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Golden Jubilee
1936-86

The Scottish Ornithologists’ Cluh is fifty years old. This is an
appropriate moment to throw our hats in the air and give thanks
to all who have contributed to its activities and guided its fortunes
down the years.

It was, to be precise, on 24 March 1936
that just six people got together in the rooms
of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society
in Edinburgh to lay the foundations of the
Club. It was a different world then in many
ways. Field ornithology had only a small
following of enthusiasts. There were no field-
guides (until 1954, the year after The Birds
of Scotland) nor even the Handbook, and
binoculars were comparatively expensive.
The shot-gun was the final arbiter in
identification; indeed as the phrase at that
time had it: “What’s hit is history and what’s
missed is mystery”. But there was a
wonderful sense of discovery and pioneering
in a new area, very much on an amateur
basis — a voluntary and dedicated activity
done out of love for the subject.

Since the war we have seen the Club
grow to thirteen Branches, from Thurso to
Stranraer. When I visited all but one of them
last session I was very much struck by the
way they all continue the friendly and
sociable atmosphere of the early Club and
also something of that amateur spirit among
all the members, including the now
numerous professional ornithologists! The
activities of the Club range from the light-
hearted to the serious but never, I hope, the
solemn.

The last twenty years in particular have
seen a tremendous increase in interest in
wildlife and the natural environment,
creating a greater awareness of its problems
as well as giving a lot of pleasure. Some
natural history societies have grown
enormously, and the interest has been fuelled
by the media and by a great range of fine
books. The Club has benefited from this in
one respect, in that the Bird Bookshop has
grown within that time from nothing to a
record turnover this year of well over
£1(M),(XX). The Bookshop surplus provides
useful funds for the Club and has cushioned
and delayed subscription increases. It is all
the more disappointing, therefore, that
membership of the SOC has remained at
much the same figure of around three
thousand during the period of increasing
membership elsewhere.

Perhaps “Ornithologists” in our title
deters some people. Perhaps we do not take
enough trouble to make ourselves known. I
hope that during this Jubilee Year our various
activities and developments, with new
publications and design, will bring the Club
to the notice of many potential members and
that we will see an increase during the next
year or two.

So in this connection a warm welcome

to this first edition of Scottish Bird News,
which four times a year will be bringing you
up-to-date news about ornithology in
Scotland and the latest happenings around
the Branches. Thanks are due to the Editor
and other members and staff who have made
this possible.

The Editor, Valerie Thom, is also the
author of the new Birds in Scotland to be
published by T. and A. D. Poyser later this
month and launched at a reception in
Glasgow to mark the Jubilee. This book has
been sponsored by the Club and will provide
a new base-line for birdwatching in Scotland
for many years to come. Its publication is
our main event for Jubilee Year and there is
(just) still time to order a copy at the pre-
publication price.

Branches are organising their own
celebratory events of various kinds, and the
Jubilee will also be marked by our two
conferences, at Aberdeen in April and North
Berwick in November, and given tangible
form in a number of souvenir objects.
Altogether it promises to be an excellent year
for the Club and one which I hope our
younger members will look back to with
pleasure at the Club’s centenary!

John M. S. Amott
President

True or false?

"In plantation forestry the end of the rotation
is marked by clear-felling. This is rarely
followed by Immediate replanting, either
because of delays In preparing the ground
for planting or for sanitary reasons assoc-
iated with beetle damage. As a result the
land is once more open and will provide
suitable habitat for moorland birds for
slightly more than the original six years
(following the initial ploughing and planting).
This means that for some some seven years
out of every fifty the land will provide
harbourage for birds of the wild upland." —
Extract from Quart. J. Forestry 67:253-254.

(Thanks to John Mitchell for the extract and Bemie
Zonfrillo for the illustration)

See also Conference report, page 8.

fl/sr ruz/VK- /rs ou/zs 7b y£z9^s

1

Duich Moss — an on-going saga

The Greenland White-fronted Goose is a species for which we in Scotland have a special
responsibility. Apart from two small flocks in Wales, the wintering population is almost
equally split between Scotland and Ireland. In world terms the total population is small;
past counts suggest that numbers fell from about 17,500-23,000 birds in tbe 1950s to
about 14,300-16,600 in the late 1970s. The decline seemed due to several factors, the most
important of which was the loss of traditional peatland habitat in Ireland. Worries about
this, and the birds’ consistently low productivity, led to a recent flurry of conservation
and research activity.

The first comprehensive census of the
winter population was organised in 1982/83.
At the same time the White-fronted Goose
was given complete protection in Scotland
under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act,
and a three-year moratorium on shooting was
introduced in Ireland. In February 1985 the
first change in wildlife legislation in
Greenland since the country became
politically autonomous gave the species
protection throughout the summer, and
Iceland is now considering similar action for
the months in which the geese stage there
during migration. The Irish shooting ban
came up for renewal in 1985 and, against the
advice of the Wildlife Advisory Committee,
the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry
granted limited hunting on the main Irish
haunt, the Wexford Slobs, from 16
November to 4 January. It is important that
higher mortality there should not jeopardise
the recovery of the population elsewhere, so
the effects of this resumption of shooting will
be monitored closely.

Here in Scotland the Greenland White-
front has been much in the media following
the Secretary of State’s decision to allow
commercial peat-cutting on Duich Moss,
Islay, the most important roost site in Britain.
The plan to cut peat there drew a large
number of objections from conservationists,
including those of the Government’s own
Nature Conservancy Council and the SOC.
The case is a fascinating one and deserves
a fuller analysis than can be given here. In
particular it has illuminated how, in the face
of strong scientific evidence, political
decisions to destroy important wildlife sites
can be taken without any fundamental
justification being given. Further, it has
shown how cases such as this, not in them-
selves conceptually difficult, can be distorted
and trivialised by the media.

One of the important points never
brought out in media reporting of the case
is the fact that Duich Moss is a nationally
important peatland in its own right. It is a
virtually undamaged and hydrologically
intact raised/blanket bog and as such
qualifies as a Grade 1 Site of Special
Scientific Interest. Yet from reports of the
ructions on Islay last summer one would
have thought that the affair was all about
‘geese v. jobs’. Such simplification into a
development versus conservation battle
makes a nice story but hides the truth of the
matter; not a single job was at risk from the
conservation proposals.

Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd require peat
for the production of blended spirit and malts
such as Lagavulin. They applied for, and

obtained, permission to dig peat from Duich
Moss — although abundant supplies of peat
of suitable quality exist elsewhere on Islay.
Under the terms of a management agreement
offered by the NCC full compensation would
be given for any additional costs incurred
through use of an alternative site — an offer
which would secure jobs in the industry and
is a far cry from the distorted jobs v. geese
picture.

What of the current position? Greenland
Whitefronts are listed in Annex 1 of the
European Communities Directive on the
Conservation of Wild Birds. This obliges the
Government to take special steps to conserve
the geese, including notification of the most
important sites as ‘Special Protection Areas’
(SPA). In September 1984 the European
Commission wrote to the Government
specifically requesting that the site be given
SPA status. A mere three months later the
Secretary of State confirmed planning per-
mission, rejecting the NCC’s call for a
moratorium to allow research to be under-
taken with a view to minimising the impact
of the development.

In view of the breach of the Directive,
the RSPB and others formally complained
to the European Commission, as a result of
which Commission representatives visited
Islay in October. Both the development area
on the Moss and the various alternative sites
for peat extraction were inspected. During
the visit it was discovered that a large
drainage ditch had been dug in contravention
of the planning permission, which stipulated
that the development was to be undertaken
in three Phases: before any work was
undertaken in Phase Two there was to be a
full review of the impact of the first Phase;
and no work was to be undertaken outwith
Phase One until at least 12 years after the
start of work on the bog. The Government’s
stance on the case has always been that the
planning conditions are adequate to avoid
damage to the conservation interest. This is
strongly refuted by the NCC, who have stated
that “no conditions will suffice to avoid
serious and irreversible damage to the bog’’.
Be that as it may, it appears that even the
limited conditions imposed have been
breached within months of work starting on
the site. Worse still, it took the chance visit
of a European official to discover the ditch
on Phase Two ground; there had been no
monitoring of the development by either the
District Council or the Scottish Office.

The ramifications of the case seem
likely to continue for a long time. The
Commission are set to take legal action
against the Government for failure to follow

the Conservation of Wild Birds Directive.
What the outcome of this will be is hard to
judge, but hopefully it will lead, in one way
or another, to Scottish Malt Distillers
agreeing to use one of the other suitable
sources of peat on the island.

What of the consequences for the
Greenland Whitefronts if the development
goes ahead? In Ireland similar developments
led to the geese gradually deserting a site.
Returning to Greenland in poorer condition
they have produced fewer young and the
population has slowly declined. Geese aside,
however, the large Sphagnum flow areas of
Duich Moss would be immediately and
irreversibly damaged by mechanical peat
extraction. One can only hope that wiser
counsel will prevail and that unnecessary
damage to the moss will not occur.

David A. Stroud

Until recently David Stroud, the author of this
article, worked with the Greenland White-fronted
Goose Study (whose logo is reproduced here). The
GWGS is based at the University College of Wales
hut David spent most of the last 5 years on Islay,
making summer expeditions to Greenland. He now
works for NCC.

The Great Auk — dead
or alive?

Does the Great Auk still survive on Papa
Westray, where the species was last recorded
in 1813? According to the Orcadian some
folk believe that it does and are mounting
“the first serious ornithological expedition
of its kind” with the aim of confirming that
“the Great Auk is still very much alive”. The
team of five adventurers, led by Doug Yates
(forester and leader of the back-up team for
a recent Rockall expedition), will sail during
May from Findhorn in the sloop ‘Celerity’
and will use inflatable dinghies and special
nets to scour the coast of Papay. The rest of
the team, dubbed “the raiders of the lost
auk”, are skipper Shuttleworth and a
professional pilot, a farmer and a flight
engineer. Canadian Club has sponsored this
“uncommon challenge” — so presumably
the SOC will not be asked for an Endowment
Eund Grant. If the ‘raiders’ succeed in their
aim, however, we will clearly have to mount
an enquiry into the blinkered vision of RSPB
personnel and others who regularly visit the
island!

(Thanks to Eric Meek for the details of this story
- Eds.)

B

I

2

More tree-nesting
Dippers

Marion Shimeld’s note on tree-nesting
Dippers on the River Almond in Perthshire
(SB 0:117) stimulated reports of similar nest-
sites in other areas. Brian Stewart sent the
accompanying photograph of a nest found
during an Aberdeen Branch outing in April
1985, on the River Don at Kemnay. It had
been built in flood debris caught on the lower
branches of an alder. Three years earlier
Brian had found one in a similar situation
but closer to the trunk, higher up the Don.
From Angus Norman Atkinson reported that
a March 1984 survey of the Southesk and
its main tributaries (by M. A. Bushby, C. J.
Eatough, C. Riddell and himself) located 67
pairs of Dippers on 101km of river. Twenty-
four pairs were apparently using man-made
structures, including bridges, weirs and
pipes, and most of the remainder were
nesting in natural cliff and bank-overhang
sites. But on the Southesk in lower Glen
Clova one occupied nest was in a witch’s
broom on an overhanging birch, about 6m
from the bank and 3m above the water.
While such sites may not be typical, they
may well be commoner than is generally
thought. As Norman commented, ringers
and nest-recorders tend to concentrate on
checking man-made structures, so BTO nest
records may be biased.

Photo Brian Stewart

m

Magpies teasing
Golden Eagle

The Magpies which frequent my garden are
real chancers, as their great delight is teasing
my captive injured Golden Eagle. She totally
ignores them apart from occasionally turning
her head upside down to get a different angle
on their activities. One morning last July,

after heavy overnight rain had left 4-5" of
water lying on the lawn, the Magpies
demonstrated yet another opportunist habit.
The parents and the 1985 crop of three
youngsters went wading through the flood,
sometimes up to their bellies but more often
just up to the “ankles”, having a great feed
of worms and other beasties which had been
drowned. It was rather like watching a
gathering of gourmets, all dressed up in full
evening wear, black ties and tails, gorging
themselves!

John B. Murray

Peregrine as prey of
Golden Eagle

In 1978 I reported the finding of a Peregrine
apparently killed by a Golden Eagle (SB
10:234). On 9 July 1985 I was watching the
eyrie of a different pair of Ross-shire eagles
when the female came in carrying an item
of prey. After she had gone I went up to the
eyrie to identify the prey brought in. It
proved to be the part-eaten carcase of a
Peregrine, identified by the yellow taloned
feet with a very long middle toe and the few
feathers still clinging to it. I believe it was
a recently-fledged bird of the year. This and
the 1978 instance remain the only times I
have recorded Peregrines as prey in 28 years
study of the prey brought to Golden Eagle
eyries in Inverness-shire and Ross-shire.

Lea McNally

ORNITHOLIDAYS 1986

Member of The Association of British Travel Agents

Twenty-one years' Service to
Naturalists and Birdwatchers

Holidays organised by Birdwatchers
for Birdwatchers

Kenya

The Seychelles
Tanzania
Zimbabwe
Zambia

Okavango Delta
Rwanda
Morocco
Madagascar

Northern India & the Himalayas

Kashmir

Nepal

Assam & Sikkim

Thailand

{ordan

New Zealand
Arctic Norway
South West Spain
Spanish Pyrenees
Andorra

Majorca

The Camarague

Southern France

Lake Neusiedi

The High Alps

North East Greece

Turkey

Bulgaria

Czechoslovakia

Yugoslavia

Particulars and Programmes sent on request:

LAWREIMCE G. HOLLOWAY
ORNIITHOLIDAYS

Dept. 4, 1/3 Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis, Sussex, England P021 2PW

Telephone 0243 821230

ATOL Licence No. 743

3

Pom Skua records wanted

A report on the exceptional influx of Pomarine Skuas is being
compiled and records from anywhere in Britain are wanted.]
Data on numbers of adults (with details of colour phases)
or juveniles, date, time and location of observations, and any
information on the birds' behaviour, or how this season's
numbers compare with previous years, will be welcomed by
Simon Aspinall, RSPB Highland Office, Muniochy, IV8 8ND
or Tony Fox, NCC, 9 Culduthel Road, Inverness IV2 4AG.
All contributions will be fully acknowledged.

Recent Reports

These notes cover the period October to
December; they include unchecked reports and are
not intended as a permanent record. Please send
reports to Pete Ellis, Houss, East Burra,
Shetland, via local recorders, at the end of March,
June, September and December.

Late autumn brought very few common
migrants, Scandinavian thrushes in particular being
in short supply. There were, however, several
extreme rarities, including two more new records
for Scotland — a Forster’s Tern which stayed at
Musselburgh and Granton from 6 October to 9
November, and a Red-eyed Vireo which spent
several days in Caithness in early October.

The most unusual aspect of the autumn was
the large influx of Pomarine Skuas into the North
Sea, presumably displaced by adverse weather
conditions from their more usual Atlantic route.
This unprecedented movement began on 9 October
with one at Sullom. Then 200-300 were reported
from fishing boats off Shetland on 22 October, 34
were off Fair Isle on 27th, a total of 50 were
reported from Orkney and 120 passed Peterhead
during the month. At least 100 were in the Inner
Moray Firth in early November. Hound Point in
the Forth had peaks of 47 on 25 October and 35
on 23 November, and 200 were between North
Berwick and Bams Ness on 31 October. One was
still in Shetland on 11 December and 9 were seen
in the Beauly Firth on Christmas Day. Some of

these birds were very tame — a birdwatcher in
Unst received a sharp peck on the hand from one
skua which landed on the roof of his car!

Other seabird records of note included 30 blue
Fulmars at Sumburgh on 24 October, a Cory’s
Shearwater at North Ronaldsay and a marked
movement of Little Auks. Two hundred passed
south off Sumburgh in one hour on 4 November,
and there were 53 at Peterhead on 16 November,
238 at Musselburgh on 17th, 90 at Gosford, 50
at Hound Point and 150 at Fife Ness. Two Long-
tailed Skuas were seen in Shetland, 2 in Orkney
and 2-3 in the Inner Moray Firth, including an
adult which landed at Chanonry Point — much
to the delight of an Inverness SOC outing. In
November vast numbers of sprats in the Beauly
Firth were feeding 8000 Guillemots along with
tens of thousands of gulls — I have never seen such
a large number of gulls in one place before.

Pink-footed Geese peaked at 27,900 at
Strathbeg and Greylags at 19,900 at Davan and
Kinord. Barnacle Geese at Aberlady reached a
maximum of 180 and 12 Brent Geese were in
South Uist in October. At Aberlady Wigeon
reached 1090, double the previous peak count. An
unusual movement of Long-tailed Ducks occurred
in Shetland, with 300 off Sumburgh on 27 October.
Unusually high counts were also recorded in the
Western Isles, East Lothian and Ayrshire but
numbers in the Moray Firth were low.

A Snowy Owl reached Lewis and Long-
eared Owls were seen in small numbers in the
northern isles and on the east coast; Fair Isle had
a record count of 14 on 26 October and one Orkney
roost held 20 in December. Fair Isle had 6
Richard’s Pipits and an Eastern Yellow Wagtail
in October, when a Citrine Wagtail was at
Musselburgh. Small numbers of Wax wings
appeared in the northern isles and east coast
counties, and more unusually at Ullapool and
Mallaig. Scandinavian thrushes were relatively
scarce; Fair Isle had maxima of only 1600
Fieldfares and 2300 Redwings. The bird of 1985
for me was the White’s Thrush at Catfirth,
Shetland, on 10 October.

Coal Tits turned up on Orkney for the first
time since 1949, and one on Barra was the first
record for the island. Orkney also had a Blue Tit,
a Great Tit and 2 Treecreepers. The Sumburgh
Brown Shrike stayed into October, when a Red-
backed Shrike was at Cults; Great Grey Shrikes
were scarce, the only report being one at Davan
in October. There was a small influx of Mealy
Redpolls in Shetland in November, when a few
Arctic Redpolls also appeared. An immature
Two-barred Crossbill was seen by many birders
in the Carron Valley from mid October to the end
of the year. Small numbers of Common Crossbills
continued to appear in the north isles and along
the east coast, and a Parrot Crossbill was found
dead in Orkney in October. The Whalsay
Blackpoll Warbler stayed into October. Small
numbers of Lapland Buntings were seen in the
north but more than usual appeared in East
Lothian. Fair Isle had a Rustic Bunting and 5
Little Buntings in October and Aberdeenshire had
its first Little Bunting in November

Pete Ellis

Wildfowl Counts —
Central Region

Several of the regular contributors to the winter
wildfowl counts in Central Region moved away
from the area during 1985, leaving some significant
gaps in the coverage. I would, therefore, be pleased
to receive offers of help from anyone able to visit
one or more sites on a reasonably regular monthly
basis from September through to March. D.
Tborogood, 4 Archers Avenue, Stirling FK7
7RJ. Tel. No. 0786-815797.

KJndrogQn

FIELD CENTRE

PROGRAMME 1986

WEEKEND BREAKS

For beginners and enthusiasts
( March May June )

Birds and their song « Spring birds
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4

The 1985 heronry census

Some preliminary results

The 1985 BTO heronry census in Scotland had three main aims

i) to estimate the total number of Herons breeding in Scotland,

ii) to estimate their relative abundance in various parts of
Scotland and iii) to determine any changes that may have taken
place since the previous census in 1954. The method was simply
to locate as many colonies as possible and count the number of

Area

Average number of occupied nests
(number of colonies)

1928/29

1954

1985

Borders and south-west

7.8 (43)

5.6 (37)

7.4 (48)

Central

8.7 (11)

6.0 (22)

8.3 (37)

North-east

3.6 (10)

5.8 (26)

5.4 (21)

Highlands and Islands

6.8 (46)

6.5 (92)

6.5 (107)

Total

7.1 (110)

6.1 (117)

6.9 (213)

occupied nests in each colony.

Unfortunately the number of nests
counted on one visit in April or May tends
to underestimate the actual number of
breeding Herons as some pairs fail early or
nest late and so remain undetected. In 1985
sixteen colonies were visited several times
throughout the breeding season and the
progress of all nesting attempts monitored
to give an accurate assessment of the number
of breeding pairs in each colony. Single visits
to these colonies in April or May, on average,
underestimated the total number of breeding
pairs by about 71%. k more serious problem
is that Herons frequently move their nesting
locality so that known colonies can decline,
or become ‘extinct’, as the birds move to a
new nesting locality sometimes two or three
kilometres away. In no part of Scotland were
there sufficient active BTO members to
search every potential breeding site so we
do not know how many heronries were
missed in 1985. The best we can do is to
guess at the number missed by looking for
places that have had heronries in recent years
but where there was no record for 1985. The
optimistic assumption is that such heronries
have not become extinct but merely moved
to some undiscovered place.

Photo W S. Paton

By the end of 1985 most census cards
had been returned, reporting visits to 213
active heronries. Assuming that all heronries
recorded in the last decade were still in
existence, it was estimated that about 125
remained uncounted. This figure will be at
least 15 to 20 less when some outstanding
cards are returned. The number of colonies
actually counted is more than in previous

Scottish heronry censuses in 1928/29 and in
1954, when 110 and 177 colonies respectively
were counted. It is possible that there are
more heronries now than formerly but it is
more likely that the higher figure for 1985
is the result of better observer coverage.

The dispersion and size of heronries in
various regions is similar to that recorded
previously. For example heronries are very
scarce in Caithness and Wigtownshire, more
abundant in Central Scotland and at their
greatest density in north Argyll and the
Hebrides. Colonies were smallest in the
north-east of Scotland with an average of
only 5.4 occupied nests counted, whereas
those in Central Scotland were much larger
with an average of 8.3 nests. The largest
colonies were of 40 nests (in Lanarkshire)
and 37 nests (Easter Ross). Comparing the
three census years, heronries in 1985 seemed
to be of similar size to those counted in
1928/29 and larger than in 1954 in all areas
except the north-east (Table). Overall, 1470
occupied heron nests were counted in the 213
colonies. Assuming that the remaining

Barn Owl incubating
domestic fowl eggs

On 8 May 1985 we visited an occupied farm
in the Cree Valley, Galloway, to inspect a nest
box erected there for Bam Owls. During
conversation the landowner informed us that
on several occasions he had found it
necessary to remove from the box eggs laid
by a farmyard hen, which had somehow
gained access despite the fact that the box
was at a height of almost 7m. When we
entered the building a female Bam Owl left
the box. On inspection we found a clutch of
seven eggs — three Bam Owl eggs and four
domestic hen eggs. The domestic fowl eggs
were slightly larger and browner. We decided
to remove them in the owl’s absence and
hoped she would not desert the nest; they
were warm and contained live embryos.
When A. D. inspected the box again on 11
July he was pleased to find one almost-
fledged owlet inside the box.

A. Dowell & G. Shaw

Thanks

to all who have helped with this first issue
of SBN: our artists — Bernie Zonfrillo, Angus
Hogg, Bill Brackenridge? (initials too small
to decipher!), lain Macleod, and Andy
Dowell; all who sent in copy; and Malcolm
Ware, John D. & Jacquie, who helped with
layout. We hope you like it — and that you
will keep us well supplied with material.

V.M.T. & S. da P.

uncounted heronries were of similar size,
and that observers consistently underesti-
mated the number of breeding pairs by 22 % ,
we can optimistically estimate the population
of herons breeding in Scotland in 1985 at
about 2950 pairs. The actual population may
be considerably less if some of the ‘missing’
heronries had not moved but become extinct.

As many of you now know, heronries are
not always easy to find, nor are the nests
always easy to count. Nevertheless I hope
the success of the 1985 survey will encourage
a sustained interest by some people to follow
the fortunes of their local heronries. The
British Tmst for Ornithology wishes to
maintain the heronry survey in Scotland and
will require as large an annual sample of
counts as is possible. Finally I wish to thank
all those who helped with the survey and
remind those who have not submitted their
records to do so as soon as possible. The full
report of the 1985 survey will appear in due
course in Bird Study.

Mick Marquiss

BIRDWATCHING

ACTIVITY

WEEKS

25-30 MAY 1986
1-6 JUNE 1986

''BIRDS

OF

SPEYSIDE

n

A repeat of last year's success
with conducted visits and walks,
slide talks, film and social

Tutors:

RSPB Wardens,

Roy Dennis
Resident Guide:
Michael Phillips

Course Fee: £48

For information, SAE please to:

Tourist Association
Boat of Garten
Inverness-shire

5

Raptor Results '85

This report summarises the main activities of four of the five Raptor
Study Groups now active in Scotland (Highland is to be documented
separately). Species studied include Golden Eagle, Peregrine and
Merlin with some members specialising in other raptors such as
Hen Harrier and Kestrel. A total of 49 occupied Golden Eagle ranges
and 248 Peregrine sites were monitored and there was increased
coverage of Merlin, with much interesting data gathered on this
species.

The map shows the area covered by each group: North-east
(NE), Central (C), South-east (SE) and South-west (SW); SW
includes the islands of Bute and Arran. This is the fifth annual
summary for NE and the second for the other three groups. The
data summarised represent a huge contribution in time and effort
by a large number of raptor workers throughout Scotland, most of
whom are voluntary and work solely in their spare time. These notes
are presented on behalf of all four groups.

Dave Dick (RSPB) & Iain MacLeod

Golden Eagle

North-east Scotland RSG Birds were present in 33 home ranges,
out of which 11, possibly 12, were successful. Although generally
wetter than in previous study years, the weather seemed to have no
adverse effects on breeding success. Two failures may have been
due to egg robberies. One pair laid three eggs but failed, and at
least two females re-laid but both failed. Only one chick was ringed.
Central Scotland RSG Birds were present in at least 16 home
ranges. Nine to twelve pairs laid, with five pairs successfully fledging
six young. One nest was robbed of eggs. A sad event was the
discovery in November of a dead adult female eagle under an
electricity pylon in the only home range in this area to fledge two
young this year. It may be some time before we see fledged young
in this glen again.

Golden eagle breeding success in 1985

NE

C

Flome range/sites with bird(s) present

33

16-1-

Home range/sites in which eggs laid

22(3)

9(3)

(probably laid)

Home range/sites in which eggs hatched

13(1)

5(?)

(probably hatched)

Home range/sites in which eggs failed to hatch

8-9

?

Home range/sites at which young fledged

11(2)

5

(large young seen but fledging not proved)

Total young fledged (probably fledged)

14(6)

6

Kestrel

South-west Scotland RSG (Gordon Riddle) After last year’s
phenomenal success 1985 was disappointing. The season started well,
with a dry spring producing a very high average clutch size of 5.2,
but the wettest late spring and summer on record produced a poor
hatching rate and increased failure at the brood stage. Of the 46
territories visited 34 (74%) were occupied. Of 135 eggs in 26 known
full clutches 93 hatched and 78 young were reared, 72 of which (19
broods) were ringed.

HIGHLAND FIELD STUDIES

Spring Flowers
Exploring Morvern
Mountain Flowers
Wildflowers of Tayside
Exploring the Highlands
Exploring Morvern
Natural History of Skye
Natural History of Skye
Autumn in Tayside
Birds of Autumn

Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Ardtornish, Argyll
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Abriachan, Inverness-shire
Ardtornish, Argyll
Harlosh, Dunvegan
Harlosh, Dunvegan
Blairgowrie, Pertnshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire

May 3-10
May 24-31
June 28-july 5
August 2-9
August 9-16
September 6-13
20-25
October 4-11
18-25
24-26

Informal relaxed courses for both beginners and experts in some of the most beautiful parts of
Scotland, with expert guidance and tuition. Based mostly in comfortable hotels and guest houses.
Further details of these and the full programme available (s.a.e. please) from:

BRIAN S. BROOKES MBE MSc, Highland Field Studies, Glenshieling, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 7HZ.
Telephone: Blairgowrie (0250) 4605.

<6

m

6

Peregrine

North-east Scotland RSG Breeding success was quite high despite
the very wet summer, with at least 84 young fledged from 43
successful sites. At two sites females vanished and eggs were
deserted, one brood was probably stolen, another drowned at 3 weeks
old, one clutch was smashed and one was deserted because of
disturbance from tree-planting in the area; a few chicks vanished
or died at hatching. At two inland sites single chicks were known
to fledge from definite second clutches. Coastal sites again fared
poorly (although better than last year). Three pairs laid out of five
occupied sites, with only one definitely fledging a chick.

Central Scotland RSG The spring was dry but cool, producing
average clutch sizes, but the cold wet summer brought some
problems, with a few weather-related failures. A total of 92+ young
fledged from 43 of the 71 occupied sites. Prey items of note this
year included Short-eared Owl, Kestrel and juvenile Hen Harrier
as well as Manx Shearwater and Guillemot at two inland sites. A
young mountain hare was also recorded!

South-west Scotland RSG This area still has several problems with
egg-collecting; there were at least six definite robberies this season.
A man apprehended at one site with the help of a Raptor Group
member had in his possession a clutch of eggs which he had intended
to hatch out and use for falconry. He was later fined £900 and had
his car confiscated. The eggs were returned to the nest but failed
due to predation. Despite such deliberate vandalism a total of 96
young were reared from 66 breeding pairs.

BBBiMia

South-east Scotland RSG A poorer year than 1984, with only 22
young fledged from 10 successful sites. The weather seemed to affect
breeding success; broods were smaller and there were no broods
of four (six in 1984). At least three nests were robbed and the repeat
clutches from two of them were probably taken as well. A further
one or two nests failed through human disturbance. One coastal site
was successful.

Peregrine breeding success in

1985

NE

C

SE

SW

Home range/sites with bird(s) present

86-87

71

24

75

Home range/sites with eggs laid

59(1)

52(5)

19

55

(probably laid)

Home range/sites with eggs hatched

49

45(1)

11

41

(probably hatched)

Home range/sites with young fledged

43

43

10

39 +

(probably fledged)

Total young fledged (probably fledged)

84(9)

92-1-

22-1-

82-t-

Hen Harrier

South-west Scotland RSG This species, as is usual in this area,
had mixed fortunes in 1985. Nests and eggs are still destroyed by
some ‘die-hard’ keepers who continue to suffer from the age-old
‘hook beak’ syndrome. Harriers nesting in un-keepered areas fared
better with 24 young reared from 18 breeding pairs monitored.

Canna Seabirds in 1985

The long-term ringing and monitoring
programme continued with the usual three
visits made in May, July and August. 1985
was characterised by a late cold spring with
predominantly northerly winds during April
and May and this had some effect on laying
dates, with Shags and Guillemots on open,
north-facing sites laying later than those in
more sheltered sites. Manx Shearwater
numbers remained stable and breeding
success in the observation burrows was above
average, with 0.66 young produced per egg
laid. Fulmar and Shag numbers remained
high, but Shag breeding success was poor
with only 1.2 young fledged per pair from
53 study nests; this was mainly due to high
mortality of young in nests exposed to the
above average rainfall — at the very open
colony of Geugasgor virtually every nest
contained one or more dead young. Gull

numbers generally remained stable, as did
Black Guillemots; Razorbills and Guillemots
increased slightly and Kittiwakes continued
their slow decrease.

The ringing programme resulted in the
handling of 5320 birds, including 3499
Guillemots, 648 Shags, 446 Herring Gulls,
363 Razorbills and 97 Manx Shearwaters;
350 Guillemots were colour-ringed. Details
of 236 recoveries are given in Canna Report
No. 11. Re-trappings and colour-ring
sightings continue to give information on age
of return to the island. One 3-year old, three
4-year old and thirteen 5/6-year old Herring
Gulls were located in breeding colonies. Two
2-year old, one 3-year old and three 4-year
old Guillemots were found in colonies but
none were breeding; this contrasts with the
period 1973-82 when Guillemot numbers
were increasing rapidly and 19.2% of all

known first-time breeders were under 5 years
old.

Finally, July 1985 saw a large wreck of
2700 Guillemots in Loch Linnhe just south
of Canna (BID News No 140,3. 1985). Three
first-summer Canna birds were involved in
this wreck which appeared to be caused by
a food shortage leading to starvation.
Examination of fish samples collected from
breeding adults on Canna, and examination
of chick weights against wing length, showed
that growth was normal and that breeding
birds on Canna were unaffected by the
adverse conditions further south.

R. L. Swann

{This note is based on a more comprehensive
report deposited in the Waterston Library. Copies
of Canna Report No. 11 are available on request
(price 0.65p) from R. L. Swann. 28 Druimlon,
Drumnadrochit, Invemess-shire. — Eds)

7

SOC News

North Berwick, 1985

The Club’s 38th Conference was notable for the
sustaining of the subject theme — Scottish Forestry
and Birds — throughout the lectures, discussions
and film show. This gave depth to the weekend
and the Conference organisers are to be
congratulated on having achieved this. The Marine
provided excellent facilities as usual, with the
superb catering giving a touch of inner warmth
necessary to combat the temperatures prevailing
both without and within the hotel.

Afforestation theme

On Saturday morning John Amott, President
of the Club, intnxluced the Conference theme with
a brief appraisal of the forestry situation in
Scotland, then invited the four guest speakers to
state their cases. Dr. Derek Langslow (NCC)
compared the rich flora and fauna of natural forest
with that of plantation forest and stressed the threat
to the breeding grounds of Dunlin, Golden Plover
and Greenshank, and to the hunting grounds of
Golden Eagle and Raven, presented by increasing
afforestation of land between 100 and 300m. This
sub-montane level includes such valuable habitats
as the peat flows of Sutherland and Caithness, the
mountain bases of the Highlands and the hills of
the Southern Uplands. He was critical of the
piecemeal way in which forestry planning is
handled by central and local government.

Roderick Leslie (FC) leapt boldly to the
Forestry Commission’s defence, stating that
afforestation in Scotland had created the ideal
environment for the expansion of such species as
Crossbill, Siskin, Goshawk and Wryneck. While
admitting that many practices had in the past been
less than desirable, he cited better design of
margins, with scrub and clearings, and
improvement of areas for second crop planting,
as examples of better husbandry now in use.
However, it will take many years for the mistakes
of the past to be rectified and much research into
the ecology of forested areas still needs to be done.

David Minns (RSPB) detailed the benefit to
landowners of the present planting grants and tax
relief and criticised the agricultural support system
which creates yet more mountains and lakes of
surpluses, suggesting — somewhat contentiously
— that farmers should be grant aided to plant their
present barley acreage with timber. He felt that
there was insufficient public consultation on an
issue which the caring public were concerned
about.

The final speaker was Ronnie Rose (Wildlife
Manager to the Economic Forestry Group), who
gave a very emotional plea that other foresters
follow his example, catering for wildlife within
their plans and exerting a degree of management
of the ecological structure to benefit both wildlife
and forestry. On the basis of 15 years practical
experience at Eskdalemuir he maintains that his
design of forest is very cost effective, resulting in
less windblow, less animal damage, and easier pest
control .

In the question and answer forum which
concluded the session all four speakers dealt with
questions from the audience. This was a very
successful venture, which merited more time than
was available.

Honorary member

At the 49th Annual General Meeting the
President announced that Dougal Andrew had
been made an Honorary Member, in recognition
of his many years’ service as Law Agent, and
expressed thanks to the staff for having achieved

a surplus on the year’s accounts. The after-dinner
toasts were proposed by Derek Langslow, who
likened the SOC to an oak, slow to mature but
strong in heart, nnd Chris Mylne, who looked back
with nostalgia over his four decades of Club
membership.

Forest impacts

Three talks on current ornithological research
were given on Sunday morning. Jeff Watson spoke
on Golden Eagles in the west Highlands, with
particular reference to the impact of plantation
forestry on the winter hunting grounds of eagles,
and Martin Cook compared the breeding success
of tits in adjacent broadleaf and coniferous
woodland in Morayshire. Stephanie Tyler
presented the final talk on Dipp>ers and acid waters
in Wales, showing what a complex subject the
relationship between afforestation and water pH
had proved to be. Chris Mylne rounded off the
session with a superb documentary on the Willow
Grouse, filmed in north Norway.

Malcolm Ross

Edinburgh Activities

With the facilities of the Club’s premises at 21
Regent Terrace available, we are in the enviable
position of being able to offer a particularly-full
programme of events. In addition to the main
lecture programme, two series of monthly indoor
meetings are held. Library Evenings, featuring
short talks by local experts, were attended by
enthusiastic audiences who heard Alister Clunas
speak on his work as a Countryside Ranger, Dave
Dick of the RSPB on Bird Protection and Nigel
Clark on the mysteries of Bird Trapping and
Ringing. This series, although aimed particularly
at those new to birdwatching, is open to all and
the intimate nature of the venue makes for
enjoyable audience participation.

The Waterston Library is also the venue for
the Discussion Group. The whole gamut of Orni-
thological interests is represented here, from
estuary counting to CBC studies, ringing to
twitching, but all attending are expected to
participate in cooperative fieldwork such as
breeding surveys and goose counts. Progress
reports on these surveys are given and lively
discussion often follows on how effective they have
been (and occasionally on how worthwhile they
have been!) The Group also takes a keen interest
in local issues affecting birds: recently it has voiced
its fears that the proposed designation of the
Pentlands Regional Park contains inadequate
safeguards for conservation and has pressed for
improved birdwatching facilities at Gladhouse
Reservoir.

The Branch Committee is also working to
improve the lot of birds and birdwatchers, such
as by trying to persuade the SSEB to build a
seawatching hide at its Torness Nuclear Power
Station: with a raised walkway overlooking a warm
water outlet the site would be ideal if only some
protection could be provided from the northeast-
erly gales and lashing rain which push birds close
inshore. The response so far has not been too
encouraging but the Committee is ‘sticking in’.

Bird Bulletin

An issue of the South East Scotland Bird
Bulletin is produced for each Branch Meeting.
This free newssheet, eagerly snapped up by our
members, lists recent bird records in our area and
gives reports on outings and details of forthcoming
talks. A recent feature article on developments at
Musselburgh Lagoons gave promise of a Wader
Scrape and Hide to be built in this rich but ever-
changing birding site.

Field Outings continue to be popular with our

members, recent venues including Aberlady Bay
and Musselburgh and more distant locations such
as the Uists and Galloway. An outing to Carron
Valley was to look for Bean Geese which,
unfortunately, had moved through a few weeks
previously. The party was rewarded, however, by
finding a stunning adult male Two-barred CrossbUl
amongst a flock of Commons. Next day another
observer failed to twitch this rarity but found an
immature bird at the same place.

Peter R. Gordon

Speyside Weekend

As their contribution to Jubilee Year the New
Galloway Branch decided to be hosts at two bird-
watching weekends. The first was at New Galloway
in February; the second will be in Speyside,
centred on the Aviemore end of the valley, from
Friday 16 to Sunday 18 May.

This is an excellent area for birds and May
is one of the best months up there. Nesting species
include Cap>ercaillie, Goldeneye, Golden Eagle,
Greenshank, Osprey, Peregrine and Scottish
Crossbill. The more energetic might like to climb
the Cairngorms, where Dotterel, Ptarmigan and
Snow Bunting should be seen. The RSPB Loch
Garten Osprey Reserve and Insh Marshes Reserve
are both within easy reach for the less energetic.

The weekend will be quite informal. Although
no organised excursions are planned, several
members who know the area well are willing to
help beginners. The more experienced will
probably want to go off on their own or in small
groups. On the Friday and Saturday evenings
members should gather at the Coylumbridge Hotel
(on the B970, IV2 miles from Aviemore), when
these ideas will be discussed.

Beds and Boots!

Accommodation of all grades is available in
Aviemore, Rothiemurchus/Coylumbridge, Boat of
Garten and Nethybridge. Members who do not
know the area should write to the Aviemore and
Spey Valley Tourist Organisation, Main Road,
Aviemore, Inverness-shire PH22 IPP, and ask for
a copy of “What to do, what to see and where to
stay in 1986’’ which lists hotels, B&Bs, self-
catering, farms, etc. For those wishing to camp,
the Loch Morlich and Coylumbridge sites are good
centres. As the weather can be so variable on
Speyside in May, take warm clothing, waterproofs
and wellingtons — and hope that these will ensure
a warm, dry weekend! Also take thermoses, OS
maps and stout shoes or boots.

We hope to welcome as many members as
possible from all over Scotland. Bring your friends
or family along too. The scenery is magnificent
and for non-birdwatchers the attractions on
Speyside are many and varied, from alpine plant
nurseries to steam train journeys . . . and there
is always the Aviemore Centre! This weekend
could be part of a longer spring holiday in the
Highlands.

If a success, perhaps this May weekend could
become once again an annual event, as early
editions of Scottish Birds show was the case from
1958 until 1964. In those days it was based at the
old Dell Hotel in Rothiemurchus. (Inclusive
weekend terms from 1962-1964 were 55/- i.e.
£2.75p!) Many members will recall those very
enjoyable and friendly days in the company of
George and Irene Waterston.

The New Galloway Branch Secretary and
Chairman will be glad to answer any queries —
but please remember to enclose a SAE if writing!
Secretary: Miss Joan Howie, 60 Main St., St.
John’s Town of Dairy, Kirkcudbrightshire (Tel.
Dairy (Kirks.) 226).

Chairman: Mrs Helen Halliday, “Dalveen”, New
Galloway, Kirkcudbrightshire (Tel. New Galloway
301).

8

The Seabird Colony
Register

In 1969 and 1970 the Seabird Group organised a
census of seabirds breeding on the coasts of Britain
and Ireland, during which almost the whole
coastline was covered; the results were summar-
ised in The Seabirds of Britain and Ireland by
Cramp, Bourne and Saunders (1974), Since then,
although a complete census has never been
repeated, many of the main seabird colonies have
been re-visited and censused again, some of them
regularly. Various studies of seabird breeding
biology have enabled the recommended techniques
to be improved, leading to more accurate counts,
prompter detection of changes in numbers, and
increasingly sensitive measurement of population
trends.

Despite the more accurate information now
available for scattered sites throughout the country,
it is still impossible to assess the relative
importance of different regions or even of
individual colonies. In 1984 the Seabird Group
undertook the establishment of the Seabird Colony
Register, the aims being to collect all seabird
counts made since 1969, and to up-date the
information by surveying as much as possible of
the coastline. The counts will be stored in a
computerised database where they can be easily
up-dated in future, and will be readily accessible
in a form suitable for a wide range of uses.

Completion of the Seabird Colony Register
depends on the help of volunteers to survey the
coastline during the next two summers. The
presence or absence of breeding seabirds is to be
recorded, with the exact location of active colonies
and counts or estimates of the numbers of nesting
birds. Much of the coast of England and Wales
was covered in 1984, but Scotland, where the
majority of British seabirds breed, is in urgent
need of more recorders. The survey uses the
coastline within each 10km OS square as its basic
unit, and over half (56%) of the 785 squares of
Britain (excluding the Channel Islands) are in
Scotland — so now you see why we need your
help!

Scotland has been divided into six regions for
this survey, each with one or more regional
organisers who will be co-ordinating coverage, and
distributing instructions and the standard recording
forms. Wherever you live you can help by covering
stretches of coast this summer. Coverage is
especially difficult to obtain in the more remote
areas such as the north and west. Make this an
excuse for visiting some of the wildest and most
beautiful parts of our coastline. Please become
involved in this worthwhile survey by contacting
the regional organiser (see below) for the area you
wish to cover. Also please allow any past
information you have on seabird colonies,
especially all counts, to be included in the Register
(contact Clare Lloyd, 17 Rubislaw Terrace,
Aberdeen ABl IXE. Tel. 0224-642863). We shall
be very grateful for your help, however much or
little of the coast you are able to cover, and
whatever historical information you can provide.

Scottish Ringers'
Conference, 1985

The eleventh in this series of annual events, held
on 22-24 November at Middleton Hall near
Edinburgh, was hosted by Lothian Ringing Group
and so well organised that everything ran to time.

Chris Mead started things going on Friday
evening with slides of his recent trip to Zimbabwe,
where he made contact with local ringers. Saturday
morning began with Ron Summers discussing
techniques for studying the population structure
of Starling roosts and flocks; these ranged from
“whoosh” netting at feeding sites to radar obser-
vation of dispersal waves from roosts. Ron’s results
showed interesting inter-age and inter-sex
differences. Ian Poxton described a local study on
Ring Ouzels — and dispelled the rumour that
ringers were concerned solely with recoveries
(although they do provide the occasional bonus
to a study!). Many facets were brought together
in Brian Little’s excellent talk on Goosanders,
which told the fascinating story of how the
Northumbrian Ringing Group’s enthusiasm for this
species led from a local breeding study 20 years
ago, through an investigation of movements and
moult strategies, to international involvement with
a flock of 30,000 moulting drakes (representing
possibly the entire west European population) off
the coast of northern Norway.

After lunch Jim Fowler took us on an enjoy-
able tour of Leicester Poly’s seabird and marine
biological monitoring sites in Shetland and
emphasised the links between ringers and environ-
mental protection, with oil companies providing
much of his group’s funding. Several of the
techniques available for catching and handling
seabirds were illustrated, including a new “finger-
down-throat" method for pacifying Fulmars.
Proving that amateurs are quite prepared to
challenge the professionals, Joe Conner gave a
short and clear presentation of his work on the
Flanders Moss Lesser Black-backed Gull colony.
He compared his results with those from Walney
Island, studied professionally by Robin Baker, and
showed interesting differences in the wintering
ranges of birds from the two colonies. Before the
final event of the afternoon — the annual news
broadcast from the Ringing Office (presented this
year for the first time by Raymond O’Connor) —
Stan da Prato described how his interest in
breeding warblers had developed into an
involvement with the evaluation and conservation
of their habitats.

After a behaviourally staggering Saturday
night, Sunday opened with slides of steamy, exotic
birds as Jeremy Greenwood revealed the results
of the “Wet T-shirt” competition he had held with
some lucky students in Trinidad. He was, in fact,
reporting on the successful field use of a high-level
mist net system, the development of which had
been described at the 1984 conference. Eric Meek
then told us about conservation and public relations
problems in Orkney, where the poor breeding
success of the Merlin population is causing
concern. Alan Heavisides presented an analysis

of Merlin ringing recoveries and showed
interesting age- and sex-related differences in
dispersal patterns. He also pointed out an
encouraging change in mortality trends, with only
5% of ringed Merlins now reported as killed by
man compared with 70% fifty years ago. Alan
Brown drew together the results of a breeding
survey of Lothians’ Mute Swans and an eastern
Scotland ringing study involving both breeding and
moulting birds. In contrast to their English
counterparts, eastern Scottish Mute Swans are very
mobile. Non-ringers can play an important part
in this study by reporting sightings of colour-ringed
swans, so please do! However the inherent biases
in the reporting of dead ringed birds by members
of the public, when applied to Bam Owls at least,
can affect the usefulness of the data, as outlined
in a presentation by lain Taylor which led to a
lively debate with Raymond O’Connor.

Tom Dougall

Art Competition

The British Association for Shooting and
Conservation is mnning its fifth National Wildlife
Artist Competition this year, with special prizes
for under 18 year olds. The competition is open
to both professionals and amateurs; subjects should
be based on the sport of shooting, although other
natural history subjects will be accepted. Judging
will take place in August (in Scotland) and selected
entrants will be invited to exhibit their work in
London in spring 1987. Further details from, and
entries — by 30 June 1986 — to BASC Scottish
Office, Carter House, Drymen by Glasgow. (Tel.
0360-60840).

Corpses wanted!

Corpses of the following species are required for
analysis of pesticide residues in a monitoring
programme, which has been running for the past
20 years: Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Merlin, Pereg-
rine. any rarer raptors, owls. Heron, Kingfisher
or Great Crested Grebe. All specimens received
are autopsied and analysed for organochlorine and
mercury residues; a report is sent to the finder.
The scheme is intended to monitor pollutant
residues in vulnerable species, and hence to keep
a check on the effectiveness of government
regulations.

Specimens found dead should be sent,
together with date of finding, locality, and
circumstances where known, to: Mrs M. B. Haas,
ITE, Monks Wood Experimental Station,
Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambs PET7 2LS.
Postage costs will be refunded.

Clare Lloyd & Mark L. Tasker

Regional Organisers for Scotland

Shetland;

Orkney

N. Scotland East Section:

North Section:
North Section;
Skye:

SW Section;

E. Scotland North Section:
Tayside:

South Section:
W. Scotland North Section:
South Section:

O. Hebrides

Martin Heubeck, 3 Lighthouse Buildings, Braewick Road, Lemick.
Eric Meek, Smyril, Stenness, Stromness.

Greg Mudge, Munlochy, Ross & Cromarty IV8 8ND.

(W. Sutherland): Leslie Cranna, Old Bank Road, Golspie, KWIO 6RS.
(W. Ross): Jeff Watson, NCC, 9 Culduthel Road, Inverness IV2 4AG.
Andrew Currie, Glaiseilean, Broadford.

Bob Swann, 28 Druimlon, Drumnadrochit, Inverness-shire.

Clare Lloyd, 17 Rubislaw Terr. , Aberdeen ABl IXE.

Norman Atkinson, 5 Tolmount Crescent, Montrose.

Chris Badenoch, 38 Gala Park, Galashiels.

Bernie Zonfrillo, 28 Brodie Road, Glasgow G21 3SB.
to be appointed, contact Bemie Zonfrillo.

Mary Elliott, 153 Howmore, S. Uist.

9

Publication 24th March 1986

Birds

in Scotland

by VALERIE M. THOM

In the 33 years since Baxter &
Rintoul’s two volumes, The Birds of
Scotland, were published much has
happened in ornithology generally,
and the numbers and distributions of
many species have changed, as has
much Scottish habitat.

Few can be as well qualified as
Valerie Thom (editor of Scottish Birds
and past-President of the Scottish
Ornithologists’s Club) to write this
replacement of the earlier work and to
review the many changes that have
taken place and to report on birds in
Scotland today. She follows this with
the main feature of the book, the
species accounts of Scotland’s
breeding, resident, wintering and
passage birds for the period 1950-83,
with summaries of earlier data and
records of rarities and vagrants
1983-85. The accounts are
complemented by 173 species maps,
plus many diagrams and tables, and
129 species drawings. There are 32
photographs of changing Scottish
landscape and habitat.

390 pages, 26.5x19 cm, £24.00 net

The

Sparrowhawk

by IAN NEWTON

Dr Newton’s detailed monograph of
this widely distributed species is
largely the product of 24 years
research and fieldwork in SW
Scotland. There are 38 drawings by
Keith Brockie, over 80 diagrams and
a section of photographs.

Coming May 1986

400 pages, 24 x 16cm, £16.00 net

T & A D POYSER

Reviews

The Birds of Australia; A Book of Identification

by K. Simpson and N. Day; Croom Helm; 1985;
352 pp; 129 col plates; many b&w plates; £25.

This is a good book; in parts it is a very good
book.

The first section comprises a brief discussion
on bird families which is especially helpful to the
visitor to Australia. The second section, the Field
Guide, is the real strength of the book. The format
erables the field information, the distribution maps
and the coloured drawings to be seen on the same
page. “Accidentals” are given the same treatment
as the common birds; this may be no bad thing.
The illustrations are excellent; they convey a more
accurate impression of the bird than any of the
numerous other Australian Field Guides. The
occasional slip may be forgiven — the wing bar
on the Grey-headed Robin is severely under-
estimated and there is a discrepancy between the
text and the illustration of the White-fronted Tern.
It is a pity that racial distribution and the times
of migration are not mentioned, and that the
interpretation of the maps and of the breeding
cycles in the third section is not given.

The Handbook section is rather basic, but
interesting. Inaccuracies in the text occur, and the
use of the imperative tense and of emphasizing
italics is irritating. The bibliography is
comprehensive and well placed at the end of each
group of families. The line drawings are good and
make their point.

In a highly competitive field of new books on
Australian birds this volume more than holds its
own, and is well worth buying.

Betty Rowling

Confessions of a Scilly Birdman by D. Hunt;
Croom Helm; 1985; 174 pp; 77 b&w illustrations;
£8.95.

David Hunt completed this autobiography
only weeks before his tragic death in India in
February 1985. He gives a frank insight into his
life from early childhood in Devon, through school
in Norfolk, to spells in the army and at art school,
and even a failed attempt at a career as a jazz
musician. We also learn of David’s later move to
the Isles of Scilly, and his subsequent progression
from working as a gardener on Tresco, to
becoming ‘Birder in Residence’ on St. Mary’s,
leading bird tours, and providing information and
entertainment for the mass-arrival of enthusiasts
each October. Exciting birds appear throughout,
but this is more than a blow by blow account of
the author’s many rarity finds, as David also
touches on his wide range of interests outside
ornithology. The text is light and entertaining, and
is complemented by his own black and white
photographs, as well as line drawings by Bryan
Bland.

Whether or not you have ever visited Scilly
and met David Hunt, you will find plenty to enjoy
in this book.

Peter T. Bell

British Warblers (New Naturalist No. 71) by Eric
Simms; Collins, 1985; 432 pp., 6 colour plates,
177 b&w drawings, figs, and maps, 28 tables; £20.
£9.95 (S).

Our warblers are small birds that live in
relatively accessible habitats. Most species have
striking songs and many undertake prodigious
migrations. They are an attractive group to study,
especially since the advent of mist nets. Clearly
there is a market for a book on warblers, and
superficially this one appears to fill the niche for
a successor to the last work on all the British
species (Howard 1907-14).

Every species on the British list is covered
and the Reference Section boasts over 1,(X)0
entries. However, closer inspection reveals some
startling omissions. The BIO Guides to Summer
Migrants (1981) and to Moult (1983) seem to have
been totally ignored as have a number of recent
papers, including analyses of the ringing recoveries
of Whitethroats and Willow Warblers in Ringing
and Migration. Too often old material has been
reproduced verbatim (eg. maps of ringing
recoveries and charts on moult) when much better
data sets are now available. “Serious
ornithologists” will not appreciate the “statistical”
tables which quote measurements without details
of how they were measured, do not differentiate
between live birds and skins and quote one
“average” weight for most sp>ecies without sample
sizes, ranges or the recognition that there can be
significant differences due to sex, age or the time
of year. Scottish Birds is never referred to, which
means that the distribution of Lesser Whitethroats,
among other things, is well out of date.

The author frequently refers to his own
studies, apparently mainly counts of singing birds
in a variety of habitats, but the lack of quantitative
supporting data makes them hard to evaluate.
There are some dubious statements in the text:
British Whitethroats are unlikely to reach southern
Africa but our Grasshopper Warblers almost
certainly do cross the Sahara. My main criticism
is more general. The author has amassed a good
deal of information but it has not been well
integrated. The results from intensive studies are
juxtaposed with relatively trivial observations and
the book as a whole cries out for a co-author or
referee active in some aspect of field research on
insectivorous birds who could have channelled
Simms’ industry and enthusiasm towards a book
setting our current knowledge of warblers in a
framework of modern ecological and behavioural
thinking. The value of this approach can be seen
in the same series in the excellent monographs by
Ian Newton on Finches and Chris Perrins on Tits.

Finally I must express concern at the direction
one of the most famous series in natural history
is taking. New Naturalists are now paperbacks with
a hardcover available as a “collector’s item” at
double the price — do only collectors want books
that last? Illustrations also seem to have suffered
in the interests of economy, with Ian Wallace’s
paintings looking crushed on too few plates.
Photographs are no longer on glossy pap>er and
though Eric Hosking’s birds have withstood the
change the author’s habitat shots too often have
not. Page layout combines small type with wasted
space in the margins. If a firm as small as Poyser
can still produce good hardbacks at reasonable
prices why has a giant like Collins lowered its
standards?

Stanley da Prato

Short Reviews

Where to watch Birds in Kenya by R. Moore;
Transafrica Press, Nairobi; 1982; 229 pp; 23
maps; 21 plates of scenery; 35 line drawings.
£9.00.

A Gooders-type guide covering 113 sites in
a superb country for birds. Lists of resident birds
are given for each site, and routes are suggested
for those who wish to hire a car and camp.

The Travelling Naturalists by Clare Lloyd;
Croom Helm; 1985; 154 pp; 21 colour plates, 52
drawings and photographs; 8 maps; £13.95.

Very readable and short accounts of the travels
of the 19th century naturalists Henry Bates,
Charles Darwin, Mary Kingsley, Howard
Saunders, Henry Seebohm, Charles Waterton and
others, with delightful reproductions of plates,
etchings and early photographs.

Bill Harper

10

BOOKS TOR

BIRDWATCHERS

Shorebirds:

An Identification Guide
to the Waders of the
World

by Peter Hayman, John
Mar chant and Tony Prater

Shorebirds: An Identification Guide is
designed to provide adequate
textual and pictorial information
on the whole family of waders. By
using this book, wader-watchers
will be able to identify shorebirds,
not only in terms of species but
also by sex, age and racial origin.

The text, by John Marchant and
Tony Prater, is the result of
thorough, detailed research. The
fine and precise colour illustrations
of Peter Hayman — who often
worked from taxidermists’ models
for a greater accuracy of plumage
sequence — will be of immense
value to wader-watchers. There are
also maps of breeding and
distribution areas, and many
additional line drawings.

In its scope and detail, this book
is unique. It is produced in the
same format as Peter Harrison’s
Seabirds: An Identification Guide.

£17.95 0-7099-2034-2 416 pages
April 86 88 colour plates, 1600
birds painted in full colour. 214
Distribution maps. Numerous line
drawings

George Lodge: Artist
Naturalist

Edited by John Savory

A comprehensive tribute to one of
the greatest wildlife artists of the
nineteenth and twentieth
centuries. Based on a considerable
amount of original and
unpublished material, this book is
beautifully illustrated, a splendid
and evocative study of the man and
his work.

£25.00 0-7099-3366-5 176 pages
48 colour plates Numerous black
and white photographs and
drawings -Just Published

Seabirds: An
Identification Guide -
Revised Edition

Text and Illustrations by
Peter Harrison

The first edition of this book was
voted ‘Best Bird Book of the Year
1983’ by the magazine British Birds.
This new edition contains four
completely revised plates and a
wealth of new information in the
text. It will now be an even more
valuable guide to the Seabirds of
the world.

£19.95 0-7099-3787-3
448 pages 1985 88 colour plates,
1600 birds painted in full colour,
324 distribution maps. Line
drawings

Life of the Woodpecker

Alexander Skutch

In this profusely illustrated
volume. Dr Alexander Skutch
gives us an intimate glir^se of this
fascinating bird family. Tne text is
enhanced by 60 full colour
illustrations. This is the only
popular book to deal with this
most exciting family of birds.

Based on the author’s 40 years of
field study it encompasses most of
the current knowledge about
woodpeckers.

£45.00 0-7099-4436-5
160 pages March 86
60 colour illustrations

A Guide to the Birds of
Nepal

Carol and Tim Inskipp

‘ ... an invaluable source of
reference and should be bought by
every birdwatcher who is going to,
or has an interest in, Nepal.’

John Mather, British Birds
£25.00 0-7099-1315-8
392 pages 1985 Illustrated in
colour and black and white

Croom^Hehti

Groom Helm, Provident House, Burrell Row, Beckenham, Kent BR3 1 AT.

11

Contents I

Golden Jubilee l|

Duich Moss — an on-going saga 2|
Recent Reports m

The 1985 Heronry Census 5i

Raptor Results '85 6|

Canna Seabirds in 1985 7i

SOC News i

The Seabird Colony Register ||

General News & Notices 9

Reviews 10

SOC Notices 12

SBN Advertising Rates

Full page £100. Half page £50. Quarter page
across £30. Sixth page £20. Third page
upright £40. Small ads £1 per line. Prices are
exclusive of VAT. Adverts should be sent to
Jacquie Clark, Business Editor, 21 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH 7 BBT.

Deadlines

SBN is published four times a year, at the
beginning of March, June, September and
December. Material submitted for possible
publication should preferably reach the
Editor no later than 8 weeks prior to
publication (e.g. by 1 April for the June
number), although late news and notices
may be accepted slightly later. Queries —
and suggestions — will be welcomed by the
Editor, 19 Braeside Gardens, Perth PHI 1DB
(Tel. 0738-23508). Fuller details, and
information on the submission of material for
Scottish Birds, will be found in SB 13:280-281.

Small ads

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS.

Week long birdwatching courses in comfort
in small friendly guest house. Expert tuition,
individual attention, safaris, lectures.
Beginners welcome. SAE: Ron Youngman,
'Atholl Bank', Pitlochry, Perthshire (0796 -
2753).

BIRD JOURNAL back numbers supplied. —
D. Morgan, Whitmore, Umberleigh, Devon.

SOC Notices

Jubilee Reception
The Fiftieth Anniversary of the founding of
the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club will be
celebrated at a Reception to be held in the
Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow on the
evening of Friday, 21 March, 1986. Besides
celebrating 50 years of Scottish ornithology,
the Reception will also launch the
publication of Birds in Scotland by Valerie
Thom. The President and Council warmly
invite all Club members to the Reception and
book launch. Tickets are available from the
Glasgow Branch Chairman: Hector
Galbraith, 96 Neilston Road, Paisley,
Renfrewshire PA2 6EJ, Tel. No.
041-887-5499. Tickets are £5.00 each and
include the cost of a buffet and wine.

Birds in Scotland
The new book by Valerie Thom will be
published by T. & A. D. Poyser on 24 March
1986. Details of the special pre-publication
offer to SOC members were enclosed with
the Winter 1985 issue of Scottish Birds. Club
members may order the book at the special
pre-publication price of £19.00 up to 15th
March. Books will be available for collection
and signing by Valerie Thom at the Jubilee
Reception.

Scottish Birdwatchers' Conference
The Spring One-Day Conference is being
held on Saturday, 5 April, 1986 at the Dep-
artment of Zoology, University of Aberdeen.
Speakers include Dr. Ian Newton (ITE) on
Sparrowhawks and Dr. Mike Moser (BTO)
on the Winter Shorebird Count in Scotland.
The SOC Bird Bookshop and BTO Shop will
be at the Conference. Places are still
available at the conference which costs £9.00
per person, including lunch. The conference
programme and booking form is available
from Miss Pat Webster, SOC, 21 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BT.

Jubilee Conference
The Annual Conference and AGM will be
held the weekend 1-2 November, 1986 at the
Marine Hotel, North Berwick, East Lxithian.
The conference programme and booking
form will be included in the September
mailing to members.

Summer Field Trips
Details of the summer field trips organised
by the local branches are printed on a
separate sheet enclosed with this issue of
Scottish Bird News.

1985 Raffle

Last year raffle ticket sales produced a net
profit of £930, (1984, £519; 1983, £771). A
total of £1,263 worth of tickets were sold.
The cost of printing the books of tickets and
the book prizes was £333. We are very
grateful to all those who bought and sold
tickets. We would particularly like to thank
the individuals and companies who donated
prizes. This was the last year of the annual
raffle, although in future raffles will be held
during SOC conferences.

Roof Repairs

The major, and prolonged, roof repairs to
21 Regent Terrace have been completed. The
enshrouding scaffolding has gone and the
collection of buckets and other rain water
eceptacles are redundant at last. Hopefully,
the second phase of the repair and
maintenance programme to the property
continues this summer with work on the rear
elevation.

Stirling Branch Jubilee Event
The Stirling Branch Annual General Meeting
at the Smith Art Gallery and Museum on
April 10th should be the briefest on record,
as members (and, we hope, large numbers
of their families and friends) will be
attending in anticipation of the subsequent
“cheese and wine” buffet (Tickets £2.50) and
the chance to preview the exhibition set up
to illustrate the triple themes of the 50 years
of the Club; the (mainly ornithological)
activities of the Stirling Branch and its
members; and birds and birdwatching in the
Stirling area. The exhibition will also feature
Birds in Scotland and it is hoped to make
arrangements for copies of the book to be
on sale at the museum shop. The exhibition
will continue until April 30th (open 2-5 p.m.
Wed.-Fri. and Sun.; 10.30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.).
Thanks are due to the Museum Curator for
making space available and to her staff for
assistance and encouragement.

Photographic Competition

We regret that (owing to a technical hitch!) the
winning photographs of 1985 are not reproduced
in this edition of SBN. Entries for the 1986
competition must reach Regent Terrace by Monday
29 September. As before, both transparencies and
black and white prints are acceptable; photographs
must be of wild birds in Scotland and be taken
within two years of the closing date.

Stop Press

Sponsored Bird Watch 1986 (with support
from The Famous Grouse Whisky). This
event is in aid of the Club's Jubilee Appeal
and it is hoped that teams and individuals
from all over Scotland will take part. It should
be enjoyable and financially rewarding (for
the Club!). The date — 10 May; the aim —
to see as many species as possible and to
obtain sponsorship from friends etc for an
agreed sum per species seen. Prizes will be
given.

Further details and sponsorship forms from
Branch Secretaries or 21 Regent Terrace.

Barbecue — 8.0 pm on 10 May at Yellow-
craig, Dirleton (off A918). Food provided;
bring your own drinks! Names, please, to Liz
Leven 031-557-1369 or Willie Prest
031-336-449.

Fife Bird Club — recently formed for keen
birders. For further information contact:
Malcolm Ware 0383-737916 or Douglas
Dickson 0592-264787.

Glasgow Branch Bulletin is now available
for local members. Anyone who has not
been able to collect a copy of the December
number and wants one should send a SAE
to John Sweeney, 44 Newton Avenue,
Barrhead, Renfrewshire, G78 2JY.

a

12

Published by The Scottish Ornithologists' Club, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT © SOC
Printed by The Galloway Gazette Ltd, Newton Stewart, DG8 BPS

No. 2

Transfer of 21

Since 1959 the headquarters of the
Scottish Ornithologists' Club have been
in 21 Regent Terrace, a Georgian terraced
house in Edinburgh's New Town. Up until
this year the property was owned by the
Fair Isle Observatory Trust and leased to
the club. However, on 1 April 1986,
FIBOT transferred ownership of the
house to the SOC.

It was on Monday, 26th October
1959, that the Earl of Wemyss and
March officially opened the Scottish
Centre for Ornithology and Bird
Protection at 21 Regent Terrace. The
Centre became not only the head-
quarters of the SOC and FIBOT but also
the Scottish HQ of the Royal Society for
the Protection of Birds. Prior to that, the
National Trust for Scotland had provided
free office accommodation at 5 Charlotte
Square. The move, which actually took
place on 7th July, was made possible by
an anonymous donation of £4,000 to the
I Fair Isle Bird Observatory Endowment
Trust specifically for the establishment
I of a Scottish Centre for Ornithology and
! Bird Protection.

21 Regent Terrace was purchased,
for £3,050, and leased to the SOC on a
full repairing lease. Two rooms were sub-
let to the RSPB. The upper two floors,
converted into a flat, were sub-let to
George and Irene Waterston. At that time
Irene was the Club's Secretary and
George the RSPB's Scottish Director.
Subsequently, in 1968, the RSPB moved
to its own house, four doors away, at 17
Regent Terrace. No. 21 has over the years
also been home to the Scottish Wildlife
Trust, the World Wildlife Fund (Scotland)
and various other voluntary and charit-
able organisations. In 1981, due to the
expansion of the SOC Bird Bookshop, the
Club took over all the office
accommodation.

The "Calton Hill Scheme" of which
Regent Terrace was to be part, was
designed by William Playfair in 1818. No.
21 was built around 1830 and occupies
a superb position overlooking the Palace
of Holyroodhouse and Arthur's Seat.
Behind the house lie the 12 acres of
Regent Gardens, a private park shared by
the residents of the Terrace. In the 19th
century the owners of no. 21 included
Charles Trotter, "a master upholsterer

employing 100 persons", and his family;
and Sir George Harvey, an "historical
painter" and a President of the Royal
Scottish Academy. The remains of
Harvey's studio are still apparent on the
top floor. The house is a Grade A Listed
Building and is in the Calton Hill Conserv-
ation Area.

