that House Sparrows were more numerous on Foula (and elsewhere in Shetland) before people plastered the outsides of their stone-built houses and thereby destroyed nesting sites. In 1960 numbers were estimated at about 60 birds in early July, the majority being adults, Numbers increased in Aug- 54 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) ust, no doubt due to the presence of young birds. The pop- ulation was thought to be rather less in 1963. There is an interesting account of a xanthochroic mutant “as yellow as a canary” which the islanders recall “many years ago.” Ringed Retrapped juv. 18.9.55 8.9.61 TREE SPARROW Passer montanus. One on 7th and 8th May 1955; up to 7 between 12th July and 15th August 1962, one amongst Crossbills on 20th August 1963, and one from Ist to 4th September 1965. Acknowledgments The Brathay Exploration Group first visited Foula in 1956 at the invitation of the laird, Mrs M. C. S. Holbourn. One of the Brathay leaders, Ioan Thomas, had met Mrs Holbourn while he was leading a Friends Work Camp in Edinburgh. Without this initial contact Brathay would probably never have visited Foula. In preparing the script I have had considerable help from R. F. Dickens and valuable comment and criticism from Dr I. D. Pennie and C. K. Mylne, who has also contributed the Appendix and four of the photographs. I would also like to thank Mr and Mrs G. Waterston for access to the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club library in Edinburgh. Over 350 members of Brathay Expeditions have worked on Foula, and much credit and thanks must go to them for their efforts. No expedition can hope to carry out good field work unless its domestic arrangements regarding equipment and food have been scrupulously planned in advance. We have had first-rate people to do this job, and particular thanks must go to A. B. Ware, the Brathay Secretary, for doing the bulk of this work in the earlier years, and more recently to A. E. Land and P. J. Mawby. The people of Foula have received us with a degree of hospitality and friendliness which could surely not have been equalled elsewhere, and have shown admirable toler- ance of the calls of wet and hungry ornithologists at all hours of the day and night. To all who have helped in or- ganising, leading and assisting with the work on Foula, I extend sincere thanks. 1966. THE BIRDS OF FOULA. 55 Bibliography ANDREW, D. G. 1964a. Birds in Ireland during 1960-62. Brit. Birds 57: 4. ANDREW, D. G. 1964b. The North Atlantic population of the Great Skua. Brit. Birds SR 2a: Oe BARRINGTON, R. M. 1890a. The Great Skua... in Foula. Zoologist 1890: 297-301, 391-592. BARRINGTON, R. M. 1890b. A list of birds observed in Shetland, June, 1890. Zoologist 1890: 545-548. BAXTER, E. V. & RINTOUL, L. J. 1953. The Birds of Scotland. Edinburgh and London. BisHoP, J. 195la. Swallow breeding on Foula, Shetlands. Brit. Birds 24: 3538-359. BisHoP, J. 19351b. Nightjar in Shetlands. Brit. Birds 24: 339. CLARKE, W. E. 1892. Report on the Great Skua ... in Shetland during the season of 1891. Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist. 1892: 87-92. CLARKE, W. E. i893. Occurrence of the Ivory Gull... in Shetland. Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist. 1893: 117-118. CLARKE, W. E. 1894. The persecution of the Great Skua. Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist. 1894: 8-12. CLARKE, W. E. 1900. Scops Owl in Shetland. Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist. 1900: 184. DicKENS, R. F. 1958. Notes on the birds of the Isle of Foula, Shetland. Brathay Exploration Group Annual Report 1958: 31-51. DICKENS, R. F. 1964. The North Atlantic population of the Great Skua. Brit. Birds 57: 209-210. DICKENS, R. F. & WiLsoNn, D. R. 1957. A list of birds recorded on Foula, Shetland, in July and August 1957. Fair Isle Bird Observatory Bull. 3: 187-192. DROSIER, R. 18351. Account of an ornithological visit to the islands of Shetland and Orkney in the summer of 1828. Mag. Nat. Hist. 4: 193-199. Dunn, R. 1857. The Ornithologisi’s Guide to the islands of Orkney and Shetland, Hull. EDMONSTON, A. 1809. A View of the Ancient and Present State of the Zetland Islands. Edinburgh. EDMONSTON, T. 1844. A fauna of Shetland. Zoologist 1844: 459-467, 551-552. Evans, A. H. & BuckuEy, T. E. 1899. A Vertebrate Fauna of the Shetland Islands. Edinburgh. FISHER, J. 1952. The Fulmar. London. GaRRIocK, J. T. 1879. Fulmar Petrel breeding in Isle of Foula. Zoologist 1879: 380. GLEGG, W. E. 1926. The Great Skua in Shetland. Oologists’ Record 1926: 2-9. GRAVES, F. S. & RALFE, P. 1899. Notes on Shetland birds. Zoologist 1899: 72-77. Gray, R. 1871. The Birds of the West of Scotland. Glasgow. GREENAWAY, W. H. 1917. The Cuckoo at Foula Isle. Scot. Nat. 1917: 217-218. GREENAWAY, W. H. 1926. Scops Owl at Foula. Scot. Nat. 1926: 68. GREENAWAY, W. H. 1930. Blackbird nesting on ground in Foula. Scot. Nat. 1930: 110. HARVIE-Brown, J. A. 1890. The Great Skua on Foula. Zoologist 1890: 4354-435. HEwITson, W. C. 1851-38. British Oology; being illustrations of the Eggs of, British Birds. London. Housourn, I. B. S. 1938. The Isle of Foula. JACKSON, BE. E. 1960, 1961, 19635. Brathay Exploration Group Ornithological Reports for Foula. JAKOBSEN, J. 1956. The Place-Names of Shetland. London and Copenhagen. Laine, J. 1815. A Voyage to Spitzbergen. London. Lanp, A. E. 1959, 1962. Brathay Exploration Group Ornithological Reporis for Foula. Low, G. 1879. A Tour through the Islands of Orkney and Schetland ... in 1774. Kirkwall. MacGILuLivray, W. 1857-52. A History of British Birds. London. MESSENGER, K. G. & URQuHART, J. G. 1959. Additions to the Flora of Foula. Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinb. 37: 276-278. MyuinE, C. K. 1955a. Bird migration at Foula in 1954. Fair Isle Bird Observatory Bull. 2: 247-254. MytneE, C. K. 1955b. Winter notes from Foula. Ibid. 2: 291-294. 56. THE BIRDS OF FOULA © 4(SS)-. MyuneE, C. K. 1956a. Spring migrants at Foula in 1955. Ibid. 5: 9-10. _ ; Mytnez, C. K. 1956b. A final report from Foula—summer and autumn 1955. Ibid. 3: 62-64. MyLng, C. K. 1957a. A summer visit to Foula in 1956. Ibid. 3: 157-158. Myung, C. K. 1957b. Lesser Grey Shrike on Foula, Shetland. Brit. Birds 50: 397. PENNIE, I. D. 1948. Summer bird notes from Foula. Scot. Nat. 1948: 157-163. PERDECK, A. C. 1960. Observations on the reproductive behaviour of the Great Skua _ or Bonxie ... in Shetland. Ardea 48: 111-1356. PERDECK, A. C. 1965. The early reproductive behaviour of the Arctic Skua. Ardea 51: 1-15. POWELL, M. 1958. 200,000 Feet on Foula. London. RAEBURN, H. 1890. The Great Skua on Foula. Zoologist 1890: 3554-555, 392. RAEBURN, H. 1891. The Great Skua.... its present status as a British Bird. Scot. Nat. 1891: 18-20. ROBERTSON, W. 1907. Rose-coloured Pastors in Foula. Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist. 1907: 51. RUSSELL, J. 1887. Three Years in Shetland. Paisley and London. SAUNDERS, H. 1880. On the Skuas and some other Birds observed in the Shetland Islands. Zoologist 1880: 1-6. SaxBy, H. L. & S. H. 1874. The Birds of Shetland. Edinburgh. Sims, R. W. 1955. The Black-billed Cuckoo in the Shetlands. Scot. Nat. 19535: 196. TRAILL, A. L. 1890. The Great Skua on Foula. Zoologist 1890: 4354. TRAILL, A. L. 1898. Wryneck at the island of Foula, Shetland. Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist. 1898; 182. Tupor, J. R. 1885. The Orkneys and Shetland. London. TURRILL, ‘WW. B. 1929. The flora of Foula. Rep. Bot. Exch. Club 8: 838. VENABLES, L. S. V. & U. M. 1955. Birds and Mammals of Shetland. Edinburgh. VETCH, Capt. 1822. Account of the island of Foula. Mem. Wernerian N. H. Soc. Vol. 4. WILLIAMSON, K. 1954. American birds in Scotland in autumn and winter, 1953-54. Scot. Nat. 1954: 16-17, 21-29. WILLIAMSON, K. 1956. The autumn immigration of the Greenland Redpoll .. . into Scotland. Dansk. Orn. Foren. Tidsskr. 50; 125-133. WILSon, D. R. 1958. Leach’s Petrels in Shetland. Brit. Birds 51: 77-78. WILSON, D. R. et al. 1959. Autumn migrants at Foula, 1958. Fair Isle Bird Obser- vatory Bull. 4: 86-87. WITHERBY, H. F. et al. 1958-41. The Handbook of British Birds. London. 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 57 Appendix The significance of Foula as a migration station C. K. MyYLne The recent growth of the bird observatory system in Britain, and the attention paid to islands as suitable places for the observation of migration, call for a brief discussion of the value of Foula as a station for recording migrants. The systematic list shows how many of the birds recorded on Foula have been passage migrants but it also shows how few of these species were recorded before 1954, before—in other words—observers were present on the island to record them. Since my own residence on Foula from April 1954 to October 1955 members of the Brathay Exploration Group have visited the island annually in summer and early autumn and other ornithologists have made occasional visits. Only 45 miles to the southeast lies Fair Isle, where more bird species have been recorded than in any other single loc- ality in Britain. It therefore seems worthwhile to establish, even with the rather sporadic observations so far, some sort of comparison between the two islands and to assess the value of Foula for any comparative study. All observers who have worked on Foula agree on one point, that it is really too large an island for accurate census work and that the numbers of birds recorded are directly related to the number of obser- vers. Any strictly numerical comparison with Fair Isle is therefore of very limited value. Even the general rule that Foula seems to have far smaller numbers of most continen- tal migrants has had notable exceptions with some surprising falls of autumn migrants in clear conditions, Several com- parisons of migration schedules for the two islands have however been attempted for selected periods when observa- tions on Foula were felt to be providing at least a sample count, and two examples are given below—one of a move- ment from the