Besides the Club's offices, no. 21
also houses the SOC Bird Bookshop,
arguably the best ornithological book-
shop in the world, and the Waterston
Library, undoubtedly the best ornitho-
logical library in Scotland. It is in the
Library that the Council and its
committees meet and the Edinburgh
Branch has some of its meetings. Other
organisations, such as the Isle of May
Bird Observatory, also meet here. A
survey of the house in 1984 showed that
considerable repairs and maintenance
were required inside and out. Since then,
the property has been replumbed, the
electrical wiring inspected and updated
where necessary and a major programme
of work on the outside begun. Phase 1
entailed substantial repairs to the roof
costing over £10,000. Phase 2, on the
rear elevation, is in progress. The profits
from the SOC Bird Bookshop have
provided the money for the work so far.

Looking ahead

A Golden Jubilee is a good time to look
back but it also provides an opportunity
to look forward to the next fifty years.
From now to the end of the Jubilee Year
next March the Council, with as wide a
consultation as possible, will be
reviewing all the activities of the Club,
and trying to ensure that it is providing
for the needs and wishes of all bird-
watchers in Scotland, including
especially the young and active Club
members and potential members.

Our publications have been
revamped, but are our meetings in the
right format, and in the right places? Do
we provide enough of the right kind of
opportunity to promote and encourage
useful and enjoyable field-work? A lot of
ideas are being mooted and further
suggestions and ideas are very welcome.

To be effective the Club must be on
a firm financial basis, and it is in this
connection especially that we extend our
grateful thanks to the Fair Isle Bird
Observatory Trust for making over the
property at 21 Regent Terrace to the
Club. It will continue to service FIBOT as
well as the SOC, but this move greatly
helps us in the costly business of putting
what is now our own house in order.

We are keen to establish a satis-
factory level of funding for all the Club's
activities and later this summer a Jubilee
Appeal will be launched, to run through
until next March. Some Branches have
already started organising fund-raising
events, including last month's Sponsored
Birdwatch, and this augurs well for our
efforts to put the Club on a secure found-
ation on which to build for the next fifty
years.

John M. S. Arnott
President

We are extremely grateful to FIBOT
for the transfer of ownership of no. 21
to the SOC in its Jubilee Year. It is an
exceptionally generous act on their part.
We are also greatly indebted to the anon-
ymous donor who, together with George
Waterston's foresight, provided Scotland
with a centre for ornithology and the
SOC with a home.

John Davies

Ospreys did well in
1985

Despite bad weather, injury and eternal
triangles, all of which caused loss of
eggs or young, the 1985 total of 53
young fledged was the best on record.
Of the 34 pairs known to nest, 28 pairs
laid eggs and 22 pairs reared broods
successfully, to give an average product-
ivity of 1.56 per occupied nest, the
highest figure since 1981 (1.68). The
mean brood size was 2.4 and one pair
succeeded in raising a brood of four. At
one nest the male returned for the
eleventh season; two colour-ringed
females returned for the sixth season.
Thirty-nine young ospreys were ringed
and most were also given colour-rings.
Artificial eyries were again occupied at
some sites.

Recoveries during the last year
include two birds shot in Britain on their
way south, one caught in fish farm
netting and one which died fighting with
an eagle beside the Adriatic — the first
recovery of a Scottish osprey in Yugo-
slavia and the eastern Mediterranean.

R. H. Dennis

Goldeneye success
continues

Since colonisation started in 1970 the
Goldeneye breeding population has
expanded steadily, reaching a record 67
known occupied nests in 1985. Forty-
nine of these clutches were incubated
and 40 broods, totalling 336-1- young,
left the nest — an increase of 7 broods
and 25 young on the 1984 figures.
Average brood size at 8.40 was the
lowest since 1980, probably due to the
cold, wet summer; fledging success was
also thought to be lower than in the last
few years.

All but two of the known nests were
in boxes. Several were predated, some by
squirrel and pine marten, and Jackdaws
took over two nests after eggs had been
laid. Many more boxes have been erected
for the 1986 season, including about
800 provided by the Forestry
Commission for use in FC forests from
northern Scotland to northern England.

/?. H. Dennis

A Sea Eagle?

A young Lewis Golden Eagle, whose
power of flight had been impaired by
repeated drenchings of Fulmar oil, was
captured by means of a salmon 'taller'
la wire noose used by anglers to bring
salmon ashore by the tail), lashed to a
bamboo pole. During intensive care to
remove the oil, the bird escaped and was
recaptured with a salmon landing net!

Peter Cunningham

Hooded Crow caching
fish scraps

Food caching is well known amongst
some crows, particularly Jays and Nut-
crackers, but has only rarely been
documented in Flooded Crows though I
suspect it is more regular than realised.

On 26 March 1984 a pair of Hooded
Crows fed in the vicinity of the fish
market and piers at Scalloway, Shetland.
For 20 minutes they worked through the
area, feeding on small scraps of fish. One
bird ate every item it found whereas the
other ate some but stored a total of three
items in different places, always within
full view of the other bird. The piece of
fish was placed under a small stone
within 5m of the place of discovery and
a small cairn of stones or wood frag-
ments was then built around the item. At
the time the harbour area was quiet, in
contrast to the frenzied activity during
trawler landings, when thousands of
gulls capitalised on the fish offal and dis-
cards. Fish landings are often rather
unpredictable, and when they occur
Hooded Crows appear to be subordinate
to the large gulls, usually scavenging
after most gulls have departed. Thus
food caching could guarantee a food
supply in the harbour area during periods
of food scarcity. An interesting difference
from other studies was that this indiv-
idual made no attempt to hide its
activities from the second bird, which
may well have been the mate. In Canada,
Northwestern Crows feeding on intertidal
prey store items amongst grass nearby,
for retrieval at high water, but both on
territories and in other areas, if another
crow is nearby the caching bird either
waits until the conspecific has left, or
eats the food immediately.

Peter J. Ewins

Buzzard taking Teal

On 24 November 1985, at Milngavie
Reservoir, I saw a Buzzard take a Teal by
virtually dropping down on it and
carrying it off. The Teal looked healthy
and did not lag behind the main flock,
which had taken off, along with Mallard,
Wigeon, Tufted Duck and Pochard, when
the Buzzard appeared and gave the
characteristic 'mewing' call. The
weather at the time was not unduly hard
and visibility was good. I understand that
wildfowl have seldom been recorded as
prey of Buzzards.

D. Kenney

BWP states that where small mammals are not
available birds may be main prey; examples of
prey species given include Jackdaw, Wood-
pigeon and Puffin but no mention is made of
wildfowl. It would be interesting to hear of any
other records similar to Mr Kenney's. Eds.

A 'rarity' revealed

"Contractors in remote areas of the
Lammermuir Hills found the nesting site '
of one species of warbler which was [
thought to be the only site in the
country." Readers of the Scotsman,
intrigued by this statement from the
South of Scotland Electricity Board i|
describing their concern for the environ-
ment when building the power line from t
Torness nuclear power station, can find !
the real story in SB 11:108-112 & j'
13:203-216. The warbler in question is i
the Lesser Whitethroat, which does not I
nest on heathery hillsides, but in the
scrub at Hadfast Valley, Cousland, and
adjacerrt lowland sites in the Lothians. j
The Hadfast site, which has held
Lesser Whitethroats since 1974, as well
as a rich variety of other songbirds, is
owned by SSEB who have planted two '
pylons in clearings cut from scrub. i
Unfortunately some of this work did take
place in the nesting season but, in the '
longer term, the pylons may save the site |
from the more serious threat of infilling
with ash from Cockenzie power station.
Local ornithologists are hopeful that i
SSEB's interest in conservation will lead
to a long term reserve agreement with I
the Scottish Wildlife Trust. In the mean-
time anyone keen to see, or hear, Lesser |
Whitethroats will find it easier to locate
them on May mornings along East
Lothian District Council's Pencaitland
Railway Walk, which is marked on most
maps of the area.

Stan da Prato

Scone PaSace
Superbirds?

"The 30 resident peafowl lay an average
of six chicks each, so about 180 young |
birds are thought to have been killed by

the weather Peacock, a feature

of the palace's banquet menu, will not j
be available this year due to the reduced I
stock." I

Dundee Courier 29/3/86

Snow-bathing Magpie

During the recent cold spell (24.2.86) at
3.35pm, an adult Magpie (sex unknown)
was observed throwing snow over its *
back with its wings and beak. The bird j
also pushed its head into the snow,
raised it exposing a head full of snow,
then shook itself. This performance was
repeated several times and lasted for
approximately 3 minutes. The moral i
might be: if you can't find water to bathe
in — improvise! The event took place
outside my office window at Roslin,
Midlothian. The weather was overcast
but not snowing at the time. Is this a
common form of behaviour for Magpies?

M. H. Maxwell

2

Recent Reports

These notes cover the period January to
March; they include unchecked reports and are
not intended as a permanent record, nor will
they be Indexed. Please send reports to Pete
Ellis, Houss, East Burra, Shetland, via local
recorders at the end of March, June,
September and December.

The late winter was very quiet for rare
birds and early spring migrants were few and
far between. The award for the most optim-
istic bird of the period must go to the farm-
yard duck which reached Fair Isle in March.

White-billed Divers were reported off two
ferries in Shetland and more unusually from
Cramond on the Forth. There were 8 Red-
necked Grebes and a Black-necked Grebe at
Musselburgh in February and a Manx Shear-
water off Peterhead on 1st January. A
Bewick's Swan was in East Lothian and 4
Bean Geese in Shetland, with 6 colour-ringed
birds at Tarradale. Snow Geese were reported
from the Ythan and at least 2 birds in the
Lothians. Four Canada Geese at Strathbeg
were followed by 10 more at Mintlaw. There
was a notable influx of Pale-bellied Brent
Geese in Aberdeenshire, with 85 at Fraser-
burgh on 14th February, 72 at Peterhead the
following day and 83 on the Ythan. Fifty-five
were also seen at Eyemouth on 14th February
and 50 at Aberlady the next day. A Green-
winged Teal was in Shetland from February
when the Black Duck reappeared at Tyning-
hame. Orkney's Red-crested Pochard also
returned. Shetland had a flock of over 500
Long-tailed Ducks in south Yell Sound and at
least 5 Surf Scoters were on the Forth. Single

red-head Smew were at Girdleness, Davan,
Tyninghame, Musselburgh and Linlithgow,
with 2 at Strathbeg. A Red Kite was seen in
Caithness and an immature Sea Eagle was in
Shetland in March. The first Osprey was back
in the Highlands on 13th March. Strathbeg had
an Avocet in January when 3 Greenshank
were at Tyninghame. Grey Phalaropes were
seen at Gullane and Hound Point in February
and off South Ronaldsay in March. A few
Pomarine Skuas wintered, with 6 in the Beauly
Firth, 1 at Peterhead and 4 at South Queens-
ferry. Single Arctic Skuas were at Mussel-
burgh and Hound Point and a Bonxie was also
at Musselburgh on 1st February, with the first
returning bird off Fair Isle on 28th March.
Mediterranean Gulls were at Aberdeen and
Stranraer and a Little Gull passed Hound Point
in February. Single Ring-billed Gulls visited
Doonfoot and Stranraer also in February.
"White gulls" were still scarce, Orkney had
2 Iceland Gulls as did Aberdeenshire and Banff
again had a Kumlien's Gull. Fraserburgh came
top of the Glaucous Gull league with 7 birds,

5 were at Peterhead, 4 at Musselburgh and
Lerwick only managed 3. If things carry on as
they are Shetland will soon be relegated from
the "good gulls league". A very early
Sandwich Tern which passed North Ronaldsay
on 28th March may have been the tern seen
off Fair Isle on 17th March. There were a few
Little Auks around, with 3 in Shetland, 3 dead
in the Moray Firth and 5 alive and 10 dead in
the Forth in February. Shetland had at least

6 Long-eared Owls with 5 at Aberlady and at
least 1 Snowy Owl on Unst in the late winter.

A Kingfisher reached Shetland on 12th

March, the same day as a Bearded Seal (you
won't find that in your bird books). Fair Isle
had a new spring record of 750 Skylarks on
12th March. Scandinavian Rock Pipits
ilittoralis) were trapped at Burnmouth and
Barns Ness in January. Small numbers of
Waxwings occurred in the north isles and
several east coast counties, including 7 in
Kirkwall and a total of 42 in Aberdeenshire,
the maximum being 12 at Dyce. Fair Isle had
a Black-bellied Dipper in March for the fourth
successive year. A Stonechat was on Unst on
17th March when there was also a very early
Wheatear, with another on Sanday the same
day. Small numbers of Blackcaps wintered in
the Lothians along with at least 1 Chiffchaff.
Two Great Tits were in Stromness in February.
Two Great Grey Shrikes were on North
Ronaldsay in February, with others at Loch
Garten and Stonehaven. Several large flocks
of Brambling were reported, including 200 at
Threipmuir and Darent House, 320 at
Broughton, 350 at Bothwell and 800 at East
Hermiston. One hundred Twite were seen at
Dalmeny. The largest flock of Mealy Redpolls
reported was 40 at Strand in Shetland. The
Two-barred Crossbill remained in the Carron
Valley and a party of 15 Common Crossbills
were on Hoy. Lapland Buntings were on Fair
Isle, at Deerness, with 3 at Greg Ness and a
maximum of 17 at Aberlady. One hundred and
twenty Snow Buntings were at Threipmuir in
January and 500 were at Peterhead in
February. Wintering Little Buntings were at
Tarradale and Inverness. A flock of 300 Corn
Buntings was seen at Collieston.

Pete Ellis

ORNITHOLIDAYS

Member of The Association of British Travel Agents

Twenty-one years' Service to
Naturalists and Birdwatchers

Holidays organised by Birdwatchers
for Birdwatchers

Kenya

The Seychelles

Tanzania

Zimbabwe

Okavango Delta

Morocco

Madagascar

Northern India & the Himalayas
Kashmir

Particulars and Programmes sent on request;

Nepal

Assam & Sikkim

Thailand

Jordan

New Zealand
Arctic Norway
South West Spain
Spanish Pyrenees
Andorra

Majorca
The Camarague
Southern France
Lake Neusiedi
The High Alps
North East Greece
Turkey
Bulgaria
Yugoslavia

LAWREMCE G. HOLLOWAY
ORMITHOLIOAYS

Dept. 4, 1/3 Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis, Sussex, England P021 2PW

Telephone 0243 821230

ATOL Licence No. 743

3

The Orkney Ringing Group

Much interesting and valuable work on birds is currently
being carried out by the various ringing groups and we plan
to feature this in a series of articles in Scottish Bird News.
Although all employ the same main techniques, each of the
groups has its own particular emphasis and 'target species'.
In this first article in the series Eric Meek, RSPB Orkney
Officer, describes the history and activities of the Orkney
group.

Bird ringing in Orkney goes back to 1950,
when Robert Garrick and George Dunnet
began their studies of the Fulmar on Eynhal-
low, an island to which they were introduced
by local ornithologist George Arthur. Aberdeen
University students still visit the island to ring
nestlings and monitor the breeding success
of marked birds. Much of what is now known
about Fulmar biology has stemmed from this
important project, which was strongly
supported in its early days by members of the
Orkney Field Club, who helped by ringing large
numbers of pulli Fulmars elsewhere in the
islands.

An early convert to ringing as a tool for
studying bird populations was native Orcadian
Eddie Balfour. From 1944 to 1974 he
systematically studied the Hen Harrier popul-
ation of the Orkney moors, becoming partic-
ularly interested in the birds' polygynous
habits. To establish relationships between
individual birds, Balfour initially used plumage
abnormalities but later graduated to using
colour-rings, then leg-jesses and eventually
wing-tags. This study, taken over in 1975 by
Nick Picozzi of ITE, has resulted in a series of
papers (mainly in Ornis Scandinavica).

Small isle expeditions

A further chapter in the development of
ringing in Orkney began in 1971, when
Andrew Ramsay paid his first visit to Auskerry.
With the enthusiastic support of the owner,
Simon Brogan, ADKR has visited the island in
July most years since, a commitment which
has resulted in the marking of some 8000 sea-
birds there. Some 50% of the ringing total
have been Storm Petrels — Auskerry holds an
Order 4 breeding colony.

Sule Skerry, a more remote island, has
been the target, since 1975, of several
expeditions led by Adrian Blackburn and Dave
Budworth. Although a variety of seabirds have
been ringed and studied, the principal aim has
been to investigate the Puffin population.
Transects have revealed that up to 44,000
pairs may breed, and up to 10,000 have been
ringed on a single visit!

Mist-nets and migrants

The mid 1970s saw further professional
involvement in ringing with a study of Great
Black-backed Gulls by Mark Beaman, based
at Aberdeen University's Culterty Field
Station. This period also saw much ringing by
individual amateurs such as Chris Booth and
Jim Williams, while Andrew Ramsay, his
appetite whetted by Auskerry, became
resident in Orkney and took it upon himself
to train a number of local and 'immigrant' bird-
watchers in the art of ringing. During the late
1970s the total numbers of birds ringed in the
islands, particularly those caught by mist-net-
ting, rose appreciably.

Mist-netting has always been the chief
means of catching birds for ringing on North
Ronaldsay, at Orkney's north-eastern
extremity. This prime migrant spot had been
visited by ringers since the early 1960s. In
1977 Kevin Woodbridge became the island's
GP and, being a ringer himself, was able to
provide much more complete coverage. Most
trapping is done in the walled garden of
Holland House, where dense cover exerts a
magnetic attraction upon arriving migrants.
The island's connection with ringing now goes
much deeper because here, in the Community
Centre, the local folk make up the BTO's
famous North Ronaldsay mist-nets from
material imported from Japan. In the future
North Ronaldsay may also benefit from the
establishment of a bird observatory, plans for
which are currently afoot.

Ringing Group benefits

From 1980 onwards most of the ringers
resident in Orkney came together in the
Orkney Ringing Group. Originally a loose
amalgam, the group became more tightly knit
in 1983 and began to operate a communal ring
stock. This type of organisation has greatly i
benefited those involved, in terms of being
able to mount joint schemes and to attract |
grant aid. j|

One group member, E. J. Williams, has Ij
specialised in the ringing of Red-throated
Divers, using and adapting the techniques
developed by Dave Okill in Shetland. With a j
catch of 49 in 1985, Orkney now accounts j
for about one-third of the Red-throats ringed
in Britain each year. The present author has ’
specialised in studies of raptors, especially
Hen Harriers and Merlins. An attempt has been
made each year to locate a large enough
sample of successful nests to keep up the run
of data on breeding success, currently very
poor in the case of the Merlin.

Waders galore

All group members participate in the i
ringing of wader pulli, the annual total of up
to 750 indicating that, despite the loss of '
much prime habitat to agricultural 'improve-
ments', Orkney is still a rich area for these }
species. Lapwings are studied by Mildred I
Cuthbert, while John and Bobby McCutcheon
are trying their luck with Ringed Plovers. The .
outstanding wader in the Orkney context,
however, is the Curlew which, with breeding
densities greater than anywhere else in Britain
and a wintering population of perhaps
20,000-1-, is surely crying out for attention!

Mention of wintering waders necessitates
acknowledgement of the important contrib-
ution of the Tay Ringing Group to their study
in Orkney. In the winters of 1982/83 and
1983/84, members of the Tay RG, with help
from the Orkney RG, surveyed virtually the
whole of the Orkney coastline (apart from cliff
sections) and counted the birds, especially the
waders, utilising this habitat. The final wader
total was a staggering 51,339 birds of 16 J
species! The Tay ringers also introduced the
Orkney group to the use of a mini cannon-net
and, in the winter of 1984/85, with the aid
of an SOC Endowment Fund grant, we began ,
to operate such a net in the islands. Colin
Corse, our group chairman, is the licence
holder, having gained his cannon-netting

ma

4

experience with Aberdeen University and the
Highland Ringing Group. Whilst all shore
waders are caught, the principal target is the
Purple Sandpiper, a species difficult to catch
by any other means and which is, at present,
proving to be a challenge in terms of elucidat-
ing the migrations of the various populations.

The small Orkney Swallow population has
been studied by Jim Williams and Bob Adam,
while Chris Booth has been looking in detail
at Ravens on the Orkney Mainland. Lister
Hogarth, another of our 'A' ringers, has con-
centrated on roost-netting, particularly of
Blackbirds and Starlings. An interesting finding
concerning Starlings is that a proportion of the
Orkney wintering population comes north
from breeding areas in the south of Scotland
and northern England.

Terns and Tysties

Upon the formation of the Orkney Ringing
Group the major opportunity for increased
ringing activity was seen to be among sea-
birds. Marking large numbers of seabirds can,
however, prove to be exceedingly expensive,
so an approach was made to Occidental
Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd., the oil company
running the terminal on Flotta. Generous grant
aid towards the purchase of rings has been
made available by Occidental for the last three
years and we acknowledge that much of our
seabird ringing programme would be impos-
sible without this help.

In Orkney the ledge-nesting auks, prime
target of other seabird ringers, are often
inaccessible. However, we have been able to
specialise in one species little ringed else-

where, the Tystie. Over 200 pulli are now
marked each year, especially in the major
colony on the Holm of Papay; in this
connection the hard work and nest-finding
expertise of newly-qualified 'A' ringer Martin
Gray deserves special mention. Another of our
specialities is the Arctic Tern. With an Orkney
breeding population of some 33,000 pairs it
is not surprising that, in a good season, we
have been able to ring almost 3000 chicks.
Our moorlands and maritime heaths hold prob-
ably a quarter of all Britain's breeding Common
Gulls but, despite our annual ringing total of
up to 1500, the recovery rate is so low that
their movements remain something of a
mystery. Up to 1600 Great Black-backs a year
are ringed and biometric data were collected
from a sample of chicks in 1985, as they were
from samples of Herring Gulls, Arctic Skuas
and Great Skuas. All four species are sandeel
feeders and the data are being used by Bob
Furness for a comparison of the condition of
Orkney chicks with those in Shetland, where
industrial fishing of sandeels takes place.

Finally, although North Ronaldsay is
Orkney's answer to Fair Isle in terms of
migrant watching and ringing, it does not have
a complete monopoly of 'good' birds. The list
of oddities handled on other islands, especially
the Mainland and South Ronaldsay, in recent
years includes Tengmalm's Owl, Scops Owl,
Common Nighthawk, Thrush Nightingale,
Blyth's Reed, Subalpine, Greenish, Arctic,
Pallas's, Radde's and Tennessee Warblers and
Arctic Redpoll. Not a bad haul and certainly
enought to keep the enthusiasm from flagging
even in the teeth of an Orkney hurricane!

Eric Meek

Curlew at the nest. B. S. Turner

Birds

in Scotland

by VALERIE M. THOM

In the 33 years since Baxter &
Rintoul’s two volumes, The Birds of
Scotland, were published much has
happened in ornithology generally,
and the numbers and distributions of
many species have changed, as has
much Scottish habitat.

Few can be as well qualified as
Valerie Thom (editor of Scottish Birds
and past-President of the Scottish
Ornithologists’s Club) to write this
replacement of the earlier work and to
review the many changes that have
taken place and to report on birds in
Scotland today. She follows this with
the main feature of the book, the
species accounts of Scotland’s
breeding, resident, wintering and
passage birds for the period 1950-83,
with summaries of earlier data and
records of rarities and vagrants
1983-85. The accounts are
complemented by 173 species maps,
plus many diagrams and tables, and
129 species drawings. There are 32
photographs of changing Scottish
landscape and habitat.

390 pages, 26.5x19 cm, £24.00 net

The

Sparrowhawk

by IAN NEWTON

Dr Newton’s detailed monograph of
this widely distributed species is
largely the product of 24 years
research and fieldwork in SW
Scotland. There are 38 drawings by
Keith Brockie, over 80 diagrams and
a section of photographs.

400 pages, 24 x 16cm, £16.00 net
T & A D POYSER

5

SOC News

JubiSee Reception and
Launch

Fifty years ago a group of voluntary amateur
ornithologists held the first meeting of the
then newly formed Scottish Ornithologists'
Club; on March 21st, 1986, we celebrated our
golden jubilee. It gave very real pleasure to see
so many SOC stalwarts who had made the
long journey to Glasgow on such a wintry
night. Ian Munro, one of the founding fathers,
was there and there was an unique assembly
of eight past presidents, whose joint terms of
office spanned nearly half of the club's
existence.

A buffet supper was enjoyed in the recon-
structed natural history concourse of the
Kelvingrove Museum, home of the Glasgow
Branch of the SOC for many years. The food
and drink were good and plentiful; the
speeches were good and to the point; the
friendly spirit which has been the hallmark of
the SOC was much in evidence.

The focus of the celebration was the
launch of 'Birds in Scotland', written by Valerie
Thom and published for the club by Trevor and
Anna Poyser. John Arnott recalled the club's
early days and reflected on the changes in

ornithology and land use which demanded an
up-to-date and authoritative account of the
status of birds in Scotland. He congratulated
Valerie and everyone else concerned with the
production of this splendid book. It was also
a happy opportunity to see the original illus-
trations which represented the varied styles
of contemporary Scottish bird artists.

The air of warmth and informality which
marked the evening was a tribute to the care
which went into its preparation. Our thanks
go to everyone who was involved.

Ivan T. Draper

Aberdeen Branch —
Jubilee Dinner

Thirty-six members and friends attended a
Dinner, held in Aberdeen University's Central
Refectory on 28 February, 1986, to mark the
Club's Golden Jubilee. As our guests, with
their wives, we had Professor V. C. Wynne-
Edwards, CBE, FRS, FRSE, Honorary President
and founder Chairman of the Aberdeen
Branch, and Mr Sandy Anderson, an Honorary
Member and past Chairman of the Branch.
Following an excellent meal. Branch Chairman
lain Macleod introduced our two guests, in
turn.

Professor Wynne-Edwards gave us a
fascinating insight into the early days of the

Photospot

Bobby Smith's striking photo of a
Swift in flight was taken with a
motorised Hasselblad, triggered
automatically. He used a Zeiss
80mm Sonnar lens, Ilford FP4
film and a shutter speed of
1/500 at f8; the distance from
subject to camera was 2-2 Vi m.

Club, describing his involvement with George
Waterston in the formation of the Branch here
in Aberdeen. He recalled the visits of 'the good
ladies' Evelyn V. Baxter and Leonora J. Rintoul,
then joint Presidents of the SOC, to Aberdeen,
the Club's first weekend Conference, again in
Aberdeen, and the Devonia Cruise of 1966,
an event which he considered to be the
pinnacle of George and Irene Waterston's
achievements. In conclusion, he quoted what
he believed to be the secret of the SOC: "The
SOC has always had something which makes
it very popular with people from elsewhere
and I believe the secret is that the meetings
to which outsiders come are residential
meetings and they are not only edifying and
uplifting and so on, but they are also convivial.
This has always been so in my experience and
it continues to this day and I believe this is
quite an exceptional Society."

Sandy Anderson took for his theme
'Misty Islands', recalling firstly a working
holiday on Eynhallow. The boatman, who lived
on another island needed a haircut, tempting
Sandy to do the job with offers of 'home
brew'. Sandy and his party were duly taken
over to the boatman's house where the hair-
cut was performed, the party all the while
partaking of the home brew, so potent that it
could only be quelled as it came out of the
bottle by throwing Abernethy biscuits at it! A
fog came down on the return boat trip, but
much to Sandy's surprise, they fetched up on
Eynhallow at exactly the right spot. The
Fulmar count that afternoon was the lowest
in 38 yearsi An SOC trip to the Bell Rock light-
house was also recalled, sailing through thick
mist all the way from Arbroath. Suddenly, the
lighthouse appeared and round it flew a
solitary Greylag Goose. This was duly noted
before they headed back to Arbroath.

Both speakers found the Branch in good
heart and expressed the hope that our
successors in 2036 should also find it so.

David Bain

The Scottish
Birdwatcher's
Conference —

April 1986

Two hundred members and friends from all
over the country met in Aberdeen University's
Zoology Department on Saturday 5 April, for
a One Day Conference, organised jointly by the
SOC and BTO. Professor V. C. Wynne-
Edwards, CBE, FRS, FRSE, Honorary President
of the SOC and founder Chairman of the Aber-
deen Branch, opened the Conference. The
lectures, all of particular relevance to Scotland,
covered a wide range of subjects.

6

Sparrowhawks and Merlins

Dr Ian Newton, of the Institute of Terres-
trial Ecology, gave a most interesting and
informative account of his Sparrowhawk
studies, carried out mainly in Dumfries-shire.
His investigations into the factors affecting the
species' breeding success have yielded a great
deal of data. It was interesting to learn that
within 24 hours of hatching, female chicks are
already heavier than their male siblings and
that the weight gap continues to increase right
up to fledging, despite the fact that chicks of
both sexes receive the same amount of food.
If the content of his lecture was anything to
go by. Dr Newton's forthcoming monograph
on the Sparrowhawk should be well worth
reading.

Next, Aberdeen Branch member Graham
Rebecca spoke of his investigations into the
status and distribution of the Merlin in
Grampian. Assisted by a small number of local
members, Graham has built up a detailed
record of breeding territories, mainly on Dee-
side. These are now being monitored to yield
base-line data, which in turn will enable the
effects of changing land use to be evaluated.
Already a comprehensive set of data has been
collected, on nest sites, nest and chick
predation, nest failure, prey items and the
continuing effects of pesticides.

Mute Swans and Martins

Besides determining the number of breed-
ing pairs of Mute Swan in Angus, Norman
Atkinson's study has also established the
origins of the large number of these birds
which appear on Montrose Basin and the
lower Esk to moult. The moulting birds come
from the south and west, from as far as
Cumbria and Northumbria. Blood samples
taken from these birds have, with a few
exceptions, shown a much lower level of lead
than found in more southerly populations.

Dr David Bryant of Stirling University
kicked off the afternoon session with a talk
on the 'Success, failure and disaster in the
lives of Swallows and Martins'. His studies of
the House and Sand Martin have shown that
both species have become smaller since the
Sahel disaster. House Martins are now 1 gram
lighter than they were 10 years ago and the
sternum length in Sand Martins is 0.2mm
shorter. "Evolution while you watch", he
claimed.

Whitefront ringing

Dr Tony Fox of the Greenland White-
fronted Goose Study spoke on the wintering
areas used by these birds. Darvic ringing of
the birds in West Greenland — difficult enough
in itself due to the low breeding densities —
has shown that the birds regularly return to
the same wintering areas. These are located
in parts of the country which are least affected
by frost, since the principal food of the species
is cotton grass. The birds pull up the plant, to
reach the rich concentration of carbohydrates
in the lower stem. Birds which breed furthest
north winter furthest south, the southerly
breeding birds having a shorter migration flight
to winter at a more northerly latitude. With a
maximum population of 16,000 birds in 1979,
and juveniles comprising only 13% of this
number, conservation of British and Irish
wintering grounds is paramount.

Shetland studies

Peter Ewins gave an account of his 3 year
study of the Tystie in Shetland, aimed at

obtaining base-line information on the ecology
of the species and its distribution both within
and outwith the breeding season. Tysties are
uniformly distributed around the Shetland
islands, breeding on cliffs if rats are present
but choosing boulder fields where rates are
absent. They feed within 1km of the shore and
sandeels comprise more than 50% of their
food. The birds disperse to traditional areas
within the archipelago to moult, obtaining
shelter from equinoctial gales amongst the
many islands.

The Whimbrel in Shetland is on the
southern limit of its breeding range. Dr Mike
Richardson's study of the species was aimed
at establishing its status and distribution,
habitat preferences and the implications for
its conservation. The birds show a marked
preference for serpentine heathland, habitat
which is being reclaimed at an ever increasing
rate, thanks to large agricultural grants now
available. The birds prefer to breed in small
groups, up to 10 pairs, usually with Arctic
Tern, Common Gull or Arctic Skua nearby.

Winter shorebirds

The concluding lecture was given by Dr
Mike Moser of the BTO, on the Winter Shore-
bird Count in Scotland. This has enabled the
important sections of our coastline to be
identified, providing much data which will be
of use in advising planning authorities and
government committees concerned with
coastal development.

Dr Jeremy Greenwood, SOC Vice-
president, closed the Conference with a hearty
vote of thanks to the Speakers, Organisers and
the University for the use of their facilities. The
venue for next year's One Day Conference will
be Glasgow.

As is usual with 'gatherings ornitho-
logical', the day was too short for all that had
to be heard and said! Some felt that there was
insufficient time for informal conversation.
This need might be satisfied by arranging an
informal social for the evening after the
Conference, another feature sought by some
in Aberdeen on Saturday. Conference organ-
isers, please note!

David Bain

New Galloway Weekend

For our first celebration of Jubilee Year, on
22-23 February, we had two wonderful days
in the field, with snow-clad hills, ice-covered
lochs and ice floes in the rivers, all bathed in
cold, bright sunshine. The geese rose in
thousands — Greylag, Pinkfeet, Barnacle and
Greenland Whitefronts. Hen Harrier, Sparrow-
hawk, Peregrine, Buzzard and Kestrel delighted
our party. When lucky enough to come across
flocks of small birds, we were rewarded by
unsurpassed views of Reed Buntings, Yellow-
hammers, Chaffinches, Bramblings, Skylarks
and Linnets. The waders on the ice-rimmed
shore were Grey and Golden Plover, Bar-tailed
Godwit, Whaup, Dunlin, Knot, Ringed Plover,
Purple Sandpiper, Greenshank, Redshank, etc.
The Oystercatchers were in uncountable
numbers. In all, 83 species were seen.

Unfortunately, the snow to the north,
south and east caused cancellations from club
members outwith Galloway. But the brave and
hardy few who arrived from Glasgow and
Bedford had a memorable weekend. I think
George Waterston must have put in a good
word for us up there!

Helen Halliday

Stirling Branch Argyll
Weekend

This year's weekend (28 February - 2 March)
was spent near Ormsary, beside Loch
Caolisport. The typical west coast sea loch
birds were viewable from the firesides of our
beautifully situated and very comfortable
chalets (comfortable that is except for the one
with the frozen plumbing!).

There is only one word for the weather
— superb. We caught the last days of the
'blocking anticyclone'; clear air, sharp frosts,
a powdering of snow on the Paps of Jura, but
almost a touch of spring in the afternoon sun.
Conditions were less than ideal for the birds,
though; with almost all standing water, some
rivers and even marine shallows iced over,
wildfowl were scarce except at Rhunahaorine.
Two members set off for Islay on the Saturday
and finished up on Gigha, where they found
some of the ducks frozen out of the mainland.
On Sunday the intrepid pair did manage the
Islay sail, again filling in a piece of the jigsaw
by finding good numbers of divers well out in
the Sound of Jura.

Another couple surprised a Peregrine
plucking a Woodcock, which had presumably
been forced by the frost to show itself in the
open. Many passerines were adopting
desperate foraging methods, with stranded
seaweed and tideline debris providing a larder
for Stonechats, Redwings, Robins, Reed
Buntings and even a Goldfinch. Between us
we saw 92 species but my own 'most
memorable moment' involved not birds but the
opportunity to watch an otter hunting and
feeding at the edge of the sea near Danna
Island.

As a footnote, we should remind readers
that, although organised by the Stirling
Branch, this is an SOC weekend. Not many
years ago we were regularly joined by
members from other Branch areas — new
faces are always welcome and, up to a point,
the more people the cheaper per head the
accommodation!

D. Thorogood

'Local birds' video
project

Dave Thomson, a Dundee Branch member, is
planning to produce a video based on
members' photographs of local birds. This
enterprising project should provide useful
material for educational purposes — maybe
other Branches might follow suit?

Jeremy Woodward

Regular attenders at SOC Confer-
ences will be saddened to learn that
Jeremy died suddenly and tragically
in late March. For many years he
had voluntarily undertaken the
duties of 'bell-ringer and whipper-
in' at our conferences, playing an
important part in ensuring that
things started on time. We will miss
his cheery smile and warm wel-
come. Our sincere sympathy goes
to his wife, Margaret, and family.

V.M.T.

1

Numbers of wild geese in
Britain, 1985-86

Each autumn and winter the majority of the populations of wild geese which come
to Britain for the winter are censused. As well as counts of actual numbers, estimates
are made of the proportion of young birds in the flocks. This assessment of the annual
breeding success is not only very useful in helping to interpret changes in numbers,
but additionally tells us what kind of summer it has been in those regions of the arctic
where our wintering geese breed. From the evidence obtained last autumn, the summer
of 1985 was clearly a rather mixed one, with good weather in the western arctic (as
we look at it), rather poor in the middle, but getting better towards the east.

Greenland white-fronts

The Greenland White-fronted Goose
benefited from a fine summer. Visitors to
West Greenland last year reported long
sunny days (and nights) from areas
where it is much more usual to have cool
spells and quite a lot of rain. The results
of the annual census are not yet to hand,
the principal count being held at the end
of March, but it seems virtually certain
that this population now exceeds
20,000, the highest for many years,
though still below the estimated
population of the 1950s. The proportion
of young in the flocks on Islay last
autumn was over 25%, the highest on
record there, and the total counted in
November was a record, too, at over
6,300. However, this peak was short-
lived, numbers being back to a more
usual 4000-5000 by December, the
extra birds having presumably moved on
to Ireland.

BARNACLE GOOSE

0 main concentrations

GREENLAND WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE

# major concentrations

it may have started too late for the Barn-
acle Geese there to take full advantage
of it. There were only 10.7% young in the
Islay flocks in November, close to the
average. The monthly counts carried out
on Islay through the winter produced a
November-December peak of 19,000,
dropping to about 17,500 thereafter. The
remainder of this population winters in
small scattered flocks, the majority of
them on uninhabited islands, from Co.
Kerry in south-west Ireland to islands off
the north coast of Sutherland, plus one
haunt in Orkney. Counting is only
possible from the air, and the last full
census was in April 1983. At that time
the population totalled 25,000. Numbers
on Islay have risen a little since then and
it is likely that the total is closer to
30,000, though still below the peak of
33,800 reached in 1978.

Greenland Barnacles

East Greenland clearly had a much
less good summer than West, or at least

Spitsbergen Barnacles

Moving east in the arctic brings one
to Svalbard (Spitsbergen). This is the
breeding home for the Solway population

Malcolm Ogilvie was, until very recently,
Senior Research Officer at the Wildfowl
Trust and responsible, among other
things, for goose censuses. He has just
left to become Director of the Islay Field
Centre, a new venture set up on the
island.

of Barnacle Geese. It was known that
they had returned north last spring in
only average to poor condition, as the
cold April had delayed the vital growth
of grass around the Solway on which the
geese depend to build up their reserves.
Similarly, the weather had continued cool
during May when the birds were staging
in northern Norway. The 9.6% young
which they brought back to Caerlaverock
in the autumn was therefore not
altogether unexpected and was only
barely enough to maintain numbers, with
a peak count of 10,400, compared with
10,500 the previous winter.

Pinkfeet

Pink-footed Geese breed in East
Greenland, too, though principally in
central Iceland. Their breeding success
was not as good as might have been
expected from the reports of holiday-
makers sun-bathing on Iceland's north
coast, so it may be that the cold spring
had too great a deterrent effect for the
geese to be able to benefit from the
better conditions which followed. The
breeding success was only 13.4%,
slightly below average, though enough to
lift the population to a new record of
128,000 at the time of the mid-Nov-
ember census. The proportion of these
in Scotland (85%) was the highest for
several years due to the very bad harvest

PINK FOOTED GOOSE

Mm

8

leaving masses of spilt grain in the fields.
The much cleaner harvests of recent
times, coupled with the immediate
ploughing and re-sowing with winter
barley, has had the effect of pushing the
geese further south into Lancashire and
down as far as The Wash quite early in
the winter, where formerly it took cold
weather to do this. One completely
unharvested field of oats north of
Dundee was still supporting about 5000
geese as late as mid-March.

Greylags

The Iceland-breeding Greylags also
had a below-average breeding season,
with only 11.2% young, though enough
to produce a new record total of
107,000. For both this and the last
species, it is difficult to be certain by how
much the population has actually
increased because the November 1984
census was seriously disrupted by bad
weather and the totals obtained then
were certainly too low. The Greylags'
distribution at the time of the November
1985 census also showed the influence
of the bad harvest with much greater
numbers than usual in the northern part
of Scotland, and correspondingly fewer
in the south and in northern England.

GREYLAG GOOSE (Winter)

• ma|Of roosts

coming to Britain and Ireland are the
Light-bellied Brent Geese from northern
Greenland and the north-west Canadian
Islands. Virtually the whole of this
population winters in Ireland where
censuses are now held each winter. The
results are not yet available, but it is likely
that the population has exceeded 20,000
for the first time since counts began in
the 1950s. The total in January 1985
was just over 18,000, and there were at
least 20% young in the flocks this
winter, well in excess of probable
mortality.

The Light-bellied Brent Geese which
breed in Svalbard winter partly in
northern Denmark and partly at the
Lindisfarne NNR in Northumberland. No
information is yet available on breeding
success or total numbers, but the birds
are unlikely to have bred very well, and
so will not have been able to build up
their very low population of c.3,500.

European White-fronts from the
north-western Russian arctic had an
excellent breeding season (30%-t-
young) but neither this nor the cold
weather during the winter had much
influence on the numbers coming to their
regular haunts in southern England and
south Wales. The peak count will
probably lie, as usual, between 6000 and

Regional distribution of Pinkfeet and Greylags in November.

PINKFEET

GREYLAGS

1983

1984

1985

1983

1984

1985

North Scotland

13.4

19.4

20.2

40.1

42.0

42.4

East central Scotland

38.8

32.0

28.7

33.9

26.4

38.0

South-east Scotland

27.5

12.6

30.2

9.9

5.0

4.5

South-west Scotland

2.9

6.7

5.9

12.3

20.1

11.1

North England

16.2

18.4

11.7

3.8

6.5

3.9

East England

1.2

10.9

3.2

-

-

-

Figures are percentages of total populations.

&

7000, only a small fraction of this popul-
ation whose numbers, mainly in the
Netherlands, are well in excess of
200,000.

The final and eastern most popul-
ation of geese wintering in Britain is that
of the Dark-bellied Brent, breeding on the
Taymyr peninsula between about 85 and
105 E. This population has a tradition of
breeding either very successfully
(sometimes with upwards of 50%
young) or not breeding at all (with less
than 1% young). It was therefore some-
what unusual this winter to find around
25% young, especially as the two
previous years had been breeding
failures, so that at the beginning of the
1985 summer virtually every bird was at
least three years old and so mature
enough to breed. Censuses in the British
range, around the east and south coasts
of England and south Wales, revealed
about 82,000 in December. Comparable
figures from the rest of the range in
Germany, the Netherlands and France are
not yet available but are likely to show
a total population of some 170,000.

This brief survey shows that British,
and Irish, populations of wintering geese
remain very healthy, not forgetting the
few hundred Bean Geese to be found in
a couple of localities in Scotland and
Norfolk. Even when breeding success
has been only moderate, populations are
able to maintain themselves. In the last
30 years the annual mortality suffered by
most of our goose populations has fallen,
thanks to reduced shooting pressure and
more refuges. Feeding for geese is also
better than it used to be, both in the
autumn and early winter, so reducing
deaths from starvation, and in spring,
when the birds are needing to lay down
reserves prior to the migration and
breeding season

Malcolm Ogilvie

i*t." -

9

Birdwatching in Zimbabwe — the heart of Africa

Zimbabwe has really been known to the
western world for only 100 years, although
David Livingstone visited the Victoria Falls in
1855 and a few white hunters and prospectors
roamed the country collecting ivory and
looking for gold. The country's earlier history
is recorded in the imposing stone structures,
near Masvingo, from which the modern name
Zimbabwe or 'Houses of Stone' is derived —
evidence of a civilisation that survived until
1500 AD. There are also tantalising glimpses
of early African life, in the form of artistic cave
paintings of animals and hunting scenes, left
by the earlier Bushman inhabitants.

In September 1984 a party of eight,
mainly SOC members, caught an evening
flight from Gatwick to Harare. The thrill of
arriving in a new country after a short
overnight journey is hard to describe. For
birdwatchers there is the excitement of seeing
new species; in the first hour after our arrival
we recorded Pied Crows, Palm Swifts,
Racquet-tailed Rollers, Bulbuls, Drongos,
African Hawk Eagle and many others. After
a night at the Oasis Motel in Harare we drove
out to Mcliwaine Game Park and settled into
comfortable lodges, situated on a lovely
escarpment. Previous occupants had
encouraged Gambian Sun Squirrels; before we
had unpacked they scampered in looking for
titbits. On the rocks beside the lodge were
several colourful Agama Lizards and families
of Rock Hyrax, basking in the warm sunshine.

The vast numbers and gaudy plumage of
African birds is breathtaking; brilliant Lilac-
breasted Rollers, Glossy Starlings, Mocking
Chats, Barbets, Kingfishers, Weaver Birds,
Shrikes and Sunbirds are common. Birds of
prey are also numerous; Yellow-billed Kites,
Bataleurs, Wahibergs, African Hawk and Black
Eagles were frequently seen. One of the
reasons for this profusion of birds is

Dark Chanting Goshawk eating a snake.

Zimbabwe's geographical position in the
continent of Africa. In addition to the
extensive range of resident birds, many intra-
African migrants travel south in September to
Zimbabwe to breed, followed by flocks of
palearctic migrants escaping from the cold
northern winter.

From Mcliwaine we motored south to
Kyle Game Park near Masvingo. One of the
highlights there was a marvellous view of a
Martial Eagle, which stooped and landed a
short distance away in tall grass: it evidently
missed its prey for it took off again and flew
low over our heads, giving us unforgettable
views of this superb raptor. Other memories
of Kyle include a Paradise Flycatcher building
its delicate nest, and the display flight of a
Black-bellied Korhaan. There was plenty of
larger game in the Park: Rhinoceros, Giraffe,
Impala, Zebra, Warthogs and our first snake,
a small Puff Adder. The day we visited Great
Zimbabwe was also memorable, not only
because of the historical interest of the
impressive stone structures, but also for
excellent views of a Gymnogene, a specialised
member of the hawk family. It has an unusual
adaptation — a double-jointed tarsus, which
enables the bird to insert one of its long legs
into a hole in a tree while hanging on with the
other, and so to extract food, such as
nestlings, with the minimum of effort.

Our next stop was Penalong, in the
Eastern Highlands, where we stayed at 'La
Rochelle', the former home of Sir Stephen
Courtauld, now administered by the National
Trust of Zimbabwe. In the extensive gardens
we saw our first Knysna Lourie, a beautiful bird
with emerald green plumage and contrasting
red wings. We touied ii ie Vumua Mountains,
where among many forest birds we had
excellent views of a Crowned Eagle, which
preys on monkeys.

At the nearby Nyanga National Park,
feeding on Protea flowers on the upper slopes
of Mt Inyangani (8500 ft), Zimbabwe's highest
mountain, we found Gurney's Sugar Birds and
several sunbirds, including the Malachite
Sunbird, which has a lovely iridescent green
plumage. The many crystal clear streams and
lakes in the area are stocked with trout and
the bird life is varied and interesting. We saw
Giant Kingfishers, Peregrine Falcons, Auger
Buzzards, Long-crested Eagles and beautiful
Blue Swallows, which have exceptionally long
tail streamers and build their nests in under-
ground holes, such as those made by
Anteaters.

A short air flight took us to Victoria Falls.
The contrast between the cool Highlands and
the warm arid Low Veld was stark. Our lodges
here were beside the Zambezi River, in an area
teeming with birds and wildlife. Here the scale
was larger and so were the animals: Elephant,
Buffalo, Hippopotamus and Lion, plus
numerous Waterbuck, Impala, Bushbuck,
Sable and Roan Antelope and many Warthogs.
At night Elephants fed around the lodges and
their squeals and grunts reminded us that we
were in closer touch with wild Africa. There
was a warning notice in our lodge: "Do not
feed Claud the Clawless Otter — he bites".
That evening we were relaxing on the dark
verandah, listening to the night noises, when
Claud appeared in our midst, determined to
be fed! He did not appreciate a slipper
proffered in self-defence and was eventually
enticed away with bread while the party beat
a hilarious retreat behind closed doors.

The early morning and evening excursions
along the banks of the Zambesi were
fascinating. Returning one evening the party
were standing in the back of the vehicle, with
the roof raised, all eyes searching the
surrounding bush for movement. Suddenly,

10

around a corner, we met a herd of 200 Buffalo
making their way inland after slaking their
thirst; they stopped and turned to face us.
Normally we would have waited and enjoyed
the sight, but with the sun near to setting we
eased forward and the herd parted, giving us
close views of these powerful animals. As this
was the dry season the famous Victoria Falls
were not at their most impressive. In some
ways this was an advantage, however, for
when the Zambesi is in flood clouds of spray
obscure the view. Our next stop was
Hwange National Park, the largest in
Zimbabwe, where over 400 species of birds
and 107 of animals have been recorded. Some
of the animals are present in large numbers;
the Elephant population, for example, is
estimated to be over 20,000. Among the birds
we saw were many raptors, a large number
of vultures, several hornbills — including the
turkey-sized Ground Hornbill — and Shrikes
of many kinds, among them Long-tailed and
Crimson-breasted. One evening we had
excellent views of Pennant-winged Nightjars.
In the breeding season the males grow a single
two foot long feather in each wing; these are
used in the striking territorial display.

Overall we had a most enjoyable and
stimulating safari. We recorded 330 species
of birds, many lovely butterflies and other
interesting insects, and had dramatic views of
large game. Everyone we met was helpful and
we found Zimbabwe a very friendly country
to visit. My grateful thanks go to all members
of ZIMSAF 84 — Helen and Ken Halliday,
Nancie and Robin Raban-Williams, Margery
Kimpton, Joan Howie and John Melrose —
whose help and constant humour made my
task as organiser very easy and enjoyable.

Brian S. Turner

All photos by B. S. Turner

%

L

Long-tailed Shrike.

New hope for oiled birds

Until recently attempts to clean up the victims
of oil spills have been disappointing. This now
seems set to change. Following encouraging
results south of the border by the RSPCA, the
SSPCA are currently converting a large barn
on Middlebank Farm in Fife to provide cleaning
units, accommodation and test pools. A
vehicle is being converted to transport up to
360 birds from anywhere in Scotland to
Middlebank. It is hoped to have the facility
operational by the end of 1986. The RSPCA
report an 85% success rate, though this is
conditional on selecting appropriate birds for
treatment; the worst affected still have to be
humanely destroyed. The Scottish birds will
be ringed before release to see how they fare
and the SSPCA will be running training
courses at Middlebank for volunteers who will
then help collect and prepare birds for the new
centre.

News in Brief

The Scottish Conservation Projects Trust has

moved its HQ to Balallan House, 24 Allan Park,
Stirling FK8 2QJ (Tel. 0786 79697).

Visitors to Fair Isle this season will have a
wider choice of travel arrangements, including
flights from Orkney as well as Shetland. For
further information and details of the 1986
programme (including special reductions)
contact Liz Riddiford, The Bird Observatory,
Fair Isle, Shetland (Tel. 035 12 258).

A photographic exhibition on the theme
"Scotland's Landscape, Flora and Fauna" is
being held at the RSPB's Vane Farm, Kinross,
to coincide with the Commonwealth Games,
28 June-28 July.

The Birds of Fife by Anne-Marie Smout, a St
Andrews Branch member, is due to be
published early this summer by John Donald,
Edinburgh; cost about £10 in hardback.

Small ads

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS.

Week long birdwatching courses in comfort
in small friendly guest house. Expert tuition,
individual attention, safaris, lectures. Begin-
ners welcome. SAE; Ron Youngman, 'Atholl
Bank', Pitlochry, Perthshire (0796 - 2753).
BIRD JOURNAL back numbers supplied. — D.
Morgan, Whitmore, Umberleigh, Devon.
SHETLAND BIRD REPORT 1984. £2.20 from
M. Heubeck, 3 Lighthouse Buildings, Lerwick,
Shetland. Back issues: 1973-1979 £0.75
(1975 unavailable), 1980-1983 £1.00, Prices
include p & p.

SPEY VALLEY — 4 well equipped self-catering
holiday cottages conveniently situated in pict-
uresque rural surroundings close to the Insh
Marshes, a Nature Reserve managed by the
RSPB, and only a short drive from the Cairn-
gorms and Loch Garten (Ospreys). Abundant
wildlife all around with good hill-walking. For
further details and brochure send SAE to: Alvie
Estate, Kincraig, Kingussie, Inverness-shire or
Tel. (054 04) 255.

Starlings gathering to roost. R. T. Smith

Birdwatching at Lochmaben Lochs

Seven lochs surround the town of Lochmaben,
which lies in the Annan Valley about 8 miles
east of Dumfries. The lochs are essentially eut-
rophic and support a fairly rich and diverse
wildlife. With the exception of Mill Loch, which
is over 16m deep, they have a maximum depth
of 3-5m, All have at least some reedbed and
there are several good examples of alder carr.
Castle Loch, the largest, and nearby Hightae
Loch form a local nature reserve administered
by the local authority. The remaining lochs —
Kirk, Mill, Upper and the two Blind Lochs —
are within a designated Site of Special
Scientific Interest.

Wintering wildfowl and gulls

The prime interest here for birdwatchers
must surely be the wintering wildfowl. Castle
Loch and, to a lesser extent, Hightae are goose
roosts. Numbers peak in spring — at 2500
Greylag in 1984 and 13,400 Pinkfeet in 1986
— but some 700 1000 Greylags are present
for most of the winter, it is well worth check-
ing flocks of feeding geese in the surround-
ing fields as Bean Goose, both races of White-
front, Snow Goose, Barnacle and Brent have
all occurred in recent years.

Mallard numbers are highest in autumn,
particularly on Castle and Kirk Lochs. Wigeon
seldom occur in flocks of over 200, unless
disturbance or freezing has driven them from

nearby ox-bow lakes. The best conditions for
seeing Teal are probably during times of flood;
this species tends to be found more often
along the River Annan than around the lochs.
Small numbers of Pintail, Goldeneye, Shoveler
and occasionally Gadwall can be seen in
autumn and spring but are rarely encountered
in winter. Pochard have recently peaked at
150-200 and about 70 Goosanders usually
winter on Castle Loch, while a spring influx
produced a count of 165 in March 1982. Less
common ducks recorded occasionally include
Smew, Long-tailed Duck and Scaup. Some
15-20 Whooper Swans are regularly present
in winter.

There is a good-sized Black-headed Gull
roost at Castle Loch, often with over 8000
present, plus smaller numbers of Common
Gulls. Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls
gather during the afternoon but most leave at
dusk, presumably for the Solway, while the
occasional Lesser Blackback over-winters.
Kittiwakes have been recorded each January
since 1982.

Passerines and waders

In winter flocks of tits (including Willow)
and thrushes feed amongst the trees, and
Siskins and a few Redpolls in the alders.
Starlings roost in the reedbeds, presenting a
tempting meal for Sparrowhawks. About

5000 is the usual winter maximum, but
20,000 were estimated to be coming to roost
at Castle Loch in autumn 1984.

Spring sees the return of the warblers, fly-
r jtchers and hirundines. Grasshopper
Warblers fill the evening air with their
"angler's-reel" song, Sedge Warblers chatter
from waterside bushes. Spotted Flycatchers
nest in the ivy on the walls of the ruined castle,
and Swallows and Martins find rich feeding
over the water surface. The 6-10 pairs of Great
Crested Grebes breeding in the area are mainly
on Castle Loch, and there are a few pairs of
Mute Swans, Mallard, Coots and Moorhens.
Herons used to breed in the reserve but left
as a result of timber operations in 1982.

I '

After a dry summer, such as that of 1984,
exposed mud in the southeast corner of Castle
Loch attracts a few passage waders. Green-
shank, Redshank, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper,
Jack Snipe and Ringed Plover visit most years,
and Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Spotted Redshank
and Bar-tailed Godwit occasionally. In October
(and in late spring) it is worth looking for
passage Little Gulls and Black Terns, and at
this time of year the odd Slavonian Grebe may
appear — five were on Castle Loch in 1982.

Finally, the more unusual species
recorded in the Lochmaben area in recent
years have included Black-throated Diver

B

(three in March 1984) and Ruddy Duck (brief
appearances at Hightae in 1983 and 1984).
A Hobby spent two days at Castle Loch in July
1982, and Marsh Harriers were seen in 1982
and 1984. Lochmaben certainly has lots to
offer the birdwatcher.

Access

Lochmaben is on the A709 Locker-
bie-Dumfries road, from which one can obtain
reasonable views of Kirk Loch and Castle Loch.
For Hightae Loch follow the B7020 Loch-
maben-Dalton road down the west side of
Castle Loch for 1 mile, park at the nature
reserve sign and walk down the access path
to the loch. Mill Loch is at the north end of
the town — take the right fork at Lochmaben
Town Hall. Upper and Blind Lochs can be
viewed from the Shieldhill road BUT please ask
the local farmer's permission if you require
closer views.

Paul Shimmings

Stop Press

The new assistant manager for The Bird
Bookshop is Fiona Slack, a 25 year old
ecology graduate who lives near Edinburgh.

A handsome cake, appropriately decorated
with a Crested Tit, was a highlight of the
Golden Jubilee reception in Glasgow on 21
March 1986 (see page 6). The honour of
cutting it fell to Valerie Thom, whose book
was launched at the reception.

Don Smith

1985 Photographic Competition winners

(1 and 3 are reproduced from transparencies, 2 from a black and white print)

Second: Wheatear with prey.

Edmund Fellowes

Thanks —

to all contributors to this issue, especially our artists, David
Mitchell, lain Macleod and Keith Brockie, and photographers,
Bobby Smith, Don Smith and Brian Turner.

Wanted —

more drawings and photographs. We would especially like
to hear from anyone able and willing to illustrate particular
species on request and at relatively short notice.

Remember: Entries for the 1986 competition

must be in by the end of September. .

Wi

First: Dunlin settling on the nest.

Philip Newman

Third: Swallows at the nest.

Willie Middleton

13

General News and

The Febryary auk wreck

During the first three weeks of February
1986 a large-scale wreck of auks was
noticed all along the east coast of Scot-
land and northern England. From Shet-
land to Holy Island counts were made of
dead or dying birds and these revealed
that well in excess of 3,000 birds were
affected. Dozens of auks were reported
as far inland as Stirling and Lake of Men-
teith, with reports of individuals on
motorways, in fields and back gardens,
on ponds and in plantations.

Most of the birds affected were Guil-
lemots, with smaller numbers of Razor-
bills, Puffins and Little Auks. A large pro-
portion of the Guillemots were first-
winter birds in poor bodily condition;
except in Shetland, where adults
predominated. Most were males.

Starvation seems to have been the
cause of death, perhaps linked to strong
winds at sea, but the reason for the lack
of food remains unknown. Until recently
the Guillemot population was expanding
and there was a large surplus non-breed-
ing population. In the last few years most
monitoring sites at breeding colonies
have started to show declines. The lack
of food could be a natural phenomenon
and may well sort itself out; however,
industrial fishing maybe implicated.
Whatever the reason, it is always cause
for concern when large scale seabird
mortality occurs. Some observers,
particularly Pete Kinnear (NCC, Fife) and
Colin Crooke (RSPB, Highland Office)
carried out detailed analyses of corpses,
with some being sent for post-mortem
examination of liver and kidney samples.
This work may lead to more detailed
papers in the near future.

Many thanks to all who sent in
records.

lain Macleod
RSPB Scottish Office
Pete Ellis
RSPB Shetland Office

Aftermath of Berwick
swan oiling

On 7 March 76 Mute Swans and one
Whooper were released back onto the
Tweed Estuary at Berwick. For the
previous six weeks they had been held
in captivity for cleaning, after being
affected by the 2,000 gallons of oil
spilled into the harbour at the end of
January. The birds joined the small group
of swans already present, all that is left
of the 200 strong winter flock that tradit-
ionally gathers at Berwick. Precise
numbers are uncertain but at least 72
swans died or were destroyed immediat-
ely after the incident. Oiled birds were
later reported along the coast, near St
Abbs and at Lindisfarne, as well as up the
Tweed Valley.

Notices

The Berwick incident is the third
major oiling to affect Scottish swans
since 1974. Like the disaster at Montrose
in February 1980 (200 swans affected,
c60 died), the Berwick spillage
fortunately occurred in winter. Had either
incident occurred during the autumn
moult period, the result could have been
catastrophic, as between them these
two sites then hold over a thousand birds
— most of the swan population of east
and central Scotland.

Among birds affected were 25
ringed swans. Nine had been ringed in
the Montrose flock in 1980 or 1983,
emphasising the interchange between
these two major moulting and wintering
sites — indeed one poor bird had been
caught up in both oiling incidents. Apart
from one ringed in Fife in 1969, the
remaining recoveries were all of birds
ringed as cygnets in the Lothians since
1982 (the lack of recoveries further
south probably reflects the lack of
ringing).

One positive outcome of the disaster
was the opportunity to examine lead
levels in a sample of 19 corpses. Results
showed that Berwick birds had low levels
of lead in their tissues, indicating little
recent exposure to lead poisoning, as
might be expected from an area where
coarse fishing is largely absent.

In order to assess the success of the
cleaning operation, and to discover more
about the movement of swans along the
east coast, all the birds released were
colour-ringed with large white leg rings
bearing a three-letter combination.
Reports of these birds should be sent to:
Chris Spray, Prospect Villas, Great
Bradley, Newmarket, Suffolk CBS 9LH.

Chris Spray

Scottish Ringers'
Conference

This year's Ringers' Conference is being
organised by the Highland Ringing Group and
the SOC and will be held at the Landmark
Centre, Carrbridge, during the weekend of
22nd/23rd November, 1986. Anyone who is
willing to give a short talk should contact Roy
Dennis, RSPB, Munlochy, Inverness IV8 8ND.
Further details of the programme and booking
form will be published later.

Little Gull records
wanted

Anyone with records of Little Gulls is asked
to send details of numbers, dates and
locations to David Mitchell, 17 Janefield Place,
Dundee. David is trying to piece together a
clear picture of the movements of this species,
which is most regularly seen around the Tay
and Forth.

IMoteworthy ringing |

recoveries i

The Highland Ringing Group's April 1986 ;

newsletter includes details of four ’
unusual recoveries. Pride of place must j
go to a Buzzard ringed by Andrew |
Ramsay at Maryburgh near Dingwall in
June 1984 and recovered 994km away,
near Cologne in West Germany, in
January 1986 — the first-ever foreign ii
recovery of a British Buzzard. This was ]
one of a brood of two; the other bird was i
recovered, more typically, 47km SE at
Forres, Moray.

Waders of interest included an
Oystercatcher ringed as a chick on Fair
Isle in June 1961 and caught at Fort
George in December 1985 — at 24 years
old! A Knot originally ringed on the
Moray Firth in April 1980 was caught on
the Tees Estuary on 6 December 1985
and recaught 25 days later back on the
Moray Firth at Fort George. Finally, a !
young Garden Warbler caught in early
August 1985 by Bob Swann at Drumna-
drochit by Loch Ness (where there is a
small breeding colony) was found dead
in January 1986 at Atonsu, Ashanti :
Region, Ghana. This is only the second
British recovery of this species south of ;
the Sahara, the previous one also being
in Ghana.

Bob Swann

Wader Study Conference
comes to Scotland

From 12-14 September 1986 Oatridge Agri-
cultural College, Broxburn, West Lothian will
be playing host to an international group of
wader enthusiasts who will spend the week-
end endlessly discussing their favourite birds.
The occasion is the annual Wader Study
Group Conference which, reflecting the
interest in Waders in Scotland, is being held
north of the border for the first time.

The Wader Study Group is a collection of
amateurs and professionals interested in
waders. It was founded in 1970 with the aim
of encouraging contact between wader
workers: helping organise studies of waders
and providing a forum for the exchange of
information. These aims are realised through
the Wader Study Group Bulletin which is an
informal publication with a mix of articles,
announcements and requests for information
produced three times a year and the annual
conference which, by moving from country to
country, aims to attract as many members as
possible.

This year's Conference will have
delegates from the USA, the Netherlands,
France and Germany amongst others and will
range over many topics from international
migration flyways to small local studies. Why
not take this opportunity to come along to the
Conference and find out more about these
fascinating birds? Further details about the
Conference (and membership of the WSG) are
available from: Nigel and Jacquie Clark, Dept
of Zoology, Edinburgh University, West Mains
Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT. Tel: 031-667 1081
Ex 3211 or 031-556 6042.

14

Reviews

The Atlas of Bird Distribution in New Zealand

by P. C. Bull, P. D. Gaze and C. J. R. Robert-
son: The Ornithological Society of New
Zealand; 1985; 296 pp; many maps, overlays
and microfiches of the original data; £18.

Many atlases published in the last ten
years have tried to be of interest to the casual
reader as well as producing baseline data for
researchers and conservation decisions. This
atlas is certainly not for the casual reader as
it consists largely of maps with only a couple
of sentences about each species. It is,
however, a superb example of the way a very
large amount of data can be made available
in a usable form. The microfiches will be of
great use to planners and conservationists as
they give the basic data — something it is
often difficult to obtain. In short an excellent
book, but only for those with a special inter-
est in New Zealand birds.

Nigel Clark

Gamebirds of the Northern Hemisphere by I.

Brodie. Whitewolf Publications; 1985; 238 pp;
24 colour plates; many maps; £16.50.

This is essentially a book for avicultural-
ists. It is written by one and, apart from quite
a good set of colour plates, there is little to
commend it to ornithologist readers. The text
covers evolution of the Galliformes, their
conservation, species descriptions and avicul-
tural methods, much of it superficial and
speculative, and much of it in a style that is
distinctly idiosyncratic. It undoubtedly
contains some useful information, particularly

in the sections concerned with aviary design
and breeding techniques, but overall the book
is not well produced. It does not appear to
have been properly checked, it lacks an
adequate bibliography, and the poor syntax,
numerous spelling mistakes and other errors
range from the incomprehensible to the down-
right absurd (have you ever seen a Reeves
pheasant with a tail over 150 metres long?!).

John Savory

Der Zug Europaischer Singvogel; Ein Atlas der
Wiederfunde Beringter Vogel, pt. 4, by G. Zink,
Vogelwarte Radolfzell; 1985; 112 pp; 148
maps; 76 DM.

The concluding volume of a series that
displays over 16,000 ringing recoveries of 95
species of European passerines on 535 maps.
Part 4 covers Pied Flycatcher, alba wagtails.
Waxing and 11 buntings. Text and captions are
entirely in German and there is still no word
of an English translation. However the maps
alone are full of interest and the series should
be in every ornithological library in Europe.

Stanley da Prato

Short Reviews

Bird Census and Atlas Studies by K. Taylor,
R. J. Fuller and P. C. Lack; BTO; 1985; 437 pp;
many diagrams, maps and tables; £10.

This collection of papers on aspects of
censusing birds will prove of interest to those
involved in this field. It has been well produced
for the cost, which brings it well within the
budget of the amateur reader.

Birds Beyond Belfast by the Belfast RSPB
Members' Group: Belfast RSPB Members'
Group; 1985; 118 pp; many maps and line
drawings; £2.95.

A companion volume to Birds Around
Belfast produced by the Belfast RSPB
Members' Group in 1981 (£1.50), this book is
a guide to birdwatching locations throughout
Northern Ireland.

The Birds of Japan: A Checklist by M. Brazil;
Shimuzu; 1985; 23 pp; £2.

A list of birds of Japan in English, Latin
and Japanese.

Easter Birdwatching in Crete by S. Coghlan;
S. Coghlan; 1985; 18 pp; 4 line drawings, map;
£2.50.

A checklist of birds seen at Easter in Crete
between 1981 and 1984, and a guide to sites.

Gulls and Plovers: The Ecology and Behaviour
of Mixed-Species Feeding Groups by C. J,
Barnard and D. B. A. Thompson; Croom Helm;
1985; 302 pp; many tables and diagrams, line
drawings; £25.

This book, which looks at feeding strat-
egies and group behaviour within mixed
species flocks, will be useful to professional
ornithologist students but of limited interest
to the amateur.

A Year of Bird Life by R. Hume and S. Sulli-
van; Croom Helm; 1985; 128 pp; many colour
illustrations; £4.95.

A collection of articles from Bird Life, the
magazine of the YOC, arranged by month.

. ..

''A'.:..,.

railFf

Isles of Colonsay
and Oronsay
Inner Hebrides

Remote and unspoilt, the islands encompass 20 square miles of paradise for the naturalist
— almost 170 species of birds (list on request), also otters, feral goats and a major breeding
colony of the grey seal (pupping in September), 500 species of local flora as well as two of
the few remaining natural woodlands of the Hebrides and the exotic rhododendron collection
in the woodland garden of Colonsay House.

Historic sites include St Columba's pre-Iona foundation at Oronsay Priory, some excellent duns,
a Viking ship burial, crannog-sites in Loch Fada etc.

There are no day-trippers, no caravanners, etc., but there is a comfortable small hotel offering
table d'hote cuisine based on fresh local produce (central heating and private facilities). Drive
on-off car and passenger ferry ex-Oban Monday, Wednesday, Friday (IVi hour passage). Dinner,
accommodation and breakfast from £25.00 including VAT and service. Free bicycles.

There are also three luxury self-catering chalets, which adjoin the hotel; each unit sleeps 5,
all bed-linen is provided plus daily maid service. Off-season rental is only £55.00 weekly. Also
special demi-pension arrangements for Field Study parties from £775 daily. Details on request.

THE HOTEL, ISLE OF COLONSAY, ARGYLL
(Kevin and Christa Byrne)

Telephone: Colonsay (09512) 316 — open all year

N.B. Booklet @ £3.50 inc. p&p describes the island's birds — 66pp plus 8pp colour photos.

15

Contents

Transfer of 21 1

Short notes 2

Recent reports 3

The Orkney Ringing Group 4

SOC News 6

Wild geese in Britain 1985-86 8

Birdwatching in Zimbabwe 10

Birdwatching at Lochmaben
Lochs 12

Stop Press 13

1985 Photo Competition
Winners 13

General News & Notices 14

Reviews 15

SOC Notices 16

SBN Advertising Rates

Full page £100. Half page £50. Quarter page
across £30. Sixth page £20. Third page
upright £40. Small ads £1 per line. Prices are
exclusive of VAT. Adverts should be sent to
Jacquie Clark, Business Editor, 21 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH 7 5BT.

Deadlines

SBN is published four times a year, at the
beginning of March, June, September and
December. Material submitted for possible
publication should be sent to 21 Regent
Terrace no later than 8 weeks prior to public-
ation (e.g. by 1 July for the September
number), although late news and notices may
be accepted slightly later. Queries — and
suggestions — will be welcomed by the Editor
(Tel. 0738-23508). Fuller details, and inform-
ation on the submission of material for
Scottish Birds, will be found in SB 13:280-281.

SOC Membership

Membership subscription rates are as follows:

Adult £10.00

Junior (under 18 or student under 25) £4.00
Family (husband, wife & children under 18)

£14.50

Life . individual £200.00, family £300.00
Pensioner individual £6.00, family £8.50
Further details from Membership Secretary,
Miss Pat Webster, SQC, 21 Regent Terrace,
Edinburgh EH7 5BT.

SOC Notices

Branch Meetings

The dates of the first branch meetings
next winter are as follows:

Monday, 15 September: Aberdeen,
Borders, Glasgow

Tuesday, 16 September: Edinburgh,
Inverness, Stranraer
Wednesday, 17 September: Ayr,
Dumfries, St Andrews, Thurso
Thursday, 18 September: Dundee,
Stirling

Thursday, 25 September:

New Galloway

The first meeting of the Dundee
Branch is in the Staff Club on the
10th floor of the Tower Extension,
University of Dundee. Subsequent
meetings will be held in the McManus
Museum, Albert Square, Dundee.

The Inverness Branch also has a new
venue, the Loch Ness House Hotel,
Glenurquhart Road, Inverness.

The St Andrews Branch will be
meeting next session in the St
Andrews Golf Hotel, St Andrews.

Jubilee Conference
The Annual Conference and AGM will
be held the weekend 1-2 November,
1986 at The Marine Hotel, North
Berwick, East Lothian. The conference
programme and booking form will be
included in the September mailing to
members.

SOC Bird Bookshop
The 1986 Spring Supplement, with
details of new titles, special offers and
sale books, is available FREE from the
Bookshop. Remember, all books are sent
post and packing free to club members.

Bookshop Staff

Peter Bell left us again in March to take
up a post with the RSPB as a summer
warden at South Stack, Anglesey in
Wales. We were sorry to lose him, again,
but wish him all the best in his new job.
Una Croll is working temporarily, as a
typist/clerk, updating the Bookshop
mailing list, the stock control system and
computerising the Club membership.
Stan da Prato has also helped out in the
Bookshop.

Change of Local Recorder
Dr Martin Bell is moving from Aberdeen
to Stirling and has had to resign as local
recorder. The new recorders for
Grampian Region, excluding Moray
District, are Mike Innes and Brian
Stewart. Records should be sent to
Michael Innes, 106A Queens Street,
Peterhead, Aberdeenshire AB4 STY.

Records should be sent in Voous
order, as for all other areas, since the
computerised recording system is no
longer being used.

The new recorder for Strathclyde —
Argyll is Dr A. R. Jennings, 1 Ferryfield
Drive, Connel, Argyll, PA37 ISP

Change of Address
Roy Dennis has now moved from North
Kessock to: Inchdryne, Nethybridge,
Inverness-shire PH25 3EF.

Inverness Branch Field Trip
The Branch is having a Jubilee Field Trip,
led by Roy Dennis, to Strathnairn at 6.00
p.m. on Saturday, 21 June, followed by
a barbeque, cheese and wine party at
Balnaforch House at 9.00 p.m. Further
details and tickets, £3.00, are available
from Carol Munro, Ashton Farm Cottage,
Inverness, telephone 0463-241 359.

Stirling Branch Outings

(not detailed on the yellow sheet

distributed earlier)

BLACKFORD - UPPER GLENDEVON
RESERVOIR

Sunday 15 June. Leader — Cliff Henty.
Meet 9.00 a.m.. Fountain Road car park.
Bridge of Allan. Bring packed lunch and
wear stout footgear.

FORTH ESTUARY AT KINNEIL
Sunday 17 August. Leader — David
Thorogood. Meet 11.00 a.m., Albert Hall
car park, Stirling, or 11.45 a.m. at sewage
treatment works access road, Kinneil.
High tide is at about 2.00 p.m. Recom-
mended footwear is Wellington boots —
this is not the most salubrious area! (And
there are potential hazards, so no young
children, please).

Jubilee Buffet Supper
Dundee Branch's celebration supper is to
be held on Thursday 18 September in the
University Staff Club, price £6 per person
(exclusive of wine).

Fife and Kinross Breeding Birds
Survey

The St Andrews Branch is conducting a
breeding survey this summer of some
species whose local status is unclear.
The species concerned are: Corn Bunt-
ing, Whitethroat, Green Woodpecker,
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Tree
Sparrow.

Would members who would like to
help in the survey please send SAE {6V2 "
X 9") for instructions and record cards
to the organiser: Wendy Mattingley, 49
Elizabeth Street, Tayport, Fife DD6 9NB.

She would also welcome any casual
records for these species from anywhere
in Fife and Kinross, by 31st August,
please.

“Fife for Birds" Symposium
The St Andrews Branch is hosting a one-
day symposium on the general subject
of "Fife for Birds" on Saturday 4th
October 1986, as its contribution to the
Club's Golden Jubilee. The symposium
will be designed for the 'average' bird-
watcher (if there is such a person!) and
will show just how good a place Fife is
for pursuing our hobby. It will take place
in St Andrews University, and the prob-
able cost will be £4.00. Full details in the
next "Scottish Bird News", but keep the
date free in your diary now.

Published by The Scottish Ornithologists' Club, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT © SOC
Printed by The Galloway Gazette Ltd, Newton Stewart, DG8 6PS

No. 3

THE SCOTTISH
ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB

BiidNeu^

September 1986

ISSN 0268-3199

Edited by Valerie Thom
assisted by Stanley da Prato

European diploma for Fair Isle

Designated a National Scenic Area and Site of Special Scientific Interest, Fair Isle has
the same status as a National Nature Reserve and has recently become only the fifth
site in Britain (the second for Scotland, and 25th ever) to be awarded the Council of
Europe's prestigious European Diploma.

The Diploma was awarded, at a
ceremony in Edinburgh Castle on 19
June, 1986, in recognition of Fair Isle's
outstanding natural history interest and
cultural heritage. A ceremony and dance
followed later the same day on Fair Isle
itself.

The George Waterston Memorial
Centre was also opened on 19th June,
a fitting tribute to the late Dr. George
Waterston (once owner of Fair Isle and
co-founder of Fair Isle Bird Observatory
Trust), whose love of and interest in Fair
Isle, its people and its birds helped to
secure a future for the Isle. Housed in
what was once the Auld Schule (Old
School), the Centre displays the history
and traditions of this fascinating island.

Despite its small size, 3 miles long by
1 Vi miles wide. Fair Isle is internationally
important as a migration station and
breeding seabird monitoring site. Lying
midway between Orkney and Shetland,
at the point where the North Sea meets
•the Atlantic Ocean, Fair Isle is at a
crossroads for birds from a wide area of
the northern hemisphere. During the
course of a year species recorded include
those on spring and autumn migration to
and from Scandinavia, Iceland and
Greenland, and others from as far afield
as central Europe, North America, central
Asia and Siberia. Of the 337 species
recorded on the Isle, many are known as
'Fair Isle specialities' — turning up there
with surprising regularity but rare or
unknown elsewhere in Britain. During
both spring and autumn large 'falls' of
birds can occur on Fair Isle, sometimes
composed of a variety of species, at
other times one species alone may
number many thousands. Sights such as
these are rarely forgotten and can be as
exciting and as exhilarating as seeing a
new bird for Britain.

May, June, September and October are
the main months for numbers of
migrants on Fair isle, but migrants do
occur at other times and, although
generally in smaller numbers, may
include out-of-season rarities or
'irruptive' species such as Crossbill,
Waxwing or Long-eared Owl.

In summer, colourful flowers carpet
the cliffs and provide a stunning
backcloth for the Isle's vast seabird
cities. Nutrient-rich waters around Fair
Isle and Shetland, plus weathered
sandstone cliffs, provide ideal nesting
conditions for the 18 species of seabird
which breecf on Fair Isle. The Isle's
seabird populations have dramatically
increased over the past 20 years and
today tens of thousands of individuals
breed here. This has enabled Fair Isle Bird
Observatory, in conjuction with the
Nature Conservancy Council, to set up
a Seabird Monitoring Programme which
assesses, among other things, adult
survival, fledging success, food brought
to chicks and population fluctuations.
The seabird colonies on Fair Isle are
surpassed by few other sites, and most
of these, such as St. Kilda, are far less
accessible. Seabird colonies on Fair Isle
do not require long hikes in order to
observe them. Indeed, many species can
be seen from the comfort of the
Observatory building. The cliffs throng
with breeding seabirds. On the grassy
tops Puffins allow close approach and
pose comically for photographs, while on
the boulder beaches Guillemots,
Razorbills, Shags and the Fair Isle
speciality, the Black Guillemot or Tystie,
vie for nesting space. Heather moorland

Observatory and North Haven. Dave Wheeler

on the Hill provides nesting grounds for
Great and Arctic Skuas, whilst Eider
ducks nestle amongst their eiderdown.
It is often possible to watch and
photograph at close quarters without
danger to the watcher or disturbance to
the birds. With or without the breeding
birds the cliff scenery is breathtakingly
spectacular.

Fair Isle Bird Observatory was
established in 1948 and is one of a
number of observatories sited around the
coast of Britain, providing valuable
information and insight into migration
and population fluctuations. Long-term
studies and data collection cover various
topics, such as moult, biometrics,
identification, breeding ecology,
movements of summer migrants, and
weather-related occurrence of vagrants.
Many visitors, beginner and expert alike,
have contributed to this work and their
participation is both welcomed and
encouraged. Founded by George
Waterston to help preserve the Island's
birds and community. Fair Isle Bird
Observatory continues to be one of the
world's leading bird observatories. With
the generous help and support of the
National Trust for Scotland, EEC,
Highlands and Islands Development
Board, Shetland Islands Council and the
many friends of Fair Isle, the Island's
vibrant and welcoming community,
beautiful and spectacular scenery, and
varied natural history are ensured for
future generations to enjoy.

Elizabeth Riddiford.

More snow-bathers

M. H. Maxwell asks if snow-bathing is a
common form of behaviour for Magpies ISBN
2:2). I think not, but little is published on the
subject and no doubt it is under-recorded. I
have been able to trace records for a number
of both passerine and non-passerine species,
in which Corvidae feature more often than
other families. In his book The Crows — a
study of the Corvids of Europe, Coombs
quotes one observation of the Magpie snow-
bathing, and a few of the other records
mention that such behaviour has taken place
even with suitable standing water nearby.

With reference to the note on Buzzard
Taking Teal, Pinowski & Ryszkowski (Brit. Birds
55:473) record a 'duck' as being taken as prey
by a pair of Buzzards in Poland.

Norman Elkins

I was intrigued by M. H. Maxwell's note and
wish to report a similar incident at Girdleness
car park, Aberdeen.

I was photographing a group of c20 Snow
Buntings feeding on hard snow in very strong
sunshine after a severe spell of cold weather.
The birds were feeding on a pile of seed (no
doubt a "plant" by the local ringing group)
and were tame enough to observe at close
quarters. Suddenly several flew a short
distance from the main group into the shadow
of the low surrounding wooden fence, where
they first lay on their breasts, tilted forward
and dug their legs and feet into the snow. They
then propelled themselves quickly through the
snow, moving their heads rapidly from side
to side. I can only describe it as "snow-
ploughing". They threw up a spray of snow
and left a clearly visible track; at times they
became virtually submerged.

I have heard of Snow Buntings finding deep-
frozen insects as snow melts on the tops, and
at first assumed that this behaviour had some
survival value. However, in this case a plentiful
supply of food was near at hand and there was
little (if any) thaw. It seemed therefore to be
a communal bathing ritual.

I was astonished to find, on checking my
notes, that this behaviour was observed on
Sunday, 23 February, 1986 at approximately
the same time in the afternoon as M. H.
Maxwell's sighting!

Jim Riddoch

Records of any other species indulging in
similar antics would be welcome, — Eds.

1986 Seabird slump on
Canna

Following an exceptionally cold February and
a long, late, cool and very wet spring, seabirds
on Canna had one of their worst ever breeding
seasons since our monitoring programme
began in 1969.'

Worst affected were Shags. From 1690
nests in 1985 numbers dropped to 436 nests,
of which only 253 (58%) contained eggs or
chicks. Only 5 ringable young were found
compared to the normal 1000-t.

Gulls were also doing badly. Great Black-
backed Gulls declined from 76 to 60 pairs, and
of 20 pairs checked 15 had failed to produce
young. Herring Gulls which were down 18%
on 1985 had a poor year too, with 55% of
nests in study areas failing to produce chicks
compared with only 21% in 1985. The 29
pairs of Lesser Black-backed Gulls was our
lowest ever count. Kittiwakes continued their
slow decline, being down to 803 nests (peak
991 nests 1982). In one study plot of 50 nests
not one single pair had eggs or chicks.

Guillemot numbers were also down — by
17%, though like Razorbills, which showed no
drop, they seemed to be doing quite well with
numerous chicks in evidence.

What, then, was the cause of this? It
appeared to be food related. Normally one
sees great rafts of feeding seabirds round the
island and on the boat trip from Mallaig. This
year the seas were virtually birdless. The birds
must have been feeding some distance from
Canna.

We have been collecting fish samples from
Guillemots in recent years. These show sprats
to be the preferred food (50% of all samples)
followed by sandeels (33%) and others,
mainly gadoids. This year no sprats were
brought in till the last day. Sandeels made up
69% of the sample (n = 72) but they were
considerably smaller than usual, with 62%
under 110mm — far smaller than anything we
have recorded before (the normal size is
c140mm).

Was this weather-related or the first signs
of the effect of industrial fishing in the Minch?
Only future monitoring can tell. A fuller report
will appear in a later edition of SBN.

Bob Swann

It seems that Puffins in the Eirth of
Eorth and Shearwaters on Rhum may also
have had a poor season. — Eds.

Composite gull/tern
colony

In July 1985 I watched a composite colony
of Common and Black-headed Gulls and
Common Terns beside the River Findhorn near
Tomatin, Inverness-shire, at about 350m
altitude. The colony contained 3 pairs of
Common Terns, and clO and 50 pairs of
Common and Black-headed Gulls respectively.
Gull numbers are approximate only, as both
species had young newly able to fly and failed
breeders may already have left. Proof that the
Common Terns had eggs or young was not
obtained, although all three pairs appeared to
hold sites. One pair in particular occupied
precisely the same spot on each of my three
visits. At times those in the air displayed
vigorous aggression to myself and to gulls
flying close over the tern's sites.

The colony comprised three sub-areas
occupied by the three species separately and
was sited on a shingle promontory no-where
more than a few feet high. Grass covered a
raised central area which was occupied by the
Common Gulls. The three pairs of Common
Terns held sites at one end of the Common
Gulls' area, where the grass broke up into a
few small tussocks among the shingle. The
Black-headed Gulls occupied the grassy edge
of the shore, separated from the Common
Gulls by the narrow line of shingle.

Although the three species nested in their
own parts within the colony, the whole colony
appeared as one unit, and functioned as one
unit in the sense of reaction to a potential
intruder. Within a few miles along the Findhorn
there were similar sites, some with the two
gull species nesting together, some with
Black-headed Gulls nesting alone, and some
without gulls or terns. This suggests that it
could have been the instinct to nest colonially,
rather than an attraction to the particular site,
which caused the three species to nest
together in this composite colony.

Common Terns are known to nest alongside
Black-headed Gulls and other species of terns
at coastal sites and Black-headed Gulls
associate with a variety of species on the
breeding grounds in some areas. It is not
unusual in the Scottish Highlands for Black-
headed and Common Gulls to nest together
(R. H. Dennis, pers. comm.), but I know of no
other instance of these two species and
Common Terns all breeding in one colony.

Harry E. M. Doti

Come to Fair Isle this year.

Magnificent cliff scenery/fine seabird colonies/migrant birds/
flora/knitwear/archeology/island life. Have a holiday to
remember. Enjoy comfortable full-board accommodation and
learn more about birds in an informal, friendly way.

Guide to travel inclusive prices: from approx. £155 pp per week
(by sea from Aberdeen) £215 pp per week (by air from
Edinburgh). YOC, family and group reductions available.

Check on poss. Bargain Breaks. Vacancies March-Oct.

Eurther details/bookings, sae to:

Liz Riddiford (B), Fair Isle Lodge & Bird Observatory, Fair Isle, Shetland.

Tel: 035-12 258.

Recent Reports

These notes Include unchecked reports and
are not intended as a permanent record. Please
send reports to Pete Ellis, Seaview. Sandwich,
Shetiand, via local recorders at the end of
March, June, September and December. The
period April to June is covered here.

Spring and early summer were cool and wet
with very little in the way of easterly winds,
although a huge fall of Robins and thrushes
occurred in late April. A spell of good weather
in late June would appear to be all the summer
that Shetland is going to get this year. As a
result of the bad weather many summer
migrants were late in arriving and most
species seem to have had a poor breeding
season. In Shetland terns have had yet another
disastrous breeding season and most other
seabirds have also fared badly. A shortage of
sandeels again appears to be the problem,
fuelling continued speculation that the
industrial fishing of sandeels is implicated.

Great Northern Divers reached a maximum
of 22 in Quendale Bay in April, the Whalsay
White-billed Diver was last seen in early May
and an immature was at Reawick on 15th
June. Peterhead had a passage of 211 Manx
Shearwaters on 30th May and 241 passed St.
Abbs on 6th June. A Night Heron was in
Orkney, a Little Egret in North Uist in May, and
a Great White Egret was at Camps Reservoir
in June. Forth had a White Stork and Loch of
Spiggie and Foula were visited by the same
6 Mute Swans. Single Snow Geese were at
Rattray Head and on the Ythan and a Canada
Goose on Unst and Fair Isle. Aberlady had a
high spring count of 110 Barnacle Geese in late
April, whilst a Brent Goose was at Gourock
in June. Two males and a female Mandarin
Duck were on Loch Lomond in May and the
Tyninghame Black Duck was still present.
Garganey turned up at 6 sites from Shetland
to Loch Lomond with at least 9 birds involved.
Orkney had a drake Blue-winged Teal and a
flock of 160 Scaup. Spectacular drake King
Eiders visited Shetland, Orkney and the Ythan.
St. Abbs saw a passage of 245 Common
Scoters on 23rd June, a pair of Surf Scoters
visited Gosford and a drake was at Scapa
Flow. An influx of Ruddy Duck brought at least
10 birds to 8 sites from Shetland to New
Cumnock.

An immature White-tailed Eagle was still on
Unst in April. Unusual numbers of Marsh
Harriers occurred in May and June with 16
birds, all females or immatures, at 15 localities.
A Goshawk was seen near East Kilbride and
a Buzzard on Out Skerries in April. Rough-
legged Buzzards occurred in Orkney and at
Loch of Strathbeg. A Hobby was near Peebles
in June. Quail were reported from Shetland,
Aberlady, Baron's Haugh and Renfrew and the
Borders. At least 3 Corncrakes were heard in
Shetland, with 2 others in Orkney, A Crane
which passed over Shapinsay in April was
probably the same one seen later at Sandwick
in Shetland, (it's on the house list); others
were also seen in Orkney and one at
Ardnamurchan.

A Black-winged Stilt visited St. Abbs in May
and a Stone-curlew West Linton in March.
East Lothian had at least 4 Little Ringed
Plovers, a Little Stint was on Noss in June, and
Temminck's Stints were seen in Unst and
Aberlady, A Pectoral Sandpiper visited North
Ronaldsay and a Curlew Sandpiper Papa

Westray, with a group of 4 more at Aberlady.
A Buff-breasted Sandpiper was last seen in
Orkney in May and single Jack Snipe in
Shetland and at Ballindaloch Muir in April.
Unusual locations for Black-tailed Godwits
were in Clydesdale and at Stornoway, with a
flock of 10 involved at the latter. Fair Isle had
its first Spotted Sandpiper.

Two F*omarine Skuas were still on the Beauly
Firth at the time of writing. The passage off
Balranald reached a staggering 1700 in May,
along with an equally impressive 800 Long-
tailed Skuas. A Little Gull spent April in
Lerwick; another was at Rattray and 5 at
Meikle Loch. Iceland Gulls were scarce with
only 3 reported in Shetland. Shetland had a
run of Sandwich Terns, with reports of up to
4 from 8 locations, a Little Tern was reported
in Shetland and Orkney, and a Black Tern at
Loch of Strathbeg. Fair isle had a Stock Dove
and small number of Turtle Doves appeared
at several sites in Shetland, and singles at
Ardrossan and St. Abbs. A Scops Owl was in
Orkney in June for the second year running
and a female Snowy Owl visited Fair Isle. Fair
Isle had a spring record of 7 Long-eared Owls
on 23rd April. A Tengmalm's Owl was found
dead in Orkney in June (why do they always
turn up in Orkney?) At least 6 Hoopoes were
seen in southern Scotland and a Great Spotted
Woodpecker reached Fair Isle.

King Elder drake displaying (Elder drake
behind), Ythan Estuary, May 1986.

S. M. D. Alexander

Short-toed Larks were on Fair Isle and Out
Skerries, Blue-lieaded Wagtails in Shetland
and at Aberlady, and a Grey-headed Wagtail
on Fair Isle. White Wagtails reached high
counts of 66 at Linwood and 64 at Longhaugh
Point. A Waxwing was found dead in Orkney
and 2 reached Fair Isle in April. The late April
falls (2T24th) produced 50 Dunnocks on Fair
Isle and 40 on Out Skerries, and a record
count of 900 Robins on Fair Isle, with
hundreds in Shetland and thousands in
Orkney, 800 at St. Abbs and 500 at
Eyemouth. Also involved were Ring Ouzels,
(30 in Shetland and 45 on Fair Isle),

Blackbirds, (18,050 on Fair Isle) and Fieldfares
(1280 on Fair Isle). There was a spring record
count of 1150 Song Thrushes and 500
Redwings also on the island. Shetland had 7
Mistle Thrushes with 10 on Fair Isle and
another in Orkney. Fair Isle had a maximum
of 250 Chaffinches and 725 Bramblings and
a spring record of 20 Mealy Redpolls. The Isle
of May had a Thrush Nightingale on 7th May
and a Nightingale was seen in a Kelso garden
on 4th May. Bluethroats were scarce in
contrast to last spring; one on Fair Isle on 21st
June was the latest record ever on the island.
Black Redstarts were better represented, with
7 in Shetland, 3 on Fair Isle and 7 in Orkney.

Scotland and Fair Isle's 3rd ever Savi's
Warbler was seen in June and 8 Marsh
Warblers visited the island at the same time.
North Ronaldsay had a Great Reed Warbler
and two Icterine Warblers were seen in
Shetland, which also had 2 male Subalpine
Warblers. A fine adult Barred Warbler was on
North Ronaldsay and a probable Greenish X
Willow Warbler hybrid sang in the Highlands.
St. Abbs had a Firecrest and superb male Red-
breasted Flycatchers reached North Ronaldsay
and the Isle of May, although Pied Flycatchers
were scarce. Golden Orioles were at 4 sites
in Shetland and on Fair Isle, North Rona and
Ayton, with 2 at St. Abbs. A Lesser Grey
Shrike was on Yell but Red-backed Shrikes
were scarce and the only Great Grey Shrike
reported was on Fair Isle. A sub-adult Rose-
coloured Starling on Noss was followed by an
adult on Burra Isle in June.

A single Tree Sparrow was in Unst and a
Goldfinch on Fair Isle. Three Siskins in
Stornoway in May was unusual and they were
also widespread in Strathclyde in June. There
was a small irruption of Common Crossbills
in June. Four female or immature Scarlet
Rosefinches were seen in Shetland, with red
males on Fetlar and Fair Isle. Three northern
Bullfinches were seen in Orkney and an influx
of Hawfinches for the second year in
succession brought 13 to Shetland, 3 to Fair
Isle and 7 to Orkney in April with 3 in May and
another in June and singles at St. Abbs and
the Hirsel. Male Lapland Buntings were at
Sumburgh and Aberlady. Fair Isle had a Rustic
Bunting and a Little Bunting in May, with
another of the latter in Orkney. A fine male
Black-headed Bunting spent a week in
Shetland before word got out, too late for
most birders to see it. A Chestnut Bunting
reached Fair Isle on 15th June, the day before
a Budgie was picked up on a ship 6 miles off
Aberdeen. Perhaps the budgie was a genuine
vagrant?

Best sightings of the period were 6 Killer
Whales in Yell Sound and a Walrus which put
in two tantalising appearances in Shetland.

Pete Ellis

Grebes in Gosford Bay, East Lothian. Ian

Andrews and Alan Brown are looking at the
status of grebes at this locality and would be
grateful for any unpublished records from
Gosford Bay between and including 1974 and
1985. Please send to Ian Andrews, 15 The
Parsonage, Musselburgh, Midlothian EH21
7SW.

The

Sparrowhawk

by IAN NEWTON

Dr Newton's monograph of this
widely distributed raptor is based
on 1 4 years’ research and
fieldwork in SW Scotland. During
the period he attempted to trap
and ring all Sparrowhawks in the
study area and to find their nests.
As a result many individual birds
were known throughout their lives.

The book draws on Dr Newton's
wide knowledge of the species,
and that of other workers in Britain
and abroad, and benefits
additionally from his particular
interest in population regulation
and breeding performance of the
Sparrowhawk and the remarkable
contrast in size between males
and females.

Thirty-eight drawings by Keith
Brockie complement the text and
there are over 80 diagrams and
50 photographs.

396 pages plus 24 plates,

£16.00 net

Birds

in Scotland

by VALERIE M.THOM

390 pages, 26.5y.19cm, £24.00 net

T & A D POYSER

Strange events at
Aberlady Bay

Readers who know Aberlady for its bird life
would be intrigued to see the Reserve featured
prominently on the front page of the “East
Lothian Courier" recently under the title
“Police swoop on 'gay' beach party".
Apparently groups of men find the more
secluded dunes ideal for activities that are not
normally encouraged on the beach, or indeed
anywhere else. A raid by “plain clothes"
policemen (who must have had trouble
deciding on suitable disguises) resulted in
seven arrests out of around 50 men. This
number is probably a record but the Reserve
Warden has had a series of complaints from
visitors, as well as some odd personal
encounters, such as the occasion when he
came on six nudists dancing “Ring a Ring a
Roses" on the sand. The Chairman of the
Mangement Committee, who is also a local
minister, commented that “we must look at
this more closely" which was not, perhaps,
the best choice of words in the circumstances!

All this publicity seems to have frightened
off the offenders; a recent visit by SBN
personnel armed with telephoto lenses found
nothing more than moulting Eiders and
summer wild flowers to focus on. However it
does raise intriguing questions for the
management of the Nature Reserve. East
Lothian District Council have been so keen to
limit the numbers of visitors to Aberlady that
no one is meant to refer to it in public and
organisations which do so, including RSPB,
have been sent rather sharp letters. Hopefully
these bizarre events will result in a more
positive policy towards visitors. Aberlady is so
accessible and well known that local SOC
members have been pressing the
Management Committee for some time to
provide improved facilities for both birds and
birdwatchers. There can, after all, be no more
effective deterrent to persons with tendencies
they would prefer to keep secret than a regular
procession of birders bristling with high
powered optics.

Stan da Prato

March 1986 goose
count results

In mid-March Scotland held 92% of the
97,000 Pink-footed Geese counted in Britain
and 97% of the 51,000 Greylags. As David
Salmon, organiser of the national wildfowl
counts, notes in his (unpublished) report to all
who helped with the count. Greylags in
particular are under-recorded at this season
— the November 1985 total was 107,000.
The Wildfowl Trust has therefore decided to
discontinue the March goose counts, but to
encourage wildfowl counters to make their
monthly counts at dawn or dusk so as to
obtain information on roosting ducks as well
as geese.

The numbers of Pinkfeet in southern
Scotland were lower than usual for March,
despite a count of 17,000 in Wigtown Bay. In
the north-east there was a notable
concentration near the coast, with 15,350 at
the Loch of Strathbeg and 13,550 around the
Ythan. For Greylags the situation was
reversed, with relatively low counts in the
north-east and slightly higher numbers than
usual in the south-west. The largest counts
were 5,000 on Drummond Pond, Crieff, and
3,100 on Bute.

4

Putty fills the gap

Soon after new ground floor windows were
installed at our house just before Christmas,
my wife and I noticed that fresh putty was
being removed from lower parts of the frames.
Indentations left in the soft material indicated
that the culprits were avian. Disappearance of
the putty continued and on two occasions in
late January I saw a female blackbird pecking
and eating the putty avidly for several minutes
at a time, while it was standing on the window
ledge. This behaviour ceased in early February,
by which time 110cm of putty had been totally
or partially removed. Our local builder told me
that he had seen this happen before, especially
during hard weather.

Presumably the bird or birds were eating the
putty in order to obtain energy from the
linseed oil, which has a similar metabolisable
energy content to other vegetable oils (about
9000 kilocalories/kg). The non-nutritive
component (mainly chalk) is probably
harmless, and, by acting as a filler, may itself
help to alleviate hunger. The putty may thus
have provided an important supplement to the
diet at at time of freezing conditions when
energy requirements were high and food
availability low. The weather was even colder
later in February, but no more putty was taken
despite much more being available. By then,
however, the putty was getting quite hard, and
the energy content of linseed oil declines as
it oxidizes, so birds may no longer have been
able to extract it profitably.

We are left with the question of how birds
were attracted to the putty in the first place.
When fresh it has a distinctive smell so
perhaps they smelt it (contrary to popular
belief, research has indicated that many
species of birds have a well developed sense
of smell). Alternatively, they may be
continually sampling new materials
encountered in their environment, particularly
at times of severe hunger. They may even have
observed the putty being applied and
investigated it out of curiosity.

John Savory

Attacks on putty seem to be most often
recorded with tits, but Simms (British
Thrushes, pi 13) records Blackbirds and Song
Thrushes taking putty from a glasshouse near
Norwich. — Eds.

Golden Jubilee Lecture

Dr. Ian Newton on
"The Sparrowhawk"

At the George Square Theatre, University of
Edinburgh, on TUESDAY 9 DECEMBER 1986
at 7.45 p.m. Dr. Newton will be available
afterwards to sign copies of his new book 'The
Sparrowhawk' (illustrated by Keith Brockie),
which will be on sale. Tickets (inclusive of
wine or soft drink): Adults £2, Juniors under
18 years 75p. Apply to Mrs E. Leven, 13
Henderson Row, Edinburgh EH3 SDH
enclosihg SAE and cheque payable to SOC
Edinburgh Branch, or collect at Edihburgh
Branch meetings. This event is being
sponsored by UNIROYAL, manufacturers of
he famous Hunter 'green wellies'.

UNIROYAL

Notices

Yellow Goosanders

Past work on Goosanders in Northumberland
has used wing tags and dyes to investigate
the post-breeding dispersal of juveniles and
the moult migration of males. In 1986 an
attempt is being made to investigate the post-
breeding dispersal and wintering areas of adult
females breeding in Northumberland. Nesting
females were caught in the spring and all their
white plumage was dyed yellow with picric
acid. Please send details of any sightings of
these yellow birds (location, date and
Goosander group size) to Steve Petty, PC,
Wildlife & Conservation Research Branch,
Ardentinny, Dunoon, Argyll PA 23 STS or Brian
Little, 37 Stella Hall Drive, Blaydon, Tyne &
Wear, NE21 4LE.

World Conference on
Birds of Prey

1987 has been declared the International Year
of the Raptor. From March 1987 to April 1988
the ICBP's World Working Group on Birds of
Prey is mounting an extensive educational
campaign in co-operation with conservation
organisations throughout the world, with the
aim of increasing awareness of the need for
raptor protection. Proposed projects include
the production of booklets, slide sets, 16mm
film and video cassettes, an extensive
publicity campaign, international drawing,
sculpture, photography and film competitions,
and the Third World Conference on Birds of
Prey.

The conference, in Eilat, Israel on 22-27
March 1987, is to be preceded and followed
by tours — for both 'dedicated ornithologists'
and those also interested in historical and
archaeological sites. The eight conference
themes cover a wide range of topics related
to raptor research and conservation: two are
convened by British ornithologists —
'Population biology and breeding' (Dr. Ian
Newton, ITE) and 'Legislation' (Dr. Peter
Robinson, RSPB). Purther information and a
brochure are available from Dr. Robin
Chancellor, c/o British Museum [Nat, Hist.),
Cromwell Road, London SW7.

Responsive

Yeflowhammer

Each month I have a meeting for the Gigha
YOC Group at my cottage. On one occasion
I was giving them bird calls to remember and
try out and, as a pair of Yellowhammers had
been around the garden, I got the children to
mimic "a little bit of bread and no cheese".
The noise they made sounded like a regiment
of Yellowhammers "taking the mickey" out
of their own distinctive call. Unexpectedly, we
got a response. The hen Yellowhammer flew
in and landed on the fence. The male hung
back but came near enough to enchant the
children.

Vie Tulloch

Photospot

Don Smith connected an infra red trip to
a Nikon F2 and Metz flashgun to capture
this excellent shot of a Tawny Owl bring-
ing a Short-tailed vole back to its nest.
This system means that the bird takes its
own picture in the photographer's absen-
ce. The drawback is that you use rather
a lot of film — in this case around 3000
exposures over a 3 year period.

Ready for bird-BQ?

CAITHNESS

DUNNET By THURSO

PUFFINS ON YOUR DOORSTEP!

THE MOST NORTHERLY PRIVATE
HOUSE ON THE BRITISH MAINLAND

UNRIVALLED VIEWS TO ORKNEY AND
THE OLD MAN OF HOY

SPECTACULAR CLIFF TOP POSITION
providing

A HAVEN FOR WILDLIFE
including

Puffins, Razor Bills and Great Skewers

Thanks to Frank Spragge for this item, which
appeared in the Scotsman on 10 July.

'The Osprey
Village'

Beautiful Boat of
Garten in the
central Scottish

Highlands by RSPB
Loch Garten
reserve.

•

For details of year-
round Highland
hospitality, local
bird list and
activity

programme, sae
please:

Tourist Association
Boat of Garten
Inverness-shire

5

THE

ATLAS OF
WINTERING
BIRDS IN
BRITAIN AND
IRELAND

Compiled by
PETER LACK

This companion volume to The
Atlas of Breeding Birds is derived
from the surveys, organised by the
BTO and IWC, of birds present in
thew/inters of 1981/82, 1982/83
and 1983/84. There are full-page
two-colour maps for the 192 main
species, each faced by a page of
text commenting on the survey
results, the species generally and
the distribution as mapped. In
addition there are introductory
chapters by Dr Lack on the maps,
the weather in the three winters,
bird patterns and movements;
appendices describe the planning,
organisation, field methods, and
the processing of data from record
cards to computer output and
maps. A team of 23 artists, led by
Robert Gillmor, has provided the
line drawings which head the
species accounts.

448 pages, £19.00 net
T & A D POYSER

Shorebird Counts in the Moray Firth

The Moray Firth is of national and
international importance for passage and
wintering concentrations of shorebird
species: waders and wildfowl.

Recognition of the importance of the
area came as recently as 1969 when
counts began as part of the Birds of
Estuaries Enquiry. These early counts
were rather piecemeal but established
the undoubted importance of the area
and led to the designation of a number
of NNRs and SSSIs.

The first successful coordinated count
was made by Currie et al in 1970. From
the winter of 1981/2 and until that of
1984/5, F. L. Symonds (working for the
NCC under contract to Britoil as part of
the Beatrice Environmental Programme)
was employed full-time to study shore-
birds in the Moray Firth. This impetus to
the study of shorebird populations,
together with the unfailing enthusiasm
and dedication of members of the
Highland Ringing Group and many
others, resulted in the first coordinated
count for several years during the winter
of 1984/5, after which it was decided
that coordinated counts should be
continued in future years.

To achieve full coverage in the 1985/6
season, a team of 35 counters was
required. Five regional organisers were
appointed to ensure complete coverage
for their area and to collate results, which
were gathered within five days of the
count and passed on to the central

organiser. A news-sheet was then pre-
pared for circulation to all counters. Four
coordinated counts were attempted, the
first in October to coincide with the peak
dabbling duck numbers, and three mid-
winter ones (December - February) to
build up a picture of winter wader and
duck numbers in the Firth. It was decided
that, as such a mammoth effort was
involved, both ducks and waders should
be counted on the same date.

Fortune favoured our hardy team of
volunteers, who gave up four Sundays,
and a full set of counts was achieved on
each date — anything that moved got
counted. With the exception of the
January count, when winds were gale
force (affecting the accuracy of duck
counts), the weather was extremely
favourable -- not what we're used to at
all!

It was successfully argued that the
Moray Firth should be a single count unit
(Fig. 1) and that it should not be
subdivided into separate sections as had
been the case previously. Ringing studies
have shown many waders e.g. Knot and
Bar-tailed Godwit, to be very mobile
throughout the whole Moray Firth
complex. Equally large and even larger
areas e.g. the Severn, Firth of Forth,
Solway and Wash, constitute single
"resorts" in the annual reports of the
BTO and Wildfowl Trust. The boundaries
of the Moray Firth are from Brora, East
Sutherland, in the north to Findhorn,

How many waders? Unfortunately, this photo — found in the SOC files, cannot be properly
credited as the photographer’s name is not on it ~ nor are the species and location!

6

Morayshire, in the east; excluded for
historical reasons are Burghead Bay and
the estuaries of the Lossie and Spey,
which are counted separately.

The most recent comparable total
count of waders prior to this winter's is
that made in January 1985 when 36,440
were recorded. Unfortunately no wild-
fowl count was made. The January 1986
wader total was 35,521 but the peak
count had come in December when
38,111 was the final tally.

Waders

October counts and peak winter
counts for the main wader species are
shown in Table 1. The month of the peak
winter count is also shown.

The composite winter peak gives a
total of 39,640 waders of nineteen
species with the six main ones
accounting for nearly 95% of the total.
This total would have put the Moray Firth
in twelfth position of all estuaries in
Britain and Ireland compared to totals the
previous winter. We'll have to wait and
see how well we've done this year. The
Moray Firth is obviously extremely
important and is second only to the
Solway in Scotland in terms of total
numbers, with the Forth coming in third.

Wildfowl

Only Wigeon and Teal showed up in
peak numbers in October with 36,141
and 4,146 respectively. Peak winter
counts and month are listed in Table 2.
Pink-footed Geese also move through the
area but outside the period counted.

TABLE 2: WILDFOWL TOTALS

Species

Peak Winter
Count (Month)

Mute Swan

338*

(Jan)

Whooper Swan

388**

(Feb)

Greylag

5405**

(Jan)

Shelduck

1253**

(Feb)

Wigeon

23725**

(Dec)

Teal

3490**

(Feb)

Mallard

5590*

(Dec)

Pintail

367*

(Feb)

Pochard

14*

(Feb)

Tufted Duck

1323*

(Feb)

Scaup

467*

(Feb)

Goldeneye

1074*

(Feb)

Red-breasted Merganser

2786**

(Jan)

Goosander

1941 **

(Dec)

Others (5sp)

15

* and ** refer to qualifying levels for National and
International Importance. ’ mean winter count
greater than 1% of estimated British wintering
population. * * mean winter count greater than 1 %
of estimated NW European wintering population.

The results of these coordinated
counts confirm the international and
national importance of the Moray Firth
for shorebirds both on passage and
throughout the winter as shown by Table
3.

TABLE 3: NUMBERS OF SPECIES OF NATIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE IN
THE MORAY FIRTH

Waders

Wildfowl

Nationally

Important

9

13

Internationally

Important

6

7

The value of continuing the counts is
immense in the light of the numerous
developments and fresh proposals to
develop throughout the area and are
instrumental in making any represent-
ation on conservation grounds.

The Highland Ringing Group is grateful
to Britoil PLC who provided financial
assistance. Finally, I'd like to thank all
counters who took part this winter —
keep fit for next season.

S. J. Aspinall

Wigeon drake: Keith Brockie

TABLE 1: WADER TOTALS

October Peak Winter

Species

Count

Count (Month)

Oystercatcher

11754

11316**

(Jan)

Lapwing

1408

977

(Dec)

Ringed Plover

624

302*

(Dec)

Grey Plover

21 1 *

40

(Jan)

Golden Plover

175

57

(Dec)

Curlew

3121

3013**

(Feb)

Turnstone

405

599**

(Feb)

Bar-tailed Godwit

3151

5569**

(Jan)

Black-tailed Godwit

1 1

2

(Feb)

Redshank

7629

6268**

(Dec)

Greenshank

9

5

(Dec)

Knot

1720

3693**

(Dec)

Dunlin

4722

7634*

(Dec)

Sanderling

26

38

(Dec)

Purple Sandpiper

1

120

(Jan)

Others

27(2sp)

7(4sp) (Jan)

' and * * refer to qualifying levels for National and
International Importance. * mean winter count
greater than 1 % of estimated British wintering
population. * * mean winter count greater than 1 %
of estimated NW European wintering population.

Small ads

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Week long birdwatching courses in comfort
in small friendly guest house. Expert tuition,
individual attention, safaris, lectures. Begin-
ners welcome. SAE: Ron Youngman, 'Atholl
Bank', Pitlochry, Perthshire (0796-2753).

BIRD JOURNAL back numbers supplied. — D.
Morgan, Whitmore, Umberleigh, Devon.

STRONESLANEY, STRATHYRE. Self catering.
Watch river and marsh birds from your log-
cabin window or come B & B in farmhouse.
Beautiful forest, loch and mountain surround-
ings. Tel: 08774 676.

JUBILEE POSTER celebrating 50 years of
Scottish ornithology. A 4-colour art poster
(24" x 16") featuring superb colour
photograph of Golden Eagle by Don Smith.
£1.95 (inc. p&p) from SOC (Poster), 21 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BT.

SPEY VALLEY ~ 4 well equipped self-catering
holiday cottages conveniently situated in pict-
uresque rural surroundings close to the Insh
Marshes, a Nature Reserve managed by the
RSPB, and only a short drive from the Cairn-
gorms and Loch Garten (Ospreys). Abundant
wildlife all around with good hill-walking. For
further details and brochure send SAE to: Alvie
Estate, Kincraig, Kingussie, Inverness-shire or
Tel. (054 04) 255.

7

What future for the flows?

The "Flow Country" of east Sutherland and Caithness is unique to Britain. This flat,
windswept landscape is one of the largest blanket bogs in the world, and approaches
closer to tundra than anywhere else in Scotland. To stand in one of the complexes
of lochans on the Caithness flows, look over this almost endless landscape to distant
Ben Hope and Ben Loyal in the west, and listen to the call of Greenshanks, Golden
Plovers and Dunlin is an unforgettable experience.

Only in recent years has the ornithological value of the flow country become properly
appreciated. Since the late 1970's the NCC and RSPB have surveyed over 200 km^
of the moorland of the flows. From this one can see just how exceptional the breeding
bird community is. The area is estimated to hold almost 70% of Britain's breeding
Greenshank population, 30% of our Dunlin and 10% of our Golden Plover. Many rarer
species also breed; Arctic Skua and Common Scoter are found almost nowhere else
on the UK mainland. Black-throated Divers, Greylag Geese and Wigeon all have
important populations here. Red-throated Diver, Golden Eagle and Merlin are ail present,
as are virtually all of the commoner moorland birds such as Teal, Curlew and Redshank.
The general rule, that the further north one is in Britain the more moorland birds are
present, certainly holds good here.

Until recently no-one considered that
the wildlife of this area was seriously
under threat. The land had been used for
rough grazing, sporting and fishing for
many years, and these activities were all
compatible with the wildlife interest of
the area. Since 1981 however this picture
has changed, almost beyond recognition
in some parts of the flows. Afforestation
has arrived and by 1986 almost 40,000
hectares (100,000 acres) of bog have
been planted, or approved for forestry
planting. The use of mixtures of
lodgepole pine and sitka spruce is said
to overcome the problems of forestry
establishment on deep peat in the north
of Scotland, and this massive
afforestation programme seems set to
continue. Some 65,000 hectares, more
than one third of the total area of the
flow country, is now in the hands of
forestry interests, and at the present rate

of planting two thirds of the flows will
be afforested by the turn of the century.
Indeed, almost all of the flow country
area could now be considered technically
plantable with conifers. Although the
forestry here seems likely to be amongst
the riskiest in Britain, the combination of
low land prices, government grants and
tax concessions, which meet up to 70%
of the costs of establishing new forests,
makes afforestation in the north an
attractive proposition to private
investors. The level of risk is emphasised
by the fact that the largest private
forestry company in Britain, the
Economic Forestry Group, will not
recommend forestry in this area to their
investors: they consider it economically
unsound, regardless of the conservation
arguments. Despite this. Fountain
Forestry continue to expand their
operations and the wildlife of the area

continues to be affected.

The precise extent to which birds are
affected is unknown, for a number of
reasons. Obviously where conifer
plantations replace open peatlands, birds
such as Greenshank, Golden Plover,
Dunlin and Curlew will be excluded from
that land within the space of a few years.
Breeding lochans for Red-throated Divers
may be completely obscured, and the
effect of planting close to larger lochs
may have adverse effects on breeding
Black-throated Divers and wildfowl. Even
at the end of a rotation of timber the
natural moorland habitat will not re-
develop, and the effects of drainage
suggest it will be unlikely that waders
will return to felled areas in any numbers.
The drainage operations for new forestry
may also be affecting areas which are
not planted with trees, and the overall
effects of plantations on nearby open
moorland are not yet known.

Only this year, after five years of
massive afforestation, have the Forestry
Commission commissioned RSPB to
study the "edge effects" of new
plantations. These could include the
effects of drainage and of increased
losses from predators such as crows and
foxes living in plantations, while some
moorland species could have an aversion
to nesting close to plantations. At least
some of these effects may be cumulative
over a number of years as forests grow.
It is likely, therefore, that birds will be
affected over a larger area than that
which is actually planted, and the

The flow country of east Sutherland and

Caithness (dashed line) and the area

currently controlled by forestry interests

(dotted line).

8

A typical flowland pool system, with recently planted ground beyond. Stewart Angus

existing plantations have already
fragmented many areas of the flow
country.

To date there has been almost no
consultation about the effects of this
new forestry on nature conservation. The
Nature Conservancy Council have
notified about 7% of the area as SSSIs
and have only been consulted where
these, or a small number of proposed
SSSIs, have been directly affected.
Because of the widespread nature of the
bird interest over the whole of the flow
country, the SsSl system is insufficient
here, and it is quite clear that a better
system of consultation and consideration
of new forestry is needed. Last year the
RSPB presented a report to the Secretary
of State for Scotland detailing these

problems, and called for a halt to all new
forestry in the flow country until a full
review of forestry in the area could be
made. Despite further discussions with
the Forestry Commission there is so far
no indication that anything of the sort
will be carried out. In the meantime
afforestation continues in the flow
country with little consideration for the
effects on wildlife, and with no authority
responsible for trying to achieve a
sensible balance of forestry with
farming, conservation and other land
uses. Indeed, until the research is
completed we do not even know how far
from the planted trees the new forestry
will exert effects on breeding bird
populations.

Given these factors, the RSPB

continues to maintain that there should
be a temporary halt on all forestry in the
flow country. In this breathing space the
research could be completed, and a
policy could be developed for the
establishment of the right sort of forestry
in the right places in Sutherland and
Caithness: not in large conifer

monocultures and not on the best flow
land areas for birds, which in general are
the worst planting ground for new trees.
If changes do not occur we may be
witnessing the decline and loss of a
unique bird community in Britain at a
time when the government and all
political parties are claiming an increased
interest in the environment.

The RSPB through its action, and the
Nature Conservancy Council with its
new review of forestry and nature
conservation, are both playing their part
to ensure that this does not occur. You
can play your part too: make your opinion
known to your MP or to the Secretary of
State. The flow country may seem a long
way from you, while you read this article
in Edinburgh, or Aberdeen or even
Inverness: just think how remote it
seems from Westminster were changes
to safeguard the future of the flows need
to be brought about.

If any member would like to know more
about forestry and the flow country, or would
like help or advice on how to contact their MP,
David Minns and I would be only too pleased
to assist.

Ian Bainbridge

Ian Bainbridge works for the RSPB's
Conservation Planning Department, on
forestry and woodland issues in the UK,
trying to achieve a better balance
between forestry and bird conservation.
He is based at the Scottish Headquarters
"to be nearer to the Forestry
Commission and to keep in touch with
the problems".

Greenshank at the nest, lam Macleod

9

What future for the flows?

The "Flow Country” of east Sutherland and Caithness is unique to Britain. This flat,
windswept landscape is one of the largest blanket bogs in the world, and approaches
closer to tundra than anywhere else in Scotland. To stand in one of the complexes
of lochans on the Caithness flows, look over this almost endless landscape to distant
Ben Hope and Ben Loyal in the west, and listen to the call of Greenshanks. Golden
Plovers and Dunlin is an unforgettable experience.

Only in recent years has the ornithological value of the flow country become properly
appreciated. Since the late 1970"s the NCC and RSPB have surveyed over 200 km
of the moorland of the flows. From this one can see just how exceptional the breeding
bird community is. The area is estimated to hold almost 70% of Britain s breeding
Grecinshank population, 30% of our Dunlin and 10% of our Golden Plover, Many rarer
species also breed; Arctic Skua and Common Scoter are found almost nowhere else
on the UK mainland. Black-throated Divers, Greylag Geese and Wigeon all have
important populations here. Red-throated Diver. Golden Eagle and Merlin are ail present,
as are virtually all of the commoner moorland birds such as Teal. Curlew and Redshank.
The general rule, that the further north one is in Britain the more moorland birds are
present, certainly holds good here

Until recently no-one considered that
the wildlife of this area was seriously
under threat. The land had been used for
rough grazing, sporting and fishing for
many years, and these activities were all
compatible with the wildlife interest of
the area. Since 1981 however this picture
has changed, almost beyond recognition
in some parts of the flows. Afforestation
has arrived and by 1986 almost 40,000
hectares (100,000 acres) of bog have
been planted, or approved for forestry
planting. The use of mixtures of
lodgepole pine and sitka spruce is said
to overcome the problems of forestry
establishment on deep peat in the north
of Scotland, and this massive
afforestation programme seems set to
continue. Some 65,000 hectares, more
than one third of the total area of the
flow country, is now in the hands of
forestry interests, and at the present rate

of planting two thirds of the flows will
be afforested by the turn of the century.
Indeed, almost all of the flow country
area could now be considered technically
plantable with conifers. Although the
forestry here seems likely to be amongst
the riskiest in Britain, the combination of
low land prices, government grants and
tax concessions, which meet up to 70%
of the costs of establishing new forests,
makes afforestation in the north an
attractive proposition to private
investors. The level of risk is emphasised
by the fact that the largest private
forestry company in Britain, the
Economic Forestry Group, wilt not
recommend forestry in this area to their
investors; they consider it economically
unsound, regardless of the conservation
arguments. Despite this. Fountain
Forestry continue to expand their
operations and the wildlife of the area

8

A typical flowland pool system, with recently planted ground beyond. Stewart Angus

continues to be affected.

The precise extent to which birds are
affected is unknown, for a number of
reasons. Obviously where conifer
plantations replace open peatlands. birds
such as Greenshank, Golden Plover,
Dunlin and Curlew will be excluded from
that land within the space of a few years.
Breeding lochans for Red-throated Divers
may be completely obscured, and the
effect of planting close to larger lochs
may have adverse effects on breeding
Black-throated Divers and wildfowl. Even
at the end of a rotation of timber the
natural moorland habitat will not re-
develop, and the effects of drainage
suggest it will be unlikely that waders
will return to felled areas in any numbers.
The drainage operations for new forestry
may also be affecting areas which are
not planted with trees, and the overall
effects of plantations on nearby open
moorland are not yet known.

Only this year, after five years of
massive afforestation, have the Forestry
Commission commissioned RSPB to
study the '"edge effects'" of new
plantations. These could include the
effects of drainage and of increased
losses from predators such as crows and
foxes living in plantations, while some
moorland species could have an aversion
to nesting close to plantations. At least
some of these effects may be cumulative
over a number of years as forests grow.
It IS likely, therefore, that birds will be
affected over a larger area than that
which is actually planted, and the

The flow country of east Sutherland and
Caithness (dashed line) and the area
currently confro//ed by forestry interests
Idotted line).

existing plantations have already
fragmented many areas of the flow
country.

To date there has been almost no
consultation about the effects of this
new forestry on nature conservation. The
Nature Conservancy Council have
notified about 7% of the area as SSSIs
and have only been consulted where
these, or a small number of proposed
SSSIs, have been directly affected.
Because of the widespread nature of the
bird interest over the whole of the flow
country, the S:>3l system is insufficient
here, and it is quite clear that a better
system of consultation and consideration
of new forestry is needed. Last year the
RSPB presented a report to the Secretary
of State for Scotland detailing these

problems, %nd called for a halt to all new
forestry in the flow country until a full
review of forestry in the area could be
made. Despite further discussions with
the Forestry Commission there is so far
no indication that anything of the sort
will be carried out. In the meantime
afforestation continues In the flow
country with little consideration for the
effects on wildlife, and with no authority
responsible for trying to achieve a
sensible balance of forestry with
farming, conservation and other land
uses. Indeed, until the research is
completed we do not even know how far
from the planted trees the new forestry
will exert effects on breeding bird
populations.

Given these factors, the RSPB

continues to maintain that there should
be a temporary halt on all forestry in the
flow country. In this breathing space the
research could be completed, and a
policy could be developed for the
establishment of the right son of forestry
in the right places in Sutherland and
Caithness: not in large conifer

monocultures and not on the best flow
land areas for birds, which in general are
the worst planting ground for new trees.
If changes do not occur we may be
witnessing the decline and loss of a
unique bird community in Britain at a
time when the government and all
political parties are claiming an increased
interest in the environment

The RSPB through its action, and the
Nature Conservancy Council with its
new review of forestry and nature
conservation, are both playing their part
to ensure that this does not occur. You
can play your part too: make your opinion
known to your MP or to the Secretary of
State. The flow country may seem a long
way from you, while you read this article
in Edinburgh, or Aberdeen or even
Inverness: just think how remote it
seems from Westminster were changes
to safeguard the future of the flows need
to be brought about.

If any member would like to know more
about forestry and the flow country or would
like help or advice on how to contact their MP.
David Minns and I would be only too pleased
to assist.

Ian Bainbridge

Ian Bainbridge works for the RSPB's
Conservation Planning Department, on
forestry and woodland issues in the UK.
trying to achieve a better balance
between forestry and bird conservation.
He IS based at the Scottish Headquarters
“to be nearer to the Forestry
Commission and to keep in touch with
the problems".

Qreenshank at the nest, lam Macleod

■

SOC News

SOC Sponsored
Blrdwatch,

10th May 1986

Planning for the Sponsored Blrdwatch started
at a meeting of the Edinburgh Branch
Committee shortly after receipt of the
President's Golden Jubilee appeal letter. The
Branch Chairman, William Prest, undertook to
write the begging letters and the Vice-
Chairman, Peter Gordon, took on the
organisation. With major sponsorship forth-
coming from Famous Grouse Whisky, the
Royal Bank of Scotland and Shell Petroleum,
random thoughts became reality and planning
in earnest began.

Every branch secretary was contacted and,
with two exceptions, responded positively to
the idea. A somewhat different reaction was
noted in an editorial in the Glasgow Herald on
the 6 May, which poked mischievous fun at
birdwatche.-s and, in particular, 'doubted
whether there were 133 different sort of birds
in the whole world let alone Scotland'. Was
it this scurrilous piece that deterred members
of the Glasgow Branch from fully supporting
the effort? Better publicity was forthcoming
from the BBC who promised to transmit a half-
hour programme on the progress of one of the
teams comprising Gordon Anderson, Ian
Andrews, Alan Brown and Peter Gordon.

Most of the enthusiasts planned their day
in advance to take in as many habitats as
possible and took care to minimise the
travelling time between venues. A typical
itinerary for the Lothians included Roslin
Wood; Pentlands; Threipmuir Reservoir;
Cramond Brig (for lunch?); Botanic Gardens,
Edinburgh; Duddingston Loch; Musselburgh;
Cousland; Gosforth Bay; Aberlady; Tyning-
hame; Dunbar; Barns Ness and Yellowcraigs
for a well earned barbecue.

The top scoring team, and winners of
bottles of Famous Grouse, covered the Lothian
and Borders area. They were Graham
Checkley, Ray Murray, Liz and Mike Leven,
who finished with a total of 127 species. They
were pressed hard by the BBC Team who
finished with 120 species. Other century
makers came from Dumfries and Galloway,
Lothian and Aberdeen. The highest individual
scores (as opposed to team efforts) were
recorded by John and Margaret Swallow and
D. Napier; all shared a total of 106 species.

Stuart Craig (Borders) led the fund raisers
with a total of £140. Others raising over £100
were Neil Millar (Aberdeen) £127.05; Bryan
Hickman (Edinburgh) £119.16; William Prest
(Edinburgh) £104.74. Neil Millar, who is
thirteen, will receive a special prize for his
efforts in the form of a voucher for the SOC
Bird Bookshop. 30 individuals taking part
raised over £20 and qualified for the prize
draw. The winner was David Irving; his prize
— only one guess allowed.

A total of 172 different species were seen
during the day (Glasgow Herald please note)
and a sum of £2,435.40 raised by the event.
May I, on behalf of the Edinburgh Branch,
thank all the members who took part and
assure them that their efforts helped to make
the event one of the major fund raisers in the
Golden Jubilee Year. A suitable cause for
celebration with a wee dram. Well done.

Peter Marriott

Blrdwatch Barbecue

The Branch was also heavily involved in the
Sponsored Birdwatch when the hectic day
was rounded off by a most successful
barbecue and bonfire organised by Bill
Paterson. Some 50 members and their families
and friends made short work of the
beefburgers and baked potatoes around the
driftwood fire which burned well in the strong
wind. The event provided an opportunity to
meet other members and find out how
everyone had fared in the sponsored
birdwatch. Woodcocks roded overhead for
those who had not ventured out at 4 a.m. to
get them first on the day's list. Our thanks go
to Bill for the organisation and smooth running
of the evening.

Ian Andrews

Great Fife & Kinross
Bird Race

This took place on 11 May and a total of 139
species were seen. The winning team (SWT)
scored 121 species, a new record for this
annual event.

If any member still has sponsorship money
to collect and send in, would they please do
so as soon as possible, to Frank Spragge,
Hessle House, Ceres, Fife. It all goes, as
members will know, to the Club's Golden
Jubilee Appeal.

Well done Stranraer!

Members at the Club's southwestern outpost
decided to organise a 'Bird Fayre' in aid of the
Jubilee Appeal. This initiative proved highly
successful, raising the handsome sum of
£800. Hearty congratulations to all
concerned.

White-tailed Eagle. John Love

The Branch totals raised

were:

Aberdeen

£216.05

Ayr

£30.00

Borders

£274.71

Dundee

£214.15

Edinburgh

£1061.35

Glasgow

£1 1.20

New Galloway

£10.20

Stirling

£28.02

Stranraer

£174.62

Thurso

£21.10

£2,041.40

Sponsorship Money

Famous Grouse

£172.00

Royal Bank of Scotland

£172.00

Shell

£50.00

£394.00

Branches

£2041.40

Sponsors

£394.00

Grand Total

£2,435.40

Speyside Weekend

For their second celebration of Jubilee Year,
seven members of the New Galloway Branch
were joined on Speyside for the weekend of
16-18 May by nine other SOC members from
as far afield as the Borders, Dumfries,
Harrogate, Ayr, Edinburgh and Aviemore. After
the long cold Spring, it was a relief to enjoy
better weather conditions on the Saturday, but
high winds on the last afternoon very nearly
spoilt our chances of seeing Crested Tits and
Crossbills; the birds had obviously moved to
more sheltered habitats and were much more
difficult to find.

Some 82 species were noted, from Ptar-
migan, Grouse and Golden Plover at the higher
levels down to Cuckoo, pipits, Whinchat,
wagtails, finches, warblers, tits, duck. Buzzard,
Sparrowhawk and others. Other sightings of
note were Slavonian Grebes in full breeding
plumage, over 50 Pied Wagtails flying into
their roost in a small conifer right beside the
entrance to the hotel at Coylumbridge quite
undeterred by the close proximity of so many
passers-by, and of course the famous ospreys
apparently at home on their man-made nest.

This was a very happy and informal
weekend for all those who made the journey
north, not only because it gave us the
opportunity to get to know one another a little
better, but also for the chance to indulge in
our favourite pastime amidst some of the most
spectacular scenery in Scotland.

Jean Jacobs

And another!

Twelve Edinburgh Branch members also
enjoyed a very successful weekend on
Speyside, 13-15 June, based at the new
Glenfeshie Hostel which proved to have
excellent facilities, provide good meals and be
ideally situated for birding in this area. On
Saturday, in perfect weather with bright
sunshine and a cool breeze, the party split into
two groups — 9 to climb onto the mountains
and 3 to explore the valley below.

The plateau was reached without too much
difficulty. On the way up we passed gullies
filled with deep snow and these seemed to
attract small parties of red deer. The reward
for reaching the top was to have a deliciously
refreshing drink from one of the sparkling
burns and then savour the breath-taking
scenery of the Cairngorms summits spread
out all around us.

Being at well over 3000 feet we were of
course into the fragile tundra. In this area we
discovered a spanking Dotterel and not far
away could see its mate sitting on a nest. Later
a couple of "stones" turned out to be a pair
of crouching Ptarmigan. Another pair of
Dotterel flew overhead in a display flight. More
red deer were seen as well as a glimpse of a
Golden Eagle.

At the end of a perfect day a visit was made
to a local hostelry to reflect on our good
fortune. On our way home to bed a few
minutes were spent watching a Goldeneye
duck with 16 ducklings.

Sunday was again sunny but much warmer
with no cooling breeze. The day was spent
exploring the local woods and lochs to find
species typical of this area, including of course
Ospreys and Crested Tits. We rounded off a
memorable weekend with a walk through the
beautiful pine woods surrounding Loch an
Eilean.

William Prest

10

SOC Jubilee Cruise
14-23 May 1986

After some early drizzle, the 14 May turned
into a bright and sunny, if chilly, day in
Edinburgh. By late morning 11 members of the
S.O.C. had joined Angus Erskine and the crew
of M.V. Plancius and set off from Leith Docks
for a tour of the northern Isles of Scotland.
Having previously spent no more than 8 hours
at sea in one go before, I was a little
apprehensive! However I fared reasonably well
while the weather was good. We enjoyed
bright sunshine for several days but by 21 May
dull drizzly weather gave way to force 10
gales, gusting to force 11! Being on St. Kilda
at the time we had no choice but to wait. The
winds persisted and we threw caution — and
ourselves! — to the winds and headed for
Greenock — a journey which several of us
failed to appreciate!

Some excellent bird-watching opportunities
were enjoyed at several of Europe's finest
seabird colonies. Landings were made on Hoy,
Westray, Papa Westray, Fair Isle, Noss, Fetlar
Hermaness, North Rona (4 members only) and
St. Kilda. To give a detailed account of the
birds seen over the 10-day trip would take a
lot of space, so I have recorded the species
on a series of site lists and deposited these
in the Waterston Library.

Inevitably some birds revealed themselves
to just one or two lucky members — for
example a fine Golden Eagle on Hoy and
superb male Snow Bunting in summer
plumage on North Rona seen by a few of the
more agile (or reckless?!) members, including
myself. (We had to jump ashore onto wet,
slippery rocks). Corncrakes were also sadly
scarce, highlighting the plight of the species

and only two fortunate members heard one
on Westray.

Sea-watching between islands proved
productive. No fewer than 10 Great Northern
Divers — 7 in Scapa Flow — plenty of Manx
Shearwaters, including over 800 between
North Rona and St. Kilda, 1 Leach's Petrel, 3
Storm Petrels and 2 Pomarine Skuas were
among the birds observed from the decks of
the Plancius.

I think I speak for everyone when I say we
all had a marvellous time and enjoyed the
opportunity to visit some of the less
accessible of Britain's outlying islands and I
would like to thank Angus Erskine of Erskine
Expeditions, the Dutch Captain and crew of
M.V. Plancius and the S.O.C. for all playing a
part in making this trip so enjoyable.

M. D. Crewe

Edinburgh Activities

At the last of the winter's Library Meetings
Mike Leven, editor of the Lothian Bird Report,
detailed the events of 1985, which by any
standards was an exceptional year for the
Lothians, with five new species added to the
Region's list. Also above average numbers of
Pomarine Skuas, Little Auks, Mediterannean
Gulls, Black Redstarts, Bluethroats and Red-
backed Shrikes were reported. We eagerly
await the appearance of the 1985 (jothian Bird
Report.!