northwest and one of a typical incursion from the continent. It must be admitted that these are more interesting for the similarity they reveal in the species in- volved than for the marked difference in numbers, and un- doubtedly they show little more than that Fair Isle probably had more birds and certainly more observers. The observation of migration on Foula depends on several factors. These are worth listing as a warning of the difficulties of migration study there and the limitations on its value as a migration station: eB tl LC 58 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) (a) The physical difficulty of covering the area Foula has almost twice the land surface area of Fair Isle and probably more than twice the cliff area, much of it in- accessible. The area of vertical rock face on the west cliffs and the North Bank is estimated at 150 acres. (b) The nature of the landscape Although Foula is generally treeless, which in one sense makes observation simpler, such cover as there is can conceal migrants over three miles of the east side in cultivated rigs, ditches and weed growth on disused crofts, sheltered gardens, and plantiecrubs, Some patches of cover are surprisingly dense, and there are deeply indented cliff areas and geos. One or two ‘kale yards’ contain stunted trees or bushes up to the height of the dykes, including honeysuckle, roses, sycamore, currant bushes, and even tiger liles. The main drainage area of the Hametoun has a lush growth of grasses where the secretive type of warbler or species like Quail or Corncrake can easily escape detection unless heard or acci- dentally flushed. (c) The geographical position, unfavourable for continental im- migrants Fair Isle lies as part of a north-south chain of islands from Shetland through to Orkney and Caithness with the effect of a ‘leading line’ of visible landmarks by day and a series of lighthouses by night. Foula is 15 miles west of this line and has no lighthouses. It lies therefore in the shadow of Shet- land from the continent, although it is the second highest point of Shetland, By day, migrants are only likely to make a landfall on Foula by chance, having missed Shetland in bad weather. By night, the chances seem even smaller, as the attraction of the lighthouses in poor weather is known to be strong, especially to tired disoriented birds in easterly weather and poor visibility, namely the drift migrants which make up the largest landfalls. (d) Arrivals do not stay long unless grounded by bad weather and heavy overcast. By day the whole west coastline of Shetland including Fair Isle can be seen and it is possible to see even Orkney 95 miles to the southwest from the summit of the Sneug in exceptionally clear weather. It was my experience that overnight arrivals were often only seen in the first few hours of daylight and had moved on later in the day. Re- orientated migrants, i.e. drift migrants which move on in 1966 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 59 their ‘preferred direction’ in better weather, are seldom recorded on Foula even after heavy falls on the mainland of Shetland. In contrast with these adverse factors Foula is clearly better placed for recording migrants from the northwest. Also, like any island, it is a rewarding place for trapping birds in isolated patches of cover. Ringing and measuring even a small sample can provide much information on the nature and size of any movement taking place and the species involved. My own observations were strictly limited in scope by my bachelor life, and necessarily restricted to the central area for my daily sample by my job, although Hametoun is in fact the area where most migrants have been seen. However, daily records of all birds observed were kept on migration schedules provided by the Fair Isle Bird Ob- servatory. On very few occasions could the figures be con- sidered as a census of the birds present except perhaps at weekends, but during the peak of the migration season the central area of the Ham Burn from Leraback down to Ham Voe was covered daily. In the summer of 1954 a small Heligoland trap was con- structed over the ‘Foula jungle’, the bushes in the Ham yard which are probably the thickest patch of leaf cover on the island. with wirenetting and other materials provided by Fair Isle through the good offices of Kenneth Williamson, and with the help of some of the islanders, the trap was com- pleted by 1st October 1954. Clap-nets and small Chardonneret traps were used in the manse garden and other suitable places. The numbers trapped were never large—213 in twelve months—but in addition some 500 nestlings of resident species were ringed, Fair Isle record cards were completed for all birds trapped. Weighing provided information on the physical condition of some migrants. Since 1956 over 13,000 birds have been ringed by the Brathay Exploration Group. Several comparisons were made between the migration schedules and those of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory over selected