Speakers at our annual members' night also
presented the results of 1985 fieldwork, this
time the national Heron survey (Mick
Marquiss) and our local Ring Ouzel survey (Ian
Poxton). Many man-hours of walking in the
Pentland, Moorfoot and Lammermuir Hills had
located 141 Ring Ouzel sites, the majority in

the latter two ranges.

Field work was again underway by mid April
with a local survey of breeding Great Crested
and Little Grebes and Tufted Ducks organised
by Allan Brown of the Branch's Discussion
Group. The aim is to visit all the local ponds,
lochs and reservoirs during the breeding
season. Great Crested Grebes have been
censused at regular intervals, but the data
collected will provide a base line for our
knowledge of Little Grebe and Tufted Duck
numbers.

Birds and beasts

A weekend of serendipity was experienced by
six members of the St. Andrew's Branch who
spent June 6-8 at Kiltarlity, Inverness-shire,
where we were made very welcome at Brockie
Lodge, our host being an SOC member. The
success of the trip was largely due to the
enthusiastic and kindly leadership of Malcolm
Harvey to whom we again extend our thanks.

On Saturday we were happy to welcome a
member of the Inverness Branch on our visit
to Glen Strathfarrar. Here the eagles were
most forthcoming and the singing Wood
Warblers vied with the Pied Flycatchers and
Crested Tits for our attention. Early risers on
Sunday were rewarded by Great Spotted
Woodpeckers and a Pine Marten but the chief
part of the morning was spent with Slavonian
Grebes and Otters, the latter obligingly leaving
their tracks behind them.

The list of birds seen was good, but seeing
them in such a beautiful setting was
memorable.

Betty Rowling

jrniu iri E rPL

Isles of Colonsay
and Oronsay —
Inner Hebrides

Remote and unspoilt, the islands encompass 20 square miles of paradise for the naturalist
— almost 170 species of birds (list on request), also otters, feral goats and a .major breeding
colony of the grey seal (pupping in September), 500 species of local flora as well as two of
the few remaining natural woodlands of the Hebrides and the exotic rhododendron collection
in the woodland garden of Colonsay House.

Historic sites include St Columba's pre-Iona foundation at Oronsay Priory, some excellent duns,
a Viking ship burial, crannog-sites in Loch Fada etc.

There are no day-trippers, no caravanners, etc., but there is a comfortable small hotel offering
table d'hote cuisine based on fresh local produce (central heating and private facilities). Drive
on-off car and passenger ferry ex-Oban Monday, Wednesday, Friday (2V2 hour passage). Dinner,
accommodation and breakfast from £25.00 including VAT and service. Free bicycles.

There are also three luxury self-catering chalets, which adjoin the hotel; each unit sleeps 5,
all bed-linen is provided plus daily maid service. Off-season rental is only £55.00 weekly. Also
special demi-pension arrangements for Field Study parties from £7.75 daily. Details on request.

THE HOTEL, ISLE OF COLONSAY, ARGYLL
(Kevin and Christa Byrne)

Telephone: Colonsay (09512) 316 — open all year

N.B. Booklet @ £3.50 inc. p&p describes the island's birds — 66pp plus 8pp colour photos.

11

Visiting St. Kilda

The name St. Kilda always arouses interest.
Most people are aware that it was evacuated
some time ago and that the army do
'something' there, while SOC members will
all know it is famous for its breeding seabirds.
This article looks at St. Kilda from the
viewpoint of the ordinary visitor and describes
how the NTS work parties operate, as ese
are the only realistic way most people have
of getting to the islands.

Ownership of St. Kilda was accepted in
1957, transfer coinciding with the decision to
establish a missile-tracking station there. In
April that year "Operation Hard Rock" started
and an RAF construction force landed on
Hirta. Originally the ruined houses were to be
demolished and used as hard core for the road,
but fortunately a quarry was opened to meet
this need. NTS work parties were started as
an ideal way of both preserving the buildings
and allowing enthusiasts to visit the islands
for 2-week holidays. Since 1957 the church
has been restored, five cottages have been re-
roofed, and the ruins of others have been
stabilised to prevent further deterioration. One
of the cottages is used as a common-room
cum dining room, two are dormitories, one is
a fine museum/information centre, and the
fifth is a store. The living quarters are basic
but comfortable, with spring beds and
background electric heating. The separate
toilet block has adequate facilities, including
showers. All this is a far cry from conditions
for the first groups, who lived in tents and
cooked over gas or paraffin stoves.

Several work parties are arranged each
summer, between early May and mid August.
Groups leave Oban on Saturday afternoon and
arrive on St. Kilda 24 hours later — weather
permitting! Calls at Canna or Ijachmaddy help
to minimise discomfort but the best possible
conditions are desirable when crossing the 40
miles of open ocean between the Sound of
Harris and St. Kilda. The boat journey does
much to forge the party into a team ready to
tackle the job ahead and is itself an exciting
part of the holiday. Porpoises swim at the
bows, whales are occasionally spotted,
petrels, Manx Shearwaters and skuas are a
common sight, and Great and Sooty
Shearwaters are sometimes present in late
summer. On the return journey the boat
usually sails between Boreray and the stacs
to give a spectacular view of the Gannet
colony — at about 60,000 pairs this is the
largest colony in the world.

Arrival at Hirta can be dramatic. Mist often
obscures the island until the boat sails into the
calmer waters of Village Bay and Connachair
is seen rising steeply behind the line of
cottages. The scale of St. Kilda is not easy to
comprehend; in places Hirta's spectacular
cliffs drop almost 500m straight to the sea —
and are said to continue vertically for the same
distance underwater. There is an overall
impression of freshness, due to the cleanliness
of rainwashed stone and the sight of green
vegetation after so much sea. The white army
buildings come as a visual shock — but the
work parties do depend on the military for use
of boats, electricity and recreational facilities,
including the famous Puff Inn Bar.

Work party members are asked to work for

up to four hours per day, but in practice the
task is completed by working as long as is
necessary. If a specialised job has to be done
a skilled person can usually be placed on a
work party but it is amazing what can be
accomplished by inexperienced enthusiasts
willing to "have a go". Tasks include clearing
ditches and doing general maintenance work,
counting sheep and helping the warden to
catch birds. Recently a party of dry stone
dykers repaired some of the dykes and cleits,
which are often wind-damaged during winter.
There are 1000 or so cleits — beehive
structures used as stores for peat, birds and
crops — on Hirta and many are in a bad state
of repair.

Full advantage is taken of good weather to
explore the island and study the wildlife.
Visitors are normally restricted to Hirta due to
transport difficulties, but NTS parties usually
land on Dun for a closer view of the Puffin
colony and some lucky individuals get to
Boreray or the stacs. The islands are, of
course, famous for seabirds, the St. Kilda Wren
and Mouse, and the flock of Soay sheep. The
sheep, at one time restricted to Soay but
introduced to Hirta in 1932, are the subject
of a long-term study and are left to their own
devices with a minimum of interference from
man. The population varies from c500-1800
depending on lambing success and winter
death rate.

The St. Kilda mouse is bigger and heavier
than the mainland subspecies and is fairly
easily seen. Early army personnel had to be
warned that the mice must not be trapped, no
matter how many chocolate bars they nibbled!
The Wrens are also easy to see but are difficult

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12

to photograph; early morning is the best time
to hear them singing from the chimney tops.
Their song differs from that of mainland birds,
being faster and higher pitched. There are
about 100 pairs on the St. Kilda group.

The islands hold the largest (and oldest)
Fulmar colony in Britain with about 45,000
pairs. They can be easily viewed as they glide
effortlessly several hundred feet above the sea
but level with your eyes and camera. They do
seem to fly for the fun of it! The Puffin
population is even larger, estimated at about
300,000 pairs, approximately half of the UK
population. The main colony is on Dun, which
most parties manage to visit, courtesy of the
Army. Landing is tricky but is easily
accomplished with the aid of a fixed rope
when the sea is calm. The vegetation on Dun
is lush, due to the absence of sheep, and it
is important to keep to the path to avoid
stumbling through Puffin burrows. When the
chicks leave their burrows in August they fly
in their hundreds towards the lights of the
camp, making it very easy to catch and ring
them.

One of the highlights of a trip to St. Kilda
must be a night visit to Cam Mor, a boulder
field below the face of Mullach Bi. It is best
to go down before sunset and view the
wheeling flight of hundreds of Puffins.
Eventually they retire to their burrows and,
after dusk, especially if the sky ,ts overcast or
the night moonless, Manx Shearwaters begin
calling. It can be a shock to suddenly hear their
cries from under your feet! Soon the returning
birds crash-land among the rocks and shuffle
to their burrows. It is understandable that the
Vikings thought that some islands with
Shearwater colonies were inhabited by Trolls!

The fluttering flight and more delicate calls of
Storm or Leach's Petrels add to this unique
experience, which is perhaps the most
memorable of the many wildlife-watching
opportunities that reward visitors to St. Kilda.

Nick Aitken

Stac an Armin with Boreray beyond.

National Trust for Scotland

ORNITHOLIDAYS 1987

Member of The Association of British Travel Agents

Twenty-two years’ Service to
Naturalists and Birdwatchers

Holidays organised by Birdwatchers
for Birdwatchers

lamaica

Venezuela

Kenya

Morocco

The Nile Valley

Zimbabwe

Tbe Seychelles

Okavango Delta

Madagascar

Ethiopia

N. India & the Himalayas
The Galapagos

Kashmir & Ladakh

Thailand

Florida

Vancouver & the Rockies

Australia

New Zealand

Israel

Iordan

S. W. Spain

Majorca

Andorra

Particulars and Programme sent on request

Spanish Pyrenees

The Camargue

The Roussillon

The Vanoise Nat. Park

S. Norway

Iceland

Yugoslavia

N. E. Greece

Mount Olympus

Turkey

Cyprus

Lake NeusiedI

LAWREMCE G. HOLLOWAY
ORMITHOLIDAYS

Dept. 4, 1/3 Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis, Sussex, England P021 2PW

Telephone 0243 821230

ATOL Licence No. 743

13

Jll

THE MUTE SWAN

Mike Birkhead and Christopher Perrins

One of the most beautiful and best-loved birds in Britain, the Mute Swan has lived
in close association with man for over a thousand years. Until recently it has
thrived throughout the British Isles but now faces severe problems created by
man. This book examines various aspects of the life of the Mute Swan, including
its history and the laws and customs associated with swan ownership, its life-
history and populations, and its future; it is written by two of the leading experts
in this field and beautifully illustrated with line drawings by David Quinn and
black and white photographs.

£13.95 0-7099-3259-6 176 pages October ’86

Illustrated with line drawings and black and white photographs

SHOREBIRDS

An identification guide to the waders of the world

Peter Hayman, John Merchant and Tony Prater

The definitive guide that will enable wader-watchers to identify birds not only in
terms of species but also by sex, age and racial origin. There are maps of breeding
and distribution areas, and many additional line drawings. A thoroughly
comprehensive text is complemented by superb colour plates that add another
dimension to bird illustration. Can you really afford to be without this book?
£19.95 0-7099-2034-2 416 pages

88 colour plates 214 distribution maps 1800 birds in full colour

THE RSPB PUZZLE AND PROJECT BOOK

Edited by Sylvia Sullivan, RSPB

With this little book, you need never be stuck for something to do. From quick
quizzes to occupy an idle ten minutes to monster brainteasers and tests of bird
identification skills, there are many entertaining puzzles to make birdwatching
even more enjoyable. There are also plenty of projects and surveys (with practical
help and guidance) to hold your interest.

Both puzzles and projects have been taken from the Young Ornithologists’ Club
magazine. Bird life. The projects have been arranged in monthly order and some
can be easily carried out at home. Others are national projects organised by the
YOC. Altogether, this book will provide a lot of fun for all the family.

£3.95 pbk* 0-903138-22-0 96 pages October ’86

Illustrated in colour and black and white

*Price may be subject to change.

TWENTIETH CENTURY WILDLIFE ARTISTS

Nicholas Hammond

A stunningly beautiful book that looks at the work of forty three of this century’s
best wildlife artists and provides the most comprehensive study yet of the
development of wildlife art. Part I is a detailed study of the background to today’s
wildlife art, charting the progress of style and theme in pictorial representation
and singling out the most influential figures in this development. Part II explores
the work of forty three of the world’s foremost wildlife artists with a wealth of
breathtaking illustration to delight and impress.

£30.00 0-7099-1266-8 224 pages 320 x227mm

128 colour plates, 73 black and white September '86

DRAWING BIRDS - AN RSPB GUIDE

John Busby

An inspiration for aspiring bird artists or anyone who has ever attempted to
capture unfrozen images of wild birds in their natural surroundings. John Busby’s
skill and experience have been brilliantly encapsulated in this practical guide. He
shows how to make simple visual records and field sketches providing hints on
field craft and more advanced thoughts about drawing and the use of colour and
picture composition. Every point in the book is illustrated by work from ‘live-bird’
artists from Europe and America; it is the most complete guide now available.
£12.95* 0-903138-21-2 128 pages

Illustrated in colour and black and white October ’86

B

Review

Nature Conservation and Afforestation in
Britain, by the Nature Conservancy Council;
1986; 108pp, many colour plates, 14 maps,
4 tables; £8.50.

Over the last 60 years, through a policy
developed because of war-time shortages of
timber, 2Vi million acres of Britain have been
planted with conifers. Initially there was little
opposition to this, but increasingly people are
aware of losses to wildlife, and to familiar open
places and hill ground.

In the last 10 years, the voice of concern
has grown louder, despite the assurances of
the foresters that "forests are good for birds",
"we are simply restoring the forest cover that
once was here". To the layman these
comments have a naive and simplistic appeal,
and it is sometimes not easy to present a true
picture of the effects of forestry without well
marshalled arguments and specific and
detailed facts.

Now at last the Nature Conservancy Council
has produced a comprehensive review of the
evidence of the effects of forestry, not only
on birds but on all wildlife in Britain, and on
the environments in which they live. The
picture which is painted is far from comforting.
Forestry has increasingly moved on to higher,
poorer and remoter ground; just that most
valuable for conservation, exemplified by the
afforestation of Sutherland and Caithness, and
the moorland wildlife suffers. Wisely, the NCC
have not stopped at a review of the effects;
they point out the changes needed to enable
wildlife to keep its proper place amongst
farming and forestry in the British countryside.
The needs for proper consultation and a
rational approach to forestry expansion are
clearly explained, and one is left in no doubt
that there is a case to answer.

This review is already destined to be a mile-
stone for conservation. Its real success,
however, depends on the reaction of
politicians, both to it and to the growing public
concern about the effects of forestry on our
wildlife and landscapes.

Ian Bainbridge

George Lodge: Artist Naturalist edited by John
Savory: Croom Helm; 1986; 118 pp; 48 colour
and 73 black & white illustrations; £25.

On account of his association with David
Bannerman and the great Scottish publishing
house of Oliver and Boyd, the name of George
Lodge and his talent as an artist are
particularly well known in Scotland. Yet, apart
from his obituaries, little has been recorded
about Lodge himself. His Memoirs of an Artist
Naturalist was a disappointing book with little
or no biographical material, while Mullens and
Kirke Swann did not grant him a separate
entry although giving full recognition to both
his brother R. B. Lodge and Archibald
Thorburn.

John Savory therefore does a great service
in editing what is in effect a symposium on
Lodge and his work. Bannerman died in 1979
but he had already prepared a biography in
anticipation of such a book being published.
This adds greatly to our knowledge of Lodge's
life and broad interests, which included
taxidermy, falconry, shooting and deer
stalking.

George Lodge was originally trained as a
wood engraver, at which he excelled, and
there is no doubt that some of his finest work
lay in this field, but wood engraving was a
slow and costly process which had to be
superseded. The history of change in methods

of book illustration during Lodge's lifetime is
here described in a scholarly chapter by
Christine Jackson. His introduction to falconry
was through his art and of course the two
were always closely associated, as is apparent
from his paintings.

This is an imortant book in the field of
natural history art, beautifully produced, for
which we are grateful to John Savory and his
contributors.

Ian Durance Rennie

Birds, Men and Books — A Literary History of
Ornithology by Peter Tate; Henry Sotheran Ltd;
1986; 193 pp; 8 pp photos; £13.95.

Do not be put off by the first few pages of
this book, in which the bare bones of the
naturalists of Tudor and earlier times are
exhumed. Once past this I found the book
fascinating reading and hard to put down.
There are interesting and lively accounts of the
lives and works of some seventy ornithologists
from John Ray and Francis Willughby to Peter
Scott and David Lack. Not least interesting are
their relationships, amicable or otherwise, with
their contemporaries in the bird world. There
were bitter battles over avian nomenclature
and the final acceptance of trinomials, and
even, one learns, a 'Sparrow War' in the
United States!

W. G. Harper

A tour of British bird reserves; by Valerie
Russell; Crowood Press; 1986; 191 pp., many
colour and black & white photos; £12.95.

I am at a loss to know why this was written.
There are c.50 "personal accounts" of visits
to reserves. "A few linnets were flitting around
and a dunnock popped in and out of the
undergrowth — but we did not see any of the
yellowhammers recorded in this area," is a
typical sentence. Guillemot is spelled wrongly
throughout, among other errors. Photographs
are plentiful, and mostly good, with the
notable exception of a sick looking Gannet on
p,49,

Stan da Prato

Short Reviews

Bird Behaviour by R. Burton; Granada; 1985;
224 pp; many colour photographs; £10.95.

This book is packed with beautiful colour
photographs illustrating many aspects of bird
behaviour. Ten chapters range over courtship,
flight, feeding, senses and much more. A book
for the amateur to enjoy and the professional
to use.

Islands of Birds; A Guide to Orkney Birds by

E. Meek; RSPB; 1985; 40 pp; many colour
photographs, line drawings and map; £1.60.

A colourful and enjoyable guide to the
birds of the Orkney Islands with a section on
each island followed by lists of Orkney bird
names, breeding birds and non-breeding birds.

Life of the Woodpecker by A. F. Smith; Croom
Helm; 1986; 136 pp; 60 colour illustrations;
£45.

A beautifully illustrated book covering all
aspects of woodpecker life from nesting to
death.

SOC Notices

Club Policy Review

Twenty-five members, representing a wide
variety of areas and interests, met at Regent
Terrace on Saturday 12 July to discuss the
club's future. The discussion ranged from how
to spread good ideas from individual branches
to the others, to longer term topics such as
the Club's name — does the word
"ornithologist" put people off? — and the
future of 21 Regent Terrace, which is an
exceptionally expensive building to maintain.
Anyone who could not attend still has plenty
of time to make their ideas known as one of
the decisions of the meeting was to report
back to branches where it is hoped further
discussion will take place, all leading to a
report to be presented to the AGM in
November.

Coming shortly

Both a Checklist of Scottish Birds and a Field
List (of the commoner species) are in course
of preparation, for publication by the SOC. It
is hoped that they will be ready in time for the
Jubilee Conference.

Changes of address

The wildfowl count organiser for Dumfries and
Galloway, Paul Shimmings, has moved to The
Bungalow, Steilston Farm, Stepford Road,
Dunscore, Dumfries-shire.

Pete Ellis has also moved — see Recent
Reports.

Back numbers wanted
Anyone with unwanted back numbers of
Scottish Birds or Scottish Bird News is
invited to donate them to the Club for re-
sale. They could be handed in to 21,
brought to the Conference, given to a
Branch Secretary or member of Council
to pass on, or posted. Some back
numbers of Scottish Birds are in
particular demand, for completion of
sets, but all will be welcomed.

Dundee Branch Field Trips

Sunday, 19 October, 1986: Tay Survey. Leader
— Bruce Lynch.

Sunday, 23 November, 1986: Sidlaw Lochs,
Leader — Bede Pounder.

Sunday, 14 December, 1986: Tentsmuir Forest
& Morton Lochs. Leader — Dave Thompson.
Sunday, 18 January, 1987: Carnoustie/Barry
Coast. Leader — Steve Fulford.

Sunday, 15 February, 1987: St. Andrews area.

Leader — I. G. Gumming.

Sunday, 15 March, 1987: Meikleour area.
Leader — J. Duncan.

Sunday, 19 April, 1987: Loch of Lowes & Mill
Dam. Leader — A. Barclay.

Photographic Competition
Remember that entries must be in by Monday,
29 September,

St. Andrews Branch Field Trips

Saturday, 20 September, 1986: Isle of May.
Meet Crail Harbour 12.15 p.m. Previous
booking with Wendy Mattingley, Tayport
552401 essential.

Saturday, 15 October, 1986: Fife Ness. Meet
Kilminning 10.00 a.m.

Sunday, 16 November 1986: Cameron
Reservoir. Evening goose watch. Meet Car
Park 2.00 p.m.

Saturday, 13 December, 1986: Leven. Waders
& Ducks. Meet Car Park 10.00 a.m.

15

Contents

European Diploma for

Fair Isle

1

Short notes

2

Recent reports

3

General News & Notices

4 &

5

Golden Jubilee Lecture

4

Shorebird Counts in

the Moray Firth

6

Small ads

7

What future for the

flows?

8

SOC News

10 &

1 1

Visiting St. Kilda

12

Reviews

15

SOC Notices

15 &

16

SBN Advertising Rates

Full page £100. Half page £50. Quarter page
across £30. Sixth page £20. Third page
upright £40. Small ads £1 per line. Prices are
exclusive of VAT. Adverts should be sent to
Jacquie Clark, Business Editor, 21 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT.

Deadlines

SBN is published four times a year, at the
beginning of March, June, September and
December. Material submitted for possible
publication should be sent to 21 Regent
Terrace no later than 8 weeks prior to pulic-
ation (e.g. by 1 October for the December
number), although late news and notices may
be accepted slightly later. Queries — and
suggestions — will be welcomed by the Editor
(Tel. 0738-23508). Information on the
submission of material for Scottish Birds, will
be found in SB 14(1).

SOC Membership

Membership subscription rates are as follows:

Adult £10.00

Junior (under 18 or student under 25) £4.00
Family (husband, wife & children under 18)

£14.50

Life . individual £200.00, family £300.00
Pensioner individual £6.00, family £8.50
Further details from Membership Secretary,
Miss Pat Webster, SQC, 21 Regent Terrace,
Edinburgh EH7 BBT.

SOC Notices

Subscriptions 1986/8 7
Members are reminded that
subscriptions are due for renewal on or
before 1st October. Those members who
don’t pay their subscriptions by Banker's
Order will find a Subscription Renewal
Form enclosed with this issue of Scottish
Bird News. Please complete the form and
send it with your remittance to Pat
Webster, the Membership Secretary, as
soon as possibe. The cost of issuing
subscription reminders is considerable,
so prompt renewal is greatly appreciated.

Jubilee Conference & AGM

The Jubilee Conference and 50th AGM
of the Club will be held during the
weekend of the 31st October - 2nd
November in the Marine Hotel, North
Berwick, East Lothian. The conference
theme is "Fifty Years of Scottish
Ornithology". Full details of the
conference programme, booking form
and AGM agenda are enclosed with this
issue of SBN.

New Honorary Members
In recognition of their distinguished
service to the Club and Scottish
ornithology. Council has elected Prof
George Dunnet, Mr Andrew Macmillan
and Dr. Adam Watson honorary members
of the Club. George Dunnet is Regius
Professor of Natural History at the
University of Aberdeen and head of
Culterty Field Station. His studies of
Fulmars during 35 years of fieldwork on
Eynhallow in the Orkneys are well
known. Prof Dunnet was awarded an
OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours
this year for his work as chairman of the
Shetland Oil Terminal Advisory Group
(SOTEAG).

Andrew Macmillan is a past President
of the Club (1975-78) and edited
Scottish Birds for eight years in the
sixties. He is by profession an accountant
and works for Melroses, the well-known
tea and coffee merchants. Dr. Adam
Watson works for the Institute of
Terrestrial Ecology at Banchory and is a
world authority on grouse. He is also an
expert on the Cairngorms, having written
two books on the area — one on natural
history and scenery (with Desmond
Nethersole-Thompson) and the other the
Scottish Mountaineering Club district
guide.

The Bird Bookshop
The new 1986/87 catalogue is now
available to Club members. Remember,
besides getting the best bird and natural
history books post and packing free,
buying books from your Bookshop helps
the Club's funds as well. Write or
telephone (031-556 6042) now to
ensure your free catalogue.

Endowment Fund Grants
This year 12 grants totalling £1,700 were
awarded to Club members, branches and
ringing groups for research projects.
Applications for 1987 grants must be
submitted by 31 December on forms
available from John Davies, the Club
Secretary.

21 Regent Terrace
The repairs and maintenance to 21
Regent Terrace continued during the
summer with Phase 2 work on the rear
elevation. Phase 3, the front elevation,
is planned for next spring/summer. That
will complete the work on the outside of
the house; then we start on the inside!

British Birds

The independent monthly journal for
every birdwatcher is again available at a
special concessionary rate for Club
members — £18.00 instead of the
personal subscription rate of £24.00.
Further details of this well-known and
recommended journal and a subscription
order form can be found in the enclosed
leaflet.

Scottish Bird Report 1985
At the time of writing (late June) it seems
likely that the 1985 SBR will continue as
a separate publication this year. It had
been planned to include the SBR in the
December issue of Scottish Birds. Due
to the large number of papers and articles
being submitted to the new Scottish
Birds, this looks like being impractical. So
the 1985 SBR will probably be sent free
as promised to all paid-up members in
November.

"Fife for Birds"

The St. Andrews Branch is holding a one-
day symposium on Saturday, 4th
October 1986 at the Buchanan Theatre,
University St., St. Andrews. Speakers
include Bernie Zonfrillo on the Isle of
May, Jean Horobin on Bird Habitats in
Fife, Jim Cobb on Fife for Migrants, Jeff
Graves on ornithological research at St.
Andrew's University and Frank Spragge
on Lochore Meadows Nature Reserve.
There will also be a "Brains Trust",
displays and competitions. The cost is
£4.00 per person. For further details and
bookings, write to Frank Spragge, Hessle
House, Ceres, Fife KYI 5 5LS.

Jubilee Poster

To celebrate the Club's Jubilee, a 4-colour
art poster (24" x 16") featuring a superb
colour photograph of a Golden Eagle has
been produced. The poster was designed
by Lorna Elliott of Dundee Art College
and the photograph is by Club member
Don Smith FRPS.

The poster is being used to publicise
the Club and is also available to
members. It costs £1.95 (inc p&p) and
is obtainable from the SOC (Poster), 21
Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BT.

Published by The Scottish Ornithologists' Club, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH 7 BBT © SOC
Printed by The Galloway Gazette Ltd, Newton Stewart, DG8 GPS

December 1986

ISSN 026

No. 4

Edited by Valerie Thom
assisted by Stanley da Prato

The 1986 Breeding Season in Scotland

Which birds are doing well, and which seem to be declining, is a common topic of
conversation among birdwatchers, and most of us will have made such comments over
the years. However impressions can be misleading and a standardised system of
recording bird activity from year to year is needed before we can quantify changes
in the number of our commoner species. This short (and inevitably patchy) review of
the 1986 breeding season draws on data from the well-established techniques currently
in use for monitoring certain groups of species.

Birds of farms, woods and
waterways

The Common Bird Census and the Waterways
Bird Survey organized by the British Trust for
Ornithology enjoy a world-wide reputation for
the way they use a network of amateur
fieldworkers to monitor most of the common
species of farmland and woodland. We shall
be publishing an article on how the CBC/WBS
operate in Scotland in a forthcoming issue. In
this issue we present the comments of the
fieldworkers themselves, in advance of the
analysis which will appear in BTO News in
1987. Not all species and habitats are covered
by the CBC or WBS, nor are all observers able
to participate in the schemes, so we are also
happy to incorporate information from other
surveys.

Cool, wet and windy
The one comment that everyone made about
1986 was the weather. It was a cool, damp
and generally late spring from Shetland to the
Solway. Many observers commented on birds
being later to start nesting and laying
replacement clutches after the failure of earlier
attempts. Ground nesting birds are particularly
vulnerable to weather and several observers
reported a reduction in species such as Mute
Swan, Mallard, Lapwing, Curlew, Oyster-
catcher and Snipe. Birds of prey have their own
slot in SBN but it is noteworthy that species
such as Tawny Owl, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel
did badly in 1986 in some areas.

Mink the culprits

Weather is not the only factor that can depress
bird numbers. Several observers, ranging from
Galloway to Angus, reported that feral Mink
had devastated populations of water birds,
especially Moorhens and Dippers. Observers
reporting good numbers of Moorhen were
often those in areas where Mink are scarce
or absent, for example at Aberlady Bay Nature
Reserve, where a trapping programme
intercepts any Mink that try to colonize the
Reserve. Mink are undoubtedly here to stay
but the idea that a balance will be struck
between the native fauna and the aliens is not
one that currently appeals to many Scottish
ornithologists. A further problem for river birds

in some upland areas is stream acidification,
currently being investigated in Galloway,
where many Dippers have been laying infertile
eggs.

Slow recovery

Of the thrushes and chats some east coast
observers report an increase in Robins and
speculate whether some of the birds involved
in the big spring falls had stayed to try and
breed. Stonechats continue to make a pain-
fully slow recovery in several areas but many
other insectivorous species such as tits and
Treecreepers, seem to be down. One surprise
in the Lothians was the increase in Long-tailed
Tits, reputedly one of the most cold sensitive
species on the British list, one two census
plots. Redstart numbers were up slightly on
several plots and one study reports more
second broods than in 1985. This observer
also reports a 7% rise in Pied Flycatchers —
but unusually late, small clutches. Fledging
success was good and the problem was
clearly shortage of food for the laying females.

Events in Africa

Of the long distance migrants a welcome
improvement in Sand Martin numbers was
noted by many correspondents, though the
species is still well below its pre 1969
strength. There were several worrying reports
of declines in Flouse Martin colonies, while
many Swallows seem to have reared fewer

chicks than average — hardly surprising for
a species that is so dependent on settled
weather to produce flying insects. Another
aerial feeder, the Nightjar, was down in
numbers on Arran, one of its few Scottish
strongholds.

Warblers' mixed fortunes
The two warblers most affected by the
drought in the Sahel zone of Africa, the Sedge
Warbler and Common Whitethroat, made
slight recoveries or held their own on several
census plots; as with Sand Martin, however,
both species have a long way to go to recover
from the crashes of the last 15 years.
Populations of the other Sylvia warblers are
much healthier with a continued increase in
Lesser Whitethroats reported from several
areas outside their stronghold in the Lothians.
The situation with Grasshopper Warblers is
less optimistic, though this is a notoriously
under censused species. Willow Warblers
declined on some plots, while there were
fewer Wood Warblers in oakwoods in the
south east (where the species is rather
marginal) but not, apparently, further west.

Finches, sparrows and buntings
Finches seem to be enjoying mixed fortunes
throughout Scotland with ups and downs
recorded for the same species by different
observers. Although not an easy species to
census, there is some evidence that Tree
Sparrows are declining. House Sparrows are
not covered by the CBC and, being so familiar,
no-one seems to bother to count them! It
could be interesting to know just what is, or
isn't, happening to one of our most familiar
species. Yellowhammers are doing well, at
least in those areas where clearance of scrub
is not removing much of their habitat (though
they dropped by half on one northern farm)
but declines have been recorded in Reed
Buntings on some plots. One bunting which
undoubtedly is in serious trouble in many parts
of Scotland is the Corn Bunting, which many
observers fear could soon become extinct over
much of its former Scottish range.

THANKS to D Butterfield, Martin Cook, Roger
Durman, Mr & Mrs Colin Edwards, Bob
Furness, Peter Gordon, Mike Harris, Brian
Hickman, Angus Hogg, Martin Holmes, John
Hunt (RSPB), Alex Joss, P J Knowling, Donnie
Macdonald, Nick Riddiford, Henry Robb, Mr
and Mrs D Robertson, Geoff Shaw, Bob Smith,
Sarah Wanless and Derrick Warner for their
comments and Pat Webster for her typing.
APOLOGIES to anyone who sent in
information after we went to press — next
year we should be much better organised and
there will be more time to send in your
comments.

Compiled by Susan & Stan da Prato

Editorial

The appearance of SBN4 and S614 (2)
completes the first year of our re-vamped
publications, making this an appropriate
moment at which to look back over the last
12 months and take stock of the situation. At
the Editorial end it has been a hectic, but in
general rewarding, year. We knew that a lot
of hard work would be needed to get things
going — but we had not anticipated quite as
many hiccups as arose along the way. On the
credit side, however, there is considerable
satisfaction to be derived from seeing a
publication through from the start to its
eventual appearance (almost) on time and
looking (more or less) as intended!

In our last Editorial, in SB 13 (8), we pointed
out that a magazine like SBN is heavily
dependent upon a steady supply of voluntary
contributions from members. You have done
us proud so far! Although initially doubts were
cast on our ability to fill 8 pages per issue we
have, in fact, received sufficient material for
two 12 page and two 16 page issues. Some
articles have, of course, been asked for, but
there has been a gratifying flow of unsolicited
bird notes, branch reports and so on. We feel
fairly confident that the mix of items in SBN
is about right, but would welcome members'
comments — whether supporting or con-
tradicting our own view. Should we perhaps
include a 'Dear Editor' column? — or an
occasional quiz or competition? — or more
about fieldwork currently in progress?
Members who attend Branch meetings have
already had an opportunity to discuss this
whole question, among others, but only a
comparatively small proportion of the mem-
bership is involved in Branch activities. It is
important that we should also hear the views
of members for whom our publications are the
only regular contact with the Club.

With SB, too, we have been encouraged by
the number and standard of the papers sub-
mitted. The new format and production
technique have enabled us to present many
thousand more words, in a more visually
interesting layout, than was previously
possible. We will be particularly interested to
hear members' reactions to the 1985 Scottish
Bird Report, once again incorporated into SB.
Since SB is the repository for material
considered to be of significant future reference
value, it can be argued that this is the right
place for SBR. But what do you, the members,
think? Let us know, please, so that the Editorial
Committee can take into account the views
of the wider membership when deciding what
to do next year.

Many of the teething troubles inevitably
involved in any change in the style of a
publication — and in this case the changes
affected not only the style and content but
also layout, production techniques and printer
— have hopefully been sorted out. But that
is not to say that crises are unlikely to occur
in the future. One thing has certainly become
clear — that the responsibilities for editing and
supervising the production of our publications
need to be spread more widely. As a first step
towards achieving this, the editorship of SBN
will undergo a 'role reversal' in the next
number, with Stan da Prato becoming senior
editor and V.M.T. assistant.

And finally — an Editorial thank you to all
who contributed towards the content, illus-
tration and production of SBN and SB
(including SBR\) in 1986.

SOC News

"Fife for Birds"
Symposium

As its main contribution to the Club's Golden
Jubilee and to draw attention to Fife's richness
of bird life, the St Andrews Branch organised
an "informal symposium" on October 4th.

In his opening remarks Dr John Berry paid
tribute to the former doyennes of Scottish
ornithology, Fifers Dr Baxter and Miss Rintoul.
Bernard Zonfrillo followed by describing the
founding of Scotland's first observatory on the
Isle of May, and its tremendous seabird
colonies. Jean Horobin then reviewed Fife's
wide variety of bird habitat, while Jim Cobb
gave us a thought-provoking talk on the com-
plexities of migration and described the habitat
development work he has been undertaking
for many years at Fife Ness.

After lunch Jeff Graves and Peter Slater told
us about some of the research work currently
being done at St Andrews University, singling
out work on Herring Gulls, Puffins and
Chaffinches from many projects, and Frank
Spragge turned the spotlight on West Fife by
illustrating the evolution of Lochore Meadows
Country Park as a birdwatchers' mecca under
the title "Silk Purse out of Sow's ear." The
day ended with a Brains Trust when a panel
of experts answered questions ranging from
the problems of geese on farmland to planting
gardens for birds.

The Bird Bookshop made a welcome
appearance and a "Name That Bird" photo-
graph competition was won by Keith Brockie.
Sixty-five souls attended: we hope that all
went home satisfied.

E. F. 8. Spragge

Herring Gull. David Mitchell

Dundee Jubilee
Dinner

It is indeed unusual to attend any function
involving upwards of 50 and not hear a single
dissident voice; but that is what the Dundee
Branch achieved on 18 September. A plentiful
and delicious meal was followed by an
excellent speech by Jeremy Greenwood,
whose wife Cynthia cut the celebration cake
— complete with authentic (and edible)
Crested Tit. And the slide show of former SOC
days, arranged by Bede Pounder, caused much
amusement. Thanks to all who helped to make
this an altogether fantastic evening. Let's hope
the centenary dinner will be as good!

Vincent Ellmore

New SOC publications
THE two new booklets referred to in SBN3 are
now with the printer and should be available
early in December. The annotated SOC Check
List of Scottish Birds will sell at 95p and
the SOC Field List of Scottish Birds at 45p,
both inclusive of postage and packing. Bulk
supplies will be available for sale through the
Branches.

kindrogan

FIELD CENTRE

PROGRAMME 1987

WEEKEND BREAKS

For beginners and enthusiasts
(March May June)

Birds and their song ■ Spring birds
Countryside & wildlife photography
Insects ■ Walks in the Grampians

Ask about our family courses

Enochdhu, Blairgowrie,

Perthshire, PH 10 7PG. Tel. (025 081) 286

Recent Reports

These notes include unchecked reports and
are not intended as a permanent record. Please
send reports to Pete Ellis, Seaview, Sandwich.
Shetland, via local recorders at the end of
March, June, September and December. The
period July to September is covered here.

The early autumn was notable for its lack
of easterly winds and consequent scarcity of
drifted migrants. Only 2 small arrivals
occurred, one in late August and the other in
late September, otherwise the wind blew
inexorably west. Despite the generally
unfavourably weather, Fair Isle came up
trumps with several extreme rarities.

An early Great Northern Diver was at
Gullane on 20th September, whilst Red-
necked Grebes reached a maximum of 36 at
Gosford in August. Blue Fulmars appeared at
a few east coast sites, including 11 off Fair Isle
on 12th September. A Cory's Shearwater was
off St. Abbs in August and a Great Shearwater
off Fair Isle in September. Sooty Shearwaters
were seen off several sites, but the only large
movements were 50 off Fife Ness on 23rd
August and 200 off Birsay on 30th
September. Record numbers of Manx Shear-
waters were seen in the Forth, including 4500
in 3 hours off Musselburgh on 26th August.
Two Balearic Shearwaters were off Turnberry
on 7th September. At Collieston 94 Storm
Petrels and 10 Leach's Petrels were caught
using tape lures in August, whilst 2 Leach's
Petrels were seen off Turnberry on 7th
September. A Glossy Ibis was in Orkney in
September and a Spoonbill was on the Ythan
in July.

The first 45 Pink-footed Geese were at
Meikle Loch on 11th September, although 2
possibly injured or escaped birds were at
Aberlady in August. The first Greenland
White-fronted Geese were back in Lewis on
20th September and 49 Greylags were at
Eyemouth on 29th September. Barnacle
Geese appeared at a number of east coast
sites with 110 at Peterhead and 310 at Aber-
lady in late September. Pale-bellied Brent
Geese appeared in unusual numbers at several
sites in early September, with 22 at Kirkwall,
1 in Flarris, 6 in South Uist, 10 at Tarbat Ness,
87 at Inverness and a maximum of 15 at
Cramond. An immature male American
Wigeon on Fair Isle in late September was
incredibly tame and spent all its time with a
domestic duck, but it had been ringed in the
USA. A Garganey was at Irvine and 2 Blue-
winged Teal on North Ronaldsay in September.
A Red-crested Pochard summered at the
mouth of the Ness. Three Surf Scoters were
at Lunan Bay and 2 immature male King Eiders
at Sumburgh Head into September.

A Sea Eagle was seen in Harris in August
and an Osprey was at Strathbeg in July, when
a Quail was at Ludquarn. Single Spotted
Crakes were on Out Skerries and Fair Isle in
August and a Crane at Gretna in September.
An Avocet was on the Ythan in July and a
Collared Pratincole at Kinneil in August.
Dotterel were seen on South Uist in August
and Fair Isle in September. Little Stints were
very scarce, with singles at 5 sites, 2 in North
Uist, 2 on the Beauly Firth, a maximum of 3
at Aberlady and 2 at Tyninghame. A White-
rumped Sandpiper was at Cramond on 7th
September and a Pectoral Sandpiper at
Newburgh, Aberdeenshire on 28th Sep-
tember. Curlew Sandpipers were also scarce,
with 2 in Orkney and a maximum of 3 at Aber-

lady on 21st September. A Buff-breasted
Sandpiper was on South Uist on 1st August.
Reasonable numbers of Ruff appeared at a
number of sites in mid August including 46
at the Loons, 9 on the Beauly Firth, 40 at
Meikle Loch and 48 at Kinneil. Whimbrel
reached a peak of 63 at Musselburgh on 6th
September. Spotted Redshank were wide-
spread, including 2 in Shetland, 1 on Fair Isle,
4 in Orkney, 2 on the Beauly Firth, 7 on the
Ythan, 2 in Fife, a maximum of 5 at Aberlady
on 20th August with at least 3 others in East
Lothian. Good numbers of Greenshank also
occurred, with 23 on the Ythan on 10th
August. At least 7 Green Sandpipers were
seen in Shetland with 10 on Fair Isle, 1 on
South Uist, 5 in Aberdeenshire, 3 in Fife and
6 in East Lothian. There were two Wood
Sandpipers in Shetland, 2 in Orkney, 1 at
Longside and 2 in Fife. A Red-necked
Phalarope was on Fair Isle on 31st August.

Sooty Tern

One or two Pomarine Skuas were seen at
12 sites, whilst up to 8 summered on the
Beauly Firth, 20 were seen off Noss Head, 15
in the Minch, 6 off Tarbat Ness, 4 off Mallaig,
12 off Kinshaldy and 5 off the Gardyloo in the
Forth. Large numbers of Arctic Skuas
appeared in the Forth, including 210 off Barns
Ness in 6 hours on 26th August, when 89
were off Musselburgh, 97 off Hound Point and
100 off Fife Ness the following day. The only
Long-tailed Skua was off North Ronaldsay on
8th July. Mediterranean Gulls were seen on
the Don at Aberdeen in July and August and
at Tayport. There were Little Gulls at Sandness
and 4 off North Ronaldsay, with small
numbers off Aberdeenshire and East Lothian,
mainly in September and a record of a Sooty
Tern on the Don on 7th September, will, if
accepted, be only the third Scottish record.
A Black Tern was also on the Don in August
and singles were seen at 2 sites in Fife and
3 in East Lothian. An adult White-winged
Black Tern was at Wormit in August.

A Hoopoe was on Unst in September and
although a large fall of Wrynecks occurred on
the east coast of England in August, only 5
were reported from 4 sites in Scotland.

Fair Isle had a Short-toed Lark on 27th
September and single Richard's Pipits were
seen there, on Out Skerries and on North
Ronaldsay in September. On 7th September
900 House Martins passed over the Hirsel in
3-4 minutes. A Citrine Wagtail was on Fair Isle
on 20th August and one or two more were at
Sumburgh on 21st September. A Thrush
Nightingale was on Fair Isle on 20th August.
Two Bluethroats were on Out Skerries on 23rd
September and 2 others were also seen in
Shetland, with 2 on Fair Isle and 6 on North
Ronaldsay and singles at Fife Ness and on the
Isle of May in September. The only Black

Redstart was on Fair Isle on 1st July. Early
Fieldfares were on North Ronaldsay on 3rd
August, with 16 on Coldingham Moor on 3rd
September.

Fair Isle produced a Pallas's Grasshopper
Warbler on 26th September, a Grasshopper
Warbler on 17th September, an Aquatic
Warbler on 7th August and a Paddyfield
Warbler on 26th September. Fair Isle also had
4 Marsh Warblers, with another on North
Ronaldsay. The north isles also had a
scattering of Reed Warblers including 5 on Out
Skerries from 15th-18th August. Three Icterine
Warblers were seen in Shetland in August
when 3 were on Fair Isle, 1 on North
Ronaldsay and 1 at Crimond. Subalpine
Warblers were on Fair Isle on 3rd July and at
Toab in late September. There was a scattering
of Barred Warblers in August and September,
with 7 in Shetland, T4 daily on Fair Isle from
14th-30th August, the adult was retrapped on
North Ronaldsay in August and 7 juveniles
also occurred there. One was seen on South
Ronaldsay, 1 on South Uist and 1 at Rattray.
A Greenish Warbler was on Out Skerries in
August and an Arctic Warbler on Fair Isle in
September. There was a reasonable passage
of Yellow-browed Warblers in September, with
a minimum of 15 in Shetland, a maximum of
14 on Fair Isle on 27th September, 5 on North
Ronaldsay on 23rd-27th September and
singles at Birsay, on the Isle of May and 2 at
St. Abbs.

Paddyfield Warbler

The only Red-Breasted Flycatcher was on
South Ronaldsay in late August and the only
Red-backed Shrikes were at Sumburgh and St.
Abbs. An adult Woodchat Shrike summered
at Carsphairn and a juvenile was trapped on
Ailsa Craig on 25th September. Early or
summering Brambling were on Unst and at St.
Abbs in August and an early Twite at Aberlady
on 28th August. A fine male Two-barred
Crossbill was on Fair Isle on 1st September,
whilst 2 Common Crossbills were there, with
30 in Lewis, 1 on Barra and 50 at Strathbeg
in July. Scarlet Rosefinches in ones and twos
totalled 7 in Shetland and reached a maximum
of 7 on Fair Isle on 24th September, whilst 4
were on North Ronaldsay and 1 at Wick. Small
numbers of Lapland Buntings were seen on
Out Skerries and Fair Isle in September. The
only Ortolan Bunting was on Fair Isle in
September, where there was also a Little
Bunting, whilst North Ronaldsay had 2 more.
A Yellow-breasted Bunting was at Virkie on
21st September and 5 or 6 were on Fair Isle
in September. A male Black-headed Bunting
was on Fair Isle in July and the only American
passerine of the autumn was a Bobolink on
Fair Isle at the end of September.

Pete Ellis

3

The Seabird scene

Problems in Shetland

On Foula, Shetland, seabird numbers and
breeding have been monitored for 15 years,
and several species have been doing badly for
a few years now. Since most of these species
breed far into the arctic, and experience much
harsher weather than the worst springs and
summers in Shetland, it seems unlikely that
poor weather is directly to blame.

Arctic Terns on Foula declined from a peak
of 4000-6000 pairs in the late 1970s to 200
pairs in 1984-86, and in the last three years
they fledged no chicks. Arctic Skua numbers
have fallen from 250-280 pairs in 1976-80 to
224 pairs in 1982 and 185 pairs in 1986.
Arctic Skua breeding success has also been
very poor in the last three years, but this
cannot be the cause of the decline in numbers
since Arctic Skuas normally start to breet
when about three years old, so recent poor
breeding will only affect recruitment over the
next few years. Nor can Bonxies be blamed;
their numbers have also fallen, from a peak of
2950 pairs in the late 1970s to about 2500
pairs in 1986, and as a result their conflict with
Arctic Skuas has all but ceased.

Kittiwakes are also down, having decreased
by about 40% in number of occupied nests
in two monitored colonies between 1979 and
1986. Breeding success has also fallen, from
about 1.2 chicks per nest up to 1980 to 0.8
chicks per nest in 1984 and 1986. Again,
reduced breeding success has not caused the
decline in numbers but has coincided with it.
It does not bode well for the future. By
contrast. Guillemots and Shags seem still to
be breeding well although Guillemot numbers
have fallen in some areas.

In 1986, for the first time ever, we found
a number of starved downy Puffin chicks at
their burrow entrances, and the few adult
Puffins carrying sandeels had either tiny or
enormous ones, but few of the normal 10-14
cm fish. The poor spring weather in 1986 may

IF YOU LIKE SEABIRDS.
WE'LL GIVE YOU ONE FREE

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the latest developments in seabird studies.
Membership would bring you these benefits:

— 3 newsletters a year with details of current
projects, plus national and international
reports. (See BTO News No. 143 pp 8-10 for
details of the Seabird Colony Register and
other work being carried out by Seabird Group
members.)

— An annual issue of Seabird the journal
dedicated to papers on seabird research.

— The chance to attend Seabird Group
conferences. As a special offer, new members
will receive a back issue of Seabird (worth
£3.00) FREE while stocks last. To receive this
gift, send your subscription of £5.00 to:

The Membership Secretary,
Seabird Group, Dept. SI,
c/o The I.«df>e, Sandy, Beds.

SGI 9 2DL.

have affected fish behaviour in some way so
as to reduce their availability to seabirds, and
it is interesting to note that the species that
seem to have suffered the greatest setbacks
on Foula in recent years tend to be ones that
feed mainly on Sandeels at the sea surface.
Deep diving species such as Shags and
Guillemots appear to have been less affected,
and Gannets are doing splendidly.

Our monitoring of seabird diets and activity
budgets also supports the idea that sandeels
have become less available to seabirds in
recent years. In 1986 Bonxies and Arctic
Skuas often left their chicks unattended, but
in the 1970s this was most exceptional. The
adults increase the time spent foraging, but
risk losing their chick to neighbouring skuas.
In the last three years both Bonxie and Fulmar
chicks have fed much less on sandeels than
in the past, being fed more discards and offal
respectively. Bonxies prefer to feed on
sandeels when these are available and only
turn to discards when sandeels are in short
supply.

But can bad weather explain the dietary
changes and consistently poor success over
the last three years or more? Increased
industrial fishing for sandeels might result in
competition with seabirds such that seabirds
would suffer from a shortage of food. When
industrial fishing began around Shetland in the
early 1970s virtually all our seabirds were
increasing, but now there has been a marked
reversal of this trend in Shetland for several
species. Sprat stocks and sandeel stocks in
parts of the North Sea have declined recent'y,
perhaps due to industrial fishing, but it could
also be due to natural fluctuations.

Around Shetland sandeel fishing has
reached a perilous position. DAFS have
determined that sandeel recruitment was
lower in 1985 than in any year since the
industrial fishery started in that area, and was
also exceptionally low in 1983, '84 and '86.
Sandeel landings in Shetland have declined to
only one quarter of those when the fishery
peaked in 1982. Much of the catch consists
of juvenile sandeels, and DAFS have
suggested that sandeel fishing should be
banned after June each year to try to reduce
fishing pressure on these young fish. Catching
fish before they are old enough to reproduce
is a classic cause of the destruction of fish
stocks, and Shetland sandeels are now in
serious need of conservation. Whether the

By Bob Furness, Mike Harris, John Hunt,
Nick Riddiford, Sarah Wanless

problems that seabirds, fishermen and
sandeels are now facing in Shetland can be \
blamed on the recent unrestricted growth of
industrial fishing is a matter of dispute, and,
since we lack detailed knowledge of sandeel
biology, it is probably a sterile dispute.

On Fair Isle

Fair Isle's seabirds had a mixed year in 1986.
Some species had below average breeding
success; others did quite well but were later '
than usual in fledging their chicks. Of the most
numerous species Guillemots had a successful
season, though some chicks did not leave the
ledges till the middle of August, while Fulmars
were no better than average. Kittiwakes did |
a little better than in recent seasons, with
fewer young seen starving after fledging,
though very few broods of three were
recorded.

Terns showed an interesting contrast; both
species were late but Common Terns enjoyed
much higher fledging success than Arctics,
although the number of pairs of Arctics trying :
to breed went up from 8 in 1985 to 81 in
1986. Arctic Skuas were also up (115 pairs j
compared to 81 in 1985) but many were j
unsuccessful. Bonxies did rather better,
though with 81 pairs (72 in 1985), the
population is tiny compared to the Foula
situation; interestingly the non breeding flock
peaked at only 54 compared to 189 in 1985. \

Tystie numbers on Fair Isle (367 adults) !
seem fairly stable though few chicks were i
found in census sites. Gulls had mixed
fortunes with Common and Greater Black-
backed doing quite well but Herring and Lesser
Black-backed doing badly. Several other
ground nesting species did poorly with few
Oystercatcher, Curlew or Lapwing chicks
reared. One species that continues to prosper
is the Gannet; 258 nests were counted (130
in 1985) and large numbers of prospecting
birds were seen ashore in summer.

On the Isle of May

The 1986 season started so very slowly that
we wondered whether the halcyon days were
over, and whether we would at last be able
to document a bad breeding season. I

The first Guillemot egg was laid on 20 April,
a few days later than usual. However, instead
of laying gathering momentum during the next )
week only a few more eggs were laid. |
Breeding did not really get underway until the
end of the first week of May but then the
majority of females laid which suggested that
conditions had improved quickly. Very few
Puffins were seen ashore in April even though
laying often occurs in mid April, and Shags
were still standing around rather aimlessly :
when they normally would have been
incubating. Only when we came to ring the
chicks did we discover what had happened to
the Puffin's breeding. Over 50% of the eggs
had hatched by 4 June which was later than
the usual 28 May-3 June but not as late as n
1974 (11 June) or 1979 (5 June). The first
Shag egg was not found until 4 May. In only
four other years since 1962 has laying been
so late. Some birds were still laying in July and
the first young did not fledge until early
August. In contrast terns and Fulmars laid at
the normal time and the first Kittiwake eggs |
on 9 May were a week earlier than in 1985.

El

Despite our first impressions of a shortage
of Puffins, the counts of occupied burrows in
sample areas showed that the remorseless
increase continued (Figure 2). Kittiwake
numbers were down slightly (4800 nests from
5510 in 1985), Guillemots remained about the
same, Arctic Terns increased but Common
Terns decreased. The very peculiar season for
the Shags made it difficult to interpret counts;
just possibly they were down somewhat but
we still found 1310 nests on a single count in
June.

All species had a successful season with
many pairs of Kittiwakes and Shags rearing
two young. About 80% of both Guillemot and
Puffin pairs fledged young which was about
as good as these species can manage
anywhere. Many juvenile terns were seen on
the wing. It was, all-in-all, a good season
despite the slow start. Our initial pessimism
was misplaced and the populations remained
healthy.

soo-

30 qJ — 1 1 , r — t — 1 1 1 r — I — I 1 1

1973 74 75 76 7 7 7 0 7 9 0 0 61 62 0 3 64 85 86

Figure 1: Isle of May Puffin Population

And on Inchmickery

Roseate Terns increased from 9 pairs in 1985

to 18 pairs this year, providing one really bright

spot in the rather mixed seabird season of

1986.

Update on Scotland's
seabirds

Results from the second of three summers of
fieldwork for the Seabird Colony Register have
been arriving all through the autumn. The
surveys have covered almost the whole east
coast of Scotland where seabirds were
counted in all but four of the 10km squares
between Duncansby Head and the Firth of Tay.
A superlative effort in Shetland during June
produced coverage of nearly 1600km of
coastline. In fact some participants in those
surveys are still claiming not to have recovered
from the pace set by the organiser, Martin
Heubeck! In the west, all of the coast from
Cape Wrath to Skye, apart from one 10km
square, and about a quarter of the coast
further south was also surveyed for seabirds,
much of it for the first time since Operation
Seafarer in 1969-70. The main areas still to
be visited next summer are in the west and
southwest of the mainland, the Western Isles
and parts of Orkney.

Completed recording forms received so far
show that Scotland's seabirds are generally
m a very healthy state — with the perhaps
surprising exception of the Herring Gull.
Herring Gull numbers have halved since 1969
on the east coast, and have declined at many
sites in the west of Scotland too. The other
large gull species. Great and Lesser Black-
backed, have shown little overall change in
numbers on the east coast during the last 16
years. But in the west. Great Black-backed
Gulls have decreased by about a fifth of their
1969 numbers. Auk populations, in contrast,
have thrived nearly everywhere.

The Seabird Colony Register is already being
used as a source of information on past
records for Scottish seabird colonies, and this
summer's surveys have provided plenty of
valuable up to date counts. If you have any
seabird counts for this year or the past which
can be used in the Register, please send them
to me without further delay. The aim is to
complete coverage of the entire coastline next
summer, and the Seabird Group (see page ??)
will once again be offering grants towards the
costs of expeditions, boat hire and so on.
Some of the target areas for 1987 are already
known so contact me if you are interested in
counting seabirds next April or June. Thanks
to the help of many participants in this
summer's surveys, the Seabird Colony
Register is wellon its way to providing
thorough documentation of Scotland's seabird
colonies.

Clare Lloyd

Monitoring of seabird
productivity

The Nature Conservancy Council and the
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology have initiated
a scheme to collect biological data on cliff-
nesting seabirds throughout Britain. Both
organisations are keen to involve amateurs
(and there is even some money to help with
expenses). If you are interested in helping and
can either check a Kittiwake, Shag or Fulmar
colony visually several times between mid
May and late July, or could ring and weigh
chicks, please contact; — M P Harris, Institute
of Terrestrial Ecology, Hill of Brathens,
Banchory, Kincardineshire AB3 4BY.

Isles of Colonsay
and Oronsay —
Inner Hebrides

Remote and unspoilt, the islands encompass 20 square miles of paradise for the naturalist
— almost 170 species of birds (list on request), also otters, feral goats and a major breeding
colony of the grey seal (pupping in September), 500 species of local flora as well as two of
the few remaining natural woodlands or the Hebrides and the exotic rhododendron collection
in the woodland garden of Colonsay House.

Historic sites include St Columba's pre-Iona foundation at Oronsay Priory, some excellent duns,
a Viking ship burial, crannog-sites in Loch Fada etc.

There are no day-trippers, no caravanners, etc., but there is a comfortable small hotel offering
table d'hote cuisine based on fresh local produce (central heating and private facilities). Drive
on-off car and passenger ferry ex-Oban Monday, Wednesday, Friday (IVi hour passage). Dinner,
accommodation and breakfast from £25.00 including VAT and service. Free bicycles.

There are also three luxury self-catering chalets, which adjoin the hotel; each unit sleeps 5,
all bed-linen is provided plus daily maid service. Off-season rental is only £55.00 weekly. Also
special demi-pension arrangements for Field Study parties from £775 daily. Details on request.

THE HOTEL, ISLE OF COLONSAY, ARGYLL
(Kevin and Christa Byrne)

Telephone: Colonsay (09512) 316 — open all year

N.B. Booklet @ £3.50 inc. p&p describes the island's birds — 66pp plus 8pp colour photos. I

5

Conflict on the high tops

The mountain plateau is one of Britain's most natural and fragile habitats. Among the
finest examples are the high plateaux of the Central Cairngorms, Glas Maol to
Lochnagar, and Drumochter. Never before have these important mountain tops been
under such threat. Ski development poses the greatest danger, though additional
pressures arise from other recreational uses and overgrazing. The evolution of these
problems is complicated and solutions seem far away, especially when viewed against
a backdrop of weak local economies and rural depopulation. Yet high mountain plateaux
and corries attract huge interest in both summer and winter. Popular pursuits include
wildlife studies; hill walking, rock climbing and skiing; and more basic pleasures, such
as wilderness experiences and the satisfaction derived from physical exertion and
appreciation of scenic beauty. The one common ingredient is human perception which,
of course, varies with the individual. Some see too much pressure whilst others press
for further development.

Skiing started to take off in Scotland
soon after the war, and in the early
1960s chairlifts and roads were built at
Cairngorm and Cairnwell. For the first
time skiers and walkers gained ready
access to the hills throughout the year.
With further developments at Glencoe
and the Lecht, the new sport flourished
during the 1970s, creating much-needed
jobs and satisfying a growing passion for
the piste. Although the tows, snow
fences and service facilities appeared at
odds with the spectacular, open
Highland landscape, and the lifts
providing access for day trippers resulted
in some local damage to the delicate soils
and vegetation, there was apparently
little serious conflict with wildlife.

In 1980 this was set to change when
the Cairngorm Chairlift Company
proposed to develop the undisturbed
corries close to the Cairngorms NNR.
Perturbed by the implications, various
conservation bodies joined forces to
oppose the Lurcher's Gully scheme, and
the ensuing 1981 Public Inquiry vin-
dicated the conservationists' case,
resulting in the Secretary of State
refusing planning permission. Since then,
however, successive developments have
been approved by the local authorities,
despite some strong objections. Three
locations have existing consent; Ben
Wyvis in Ross-shire; Aonach Mor near
Fort William; and Drumochter, just south
of Dalwhinnie, where two developments
have consent on a mountain area
probably exemplifying more of the
variation of Britain's montane vegetation
than any other site. At Glenshee a ski-
tow and snow fencing now spread 500m
into the Caenlochan NNR, putting some
extremely rare plants at risk. And,
ironically, in August this year the
Secretary of State told Highland Regional
Council that he would not interfere with
proposals to construct snow fencing in
Coire an t-Sneachda, southwest of the
current Cairngorm development. Many
see this as the beginnings of a truly
deleterious intrusion upon the unique
near-arctic wilderness.

Research by Adam Watson has shown
that 17% of soil-eroded and plant
damaged areas on and near the Cairn-

gorm ski-development lie within the
NNR. The disturbed soils have less water,
fine particles and organic matter, and
support less bilberry, least willow, ground
lichens and mosses. The grass or sedge
dominated communities fare better,
especially on shallow slopes where
erosion is less severe. Neil Bayfield and
his colleagues have specifically examined
damage to the reindeer moss-lichens
which form a beautiful yellowish-grey
carpet. Damage is more extensive in
open parts, is most pronounced within
5m of paths, and is more insidious during
dry weather. Recovery takes about 8
years, but some other plant communities
may take decades, if not centuries, to
recover.

Cairngorm footpath. D. Gowans INCC)

People tend to associate damage with
winter only, when skis cut up vegetation
where snow cover is incomplete, or kill
vegetation and induce soil erosion where
snow gets compacted. And with 7,000
skiers daily on Cairngorm and Glen Shee
on a good weekend, and up to 10,000
on Cairnwell, this problem is obviously
immense. But greater access to the tops
afforded by new roads and the use of
chairlifts in spring and summer is also
responsible for intrusions, and there can
be no doubt that restriction of sporting
use to winter would alleviate much of the
pressure.

For the birds so dependent on the
mosaic of plant communities for food,
nesting and shelter, summer damage and
disturbance may have serious

consequences — and there may be
1,000 people on the Cairn Gorm-Ben J
Macdui plateau on a good summer's day. jl
Surveys of nesting Ptarmigan, Grouse, ?
Meadow Pipit and Wheatear on Cairn j
Gorm and Cairnwell reveal that, although I
densities are no lower on disturbed
ground than in undisturbed areas,
breeding success of Ptarmigan and
Grouse is extremely low for both, being
almost zero on Cairn Gorm. Adam !
Watson suggests that breeding failure is
due to severe egg predation by crows
attracted to the high ground by food
scraps left by tourists. i

Conservationists do not object to all ,
skiing applications, eg Aonach Mor and
within the existing ski corries of Cairn
Gorm. But we have to accept that it is
wholly inevitable that conservationist
and skiing interests will clash. There are
two primary reasons for this. First, the
broad whale-backed summit ridges of
the high mountains, coveted for their
snow holding qualities, also contain inter- J
nationally outstanding dwarf shrub, moss
and lichen heaths, the special habitat of
rare hill birds, particularly Dotterel.
Second, whereas continental resorts
have skiing mainly within the ecologically
more resilient tree-zone, in Scotland the
required area is above the natural tree-
line, where the impact is more drastic.
With infertile soils and a severe climate
erosion follows damage to the
vegetation, and the ensuing conditions
encourage flash floods and gullying,
which render the hillside unstable. Litter ,
on the hillsides and plateaux attracts
scavenging foxes, gulls and crows, which
then prey on eggs and chicks, of several

6

rare birds as well as Golden Plover,
Ptarmigan and small passerines. Thus,
although it may appear to have only very
local effects, the impact of a ski
development may be widespread, dis-
rupting the physiographic and ecological
integrity of the site and undermining its
overall value for nature conservation
interests.

Soil is one of the important factors
affecting mountain flora and fauna. In the
Cairngorms the prevailing granite gives
rise to coarse porous soils, liable to much
movement and erosion, and holding a
relatively low abundance and diversity of
invertebrates, because of their low
organic matter, instability and paucity of
important elements. On the Moine
Schists further west, for example in
Drumochter, the soils are more fertile and
silty, affording a more stable and better
quality nesting and feeding habitat. The
base-rich status of the soils is also
reflected in the diversity and abundance
of the associated plants, with pockets of
reliable, long-lasting snowbeds holding
rare plant communities which are better
developed in the Cairngorms than
anywhere else in Britain.

With mounting concern over the
development of the high tops, the Nature
Conservancy Council has embarked on
a 5-year research project on mountain
plateau ecology, designed to evaluate the
actual and potential impacts of ski
developments, other recreational
activities, and sheep and deer grazing —
on the soils, vegetation and fauna. The
NCC has already spent 6 years surveying
the vegetation of all upland Sites of
Special Scientific Interest, to identify

their plant communities and the extent
to which they have been modified by
man. As analysis proceeds, it is already
emerging that three vegetation types
appear especially vulnerable to skiing-
related damage: closed Rhacomitrium
moss heaths (represented on Ben Wyvis
and Drumochter), lichen-rich heaths, and
very local high altitude springs and
flushes.

The NCC's new study project should
identify the topographic and physio-
graphic features, and the vegetation
types, most prone to damage, and then
determine the ecological associations
between the different soils, plants,
invertebrates, birds and mammals. Study
plots will be sited in areas subjected to
varying degrees of trampling and disturb-
ance, in regions where developments are
as yet only proposed as well as in those
where they have already occurred. In
addition to establishing a baseline for
monitoring change, we shall try to
evaluate the ecological role of birds,
especially Ptarmigan and Dotterel. We
may find that some of the more
productive hills produce a surplus that
can boost breeding numbers on the more
barren, granite massifs. If so, then clearly

Golden Plover. E. C. Fellows

Dotterel, lain MacLeod

the loss of one productive top could have
serious effects on others. At the very
least, we should be better placed to
present a cohesive defence of threatened
areas.

In the meantime, there is an urgent
need for revised national planning guide-
lines for skiing, to supersede the
ambiguous and weak terms of the
present ones. These should surely form
part of a strategy hammered out by
planning authorities, developers, down-
hill skiers and conservationists. Over the
past 5 years there has been a 13% rise
in skiing, and in places such as Newton-
more it is said that unemployment
without the skiing industry would be
nearer 50% than the present 20%. We
have to accept the need for a viable
skiing industry, and a thriving summer
tourist industry, but we must also safe-
guard our more precious sites by
restricting access via roads and chairlifts
to the winter only. If we fail the currently
futile conflict will escalate, and we will
lose the very features that attract
tourists, climbers and skiers, as well as
one of our most cherished and inter-
nationally important wildlife habitats.

Desmond Thompson

Des Thompson works with the Nature
Conservancy Council's Chief Scientist
Directorate. Together with Hector
Galbraith (also NCC) and Adam Watson
(Institute of Terrestrial Ecology), he is
currently directing a study designed to
strengthen our understanding of
ecological interactions on the high tops.
In this article he examines some of the
issues relating to ski development and
introduces the NCC's new study project.

7

Conflict on the high tops

The mountain plateau is one of Britain's most natural and fragile habitats ’1;“

finest examples are the high plateaux of the Central Cairngorms, Glas Maol to
Lochnagar, and Drumochter, Naver before have these important mountain tops boon
under such throat. Ski development poses the greatest danger, though additional
pressures arise from other rocroational uses and overgrazing. The evolution of those
problems is complicated and solutions seem far away, espociallv when viewed against
a backdrop of weak local economies and rural depopulation. Yet high mountain plateaux
and conies attract huge interest in both summer and winter. Popular pursuits include
wildlife studies: hill walking, rock climbing and skiing; and more basic pleasures, such
as wilderness experiences and the satisfaction derived from physical exertion and
appreciation of scenic beauty. The one common ingredient is human perception which,
of course, varies with the individual. Some see too much pressure whilst others press
for further development.

Skiing started to take off in Scotland
soon after the war, and in the early
1960s chairlifts and roads were built at
Cairngorm and Cairnwell. For the first
time skiers and walkers gained ready
access to the hills throughout the year.
With further developments at Glencoe
and the Lecht, the new sport flourished
during the 1970s, creating much-needed
jobs and satisfying a growing passion for
the piste. Although the tows, snow
fences and service facilities appeared at
odds with the spectacular, open
Highland landscape, and the lifts
providing access for day trippers resulted
in some local damage to the delicate soils
and vegetation, there was apparently
little serious conflict with wildlife.

In 1980 this was set to change when
the Cairngorm Chairlift Company
proposed to develop the undisturbed
comes close to the Cairngorms NNR.
Perturbed by the implications, various
conservation bodies joined forces to
oppose the Lurcher's Gully scheme, and
the ensuing 1981 Public Inquiry vin-
dicated the conservationists' case,
resulting in the Secretary of State
refusing planning permission. Since then,
however, successive developments have
been approved by the local authorities,
despite some strong objections. Three
locations have existing consent: Ben
Wyvis in Ross-shire; Aonach Mor near
Fort William: and Drumochter, just south
of Dalwhinnie, where two developments
have consent on a mountain area
probably exemplifying more of the
variation of Britain's montane vegetation
than any other site. At Glenshee a ski-
tow and snow fencing now spread 500m
into the Caenlochan NNR, putting some
extremely rare plants at risk. And,
ironically, in August this year the
Secretary of State told Highland Regional
Council that he would not interfere with
proposals to construct snow fencing in
Coire an t-Sneachda. southwest of the
current Cairngorm development. Many
see this as the beginnings of a truly
deleterious intrusion upon the unique
near-arctic wilderness.

Research by Adam Watson has shown
that 17% of soil-eroded and plant
damaged areas on and near the Cairn-

gorm ski-development lie within the
NNR. The disturbed soils have less water,
fine particles and organic matter, and
support less bilberry, least willow, ground
lichens and mosses. The grass or sedge
dominated communities fare better,
especially on shallow slopes where
erosion is less severe. Neil Bayfield and
his colleagues have specifically examined
damage to the reindeer moss-lichens
which form a beautiful yellowish-grey
carpet- Damage is more extensive in
open parts, is most pronounced within
5m of paths, and is more insidious during
dry weather, Recovery takes about 8
years, but some other plant communities
may take decades, if not centuries, to
recover.

Cairngorm footpath. D. Cowans iNCC)

People tend to associate damage with
winter only, when skis cut up vegetation
where snow cover is incomplete, or kilt
vegetation and induce soil erosion where
snow gets compacted. And with 7,000
skiers daily on Cairngorm and Glen Shee
on a good weekend, and up to 10,000
on Cairnwell, this problem is obviously
immense. But greater access to the tops
afforded by new roads and the use of
chairlifts in spring and summer is also
responsible for intrusions, and there can
be no doubt that restriction of sporting
use to winter would alleviate much of the
pressure.

For the birds so dependent on the
mosaic of plant communities for food,
nesting and shelter, summer damage and
disturbance may have serious

consequences — ana mere may oe
1,000 people on the Cairn Gorm-Ben
Macdui plateau on a good summer's day.
Surveys of nesting Ptarmigan. Grouse,
Meadow Pipit and Wheatear on Cairn
Gorm and Cairnwell reveal that, although
densities are no lower on disturbed
ground than in undisturbed areas,
breeding success of Ptarmigan and
Grouse is extremely low for both, being
almost zero on Cairn Gorm, Adam
Watson suggests that breeding failure is
due to severe egg predation by crows
attracted to the high ground by food
scraps left by tourists.

Conservationists do not object to all
skiing applications, eg Aonach Mor and
within the existing ski comes of Cairn
Gorm. But we have to accept that it is
wholly inevitable that conservationist
and skiing interests will clash. There are
two primary reasons for this. First, the
broad whale-backed summit ridges of
the high mountains, coveted for their
snow holding qualities, also contain inter-
nationally outstanding dwarf shrub, moss
and lichen heaths, the special habitat of
rare hill birds, particularly Dotterel.
Second, whereas continental resorts
have skiing mainly within the ecologically
more resilient tree-zone, in Scotland the
required area is above the natural tree-
line, where the impact is more drastic.
With infertile soils and a severe climate
erosion follows damage to the
vegetation, and the ensuing conditions
encourage flash floods and gullying,
which render the hillside unstable. Litter
on the hillsides and plateaux attracts
scavenging foxes, gulls and crows, which
then prey on eggs and chicks, of several

rare oiros as well as vjv-iiucm novel.
Ptarmigan and small passerines. Thus,
although it may appear to have only very
local effects, the impact of a ski
development may be widespread, dis-
rupting the physiographic and ecological
integrity of the site and undermining its
overall value for nature conservation
interests.

Soil is one of the important factors
affecting mountain flora and fauna. In the
Cairngorms the prevailing granite gives
rise to coarse porous soils, liable to much
movement and erosion, and holding a
relatively low abundance and diversity of
invertebrates, because of their low
organic matter, instability and paucity of
important elements. On the Moine
Schists further west, for example in
Drumochter, the soils are more fertile and
silty, affording a more stable and better
quality nesting and feeding habitat. The
base-rich status of the soils is also
reflected in the diversity and abundance
of the associated plants, with pockets of
reliable, long lasting snowbeds holding
rare plant communities which are better
developed in the Cairngorms than
anywhere else in Britain.

With mounting concern over the
development of the high tops, the Nature
Conservancy Council has embarked on
a 5-year research project on mountain
plateau ecology, designed to evaluate the
actual and potential impacts of ski
developments, other recreational
activities, and sheep and deer grazing —
on the soils, vegetation and fauna. The
NCC has already spent 6 years surveying
fhe vegetation of all upland Sites of
Special Scientific Interest, to identify

their plant communities and the extent
to which they have been modified by
man. As analysis proceeds, it is already
emerging that three vegetation types
appear especially vulnerable to skiing-
related damage: closed Rhacomitnum
moss heaths (represented on Ben Wyvis
and Drumochter), lichen-rich heaths, and
very local high altitude springs and
flushes.

The NCC's new study project should
Identify the topographic and physio-
graphic features, and the vegetation
types, most prone to damage, and then
determine the ecological associations
between the different soils, plants,
invertebrates, birds and mammals. Study
plots will be sited in areas subjected to
varying degrees of trampling and disturb-
ance, in regions where developments are
as yet only proposed as well as in those
where they have already occurred. In
addition to establishing a baseline for
monitoring change, we shall try to
evaluate the ecological role of birds,
especially Ptarmigan and Dotterel. We
may find that some of the more
productive hills produce a surplus that
can boost breeding numbers on the more
barren, granite massifs. If so, then clearly

Golden Plover. E. C. Fellows

Dotterel, lain MacLeod

the loss of one productive top could have
serious effects on others. At the very
least, we should be better placed to
present a cohesive defence of threatened
areas.

In the meantime, there is an urgent
need for revised national planning guide-
lines for skiing, to supersede the
ambiguous and weak terms of the
present ones. These should surely form
part of a strategy hammered out by
planning authorities, developers, down-
hill skiers and conservationists. Over the
past 5 years there has been a 13% rise
in skiing, and in places such as Newton-
more it is said that unemployment
without the skiing industry would be
nearer 50% than the present 20%. We
have to accept the need for a viable
skiing industry, and a thriving summer
tourist industry, but we must also safe-
guard our more precious sites by
restricting access via roads and chairlifts
to the winter only. If we fail the currently
futile conflict will escalate, and we will
lose the very features that attract
tourists, climbers and skiers, as well as
one of our most cherished and inter-
nationally important wildlife habitats.

Desmond Thompson

Des Thompson works with the Nature
Conservancy Council's Chief Scientist
Directorate. Together with Hector
Galbraith {also NCC) and Adam Watson
(Institute of Terrestrial Ecology}, he is
currently directing a study designed to
strengthen our understanding of
ecological interactions on the high tops.
In (his article he examines some of the
issues relating to ski development and
introduces the NCC's new study project.

Judean Jubilee

A cloud of White Pelicans against a bright blue
sky, a flock of 1000 Levant Sparrowhawks on
migration, Baillon's Crakes feeding avidly on
myriads of insects and Caspian Terns plunge-
diving for fish in a tranquil sea. Just some of
the sights enjoyed by SOC members on the
Jubilee trip to Israel in April 1986.

211 species were recorded on the trip in
habitats ranging from snow-capped Mount
Hermon to the Judean and Negev deserts.
Animals included magnificent Nubian Ibexes,
small Syrian Rock Hyraxes (whose nearest
relative is, almost unbelievably, the Elephant)
and two species of gazelle. Insects were not
overlooked either and the sight of two
members pursuing dragonflies in the scorching
midday sun must have left locals thinking they
were English rather than Scots.

The difference in the avifauna was
immediately obvious to members as they
awoke on the first morning to the fruity calls
of Yellow-vented Bulbuls and the incessant
song of Graceful Warblers. Any thoughts of
dreaming were dispelled on stepping outside
to observe the irridescent plumage of male
Orange-tufted Sunbirds as they hovered in
their search for nectar. An extensive area of
fish ponds on the Mediterranean coast
produced masses of waterbirds, including
various herons. White-breasted and Pied
Kingfishers and noisy Spur-winged Plovers. At
the end of the first day at least one member
was reeling from the impact of 40 new
species.

Next day saw us birding on the rocky slopes
of Mount Hermon where we had fine views
of the endemic Tristram's Serin and other
localised species like Rock Nuthatch. In the
north visits were also made to a superb gorge
with nesting Griffon and Egyptian Vultures,
Long-legged Buzzard and Bonelli's Eagle, and
to the Hula reserve which protects the remains
of the once extensive papyrus swamp.

The verdant north was left behind as we
reached the spectacular wilderness of the
Judean desert above the shores of the Dead
Sea. Here we were privileged to watch a
Bonelli's Eagle tenderly feeding pieces of a
Sand Partridge to its young in the nest, and
a Hume's Tawny Owl dining on a bat. The
mountain-top fortress of Massada combined
history with close-up views of unfamiliar
species like Hooded Wheatear, Scrub Warbler
and Tristram's Grackle.

Photo: Jim Stewart

Moving south, we could have been in Africa
as we passed through the savanna of the
Arava valley en route to the migration hot spot
of Eilat at the northern end of the Red Sea.
This feeling was heightened by the fauna, with
gazelles by the roadside, brilliantly coloured
Little Green Bee-eaters perched on the acacias
and one of the few remaining Lappet-faced
Vultures soaring amongst a flock of migrating
raptors.

Very hot weather meant that migration was
poor by Eilat standards but the combination
of sea, salt pans, fields, palm groves and
mountains produced a wide range of species.
Highlights included Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse
drinking at a traditional pool at dusk. Oriental
Skylark, a pair of elegant Namaqua Doves,
confiding crakes, breeding Dead Sea Sparrows
and hundreds of Red-throated Pipits. The
underwater observatory was fascinating with
the coral, anemones and fish providing a
wealth of colour.

In the northern Negev, large tracts of the
fragile desert vegetation had been destroyed
by military activity. Finding the specialities
here was not easy but perseverance produced
three species of sandgrouse. Cream-coloured
Courser, Desert Wheatear, Houbara Bustard
and the pale desert race of Eagle Owl.

Finally, we took in the sights of Jerusalem
but even here it was impossible to get away
from the birds with a Short-toed Eagle drifting
over the Garden of Gethsemane.

Alan Brown

ORNITHOLIDAYS 1987

Member of The Association of British Travel Agents

Twenty-two years' Service to
Naturalists and Birdwatchers

Holidays organised by Birdwatchers
for Birdwatchers

lamaica

Venezuela

Kenya

Morocco

The Nile Valley

Zimbabwe

The Seychelles

Okavango Delta

Madagascar

Ethiopia

N. India & the Himalayas
The Galapagos

Kashmir & Ladakh

Thailand

Florida

Vancouver & the Rockies

Australia

New Zealand

Israel

Iordan

S. W. Spain

Majorca

Andorra

Spanish Pyrenees

The Camargue

The Roussillon

The Vanoise Nat. Park

S. Norway

Iceland

Yugoslavia

N. E. Greece

Mount Olympus

Turkey

Cyprus

Lake NeusiedI

Particulars and Programme sent on request

LAWRENCE G. HOLLOWAY
ORNITHOLIDAYS

Dept. 4, 1/3 Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis, Sussex, England P021 2PW

Telephone 0243 821230

ATOL Licence No. 743

8

Subaqua Sandpiper

On June 21st 1986 I observed an adult
Common Sandpiper bathing 15 yards from the
George Waterston hide at Vane Farm. Visibility
was good. Much of the bathing, which lasted
for about five minutes, was standard
procedure, but on three or four occasions the
bird ran out from the stony spit on which it
was standing for about a yard, totally
submerged beneath the shallow water. It then
returned to its original stone, at no time
breaking the surface. The action was
reminiscent of a foraging Dipper, but the
Sandpiper was not seen to feed under water.
The bird appeared to be unconscious of the
observer and walked away when it had
finished its ablutions.

Cramp's handbook records the Common
Sandpiper as diving "when disturbed" but
wading and swimming "rarely".

Betty Rowling

Expansion of roof
nesting by Common
Gulls in Aberdeen

In 1984 a pair of Common Gulls successfully
raised two young on an office block roof at
Altens, Aberdeen (SB 13:229). During a local
survey in 1986 to determine the density of
breeding Oystercatchers using urban and
suburban sites within Aberdeen a further five
roof nesting sites of Common Gulls were
found. These contained a minimum of twenty
pairs of birds and were all within Altens
Industrial Estate, to the south of the city.

The presence of the Common Gulls on
various roof types was noted from early April
onwards. Nest building and copulation were
seen on 12th May and there were chicks at
three sites on 12th June. These dates closely
reflect the first reported instances in 1984.
Colony sizes were: 1 nest (2 sites), 2 nests
(1 site), c 4 nests (1 site) and c 15 nests (1
site). The presence of adult Common Gulls on
other roof sites would indicate a further
expansion by this species in Aberdeen in
future years.

Of particular interest is the interrelationship
between Oystercatchers and Common Gulls
at these roof sites. At all the sites containing
Common Gulls, Oystercatchers nested in close
proximity and usually on the same buildings.
There appeared to be no direct competition
for nest sites, with the Oystercatchers nesting
on flat areas of roof covered by loose granite
chippings and the gulls choosing to nest on
elevated roof ridges and atop air ventilation
ducting on a higher level. The Common Gulls
built a simple nest of vegetable matter while
the Oystercatchers used the loose granite
chips to build their nest cups, in one instance
a pair of Common Gulls built their nest within
five metres of an Oystercatcher nest, both
pairs successfully raising two chicks. Fledgling
success in general would tend to indicate that
this site-sharing arrangement could have
benefits to both species particularly with
regard to the pressures from predatory gulls
and crows.

Brian Stewart

*

Snipe. Arthur Gilpin

Displaying Snipe

Our house overlooks a large lawn of about halt
an acre which slopes to a river and the wide
marshy meadows of Balquhidder Glen beyond.
In spring this area supports a variety of
breeding waders. On the evening of May 22nd
we noticed a pair of Common Snipe
immediately outside the window. They were
totally absorbed in what appeared to be a
courtship ritual, running very closely side by
side with the (presumed) female slightly in
front. If the female stopped the male at once
ran round as though to get behind it but was
immediately thwarted by the female turning
to face him as he did so; they would then
continue running together until the next pause
when the circling action would be repeated.
Only once the hen crouched briefly as though
to accept the male's advances but as soon as
he approached from behind she ran off as
before.

After a time the birds appeared to become
more excited and as the female turned to face
the male both birds would flutter a foot or two
into the air facing one another with wings
extended above their backs then drop down
to continue running side by side. This
performance continued for at least twenty
minutes during which the birds crossed and
re-crossed the lawn with periodic confront-
ations when they fluttered up against one
another. Eventually they ran out of sight and
we found them again about ten minutes later
still continuing the ritual on a side lawn. The
whole performance therefore must have lasted
for at least forty minutes and continued into
near darkness. For most of the time the birds
were silent but occasionally the "chip-er" call
was made as they ran.

The Birds of the Western Palearctic (Vol. 3)
gives only a brief and sketchy account of this
behaviour.

Margaret Myine

Sparrowhawk attacking
Teal on the water

D. Kenney's note describing a Buzzard taking
a Teal prompts me to record the following
incident.

On 4 May 1984 in Lossie Forest, Moray, I
noticed a lone female Teal swimming on the
surface of a small loch surrounded by pine
trees. A male Sparrowhawk swept out of the
trees and dived onto the Teal. The two birds
grappled on the water for several seconds
before the Sparrowhawk broke free and flew
off, dripping water. The Teal left soon
afterwards, apparently uninjured.

Although Teal have been recorded as among
the prey of Sparrowhawks, the facts that the
duck was on the water and that a male
Sparrowhawk was involved seem remarkable.

Martin Cook

More atypical crow nests

In SB 13:188 I reported a case of ground
nesting by Carrion Crows at a site near
Newmachar, Aberdeenshire in 1984. During
1985 Carrion Crows nested on the ground in
a nearby field but cattle were introduced to
the field and the breeding attempt was
unsuccessful.

About 700m away two Carrion Crow nests
(c70m apart) were found at the bottom of
gorse bushes which were growing through a
Im high drystane dyke. Both were eventually
lined but no eggs were found. There was a
suitable 16ha strip of mature woodland
c300m away from the dyke. A check of this
after leaf fall in autumn revealed five distinct
crow nests of the year. If all were used during
1985 this would have been in excess of the
high breeding density found near Newmachar
in 1982 (SB 13:188). There appeared to be no
persecution of crows in this area, presumably
territory restrictions are forcing these birds to
nest in unusual places. I thank Mr R. Ingram
for bringing the nests to my notice.

And in 1986 . . .

I he ground site was unoccupied this year but
two nests were located at the dyke. One was
on the dyke and contained four eggs on the
12 May. The second was cl 50m away and
situated on top of a 1.5m gorse bush which
was growing through the dyke. No eggs were
found at this nest. Unfortunately the former
was accidentally destroyed when all the gorse
was ripped out during fencing maintenance.
The farmer checked for a nest but it was very
well hidden and not noticed until too late.

The strip of wood mentioned above held
four active Carrion Crow nests during April
and a single tree c250m away in the opposite
direction from the dyke also held an occupied
Carrion Crow nest; this is similar to the density
levels found in 1982.

G. W. Rebecca

Crow attacking ducklings

On 28th June, 1986, at Clunie Loch,
Perthshire, I saw an immature Carrion Crow
attempt to catch Mallard ducklings by
dropping on them from a height of approx 4
metres from a Willow overhanging the water's
edge. The ducklings scattered to safety,
leaving the crow to swim about 3 metres back
to shore using the corvine equivalent of the
"butterfly stroke"!

Alan Hilton

9

THE

ATLAS OF
WINTERING
BIRDS IN
BRITAIN AND
IRELAND

Compiled by
PETER LACK

This companion volume to The
Atlas of Breeding Birds is derived
from the surveys, organised by the
BTO and IWC, of birds present in
the winters of 1981/82, 1982/83
and 1983/84. There are full-page
two-colour maps for the 192 main
species, each faced by a page of
text commenting on the survey
results, the species generally and
the distribution as mapped. In
addition there are introductory
chapters by Dr Lack on the maps,
the weather in the three winters,
bird patterns and movements;
appendices describe the planning,
organisation, field methods, and
the processing of data from record
cards to computer output and
maps. A team of 23 artists, led by
Robert Gillmor, has provided the
line drawings which head the
species accounts.

448 pages, £19.00 net

T & AD POYSER

Reviews

Shorebirds: an Identification Guide to the
Waders of the World, by Peter Hayman, John
Marchant and Tony Prater; Groom Helm; 1986;
412pp; 88 plates; 214 distribution maps;
£19.95.

This excellent book comes in two halves;
first 88 plates containing 1,800 colour
paintings of the world's 214 species of wader,
and then corresponding species texts.

In the plates, which are drawn to scale, Peter
Hayman has painted outstanding pictures,
which illustrate the identification features
without exaggerating them, and happily the
publishers have used the quality of paper and
colour-reproduction which the illustrations
deserve. On the facing page there is a com-
prehensive legend together with clear dis-
tribution maps. It would have been nice to
have everything scaled up by a factor of two,
to alleviate the over-crowding on the plates,
but that would not have been possible without
taking the book into a very different
price-range.

John Marchant and Tony Prater have
complemented the plates with well researched
up-to-date material. The identification
features, habits, movements, plumages and
measurements of each species are given,
together with recent and significant
references. The list of acknowledgements
indicates the thoroughness of the research
and there is certainly a huge volume of
information, even if it is somewhat cramped
by the format. This is the definitive statement
of what is known so far and it will surely prove
to be an exceptionally popular book. One more
nice touch — there is a respectful black border
around the maps of the five species which are
probably extinct!

Graham Appleton

Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland

by J. Gooders and A. Harris. Kingfisher Books;
1986; 288pp; 255 species illustrated in
colour, with maps; £5.95.

Field notebook of British Birds by R. Lovegrove
and P. Snow. Collins; 1986; 128pp; 280
species illustrated in colour; attached note-
book and checklist; £7.95.

Not so long ago it was easy to recommend
a field guide to an aspiring ornithologist. The
classic A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and
Europe by Peterson, Mountfort and Hollom
reigned supreme. Born in the fifties, it set the
standard for the next two decades,
encouraging a whole generation of bird-
watchers to aim for new heights of field
identification skill.

Times have changed. Several excellent new
guides have appeared in recent years, each
with its own particular twist to solving the
identification puzzle. My dog-eared 'Peterson',
complete with annotations in juvenile scrawl,
still has a well-earned place on the bookshelf,
but seldom wins the doubtful honour of being
stuffed in the pocket of my field jacket. That
lot usually falls to the Mitchell Beazley
Birdwatcher's Pocket Guide by Peter Hayman,
with the Shell Guide to the Birds of Britain and
Ireland as a back-up in the van's glove com-
partment. But two new contenders are now
vying for these spaces.

The first, the Kingfisher Field Guide to the
Birds of Britain and Ireland by John Gooders,
illustrated by Alan Harris, is a triumph of good
design and neatly summarized information.
Each of 255 species of bird regularly seen here
has a page devoted to it. The illustrations are

large enough to show even quite subtle j
plumage features and give good examples of
male, female, juvenile and winter plumages
where appropriate. The text is concise and is
supplemented by a distribution map, a scale
showing the month-by-month likelihood of
encountering the bird, and a tinted box which
brings together information on behaviour, field
characters and breeding biology. The data in
these boxes on clutch sizes, incubation and
fledging periods will be appreciated by many
people — I'm already using the guide as the
quickest reference I know to glean just that
sort of information. Colour flashes at the page
corners flag different groups, such as waders i
or warblers, but since the species are arranged I
in the usual systematic order, this feature is :
largely one to help beginners. At £5.95, this
book is very good value indeed. i

The second recently published guide is the
Collins Field Notebook of British Birds by
Roger Lovegrove, illustrated by Philip Snow.

This takes the novel tack of showing birds in
the way the artist feels they might be seen in !
the field. As a result, each of the illustrated i
pages fairly jumps with activity. No room for '
stukkie specimens here; flying, feeding,
stretching and courting are the order of the
day. Most two-page spreads cover a group of i
related species, such as thrushes or scrub
warblers, in text and pictures. These are
supplemented by some mainly pictorial
spreads which contain very brief descriptions
of the species which are portrayed. \

The artwork has a sketchy, pastel quality,
well-suited to conveying the jizz of a bird, |
while the text contains many useful hints to
help field identification. Overall, the |
information presented is less exhaustive than '
that in the Kingfisher guide, the illustrations
not so all-embracing as those in the Shell
guide. Despite these shortcomings, the book's
pocketable size and flexible pvc cover, i
(complete with attached notebook and official I
BTO checklist), make it well-suited to a life in '
the field, rather than a cosseted life on the t
library shelf. So Peter Hayman may soon have '
company in the dank recesses of my Barbour !
jacket. As for the Kingfisher guide — who puts I
gloves in a glove compartment anyway these !
days?

Kenneth Taylor

II

II

The Birds of Colonsay and Oransay by D. C. |
Jardine, J. Clarke & P. M. Clarke; published by |
the authors; 1986; 59pp; 16 photographs in
colour of island habitats and birds, and a map;
£3.50.

I have just returned from a first visit to
Colonsay, and found this book both interesting
and useful. The islands, despite their modest
size, have very varied habitats. They are well
described, from sea cliffs and inland cliffs |
(where a pair of Golden Eagles have bred for
the past 2.5 years) to lochs, moorlands,
machair, and the mudflats separating
Colonsay from Oransay, which are good for
migrant waders. The best areas for birds are
described, most of them easily accessible
from the 14 miles of island roads.

The main part of the book is a species list.

Early published records are given. These make
interesting reading, and are compared with
recent status. Pride of place must be given to
the Choughs, which have bred on Colonsay |
since 1973, and are rare birds in Scotland. I

The authors' use of the spelling Oransay
(rather than the more usual Oronsay) is
preferred by the islanders.

W. G. Harper ,j.

10

The Birds of the Borders, by Ray Murray,
127pp., SOC Borders Branch, 1986, £3.50;
The Birds of Fife, by Anne-Marie Smout,
274pp., John Donald Ltd,, 1986, £7.50; The
Birds of the Lothians, by Ian J. Andrews,
124pp., SOC Edinburgh Branch, 1986, £3.50.

These books have a great deal in common:
each summarizes the status of the birds of a
Scottish Region (though the Fife book uses
the old boundaries and excludes the Isle of
May) and all have received financial support
from the SOC. Each could be fairly described
as indispensable, since there is nothing else
in print that does the same job. How well each
author has tackled that job is the subject of
this review.

Anne-Marie Smout has gone for a commer-
cially printed softback which looks much
smarter than the others, which have been
privately published; paradoxically the dearer
book may be easier to distribute to the book
trade. Personally, I found the print of Birds of
the Lothians perfectly adequate; Birds of the
Borders, unfortunately, is less easy on the eye.
All three have many drawings and diagrams
but no photographs. The Fife book has BTO
Atlas maps (winter as well as breeding), but
it is debatable whether the expense of
reproducing data readily available elsewhere
is justified, especially as the winter maps
suggest that many coastal waders occur
inland. The Lothian and Borders books both
use histograms and tables to summarize data
on many species and in general have a more
concise text, whereas Mrs Smout is much
more discursive, with an eye to the general
reader.

These sort of guides always find it easiest
to document rarities, and the best measure of
their success is how well they handle the really
common birds. Here Birds of the Lothians
scores, partly because so many fieldworkers
have been active in and around Edinburgh, but
also because Ian Andrews has consulted so
widely before switching on his word
processor. Even so I felt all three books would
have benefited from a pre publication check
by someone experienced in censusing
common birds.

Obvious errors seem few: there are better
Puffin counts for some Forth islands and most
Berwickshire Guillemot counts were of birds
not sites while CBC fieldworkers will be
surprised to read that Sedge Warblers, Linnets
and Reed Buntings, among others, have
shown no changes in status in Fife in recent
years.

I do not think it is a coincidence that these
regions all produce local bird reports, whose
editors and contributors can take considerable
credit for publishing much of the information
which the three authors have utilized. Time
will tell how Mrs Smout's more commercial
approach appeals compared to the utilitarian
Andrews/Murray versions, and this
information should help prospective authors
in other parts of Scotland. I am glad the SOC
helped all three, but regret that it was less
generous when local reports were starting up.

I hope that in all three regions local bird-
watchers will buy these books and then under-
take the obvious follow up project, which is
the quantitative Breeding Atlas scheduled to
start in 1988.

Stan da Prato

HB

The Sparrowhawk by Ian Newton; T. & A. D.
Poyser; 1986; 396pp; many black and white
photographs, drawings and maps; £16.

This book, the culmination of 14 years'
research stemming from the author's lifelong
fascination with the Sparrowhawk, draws
together material which has been published
in no less than 27 scientific papers in a variety
of journals. These are now eloquently linked
to form a most readable account.

The Sparrowhawk is of particular interest
to readers in Scotland since most of the field-
work was undertaken in the South of this
country. The Scottish study forms the back-
bone of the presentation, but, where
appropriate, comparisons are made with other
areas in Britain or overseas, or with other
Accipiters elsewhere.

The early chapters set the scene with
descriptions of the bird and its habitat, food
and hunting behaviour; the breeding cycle is
then covered in considerable detail, from pre-
laying behaviour to the post-fledging period;
and later chapters deal with the effects on
breeding success of seasonal trends, age of
breeding birds and mate fidelity. Each chapter
ends with a useful summary of its salient
points, and the book with detailed conclusions
in which the author shows how "every aspect
of the ecology and behaviour of each sex has
been moulded by evolution, in order to
maximise individual breeding success."

The book is written in an easy style, with
all technicalities explained carefully and all
scientific argument followed through and
supported by 63 tables. These are grouped at
the end of the book for easy cross-reference,
although this can sometimes be a little dis-
tracting when first reading a particular section.
The statistics used are generally appropriate
and given in sufficient detail, attached to the
tables, where the reader who is not
statistically minded can ignore them if he so
wishes. The 90 figures are located in the text
where they are relevant. The Sparrowhawk is
further embellished with an apposite drawing
at the end of each chapter by Keith Brockie,
who has captured the birds in many poses
with charm and authenticity. There are also
50 black and white plates chosen for their
relevance to illustrate the text. One even gives
us a view of the author in his natural habitat,
half-way up a larch tree! The production, by
Poyser, is up to this publisher's usual very high
standard.

In concluding that most aspects of the
Sparrowhawk's performance are limited
ultimately by its food supply, Ian Newton has
provided a wealth of evidence in support of
the theories of his late mentor at Oxford, David
Lack. He has been able to go much further into
understanding the behavioural mechanisms
which facilitate this regulation than previous
authors, and this book will be required reading
for future generations of population
ecologists. The detailed treatment of a single
species here nicely complements the author's
earlier more wide-ranging review. Population
Ecology of Raptors. The fluent style and the
presentation make The Sparrowhawk highly
recommendable for anyone seriously
interested in birds.

Dorian Moss

The

Sparrowhawk

by IAN NEWTON

Dr Newton's monograph of this
widely distributed raptor is based
on 1 4 years’ research and
fieldwork in SW Scotland. During
the period he attempted to trap
and ring all Sparrowhawks in the
study area and to find their nests.

As a result many individual birds
were known throughout their lives.

The book draws on Dr Newton's
wide knowledge of the species,
and that of other workers in Britain
and abroad, and benefits
additionally from his particular
interest in population regulation
and breeding performance of the
Sparrowhawk and the remarkable
contrast in size between males
and females.

Thirty-eight drawings by Keith
Brockie complement the text and
there are over 80 diagrams and
50 photographs.

396 pages plus 24 plates,

£16.00 net

Birds

in Scotland

by VALERIE M.THOM

390 pages, 26.5x19cm. £24 00net

T& AD POYSER

11

Contents

The 1986 Breeding Season

in Scotland

1

SOC News

2

Recent Reports

3

The Seabird Scene

4 & 5

Conflict on the High Tops

6 & 7

Judean Jubilee

8

Short Notes

9

Reviews

10 & 11

SOC Notices

12

SBN Advertising Rates

Full page £100. Half page £50. Quarter page
across £30. Sixth page £20. Third page
upright £40. Small ads £1 per line. Prices are
exclusive of VAT. Adverts should be sent to
Jacquie Clark, Business Editor, 21 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH 7 BBT.

Deadlines

SBN is published four times a year, at the
beginning of March, June, September and
December. Material submitted for possible
publication should be sent to 21 Regent
Terrace no later than 8 weeks prior to public-
ation (e.g. by 1 January for the March
number), although late news and notices may
be acceptgd slightly later. Queries — and
suggestions — will be welcomed by the Editor
(Tel. 0738-23508). Information on the
submission of material for Scottish Birds, will
be found in SB 14(V.

SOC Membership

Membership subscription rates are as follows:

Adult £10.00

Junior (under 18 or student under 25)£4.00
Family (husband, wife & children under 18)

£14.50

Life individual £200.00 family£300.00
Pensioner individual £6.00 family £8.50
Further details from Membership Secretary,
Miss Pat Webster, SQC, 21 Regent Terrace,
Edinburgh EH7 BBT,

Endowment Fund Grants
The closing date for applications for
1987 grants (and for reports for grants
received in 1986) is 31st December
1986. Application forms are obtainable
from John Davies, the Club Secretary.

SOC Notices

Subscriptions 1986/87
Those members who have not yet
renewed their subscriptions will find
another subscription renewal slip with
this copy of SBN. Please renew your sub-
scription NOW by completing the slip
and sending it to Pat Webster, the Mem-
bership Secretary. Subscription remin-
ders are costly.

Scottish Bird Report 1985
The 1985 SBR, edited by Angus Hogg,
was published in November as part of
Scottish Birds 14:2 and sent to all Club
members.

Scottish Bird Report 1986
Observers are reminded that all records
for 1986 should be sent to the local
recorders (listed in the 1985 SBR) by the
end of January 1987. This will enable the
recorders, compilers and editor of the
SBR to publish the 1986 SBR in the
autumn of 1987. The editor invites
submission of black and white photo-
graphs or colour slides of rare or
uncommon birds taken in Scotland
during 1986. Remember the SBR is your
report, so please give it your full support
by being prompt with the submission of
your records.

New Honorary Presidents
At its 50th Annual General Meeting the
Club elected two new Honorary
Presidents, Mr A. Donald Watson and
Miss Valerie M. Thom, in recognition of
their services to Scottish ornithology.
Donald Watson, a founder member of the
SOC and President 1969-72, is a
professional bird artist whose work is
widely known and much appreciated,
especially through the many bird books
enhanced by his illustrations. He is also
an author, his monograph on The Hen
Harrier probably being his best-known
work. Valerie Thom, a keen amateur
ornithologist, was President 1978-81,
and became editor of Scottish Birds in
1982. In 1981, after a career in agricul-
tural and conservation education
advisory work, she left the Countryside
Commission for Scotland to become a
free-lance author and consultant. Her
Birds in Scotland, published for the Club
on the occasion of its Golden Jubilee,
represents a significant addition to the
literature on Scottish ornithology.

1986 Photo Competition winners
This year's winning entries, which were
all colour transparencies, will be
reproduced in the March 1987 issue of
SBN.

First: D. Hassell . . . Hooded Crow.

Second: W. E. Middleton . . . Great
Tit.

Third: D. J. Garner . . . Grey Wagtail.

Breeding Black-throats

The Black-throated Diver is a rare and
threatened breeding species in Britain,
currently confined to Scotland. As part of
ongoing studies the RSPB is attempting to
document any changes that have occurred in
the numbers of breeding pairs over the last 50
or more years. We would be pleased to hear
from anyone who has records of birds on lochs
during the breeding season at any time in the
past. We need to know the loch name (with
grid reference); the year and date; numbers of
adults seen; any evidence for breeding.
Negative records are also useful, particularly
if these relate to lochs where you have known
birds to be present in the past. Coastal
sightings of Black-throated Divers in winter
would also be welcomed. If you have
previously sent in information please just
update this for recent years. All information
will be treated in confidence and should be
sent to Dr. Greg Mudge or Roy Dennis, RSPB
Highland Office, Munlochy, Ross-shire, IV8
8ND.

Neck-banded Geese

Several hundred Scandinavian-breeding
Greylags (and also some Bean Geese) have
recently been marked with coloured and
numbered neck-bands. Anyone who sees
geese with blue (Greylags) or orange (Bean)
neck-bands is asked to note the one letter and
two number code and send details of the
sighting to Dr Leif Nilsson, Ecology Building,
S- 223 62 Lund, Sweden.

Small ads

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS.

Week long birdwatching courses in comfort
in small friendly guest house. Expert tuition,
individual attention, safaris, lectures. Begin-
ners welcome. SAE: Ron Youngman, 'Atholl
Bank', Pitlochry, Perthshire (0796-2753).

BIRD JOURNAL back numbers supplied. — D.
Morgan, Whitmore, Umberleigh, Devon.

JUBILEE POSTER celebrating 50 years of
Scottish ornithology. A 4-colour art poster
(24" X 16") featuring superb colour
photograph of Golden Eagle by Don Smith.
£1.95 (inc. p&p) from SOC (Poster), 21 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT.

JUBILEE MUGS. Attractive blue mugs with
new Crested Tit design from Larbert Pottery.
£1.50 each. Available at your local Branch
Meeting or from SOC, 21 Regent Terrace, Edin-
burgh, (personal callers only).

THE BIRDS OF THE LOTHIANS by Ian

Andrews. 125 page p/back. Summaries of
status and distribution, many maps, graphs
and sketches. £3.50 inc p&p from I. Andrews,
15 The Parsonage, Musselburgh, Midlothian.

VISIT AILSA CRAIG, see spectacular Gannetry
and wildlife. Standing 10 miles west of Girvan
in the Firth of Clyde. Ornithological Club
special trips on board M.V.F. "Glorious." For
further details contact John McCrindle, 7
Harbour Street, Girvan, Ayrshire (0465-3219).

STRONESLANEY, STRATHYRE. Self catering.
Watch river and marsh birds from your log-
cabin window or come B & B in farmhouse.
Beautiful forest, loch and mountain surround-
ings. Tel; 08774 676.

Published by The Scottish Ornithologists' Club, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT © SOC
Printed by The Galloway Gazette Ltd, Newton Stewart, DG8 BPS

MARCH 1987
ISSN 0268-3199

No.5

BirdNeu^

THE SCOTTISH
ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB

Edited by Stanley da Prato
Assisted by ValerieThom

The killing continues^^gSiT;:;^^

In Scotland today the numbers of all raptor specks (except Merlj^n) are increasing. That this is so is in no small measure
due to the efforts of a legion of interested parties frorr\JiiHyvy^tth^§7o sciantists, landowners to legislators. The fall
and rise in the fortunes of the Peregrine, for instance, owes much to scientisjre discovering the root cause of the malaise
affecting the birds but also to those hardy souls wkp mO4n^[^|^^(0gid-t^)j^lock guards on nest sites still at risk from
robbery in the lean years of the 60's and 70's. What isTret ganoraUyf^lised is that many raptors are still the victims
of illegal killing in the Scottish countryside.

The Species Protection Depart-
ment of the RSPB is in the unique
position of being the main recipient of
the bad news about raptors in the UK;
in Scotland this takes the form of
telephone calls and letters (often
anonymous for fear of retribution!) to
17 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh. During
1 986 approximately 50 reports of illegal
actions aimed at our birds of prey were
received. As many reports came from
walkers who have stumbled (sometimes
literally!) on a trap or poison bait when
taking an unfamiliar route, these reports
represent only a small proportion of the
killing which is taking place; the
perpetrators do not operate in areas
where they are likely to be discovered by
the general public.

Victims in recent years have
included Golden Eagles (at least 1 5
reports since 1981, one in 1986),
Buzzards (over 17 in 1986, the most
common victim). Peregrines and Spar-
rowhawks. Occasional rarities such as
Gyr Falcon, Marsh Harrier, Rough-
Legged Buzzard and even Sea Eagle have
all fallen victim to poison baits in the last
decade. One of the most persuasive
arguments against the use of poison in
the countryside is that it is totally
indiscriminate in its effect. However,
what is most disturbing at the present
time is the apparent increase in
deliberate attempts to destroy raptors
using poison, traps, guns and destruc-
tion of eggs and young. There are many
landowners, estate factors and
gamekeepers who actively care for rap-
tors on their ground and much of the
recent success of our birds of prey is due
to their efforts. Unfortunately some of
their colleagues have a different view
and in some areas of Scotland birds such
as Hen harriers and Buzzards are locally
extinct because of persecution.

Sparrowhawk in a Poletrap
lain MacLeod

At present Pheasant rearing
appears to be on the increase with
thousands of birds being reared in pens
in small woods and shelter belts, later
to be released for game shooting by
members of shooting syndicates. 'Ver-
min control' is often in the hands of
inexperienced part-time amateurs who
resort to the use of pole traps and
poisoned bait. In that situation the
intended victim is as likely to be a
Sparrowhawk or Tawny Owl as a Crow
or Jay. If there has been damage to
young Pheasants there is seldom any
investigation, just summary execution
of the first bird to land on a trap. An

alarming trend is the deliberate destruc-
tion of adults, eggs and young of
Peregrines in areas such as S.E.
Scotland, where the birds have only
recently returned after the pesticide era.

The excuse given for such actions, by
those who admit to them, is that 'there
are now too many birds of prey; we put
up with them when they were rare'. This
attitude is both arrogant and illegal. Most
arguments about the damage done by
raptors do not stand close inspection -
the fact is that raptors are killed as part
of a continuing tradition of prejudice
against 'hooked beaks'.

The shooting press have expres-
sed considerable concern at the growth
of the anti-blood sports lobby. The RSPB
and SOC do not oppose legitimate field
sports and recognise that habitat
benefits can result from managing land
for sport. However, the widespread
killing of raptors in Scotland, from the
island of Islay to the hills of south
Scotland and the glens of the north-east,
gravely weakens the arguments of those
who defend shooting. The shooting
fraternity must put their house in order
if they are to retain their present sport.

In 1986 some of our most
beautiful national assets have ended
their lives flapping from a trap or spraw-
led beside a poisoned bait. How can we
criticise the slaughter of birds in Italy or
Cyprus when these shameful practices
continue in our own back yard?

This article was written by the
RSPB's Species Protection Dept, who
should be contacted immediately by
anyone who finds evidence of persecu-
tion of raptors or other protected species
(17 Regent Terrace, Edinbugh, Tel:
031-556 5642).

Editorial

Thoughts from a grouse moor

Scottish Bird News enters its second year
with a new editor but the same philosophy as
it started with. This is an appropriate point at
which to thank Valerie for all the work she has
done in getting the new publications going;
in fact she will continue to edit Scottish Birds
and has kindly agreed to help the new editor
of SBN get material ready for the printer until
he has mastered the technicalities involved.

SBN 5 is further proof that the SOC is
in a healthy state - our biggest problem is still
what to leave out and most of the articles you
are reading have had to be edited fairly
ruthlessly. Please keep the material coming
in but don't be too disappointed if we have
to prune or delay your particular piece - it hap-
pens to us all! You can also help the Editor
considerably by typing double spaced and not
underlining headings (as this means put in
italics to a printer). Remember that we are
always interested in vignettes and photo-
graphs, but for good reproduction we need
drawings in pen rather than pencil and black
and white, glossy prints rather than colour
material.

The most important thing remains the
actual content, whether the more light
hearted goings on at Branches, or the serious
conservation issues that affect wild birds in
Scotland in the 80's. Conservation is now
popular enough to feature in the mass media,
with inevitable simplification and exaggera-
tion. One of the main purposes of Scottish
Bird News is to raise the quality of the debate
as far as wild birds in Scotland are concern-
ed; we hope our readers agree and think we
have made a reasonable start.

SdP

Red Grouse are declining in many parts of
Scotland for reasons which include disease,
poor weather, grazing of their habitats by
sheep and human disturbance. However there
are several areas where the birds are very
much on the increase.

The Misty Law, Muirshiel, and Ladyland
moors on the Renfrewshire-Ayrshire boundary
provide an example of how grouse can be
brought back on to the hills in increasing
numbers after a long period of decline.

This programme functions under the
aegis of an enterprise known as the Recon-
ciliation Project — the Joint Management of
Grouse and Grazing Animals. Its supporters
aim to restore grouse moors and they regard
the birds as a money-earning crop, to be pro-
duced and marketed in the same fashion as
trees or cereals. If successful, the backers can
look forward to sizeable cash incomes. At the
moment one brace of grouse is worth £25
which means that if a 24000-acres estate or
hill farm can be encouraged to yield one brace
per 1 0 acres the net worth of these 240 brace
at that price will bring in £6000 and boost the
capital value of the estate or farm by
£100,000.

Until the Second World War the neigh-
bourhood was regarded as one of the best
grouse moors in the Scottish Lowlands. The
'bags' in the years between the World Wars
were massive — the owners' diaries reveal
that totals of 2608, 1473 and 1507 grouse
were shot in 1932-1934. But after the war
the estate broke up and without game-
keepers the grouse population steadily

declined until very few birds were left. The
birds are now on the increase, with broods
of up to 12 young in July and August and an
average production of five young per hen. In
addition. Black Grouse, which were almost
non-existent, are coming back. The moor is
not yet being shot as the objective is to con-
tinue to let the stocks build up.

Three factors underly the recovery.
Firstly, there must be a plentiful supply of food
with the proper blend of young and old
heather to provide cover. Secondly, heather-
burning must be done correctly with fires
neither too large or too infrequent otherwise
there is too much cover and not enough
young heather for food. Thirdly, there must
be strict control of certain predators, par-
ticularly foxes which are Public Enemy
Number One as far as game preservers are
concerned. This programme amounts to vir-
tual extermination. In the project area bet-
ween May 1 985 and April 1 986 a total of 1 35
foxes were killed following the appointment
of a full-time keeper. In addition, 100 crows
were killed during a two-month period in
Spring 1985. The control of 'vermin' is one
of the most controversial aspects of rural life
today but is is legal.

A further problem is that many keepers
still view protected birds of prey as
undesirables whose meals mean a loss of
some £12 for each grouse plus potential in-
come lost from sportsmen likely to take their
custom and their money elsewhere if the
moors are known to be short of grouse. The
keeper's dilemma is obvious; his job is at stake
and if he cannot produce an acceptable
number of birds his future is unlikely to be
secure. On the other hand, he knows that all
predatory birds are protected and that anyone
caught breaking these laws is liable to be fin-
ed and possibly made redundant. It is still not
uncommon to find that raptors such as Buz-
zards are locally common on some estates
where they are free from persecution but non-
existent on neighbouring ones where persecu-
tion is the norm.

It might be worth considering some form
of compensation scheme for game-preservers
whose birds are killed by raptors. Such a
scheme could be open to abuse and is likely
to arouse considerable opposition in some
quarters, though government aid already en-
courages people to plant trees, grow cereals,
drain wetlands and, recently, not to disturb
important wildlife sites. It would certainly go
a long way towards reducing the number of
birds of prey which are illegally killed on Scot-
tish moors. It could even lead to keepers not
burning large tracts of heather as part of their
moorland management duties, if they knew
that Hen Harriers or Merlins were likely to
breed there during the summer.

Derek Parker

Derek Parker was a Summer Ranger in
Murshiel Country Park in 1985 to 1986.

Kindrogan

FIELD CENTRE

PROGRAMME 1987

WEEKEND BREAKS

For beginners and enthusiasts
(March May June)

Birds and their song . Spring birds
Countryside & wildlife photography
Insects . Walks in the Grampians

Ask about our family courses

Enochdhu, Blairgowrie,

Perthshire, PH10 7PG. Tel. (025 081) 286

2

Recent Reports

These notes include unchecked reports and
are not intended as a permanent record,
nor will they be indexed. Please send reports
to Pete Ellis, Seaview. Sandwick, Shetland,
via local recorders at the end of March,
June, September and December. The period
October to December is covered here.

Late autumn was conspicuously lacking
in easterly winds and consequently also
lacking in common migrants. There was one
arrival around 5th October, when thrushes
and finches came into many eastern areas. A
few rare birds turned up during the period in
several places, but Fair Isle dominated the
country with a remarkable series of records.

A Red-throated Diver was on the Clyde
above Erskine and a Black-throated Diver off
Langbank. White-billed Divers returned to
Whalsay and Blue Mull Sound in December.
There were 65 Little Grebes on the Clyde near
Lanark and 51 Great Crested Grebes on the
Clyde estuary in December. A Red-necked
Grebe was in Strathclyde Park in October and
3 Salvonian Grebes in Broadbay, Lewis,
another on the Don and 5 off Ardmore Point.
Several blue Fulmars were seen in the nor-
thern isles and 1 off Peterhead. Few Sooty
Shearwaters were reported, the maxima
being 70 in 5 hours off Fair Isle in October,
when 50 passed near Eyemouth; a late bird
was seen off Turnberry on 30th. A Storm
Petrel was at Coulport on 1 6th November, a
Leach's Petrel was on the River Teviot at
Crailing on 1 2th October and 8 were off
Turnberry on 25th October. A Bittern at
Duddingston in November stayed for several
days, and a Cattle Egret at Stranraer in
October moved to Croketford in December.
A Glossy Ibis visited Strathberg in October
when another was in Orkney, the latter
staying into December.

Two Mute Swans were on Spiggie in
October and 5 Bewick's Swans at Libberton
in December. The Spiggie Whooper Swans
peaked at 384 in October and 1 52 were at
Inchinnan in November. Twelve Bean Geese
were at Libberton and the Endrick Mouth
Greenland White-fronted Goose flock reached
1 93 in October. A Snow Goose was seen at
Cruden Bay and up to 4 were in East Lothian,
with another at Carmichael. Small numbers
of Barnacle Geese were seen in several areas
including 27 over Girdleness on 4th October
and 5 at Carmichael in December. A small
influx of pale-bellied Brent Geese continued
with 2 on Fair Isle, 1 6 at Peterhead, 4 on the

Glossy Ibis
Sam Alexander

Don, 2 at Carmichael and a single dark-bellied
bird was seen in South Uist. An immature
male American Wigeon on Fair Isle stayed
into October, and another was seen in Nigg
Bay, whilst an adult male was seen at Culbin.
The female Red-crested Pochard returned to
the Loch of Harray in Orkney for the third year,
where the Scaup flock reached 120. Male
Surf Scoters were seen off Unst and in Spey
Bay, with 3 in the Sound of Taransay, Harris,
along with 700 Common and 2 Velvet
Scooters. A Smew was in Orkney and 2 red-
heads and a male were in East Lothian and
single red-heads at Possil Loch, Johnston
Loch and another male at Kelvin Mouth. A pair
of Ruddy Ducks were on the Barr Loch.

Fair Isle had a sub-adult White-tailed
Eagle in November and a Buzzard was on
mainland Orkney and a Rough-legged Buzzard
inthe Lammermuirs in December. A Merlin
found injured in Lewis in October had been
ringed in Iceland and there was an influx of
this species into Shetland in October and
November. A first year Saker or Saker x
Lanner hybrid was on Fair Isle in November
and a Corncrake and a Dotterel were there in
October.

Four Little Stints were in South Uist, with
2 in Shetland, 2 on Fair Isle and a Curlew
Sandpiprer in South Uist in October. A Pectoral
Sandpiper was at Hillend Reservoir in October.
Small numbers of Jack Snipe occurred in
several areas, maxima being 6 at Curlingmire
and 1 3 at Paisley Moss. A Great Snipe was
on North Ronaldsay in October and Fair Isle
had 20 Woodcock on 1 5th November. A
Black-tailed Godwit was at Inverugie and a
Spotted Redshank on Harris. A Greenshank
was on the Ythan on 29th November and 1 9
were at Woodhall on 1 6th November. A Green
Sandpiper was wintering at Erskine and 2
more were at Coulter.

Pomarine Skuas were not as common as
in 1985, although about 20 were seen in
Shetland in October, 1 was at Girdleness, 5
at Hound Point on 1 0th October and 3 1 there
on 1st November, with 1 at Troon in
December. A late Arctic Skua was at Rattray
on 1 3th December and Fair Isle had a juvenile
Long-tailed Skua in October, and a late Bonxie
was at Troon on 6th December. A Peregrine
had the bad manners to take a second winter
Mediterranean Gull in Ayrshire and an adult
Laughing Gull was seen at Stevenston in
November. A late Lesser Black-backed Gull
was at Girdleness on 3rd December. Iceland
Gulls were scarce in most areas, maxima
being 5 on Unst and only 2 in the Western
Isles. The adult Kumlien's Gull has again
returned to Banff.

Turtle Doves were in Shetland, with 2 in
South Uist and another at Barassie in October.
There was an influx of Long-eared Owls in the
northern isles, with a maximum of 7 at Strand,
6 on Fair Isle and groups of up to 7 in Orkney,
including one wearing a Swedish ring. A
Hoopoe was seen at Tyninghame on 4th
October.

Up to 4 Short-toed Larks were on Fair Isle
in October and 4 Shore Larks at Tyninghame,
with another at Musselburgh in December. Six
late Swallows were over Bearsden on 29th
October. Fair Isle had a remarkable run of
pipits, with Richard's, Olive-backed and
Pechora. The first of a small irruption of
Waxwings arrived in Edinburgh on 27th
December, closely followed by others in
Shetland, on Fair Isle in Orkney and at
Penicuik, with a maximum of 20 at Contin.
A Bluethroat was on Fetlar and 3 more on Fair

Wax wing
David Gowans

Isle. Single Black Redstarts appeared on
Skerries, Fair Isle and at Rattray and Cramond
and a Stonechat was seen on Fair Isle. A good
sized fall of thrushes around 5th October
included 5 Ring Ousels on Skerries, 4 on
Whalsay, 40 on Fair Isle and 50 on North
Ronaldsay, along with lots of Redwings.
Counts of the latter included 3000 in
Skerries, 2300 on Fair Isle and 1 000 on North
Ronaldsay. Fieldfares were scarce, although
Orkney had a small arrival on 24th December.

Fair Isle had a Lanceolated Warbler and
the Paddyfield Warbler remained into October.
Single Barred Warblers occurred on Skerries
and at St. Abbs. Wintering Blackcaps included
4 at Aberlady in December. Yellow-browed
Warblers in October and early November
included at least 1 3 in Shetland, 1 3 in Orkney,

2 in the Western Isles, 7 in Aberdeenshire, 2
at Barns Ness and 3 at St. Abbs. A Dusky
Warbler on Fair Isle on 14th November was
followed by another at Kergord the following
day. A Bonelli's Warbler in Orkney stayed
into mid November and a late Wood Warbler
was at Voe on 1 6th October. Chiffchaffs were
scarce, although a few of one of the eastern
races were in Orkney, and 2 were at Midross
on 1 3th December.

Along with the influx of thrushes came
good numbers of Bramblings, including 90 on
Skerries, 1 50 on Fetlar, 600 on Fair Isle and
1 50 at Holm in Orkney. Three Goldfinches on
Fair Isle were followed by another in Lerwick.
Small numbers of Mealy Redpolls were in the
northern isles and a few were also seen at
Drums. A "Pallescense" Redpoll on Fair Isle
was followed by an Arctic Redpoll on South
Uist. Fair Isle also had a Parrot Crossbill and
a Scaret Rosefinch, with another on Whalsay.
Four northern Bullfinches were on Fair Isle and
a Hawfinch at Kergord. A maximum of 3
Lapland Buntings were at Hermaness and 9
were seen at Cruden Bay, when 15 were at
Aberlady and 31 at Eyemouth. Good numbers
of Snow Buntings occurred in several areas;
Fair Isle had 420 on 11th November, in
Orkney there were flocks of over 400, and the
largest flock in Aberdeenshire was 350 at
Balmedie. Fair Isle had a Rustic Bunting and

3 Little Buntings, with another one on
Whalsay. Fair Isle also had a Yellow-breasted
Bunting and the Bobolink stayed there into
October.

STOP PRESS

Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, King Eider and
3 White-billed Divers in Shetland in January.
Not a bad start to 1987.

Pete Ellis

3

Raptor Results 1986

This report summarises the activities of four of the five Raptor Study Groups now active in Scotland. (Highland RSG results may
be documented separately.) This year we have also included Peregrine data for Orkney and Shetland. Species studied by group
members include Golden Eagle, Peregrine, Merlin, Kestrel and Hen Harrier.

A total of 59 occupied Eagle home ranges
and 295 occupied Peregrine sites were
monitored. The map shows the areas covered
by each group:- North East (NE), Central (C),
South West (SW) and South East (SE). The
SWSRSG includes Bute and Arran.

This is the sixth report from NE and the
third from C, SW and SE. The information has
been gathered by an army of dedicated rap-
tor workers throughout Scotland, most of
whom are voluntary and work solely in their
spare time. We present this report on behalf
of all contributions.

Thanks are due to the various species co-
ordinators who managed to send data: Jon
Hardey, Patrick Stirling-Aird, George Carse,
Dick Roxburgh, Sandy Payne, Adam Watson,
Roger Broad, Eric Meek and Pete Ellis.

lain MacLeod

South-west Scotland RSG. A poor year all
round with very bad spring and summer
weather seriously affecting nesting success.
83 sites were occupied with only 56 -t- young
reared. Some sites again fell victim to nest
robbers, taking both eggs and nestlings. 5
young men from the Newcastle area were
caught with 3 Peregrine chicks in the boot of
their car and were all convicted at Stranraer
Sheriff Court in December. They were fined
a combined total of £10,000. The three
chicks were returned to their nest by RSPB
and later fledged successfully.

South-east Scotland RSG. A very poor year
with several extreme factors causing failures.
A total of 27 sites were occupied (24 last
year). At least 6 sites were robbed of eggs
or young and 8 sites failed due to weather (a
couple of clutches being covered by snow).
Two new sites were found with very different
'fates’ - one successfully fledged 2 young in
a lowland eyrie but the second fell victim to
the shotgun of a gamekeeper who in order to
secure the demise of his targets also set an
illegal fenn trap on the nest ledge. At least two
other clutches were destroyed by keepers.
Orkney. A total of 33 sites were checked, 1 9
were occupied, 7 by single birds. 2 pairs
didn't lay and 2 pairs failed during incubation.
A total of 1 3 young were reared from 7 suc-
cessful sites - similar figures to last year.
Shetland. Birds were present at eight sites
checked. 3 pairs laid and two were succesful,
each fledging 3 young.

lain MacLeod

Golden Eagle

North-east Scotland RSG. Birds were present
on 35 home ranges (2 traditionally successful
ranges were not checked), at least 16 pairs
laid eggs - 2 clutches were broken, 4 clutches
deserted and one brood died shortly after
hatch. Nine pairs were successful, fledging
1 4 -t- young. The poor spring weather certain-
ly affected a couple of pairs, with heavy snow
storms in March and April. A similar season
to last year.

Peregrine

North-east Scotland RSG. Of 103 sites check-
ed, 82 were occuped with 75 pairs found. 57
pairs definitely laid eggs of which 39 clutches
hatched. Several sites failed due to bad
weather with a number of full clutches
deserted in April snow storms. Two sites lost
small chicks (one brood deserted due to tree
planting). Two nests were possibly robbed
and at a further 4 there was evidence of
gamekeeper persecution. On the good side,
a clutch of 5 was recorded and on the coast
5 pairs laid, with 3 of them fledging 6-7
young. In total 35 successful eyries produc-
ed at least 71 flying young. A few unusual
incidents were noted:- An adult male died
when it flew into the side of a police lan-
drover. This happened near to a previously un-
discovered 'new' site. The male killed was
almost certainly breeding here and the site fail-
ed shortly afterwards. There was evidence of
bigamy at one site and at another, 3 females
were in the company of one male at a suitable
crag. Prey items this year included Jay, Pied
Wagtail, Kittiwake (inland). Great Spotted
Woodpecker and Mountain Hare.

Central Scotland RSG. Birds were recorded on
24 home ranges (several by single birds on-
ly), 7-8 pairs laid and 6 nests successfully
fledged c.7 young. At one site which was pro-
bably robbed of eggs in 1985 protective
measures were taken and they fledged 2
young. At another locality an adult pair was
seen in flight with a juvenile where no nest
is known.

Peregrine breeding success in 1986

NE

Home ranges/sites with bird(s)
present

82

Home ranges/sites in which eggs
laid (probably laid)

57 (2)

Home ranges/sites in which eggs
hatched (probably hatched)

39

Home ranges/sites in which chicks
fledged (probably fledged)

35

Total young fledged

71 -1-

c

SW

SE

Ork

Shet

76

83

27

19

8

43 (9)

58 (2)

20 (1)

9 (1)

3

23 (3)

31 (2)

7 (1)

7

2

21 (1)

30

6 (1)

7

2

43 +

56 +

10-h

13

6

Golden Eagle breeding success in 1986

Home ranges/sites with bird(s) present

Home ranges/sites in which eggs laid (probably laid)

Home ranges/sites in which eggs hatched
(probably hatched)

Home ranges/sites in which eggs failed to hatch

Home ranges/sites at which young fledged
(probably fledged)

Total young fledged

NE

35*

16 (4)
10

6

8 +

c

24-1-
7 (8)
6 (1)

1

6 (1)

14-1- 7 +

* Two traditionally successful sites not checked.

4

D]

Central Scotland RSG. A poor season with
very low spring temperatures in April and
gales and rain in early May causing many sites
to fail at egg stage. At least 76 sites were oc-
cupied, 43-1- pairs laid eggs with only 43
young fledged (92 fledged in 1 985 and 99 -i-
in 1 984). At least one failure was due to egg
robbery and two broods were lost due to
natural causes. Rabbit remains were found at
two eyries.

Kestrel

South-west Scotland RSG. (Gordon Riddle).
Gordon reported the lowest output of young
birds since his study begain in 1972. One of
the wettest and coldest springs and early
summers on record produced poor site oc-
cupation and very low clutch size of 3.3 (5.2
average clutch size in '84 and '85). 50 ter-
ritories were visited, 29 (58%) were oc-
cupied. (74% in '84 and '85). Of 54 eggs in
18 known full clutches, 27 (50%) hatched
(94% in '84 and 69% in '85). Only 25 young
were reared from the 50 sites. (137 were
reared from 41 occupied sites in 1 984 and 78
reared in 34 occupied sites in 1 985.) Of the
failures, seven of the eight were due to deser-
tion at the egg stage. One female sat on addl-
ed clutch for 72 days, before they were
removed for her own welfare! All in all a pretty
awful year.

lain MacLeod

Hen Harrier

South-west Scotland RSG. In study areas on
the mainland, 20 -i- nests were monitored. Of
1 5 nests with eggs only 6 were successful,
producing 1 9-22 young. Two females on one
moor were shot at the nest (the tail feathers
of the dead birds were laid across the empty
nests). Illegal persecution of birds of prey is
still practised on several of these grouse
moors.

On the islands of Bute and Arran 4 nests
were found, 2 successfully produced 4- +
young.

lain C. MacLeod & Dave Dick
R.S.P.B.

Raptor Study Group Areas in Scotland

Peregrines in Glasgow

At approx. 1 4.30 hrs on 4th February 1 986,
Ian Martin unexpectedly witnessed a male
Peregrine courtship-displaying to a female
high above a large warehouse just a short
distance from Glasgow Cross. With half-
closed wings the tiercel dived repeatedly,
'talon-touching' with the female at each
upward sweep. Constant background noise
of city traffic drowned-out any possible calls.
His entreaties were apparently to no effect
however, for when a personal visit was made
to the warehouse with IM two weeks later
there was no sign of the female and only a
fleeting glimpse was obtained of the resident
male. A single Peregrine was reported hun-
ting over the centre of Glasgow on several
occasions during the following few months.

The now disused warehouse in Bell
Street was built in 1882-3 for the Glasgow
and South Western Railway. A massive six-
storey block with its north side overlooking
the derelict College Goods Yard, the wide
ledges of the windows and high-level hoist
doors offer tailor-made artificial nest sites for
cliff frequenting birds. Town Pigeons and
Kestrels utilise the warehouse regularly, and
there is no reason why the building's expos-
ed north face could not attract what would
be Glasgow's first breeding pair of urban
Peregrines.

John Mitchell

5

The Common Birds Census and
Waterways Bird Survey in Scotland

In the December issue of SBN, Susan and Stan da Prato gave a summary of breeding numbers
and breeding success for a range of common Scottish birds in 1986, based on counts and
impressions from SOC members around the country. They emphasised that standardised systems
for recording are necessary to reduce the subjectivity of such information, and cited the
Common Birds Census (CBC) and Waterways Bird Survey (WBS), both operated by the British
Trust for Ornithology, as prime examples of such systems. This article expands a little on these
two schemes, and explains how they presently operate in Scotland.

Why count breeding birds?

The population changes of birds are of
considerable interest to ornithologists
because of both the biological information
they give about the species concerned and
also their implications for conservation. Rare
birds, catered for by the Rare Breeding Birds
Panel, are monitored by collecting all available
records of nesting or attempted nesting, but
commoner species need to be monitored by
a sampling technique in which standard sec-
tions of the population are counted each year.
Relatively scarce or restricted species such as
raptors or seabirds can best be sampled by
specially-directed fieldwork, often by small
groups, but the commonest 70 or so breeding
species are really only covered by national
schemes such as CBC and WBS.

Some might argue that the conservation
argument is weak for counting abundant birds
such as Chaffinch and Dunnock, but this is
far from the case. Indeed, species like these
are good indicators of the general state of
health of our countryside. Particularly on
farmland, widespread factors such as
pesticides and fashions in hedgerow manage-
ment can put millions of birds at risk at short
notice.

The mapping method

Both CBC and WBS use the mapping bird
census method, widely regarded as the most
accurate, to estimate the numbers of breeding
territories on particular patches of land. The
CBC covers areas of farmland or of woodland,
while the WBS plots are linear along rivers or
canals. The end result with either survey is
a map showing the numbers and positions of
territories detected in or along the census plot.
Apart from a few censuses carried out by pro-
fessionals at the BTO and other institutions,
all fieldwork is carried out by volunteer
birdwatchers.

Results from mapping censuses are of
value in three areas of study. Firstly, the
numbers on each plot can be compared with
numbers of the same species on the same
plots in previous years. This allows the com-
putation of the familiar annual indices of
population level for common species, and a
more tentative assessment of population
trends for some scarcer birds. Numbers can
be divided by the area of the plot to give a
rough idea of density. Secondly, the numbers
can be compared between species, to give an
assessment of community composition and
structure. Thirdly, the positions of territories
on the map can be analysed, in conjunction
with the habitat map, to show habitat choice
at a very detailed level. Given a series of cen-
suses for the same plot, we can also examine
the way in which habitat choice alters with
management or natural habitat change.

Kingfisher
Brian Turner

The Scottish contribution

Since the scheme started in 1 962, there
have been 1 323 CBC plots in different parts
of the UK (not including new plots in 1 986).
Of these, 1 85 (14%) have been in Scotland,
but more than a third of these have been Ken
Williamson's BTO expeditions and similar one-
off studies. This figure is evidence that
Scotland is under-represented in the national
CBC, despite the much valued contributions
of many enthusiastic census-workers over the
years. For the WBS, there have been 34
Scottish plots, representing about 10% of the
national total.

Investigation of the Scottish results from
the CBC reveals in general a remarkable
consistency of population trends between
Scotland and other parts of the UK. This is
true not only for long-distance migrants such
as the warblers, but also for mainly-resident
species like Wren and Song Thrush. One
exception is the Lapwing which increased in
Scotland and northern England during the
1 970s but decreased in the English south and
east. Further studies are likely to reveal more
regional differences in trends, each of which
will add to our understanding of how birds
in Britain interact with their environment.
Looking at regional trends in community
composition, we find for example that, on
farmland. Chaffinch and Willow Warbler tend
to be relatively more common than in England
— and their absolute densities are higher as
well.

More plots please!

We would particularly like to see the
numbers of farmland CBCs and Waterways
plots in Scotland increased over the next few
seasons. This would enable us to monitor the
Scottish situation separately, and to compare
the results with those from England in greater
detail than we have been able to do so far.
Because the annual turnover of plots is about
15-20%, roughly 3 new farmland plots are
needed in Scotland every year in order to
maintain a small increase in the number.
Woodland CBCs are already operating at a
satisfactory level.

Basic skills in bird identification by sight
and sound, and a reasonable degree of
physical fitness are the only qualifications
needed to census birds for the CBC or WBS.