periods when my own records were based on more regular observations. Only one set of figures showed a sig- nificantly larger number of birds on Foula and then only of a very few species. This was a passage of northwestern species, mostly Greenland Redpolls, in September 1955. A maximum of 13 birds on Fair Isle compared with up to 200 round the Hametoun crofts on Foula. The Fair Isle birds included several at very low weights, indicating passage over a long distance, probably from Greenland (Williamson 1956). One bird ringed at Foula on 15th September 1955 was recover- ed at Uyeasound, Shetland, on 12th October, 50 miles north- 60 THE BIRDS OF FOULA 4(SS) east. This type of onward passage was recorded both at Lerwick and at Fair Isle, where on 24th October the average weight of four birds trapped was nearly 18 gm, compared with weights as low as 10.7 gm on first arrival. The normal weight appears to be about 20 gm. In this same September movement ten Lapland Buntings were recorded on Foula on the 6th compared with only single birds on Fair Isle, though at the same time several species of continental] migrants— Garden Warbler, Barred Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Lesser Grey Shrike—turned up on Fair Isle but were not recorded on Foula. Most comparisons show very much smaller numbers of northeastern immigrants though frequently the list of species was strikingly similar. In the period 26th-31lst Mav 1955, for instance, 27 passerine species were recorded on Fair Isle in a typical late spring movement involving moderate numbers, after a very quiet spell. In this same period Foula produced 14 of these species but all except the hirundines were records of single birds. Where Fair Isle had four Whinchats Foula had two; 15 Whitethroats compared with two, and four Lesser Whitethroats with only one on Foula; 20 Willow War- blers with two and 25 Spotted Flycatchers with only one; Fair Isle had five Red-backed Shrikes and Foula had none; but a Woodchat Shrike was seen the following day. Several other examples could be quoted of this same pattern of events but the numbers would be too subject to observation factors to be worth detailing and further comparison seems pointless. The best example from my own experience of the obvious similarity between the records from the two islands was during the avalanche movement of 4th-5th September 1956 when I was fortunate enough to be on Fair Isle, for a change. There was an enormous influx of passerines, espec- ially Redstarts, Tree Pipits, Whinchats, Willow Warblers and Pied Flycatchers, in poor conditions of mist and drizzle, when drifted birds might perhaps be as likely to turn up on one island as another. I was able to take advantage of the newly installed radio telephone on Foula to put through a call from Fair Isle on the first evening of the rush—probably the first ever telephone call between the two islands. It brought ex- cited confirmation from Mrs Mima Gear of the largest number of migrants she had seen on Foula for many years with most of the dominant species the same as on Fair Isle. ‘ NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS | ; | ® _ All contributions should be sent to Andrew T. Macmillan, 12 Abinger Gardens, Edinburgh 12. Attention to the following points greatly sim- plifies production of the journal and is much appreciated. 1. Papers should if possible be typed with double spacing. All contri- butions should be on one side of the paper only. 2. Topical material for Current Notes should reach the Editors before the _end of March, June, September and December, at which time they begin to compile this section. All other notes should be sent promptly but important items can be fitted in until a month or so after these dates. 3. Proofs will normally be sent to authors of papers, but not of shorter items. Such proofs should be returned without delay. If alterations are made at this stage it may be necessary to ask the author to bear the cost. 4. Authors of full-length papers who want copies for their own use MUST ASK FOR THESE when returning the proofs. If requested we will supply 25 free copies of the issue in which the paper is published. Reprints can be obtained but a charge will be made for these. 5. Particular care should be taken to avoid mistakes in lists of refer- ences and to lay them out in the following way, italics being indicated where appropriate by underlining. Dick, G. & Porter, J. 1960. Goshawk in East Stirling. Scot. Birds 1 :329. EcGcELING, W. J. 1960. The Isle of May. Edinburgh and London. 6. English names should follow The Handbook of British Birds with the alterations detailed in British Birds in January 1953 (46:2-3) and January 1956 (49:5). Initial capitals are used for names of species (e.g. Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit) but not for group names (e.g. diving ducks, tits). Scientific names should be used sparingly (see editorial Scottish Birds 2:1-3) and follow the 1952 B.O.U. 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