We are looking in particular for observers who
can offer at least two consecutive seasons of
fieldwork on either an area of ordinary
farmland covering at least 60 hectares, or a
3-5 kilometre stretch of river or canal. If you
have already started a farmland CBC or a WBS
plot, please continue it as long as you can,
or train another observer to take over. If you 1
think you might be able to help, please write
to me at the Agricultural Birds Unit, BTO,
Beech Grove, Station Road, Tring, Herts
HP23 SNR, and ask for a copy of the relevant 1
instructions.

John Marchant

Logo by Steve Carter

Saw bill survey

Both the Goosander and Red-breasted
Merganser are fish-eating waterfowl, whose
occurrence on rivers, lochs and reservoirs had
led to concern about their possible impact on
commercially important fisheries, particularly
salmon and trout. The British Trust for Orni-
thology are organising a survey of these
sawbill ducks throughout England, Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland, in 1987, to
provide the first objective survey of their
breeding status.

If you are interested in helping with this
work, which would involve walking a stretch
of river in both April and July counting
sawbills and recording brief habitat details,
please contact Steven Carter, National
Organiser, BTO, Beech Grove, Station Road,
Tring, Herts HP23 SNR.

6

The Lesser Black-backed
Gulls of Flanders Moss

After more than a decade as one of Scotland's
largest gulleries, the Lesser Black-backed Gull
colony at Flanders Moss is in decline. At its
peak in the early 1 980s it held several thou-
sand pairs. In 1 986 there seem to have been
a few hundred, with poor breeding success.

Chicks have been ringed at the site
every year from the early 1950s, latterly by
members of the Clyde Ringing Group. The
Lesser Black-back has been much less studied
than its close relative the Herring Gull, but its
migratory behaviour has attracted interest in
recent years. Increasing numbers of adults
have been overwintering in England during the
last two decades, while immatures have
continued to move south to Portugal and
Morocco. Analysis of recoveries from the
Flanders Moss birds indicates that this more
northerly breeding population still migrates
south for the winter.

In 1 979, a party from Glasgow Univer-
sity and the Clyde Ringing Group ringed 1 ,000
chicks without difficulty, showing how pro-
ductive the colony was at its height. In more
recent years we have been less ambitious but
in 1981-83 four ringers used their quota of
200 rings without effort. In 1 985 we found
only 63 chicks and in 1 986 we found only six.

We have looked through the literature
for counts of the colony. Information turns out
to be patchy. In 1928, Baxter and Rintoul
record the Lesser Black-back as "summer
visitor, non-breeding" for this area. By 1 935
they were able to quote counts of 50-100 and
50-75 pairs for the West and East portions
of the Moss. In "The Birds of Scotland" of
1953 the Lesser Black-back is described as
"an abundant breeding species" at Flanders
Moss. P.W Sandeman counted cl 150 pairs
in 1950 (SB 12: 1 19-120) and the first Scot-
tish Bird Report gave 500 in 1968, with a
peak count of c.8000 in 1980.

What is the cause of the decline? It is
worth noting that, before the days of the
Lesser Black-backed Gull colony, the site was
known as a Black-headed Gull colony, con-
sidered to be the largest in Scotland by Harvie-
Brown in 1884. However, it succumbed to
persecution by gamekeepers and others tak-
ing eggs (W. Evans, Scottish Naturalist, May-
June 1 920). There is no doubt that egg col-
lecting has been rife in recent years. Stray
domestic animals have been accused of kill-
ing chicks (eviscerated or headless ones are
seen there in the breeding season). But human
disturbance seems to be the main cause of
the decline. Hector Galbraith reports the
formation of a new colony a few km. away
suggesting that there are still plenty of birds
of breeding age (as one would expect from
the large numbers hatched in the late 70s and
early 80s). I suggest that it should be a mat-
ter of concern to ornithologists that a major
colony may disappear in a few years, ap-
parently through human activity.

Perhaps the most poignant aspect of
the decline has been the appearance of
another human activity affecting the gulls We
have recently received from the B.T.O. several
recovery forms with the finding details
"nature conservation: culled" from Horse
Island and Loch Leven. Has "nature conser-
vation" got its priorities right? Does anyone
care?

Alastair Whitelaw

Composite
gull/tern colony

In SBN3.2 H.E.M. Dott described a composite
Black-headed Gull/Common Gull/Common
Tern colony in Inverness-shire and com-
mented that he knew of no other instance of
these three species breeding in one colony.
At West Water Reservoir, in the Pentland Hills
by West Linton, all three species have bred
together since 1980.

West Water Reservoir is an upland
supply reservoir completed and full by
1 966/67. For the breeding gulls and terns its
most important feature is a permanent grass-
covered island which provides a relatively safe
nest site. As water level falls two smaller
shingle/boulder islands are usually exposed by
late May enabling Gulls, which have attemp-
ted to nest on the adjoining reservoir banks,
to move to the islands, where they are safe
from man, foxes and sheep though still liable
to suffer from mink. (SB13:3). Rising water
levels can also seriously affect the success
of nesting birds on the secondary islands.

Black-headed Gulls have bred at this site
since 1968 peaking at 1870 pairs in 1982
when most other colonies in the area were in

Lesser Black-backed Gull Stan da Prato

The Seabird Colony
Register Needs Your Help

This June will mark the end of a 3 year coastal
survey for the Seabird Colony Register,
organised by the Seabird Group and Nature
Conservancy Council, Coverage of the Scot-
tish coastline is nearly complete and, with a
little effort, every Scottish seabird colony
could be entered in the Register. Help is
urgently needed in the following areas:
Orkney: Westray (W. cliffs), Eday & holms,
Scapa Flow islands, inland Copinsay & holms,
Gairsay, parts of mainland.

Contact:Eric Meek, Smyril, Stenness, Orkney.
Shetland: Small sections of mainland coast,
expedition planned to Foula.

Contact: Martin Heubeck, 3 Lighthouse
Buildings, Braewick Road, Lerwick, Shetland.
N. Scotland: North Caithness, especially Dun-
net Hd.; north Sutherland including offshore
islands. Whiten Hd. and Clo Mor.

Contact: Greg Mudge, RSPB Highland Office,
Munlochy, Ross & Cromarty IV8 8ND.
Several islands of W. Ross.

Contact: Jeff Watson, NCC, 9 Culduthel
Road, Inverness IV2 4AG.

Whole of Skye.

Contact: Andrew Currie, Glaiseilean, Broad-
ford, Skye.

decline. The population dropped to ca. 800
pairs in 1 985 and 1 986 as other sites increas-
ed. The first Common Gulls bred in 1 980 with
7 pairs nesting, representing the first confirm-
ed breeding record for the Borders, and up to
4 pairs have attempted to nest each year since
then either on the edge of the main island, or
on the smaller exposed islands, which are not
so heavily populated by the Black-headed
Gulls. Common Terns are only present from
May to August nesting as soon as there is a
suitable, exposed shore; they prefer the
smaller islands away from the main Black-
headed Gull colony. First breeding at this site
was in 1 966 (SB4:4). maximum of 6 pairs has
attempted to breed but only 1-2 pairs recent-
ly. This may be the only inland site for this
species in Lothian and Borders.

As in Inverness-shire, all three species
act together in reacting to anyone walking
along the shore, or to fishing boats. At the
nearby North Esk Reservoir (now drained) all
three species have bred, but not apparently
together, although in 1 983 there were 1 425
pairs of Black-headed Gulls on islands, with
one pair of Common Gulls on the reservoir
bank and one pair of Common Terns carry-
ing food though no nest was found.

Allan W. Brown

Mainland from Loch Houron to W. Loch
Tarbert, Jura, Islay, Mull, Tiree, Coll & islands
in Firths of Lome ) Linnhe (excl. Garvellachs).
Contact: Bob Swann, 28 Druimlon, Drum-
nadrochit, Inverness-shire.

W. Isles Most of Lewis & Harris, NW. North
Uist, the Monachs, parts of South Uist,
most of Barra & adjacent islets. Expeditions
planned for St Kilda & the Flannans.
Contact: Mary Elliott, 16 West Geirinish,
South Uist, Western Isles.

W. Scotland Whole coast of Dumfries &
Galloway.

Contact: Ray Hawley, Midtown, Laurieston,
nr. Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway DG7
2PP.

E. Scotland Montrose area, coasts of Fife &
Lothian, Firth of Forth (gulls & small islands).
Contact: Bruce Lynch, 15 Falkland Crescent,
Barnhill, Dundee.

BLACK GUILLEMOT SURVEYS (April & early
May): Help is needed for early morning pre-
breeding counts in the west of Scotland,
especially the mainland north of Skye.

FURTHER DETAILS: Clare Lloyd, NCC,
17 Rubislaw Terrace,
Aberdeen AB1 1XE.

7

a

Expedition to North Iceland

The Twin Otter droned steadily, crabbing slightly in the stiff cross-wind. This was the
last of three flights in which we had got into progressively smaller planes. At 1000
feet we could see clearly the shallow lakes with Whooper Swans, extensive bogs and
miles of rolling tundra. The Melrakkasletta is one of the few low coastal plains in Iceland
and this area had been recommended to us as the best place to find breeding Purple
Sandpipers. It was all quite different from our experiences on the Hardangervidda in
southern Norway, so we wondered how successful we would be and if we had timed
the hatch correctly. It was mid June and certainly would have been too early for the
Hardangervidda.

The Tay, Orkney and Grampian
Ringing Groups had come to Iceland to
find out if the Icelandic Purple Sand-
pipers form one of the components of
the British wintering population. It has
been established that there are at least
two populations in Britain, characteris-
ed by differing bill lengths and therefore
termed "short” and "long-billed”. The
former we have connected with the
Norwegian breeding grounds, but the
origin of the "long-billed" population
was still a mystery. By travelling to
Iceland, where "long-billed" Purple
Sandpipers breed, we intended to colour-
ring breeding adults and chicks, and to
look for them on the coasts of Britain.

Colin Corse and myself formed the
vanguard and we were joined later by
Mike Nicoll and Rick Smith. The plane
eventually touched down on the gravel
runway at Raufarhofn where we were
met by Phil Whitfield who was carrying
out an independent study on waders and
with whom we collaborated. He told us
that he had found his first Purple
Sandpiper chicks the day before - we had

timed our trip perfectly. Adult Purple
Sandpipers are easiest to locate and
catch when the chicks hatch, and this
is also the best time to ring the chicks.

The Purple Sandpiper was perhaps
the commonest breeding wader on the
Melrakkasletta, though Dunlins were
perhaps commoner in wetter areas. They
were most abundant in the Arctic tern
colonies where we found breeding den-
sities of over 30 pairs per km^ (c.f.
Hardangervidda with 0.64 pairs per
km'). These tern colonies are quite
unlike those we are used to in Britain -
the terns nest at a low density across a
wide area (over 1km') of tundra and it
is quite easy to walk through the colony
without spotting a tern's nest. Purple
Sandpipers were not the only species to
nest in the terneries, and thereby benefit
from the protection the terns afforded;
Ringed Plovers, Golden Plovers, Dunlins
and Eiders also nested. The numbers of
Eiders was sufficiently large for farmers
to make a living by collecting down from
the nests.

Incubating Purple Sandpiper

One of the peculiar features of the
terrain, and in particular the tern col-
onies, was the scattering of grassy green
mounds, which we termed 'bird
volcanoes'. These cone-shaped mounds,

1 m tall, were composed of a dense turf
of meadow grass, a species which was j
uncommon elsewhere on the tundra.
Several species (Ptarmigan, Snow Bun-
ting and Purple Sandpiper) were seen us-
ing these mounds as perches and we
assumed that their dropping fertilised the
mounds, modifying and enhancing the
growth of vegetation so that, over the
years, they have come to stand out in
the landscape.

The Melrakkasletta is a few
kilometres south of the Arctic Circle,
thoug this did not prevent us from see- I
ing the midnight sun, since the refractive
properties of the air allowed us to see
below the horizon. The continuous
daylight tended to disrupt our daily rythm
though did give us the opportunity to
work for long periods. Generally, we
found it best to trap Purple Sandpipers
during the cool hours of the early morn-
ing, so we usually slept most of the day
or until the sun on the tents made it
uncomfortably hot. This resulted in
variable periods of sleep from a few
hours to a Rip-van-Winkle epic of 22
hours.

It soon became evident after cap-
turing a few adult Purple Sandpipers
that, although the bill lengths fitted well
with our "long-billed” birds in Britain, the
wing lengths did not. Several birds were
much longer-winged that anything
measured in Britain, suggesting they
they did not form a part of our winter-
ing population. There was, however, still

Purple Sandpiper Chick Ron Summers

8

Ron Summers

quite a degree of overlap between the
Icelandic birds and the ''long-billed''
British birds so it is possible that some
may come to Britain. In all, we colour-
marked 300 Purple Sandpipers so there
is a good chance that some may be seen
in winter.

As well as the marking and
measuring programme we carried out
observations on the breeding biology of
Purple Sandpipers, especially to obtain
information on why the female deserts
the male and the chicks when they

hatch. One possibility is that the female
loses condition during incubation and
has to leave the brood in order to ensure
her own survival. However, weights of
females obtained prior to desertion did
not indicate that they were under stress.

Although the work was geared
almost entirely to Purple Sandpipers we
did not overlook opportunities to collect
information on other species. We retrap-
ped a British-ringed Dunlin and Red-
shank. The latter had been ringed at
Tentsmuir by Mike - there must be few
instances of a ringer catching the same
bird in different countries.

As with any trip the success is only
partly gauged by the amount of data col-
lected and new facts discovered. Equally
important are the unexpected personal
experiences that are etched on the mind,
such as wakening up to the haunting
cries of Great Northern Divers, watching
a Grey Phalarope trying to spin in a pool
that was too shallow to swim in, or
enjoying the lively banter when it was
noticed that Rick's wellies had RS initial-
led on both boots - surely one should
have been LSI

The expedition was supported by
Sir Herbert Bonar, SOC, BOU, BTO and
Shell U.K.

Ron Summers

If anyone should see a colour-marked
Purple Sandpiper please contact R.W.
Summers, 353 Arbroath Road, Dundee,
sending details as soon as possible.

WADERS

their breeding,
haunts and watchers

by Desmond and Maimie
Nethersole-Thompson

All of the Nethersole-Thompson
family contribute in some measure to
this book but it is Dr Desmond
Nethersole-Thompson's life-long
interest in waders which gives the
work its exceptional quality and
authority.

The core of the book is the
comprehensive accounts of the
biology and behaviour of 18 species
of waders in their breeding haunts. In
addition there are chapters on waders
generally, wader spacing and
dispersion, the wader watchers of
past and recent times, and chapters
on new or returning waders, and on
those pipe-dream species that may
yet breed one day in these islands.
Donald Watson has provided more
than 100 drawings and there are 32
photographs.

400 pages plus 24 plates
£18.00 net

GULLS

a guide to identification

by PETER GRANT

This second edition has been revised
and reset throughout and a further
eight species added.

352 pages, 544 photographs,

£15.00 net

T & A D POYSER

Calton, Waterhouses. Staffs ST10 3JX

Campsite - Melrakkasletta Ron Summers

9

Expedition to North Iceland

Incubating Purple Sandpiper

One of the peculiar features of the
terrain, and in particular the tern col-
onies. was the scattering of grassy green
mounds, which we termed 'bird
volcanoes'. These cone-shaped mounds,
Im tall, were composed of a dense turf
of meadow grass, a species which was
uncommon elsewhere on the tundra.
Several species (Ptarmigan, Snow Bun-
ting and Purple Sandpiper) were seen us-
ing these mounds as perches and we
assumed that their dropping fertilised the
mounds, modifying and enhancing the
growth of vegetation so that, over the
years, they have come to stand out in
the landscape.

The Melrakkasletta is a few
kilometres south of the Arctic Circle,
thoug this did not prevent us from see-
ing the midnight sun, since the refractive
properties of the air allowed us to see
below the horizon. The continuous
daylight tended to disrupt our daily rythm
though did give us the opportunity to
work for long periods. Generally, we
found it best to trap Purple Sandpipers
during the cool hours of the early morn-
ing. so we usually slept most of the day
or until the sun on the tents made it
uncomfortably hot. This resulted in
variable periods of sleep from a few
hours to a Rip-van-Winkle epic of 22
hours.

It soon became evident after cap-
turing a few adult Purple Sandpipers
that, although the bill lengths fitted well
with our "long-billed" birds in Britain, the
wing lengths did not. Several birds were
much longer-winged that anything
measured in Britain, suggesting they
they did not form a part of our winten
ing population. There was, however, still

Campsite - Melrakkasletta

hatch. One possibility is that the female
loses condition during incubation and
has to leave the brood in order to ensure
her own survival. However, weights of
females obtained prior to desertion did
not indicate that they were under stress.

Although the work was geared
almost entirely to Purple Sandpipers we
did not overlook opportunities to collect
information on other species. We retrap-
ped a British-ringed Dunlin and Red-
shank. The latter had been ringed at
Tentsmuir by Mike • there must be few
instances of a ringer catching the same
bird in different countries.

As with any trip the success is only
partly gauged by the amount of data col-
lected and new facts discovered. Equally
important are the unexpected personal
experiences that are etched on the mind,
such as wakening up to the haunting
cries of Great Northern Divers, watching
a Grey Phalarope trying to spin in a pool
that was too shallow to swim in, or
enjoying the lively banter when it was
noticed that Rick's wellies had RS initial-
led on both boots - surely one should
have been LSI

The expedition was supported by
Sir Herbert Bonar, SOC, BOU, BTO and
Shell U.K.

Ron Summers

If anyone should see a colour-marked
Purple Sandpiper please contact R.W.
Summers, 353 Arbroath Road, Dundee,
sending details as soon as possible.

The Twin Otter droned steadily, crabbing siightly in the stiH cross-wind. This was the
last of three flights in which we had got into progressively smaller planes. At 100U
feet we could see clearly the shallow lakes with Whooper Swans, extensive bogs and
miles of rolling tundra. The Meirakkasletta is one of the few low coastal plains in Iceland
and this area had been recommended to us as the best place to find breeding Purple
Sandpipers. It was all quite different from our experiences on the Hardangervidda in
southern Norway, so wo wondered how successful we would be and If wo had timed
the hatch correctly. It was mid June and certainly would have been too early lor the
Hardangervidda.

The Tay, Orkney and Grampian
Ringing Groups had come to Iceland to
find out if the Icelandic Purple Sand-
pipers form one of the components of
the British wintering population. It has
been established that there are at least
two populations in Britain, characteris-
ed by differing bill lengths and therefore
termed "short" and "long-billed". The
former we have connected with the
Norwegian breeding grounds, but the
origin of the "long-billed" population
was still a mystery. By travelling to
Iceland, where "long-billed" Purple
Sandpipers breed, we intended to colour-
ring breeding adults and chicks, and to
look for them on the coasts of Britain.

Colin Corse and myself formed the
vanguard and we were joined later by
Mike Nicoll and Rick Smith. The plane
eventually touched down on the gravel
runway at Raufarhofn where we were
met by Phil Whitfield who was carrying
out an independent study on waders and
with whom we collaborated. He told us
that he had found his first Purple
Sandpiper chicks the day before - we had

timed our trip perfectly. Adult Purple
Sandpipers are easiest to locate and
catch when the chicks hatch, and this
is also the best time to ring the chicks.

The Purple Sandpiper was perhaps
the commonest breeding wader on the
Melrakkasletta, though Dunlins were
perhaps commoner in wetter areas. They
were most abundant in the Arctic tern
colonies where we found breeding den-
sities of over 30 pairs per km’ (c.f.
Hardangervidda with 0.64 pairs per
km’). These tern colonies are quite
unlike those we are used to in Britain -
the terns nest at a low density across a
wide area (over 1km’) of tundra and it
is quite easy to walk through the colony
without spotting a tern's nest. Purple
Sandpipers were not the only species to
nest in the terneries, and thereby benefit
from the protection the terns afforded;
Ringed Plovers, Golden Plovers, Dunlins
and Eiders also nested. The numbers of
Eiders was sufficiently large for farmers
to make a living by collecting down from
the nests.

Purple Sandpiper Chick

quite a degree of overlap between the
Icelandic birds and the "long-billed"
British birds so it is possible that some
may come to Britain. In all, we colour-
marked 300 Purple Sandpipers so there
is a good chance that some may be seen
in winter.

As well as the marking and
measuring programme we carried out
observations on the breeding biology of
Purple Sandpipers, especially to obtain
information on why the female deserts
the male and the chicks when they

WADERS

their breeding,
haunts and watchers

by Desmond and Maimie
Nethersole-Thompson

All of the Nethersole-Thompson
family contribute in some measure to
this book but it is Dr Desmond
Nethersole-Thompson’s life-long
interest in waders which gives the
work its exceptional quality and
authority.

The core of the book is the
comprehensive accounts of the
biology and behaviour of 18 species
of waders m their breeding haunts. In
addition there are chapters on waders
generally, wader spacing and
dispersion, the wader watchers of
past and recent times, and chapters
on new or returning waders, and on
those pipe-dream species that may
yet breed one day in these islands.
Donald Watson has provided more
than 100 drawings and there are 32
photographs

400 pages plus 24 plates
£18.00 net

GULLS

a guide to identification
by PETER GRANT

This second edition has been revised
and reset throughout and a further
eight species added

352 pages, 544 photographs,

£15.00 net

8

9

SOC News

North Berwick 1986

Anniversary meetings can, too easily, become
sentimental affairs, looking back with self-
satisfaction to the years safely negotiated
rather than concentrating on the lessons to
be learnt for the task in hand. Not so the SOC
jubilee conference. Certainly there was more
than a trace of nostalgia in Morton Boyd's
tribute to Fraser Darling, but John Arnott's
brief history of the club set us right at the
outset; what ornithologist could look back
with much pleasure to a time when Crested
Tits were widely shot and the newly fledged
club could only accept that it was impotent
to do anything about it?

Four of the other talks concentrated on
how the past 50 years have treated our bird
life. In all but that on the gamebirds, for which
Peter Hudson painted a bleak picture with the
fine details that shooting bags allow, the story
was surprisingly cheerful. Despite the loss of
wetlands, Malcolm Ogilvie could report more
rises than falls amongst the water-fowl: a
tribute, perhaps, to their adaptability. One
decline could even be laid at the door of
pollution control, for it is not yet clear where
all the Scaup now deprived of the Edinburgh
sewers have gone! For the raptors, Roy
Dennis told us of worries about Merlins, but
good news of most other species, not just the
Sea Eagles and Ospreys that catch the
headlines. The changes in seabird numbers
that Mike Harris described were remarkable,
with dramatic rises in most cases. He made
the point that, while wrecks of oiled birds are
distressing, at the level of their population
birds prove remarkably resilient. The same
might be said of the reaction of raptors to
pesticides and of swans to lead poisoning.
The decline in grouse and partridge may be
reversed once the factors responsible have
been identified and corrected. But this is no
call for complacency: we must know what is
going on before we can devise the remedy.
Peter Hudson portrayed the hapless
gamekeeper as the ornithologist's friend
(changed days indeed), striving to keep his
moors profitable and so save them from the
new evil of blanket afforestation. His lucid
explanation of the economies of this last
threat made one hope that no members of the
audience were in need of a tax dodge!

Three other talks completed the pro-
gramme. Peter Lack gave an appetite-
whetting preview of the long awaited winter
atlas. Bryan Nelson made it plain that boobies
are an excellent group to study, not just for
their behaviour, but because their distribution
obliges you to spend long periods in beautiful
places. And, last but not least, a high point
for many of us was the marvellously evocative
account of Desmond and Maimie Nethersole-
Thompson of their studies of breeding
waders, commenced even before the club
began.

An excellent weekend, therefore, and a
fitting celebration. The changes in birds, and
in bird-watching, over the past half century
have been dramatic. Problems have been
overcome, but still others loom. What will the
next half century bring? There was much
discussion of this and of where the SOC
should be going in the years ahead, both in-
formally and at the AGM. Should it modernise

its image, move house, expand, change its
name, set up a telephone answering machine
for rarity hunters, and even (perish the
thought!) get shot of its Crested Tit? Lots of
ideas were floated and plans discussed: if the
next 50 years involve as much change as the
last, the club clearly has the vitality to cope.

P.J.B. Slater

Borders Branch Workshop

A very successful workshop took place at
Bowhill Estate on 22nd November. Using
materials donated by various people (not all
knowingly!) a total of 66 nestboxes, both
open-fronted and for hole nesters, were cut,
assembled and treated.

After liaison with the head forester the
boxes were tied to trees at several sites within
the estate over the first weekend in January.
The boxes will be used for future pullus ring-
ing by Borders SOC ringers and details of
breeding success will be recorded for the BTO
Nest Record Scheme. It is hoped to repeat this
annually and erect boxes at different sites,
especially to encourage Pied Flycatcher and
Redstart.

Ten branch members participated in the
workshop and thanks are due to David Grieve
for organising it and to the Duke of Buccleuch
and his staff for allowing use of Bowhill Estate
and its facilities.

Malcolm Ross

Dumfries Dinner

The Dumfries Branch Jubilee Dinner was held
at the Aberdour Hotel on 21 November. The
evening began with a taxing semi-serious
quiz. Members and friends were organised
into teams of three and were required to iden-
tify birds, ornithologists, the work of well
known bird artists and material derived from
a variety of species - the Pennant-winged
Nightjar feathers proving too difficult for
most. The winners were Mrs Bobby Smith,
Stuart Taylor and Derek Skilling who scored
40 out of a possible 50 points. After the
buffet dinner Edmund Fellowes read some
comic verse by Ogden Nash (My own
favourite, which somehow turned up in the
quiz, affirms that "The song of Canaries never
varies. And when they're moulting they're
pretty revolting"). The highlight of the even-
ing for many of us was provided by Bobby
Smith, who showed old cine-film of Solway
Goose Week-ends. While the cars looked
remarkably ancient, the birdwatchers looked
a great deal younger than they do at present!

R. Mearns

The Great Fife and Kinross
Bird Race

Although Club members in Fife and Kinross
did not take part in the SOC Sponsored Bird-
watch in May last year, they did support the
- by now traditional - Great Fife and Kinross
Bird Race which took place the same
weekend. The proceeds all went to the Club's
Golden Jubilee Appeal, so the result was the
same in the end.

The final sum raised was £492. 1 6 after
expenses had been deducted: a splendid total
and only second to that of the Edinburgh
Branch. Congratulations to all those who took
part, and warm thanks to all St Andrews
Branch members who sponsored the teams.

Frank Spragge

Edinburgh Jubilee Lecture

The December meeting of the Edinburgh
Branch moved from its usual venue to the
George Square Lecture Theatre, where 350
people heard Dr. Ian Newton describe how
long-term studies on the Sparrowhawk have
shed light on the birds' population ecology.
The audience's enjoyment of the evening was
greatly helped by the comfortable seats; the
seating in the usual venue in Chambers Street
is such that only an anorexic dwarf with a
cushion can sit in reasonable comfort. The
event was sponsored by Uniroyal, who
decorated the walls with a liberal supply of
posters extolling their green wellies. However,
most branch members and guests seemed
more interested in the wine bar, or getting
their copies of "The Sparrowhawk" signed
by Ian Newton and Keith Brockie. All in all,
a most successful evening for the committee,
who are reliably reported to be looking for
softer seats for the 1 987-88 session.

SdP.

Clyde Branch Tetrad Atlas

Every member in the Inner Clyde area can
contribute to this project, which is now enter-
ing its third fieldwork season. The aim is to
map the breeding season distribution, and
breeding status, of all species in the Inner
Clyde recording area during the period
1985-1989. Instead of the more familiar
10-kilometre square, the tetrad (or 2-kilometre
square) is used as the basic mapping unit. A
progress report will appear in the April Clyde
Branch bulletin, along with instructions for
the 1987 season. These can be obtained by
sending a s.a.e. to: Alan Wood, 47 Kilbowie
Road, South Carbrain, Cumbernauld G67 2PZ.

The Clyde Branch Bulletin is distributed
three times a year at the Glasgow meetings.
Members who do not attend meetings can
obtain copies by sending an A5-sized s.a.e.
to the Branch Secretary.

Fluctuating House
Sparrows

The front page article in SBN4 has prompted
David Shepherd, of Invergowrie, to send in
details of winter counts of House Sparrows
made for the BTO Garden Bird Feeding Survey
over the last 13 years. Starting in 1972
numbers were at a peak, generally remained
high until the late 70's, and dropped to a low
in 1979-80. A rising trend, but with several
fluctuations, has been apparent in the 1 980's,
though numbers have never reached those of
the mid 70's. There seems to be some link
with winter weather but it is doubtful if that
is the whole story; breeding success may also
affect the numbers recorded in winter. There
is undoubtedly scope for more work on one
of our commonest, and most accessible,
birds.

10

Photographic Competition 1986

First Hooded Crow D. Hassell
Second Great Tit W.E. Middleton
Third Grey Wagtail D.J. Garner

Entries for the 1987 Photographic Competition
are now weicome. Please send all entries
to SOC (Photo Comp), 21 Regent Terrace,
Edinburgh EH7 5BT by 31 August 1987.

HIGHLAND

FIELD

STUDIES

•n-

Mosses and Liverworts
Spring Flowers
Exploring Morvern
Dandelions
Exploring Morvern
Mountain Flowers
Sedges and Rushes
Wildflowers of Tayside
Natural History Photography
Exploring the Highlands
Exploring Tayside
Bryophytes

Natural History of Skye
Birds of Morvern
Autumn in Tayside
Birds of Autumn

Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Ardtornish, Argyll
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Ardtornish, Argyll
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Abriachan, Inverness-shire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Harlosh, Skye
Ardtornish, Argyll
Blairgowrie, Perthshire

April 17-21
April 25-May 3
May 23-30
May 24-29
May 30-June 6
June 27-July 4
July 11-18
July 18-25
August 1-8
August 1 5-22
August 22-29
September 11-18
Oct 3-10
Oct 10-17
Oct 17-24
Oct 23-25

Blairgowrie, Perthshire

Informal relaxed courses tor both beginners and experts in some of the most beautiful parts of Scotland, with expert guidance and tuition. Based
mostly in comfortable hotels and guest houses.

Further details of these and the full programme available (s.a.e. please) from;

BRIAN S BROOKES MBE MSc, Highland Field Studies, Glenshieling, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 7HZ. Telephone: Blairgowrie I0250) 4605

ORNITHOLIDAYS 1987

Member of The Association of British Travel Agents

Twenty-two years’ Service to
Naturalists and Birdwatchers

Holidays organised by Birdwatchers
for Birdwatchers

Forthcoming tours include;

Kenya

Zimbabwe

Okavango Delta

Ethiopia

Morocco

Madagascar

The Seychelles

N. India & the Himalayas

Kashmir & Ladakh

Thailand

Write or 'phone for a brochure to:

Florida

Vancouver & the Rockies

Venezuela

The Galapagos

Australia

New Zealand

Jordan

Israel

Turkey

Cyprus

N.E. Greece
Mount Olympus
Yugoslavia
Lake Neusiedl
The Camargue
The Rousillon
Andorra

Spanish Pyrenees
Majorca
Iceland
The Gambia

LAWRENCE G. HOLLOWAY
ORNITHOLIDAYS

Dept. 4,1/3 Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis,

Sussex, England P021 2PW

Telephone 0243 821230

ATOL Licence No. 743

Isles of Colonsay
and Oronsay —
Inner Hebrides

Remote and unspoilt, the islands encompass 20 square miles of paradise for the naturalist —
almost 170 species of birds (list on request), also otters, feral goats and a major breeding
colony of the grey seal (pupping in September), 500 species of local flora as well as two of the
few remaining natural woodlands of the Hebrides and the exotic rhododendron collection in
the woodland garden of Colonsay House.

Historic sites include St Columba’s pre-Iona foundation at Oronsay Priory, some excellent duns,
a Viking ship burial, crannog-sites in Loch Fada etc.

There are no day-trippers, no caravanners, etc., but there is a comfortable small hotel offering
table d’hote cuisine based on fresh local produce (central heating and private facilities). Drive
on-off car and passenger ferry ex-Oban Monday, Wednesday, Friday (2V2 hour passage).
Dinner, accommodation and breakfast from £25.00 including VAT and service. Free bicycles.
There are also three luxury self-catering chalets, which adjoin the hotel; each unit sleeps 5,
all bed-linen is provided plus daily maid service. Off-season rental is only £55.00 weekly. Also
special demi-pension arrangements for Field Study parties from £7.75 daily. Details on request.

THE HOTEL, ISLE OF COLONSAY, ARGYLL
(Kevin and Christa Byrne)

Telephone: Colonsay (09512) 316 — open all year

N.B. Booklet @ £3.50 inc. p&p describes the island’s birds — 66pp plus 8pp colour photos.

12

Scottish Ringers'

The twelfth Scottish Ringers' Conference was
held at the Landmark Centre, Carrbridge, on
23 November 1986. The conference was
introduced by Roy Dennis whose concern for
our welfare was apparent in his opening
remark: "Everyone should check that they
have hotel accommodation with Sheena."

Speakers in the morning concentrated on
birds of prey. Brian Etheridge spoke about
Morayshire Buzzards and concluded that the
time of maximum stress was from January to
March, which coincided with the highest level
of gamekeeper activity. At this time birds
were most dependent on carrion and thus
most susceptible to poisoning by the
unscrupulous use of alpha-chloralose baits.
Jeff Watson then spoke about Golden Eagles
in Scotland. He showed that breeding density
correlated with carrion abundance, whereas
breeding success correlated with the
availability of live prey. Since the current form
of sheep husbandry in the West of Scotland
leads to a high level of carrion, changes of
land use towards forestry may well have a
detrimental effect on Eagles. John Love
described the re-introduction of Sea Eagles to
Scotland, culminating in the successful rear-
ing of a chick in 1985. Roy Dennis then
talked about the use of artificial nests, par-
ticularly with Ospreys. Birds can be moved to
nesting sites which suffer less from human
disturbance.

Conference 1986

After lunch Brian Little continued the
theme of artificial nests, this time with Merlins
in the Kielder Forest. This has not been too
successful since the forest edge is now up to
1 200 ft which appears to be too exposed for
Merlins to breed successfully.

The theme changed to waders and both
Fraser Symonds and Bob Swann considered
aspects of wader mobility. Fraser looked at
waders and industrial development in both the
Firth of Forth and the Moray Firth. Changes
due to industry may be masked in the most
mobile species, such as Knot, but are
apparent in more sedentary species, such as
Oystercatchers. Bob gave a rather more
speculative talk on site quality and usage by
different age classes. From analysis of
weights it appears that juvenile birds feed in
poorer habitats than adults in the Moray Firth.

After tea the theme changed to seabirds
and we were introduced to a new term
NOGMI, 'Non Oiling Guillemot Mortality
Incident', by Greg Mudge while Andy Webb
looked at the distribution of Razorbills and
Guillemots in the North Sea.

Mike Harris then discussed improved
methods of monitoring breeding seabirds by
using photographs taken at critical times in
the breeding season. This could enable easier
monitoring of plots within colonies and would
yield much more useful data than simple
colony counts.

To the delight of the TRG this ended the
days' talks and dinner and the bar followed.

Chris Mead started the proceedings with
a very subdued audience on Sunday morning.
Andrew Ramsay then described how Siskins
actually like Sitka Spruces for breeding. We
were than taken further north to Iceland in a
talk on Purple Sandpipers by Ron Summers.
Iceland birds are bigger than Russian birds and
females are larger than males. These
measurements indicate that some Russian
birds visit Scotland.

After coffee Kevin Woodbridge gave an
informative talk about North Ronaldsay
Observatory, which hit the news earlier in
1986 due to its problems with Hedgehogs
predating breeding gulls and waders. He had
some stunning slides of ringing at the
lighthouse, with falls of up to 60,000 birds.
Ringing was carried out from a converted
Austin Taxi and included 800 Redwings in
three nights.

The final talk of the conference was
delivered by Tim Stowe on Corncrake studies
on South Uist, in an attempt to find out why
their numbers have decreased. This was a
largely nocturnal project, in which birds were
fitted with radio transmitters. The greatest
threats to the species appear to be changes
in agricultural practice, particularly due to
sheep. However, some minor changes in
harvesting techniques might benefit the
chicks' survival chances greatly, in areas not
changed over to permanent pasture.

Martin Moss

The largest eagle in the
world

The Philippine Eagle (called the Monkey-eating
Eagle until its name was changed by presiden-
tial decree) is one of the two largest eagles
in the world. Only on one island, Mindanao,
does a reasonable population, perhaps 50 to
100 pairs, exist in the remaining areas of rain
forest but, as I discovered at the Philippine
Eagle Conservation Centre which I visited in
1 985, it is seriously threatened even in its last
refuge.

Research has revealed that this eagle
will live only in undisturbed rain forest with
trees which are large enough to provide nest
sites and a plentiful supply of flying squirrels.
Though there are reserves, of which Mount
Apo National Park is the largest, these receive
almost no protection; half of the Mount Apo
Park has disappeared in the last few years due
to logging and clearing by peasant farmers.
Worse still, a stuffed Philippine Eagle on the
mantelpiece is seen as a status symbol by
some rich Filipinos and there is believed to be
an illegal trade in the export of young birds.
Though the eagle is not particularly shy it is
very vulnerable; the pair which I had hoped
to see had abandoned their territory follow-
ing the killing (by persons unknown) of the
young bird in the nest.

The Philippine Eagle's best hope lies
with the work being carried out at Baracatan
by Ron Krupa, a Canadian ornithologist, and
his team. In a country where there is almost
no concern for wildlife it was a refreshing
change to meet the Filipinos working for the

Eagle Programme for no more than bed and
board — and that not very luxurious! Besides
studying the eagle's ecology and monitoring
the wild population, an extensive captive-
breeding programme is underway. Birds for
the captive-breeding programme come from
two sources: young birds found when nest

trees are felled by logging operations and in-
jured birds, which have usually been shot. It
is too early to say how successful the pro-
gramme will be, but there are promising signs.
Eggs have been laid but were infertile as none
of the captive males were mature. However,
at least one male should be reaching maturi-
ty in 1986.

Unfortunately little is being done to
conserve the wild birds and their habitat,
primarily due to lack of funds and support
from the Philippine Government. Whatever
his other faults. President Marcos seemed
genuinely interested in the future of the
Philippine Eagle but the collapse of his
Government meant that promised grant aid
was not forthcoming. In addition much of the
habitat of the eagle is in the hands of the rebel
New Peoples' Army. The Baracatan Centre
was in a rebel sphere of influence at the time
of my visit, which added some spice to bir-
ding in the forest, though I was advised that
the rebels were always friendly to visiting bird-
watchers but were inclined to 'liberate' their
binoculars. Needless to say, I didn't meet any.

The Philippines now have a new
Government. Given the problems facing the
country, it is understandable if wildlife con-
servation is not a high priority. Perhaps the
best chance for the Philippine Eagle lies in its
tourist potential — if the Government learns
that there are tourists who wish to do more
than sample the night life of Manilla it may
be more forthcoming in its support. A visit to
the Philippines can be thoroughly recommend-
ed and offers excellent birding, but take a
spare pair of binoculars — just in case!

Mike Leven

13

BIRDWATCHING IN BRITAIN - A Site
by Site Guide

Nigel Redman and Simon Harrap

Almost twice the size of any other guide and written by two of
Britain’s most active birders, Birdwatching in Britain is not
only the most comprehensive site survey yet to appear, but it is
also an invaluable bird-finding tool.

Packed into its 384 pages are:

* Precise details of where to go and what to do at nearly 400 of
Britain’s prime birdwatching localities.

* Details of both the commoner and scarcer species to be seen
throughout the year.

Numerous maps illustrating the finer details of access and
giving the location of hides, trails, reserve centres etc.

* Species-by-species guide to the status and distribution of all
regularly occurring British birds.

* Hints on how to find some of the more elusive species, cross-
referenced to the best localities.

* Month-by-month guide to the birdwatcher’s year with
suggestions on when and where to go.

£12.95 0-7470-2800-1 384 pages 100 maps,

70 line drawings April ’87

TRACKS AND SIGNS of the Birds
of Britain and Europe

Roy Brown, John Ferguson,

Michael Lawrence and David Lees

With over 1,000 illustrations this unique book provides the
field naturalist with an invaluable guide to the tracks and signs
of British and European birds - resident, visiting or vagrant.
Feeding and behavioural signs, pellets, droppings, feathers
and skulls are each dealt with in detail. A spectacular addition
to a new generation of guides.

£17.95 0-7470-0201-0 232 pages 47 colour plates,

hundreds of black and white illustrations Just Published

THE BIRDS OF ISRAEL

Uzi Paz and Yossi Eshbol

With detailed information, previously unavailable in any form,
on this spectacular variety of birds. The Birds of Israel is the
essential handbook for anyone visiting the area or simply keen
to learn more about its birds. Written and photographed by
two of the leading lights in the Society for the Protection of
Nature in Israel, this is a unique and up-to-date guide.
£19.95 0-7470-2601-7 304 pages 32 colour plates.

Line drawings, maps Just Published

RSPB RESERVES VISITING

Edited by Anthony Chapman

This book has detailed, up-to-date information about RSPB
reserves, containing maps to help the travelling birdwatcher
and information on each reserve’s habitats, birds and other
wildlife, facilities and other points of interest. Bird checklists
enable you to keep accurate records of your sightings.

£ 3.95 pbk 0-903138-24-7 240 pages 100 maps
March ’87

All titles available from the SOC Bird Bookshop

PUBLISHERS LIMITED

Incorporating Croom Helm General Books

Reviews

The Atlas of Wintering Birds in Britain and
Ireland, compiled by Peter Lack; Poyser;

1 986; 448 pages; many maps and drawings;
£19.

"You've done the fieldwork - now buy the
book", probably sums up the Winter Atlas for
many birdwatchers. The first printing had to
be returned but this edition is well up to
Poysers' standards. Even if you didn't take
part, a glance through the maps raises many
interesting questions about bird distribution
in winter. Most species have the standard one
map and text in a double page spread though
a few, eg. Lapwing and Redwing, get more
detailed treatment. I think that some
fieldworkers will be disappointed that more
use was not made of all the data collected,
especially in the intensive, pilot surveys. I
should have liked more on the difficulties of
censusing outwith the breeding season; refer-
ring to a paper in the Proceedings of a Con-
ference in Spain for fuller discussion of the
trials is not very convenient for British readers.
The references are rather sparse in several
sections of the book and give a misleading
idea of what has been written on several
species in winter. Perhaps the best summing
up of the Winter Atlas comes from its own
foreword "Now we have much clearer pic-
tures, but by no means all the answers ...."
and there is still lots of scope for individual
studies of birds in winter.

Stan da Prato

Birds of New Guinea by B. McP. Beehler, T.K.
Pratt and D.A. Zimmerman; Princeton Univer-
sity Press; 1986; 370pp (over 700spp); 55
plates; 1 6 drawings; 4 maps; £43.40, £25.20
(S).

The first field guide to the whole of New
Guinea.

The large format puts the book beyond
pocket size, but with over 700 species it could
hardly be smaller without sacrificing legibili-
ty or text. Problems of identification are kept
firmly in mind, with concise notes on descrip-
tion, similar species, habits (which includes
habitat), voice and range. The plates (47 in
colour) illustrate 600 species. Maps as detail-
ed as the one given for central PNG, cover-
ing the whole island, could have been com-
bined to improve the gazetteer. Species maps
would aid the text on ranges. Waders, ducks,
fruit doves, pigeons and parrots could all
benefit from flight plates. The Birds of
Paradise are realistic and colourful but the
male Sickle Bills suffer from overcrowding.
These are minor quibbles in a beautifully pro-
duced and authoritative, but very expensive,
work.

Stuart Murray

The Birds of Yorkshire by John R. Mather;
Groom Helm; 1 986; 61 3pp; many maps; line
drawings; black and white photographs; £40.

A local avifauna on the grand scale covering
the history of ornithology in Yorkshire, bird
protection, local photographers and sites of
special interest. The main part of the book is
devoted to exhaustive species accounts. An
invaluable book for the dedicated Yorkshire
ornithologist, but expensive for the casual
visitor.

The New Where to Watch Birds by J.
Gooders; Andrew Deutsch; 1986; 224pp;
many maps; £7.95.

Judging by the 50 pages devoted to
Scottish sites, this book is unlikely to be of
much help to the exploring birdwatcher. Some
of the contact information is incorrect (eg Isle
of May bookings are NOT handled by NCC),
as is the spelling of many place names. Direc-
tional details are often too brief to be useful
and few, if any, of the Scottish site maps
justify the space they occupy. Islands accessi-
ble only by charter boat are given a dispropor-
tionate amount of space while many good
mainland sites receive credit for only a small
part of their interest. St. Abb's Head, for ex-
ample, is referred to only as a seabird colony.
Finally, to a Scot, it is definitely disconcerting
to find Orkney and Shetland included in a sec-
tion headed 'North-East Scotland', and a map
of the Ayrshire coast labelled 'Clyde Estuary'!

V.M. Thom

The Fall of a Sparrow by Salim Ali; Oxford
University Press, New Delhi; 1985; 265pp;
71 b & w photos, 8pp facsimile letters and
bird records; £10.

Every bird watcher who has visited India since
the Second World War will have used Salim
Ali's books.

In this autobiography Salim Ali, now over
90, describes his childhood and his struggles
to find jobs. He spent nine years in Burma,
studying birds in his spare time, apart from
a two-year break back in Bombay, during
which he completed a degree course in
zoology. After many struggles this led to his
working for the Bombay Natural History
Society, of which he ultimately became
Curator and Honorary Secretary, and to his
study of avian taxonomy under Stresemann
in Berlin.

The descriptions of his various ornitho-
logical surveys of the Indian States I found
particularly fascinating, especially his stories
of camping trips with Richard Meinertzhagen.
The funding of these surveys depended on
Salim's powers of persuading maharajahs that
they were a good thing! Truly a remarkable
man.

W.G. Harper

What's That Bird by Peter Hayman and
Michael Everett; RSPB/Croom Helm; 1986;
80pp; many colour illustrations; £8.95.

The Birdlife of Britain and Europe by Peter
Hayman and Philip Burton; RSPB/Mitchell
Beazley; 1986; 272pp; many colour illustra-
tions and maps; £12.95.

Revised editions of these two popular
books, both illustrated by Peter Hayman, will
be welcomed by beginners and experienced
birdwatchers alike. Both are designed to be
used at home. The Birdlife of Britain and
Europe devotes a page to each species in the
familiar Mitchell Beazley style. Owners of the
Mitchell Beazley Birdwatchers Pocket Guide
will recognise many of the illustrations, but
will also be pleased with the "extras"
presented here. Each set of illustrations is ac-
companied by text and a map. What's that
Bird groups species by habitat, a system
which can be difficult to use, each species
having a short explanatory text by it. Birdlife
is the "meatier" of the two but both are
attractive and useful.

THE ATLAS OF
WINTERING
BIRDS IN
BRITAIN AND
IRELAND

Compiled by
PETER LACK

This companion volume to The
Atlas of Breeding Birds is derived
from the surveys of birds present
in the winters of 1981/82, 1982/83
and 1983/84. There are full-page
two-colour maps for 192 mam
species, each faced by a page of
text commenting on the survey
results, the species generally and
the distribution as mapped. In
addition there are introductory
chapters by Dr Lack on the maps,
the weather in the three winters,
bird patterns and movements:
appendices describe the planning,
organisation, field methods, and
the processing of data from record
cards to computer output and
maps. A team of 23 artists, led by
Robert Gillmor, has provided the
illustrations which head the
species accounts.

448 pages, £19.00 net

The

Sparrowhawk

by IAN NEWTON

Dr Newton’s detailed monograph of
this widely distributed species is
largely the product of 24 years
research and fieldwork in SW
Scotland. There are 38 drawings by
Keith Brockie, over 80 diagrams and
a section of photographs.

400 pages, 24 x 16cm, £16.00 net

T & A D POYSER

15

CX3NTENTS

The killing continues 1

Editorial 2

Thoughts from a Grouse Moor 2

Recent Reports 3

Raptor Results 1986 4

The Common Birds Census
and Waterways Bird Survey
in Scotland 6

Short Notes 7

Expedition to North Iceland 8

SOC News 10

Photographic Competition
1986 11

Reviews 1 5

SOC Notices 16

SBN Advertising Rates

Full page £100. Half page £60. Quarter page
across £30. Sixth page £20. Third page
upright £40. Small ads £1 per line. Prices are
exclusive of VAT. Adverts should be sent to
Jacquie Clark, Business Editor, 21 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT.

Deadlines

SBN is published four times a year, at the
beginning of March, June, September and
December. Material submitted for possible
publication should be sent to 21 Regent
Terrace no later than 8 weeks prior to publica-
tion (e.g. by 1 April for the June number),
although late news and notices may be
accepted slightly later. Queries — and
suggestions — will be welcomed by the
Editor. Information on the submission of
material for Scottish Birds, will be found in
SB 14(1).

SOC Membership

Membership subscription rates are as follows:

Adult £10.00

Junior (under 1 8 or student under 25) £4.00
Family (husband, wife & children under 18)

£14.50

Life, individual £200.00, family £300.00
Pensioner individual £6.00, family £8.50
Further details from Membership Secretary,
SOC, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH 7 BBT.

SOC Notices

Annual Conference

This autumn will see the SOC Annual
Conference at a new venue and an earlier date
- the Pollock Halls, University of Edinburgh
during the weekend of 1 1th- 13th September
1 987. After many years at the Marine Hotel,
North Berwick, the annual conference moves
by popular demand to a more central location.
Also taken into consideration by the SOC
Council was the escalation in the cost of
staying in the Marine Hotel - £70 in 1987
compared with £50 in 1986.

Pollock Halls are near the centre of Edin-
burgh, next to the Commonwealth Pool and
on the edge of Holyrood Park. The famous bird
sanctuary of Duddingston Loch is within easy
walking distance. Pollock has modern halls of
residence with an almost unlimited number of
single and two bedded rooms - no more
accommodation problems!

The theme of this year's conference is
Scottish farming and birds. The programme,
yet to be finalised, will follow the successful
formula of the 1985 conference on forestry
and birds with speakers from organizations
with differing views. Full details of the pro-
gramme and booking form will be included in
the June mailing to members.

Susan Mackenzie

As members already know, Pat Webster,
the membership secretary, left last Christmas.
Her replacement, Susan Mackenzie, started
in January as personal assistant to John
Davies. The job combines that of membership
secretary and secretary to the Secretary, if
you see what we mean! Susan is 23 and
comes from Forres in Morayshire. She's a
graduate in modern languages from Aberdeen
University and has recently completed a post-
graduate secretarial course in Edinburgh.

Highland Birdwatching Weekend

St Andrews Branch will be having a
Spring weekend birdwatching in the
Highlands at the end of May. For further
details please apply to Miss D E Rowling, St
Anthony's Rest, Star of Markinch, Fife KY7
6LE. Tel 0592 758447.

Summer Field Trips

Details of this summer's branch field trips
are printed on a separate sheet enclosed with
this issue of Scottish Bird News.

Borders Branch AGM

This will be held along with the Member's
Night on Monday 30th March and not on 6th
April as in the syllabus. Venue and time are
unchanged.

New Secretary to the Scottish Birds
Records Committee

Ron Forrester has taken over from Alan
Brown (Longniddry, East Lothian) as
Secretary to the SBRC. Correspondence for
the SBRC should now be sent to Ron at Tyrol,
Leswalt High Road, Stranraer, Wigtownshire
DG9 OED.

East Lothian recorders i

Peter Gordon is now helping Alan Brown in
East Lothian. Please send records to Peter at

1-3 Craigielaw Cottages, Longniddry, East '
Lothian, EH32 OPY. Other enquiries to Alan
at 23 Kings Court, Longniddry, East Lothian, '
EH32 OOP.

Change of local recorder
GRAMPIAN (except Moray) - all local or
national rarity records to Brian Stewart,

36 Leggart Terrace, Aberdeen AB1 5JD.

Colour-ringed Snow
Buntings

As part of a study on the movements and site
fidelity of Snow Buntings in winter, several
hundred Snow Buntings have been colour-
ringed in Caithness this winter. It is not too i
late in the year yet to see Snow Buntings, and |
you may already have seen some colour- ;
ringed birds. If any birds with colour rings are i
spotted I would be delighted to hear the |
details; where and when they were seen and !
what the ring colours were. Thanks for your |
help. H. Clark, 3 Lindsay Place, Wick, |
Caithness.

Colour-ringed
Golden Plovers

The Lothian Ringing Group has recently |
colour-ringed 80 Golden Plovers in the i
Lothians. We hope this will help us to work !
out how the wintering flocks move around the :
Lothians and to find the breeding areas of local ;
wintering birds. Please help us by telling us j
if you see a colour-ringed Golden Plover. Each
bird has two colour-rings on the right leg - one ;
below and one above the 'knee'. Sightings on j
either the wintering or breeding grounds j
would be very valuable. If you can tell us the i
flock size and how many Golden Plover you i
were able to check for colour-rings this would i
also be most useful. Please send sightings to;
Nigel Clark, Zoology Dept, West Mains Road, |
Edinburgh EH9 3JT. I

Small ads

STRONESLANEY, STRATHYRE. Self catering.
Watch river and marsh birds from your log-
cabin window or come B & B in farmhouse.
Beautiful forest, loch and mountain surroun- ■
dings. Tel: 08774 676.

BIRD JOURNAL back numbers supplied. —

D. Morgan, Whitmore, Umberleigh, Devon.

LIMITED EDITION KEITH BROCKIE PRINT.

A magnificent full-colour print featuring a ■
Golden Eagle in Caenlochan by Scotland's ^
foremost young wildlife artist. Only £20 ^
(inc p&p) - proceeds to Jubilee Appeal Fund.
Available from: SOC (Print), 21 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT.

JUBILEE POSTER celebrating 50 years of ‘
Scottish ornithology. A 4-colour art poster '
(24"x16") featuring superb colour
photograph of Golden Eagle by Don Smith.
£1.95 (inc. p&p) from SOC (Poster), 21
Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT.

Published by The Scottish Ornithologists' Club, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BT © SOC ^

Printed by Alexander Ritchie & Son Ltd., 163 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh EH6 5RE £

ti

No.6

THE SCOTTISH
ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB

BirdNeu^

JUNE 1987
ISSN 0268-3199

Turning the tide with oil

Oil pollution continues to exact an unnecessary toll on our seabirds. Until recently humane destruction was generally
considered the kindest way to deal with the victims but the opening of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals cleaning centre means there is now a more positive alternative.

Great Northern and White-billed Divers oiled in the Dornoch Firth. Stanley da Prato.

The Centre is situated at Middlebank
Farm, near Inverkeithing, in Fife and just
off the Edinburgh-Perth motorway. Good
communications were seen as an impor-
tant plus in choosing the site as it aims
to deal with birds from any part of
Scotland as well as the North of England.

Lessons from the south

Middlebank's methods are based on
those used in the RSPCA's centre at
Taunton, in SW England. Arriving birds
are usually suffering from stress as well
as the effects of oil and hunger. They
are given tablets which help flush out the
oil and also contain antibiotics to
counteract enteritis. They are also fed -
forcibly if necessary - but cleaning is
delayed for some days to allow the birds
to build up their strength for what is a
fairly traumatic experience. Effective
cleaning involves really thorough
washing with detergent and warm
water, followed by equally thorough rin-
sing to remove all residues of both oil and
cleaning agent. The birds are then dried
using warm air blowers before release
back to the wild, birds are tested for
buoyancy several times. To measure the
effectiveness of the work the Lothian
Ringing Group will ring all the birds
before release. This will take place at the
nearest point on the east or west coast,
depending on the origin of the birds, to
avoid the stress of long road journeys
back to the point where the birds came
ashore.

Volunteers to the fore

Cleaning oiled birds is hard work which,
in the case of a big spill, can mean 15
hour days for Mrs Sandra Hogben, the
Centre Supervisor, and her teams of
volunteers. Washing one bird can de-
mand two hours uninterrupted supply of
hot water and Sandra is keen to em-
phasize that it is much better for the
birds if they are brought to Middlebank
as quickly as possible, and not cared for
by people in their houses, which do not
have the same facilities.

Ducks to divers

The Centre's first customers were
domestic ducks from a pond con-
taminated by diesel oil. Needless to say
it was not long before the first seabirds
came in, from a spill in the Dornoch Firth.
When SBN visited Middlebank in March
around 300 birds were being cleaned.
Most were Guillemots but there were
also Razorbills, Shags, Long-tailed Ducks
and, perhaps saddest of all, several
Great Northern Divers and one badly
oiled White-billed Diver. Several auks
and one of the divers were calling and
hearing these sounds, which epitomize
wild coasts and northern fjords to many
birdwatchers, in the Fife countryside
seemed to emphasize how much in-
fluence, for good or bad, human beings
now have on wild creatures.

Costs and benefits
The Centre represents a big investment
by the SSPCA. Conversion costs alone
were in excess of £65,000 and running
costs when many birds are being treated
are also high. Quite apart from the cost,
simply getting enough small fish to keep

several hundred seabirds going can be a
headache. Given that most of our
seabird populations seem able to with-
stand the toll of oil is the venture a
sensible use of resources? The obvious
dedication shown by all concerned pro-
vides one answer, but by no means the
only one. The Centre hopes for a success
rate of around 70% which could be im-
portant, especially as some seabird
populations no longer seem to be grow-
ing as they were a few years ago.
Perhaps the most valuable role for a cen-
tre like Middlebank is in the long term,
as more and more volunteers and visitors
have their concern for wild birds kindl-
ed and strengthened by the experience
of seeing and caring for the victims of
human carelessness.

The Centre can be contacted on
0383-412520. Visitors are welcome but
please contact the Centre in advance to
see if your visit is convenient - during an
oiling incident it is not! Volunteers are
especially welcome during weekdays.
Donations can be sent either directly to
the Centre or the SSPCA at 19 Melville
Street, Edinburgh.

Editorial

Getting Involved

This issue of SBN covers a variety of
topics but they all have one thing in com-
mon which is that people went out into
the Scottish countryside and did
something positive. Some of the ac-
tivities demand a huge commitment of
time which is why only a few individuals
are able to live for years on seabird
colonies but there are many other oppor-
tunities to do useful things and still earn
one's living and fulfil family respon-
sibilities. There really is tremendous
scope for doing more and anyone should
be able to find something that suits his
or her personality and resources,
whether building nestboxes or surveying
their local wood or bun. Don't be put off
by the feeling that "that's for the ex-
perts". Most bird census work in Britain
is still carried out by amateurs while even
the professionals started off this way. If
you want to do something but don't
know who to contact 21 Regent Terrace
should be able to advise you.

and let us know
about it

When you have something that you
think could be of interest to other
members why not write about it? We are
always interested in short communica-
tions, especially from the branches.
Some branches already send the Editor
their newsletters; he is grateful and
hopes they keep coming in so items of
wider interest can be extracted - some
are in this issue. Not everything is
suitable for SBN, nor does every branch
have a newsletter, which makes us
wonder how many interesting things we
never hear about - so if you are doing a
survey or have a successful fund raising
event why not give us the details?

Predators and persecution

We very much regret that the two
paragraphs on Golden Eagle and
Peregrine in Central Scotland were
transposed in the Raptor Study Group
Report in the March issue. We also
managed to get a digit wrong in the
RSPB's phone number which should
read 031-556 5624.

Several readers have expressed concern
at the number of foxes killed in the
Reconciliation Project on Grouse and
Grazing Animals in Renfrewshire and
Ayrshire and one has raised the point
that some of the snares used by one
keeper may have been of an inhumane,
and illegal, type though the evidence
was not considered sufficient by the
authorities to bring a prosecution.

Italian Gunfire
over Strathbeg

The most important confrontation over
wildlife conservation during the course
of North Sea oil development occurred
when it was suddenly revealed at the
end of 1972 that it was proposed to
bring the northern gas pipelines ashore
across the largest dune slack lake in
Britain, the Loch of Strathbeg, to a
terminal located on an old airfield at
Crimond on its inner margin. All the con-
servation organisations rallied to its
defence, and, after three months of
mounting controversy, it was decided to
divert the pipelines three miles south to
St Fergus and to use the airfield for a less
offensive naval radiocommunication
station instead.

The loch is among other things a
major staging-post for migrating
wildfowl, and the RSPB subsequently
bought some of the surrounding land
and leased the rest as a nature reserve,
installing a former gamekeeper, Jim
Dunbar, as warden. He has had excep-
tional success in controlling poaching
which was formerly rife while maintain-
ing excellent relations with the local
wildfowlers. In consequence the area
now attracts up to 36,000 geese and
swans at the height of the autumn
migration, including nearly a quarter of
the world population of Pink-footed
Geese with growing numbers remaining
for the winter.

One of the three main landowners
has given up shooting and assisted the
RSPB, and while the other two retained
the right to shoot in the winter, this was
originally exercised in a moderate way
so that it attracted little attention.
Following the retirement of an enlightened
manager of one of these estates belong-
ing to Mr Duthac Carnegie, brother of the
Earl of Southesk, there has recently been
growing complaint about the conduct
of an Italian syndicate including the
Marquese Divulci Gugliemi who rent the
shooting. When the loch was renotified
as an SSSI under the Wildlife and Coun-
tryside Act the NCC proposed the
introduction of a ban on shooting from
a peninsula and the islands in the centre
of the loch, said to comprise about a
tenth of the whole.

The landowner refused to accept
this despite repeated offers of compen-
sation, and shooting was resumed at
what appeared to be an increased level
in the winter of 1985-86. The NCC
eventually advised the Secretary of State
to impose the ban under Section 29 of
the Act the following autumn. The lan-
downer appealed, and was joined by the
British Association for Shooting and

■

Conservation, who are opposed to the
use of coercion and apparently wish to
make this a test case, and the local
branch of the National Farmers' Union,
who consider the geese harmful to
agriculture and want compensation for
their presence. A Public Inquiry was
therefore opened in Peterhead on 24
March 1987.

The NCC introduced their case with
a large volume of evidence to the general
effect that informed people consider the
loch is of international importance for its
wildfowl (with which the other side
enthusiastically agreed), and that they
dislike being shot in the middle of their
roost (which it was suggested lacks
"scientific proof"). Local witnesses then
reported that the syndicate, which has
taken the lease for £ 1 2,000 per annum,
behave in a disorderly manner, leaving
dead and injured birds around and throw-
ing numbers of bodies away before their
departure.

It was replied that shooting is an
established tradition, that many of the
problems have been caused by a bad
keeper who is being replaced, and that
while the number of geese shot may
have increased from 350 a year in the
early 1970s to 987 last winter, the
number of birds has increased even
faster, so that they have become a pest
which cost one of the local farmers
£25,000 in lost production in 1985 -
though mainly after the end of the
shooting season, when only one person
has previously bothered to apply for a
licence to control them.

When the inquiry resumed on 8 May
Mr Carnegie announced that in future he
was prepared to terminate shooting on
the peninsula and islands an hour before
sunset. While originally a "little bit
miffed" at the controversy, when the
RSPB lease of his land for £50 per
annum runs out shortly he would still be
prepared to renew it on similar terms. He
also asked for his costs. The preparation
of the report on the inquiry is being
accelerated in the hope that the
Secretary of State may be able to arrive
at a decision whether to renew the Order
by the time it runs out at the end of June.

It is notable that while it is now
apparently possible to charge foreign
nationals substantial sums for the right
to shoot our growing goose population,
the money does not appear to go to the
farmers who bear the main burden of
feeding them. It seems time for the
formulation of a more coherent national
policy for both their conservation and
exploitation.

W.R.P. Bourne

2

Recent Reports

These notes include unchecked reports and
are not intended as a permanent record,
nor will they be indexed. Please send reports
to Pete Ellis, Seaview, Sandwick, Shetland,
via local recorders at the end of March, June,
September and December. The period January
to March is covered here.

The discovery of a White-billed Diver and
a King Eider on 14th January in Shetland
preceded a remarkable series of rarities in the
islands which included no less than 3 White-
billed Divers, at least 4 King Eiders and a Surf
Scoter. The icing on the cake was the first
Harlequin Duck in Britain for 22 years and only
the third ever live Brunnich's Guillemot in
Britain. At least 300 twitchers saw these
birds. There was no bad behaviour and the
ferry, airline and car-hire companies benefited
from this unseasonal influx of visitors. Along
with all the rare birds were 2 Harp Seals, the
first since 1 903 and yet another visitor from
the Arctic, a Bearded Seal.

Shetland had 3 Black-throated Divers
whilst there were 4 in Orkney. Great Northern
Divers reached 39 off Nesting in January and
33 in Quendale Bay in February, whilst
Shetland also had 3 White-billed Divers. Great
Crested Grebes turned up in Shetland (3) and
Orkney with others in Aberdeen and Banff. A
Red-necked Grebe was at Achnahaird Bay but
Gosford had an impressive total of 50 and a
remarkable count of 125 Slavonian Grebes.
An influx of the latter species brought 20 to
Tresta, Shetland, 7 to the Loch of Harray and
9 to the Cromarty Firth. A Black-necked Grebe
was seen in South Uist in January.

The Hermaness Black-browed Albatross
returned on 16th February for its 17th year.
One or two Blue Fulmars passed Peterhead
on several days during the period and an early
Manx Shearwater was seen off the Rhum
ferry on 16th January.

A Bittern spent the winter at Dudding-
ston, but the Orkney Glossy Ibis was last seen
just before the hard weather in mid January.
Greenland White-fronted Geese reached
a record total of 79 at the Loons in Orkney.
A Snow Goose was seen at Newburgh,
Aberdeenshire where there were also 4
Canada Geese. Records of Brent Geese
included a series of sightings in Aberdeenshire
with a maximum of 200 on the Ythan. Drake
American Wigeon were at Loch Fleet and
Culbin in January and the female Red-crested
Pochard was last seen in Orkney on 14th
January. Scaup peaked at 160 on the
Cromarty Firth. In Shetland there were at least
3 male and a female King Eider whilst an
immature male was at Wick and 2 adult males

at Embo. The immature male Harlequin
Duck which was such a crowd-puller stayed
in Sullom Voe from 16th January to 21st
February, when Shetland also held an
immature male Surf Scoter. Two male and a
female Surf Scoters were seen at Gosford and
in Largo Bay. A Red-head Smew appeared in
Shetland with 2 in Orkney, 1 at Thurso, 4 in
Aberdeenshire and 3 in Lothian, with single
males there and at Strathbeg. A February
influx of Goosanders brought birds to
Shetland and Orkney.

Two immature Sea Eagles appeared in
Orkney and another was in Benbecula and
South Uist. In January a Rough-legged
Buzzard was in Shetland. The first Osprey
was back in the Highlands on 31st March.

Grey Plover totalled 1 29 at South Ford
in the Western Isles where a Spotted Red-
shank wintered. A Greenshank was at
Peterhead on 7th February and the first Bonxie
was back in Shetland on 24th March. Single
Mediterranean Gulls were seen at Girdleness,
Peterhead and in Ayrshire, where there was
also a Ring-billed Gull. The first Lesser
Black-backed Gulls arrived back in Shetland
on 8th March and North Uist on 9th. A report
of a melanistic Herring Gull on Whalsay was
unusual as melanism is very rare in gulls.
Iceland Gulls were scarce this winter with
reports of only 16 in Shetland, 3 at Sule
Skerry with another elsewhere in Orkney, 2
in the West Highlands, 1 at Scrabster and 4
in North-east Scotland. The adult Kumlien's
Gull again spent the winter at Banff. Glaucous
Gulls were also few and far between with a
maximum of 12 in North-east Scotland in-
cluding 6 adults at Fraserburgh, where there
was also a Glaucous x Herring Guil hybrid.
A Sandwich Tern was off Girdleness on 28th
March and 4 were back in Orkney on 30th.

Bittern lain MacLeod

Britain's 3rd, live Brunnich's Guillemot
was off Hamnavoe, Shetland from 3rd to 7th
February and brought many of the Harlequin
twitchers back to the islands. Amazingly a se-
cond bird (unfortunately dead) was found in
the same place on 7th January. Single Little
Auks were off Peterhead in January and
February and Puffins returned to Fair Isle on
the very early date of 23rd March.

The male Snowy Owl near Stromness
would have been a welcome sight to the 2
females still present on Fetlar. Long-eared
Owls reached maxima of 6 at Strand,
Shetland, 8 at Binscarth, 1 3 at Berstane and
14 in Kirkwall with a single at Stonehaven.
A Kingfisher wintered on the River Ness.

Shore Lark lain MacLeod

Shore Larks reached a peak of 6 at Tyn-
inghame. Barns Ness produced a count of 22
Scandinavian Rock Pipits in late March and
the first White Wagtaii passed through
Shetland on 26th March. A good scattering
of Waxwings from early January included 2
to 3 in Shetland, at least 9 in Orkney, 3 in
Stornoway, parties of 2-8 at 5 localities in the
Highlands where counts included 1 7 at
Lossiemouth, 17 at Culduthel, 19 at Forres
and 20 at South Kessock. Aberdeenshire had
3-16 at 3 sites with a high count of 40 in
Aberdeen. The highest count in Lothian was
1 2 at Yellowcraig.

Small numbers of Dunnocks and Robins
arrived in Shetland from 26th to 29th March
where there were also abut 25 Black
Redstarts, including 6 at Sumburgh Head. Fair
Isle had 4 Black Redstarts and 1 was seen at
Ackergill, Caithness. The first returning
Wheatears were in South Uist and at
Peterhead on 25th March. Amongst a small
fall of Scandinavin thrushes in Shetland in late
March were at least 1 1 Mistle Thrushes.

Wintering Blackcaps were well
distributed and included 2 in Orkney, where
a Chiffchaff also spent the winter. Another
wintered in Shetland along with 3 or 4
Goldcrests. A Rook on a fishing boat 70 miles
west of Foula on 21st March must have been
a migrant, whilst 1 8 Ravens on Fair Isle were
probably wanderers from Orkney or Shetland.
Large flocks of Brambling were seen at Bridge
of Don (300), and the Forest of Birse (250).
A Linnet reached South Uist and 6 Mealy Red-
polls appeared at the Bridge of Don. Four large
Northern Bullfinches occurred in Shetland in
late March along with 2 Hawfinches. Lapland
Buntings reached a maximum of 48 at
Musselburgh in March.

Pete Ellis

3

More on mink

For such small animals feral American
Mink can certainly raise heated debates
among naturalists and other outdoor
types. They are, undoubtedly, here to
stay but how much of an effect they
are having on native species is still
controversial. Comments by several
fieldworkers in the last issue of SBN,
who felt Mink were responsible for local
declines in river birds, have prompted
further comments from several sources.

Events on a small loch to the south
of Edinburgh provide an example of
how many keepers and anglers, as well
as birdwatchers, have come to regard
Mink as serious pests. A Mute Swan,
apparently in poor health, arrived on the
water but only survived for a few days.
It was found dead one morning, well out
from the shore with its throat ripped
open. Judging by the wounds and the
feathers floating around the corpse there
had been a considerable struggle on the
water rather than by the bank. There
was no sign of Otters but Mink were
definitely present (1 1 killed that season
alone) and a fishing hut had to be moved
due to Mink taking up residence beneath
it. When it was moved the remains of
three or four Perch and 18-24 birds
(apparently duck and Coot) were found.
If Mink were responsible for the attack
on the Swan this would be atypical,
perhaps due to the bird's weak
condition.

Local declines in smaller species,
such as Moorhens, seem much more
common. Several workers in the
Lothians have experienced dramatic
declines in Moorhen and most observers
are sure Mink are responsible. Particularly
interesting observations, which should
soon appear in Scottish Birds, have
come from Gladhouse Reservoir where
numbers of breeding water birds drop-
ped dramatically around the time Mink
appeared but staged a comeback when
keepers, stung into action when Mink
wrecked havoc in pheasant rearing pens,
began to control the Mink.

Why then are Mink so controversial?
The problem is that although Mink may
have a dramatic effect locally there is a
dearth of evidence of any national
decline in water birds that can be at-
tributed to Mink. The B.T.O.'s Common
Bird Census and Waterways Bird Survey
do not show big declines in species such
as Coot and Moorhen, although it can be
argued that in Scotland WBS coverage
needs to be considerably increased to
give a proper picture. Even when water
birds do decline other causes must be
considered - Mute Swans, for example,
have declined around Edinburgh but
vandalism is almost certainly the major
factor here.

Studies of the diet of Mink show
that they are opportunist feeders that
take whatever is readily available and
that birds are often only a small part
of their diet. In one of the few studies
of Scottish Mink David Jenkins and
Rosemary Harper found that Mink from
Deeside were mainly eating Rabbits and
other small mammals (J. Animal
Ecology, 1980). Given that Mink are
now part of our fauna it can be argued
that, except on special areas such as
Nature Reserves with colonies of ground
nesting birds, it is better to let Mink
establish a natural population level than
to create a 'vacuum effect' by trapping
and thus set up a flow of new animals
which could cause more damage than a
few, established territory holders.

One point that does emerge from all
this is the urgent need for more hard
facts. Far too many birdwatchers have
failed to put their observations down on
paper, or to become involved in proper
monitoring work, whether for the B.T.O.
or more local surveys - so how about
changing this in 1987?

SdP

Whooper Swan William S. Paton

Mixed feelings
on Whoopers

Several years ago a large flock of
Whooper Swans spent some weeks on
floodwater near Carsehead, Madderty.
Local residents remember this with
mixed feelings.

Unfortunately, over the floodwater
was a power line into which a Whooper
flew occasionally with disastrous results
- not always for the swans - but cer-
tainly for the residents in the area who
were then without electricity for several
hours. Engineers came each time equip-
ped with a dinghy because the water
was deep.

Eventually the pole and power line
were moved. Locals feel, however, that
it was not for high conservation ideals
or consideration for the residents. The
decision was taken after the engineers'
dinghy capsized and the men were
thoroughly soaked one dark winter night!

Whoopers have been there this
winter without incident.

Irene McKinnie

Red-breasted Merganser's
large creche

On 1 3 July 1 986 J. Bell and I came upon
a female Red-breasted Merganser in
charge of a creche of exactly 50 duck-
lings, all of which were about '/a grown,
swimming in a quiet backwater on the
edge of The Mound Alderswamp, South-
East Sutherland. During a 10 minute
watch we saw no sign of a second
female. On three or four occasions the
female flew up, circled around the area
and, each time, returned to the ducklings
within a minute. These flights may have
been due to our presence.

There are numerous records of two
or more females in charge of large
cr6ches, sometimes numbering hun-
dreds of ducklings, but the only
reference I can find where the number
of young with one female in charge is in
Donald Watson's Birds of Moor and
Mountain where he refers to two
crdches on Lake Myvatn, Iceland, where
one female was in charge of 33 duckl-
ings and the other of 52.

D. Macdonald

Fair Isle

Awards are made annually from two Funds to
assist young people, between the ages of 1 5 ||
and 21, with a grant towards the cost of
travel to Fair Isle and their stay at the
Observatory. In recent years some 6/8 awards
of between £60 and £100 have been made
each year from the John Harrison Memorial
Fund which is administered by the Fair Isle
Bird Observatory Trust. The Ian Pitman
Scholarship Fund, administered by the
National Trust for Scotland, was only recently I
set up and the first award from this Fund,
£100, was made this year. '

Successful applicants are responsible for '
making their own travel arrangements, and I
booking at the Observatory where they are (
required to stay for a minimum of one week, i
Information about the Observatory, and )
activities or work which might be undertaken (
during their stay, must be obtained direct from j
the Warden or his wife on Fair Isle. Applica- 1
tions for a grant from either Fund must be ;
submitted by 31 October at the latest, and will (
be considered by the administering committee I
in mid-December, when grants for the year 3
following are made.

Application forms can be obtained res- ’
pectively from the Hon. Secretary, J.H.M.F.,
21 Regent Terrace. Edinburgh EH7 5BT, or
the Hon. Secretary, Ian Pitman Scholarship
Fund, c/o N.T.S., 5 Charlotte Square, Edin- j
burgh EH2 4DU.

4

Nest Boxing

Once upon a time there was a Famous
Forestry Man, who was known as
"Nestbox McKenzie”. Of course, as
an employee of the Commission, he
had powers of access not available to
ordinary mortals. On his retirement, the
practice of nest boxing on a major scale
seems largely to have died away in
Scotland until the early 1970's, apart
from a few isolated schemes, such as
those around Loch Ken in Galloway and
in the Ayrshire valleys. The seminal
study of Pied Flycatchers in the Forest
of Dean in Monmouthshire showed,
however, what could be done by en-
thusiasts not necessarily professional
ornithologists, and in this project it can
be argued the current upsurge in nest
boxing had its origin.

It is not the function of this article
to detail the techniques and practices of
nestboxing. These can be readily found
in the B.T.O. Nestbox Guide, recently
revised and reprinted, and still excellent
value. Bang up to the minute, it em-
bodies the 'state of the art' and it is
always interesting to see that others
have arrived at conclusions one has
reached oneself by a process of trial and
error over a long period.

You may ask 'Why Nestboxes?'
when it is too late now to put them
up for this year, and the autumn might

Blue Tit Robert Gillmor

be deemed more appropriate for this
subject. However, now is the time to
search out suitable sites, patches of
woodland or 'birdy' hedgerows (if there
are any left), to find the places birds like,
and visit to breed, and where in the
autumn boxes might profitably be put
up.

The list of species to go for is exten-
sive. Tits of several species will use
boxes and one can aim for others than
the ubiquitous Blue Tit. A double brooded
Coal Tit once reared 1 9 young in broods
of ten and nine in a box of the writer's
in Perthshire birch scrub. Few sights are
more appealing than a pair of Pied Fly-
catchers (who take particularly readily to
boxes) or of Redstarts, feeding young.
The latter, in the age of Sahelian

drought, need all the help they can get.
Of the larger species. Tawny Owls take
readily to boxes (although in some years
they do not breed at all) and if you fail
with them, there's always hope of a
Kestrel or a Stock Dove. Grey Squirrels
are not welcome! Your friendly local
ringer will be only too pleased if you ask
him to ring the young and will advise you
of recoveries. West Perthshire Blue Tits
really do go down to the fleshpots of
Bearsden and Milngavie in the winter!

So have a look round this spring and
see if you cannot find a site for a few
boxes in the autumn. Recent nest boxing
schemes have very substantially increased
our population of Pied Flycatchers (for
instance), yet there is scope for further
increase still. There is a very real sense of
satisfaction and achievement in seeing
a pair of any species select and use a box
you have put up. Although birds are not
particular and do not demand a master-
piece of the carpenters art, if you cannot
knock a few boxes together yourself,
your favourite charity will almost cer-
tainly be glad to make some in return for
a contribution and will welcome this way
of fundraising. If all else fails, a certain
distillery produces 20 year old malt in a
box ideally suited for further service as
a nest box. The contents do happen to
cost over £100 the bottle, but think of
the celebration when the box is in place
and occupied.

Henry Robb

RU’A

FIOLA

EXPLORATION
CENTRE

Ru a Fiola
Cullipool
By Oban
Argyllshire
Scotland
PA34 4UB

ISLAND EXPLORERS

TORQUIL & MARGARET JOHNSON-FERGUSON,

WILD ISLAND EXPLORATION LTD

Woodside
Canonbie
Dumfriesshrre
Scotland
DG14 OXS
Tel 05414 (Chapelknowe) 240

Rubha Fiola, one of the Lunga islands in the Firth or Lome southwest of Oban, is surrounded by many wild and fascinating uninhabited
islands. Torquil and Margaret Johnson-Ferguson's island home and Adventure Centre makes a perfect base from which to explore them.

Their special island Explorer weeks are for everyone (minimum unaccompanied age 17) who loves wild uninhabited islands, be
they bird-watchers, artists, botanists, divers or just romantics. For anyone who wants to get away from it all for a few days of perfect
peace and tranquility in this outstandingly beautiful area. Not only do you get the chance to enjoy living on an otherwise uninhabited
island for a week, but also our boat will take you to as many of the surrounding islands as time and weather permits - hopefully a dif-
ferent one each day.

Choose from Eileach an Naoimh with its ruined monastery and beehive cell, the soaring limestone cliffs of Garvellach, Dun Chon-
nuill with its Fort and Dun, or A'Chuli, all Sites of Special Scientified interest; or Eilean Dubh Mor, Eilen Dubh Baeg and Guirasdeal
with their Common Seal colonies; or 1470 ft. high Scarba with its Raised Beaches and caves; and spectacular Little Corryvrechan Whirlpool;
or rocky Ormsa and Liath Sgeir; Fiola Meadhonach and Eilean nan Caen where the wild otters live or Fiola an Droma withits tidal rapids
and more seals, and peaceful Lunga with its hidden nooks and crannies, red deer, and big sandy bay where Saint Columba landed.
A choice for all weathers and tastes, all privately owned by caring landowners who permit you the privilege of exploring them while
staying at Ru'a Fiola.

Over a traditional Scottish breakfast we will decide on the islands for the day, and we take you there with a packed lunch, you
are then free to 'do your own thing' until the boat picks you up in the afternoon to return you to Ru'a Fiola, for a big hot meal. Alter-
natively we can provide Tent or Prehistoric Cave, and stove, food and sleeping bag for an overnigh stay in blissful solitude, if you are
really adventurous.

On Ru'a Fiola accommodation is single or twin-bedded rooms with heating. Facilities are on Hostel lines and fairly basic as per
the Adventure Course Prospectus available on request. Maximum number of participants is 12, no maximum age! Weeks start Satur-
days 19th September, 26th September, 3rd October and 31st October 1987, and end the following Fridays. Our boat will meet you
at the start of your stay at 3.30 pm at Cullipool Pier, Isle of Luing, to where there is easy access by car and by public transport. The
all-inclusive cost of the week, from Cullipool, for the six nights, is £165.00 including VAT.

To book, send your requirements and a Deposit of £33.00 to Ru'a Fiola; or if you require more details, or information on our Island
Castaway and Survival Courses for Adults, Ghosthunters' Week or Youngsters' Adventure Courses, write to Torquil Johnson-Ferguson
at Ru'a Fiola.

5

The Sentinel of the Forth

It is given to a few special islands to thrill the visitor with a combination of natural
splendour, man's artefacts and, teeming wildlife. The Bass Rock is one of them. A
mere rock, some might say, 350 feet high, and with little more than seven acres of
flatfish surface, it is dwarfed by many other Scottish islands. But statistics can deceive.
The soaring, round-shouldered east cliffs seem magnificently more than their actual
height while the dark north-west precipice has a grim and forbidding air.

Yet the Bass is easy of access and admirably served by boat from North Berwick.
On any fine day in summer, and some not so fine, Fred Marr will run visitors across
the SYa miles of the Firth of Forth and land them on the Bass for a few hours. It is
one of the most rewarding trips one can make. No other island in Scotland, except
Handa, is at once so near to the mainland, so full of seabirds, and yet so untamed
and unspoilt. And Handa lacks the king of seabirds, the Gannet.

The Bass is made of basalt, the plug
of an extinct volcano. Its sharp angles
remain unblunted by the erosive power
of the sea over the millennia and
anybody who has been on the Bass dur-
ing a severe gale will appreciate that

"had the Bass originally been

composed of such a yielding tuff as that
on which the fortress of Tantallon is
erected we would now in vain seek its
place amidst the waters." On the north-
west is what I take to be the remains of
the ancient caldera, though I am no
geologist. One can see the remains of
one wall, now the small inland cliff just
below the summit of the rock. Circled by
impregnable cliffs, the Bass falls away
more gently to the south and on that side
the garrison walls were built by an early
Scottish king, perhaps in the twelfth
century. The stone is mostly from the
rock itself, and harmonises exactly.
These stout walls seal the Bass, with a
cannon embrasure running at right
angles to the fortification and guarding
the inner landing. In those days, visitors
were hauled up by basket, for there were
no landing steps. We often used a similar
method to winch lighthouse keepers on-
to the rock when a rough sea besieged
the landing.

Nowadays there is a helicopter pad
on the outer apron of rock, and the
'keepers arrive in style. Before long there
will be an even more momentous change
when the light becomes automatic and
all personnel are withdrawn, leaving the
rock uninhabited. The only 'back en-
trance' is a steep, narrow gully, at its
base is the seal-haunted entrance to a
gloomy tunnel, 'a dreary recess, full of
chill airs and dropping damp'. This tun-
nel emerges at the base of the beetling
east cliffts - caves which in season are
resonant with gargling Guillemots and
sepulchrally croaking Shags.

Above the lighthouse are the re-
mains of St. Baldred's chapel, where my
wife and I lived for three years between
1 961 and 1 963. Consecretaed in 1 492,
it was used more as an ammunition store
than a place of worship, though even
as the latter it had been long preceded
by the venerable saint himself, whose
simple cell is ascribed to the 6th or 7th
century. Between the chapel and the
summit lie the remains of the walled
garrison garden, even in my day lovingly
tended but now submerged beneath the
rampant growth of Yorkshire Fog. But
still, every spring, the small wild Daf-
fodils, goodness knows how old, peep

out yet again. And just as it has done for
hundreds of years the garrison well
yields its seepage water, the colour of
strong urine. That water, sprinkled with i
a little oatmeal to disguise the taste
imparted, perhaps, by the rotting car-
case of a sheep, (Bass mutton used I
to be famous) was all the ill-fated
Covenanters, imprisoned in the reign of I
Charles II, had to drink in their unheated '
dungeons.

The auld craig, 'unwinnaibill by :
ingine of man' has seen momentous j
events, civil, military and ecclesiastic, i
but its natural history also demands our It
attention. Notable among Bass plants is
the Tree Mallow, a biennial whose tall
purple spikes mantle parts of the
southern and eastern slopes. Sea Cam- |
pion. Pink Campion and Sea Scurvy are
also much in evidence but Sea Pink is j
oddly absent. Of the grasses, a fine
Deschampsia turf, once ubiquitous, has
in some areas been replaced by coarser
grasses, such as Cocksfoot and
Yorkshire Fog, encouraged by the Herr-
ing Gulls. But the gulls are decreasing. |
Small passerines are scarce but Rock [
Pipits, Dunnocks, House Sparrows,
Starlings and Pied Wagtails breed each
year and Blackbirds sometimes. There is
often a Mallard's nest near the chapel
and usually an Eider or two on the bat-
tlement slopes among the Mallow. The ;
ducklings face a hazardous journey
across the sea to shallower water, and
probably few succeed.

The Bass Rock from the south-west.

Top, The Gannets of the north-west slope
Opposite, Gannet and five week old chick
Photographs by J. Bryan Nelson

But it is for the seabirds that one
visits the Bass. Here, one can immerse
oneself without the barriers of artificial
restraints and yet with complete regard
for the well-being of the birds. Before
climbing to the summit - an easy task -
there are the Shags, Fulmars, Puffins and
Guillemots of the battlement area. After
that, a short climb to the headland pro-
vides a magnificent view across to the
great west face, thronged with Gannets.
Just across the gully Kittiwakes nest
while at its base are Guillemots and
Razorbills. Continuing up the rock, past
the chapel, the top of the cliffs comes
into view. Here, near to the path, are
endless opportunities for close-range
observation and photography. Some of
my most attractive behavioural shots
have been taken from here, with a
300mm. or 400mm. lens. Indeed, all the
way up the eastern side new groupings
and different backgrounds emerge. If the
wind is strong easterly or north-easterly
(in which case you will be fortunate to
have landed) the impressive gathering of
non-breeding 'club' birds, some 2,000-1-
in all stages of immaturity, will be con-
gregated on the edges of the colony or
passing and re-passing, hanging in the
wind. They always prefer the windward
side of the rock because landing and tak-
ing off is safer. Nowadays the north-
west slope is a snowfield of Gannets
where once my hide stood. There is no
finer sight than this vast gathering, seen
from the summit. Somewhere in the mid-
dle a few of my colour-ringed birds still
survive. The Bass gannetry is increasing
steadily and now numbers more than
20,000 occupied sites; which is not
quite the same thing as 20,000 pairs and
certainly not the same as 20,000 nests
or 20,000 breeding pairs!

The Bass Gannets are extraordinari-
ly tame but even they will flee if ap-
proached too closely. Disturbed Gannets
lose eggs and chicks, to other Gannets,
which pilfer the nest-material, and to the
ever-watchfull Herring Gulls. Ordinary
care will ensure that this does not
happen.

The best times to visit the Bass are
near the beginning of the breeding
season in late April or early May, when
display and nest-building are at their
peak, or when the young are in the nest.
For most species that means June or
early July, but Fulmars and Gannets go
on much longer. Gannets are still in full
colonial cry in August and early
September though, by then, many of the
black juveniles will be on their way to
North African waters.

It is rare, these despoiling days,
to find a magnificent and much-visited
spot not only unspoilt, untrammeled by
rules and totally uncommercialised, but
actually better than ever. Little more
than a hundred years ago, the Bass Gan-
nets, still to recover from the annual
commercial killings, were shot from
boats and from the rock for 'sport'. Now,
thanks to its owner. Sir Hew Hamilton
Dalrymple, the rock 'callet the Bass' re-
mains, as in Hector Boece's day, 'full of
admiration and wonder, therein also is
great store of Soland geese and nowhere
else but in Ailsaie and this rocke'.

J. Bryan Nelson

Dr Nelson has been studying the Gan-
nets on the Bass for more than 30 years
and is the author of a range of publica-
tions including The Gannet and Living
with Seabirds. Fred Marr is the Bass
boatman and can be contacted on North
Berwick 2838.

WADERS

their breeding,
haunts and watchers

by Desmond and Maimie
Nethersole-Thompson

All of the Nethersole-Thompson
family contribute in some measure to
this book but it is Dr Desmond
Nethersole-Thompson's life-long
interest in waders which gives the
work its exceptional quality and
authority.

The core of the book is the
comprehensive accounts of the
biology and behaviour of 18 species
of waders in their breeding haunts. In
addition there are chapters on waders
generally, wader spacing and
dispersion, the wader watchers of
past and recent times, and chapters
on new or returning waders, and on
those pipe-dream species that may
yet breed one day in these islands.
Donald Watson has provided more
than 100 drawings and there are 32
photographs.

400 pages plus 24 plates
£18.00 net

GULLS

a guide to identification

by PETER GRANT

This second edition has been revised
and reset throughout and a further
eight species added.

352 pages, 544 photographs,

£15.00 net

T & A D POYSER

Calton, Waterhouses. Staffs ST10 3JX

7

The Sentinel of the Forth

It is given to a few special islands to thrill the visitor with a combination of natural
splendour man's artefacts and, teeming wildlife. The Bass Rock is one of them. A
mere rock, some might say. 350 feet high, and with little more than seven acres of
flattish surface, it is dwarfed by many other Scottish islands. But statistics can deceive^
The soaring, round-shouldered east cliffs seem magnificently more than their actual
height while the dark north-west precipice has a grim and forbidding air.

Yet the Bass is easy of access and admirably served by boat from North Berwick.
On any fine day in summer, and some not so fine, Fred Marr will run visitors across
the 3'h miles of the Firth of Forth and land them on the Bass for a few hours. It is
one of the most rewarding trips one can make. No other island in Scotland, except
Handa. is at once so near to the mainland, so full of seabirds, and yet so untamed
and unspoilt. And Handa lacks the king of seabirds, the Gannet.

The Bass is made of basalt, the plug
of an extinct volcano. Its sharp angles
remain unblunted by the erosive power
of the sea over the millennia and
anybody who has been on the Bass dur-
ing a severe gale will appreciate that

"had the Bass originally been

composed of such a yielding tuff as that
on which the fortress of Tantallon is
erected we would now in vain seek its
place amidst the waters.” On the north-
west is what I take to be the remains of
the ancient caldera, though ! am no
geologist. One can see the remains of
one wall, now the small inland cliff just
below the summit of the rock. Circled by
impregnable cliffs, the Bass falls away
more gently to the south and on that side
the garrison walls were built by an early
Scottish king, perhaps in the twelfth
century. The stone is mostly from the
rock Itself, and harmonises exactly.
These stout walls seal the Bass, with a
cannon embrasure running at right
angles to the fortification and guarding
the inner landing. In those days, visitors
were hauled up by basket, for there were
no landing steps. We often used a similar
method to winch lighthouse keepers on-
to the rock when a rough sea besieged
the landing.

Nowadays there is a helicopter pad
on the outer apron of rock, and the
'keepers arrive in style. Before long there
will be an even more momentous change
when the light becomes automatic and
all personnel are withdrawn, leaving the
rock uninhabited- The only 'back en-
trance' is a steep, narrow gully, at its
base is the seal-haunted entrance to a
gloomy tunnel, 'a dreary recess, full of
chill airs and dropping damp'. This tun-
nel emerges at the base of the beetling
east cliffts - caves which in season are
resonant with gargling Guillemots and
sepulchrally croaking Shags.

Above the lighthouse are the re-
mains of St. Baldred's chapel, where my
wife and I lived for three years between
1 961 and 1 963. Consecretaed in 1 492,
it was used more as an ammunition store
than a place of worship, though even
as the latter it had been long preceded
by the venerable saint himself, whose
simple cell is ascribed to the 6th or 7th
century. Between the chapel and the
summit lie the remains of the walled
garrison garden, even in my day lovingly
tended but now submerged beneath the
rampant growth of Yorkshire Fog. But
still, every spring, the small wild Daf-
fodils, goodness knows how old, peep

out yet again. And just as it has done for
hundreds of years the garrison well
yields its seepage water, the colour of
strong urine. That water, sprinkled with
a little oatmeal to disguise the taste
imparted, perhaps, by the rotting car-
case of a sheep, (Bass mutton used
to be famous) was all the ill-fated
Covenanters, imprisoned in the reign of
Charles II, had to drink in their unheated
dungeons.

The auld craig, ‘unwinnaibill by
ingine of man' has seen momentous
events, civil, military and ecclesiastic,
but its natural history also demands our
attention. Notable among Bass plants is
the Tree Mallow, a biennial whose tall
purple spikes mantle parts of the
southern and eastern slopes. Sea Cam-
pion, Pink Campion and Sea Scurvy are
also much in evidence but Sea Pink is
oddly absent. Of the grasses, a fine
Deschampsia turf, once ubiquitous, has
in some areas been replaced by coarser
grasses, such as Cocksfoot and
Yorkshire Fog. encouraged by the Herr-
ing Gulls. But the gulls are decreasing.
Small passerines are scarce but Rock
Pipits, Dunnocks, House Sparrows.
Starlings and Pied Wagtails breed each
year and Blackbirds sometimes. There is
often a Mallard's nest near the chapel
and usually an Eider or two on the bat-
tlement slopes among the Mallow. The
ducklings face a hazardous journey
across the sea to shallower water, and
probably few succeed.

The Bass Rock from the south-west.

Top, The Canners of the north-west slops
Opposite, Gannef and five week old chick
Photographs by J. Bryan Nelson

But it is for the seabirds that one
visits the Bass. Here, one can Immerse
oneself without the barriers of artificial
restraints and yet with complete regard
for the well-being of the birds. Before
climbing to the summit - an easy task -
there are the Shags, Fulmars, Puffins and
Guillemots of the battlement area. After
that, a short climb to the headland pro-
vides a magnificent view across to the
great west face, thronged with Gannets
Just across the gully Kittiwakes nest
while at its base are Guillemots and
Razorbills. Continuing up the rock, past
the chapel, the top of the cliffs comes
into view. Here, near to the path, are
endless opportunities for close-range
observation and photography. Some of
my most attractive behavioural shots
have been taken from here, with a
300mm. or 400mm. lens. Indeed, all the
way up the eastern side new groupings
and different backgrounds emerge. If the
wind is strong easterly or north-easterly
(in which case you will be fortunate to
have landed) the impressive gathering of
non-breeding 'club' birds, some 2,000 -i-
in all stages of immaturity, will be con-
gregated on the edges of the colony or
passing and re-passing, hanging in the
wind- They always prefer the windward
Side of the rock because landing and tak-
ing off is safer. Nowadays the north-
west slope is a snowfield of Gannets
where once my hide stood. There is no
finer sight than this vast gathering, seen
from the summit. Somewhere in the mid-
dle a few of my colour-ringed birds still
survive. The Bass gannetry is increasing
steadily and now numbers more than
20.000 occupied sites; which is not
guite the same thing as 20,000 pairs and
certainly not the same as 20,000 nests
Cl’ 20,000 breeding pairs!

The Bass Gannets are extraordinari-
ly tame but even they will flee if ap-
proached too closely. Disturbed Gannets
lose eggs and chicks, to other Gannets,
which pilfer the nest-material, and to the
ever-watchfull Herring Gulls, Ordinary
care will ensure that this does not
happen.

The best times to visit the Bass are
near the beginning of the breeding
season in late April or early May, when
display and nest-building are at their
peak, or when the young are in the nest.
For most species that means June or
early July, but Fulmars and Gannets go
on much longer. Gannets are still in full
colonial cry in August and early
September though, by then, many of the
black juveniles will be on their way to
North African waters.

It is rare, these despoiling days,
to find a magnificent and much-visited
spot not only unspoilt, untrammeled by
rules and totally uncommercialised, but
actually better than ever. Little more
than a hundred years ago, the Bass Gan-
nets, still to recover from the annual
commercial killings, were shot from
boats and from the rock for 'sport' , Now,
thanks to its owner. Sir Hew Hamilton
Dalrymple, the rock 'callet the Bass' re-
mains, as in Hector Boece's day, 'full of
admiration and wonder, therein also is
great store of Soland geese and nowhere
else but in Ailsaie and this rocke'.

J. Bryan Nelson

Dr Nelson has been studying the Gan-
nets on the Bass for more than 30 years
and is the author of a range of publica-
tions including The Gannet and Living
with Seabirds. Fred Marr is the Bass
boatman and can be contacted on North
Berwick 2838.

6

WADERS

their breeding,
haunts and watchers

by Desmond and Maimie
Nethersole-Thompson

All of the Nethersole-Thompson
family contribute in some measure to
this book but it is Dr Desmond
Nethersole-Thompson's life-long
interest in waders which gives the
work Its exceptional quality and
authority.

The core of the book is the
comprehensive accounts of the
biology and behaviour of 18 species
of waders in their breeding haunts In
addilion there are chapters on waders
generally, wader spacing and
dispersion, the wader watchers of
past and recent times, and chapters
on new or returning waders, and on
those pipe-dream species that may
yet breed one day in these islands.
Donald Watson has provided more
than too drawings and there are 32
photographs.

400 pages plus 24 plales
£18.00 net

GULLS

a guide to identification
by PETER GRANT

This second edition has been revised
and reset throughout and a further
eight species added

352 pages, 544 photographs.

£15.00 net

T & A D POYSER

Carton, Walerhouses. Stalls STIO 3JX

SOC News

A Day in Glasgow

The joint SOC/BTO one day conference
is now an established feature of the
'spring' - though anyone driving through
sleet and snow to reach Glasgow on
March 7th would appreciate that, in
Scotland, spring comes well after the
equinox. Weather apart, the day went
well and the 1 50 participants enjoyed a
varied programme of talks with the
specimens in the Hunterian Museum,
and the marine life in the tanks in
the Zoology Department, providing an
intriguing background.

Avian Invaders

Raymond O'Connor started the pro-
ceedings with a thought provoking talk
on the biological features common to
successful colonizers. Some generally
accepted ideas don't stand up to critical
examination as our invaders don't all
come from the same post glacial refuge
nor are many of them long distance
migrants. Comparisons between Britain
and Iceland are instructive and Raymond
discussed the failure of so many species
to make it across the Irish Sea in detail
(though St Patrick wasn't mentioned
presumably as he dealt with snakes
rather than birds). Successful colonizers
tend to have a source population near-
by and a high reproductive rate spread
over several small clutches rather than
one large one. Even when the birds are
deliberately introduced many attempts
fail - cf Little Owl and Red-legged Par-
tridge. This is true elsewhere in the
world, a point often forgotten due to the
spectacular success of a few species
such as Starlings and House Sparrows.
Raymond's analyses owed much to the
work of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel
but he also pointed out that more detail-
ed ecological work is need to understand
why particular species colonize at cer-
tain times.

Siskins and Blue Tits
Malcolm Chesney then described some
results from ringing Siskins in his garden.
Peak numbers occur in April as birds
move north through Scone towards the
Highlands. Attempts to interpret the
birds' weights have been frustrting, pro-
bably due to the effect of liberal supplies
of peanuts!

Neil McCulloch followed with data
from Dundee University's studies of Blue
Tits, set up to elucidate how genetic fac-
tors operate within the population.

The Clyde Atlas Project
Tetrads (2 x 2km squares) are often
thought more appropriate in the South,
where more observers are available, but

they do give a much better picture of the
distribution of species within a region
than bigger squares. In the inner Clyde
area Ian Gibson and his colleagues are
building up a useful data bank which is
already producing useful information;
Kingfishers are as numerous as in parts
of England while Buzzard distribution
points to continued illegal persecution.

Dispersing Dippers
This species has been in the news largely
due to the effect of acidification on its
food supply in Wales and SW Scotland.
Some populations are still very healthy,
including Steve Newton's near Stirling,
where he has been looking at juvenile
dispersal and how the young birds fare
in dominance disputes. It seems that the
colour of the underparts, which is often
vary variable, but richer in males than in
females and in older birds than
youngsters, is important in Dipper
communication.

Long lived Eiders

Stephen Baillie returned to Scotland to
discuss Eiders, especially those breeding
on the Sands of Forrie. Few Eider eggs
turn into adult birds but, with an adult
mortality of under 10% (comparable to
seabirds rather than other ducks), the
population can cope. Unusually, first
year birds stay near the colony in winter
whereas older birds go further, often to
the Firths of Tay and Forth. This sug-
gests that birds 'learn' about good
wintering sites by joining older birds in
the moult period. Males move further
than females and a few have reached the
Baltic.

Water Birds

After tea Steve Carter looked at the diet
of Goosanders, which some members
are counting this spring. Although they
do eat salmon and trout there is no
convincing evidence that this has a
significant effect on the numbers of fish
of a size to interest the angler. Greg
Mudge rounded off the day by describ-
ing the problems that affect one of our
rarest breeding birds, the Black-throated
Diver. Far too many pairs fail to breed
successfully and fluctuating water
levels, predation and disturbance are all
implicated.

SdP

Broadening horizons at
the Borders Branch

Arriving late at a recent branch meeting
one of the regular members found the
usual room already in use for another
function. At the second function room
he found the slide-show already begun,
complete with overhead projector as ex-

pected. He slipped into the darkened
room and found a vacant seat, settling
down to enjoy Andy Webb's "Seabirds
at Sea" lecture.

Imagine his horror on realising that
the sequence of slides showed close-up
details of abdominal surgery and not
a seabird in sight! (Obviously not a
Bernie Zonfrillo lecture!) Too embarrassed
by this stage to retreat he sat through
the entire presentation and nipped out
smartly when the lights came on and the
rest of the post-graduate medical au-
dience turned to eye him with suspicion.

Who says that SOC members are
too narrow in their interests!

Malcolm Ross

Glasgow Jubilee Lecture

Over 1 50 people turned up at Kelv-
ingrove for Tom Weir's talk "Scotland's
Wildlife and Scenery." We were treated
to a splendid evening's entertainment as
Tom presented over two hundred slides,
including a strong wildlife content.
Amongst his many fine bird slides, those
of Golden Eagle, Gannets and Caper-
caillie were outstanding. The fascinating,
often humorous dialogue was delivered
with the polished ease of a professional
broadcaster. A few initial gremlins in the
PA system merely prompted him to a bit
of rapid-fire humour which added to the
convivial atmosphere in the hall. An en-
couraging proportion of the audience
stayed behind to have a glass or two of
wine and mingle with the local or-
nithologists. It is a bit doubtful whether
our aim of attracting new members was
realised, but there were certainly a few
people expressing interest in the SOC.

Our other aim, to raise some funds
for the branch, was a more obvious suc-
cess, with some £221 being cleared on
the night. This will be a great contribu-
tion towards the printing of the bulletin
and branch projects such as the Tetrad
Atlas.

JJS

Ian Lyster

The tragic and untimely death of Ian
Lyster in April, after a long illness, is a
sad blow to the Club and to the RSPB in
Scotland, both of which he served so
well. Ian was so often there, behind the
scenes with help and practical advice
and always willing to join in whenever
volunteers were needed. He revitalised
the bird room at the Royal Scottish
Museum and did much to restore the
traditional relationship between field and
museum workers in Scotland. Above all, ,
perhaps, we shall miss his cheerful com- ,
pany and his finely-tuned sense of
humour: in the museum or in the field, ii
he was the ideal companion. Our ji
deepest sympathy goes to his widow, «
Margaret and their two sons.

Mike Everett |l

Surveys and Research
Committee

Several changes have occurred in this
committee's membership and title.
Chairman lain Taylor has resigned due to
pressure of other work as have Tony
Colling, Hector Galbraith, Derek
Langslow and John Love. The Club is
grateful to them all for their contributions
and to Roy Dennis and Mick Marquiss
who are staying on to provide continuity.
Joining the committee, which will be
chaired by Stan da Prato, are Allan
Brown, Ian Gibson and Mike Pienkowski.

The change in title reflects the
feeling, both in the committee and the
club as a whole, that the word research
on its own suggests something rather
too high powered for what is essentially
a club and not a scientific institution.
By adding the word surveys we are
stressing the valuable role members can
play in describing the numbers and
distribution of birds in Scotland, which
is what the S.O.C. is really all about.

Scotland is, of course, part of a big-
ger island group and we shall continue
to co-operate in national surveys run by
bodies such as the B.T.O. and the
Wildfowl Trust. This means that for the
next few years specifically Scottish
projects are unlikely to be launched,
since short winter days are already taken
up by wildfowl and wader counts, while
the breeding seasons from 1988-1990
will be devoted to the new Atlas. The
S.O.C. plans to run the Scottish end
of this project and we hope to have
an organizer working from 21 Regent
Terrace. Unlike its predecessor the new
breeding Atlas will be quantitative. This
means that pilot work is taking place this
year to test appropriate census methods;
however it seems safe to say that tetrad
work in progress in Clyde and planned
for Lothian should fit in well with the
national project.

SdP

Photo spot

This superb photograph of a Barn Owl with prey (and fly!) was taken by Brian Turner.
May we remind readers that entries for this year's Photographic Competition must
be sent to SOC (Photo Comp), 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT by the end
of August.

HIGHLAND FIELD STUDIES

Exploring Morvern
Mountain Flowers
Sedges and Rushes
Wildflowers of Tayside
Natural History Photography
Exploring the Highlands
Exploring Tayside
Bryophytes

Natural History of Skye
Birds of Morvern
Autumn in Tayside
Birds of Autumn

Ardtornish, Argyll
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Abriachan, Inverness-shire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Harlosh, Skye
Ardtornish, Argyll
Blairgowrie, Perthshire
Blairgowrie, Perthshire

May 30-June 6
June 27-July 4
July 11-18
July 18-25
August 1-8
August 1 5-22
August 22-29
September 11-18
Oct 3-10
Oct 10-17
Oct 17-24
Oct 23-25

Informal relaxed courses for both beginners and experts in some of the most beautiful parts of Scotland, with expert guidance and tuition. Based
mostly in comfortable hotels and guest houses

Further details of these and the full programme available (s.a.e. please) from:

BRIAN S BROOKES MBE MSc, Highland Field Studies. Smithy Cottage. Snaigow. Dunkeld. Perthshire. PH8 ORD. Telephone: Caputh 10738711 374.

9

^ s vV !'i Isles of Colonsay

r' ■ A 1' V A'^ '

and Oronsay —
Inner Hebrides

Remote and unspoilt, the islands encompass 20 square miles of paradise for the naturalist —
almost 170 species of birds (list on request), also otters, feral goats and a major breeding
colony of the grey seal (pupping in September), 500 species of local flora as well as two of the
few remaining natural woodlands of the Hebrides and the exotic rhododendron collection in
the woodland garden of Colonsay House.

Historic sites include St Columba’s pre-Iona foundation at Oronsay Priory, some excellent duns,
a Viking ship burial, crannog-sites in Loch Fada etc.

There are no day-trippers, no caravanners, etc., but there is a comfortable small hotel offering
table d’hote cuisine based on fresh local produce (central heating and private facilities). Drive
on-off car and passenger ferry ex-Oban Monday, Wednesday, Friday (2V2 hour passage).
Dinner, accommodation and breakfast from £25.00 including VAT and service. Free bicycles.
There are also three luxury self-catering chalets, which adjoin the hotel; each unit sleeps 5,
all bed-linen is provided plus daily maid service. Off-season rental is only £55.00 weekly. Also
special demi-pension arrangements for Field Study parties from £7.75 daily. Details on request.

THE HOTEL, ISLE OF COLONSAY, ARGYLL
(Kevin and Christa Byrne)

Telephone: Colonsay (09512) 316 — open all year

N.B. Booklet @ £3.50 inc. p&p describes the island’s birds — 66pp plus 8pp colour photos.

ORNITHOLIDAYS 1987

Member of The Association of British Travel Agents

Twenty-two years’ Service to
Naturalists and Birdwatchers

Holidays organised by Birdwatchers
for Birdwatchers

Forthcoming tours include;

Kenya

Zimbabwe

Okavango Delta

Ethiopia

Morocco

Madagascar

The Seychelles

N. India & the Himalayas

Kashmir & Ladakh

Thailand

Write or 'phone for a brochure to:

Florida

Vancouver & the Rockies

Venezuela

The Galapagos

Australia

New Zealand

Jordan

Israel

Turkey

Cyprus

N.E. Greece
Mount Olympus
Yugoslavia
Lake Neusiedl
The Camargue
The Rousillon
Andorra

Spanish Pyrenees
Majorca
Iceland
The Gambia

LAWRENCE G. HOLLOWAY
ORNITHOLIDAYS

Dept. 4, 1 / 3 Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis,

Sussex, England P021 2PW J%:

Telephone 0243 821230

ATOL Licence No. 743

10

Reviews

Fraser Darling's Islands by John Morton Boyd;
Edinburgh University Press; 1986; 254 pp;
many plates, maps and diagrams; £12.95.

Living with Seabirds by Bryan Nelson; Edin-
burgh University Press; 1986; 254 pp; many
plates, maps and diagrams; £12. 95.

This new Edinburgh series aims to give
accounts of scientific work within a biological
frame-work, similar to the writings of that
pioneer of the ecological and environment
movement, Frank Fraser Darling. It also taps
the rich field of biological research that uses
islands as natural laboratories, starting with
Scottish islands and extending to all parts of
the world. The inaugural volume is a
biography of Frank Fraser Darling. Morton
Boyd tells the story of Frank Fraser Darling's
Highland and Island years and gives a very
personal portrait of this great twentieth
century Scottish naturalist.

The second volume is Living with
Seabirds by the world expert on gannets and
boobies, Bryan Nelson. Never far from the
pages of Bryan Nelson's book are these and
other seabirds. It begins atop the Bass Rock,
moves to the Galapagos and then to
Christmas Island. Both books are excellently
written and should be in the library of every
Scottish ornithologist.

John C. Davies

The Mute Swan by Mike Birkhead and
Christopher Perrins; Christopher Helm; 1 986;
5 7 pages; 25 black and white plates; 26 line
drawings; £13.95.

This is the first monograph on the Mute Swan
for 30 years. During that time much work has
been done on its population dynamics and
ecology, especially in England. This book is
an excellent summary of recent research in
a clear and readable format. The test is inter-
spersed with attractive line drawings and
covers history and customs, as well as the
biology and ecology of the Mute Swan.

Inevitably the book concentrates on the
lead poisoning controversy - a predominantly
English phenomenon - which is now being
alleviated, partly through the effort of the
authors. The book concludes with a look to
the future and the prospects for swans in the
light of habitat changes, loss of nest sites,
increasing boat traffic, etc. This is a
thoroughly recommended work - and not just
for those obsessed with swans! Perhaps it
may stimulate more detailed studies in
Scotland where evidence from the East
Scotland Mute Swan study suggests a more
mobile population than is the case with their
English cousins.

Allan W. Brown

Tracks and Signs of the Birds of Britain and
Europe: An Identification Guide by Roy
Brown, John Ferguson, Michael Lawrence
and David Lees; Christopher Helm; 1987;
232pp: 47 colour plates, many b & w illus-
trations: £17. 95.

Many birdwatchers and ornithologists may
dismiss this book as peripheral to their interest
but I would argue the identification of tracks
and signs as every bit as satisfying and infor-
mative as identifying live birds. It requires

TRyVCKS
£l SIGHS

of the Birds of Britain and Luropc *

•\\ t>uir>-

Roy Brown, John hergiison,

Midiael Lawrence and David I.ee.s

skill which until now had to be learned
almost entirely from personal experience
because previous guides have concentrated
on mammal signs. This book gives a very
good introduction to fieldcraft techniques
following on with chapters on tracks, nests
and roosts, feeding and behavioural signs,
pellets, droppings, feathers and skulls.
Sufficient species are included to enable the
identification of most items commonly found
in Britain. In particular, the larger feathers of
over 200 species are described and most of
them accurately illustrated in colour. This
alone makes the book outstanding, but might
also create problems for bird recorders. Some
years ago I found the feather of a European
Roller in the Forest of Ae, Dumfries-shire; a
difficult record because it was equally likely
to have dropped from some foreign tourists'
hat as from the Roller itself. Though not
cheap, I strongly recommend this book to
anyone prepared to use it properly for it will
add a new and rewarding dimension to
fieldwork.

Mick Marquiss

Coilins Guide to the Birds of Prey of Britain
and Europe, North Africa and the Middle East

by Benny Gensbol; Collins; 1986; 384pp;
over 180 photos; 42 maps & charts; 300
drawings; £14.95.

This book covers the 46 birds of prey record-
ed as breeding in Britain and Europe, North
Africa and the Middle East. It covers breeding,
distribution, population trends, feeding,
habitat and foraging methods as well as
migration of all western palearctic raptors.
Benny Gensbol has done a fine job bringing
together a mass of data and compressing it
neatly into this pocket-sized book. Its finest
and most useful feature is its country by coun-
try population tables which show at a glance
the fortunes of each of the individual species,
using much modern day data (eg 1 981 British
Peregrine survey and the Eagle survey of
1 982). I can only presume that the data from
other countries is as concise and up to date
as Britain. There is a section on flight iden-
tification with excellent illustrations by Bjarne

Bertel. This rivals "Flight Identification of
European Raptors" by RF Porter et al, show-
ing all species in great detail and from all
angles in various stages of moult, age and col-
our variations. There is little previously
unknown information here but to have it all
gathered together in one book is very useful
indeed and at nearly 400 pages £14.95 is
good value.

lain C. MacLeod

The Birds of Israei by Uzi Paz; Christopher
Helm, 1987; 264 pages; 60 colour photos;
29 line drawings; £19.95.

Israel in this book includes the occupied West
Bank of Jordan and Golan Heights and there
are numerous references to formerly occupied
Sinai. It is not a field guide but more the Israeli
equivalent of Birds in Scotland. The meat is
in the detailed systematic list which gives brief
descriptions of each species and its world
range as well as details of status, distribution,
habits, habitat and where appropriate
breeding biology in Israel. The text is
authoritative and contains much information
which is not available elsewhere. There is an
extensive ringing programme in Israel and
good use is made of the data to indicate the
origins and destinations of many birds seen
in the country. The photographs seem to have
been randomly chosen but they are well-
reproduced and some are quite superb. The
captions for those of Eagle Owl and Little Owl
have been transposed. My one disappoint-
ment is that no attempt has been made to
show any information visually by use of
distribution maps. Nevertheless this is a
welcome addition to the literature and essen-
tial reading for all those interested in the birds
of the Middle East.

Alan Brown

Twentieth Century Wildlife Artists by Nicholas
Hammond; Christopher Helm; 1 986; 224pp;
many colour and black & white plates; £30.

A sumptuous volume featuring the work of
many artists representative of twentieth
century wildlife art. The first part of the book
contains four brief chapters - 'Wildlife and
Art', 'The Background to Today's Wildlife
Art', 'Wildlife Painting in the Twentieth
Century' and 'Illustrations for Identification'.
The second part features essays on forty-
three artists recounting their lives and working
methods richly illustrated with examples of
their work. Superbly reproduced illustrations
range from the gargantuan canvases of the
grand doyen of wildlife art, Bruno Liljefors,
through various print mediums to the contem-
porary, masterful watercolours of Lars
Jonsson. Birds predominate and most are well
depicted in their environment. The rich variety
of styles will have something to dip into time
and time again.

The inclusion of picture dimensions and
medium would have been useful, the latter is
not always obvious. Also I feel that the
equivalent of eighteen blank pages could
have been better employed with further
illustrations. Much of the American work has
already been published in recent art books; it
would have been nice to have shown some
new paintings.

This is a book to treasure and one that
no wildlife art lover should be without. It will
do much for the wider appreciation of wildlife
art as a genre.

Keith Brockie

CONTENTS

Turning the tide with oil

Editorial

2

Italian Gunfire over Strathbeg

2

Recent Reports

3

Short Notes

4

Nest Boxing

5

The Sentinel of the Forth

6

SOC News

8 & 9

Photo spot

9

Reviews

1 1

SOC Notices

12

SBN Advertising Rates

Full page £100. Half page £60. Quarter page
across £30. Sixth page £20. Third page
upright £40. Small ads £1 per line. Prices are
exclusive of VAT. Adverts should be sent to
Business Editor, SOC, 21 Regent Terrace,
Edinburgh EH7 BBT.

Deadlines

SBN is published four times a year, at the
beginning of March, June, September and
December. Material submitted for possible
publication should be sent to 21 Regent
Terrace no later than 8 weeks prior to publica-
tion (e.g. by 1 July for the September
number), although late news and notices may
be accepted slightly later. Queries - and
suggestions - will be welcomed by the Editor.
Information on the submission of material for
Scottish Birds, will be found in SB 14(1).

SOC Membership

Membership subscription rates are as follows:

Adult £10.00

Junior (under 18 or student under 25)£4.00
Family (husband, wife & children under 1 8)

£14.50

Life, individual £200.00, family £300.00
Pensioner, individual £6.00, family £8.50
Further details from Membership Secretary,
SOC, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT.

SOC Notices

Jubilee Appeal Fund

There was a magnificent response to the
President's Golden Jubilee Appeal letter sent
to members last February. Over £6,000 was
donated by individual members and the
Fund now stands at over £10,000. Several
branches have also made generous con-
tributions towards the Appeal. Council hasn't
yet decided how the money is to be spent,
but it will probably be divided between
support of ornithological field work and
research in Scotland and the repairs and
maintenance of the Club's headquarters at
21 Regent Terrace.

Annual Conference and AGM

This year's Conference and AGM will be held
in the Pollock Halls, University of Edinburgh
during the weekend 11th- 13th September.
The conference theme is 'Scottish Farming
and Birds'. Details of the conference pro-
gramme, booking form and AGM agenda are
enclosed with this issue of SBN.

New Honorary Member

Bill Harper, the Club's Librarian since 1977
and Honorary Treasurer from 1980-86, has
been made an honorary member by Council
in recognition of his services to the Club and
Scottish Qrnithology.

New Bookshop Manager

Moira Rix has been appointed as the new
manager of the Bird Bookshop. Moira's family
home is in the Borders, and she took a degree
in Biology at Stirling University. She has six
years bookselling experience with James
Thin, the Edinburgh booksellers, and as
Scottish manager of Alan Armstrong &
Associates, a specialist library and technical
booksellers. We wish Moira all the best in her
new job which she started at the end of May.

Photographic Competition

Entrants should note that this year's deadline
is earlier as the Annual Conference has moved
to September. Please have your entries to
21 Regent Terrace by the end of August.
Prizes are up this year: First gets £20, second
£15 and third £10 vouchers for the Club
Bookshop.

Keith Brockie Print

This limited edition print of a magnificent
Golden Eagle in Caenlochan is selling fast.
Produced especially for the Club's Golden
Jubilee by Keith Brockie, one of our foremost
wildlife artists, the print is in full colour on fine
art paper and measures 19" x 15" overall.
Keith is well known as an artist and author
of Wildlife Sketchbook and One Man's Island,
and his superb drawings illustrate many bird
books. Proceeds from the sale of the print go
to the Jubilee Appeal Fund. This is a wonder-
ful opportunity to acquire a superb example
of Keith's work at a very reasonable price and
benefit the Club as well. The print is strictly
limited to 250 copies, costs £20 (including
postage & packing) and is only available from
the SOC.

SOC Checklist and Fieldlist

Two new SOC publications are now available
- a checklist and fieldlist of Scottish Birds
compiled by Valerie Thom. The Checklist is an
annotated list of all species reliably recorded
in the wild in Scotland this century. The
Fieldlist is a 'tick list' including all species
which occurred in Scotland annually, and on
average at least four times a year, in 1 981-85.
The Checklist is A5 size, 32 pages and costs
95p, the Fieldlist is A6, 8 pages and 50p; both
are available from The Bird Bookshop, post
free to members.

Local Bird Reports and Avifaunas

We hope to include a section listing these in
a future issue to encourage sales of what are
rarely big money spinners. This service will
be free, as are entries to the Bookshop
Catalogue, provided the following conditions
are met: brief details only (area covered, price
including post and packing, contact address)
plus the publication must be linked to an SOC
branch. Individual, commercial ventures
should advertise in the normal way. Authors
and editors should contact the Business
Editor, SBN, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh.

Old Scottish Birds

We have run out of the first issue of the new
Scottish Birds, 14(1), June 1 986. If you have
a copy you don't want please send it to Bill
Harper, the Librarian.

Small ads

SPEY VALLEY. 5 well equipped self catering
holiday cottages conveniently situated in
picturesque rural surroundings close to the
Insh Marshes, a Nature Reserve managed by
the R.S.P.B., and only a short drive from the
Cairngorms and Loch Garten (Qspreys). Abun-
dant wildlife all around with good hill walking.
For further details and brochure send S.A.E. to:
Alvie Estate, Kincraig, Kingussie, Inverness-
shire or tel. Kincraig (054 04) 255.

STRONESLANEY, STRATHYRE. Self catering.
Watch river and marsh birds from your log-cabin
window or come B & B in farmhouse. Beautiful
forest, loch and mountain surroundings. Tel:
08774 676.

HIGHLAND COTTAGES. Self-catering, tradi-
tional cottages. Isle of Skye and Perthshire.
Excellent for bird-watching. Enquiries to:
Smithy Cottage, Snaigow, Dunkeld, Perthshire
PH8 ORD. Telephone: Caputh (073871) 374.

FAIR ISLE BIRD OBSERVATORY REPORT for

1986 now available at £2.50 per copy from
FIBOT, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT.

GALLOWAY BIRD REPORT 1985. Compiled
by Donald Watson (covers Kirkcudbrightshire
& Wigtownshire). £1 .65 (inc. p&p) from: Miss
J.E. Howie, 60 Main Street, St John's Town
of Dairy, Kirkcudbrightshire DG7 3UW.

BIRD JOURNAL back numbers supplied. —
D. Morgan, Whitmore, Umberleigh, Devon.

Published by The Scottish Ornithologists' Club, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BT © SOC
Printed by Alexander Ritchie & Son Ltd., 163 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh EH6 5RE

No. 7

BirdNeu^

THE SCOTTISH
ORNITHOLOGISTS’ GLUB

The killing of raptors by the illegal use of poisons was cWofe>d"inT3uf March issue. The fact we are returning to the topic so soon
demonstrates that the problem is not decreasing. The RSPB's Investigations Department in Scotland has followed up 1 7 confirmed
cases this year involving the deaths of, amongst others, six Buzzards and two Golden Eagles.

SEPTEMBER 1987
ISSN 0268-3199

Edited by Stanley da Prato
Assisted by John Davies

Poisoned

Seven dead Buzzards with poisoned Rabbit R.S.P.B.

The most commonly used poison is
the rodenticide Alphachloralose, a
narcotic which, when ingested, causes
thermal shock and death from acute
hypothermia. A breakdown of incidents
for the last 1 2 years in Scotland shows
that 50% of all incidents involved this
poison. Mevinphos, sold under the
brand name of Phosdrin, accounted for
31% of incidents in the same period.
The only legal use for this deadly
organophosphorous compound is as a
pesticide on soft fruit, in highly diluted
form. Undiluted this substance is so
toxic that only a couple of drops could
kill a man. Strychnine is occasionally
found but the tight controls on its use
have resulted in far fewer incidents in
recent years. Having said that, a Buzzard
died in Wigtownshire this year after
ingesting this poison.

In February a new substance was
added to the Scottish list - Fenthion -
another organophosphate. We had
received reports of the deaths of a large
number of Rooks at a rookery at East
Fortune, East Lothian. We visited the
area and found several dead and dying
birds. We suspected agricultural misuse
and informed the Department of
Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland.
They made further investigations and in-
terviewed farmers, but all remained
tight-lipped. An analysis of corpses at
DAFS' Chemistry Section at East Craigs
in Edinburgh revealed Fenthion. This
chemical has one legal use, as a guard
against warble fly in sheep dips. In this
case grain had been impregnated with
high dosages, an obvious deliberate
misuse. We discovered that last summer
two Red Kites were killed in central
Wales after feeding on sheep carrion; the
sheep had been dipped with too high a
concentration of the same substance.

In April came perhaps the most
serious incident of the year. A hill-walker
found a deer carcass lying on a hillside
in an Inverness-shire glen. Next to the
carcass were two dead Golden Eagles.

Both eagles were ringed, and these rings
were removed by the walker before he
left the locality. Unfortunately there was
a delay of a couple of days before this
information was passed to RSPB staff
and by the time the area was visited, the
deer and the eagles were gone. At the
scene, a small amount of white powder
was found and uplifted for analysis at
East Craigs. It was no real surprise that
the powder was Alphachloralose. A
police search of the local gamekeeper's
house revealed no further evidence.

In May a visit was made to an estate
to the north of Crieff in Perthshire.
Reports suggested that all the local Buz-
zards had vanished and poison was
suspected. RSPB staff found a dead
Rook; close by was a split-open rabbit.
Two eggs were found laid out in a rocky
clearing in a wood; one egg was sur-
rounded by dead flies, bluebottles and
beetles, a sure sign of poison. Later
analysis showed large residues of Mevin-
phos in the egg and in the Rook. A week
later two Lesser Black-backed Gulls were
found nearby, also containing Mevin-
phos. The local police were informed,
and the incident investigated. A suspect
was interviewed, but no proof of guilt
found. These are details of just three in-
cidents this year. We have also had a

V

Mevinphos Buzzard from Islay, an
Alphachloralose crow from Arran, two
Alphachloralose Buzzards from
Wigtownshire and Alphachloralose in-
jected eggs from Ayrshire and
Morayshire.

The misuse of poison not only
accounts for wildlife but also a large
number of domestic pets. Between
1975 and 1986 a total of 57 cats and
94 dogs were poisoned in Scotland. The
RSPB, working closely with DAFS and
the police, are endeavouring to pursue
all poison cases to bring about an end to
this appalling death toil. Unfortunately
proof is difficult to come by and in a
court of law the words "beyond all
reasonable doubt" mean just that.

The recent increased public aware-
ness of this sort of poisoning has led to
the stopping of this action on many
estates, and on several occasions police
involvement, and any sort of publicity
will act as a deterrent. If you have any
information concerning the misuse of
poisons please contact the RSPB
Investigations Section at 17 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BN or contact
(031) 556-5624 or (031) 557-3136.

Ups and downs in 87

The weather in the 1987 breeding season flattered to deceive, with a warmer than average spell
in late April followed by wetter and cooler than average conditions in May and June in most
of Scotland. How did our breeding birds fare? Census workers' preliminary results indicate
considerable variation with some species and parts of the country doing quite well and others
having a poor season.

Floods and spates

Very wet weather can hit breeding birds
directly if their nests are flooded or their eggs
or chicks chilled. This certainly happened in
some areas with reports of Dipper and wader
nests washed out. However it was not the
whole story and several correspondents
report waders bringing off good numbers of
young even in upland areas where snow was
lying in May. Other factors have been affec-
ting ground nesting birds besides weather.
More farmers now sow oil seed rape or winter
wheat, which means that ground that was
once bare in early spring is now covered by
young growth. This does not suit birds that
like to be able to scan their surroundings for
predators and, along with continued drainage
of the damper fields that are so important to
wader chicks, means that even common
species like Lapwings are becoming scarcer
on many farms. Partridges seem to have
suffered in many places but Red Grouse did
well and Corncrakes were reported from sites
outwith their Hebridean stronghold. Dipper
success was uneven and stream acidity con-
tinues to affect these birds in Galloway.

Ducks were late in breeding on Loch
Leven and sawbills were down in several
areas but Eiders were at record levels on some
Forth islands. Coot and Moorhen did well in
several localities. Mink were again mentioned
as affecting aquatic birds including a worry-
ing report about divers on Arran.

Abundant rodents

It is encouraging to hear reports of
Golden Eagles and Peregrines doing well
in several areas and Hen Harriers rearing
young in a part of South Scotland where
persecution has prevented this in the past.
Sparrowhawks continue to do well in the
Lothians where observers now comment that
they may be commoner than Kestrels. Owls
had a good year, especially in the South West,
where high vole numbers meant that Barn
Owls reared many chicks in what is now their
Scottish stronghold.

Nightjar feeding nestling

Andrew Dowell

Events at sea

Seabirds were another group with mixed
fortunes in 1 987. On Canna breeding started
earlier than last year but Kittiwakes had poor
success. In Shetland terns and Kittiwakes,
both of which feed at the sea surface, did
badly; deeper diving species such as auks
fared better though some of Fair Isle's Tysties
were washed out by a heavy swell. This again
raises the question of over-fishing, especially
large scale catching of Sand Eels for fish meal.
In the Forth tern numbers were up with a par-
ticularly encouraging report of Roseates up to
20 pairs on Inchmickery, though breeding
success was poor at Aberlady and the Isle of
May. Also on the May Kittiwakes, Shags and
Puffins were at record levels but, for the first
time. Guillemot numbers on monitoring plots
decreased. The first egg dates for Shags were
C.7 weeks earlier than last year and most
species had good breeding success. Gannets
continue to prosper though the spell of
weather that nearly washed out the Open Golf
Championship at nearby Muirfield seems to
have killed a number of Gannet chicks whose
bodies still litter the East Lothian coast.

E.C. Fellowes

Residents revival

Some passerines thrived in the damp con-
ditions. Blackbirds reared extra broods to take
advantage of the availability of earthworms,
though the number of territories of Blackbird
and Song Thrush was down on several C.B.C.
plots. One group that is certainly doing well
is the corvids with expansion of both
Magpies, and now Jays, occurring in the
Lothians. In general residents seem to have
come through the winter well and many
people report increases in Treecreepers,
Wren, Tits and Goldcrests, all of which were
affected by the cold winter of 1 985-86. There
were some exceptions such as inexplicable
declines in Dunnocks in East Lothian and
Ayrshire. Skylarks were also reported down,
though not uniformly; changing farm practices
may also affect them. Grey Wagtails declined
on the Tweed though this may be a local
effect due to river pollution.

Increases in cardueline finches such as
Linnets are welcome as this group has shown
a nationwide decline as modern agriculture
gets rids of weeds. Even so, seed eater
numbers remain low and some species, such
as Tree Sparrow and Corn Bunting, continue
on a downward trend. Redpolls are still below
their 1 970's peak but Siskin bred for the first
time on record in East Lothian.

Skylark

David G. Mitchell

More rain in Africa

Reports of better conditions in the Sahel
were followed by increases in Whitethroats,
Sedge Warblers, Sand Martins and Redstarts.
Not all long distance migrants winter in the
zone immediately south of the Sahara. Some,
such as Lesser Whitethroat and Wood
Warbler, were reported in good numbers but
there were yet more reports of declines in
House Martins. This is a particularly easy
species to census when it breeds on buildings
and well worth more attention. It is disappoin-
ting to hear Nightjars were down yet again in
Arran and that there have been problems with
the Forestry Commission over their habitat.

THANKS to James Brown, Martin Cook,
Andy Dowell, Roger Durman, Mr. and Mrs.
Colin Edwards, Fair Isle Bird Observatory (Nick
Riddiford and K. Osborn), Peter Gordon, Mike
Harris, Bryan Hickman, Alex. Joss, P.J.
Knowling, Ian Langford, Neil McCulloch, Don-
nie Macdonald, Fiona McIntyre, Ian Poxton,
John Rhead, Mr. and Mrs. D. Robertson,
Malcolm Ross, RSPB Scotland (Alan Coles,
Dave Dick, John Hunt and lain MacLeod),
Geoff Shaw, Marion and Stan Shimeld, Ian
Stenhouse, Bob Swann, Sarah Wanless and
Derrick Warner.

Stan da Prato

2

Recent Reports

These notes include unchecked reports and
are not intended as a permanent record, nor
will they be indexed. Please send reports to
Pete Ellis, Seaview, Sandwick, Shetland, via
local recorders at the end of March, June,
September and December. The period April
to June is covered here.

Spring passage began exceptionally early
with south-east winds in late April. This ear-
ly promise was not fulfilled and through most
of May the winds remained north-westerly
resulting in Fair Isle's worst spring for years.
This weather did bring a few surprises in the
form of American birds, with a White-
throated Sparrow in Shetland adding credibili-
ty to the splendid male Yellow-headed
Blackbird which arrived at the same time.
Easterlies returned at the end of May bring-
ing a few more goodies including, strangely
enough, another White-throated Sparrow.

Great Northern Divers reached a peak of
43 in Quendale Bay, Shetland on 28th April
whilst one was seen inland at Loch Garten.
Single White-billed Divers were off Papa
Westray and Peterhead. Red-necked Grebe
returned to Gosford Bay by 10th June. Small
numbers of blue Fulmars were noted off
Peterhead and Shetland. A Sooty Shearwater
was off North Ronaldsay on 26th May. An
unprecedented influx of Night Herons into Bri-
tain in late April and early May brought at
least 3 to Shetland, one to St. Abbs and
another to Drem. A Purple Heron visited
Shetland in April.

King Elder
Angus Hogg

A series of records of Snow Geese in
Grampian brought singles to 4 sites and 2
blue phase birds to the Ythan. Two Ruddy
Shelduck at Lossiemouth in April were
presumably of captive origin. A drake
American Wigeon was on Orkney and a
Green-winged Teal on Shetland. Shetland had
at least 3 drake King Eiders, whilst another
was seen off Peterhead and later on the
Ythan. The Bressay Surf Scoter stayed well
into May as did the Orkney Smew. A drake
Ruddy Duck appeared in Shetland.

A Honey Buzzard on Papa Westray on
29th April was amongst a number of very ear-
ly migrants recorded at that time. Angus
Hogg managed to add Red Kite to his Scot-
tish list at Maybole on 20th May. Fair Isle had
a male Lesser Kestrel on 23rd June and
Orkney a Saker in April. A Spotted Crake was
on Fair Isle where there was also a Corncrake,
but only 2 of the latter were reported calling
in Shetland, whilst another was at Kirkwall.
Cranes appeared in Shetland and on Fair Isle
with 2 in Orkney and 2 more at Reston.

A Stone Curlew appeared at Glen
Ferness, Morayshire in June. Avocets were
at Barns Ness and Aberlady. A Pratincole on
Unst on 25th May avoided specific identifica-
tion. Fair Isle had a very early Little Stint on
5 May, whilst 2 Temminck's Stints were on
Unst in late May and another at Musselburgh
in June.

A Curlew Sandpiper was in Orkney in
mid-June. A Broad-billed Sandpiper was an
unexpected sighting on a beached bird survey
in Shetland in late-May. A Terek Sandpiper
appeared at Tankerness, Orkney on 5th June.
The first Red-necked Phalarope arrived on
Fetlar on 22nd May. Pomarine Skuas ap-
peared in good numbers off the Western Isles
and also in Shetland as did Long-tailed Skuas.
Following a north-westerly, 53 were seen off
Wats Ness. A Ring-billed Gull was at Hillwell
in Shetland. Iceland and Glaucous Gulls were
scarce. Fair Isle was overflown by a Caspian
Tern on 29th May. Two Black Terns were at
Ayr and a White-winged Black Tern was at
Meikle Loch on 23rd May. A Little Auk off
Unst on 20th April was rather late. Turtle
Doves were widely scattered. North
Ronaldsay had a Snowy Owl on 1st April
whilst at least 2 remain in Shetland. Hoopoes
appeared in Shetland, Orkney and St. Abbs
but Wrynecks were scarce.

Single Short-toed Larks were on Fair Isle
and North Ronaldsay in May. ShoreLarks
appeared on Noss, Fair Isle and Aberlady. A
House Martin on Fair Isle on 19th April was
the earliest ever. Fair Isle produced a Tawny
Pipit in early May and at Doonfoot Meadow
Pipit passage averaged 1 500/hour on 5th and
6th April with a peak of 4000/hour on 6th.
Scattered records of Yellow Wagtails included
both the blue and grey-headed races. Four
pairs of Yellow Wagtails bred in Lothian with
at least 1 female a grey-headed. Flocks of
Waxwings numbered 1 9 in Forres, 50 in Elgin
and 10 in Edinburgh all in April.

A Nightingale was on Shetland by 26th
April, but a Nightingale sp at Aberlady in May
eluded specific identification. Bluethroats
were scarce, but an influx of Black Redstarts
brought several to Shetland and at least 4 to
Orkney, with others at Rattray, Newtonhill
and at least 9 in Lothians/Borders.Wheatears
peaked on Fair Isle with 175 on 28th April.

Black-browed Albatross
M. Anderson

Fair Isle had its earliest ever Sedge
Warbler on 19th April, but only one Marsh
Warbler with the only other report from North
Ronaldsay. A Great Reed Warbler was on
Papa Westray on 29th April and another near
Lerwick on 1 5th June. Fair Isle recorded 3
male Subalpine Warblers between 28th April
and 25th May and another was at Rattray on
28th. A Greenish Warbler was on Fair Isle on
26th June. A male Red-breasted Flycatcher
was in Shetland, whilst 2 females were seen
in Orkney and another at St. Abbs. Two Great
Tits on Fair Isle were the first for 5 years,
whilst a Nuthatch at St. Abbs during April
eluded most people's Scottish lists. Shetland
had at least 4 Golden Orioles including 2 adult
males but only small numbers of Red-backed
Shrikes were reported. The only report of a
Great Grey Shrike was from Speyside in April.
Great excitement was caused in the Northern
Isles by the appearance of 3 Magpies in
Orkney and one on Fair Isle. An adult Rose-
coloured Starling was sighted at Dufftown in
June.

Rose-coloured Starling
S.M.D. Alexander

Arctic Redpolls were reported on
Whalsay and Foula. There were good
numbers of Scarlet Rosefinches in the Nor-
thern Isles, also several large, bright, northern
Bullfinches. Single Hawfinches occurred at 4
sites in Shetland from 3rd May to 8th June
and another was on Sanday on 1 6th April. A
White-throated Sparrow was at a bird table
on Unst from 13th to 15th May and
remarkably another spent a few hours at
Kergord, Shetland on 1 6th June. Fair Isle had
2 Ortolan Buntings on 30th May and another
was on Papa Westray in June. A Rustic Bun-
ting reached Quendale, whilst Fair Isle had 3
and others were seen on Tiree and at
Skateraw. A male Yellow-breasted Bunting
was on South Ronaldsay on 25th April. The
male Yellow-headed Blackbird which visited
Unst and Yell from 1 2th to 24th May would
undoubtedly have been considered an
escape, had it not arrived at the same place
on the same date as the first White-throated
Sparrow.

STOP PRESS

At the time of writing the Black-browed
Albatross, which has drawn countless bird-
watchers to Hermaness during the last I 7
summers, has not been seen for over two
weeks. During all the years of its visits to this
colony it has not been absent for more than
one or two days at a time. Could this be the
end of an era?

Peter Ellis

3

Editorial

Reviewing our policies

This issue carries the Club Policy Review.
Some may feel it is not radical enough or that
it should have been done years ago as events
have overtaken it as with publications which
have already been modernised, thus this
magazine. One lesson from SBN has been that
if you feel some aspect of the SOC needs a
shake up then go out and do it - our staff is
tiny compared to BTO or SWT, never mind
RSPB, and we cannot expect Regent Terrace
to take all the initiatives. One thing that cur-
rently needs help is Guidelines for Branches
to get the benefit of the questionnaires many
of you completed last year.

And asking the difficult
questions

One section of the review that will cause com-
ment is conservation - is the Club doing
enough? Here your editor feels his job is to
provide a forum for informed discussion of
what the issues really are, since even the
more responsible media tend to oversimplify
anything into a Jobs v Birds battle. Some
issues are clear cut such as the illegal use of
poison baits. Others are much more complex.
Not everyone will agree with Peter Hudson's
views on managing large areas for sport, even
if Golden Plovers and Merlins benefit as well
as gamebirds, but we are happy to publish his
article as it is based on good, scientific
fieldwork. It is then up to you, the reader, to
make your own value judgements on issues
such as predator suppression.

The issue of managing uplands in Scotland
is one that will continue to feature in SBN.
Since the land in question was once largely
covered in trees or scrub before people cut,
burned and overgrazed it and since so many
of the native large birds and mammals have
been exterminated, we are dealing with a
semi-natural landscape rather than "the last
great European wilderness" to quote the sort
of romantic nonsense "The Scotsman" likes
to print in its Letters Page. We need to discuss
the really difficult questions such as how
many Greenshanks and Golden Eagles were
there when the Caledonian Forest was at its
best, how should conservationists respond if
foresters offer to plant native tree species that
will still cover the heather and is the White-
tailed Eagle to be the only reintroduction to
our depleted fauna?

North-South divide?

We are happy to publicise the BTO's new
National Centre but wonder whether SE
England is really the best location - apparently
many staff were reluctant to move from Tring
but what happens in future when potential
new staff are faced with sky high house
prices? We also must express disappointment
that the only response from the Nature
Conservancy Council to our request to be on
their mailing list was to send the Secretary an
invitation to the launch of their Report on the
effects of forestry in the North of Scotland -
in London.

SdP

New Breeding Atlas

The British Trust for Ornithology in associa-
tion with the SOC and Irish Wildbird Conser-
vancy is organising a new Atlas, fieldwork for
which begins next year (1 988). The SOC has
made a commitment to appointing a Scottish
organiser to ensure complete coverage of
Scotland.

The first Atlas of Breeding Birds in Bri-
tain and Ireland published in 1976 was a
milestone in ornithological research and the
baseline for the conservation of breeding birds
in these islands. The new Atlas aims to map
not only the distribution of breeding birds but
also their density. Inevitably this will demand
more fieldwork than the previous Atlas.

As before, the fieldwork will be carried
out almost entirely by vouinteers, mostly SOC
members in Scotland. It is therefore essen-
tial if Scotland is to be adequately covered
to have a full-time, paid organiser. This will
provide not only the organisation but also the
encouragement needed to get Club members,
other birdwatchers and interested members
of the public to take part in the project.

The SOC has funding, from the Endow-
ment Funds, the Jubilee Appeal Fund and the
Gillman Trust, to appoint a Scottish Atlas
Organiser, initially for one year, 1 988. Adver-
tisements for the post will be placed this
autumn in appropriate magazines and
newspapers. Details of the job and applica-
tion forms will be available from the Club
Secretary.

This is an extremely exciting new ven-
ture for the SOC and ornithology in Scotland.
Club members will be kept in touch with pro-
gress of the project and the ways in which
they can participate through the quarterly
mailings of Scottish Bird News.

John Davies

A Wet Weekend in the
West

Five hardy members of the St Andrews
Branch spent their annual Highland weekend
in Glen Garry, Inverness-shire, during the
weekend 29-31 st May. They didn't set out j
to be hardy but the almost incessant West
Highland downpour soon toughened them! j
Arrival at the Tomdoun Hotel on the Friday !
evening gave a good foretaste of the typical |
sounds of the weekend: Redwings singing in \
the rain and Welshmen singing in the bar - in '
Welsh!

Despite the disappointing weather a total
of 80 species was recorded, ranging from the
typical Highland Whinchat, Redstart, Tree
Pipit, Wood Warbler, Raven, Crossbill, Siskin
and Redpoll to the slightly more exotic Black-
throated Diver, breeding Dunlin and Golden
Plover (the reward for climbing through
horizontal rain), Greenshank and Stonechat
(a rare sight nowadays for East-coasters).
The highlights, however, apart from the Red-
wings, which were singing in several places,
were the Common Scoters, displaying and
calling on several of the lochs, and the
'Cuckoo lek'; five Cuckoos sitting in a large
circle in a field in front of the hotel, doing
nothing in particular. The whole area is well
worth another visit, preferably when the sun
is shining!

Donald Stewart

Adult Entertainment

On Friday evening, April 3, at 6 p.m. the
Tenafly Nature Center will hold a "Wood
Cock Viewing."

In this program, participants will sit in
silence and observe this bird's unusual mating
display while sipping plum wine.

This program is for adults only.-
Bergenfield IN.J.) Twin Boro News.

contributed by
Prof and Mrs. Thomas

4

Club Policy Review

During Jubilee Year Council decided to take a look at all the Club's activities to see if there were
ways in which it could be serving its members better and if there were any new directions it
ought to take at the start of its second fifty years. All this was discussed at Council in June
of last year followed by a larger meeting with representatives of many Branches in July. A sum-
mary of suggestions was then sent to Branches and discussed at members' nights and there
was also a debate at the last AGM in November, so that there has been very widespread
consultation with members. This is the central point of the whole exercise. The Club exists to
provide the kind of facilities to help enable birdwatchers and ornithologists to enjoy their interest,
and to provide a framework for the gathering of information which will benefit conservation and
the birds themselves. Its membership is widely distributed, but overall it must be the kind of
club its members want it to be.

All sorts of ideas about the Club have
surfaced over the past year. Some of them
did not get very far. There was no great
enthusiasm for changing the name of the Club
or its Crested Tit emblem in order to alter, and
some thought enhance, its image. Tackling
practical conservation work in the field was
thought to be better left to other organisa-
tions, while of course members might wish
to participate. The idea of a telephone grape-
vine got a stoney reception, though it is
interesting to see that it is being tried in the
south. There still seem to be mixed feelings
about the optimum content of the Scottish
Bird Report. But these are points of detail.
What has clearly emerged from all this heart-
searching is a Club in good heart with an
important and necessary role to play among
the wildlife organisations in Scotland, which
is doing broadly the right kind of things but
could do them even better.

The key to the Club's activities is the
Branch. This is for the most part where
members meet each other and which provides
not only a social forum but a focal point for
active birdwatching and projects extending
into the Branch's own publications such as
local Bird Reports. It is an area where
enthusiasm and energy, especially among the
younger members, can be tapped and given
encouragement. Council has made a number
of recommendations and decisions about
Branches.

Over the last two years one thing which
has loomed rather large in the minds of
Council has been the necessary cost of
refurbishing the Club's offices at 21 Regent
Terrace. Fortunately we are now beginning
to see our way towards the completion of
this, but the work has imposed a considerable
extra strain on the Secretary. Added to this
has been the introduction of new office-
systems for the Club and the Bookshop,
including computers, and a rise in turnover
of the Bookshop. This last has been of great
value in helping to pay for the repairs, and the
new systems will be of great benefit in the
longer term, but they have both increased the
burden in the short-term.

Drawing together the strands of the
Policy Review within the terms of the Club's
Constitution, Council has agreed on this
statement of the Club's objectives many of
which are, to a varying extent, already
adopted throughout the Club.

Aim

Summarising the objects of the Club in
paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the Club,
all of which have full force. Council sees the
aim of the Club as providing a forum for all
birdwatchers and ornithologists in Scotland
and encouraging the conservation of Scottish
birds.

Objectives

1. To provide congenial meeting places
throughout Scotland for talks and the ex-
change of information among the diverse
membership of the Club.

a) Branches are the main meeting places for
members within the areas and with a wide
distribution of the thirteen Branches from
Thurso to Stranraer they cover most of the
mainland. Council has decided that Branches
shall adopt a name reflecting their area rather
than the meeting place (as the Glasgow
Branch has already done in taking the name
Clyde) and have an open mind about holding
their meetings in more than one place within
the area in order to cater for changes in
distribution of members. Wherever possible
meetings should be held in comfortable and
informal surroundings which encourage the
opportunity for members to meet each other.

b) In order to make the widest use of the
talents within Branches their committees and
office-bearers shall have a rotating member-
ship with a fixed term of three years for each
office, renewable once, followed by at least
one year out of that office. This follows the
practice in Council committees. Each Branch
committee shall have at least one member
under the age of twenty five.

c) The main winter programme of meetings
will continue with illustrated talks of about
forty five minutes but including wherever
possible other shorter items and informal
discussion among members. Each Branch
should continue to organise a programme of
field outings throughout the year.

d) Where the Branch is large enough there
should be regular meetings of a field-group
of those members who are interested in ac-
tive field work, and all of whom are welcome
to join it. This group can be the focal point
within the Branch for Club projects.

e) There will be occasional meetings of
Branch representatives to exchange views
and information.

2. To arrange conferences

a) The two day autumn conference will con-
tinue, providing a programme of talks on or-
nithological subjects and a congenial meeting
place for members and for the Annual General
Meeting.

b) The one day spring conference on current
and recent field research, held in association
with the BTO, has been a great success in its
first three years, meeting in Edinburgh, Aber-
deen and Glasgow. This, too, will continue.

c) On suitable occasions, special con-
ferences may be arranged.

3. To identify and promote fieldwork
projects involving wide participation by
members.

a) Many members welcome an opportuni-
ty to take part in surveys and projects which
give purpose to their bird-watching and also
benefit conservation in the widest sense.
Some already carry out surveys organised by
the Club, the BTO and others, but Council
feels that this is an area where there is con-
siderable scope for expansion amounting to
a new development for the Club and which
would include many members who have not
so far taken part.

The Surveys and Research Committee will be
making proposals for a continuing series of
projects, but over the next three years the
largest one will be the Scottish coverage of
the new BTO Breeding Birds Atlas which this
time will be making more detailed
assessments of numbers. This is a huge and
important undertaking which will give a lot
of scope for participation. Through sponsor-
ship and grant-aid Council hopes to employ
a full-time organiser for the duration of the
project.

b) Branches should also consider surveys
and projects within their areas which could
provide a useful supplement to their local
Report and provide a further opportunity for
participation by members.

4. To publish material relating to Scottish
ornithology and to maintain an ornithological
library

a) Major developments in the Club's regular
publications have already taken place. Scot-
tish Bird News and the new Scottish Birds,
embodying the Scottish Bird Report, have got
off to an excellent start and are still
improving.

b) Following on from Birds in Scotland and
other books Council will continue to support
the publication of reports, check-lists and
books of value to Scottish ornithology.

c) The Club will promote the publication of
local bird reports covering, if possible, the
whole of the country.

d) The Waterston Library will be maintain-
ed as a major ornithological collection.

5. To generate funds for the Club by run-
ning a bird bookshop and other means.

The Bird Bookshop provides an excellent
service and its turnover has contributed
substantially to the revenue of the Club. It has
not yet reached the stage where the cost of
removing it to a separate location would be
justified but this may occur in the future. It
is currently being equipped with a computer
system. Council does not expect the Club's
offices to move from 21 Regent Terrace in
the foreseeable future.

6. To liaise with other voluntary bodies
and to raise awareness of the Club.

It seems likely that more people would wish
to join the Club if they knew about it and
greater effort should be made in publicising
it, both by Branches and centrally. Use of
Club projects can be made to encourage par-
ticipation by new and potential members.
There is some scope for co-operation with
other bodies like the BTO, the SWT, the
ringing-groups and other societies, for exam-
ple with joint meetings and with identifying
sites of ornithological interest.

John Arnott, President

5

Having a whale of a time

There can be few birdwatchers who don't also enjoy seeing wild mammals,
especially the larger ones. However opportunities for observing mammals are limited
in Britain since several species, including all the large carnivores, have been exter-
minated - at least on land. At sea things are different. Despite persecution it is still
possible to see big whales off the Scottish coast and seawatchers can contribute useful
data by recording cetaceans as well as seabirds.

What to see and when to see them

Of the 24 species of whales and dolphins
recorded in British and Irish waters, 12 of
these are regularly seen close to our coasts.
These include not only the smaller species
such as the 1 metre harbour porpoise in
estuaries and sheltered bays, but also large
whales including the 20 metre fin whale, seen
mainly off the Western Isles.

It is not difficult to see some of these
creatures if you go to the right places at the
right time. The richest areas are in NW and
N Scotland (particularly the Outer Hebrides
and Shetland Isles), Southern and Western
Ireland: and the best months for seeing most
species are July to September. Although
opportunities are increased by taking a boat
a little offshore, most species have been seen
from the clifftop, and some are predominantly
coastal.

The more inshore small cetaceans include
the harbour porpoise, the bottle nosed dolphin
and the Risso's dolphin whilst amongst larger
species the minke whale and killer whale may
be seen regularly from headlands and offshore
islands. Offshore species such as the sperm
whale, pilot whale and false killer whale may

also come into coastal waters. Some have a
mainly northerly distribution, such as the
white-beaked and white-sided dolphins.

Calm seas and patience

Cetaceans are unlike seabirds in several
important aspects. You won't see them
anything like as often which is why counting
seabirds is good therapy for the frustrated
whale watcher. When you do see them views
are often frustratingly brief with only a fin
and a part of a back visible. To help spot
cetaceans it is best to watch during calm sea
conditions which is rather different from
seabirds which are usually most interesting
during onshore gales. Experienced cetacean
watchers never watch for less than an hour,
longer in localities where they are known to
be scarce, which for us in Scotland means the
south east coasts. The search pattern is not
quite the same as for seabirds - it's best to
scan more slowly as a breaking fin is harder
to pick up than a flying bird and investigate
any movement in the sea, even though 99%
will not be due to a whale or a dolphin.

Why count cetaceans?

As with most wildlife nowadays there is
a conservation angle. Declines in the big.

baleen whales due to hunting have been well
publicised. Less publicity has been given
to change in numbers of smaller species.
Porpoises have certainly declined in some
Scottish waters - for example Fred Marr rarely
sees them on his daily boat trips to the Bass
Rock yet they used to be regular in the Firth
of Forth in summer. Apart from deliberate kill-
ing which is rare in British waters - but does
occur with both French and Scandinavian
ships involved - drowning in fishing nets, col-
lisions with boats, overfishing, pollution, noise
disturbance from ships' propellers are all
threats or potential threats to cetaceans.

How you can help

In 1973 the Cetacean Group was form-
ed to obtain information on the whales and
dolphins around our shores. We now have a
network of about 350 observers from all
walks of life. Much of the information provid-
ed above has come for the Cetacean Survey,
involving to a very large extent amateurs; and
it has provided considerable pleasure for many
who did not realise they could see these fine
creatures within sight of our shores. There is
an urgent need to continue to improve upon
and expand the sightings network, to fill in
gaps in coverage, and identify conservation
problems. Everyone who visits the sea is urg-
ed to help. If you see porpoises or dolphins
very regularly, please do not take them for
granted. Logging of every one of those obser-
vations would be extremely valuable.

Please address all correspondence to Dr

P G H Evans, Cetacean Group, c/o EGI
Zoology Dept., S Parks Road, Oxford, 0X1
3PS. Tel No. 0865-247448.

What's in your Garden?

Do you already spend time watching the birds
in your garden, or would you like to discover
more about them? A new survey, to start in
September, will gather information on garden
birds across Britain. The BTO has decided
that, in view of the increasing importance that
gardens have for wildlife in general, and par-
ticularly for birds, that an expanded research
programme on garden birds should be under-
taken. The Project has been made possible
by funding from BASF, through WWF-UK.

For the last 1 7 winters a small sample of
gardens have been watched by BTO
members, who recorded birds visiting feeding
stations. Their efforts resulted in the publica-
tion of The Garden Bird Book, edited by David
Glue. Now we intend to follow the fortunes
of our bird populations in a much more ex-
tensive survey throughout the year. All four
seasons will be observed and separately logg-
ed to give data on the occurrence of nesting
birds in gardens throughout the UK, and in-
formation on garden use during passage. Not
only will we be able to map the distribution
of garden species in all regions of Britain, and
monitor seasonal and long term abundance,
but we will be targeting certain species of in-
terest. The seedeaters, eg Tree Sparrow and
Linnet, are showing a rapid decline on inten-
sively farmed land and may be resorting to
gardens. We are very keen to gather data
from Scotland, both for the more common

and widespread species and those which are
more frequently recorded in Scotland than
elsewhere in Britain, eg Siskin, Redwing and
Waxwing.

All surveyors will receive a 'starter' pack,
containing survey cards, instructions, and a
full colour poster. To describe your garden
you complete the survey card questions and
then you are asked for the maximum count
of species which use the garden each week.
All the data will be stored and analysed on
a computer. Participants will receive a
newsletter so that they can follow the pro-

Siskin

E.C. Fellow es

gress of the survey, and hear of unusual and
interesting features.

People of all ages can contribute to this
project; it requires no travel and little prepara-
tion - just good powers of observation and
some patience! We aim to recruit over 5,000
participants, and hope for a particularly good
response from Scotland, where the use of
gardens by birds has been relatively little
recorded. If you would like to take part please
contact Lysbeth Muirhead, BTO, Beech
Grove, Station Road, TRING, Herts, HP23
SNR.

Cold Weather in Norway

Early in 1987 I happened to visit Trondheim
at the time of the influx of northern birds and
seals described in SBN 6. The temperature
fell to -23° C on the night of 9 January, which
is considered cold even in Norway, and it was
even colder inland; the following day the sea
began to smoke in a most extraordinary man-
ner normally only seen in the remoter parts
of the polar regions. All our plumbing froze
and even the side of the ship split in the cold.
The only birds to be seen were a few adult
gulls. Cormorants, Eiders, Sea Eagles and
Hoodies, with more young gulls and wildfowl
around the ports, and one small passerine
crossing the fjord (it would be interesting to
know how it survived). Apparently most of
the other birds must have moved to Scotland.

W.R.P. Bourne

6

Fulmar incubating Swan's
egg

While working as summer warden in 1 985 on
the RSPB reserve at Balranald in North Uist,
the following interesting discovery was made.
I was doing a routine check on a pair of
breeding Mute Swans on a small "dun island"
(30 ft in diameter) on one of the lochs.
Nine eggs had been incubated, 8 of which
hatched, leaving one addled egg in the nest.
When I approached the nest a Fulmar clumsily
flew off and landed on the water close
by. A Fulmar egg lay tucked in beside the
Swan's egg - both eggs were warm from the
incubating bird. I checked the nest again on
10th June but found both eggs gone.

lain C MacLeod

Fulmar and Swan's egg
lain C. MacLeod

White Puffin
Anon.

White Puffin on the Isle of
May

On 2 1 St June this year we were delighted to
see a white Puffin on the sea - 400 metres
from the island. The plumage was entirely
white except for some black on the trailing
edge of the wings but the beak was normal.

I believe white Puffins have also been seen
on Craigleith in the Forth and on the Fames
so the most unusual feature of the May bird
may be that it managed to visit the Island and
not be seen or ringed by Mike Flarris!

Roy Turnbull

Amorously aquatic
Redshank

On 2 1 St June 1 987, I inadvertently disturb-
ed a female Redshank with three newly hat-
ched chicks feeding at the edge of Wards
Ponds, Gartocharn, Dunbartonshire. Taking
the most direct line of escape, the family
group began swimming slowly but steadily
across 100 metres of shallow, open water.
When just about halfway across the pond a
male Redshank flew over to the swimming
birds and deliberately landed on the female's
back, momentarily forcing her below the
water surface. After struggling from under her
assailant, the female chased off the over-
amorous male before pitching down on the
far bank to await the safe arrival of the three
chicks a few minutes later.

John Mitchell

Fleas please

Anyone able to collect the larvae of fleas from
birds especially House Martins on natural
sites. Puffins and Shearwaters should contact

Prof R L C Pilgrim, Zoology Dept., University
of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zeland for
details of collecting procedures.

Although we are happy to draw members
attention to what is undoubtedly a scien-
tifically valuable project we must stress that
under no circumstances should samples of
fleas be sent to 21 Regent Terrace.

RU’A

FIOLA

EXPLORATION
CENTRE

Ru a Fiola
Cullipool
By Oban
Argyllshire
Scotland
PA34 4UB

ISLAND EXPLORERS

TORQUIL & MARGARET JOHNSON-FERGUSON,

WILD ISLAND EXPLORATION LTD

Woodside
Canonbie
Dumfriesshire
Scotland
DG14 OXS
Tel: 05414 (Chapelknowe) 240

Rubha Fiola, one of the Lunga islands in the Firth or Lome southwest of Oban, is surrounded by many wild and fascinating uninhabited
islands. Torquil and Margaret Johnson-Ferguson's island home and Adventure Centre makes a perfect base from which to explore them.

Their special island Explorer weeks are for everyone (minimum unaccompanied age 17) who loves wild uninhabited islands, be
they bird-watchers, artists, botanists, divers or just romantics. For anyone who wants to get away from it all for a few days of perfect
peace and tranquility in this outstandingly beautiful area. Not only do you get the chance to enjoy living on an otherwise uninhabited
island for a week, but also our boat will take you to as many of the surrounding islands as time and weather permits - hopefully a dif-
ferent one each day.

Choose from Eileach an Naoimh with its ruined monastery and beehive cell, the soaring limestone cliffs of Garvellach, Dun Chon-
nuill with its Fort and Dun, or A'Chuli, all Sites of Special Scientific Interest; or Eilean Dubh Mor, Eilen Dubh Beag and Guirasdeal with
their Common Seal colonies; or 1470 ft. high Scarba with its Raised Beaches and caves; and Belnahua with its ruined ghost-village
and slate quarries, or the ligthouse islands of Fladda and Dubh Sgeir; frighteningly haunted Eilean a'Bhealaich, surrounded by the fear-
some and spectacular Little Corryvrechan Whirlpool; or rocky Ormsa and Liath Sgeir; Fiola Meadhonach and Eilean nan Caen where
the wild otters live or Fiola an Droma with its tidal rapids and more seals, and peaceful Lunga with its hidden nooks and crannies, red
deer, and big sandy bay where Saint Columba landed. A choice for all weathers and tastes, all privately owned by caring landowners
who permit you the privilege of exploring them while staying at Ru'a Fiola.

Over a traditional Scottish breakfast we will decide on the islands for the day, and we take you there with a packed lunch. You
are then free to 'do your own thing' until the boat picks you up in the afternoon to return you to Ru'a Fiola, for a big hot meal. Alter-
natively we can provide Tent or Prehistoric Cave, and stove, food and sleeping bag for an overnight stay in blissful solitude, if you
are really adventurous.

On Ru'a Fiola accommodation is single or twin-bedded rooms with heating. Facilities are on Hostel lines as per the Adventure Course
Prospectus available on request. Maximum number of participants is 12, no maximum age! Weeks start Saturdays 19th September,
26th September, 3rd October and 31st October 1987, and end the following Fridays. Our boat will meet you at the start of your stay
at 3.30 pm at Cullipool Pier, Isle of Luing, to where there is easy access by car and by public transport. The all-inclusive cost of the
week, from Cullipool, for the six nights, is £165.00 including VAT.

To book, send your requirements and a Deposit of £33.00 to Ru'a Fiola; or if you require more details, or information on our Island
Castaway and Survival Courses for Adults, Ghosthunters' Week, Youngsters' Adventure Courses, or Self-catering Cottage on Garvellach
Island, write to Torquil Johnson-Ferguson at Ru’a Fiola.

7

Scottish Gamebirds

Increasingly, conservation and research institutes like the Game Conservancy, BTO and RSPB are concentrating their efforts on
the large proportion of British countryside that is farmed and have been assessing the impact of land use practices on our ter-
restrial avifauna. Although a range of species can be used it is often instructive to monitor certain species and use these to assess
the impact of land use practices; in effect ornithological barometers.

Some of the best barometers of our
countryside are the indigenous
gamebirds, in particular the Grey Par-
tridge, Red Grouse and Black Grouse, a
group of species that are characteristic
of farmland, moorland and birch scrub
respectively. All are species that do not
migrate and have been monitored,
through bag records, for well over a cen-
tury. Although numbers of gamebirds
may fluctuate greatly from one year to
the next all species have shown a
decline in numbers in Scotland, par-
ticularly since the last war. Not surpris-
ingly the decline is associated with loss
of habitat and Grey Partridges have
declined as hedgerows have been pulled
out. Red Grouse as heather moorland
has been replaced by forestry and Black
Grouse as grazing animals have failed to
allow birch to regenerate.

Though changes in the extent of
suitable habitat have caused a decline in
gamebirds, these changes alone cannot
account for the extent of decline and
other factors have influenced the overall
density of gamebirds. Reduced availabili-
ty of preferred food items and increas-

resulted in both a doubling in Partridge
chick survival and an increase in densi-
ty. The application of pesticides is
carefully controlled to provide maximum
benefits to wildlife and minimum costs
to the farmer in terms of yield quantity
and quality. Insect abundance is also im-
portant for our other gamebirds and Red
Grouse and Black Grouse take their
broods to wet boggy areas where in-
sects are abundant so the chicks grow
and survive well. In certain instances hill
drainage could empty rich boggy areas,
reduce insect life and have a detrimen-
tal effect on grouse and other moorland
species such as Golden Plover and
Dunlin.

All our gamebirds nest on the
ground and tend to be vulnerable to
predators, in particular Foxes and
Crows. To some extent levels of preda-
tion have increased as a consequence of
man's slovenliness in the countryside.
On hill ground, farmers receive a
headage payment for their sheep so
there is a tendency to have more sheep
than the ground can carry resulting in
dead animals littering the hill and pro-
viding carrion. In the mountains,
tourists, climbers and skiers leave debris
which attracts Crows to the high tops
to take the eggs of montane species like
Ptarmigan and Dotterel.

ed losses to predators seem to have
been important in all species. This was
shown clearly in a long term study of
Grey Partridge by Dick Potts and sum-
marised in his recent monograph on the
species. Partridge chicks, like all
gamebirds, require a rich protein source
during the first few weeks of life and
they obtain this by eating insects. On
farmland, the chicks selectively take
plant bugs and the larvae of sawfly that
depend on the weeks associted with
cereal fields. The rapid increase in cereal

herbicides between 1 955 and 1 975 has
effectively removed the weeds that
grew alongside cereal fields and so in-
directly the insects the Partridge chicks
need. To reduce this trend and produce
areas within cereal fields which benefit
wildlife, Nick Sotherton of the Game
Conservancy has developed a technique
of selectively spraying crop margins and
producing what have become known as
'conservation headlands'. These have
proved to be highly attractive to small
mammals, butterflies and birds and have

Black Grouse bags over the last 100 years

Artwork Peter Hudson

William S. Pawn

8

The scenario of change in the coun-
tryside seems to be one of lost habitat
coupled with a fall in food availability
and followed by increased predation. A
downward spiral of care and manage-
ment leads to a fall in gamebirds and
some other bird species associated with
the habitats managed for game. On
farmland, hedgerows have been remov-
ed, farmers have been forced into a
treadmill of pesticides reducing wild
flowers, associated insects and feeding
opportunities for some birds; the subse-
quent fall in gamebirds means that
keepers are made redundant or are ask-
ed to rear Pheasants. A similar pattern
can be seen in the uplands; grouse
stocks fall, to balance the books the lan-
downer sells an area to forestry,
predators increase reducing grouse
numbers in neighbouring areas and we
see a domino effect of a series of tradi-
tional grouse moors, with all their
associated species, disappearing.

We need to focus our attention on
the countryside as a whole, not just
Nature Reserves and take heed of our
gamebird barometers. Most of the coun-
tryside is managed for food production,
however by providing incentives for
farmers and landowners it is possible to
introduce conservation measures. One
incentive lies in game production, which
gives an additional crop to the farmer
and preserves a habitat for wildlife.
Game interests have maintained the
heather moorlands of Scotland; the vast
areas of commercial forestry in Per-
thshire would never have occurred if
grouse shooting as a sport had remain-
ed viable.

Lower costs and more incentives for
landowners to retain keepers on the
ground would certainly help the
maintenance of internationally important
habitats, at least for open country
species. Traditionally, conservationists
view the keeper as the villain of the
countryside and I suspect some are - but
then some conservationists are also less
than perfect - yet through his activites
he has managed to maintain the habitat
we need for other, specialised birds.
There will always be Golden Plover,
Merlin and Hen Harriers where there are
grouse yet these all go when there are
large scale changes in land use. As con-
servationists I believe we must be
careful not to throw the baby out with
the bath-water and start to perceive our
Scottish stalkers and keepers in a more
favourable light since the heart of con-
servation is the safeguarding of impor-
tant habitats.

Peter Hudson

Dr Hudson is in charge of upland research for
the Game Conservancy, based near Newton-
more, and the author of 'Red Grouse: the
biology and management of a wild gamebird'.

Black Cock at Lek Robert T. Smith

A Dictionary of Birds

Edited by BRUCE CAMPBELL and ELIZABETH LACK

Compiled for the British Ornithologists’ Union the book enlists major
contributions from over 280 ornithologists from 29 countries. Their
authoritative accounts cover the field of modern ornithology and related
subjects. Its editors and contributors, to text and illustrations, gave their time
and knowledge at no cost and have earned the thanks and acclaim of users
for many years to come.

“A Dictionary of Birds is an impressive contribution to ornithology. The work
is impressive both in size and scope. The book is well illustrated with
informative photographs, drawings of birds (generally one per family) and
many text diagrams. The standard of production is excellent; the editors and
the publishers have successfully made this extremely hefty work of
reference into a most attractive book. For many ornithologists, I suspect the
Dictionary will prove one of the single most valuable books to have been
published for several years . Rob Fuller, BTO News

28x21 cm, 700 pages, £39.00 net

T& ADPOYSER

9

Moorland Bird
Surveys on
Shetland in 1986

In the recent past there have been significant
losses of moorland in Shetland, largely due
to the process of apportionment of common
grazings. This usually means that moorland
becomes fenced, which often leads to localised
over-grazing and consequent erosion. The
moorland may also be fertilised and seeded
with agricultural grasses - a process which
is destructive of the natural plant communities.
The Moorland Bird Study of the NCC under-
took an extensive survey of the birds of
Shetland moorlands between May and July
1986. The aim was to investigate the
numbers and distribution of breeding birds,
and to provide information that could be used
to aid the conservation of the most important
moorlands and their birds.

The survey concentrated on mainland
Shetland, Yell and Unst, and followed work
undertaken by the RSPB in 1 985 and by local
NCC staff over several years. Despite severe
weather in early summer, 32 sites, covering
a total of 225 kmz were visited several times
through the season. The detailed survey sites
were chosen so that the complete range of
moorland variation across the islands would
be represented.

The best sites held high numbers of
breeding waders such as Golden Plover,
Dunlin and Curlew, along with the Shetland
specialities of Whimbrel, Arctic and Great
Skuas. In total ten species of breeding wader
were found, with Golden Plovers being the
most frequent, occurring on all 32 sites
surveyed. Curlew occurred at the highest
densities, particularly on sites in south
mainland. Snipe were surprisingly frequent,
with breeding birds on all but one of the sites.
There is no doubt that Shetland is an impor-
tant breeding area for this species. Dunlin
were frequent on the extensive peatlands of
Yell, but became more scarce and bred at
significantly lower densities further south in
Shetland. Red-throated Divers were found on
most sites, although densities recorded were
less than the recorded maxima of other
studies. This may have been partly due to
slight differences in timing of our studies
compared with previous diver surveys.

In comparison with other moorland areas
in Britain, the densities of breeding waders
in Shetland were found to be amongst the
highest, with a few sites being of exceptional
conservation importance. At the end of the
bird surveys, maps of vegetation and other
features were made on each site. This allowed
us to look at the important factors influencing
the distribution of individual birds species.
One of the major influences determining the
number of breeding birds appeared to be the
amount of peat erosion that had taken place.
Fewer birds were found on the more heavily
eroded areas with large expanses of bare
peat. Tbe causes of such erosion are uncertain,
with much of the worst gullying obviously
having been proceeding for many decades,
if not longer, though over-grazing seems
to be a significant factor. The results of
the survey will investigate the relationship
between vegetation, erosion and birds in con-
siderable detail. This information can then be
used by NCC staff to provide advice on those
moorland management practices which are
not detrimental to moorland breeding birds.

Alison Rothwell & David Stroud

RSPB Challenge Govern-
ment Over Forestry

Taxpayers' money is being used to subsidise
private forestry and destroy a unique corner
of the Scottish countryside, says the RSPB
in a report published this summer. The report
reveals that £ 1 2.3 million of public money is
being paid to less than 1 00 private investors
to plant conifers in the Flow Country of
Caithness and Sutherland. The effect on birds
was covered in SBN 3: to quote RSPB Presi-
dent Magnus Magnusson "This forestry has
already destroyed the nesting and feeding
grounds of one fifth of the most important
wading bird populations, such as Greenshank,
Dunlin and Golden Plover, and is gradually
destroying the Flow Country's outstanding
blanket peatlands - which are of global impor-
tance and the most valuable area for nesting
moorland birds in the UK."

A National Centre
for Ornithology

For the last 24 years, the BTO has had its
headquarters at Beech Grove, a Victorian
mansion in Tring, Hertfordshire, which can no
longer house the ever growing needs of the
Trust. Recent expansion to 57 staff has caus-
ed an accommodation crisis, resulting in the
purchase of two portakabins and the eviction
of the Trust's library to rented space in Tring.
Now, the BTO is planning to build a National
Centre for Ornithology adjacent to the bird
section of the British Museum (Natural
History) in Tring, to provide both a new head-
quarters and a focus for ornithology in Britain.
The Trust hopes that the project will receive
the full support of ornithologists in Scotland,
who will reap the benefits of the better
back-up for their own studies, and a base for
ornithological trips to the south.

'Forestry and the Flows' examines the
system of public funding which attracts
private investors to this type of forestry
where almost 70 per cent of private forestry's
costs are covered by grants and tax relief
from the public purse, but the expected return
to the nation is only 1.3 per cent. This fails
to meet the Government's own requirements
of at least a 3 per cent return from forestry
investment.

'Forestry in the Flows of Caithness and
Sutherland' is available from the RSPB's Con-
servation Planning Department, 17 Regent
Terrace, Edinburgh, EH7 5BN, price £2.50 in-
cluding postage.

Golden Eagle with Manx Shearwater
John F. Love

Pollutants kill eagle

A report of record levels of PCBs as
well as DDE, Dieldrin and mercury in an
immature Golden Eagle found dead in
Lewis indicates that worrying levels of
pollutants are present in the Atlantic as
the bird had been taking Fulmars which,
in turn, had probably fed extensively on
fish offal. The analysis was carried out
by Ian Newton's team at ITE, Monks
Wood, and emphasises the value of
sending in corpses of predators such as
raptors, owls and herons: more on this
story in the next issue of SBN.

The National Centre will physically bring
together the staff and facilities of the BTO and
the bird section of the British Museum. Other
specialist ornithological bodies are being in-
vited to share space at the Centre. The Cen-
tre will provide facilities for the use of visiting
bird clubs. In order to strengthen links with
local groups, the BTO is already developing
a partnership with Britain's bird clubs, which
aims to communicate information and ideas
as well as promoting the membership and
funding of ornithological groups, both local
and national. Facilities will include offices for
the coordination of projects, as well as their
associated data archives and computing
facilities. There will also be the BTO's lending
library, a shop and display area, and a lecture
theatre for the use of visiting groups,
workshops and conferences. Adjacent to the
Centre will be a five acre bird studies and con-
servation area, for use in training courses eg
census techniques, ringing. The Museum will
be a partner in the project with which facilities
will be shared. Existing facilities at the
Museum include an impressive exhibition hall,
the unique research collections, the
Rothschild Ornithological Library and
laboratories. Some limited accommodation
for visiting researchers will also be developed.

Although located in England, the Centre
will have useful implications for Scottish or-
nithologists. By improving facilities, the Cen-
tre will ensure stronger back-up to BTO
members throughout Britain in the administra-
tion and analyses of survey work. Visitor ac-
commodation will allow researchers from
Scotland to stay at the Centre to extract in-
formation from the Trust's data banks, as well
as coming to workshops and training courses.
Other developments within the Trust will
enable stronger links to be forged with the
SOC, such as are now being planned for the
New Breeding Bird Atlas.

The entire project will cost around £1.5
million, for which an Appeal has begun. The
project was given a magnificent boost with
two most generous donations of land (under
lease) by the Trustees of the British Museum
and the Hon. Jacob Rothschild. Many dona-
tions have already been made to the project, 1
and if you can help, or you have contacts who n
could help, please write as soon as you can
to Mike Moser, at Beech Grove, Tring, Herts.

10

Composite Colony

In SBN 3: 2 H.E.M. Dott, and in SBN 5: 7
A.W. Brown, describe composite Black-
headed Gull/Common Gull/Common Tern
colonies in Inverness-shire and the Borders.
The three species have been known to nest
in association at the Haugh of Kercock on the
Tay, some 25 kilometres upstream of Perth,
since at least 1983, and the Common Gull
and Common Tern since the early 1970's.

The presence of the Common Gull
predates the Black-headed gull, and its
numbers are much greater at Kercock than
at the Inverness-shire and Border sites: 238
nests in '84, 301 in '85 and 339 in '87; in
1985 there were 180 Black-headed Gull
nests, and a minimum 4 nests of Common
Tern. The Common Gull colony has spread
from one main island in the early '70's to
include areas on two other islands and
surrounding banks by 1987. The Terns,
which arrive much later in the season,
occupied areas between 1 983 and '85 which
were still under water when the gulls began
to nest in April.

The timing of hatching of the various
species is of interest. In 1984 and '85 the
majority of Black-headed Gulls hatched within
a few days of each other, at the same time
as the earliest Common Gulls, which had a
much more protracted season, with hatching
going on over several weeks. The Common
Terns hatched later in the season, when the
last of the Common Gulls were still on eggs.

Black-headed Gull chick
Andrew Dowell

Kercock shares a certain hazardous
aspect with the sites in Inverness-shire and
the Borders. In mid-May 1986, very high
water was responsible for the destruction of
an estimated 550 Gull nests. Only 30-40
Common Gull chicks fledged; the Terns, star-
ting to nest later, were apparently unaffected,
and there was an estimated 1 2 pairs. In 1 987
the Black-headed Gulls did not attempt to
nest and, whilst the number of pairs of Com-
mon Gull increased over the 1 985 figure they
did not occupy the areas vacated by their
former neighbours. Four Common Tern nests
were found.

Small numbers of adult Lesser Black-
backed Gulls have summered at Kercock
since 1 984, but without evidence of attemp-
ted breeding.

Michael Martin

Further reports of such colonies should be
submitted to local recorders rather than SBN.

Snow bathing again

On 11 January 1987 at 14.00 hrs in my
garden in Dundee, I observed a Starling snow-
bathing in about 1 2cm of soft powdery snow
lying on top of a 1.5 metre high privet hedge.
The bird repeatedly pushed itself through the
snow and vigorously threw snow over its
back with its wings. It also took snow in its
beak, although it was not possible to see if
it was actually eating snow or attempting to
apply more snow to its plumage. After about
two minutes, it was joined by a second
Starling, which behaved similarly for about a
further minute until a third Starling briefly
joined the performance. The second and third
birds flew off together, and the first Starling
stayed only a few seconds longer. However,
before it left, it was joined by a male House
Sparrow which seemed to copy the behaviour,
and snow-bathed for about 20 seconds.

Starling

David G. Mitchell

On 1 3 January 1 987 at about 1 5.00 hrs
at the same site, my father observed two
Starlings snow-bathing for several minutes in
about 1 5 cm of soft powdery snow on the
ground,

I also recall seeing a prolonged bout of
communal snow-bathing involving several
House Sparrows (curiously, all males) at the
same site during later afternoon about 1 980.
On this occasion, soft powdery snow had filled
a basin sitting on the ground, and the birds
used only this for bathing, although identical
snow covered the ground nearby, perhaps
because the rim of the basin provided a firm
perch. This snow-bathing continued for many
minutes until the basin was almost emptied
of snow.

On all occasions there was suitable fresh
water standing nearby. It would seem that
snow-bathing is an alternative means of
plumage-care similar to dusting, rather than
an alternative to bathing in water if none is
available.

Colin R. McLeod

Rook taking vole as prey

While travelling along the M9 between Stir-
ling and Edinburgh on 21st April 1987 the
following was seen. I noticed a small party
of Rooks hopping about the motorway about
400 m. in front of me. As the car ahead of
me approached, four of the Rooks flew up
from the road and across the central
reservation. As I neared, one Rook quickly
doubled back. At that moment a short-tailed
vole shot out from the edge of the hard-
shoulder and ran across the road. The Rook
dropped down and plucked up the vole with
great dexterity then flew off, just missing my
windscreen, with the vole dangling from its
beak.

lain C MacLeod

Peregrine calling
in autumn

At 0800 GMT on 8th November 1 986, 1 heard
the "cacking" call of a Peregrine in the
wooded garden of a country house in Central
Perthshire. A female Peregrine was circling
around the house and flying among the trees,
approaching as close as 20m to the house,
and "cacking" all the time it was circling. A
male Sparrowhawk was patrolling the garden
about 100m to the south of the falcon, but
there was no apparent interaction between
the two birds. At 0804 GMT the Peregrine
landed about two-thirds of the way up a 40m
high Wellingtonia tree, 50m from the house,
settled there, and stopped calling. A few
minutes later the calls of two Buzzards were
heard in the general area of the garden.
At 0814 GMT the Peregrine flew from the
Wellingtonia, again "cacking", and landed
20m away, half-way up a 30m high Silver Fir,
the branches of which blocked my view of the
bird. Two Jays, calling loudly, gradually
approached the Peregrine and at 081 7 GMT
the falcon flew off, this time without calling.

BWP Vol 2 states that the Peregrine
seldom calls away from the nesting territory,
especially outside the breeding season, and
both BWP and Ratcliffe's 'The Peregrine
Falcon’ describe the "cacking" call as an
aggressive vocalization given in response to
distrubance from any intruder near an eyrie.
Dougall (SB 13: 188) reported a similar obser-
vation of a Merlin calling in autumn. There
seemed no apparent reason why the Peregrine
was "cacking". No other Peregrines were
seen at the time and there were certainly no
humans visible in the area. The nearest
Peregrine eyrie is about 3.5km from the
house.

Peregrine
Crispin Fisher

Interestingly a week later, on 14th
November 1986, while walking beside the
River Eden near Guardbridge, Fife, I again
heard a Peregrine "cacking". On this occa-
sion, a male falcon carrying medium-sized,
unidentified prey, was being mobbed by a
Carrion Crow. The "cacking" in this instance
seemed harsher and faster than in the Perth-
shire case. The birds disappeared behind trees
about 1km away, the crow still persistent in
its attack. It seemed that the Peregrine was
trying to outfly the crow, but due to the
weight of prey it was slowed down.

Wendy Mattingley

Musselburgh Ash Lagoons

Birds are mobile creatures that can quickly exploit man made habitats if they provide suitable conditions. The lagoons which take ash from Cockenzie
Power Station in East Lothian have covered some wader feeding areas but do provide a safe roost site for thousands of waders, while the new
sea wall is an excellent vantage point for studying a wide variety of sea and shorebirds. Ian Andrews, local recorder and author of 'Birds of the
Lothians', describes how to get the best out of a visit to Musselburgh.

bacKgrouna S.R.D. da Prato

Before the 1960's the area between the
mouth of the Midlothian Esk and
Prestongrange was natural foreshore with
extensive mussel beds, as are found on the
west side today. During 1946-66 the South
of Scotland Electricity Board constructed a
series of four lagoons east of the river mouth
behind a concrete seawall. Subsequently the
area was progressively infilled from the east
by the disposal of waste ash. At present
only the westernmost lagoon remains and is
virtually full; a series of higher level lagoons
have recently been constructed to allow the
dumping of ash to continue for several years
to come.

Where and when to go

Access on foot is allowed in most areas
except, for safety reasons, the active lagoons.
Park either by the old gas works (Balcarres
Road) or at the end of the river-side road
(Goosegreen Crescent). The route taken really
depends on the state of the tide. At low tide,
the river mouth has most activity and from
there you can then walk the length of the
seawall. At very high tide, although the sea
will be worth a look later, it will be necessary
to explore the lagoon areas where the waders
and gulls roost. Problems with bad lighting
only really affect the river mouth, where it
becomes particularly difficult late on a sunny
day; early mornings are better.

The best time for a visit is some three
hours before a spring tide, rather later for a
neap tide. At this time waders are gradually
pushed off the river mouth and the ducks
move closer. When looking out to sea it is
difficult to say where ducks and divers will
be. The best strategy is to walk a short way,
stopping and scanning. The east end of the
corner lagoon (the 'point') sticks out furthest
and is worth the longest look. You can then
walk as far as you wish, but go at least as far
as the sewage outfall in the bay. You can then
return on a route behind the lagoons. On a ris-

Wader flock with Cockenzie Power Station in the

ing tide the Fisherrow shore provides an op-
portunity to get good views of waders.

The birds

Along with Aberlady Bay this is the most
watched area in the Lothians and, at the
correct state of tide, it is the best place to
obtain good views of the common waders,
gulls and ducks. In winter sea ducks and other
water birds can be seen well from the seawall,
especially in calm weather. Long-tailed Duck,
Common and Velvet Scoter often congregate
in the bay west of the lagoons but you will
need a powerful telescope; good numbers are
easier seen from the 'point' area eastwards,
which is also a good place to look for divers
(mainly Red-throated) and grebes (Great
Crested, Slavonian and Red-necked). Eiders
congregate around the mussel beds at all but

high tide when they drift offshore. Groups of
Goldeneye can be seen at the river mouth and
the outfall; these are also the most favoured
sites for the odd Smew. A male Surf Scoter
was seen off the river mouth on 1 3 November
1 983, but we are still waiting for our first King
Eider. Large Scaup flocks of up to 30,000 are
a thing of the past and recent counts rarely
exceed 25.

Auks occur in small numbers, but often
close in to the seawall. Occasional Black
Guillemots and Little Auks are seen; on 17
November 1985 233 Little Auks flew east
past the lagoons, and larger than usual
numbers of the other auks also occurred as
part of the 'wreck'.

The mussel beds at the mouth of the Esk
attract thousands of feeding waders.
Although construction caused the loss of
some feeding areas many more birds can now
roost in the area rather than making the long
flight to other safe roosts such as Aberlady.

Gulls, often in hundreds, feed and bathe
on the river at low tide. They are joined by
thousands more in the evening. If you like gull
watching this is the place to scan for a
Glaucous.

Peregrines and Merlins hunt the area
though sightings tend to be brief. Short -eared
Owls occur infrequently. The grassy edges of
the lagoons and other rough ground offer
winter habitat for many finches and buntings.
Linnets are the most numerous, followed by
Skylarks, but most winters Snow and Lapland
Bunting, Twite and occasionally Shorelark put
in an appearance, especially in hard weather.
Peak numbers are 590 Snow Buntings in
February 1977 and 38 Laplands in February
1987. A few Rock Pipits regularly winter
along the seawall, but there are also signs of
a passage in October-November, Up river.
Grey Wagtail and Dipper can be seen and, less
often. Kingfisher.

'wm-r '

Long-tailed Ducks S.R.D. da Prato

12

Displaying ducks

In late winter and early spring Long-tailed
Ducks and Goldeneye display vigorously on
fine days and the rarer divers are more likely
to be seen.

Gulls are well worth a look in spring.
Common Gulls pass through and associated
with these can be Mediterranean Gulls and,
in 1985, a Ring-billed Gull. Musselburgh has
had more records of Mediterranean Gulls than
anywhere else in Scotland. Glaucous and
Iceland Gulls visit the river mouth but watch
for whiter than white, albinistic Herring Gulls.

As spring progresses summer visitors put
in an appearance with Terns, Common Sand-
piper, Wheatear and White Wagtails the most
likely species. The first hirundines in the
region are often spotted on the river in mid
April. There is a big passage of Turnstones
in late April, peaking at over 400, and
Ringed Plover pass through until mid-May.
Sanderling occur in small numbers in May.

Musselburgh's breeding birds are few;
Eider broods are seen and must have bred
nearby and Shelduck used to nest in the past.
A few pairs of Ringed Plover miraculously
rear young in most years, despite seemingly
continuous disturbance from lorries. Skylark,
Linnet and partridge also breed.

Autumn movements

Return passage starts early and is evident
even in June! Curlew numbers build up rapidly
in late June and the first Golden Plover,
Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover are
recorded soon after. In addition Whimbrel,
Ruff, Greenshank and Spotted Redshank are
seen occasionally. A good spell of easterly
winds usually brings a small influx of Little
Stint and Curlew Sandpiper. North American
waders - White-rumped Sandpiper, Buff-
breasted Sandpiper and American Golden
Plover - have also been recorded as have
several Temmincks' Stints. Passage waders
often feed near the river mouth at low tide but
can all too easily disappear in the mass of
roosting birds. Small flashes in fields, muddy
pools and the edge of the boating pond are
other potential wader habitats.

August sees huge numbers of terns,
mainly Sandwich; a peak of over 1000 can
contain many colour-ringed birds which come
from Aberdeenshire or the Fames. Common
Terns increase to over 1 00, and it seems likely
that these originate from Leith Docks. In
August and September Black Terns, although
uncommon, can sometimes be seen at the
river mouth while October-early November is
the time when small numbers of Little Gulls
pass through. In late 1985 Scotland's first
Forster's Tern frequented the area.

Wigeon and Teal pass through in autumn
and a moulting flock of Red-breasted
Merganser builds up to over 400. Pintail and
Shoveler are most likely at this time of the
year and a Red-crested Pochard was seen in
August 1984. A moulting flock of Great
Crested Grebes builds to a peak of over 100
in September, but Red-necked Grebes usually
arrive much later.

Geese are usually only seen on passage.
Pink-feet and Greylags pass over in autumn
and during hard weather, and Barnacle Geese
have recently been seen with increasing fre-
quency in late September-October. Canada
Geese also occur on passage but for this
species peak times are in May-June and
August-September. Whooper Swans are rare

Shelduck
Andrew Dowell

and the only Bewick's Swan record is of a
flock of 11 seen in November 1972.

Every year a good number of skuas and
Manx Shearwaters are seen. In summer Arc-
tic Skuas and shearwaters feeding in the Forth
can be seen from the 'point', but in autumn
larger passages occur in northerly and easterly
gales. The lagoons are very exposed and in
good passage conditions it is difficult to find
shelter - try in the lee of the hut at the river
mouth or below the seawall. Arctic Skuas are
many times more common than Greats and
some clearly congregate in the bay off
Eastfield before making their way back out to
sea. Long-tailed Skua, Pomarine Skua and
Sabine's Gull are rare autumn seabirds to look
out for.

There is little cover for migrant passerines
at present. Wheaters occur on passage and
may be associated with the odd Whinchat or
Yellow Wagtail. Rarities have included Tawny
Pipit, Citrine Wagtail and Short-toed Lark.

The future

As infilling is completed East Lothian
District Council is to take over the site from
the SSEB and develop it as a recreational area.
This includes the provision of a bird scrape
which is being planned in liaison with the
RSPB, SWT and NCC. Large areas will be
vegetated, with trees on landward sides and
scrub on seaward sides of mounds. The
timing of this development is dependent on
the supply of ash from the power station. It
is already one year behind schedule because
of the miners' strike. In addition a seaward
extension of new lagoons is still a possibility.
It is hoped the scrape will be finished by 1 990.

The aim of the scrape is to provide a
permanent habitat for waders and provide a
facility for the public to watch them at close
range. Provision will be made for the disabled.
The planned scrape covers an area of over 20
acres and is about 25ft above sea level. It will
eventually contain a variety of habitats
including a vegetated and screened surround,
islands, feeding and roosting areas. A hide will
be located on the southern side adjacent to
the water inlet. The scrape will be the first of
its kind and changes may prove necessary as
building develops. Not least of the unknowns
is to what extent water will be retained by fly
ash, especially at this elevation. A brackish
salinity wil be maintained using water pumped
from the mouth of the Esk, with different
salinities available at different states of the
tide. Other uncertainties include how plants
will grow on the salty ash, especially on the
exposed seaward site.

Musselburgh Lagoons have undergone
continuous change since their construction,
each phase providing different, and at times
unexpected, habitats for birds. The feature of
the site for birds, and birdwatchers, looks
secure and potentially very encouraging.

Ian Andrews

Acknowledgements:

Bob Furness described the effects of the
lagoons on waders in Scottish Birds 1973.
Lance Vick provided information on bird-
watching in the early days of their existence

Musselburgh Lagoons and approaches

Artwork Ray D. Murray

ORNITHOLIDAYS 1987

Member of The Association of British Travel Agents

Twenty-three years' Service to
Naturalists and Birdwatchers

Holidays organised by Birdwatchers
for Birdwatchers

Forthcoming tours include;

Kenya

Jamaica

Okavango Delta
Ethiopia
Morocco
Etosha

The Seychelles

N. India & the Himalayas

India - Tiger Special

Thailand

Malawi

Tanzania

Vancouver & the Rockies

The Galapagos

Jordan

Israel

Turkey

Cyprus

N.E. Greece
S.W. Spain
Yugoslavia
Lake NeusiedI
The Camargue
The Rousillon
Andorra

Spanish Pyrenees
Majorca

Write or 'phone for a brochure to:

LAWRENCE G. HOLLOWAV
ORNITHOLIDAYS

Dept. 4,1/3 Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis,

Sussex, England P021 2PW

Telephone 0243 821230

ATOL Licence No. 743

Isles of Colonsay
and Oronsay —
Inner Hebrides

Remote and unspoilt, the islands encompass 20 square miles of paradise for the naturalist —
almost 170 species of birds (list on request), also otters, feral goats and a major breeding
colony of the grey seal (pupping in September), 500 species of local flora as well as two of the
few remaining natural woodlands of the Hebrides and the exotic rhododendron collection in
the woodland garden of Colonsay House.

Historic sites include St Columba’s pre-Iona foundation at Oronsay Priory, some excellent duns,
a Viking ship burial, crannog-sites in Loch Fada etc.

There are no day-trippers, no caravanners, etc., but there is a comfortable small hotel offering
table d’hote cuisine based on fresh local produce (central heating and private facilities). Drive
on-off car and passenger ferry ex-Oban Monday, Wednesday, Friday (2V2 hour passage).
Dinner, accommodation and breakfast from £25.00 including VAT and service. Free bicycles.
There are also three luxury self-catering chalets, which adjoin the hotel; each unit sleeps 5,
all bed-linen is provided plus daily maid service. Off-season rental is only £55.00 weekly. Also
special demi-pension arrangements for Field Study parties from £7.75 daily. Details on request.

THE HOTEL, ISLE OF COLONSAY, ARGYLL
(Kevin and Christa Byrne)

Telephone: Colonsay (09512) 316 — open all year

N.B. Booklet @ £3.50 inc. p&p describes the island’s birds — 66pp plus 8pp colour photos.

14

Reviews

Waders by Desmond and Maimie Nethersole-
Thompson; Poyser; 1986; 400 pp; 24 b & w
plates; €18

At no point do the Nethersole-
Thompsons claim that Waders is an ex-
haustive review - it is presented, as a personal
approach to the behaviour and breeding
ecology of waders. Nevertheless, the authors'
own researches and their culling of the
literature have been wide-ranging, resulting
in so much information being packed into the
volume that it is an invaluable source book
for anyone with an interest in this subject.
After a brief account of their own involvement
with waders, Ch. 2 extolls the virtues of past
enthusiasts and nesters (some of whom could
well be behind bars if still active!). Ch. 3 deals
with spacing mechanisms and dispersion pat-
terns. This is a valuable summary although
little attempt has been made to place the pat-
terns described in an ecological framework.
The real meat of the book appears in Ch.
4-10, which present detailed accounts of the
breeding biologies of 1 6 different species. Ch.
9 and 1 0 are devoted to Woodcock and Dot-
terel, respectively. The latter is especially
good and a significant advance on D.N-T's
monograph. Ch. 1 1 and 1 2 are less weighty
and deal with new and recolonising, and
"pipe dream" waders, respectively.

Unlike many others, I have never been an
enthusiastic fan of D.N-T's writings. However
this book by Desmond and Maimie goes a
long way to bringing about my total conver-
sion. I would heartily recomment it to anyone,
whether a wader fanatic or not.

Hector Galbraith

Farming and Birds by Raymond O'Connor and
Michael Shrubb; C.U.P. 1986.; 290 pages;
£17.50

For once the blurb on the cover is ac-
curate - the combination of a professional or-
nithologist and a working farmer really has
produced an objective view of the impact of
agriculture (or at least lowland agriculture) on
bird populations. Much of the data are from
the South but that happens to be where most
CBC plots are! Anyone concerned with con-
servation on farmland should buy this book
- they can then clear out a shelf or two of the
waffle and propaganda that has dominated
this topic for far too long.

SdP.

Trees and wildlife in the Scottish Uplands ed.

by David Jenkins; ITE, Banchory, 1986;
196pp; £7.50.

Twenty four papers from a symposium
of which only two are exclusively about birds;
even so this is a useful compendium of recent
research into a subject that currently arouses
considerable controversy, much of it ill in-
formed. Whether it will improve the quality
of the Letters Page of the "Scotsman" is
doubtful since it seems that the more extreme
the opinions the more they appeal to the
media.

SdP.

Wildfowl in Great Britain (Second Ed.) by M.F.
Owen, G.L. Atkinson-Willes & D.G. Salmon;
CUP; 1986; £30

This long-awaited volume summarises
much of the data gathered on wildfowl since
the first edition appeared in 1 963, and brings
together a great deal of information not readi-
ly accessible elsewhere. The balance of con-
tent has changed slightly, with proportionate-
ly more space devoted to species accounts
and conservation, and less to the survey of
habitats and distribution - reflecting the in-
crease in understanding of wildfowl ecology
and movements and in awareness of the
range of threats to wildfowl and their
habitats. It is unfortunate that, despite com-
puterised data handling and type-setting, four
years elapsed between the main data cut-off
point in 1982 and publication.

Its shape and weight (nearly 41b) make
this book akward to handle, and some details
of its layout are unhelpful to readers - for ex-
ample, the lack of sub-division in the headings
of the 134 pages dealing with "principal
species", and the absence of keys beside the
summary maps of total wildfowl and regional
boundaries. Its price, and the fact that the
details of counts are of largely local interest,
mean that this book is likely to have a limited
appeal. Perhaps the organisations involved
(Wildfowl Trust, NCC & WWF) would con-
sider publishing parts III and IV (Species ac-
counts and The conservation of wildfowl and
their habitats) on their own, thus making
these sections available to a wider
readership?

Valerie M. Thom

Birdwatching in Britain: a Site by Site Guide

by Nigel Redman and Simon Harrap;
Christopher Helm 1987; 378 pages many
black and white illustrations and sketch maps;
£12.95

Once you could buy a paperback copy of
John Gooders' Where to Watch Birds for 25p
to tell you the best places for bird holidays.
Later editions of Gooders are dearer and have
not been adequately updated. This book is the
best now available though I question the
policy of producing an expensive hardback
since these guides inevitably go out of date
quite quickly. Of the 1 1 5 principal sites
described 73 are in England, 1 1 in Wales and
31 in Scotland; Ireland is not covered and
there is a bias towards the south east,
especially coastal sites where migrants turn
up. The coverage of Scotland reflects what
visitors from the south want to see and large
chunks of the country, including everything
between Edinburgh and Glasgow, are not
mentioned at all. St. Kilda is a notable om-
mission; it is not difficult to reach and a far
easier place to see Leach's Petrel than
Shetland or seawatching sites in England.
However this book will certainly fill in the
gaps of your British list. Besides site accounts
there are sections on the birdwatching year
and an annotated species list; both are helpful
but I am tired of reading that Lesser
Whitethroats "are virtually absent from
Scotland". The list of local recorders only in-
cludes those whose areas feature in the site
accounts; an unfortunate decision as some
of these are inaccurate eg. the East Lothian
recorder does not deal with the Bass Rock or
Musselburgh.

SdP.

Collins New Generation Guide to the Birds of
Britain and Europe: by Christopher Perrins;
Collins 1987; 320 pages, cl 500 colour il-
lustrations; £6.95(s).

Part of a new series that tries to combine
a field guide with information on biology and
ecology. The latter aspects are very well
covered by Chris Perrins and I was left
wishing he had simply written an introduc-
tory book on how British birds live. The field
guide part of the book is cramped and inferior
to most existing guides and I doubt if this
generation of hybirds has a future.

SdP.

Seabirds of the World: A Photographic Guide

by Peter Harrison; Christopher Helm; 1987;
£15.95

The author's earlier guide is the best
available on seabird identification. The 108
page text in this field guide size companion
is considerably condensed but, with the
distribution maps and a further 24 pages of
illustrated tubenose identification keys, it re-
mains authoritative - and easily carried on
your next world cruise! It brings together the
largest collection of seabird photos in a single
volume. Two colour photos illustrate most
species with four for some groups, the quality
varying from very good to very poor. Flight
shots, even though slightly blurred or at long
range, have been preferred to standing por-
traits since this is how most seabirds are
seen. It would be unreasonable to expect
them all to be sharp when many were taken
in difficult conditions at sea but better photos
must be available for some species, eg
Sabine's Gull and replacements should sure-
ly appear in a further edition. At £1 5.95 the
guide is still good value for money. I hope a
future edition will allocate more photos to the
difficult species eg. frigate birds and less to
the obvious such as penguins at the nest.

Alan Brown

Gulls: A Guide to Identification by P.J. Grant
Poyser; 2nd ed. 1986; 325 pp; many illustra-
tions and 544 b & w photographs £15.00.

The second edition has been extensively
revised. Eight species of west coast American
gulls have been added (31 species in total);
72 more pages; 280 new photographs. The
definative work on gull identification.

Breeding Waders in Europe compiled by
Theunis Piersma; LVSG, 1986; 1 16pp; many
illustrations & maps; £5.00.

A review of population size estimates and
a bibliography of information sources of the
37 Palearctic wader species breeding in
Europe plus Svalbard, Greenland and
Ellesmere Island. Congratulations to Theunis
for compiling it and the Wader Study Group
for publishing it.

RSPB Reserve Visiting edited by Anthony
Chapman; 1987; 240pp; many maps &
illustrations; £3.95.

The how to get there, what to look for
and where to stay guide to the RSPB's 1 20
reserves. Very handy, very useful.

JCD

15

CONTENTS

Poisoned 1

Ups and downs in '87 2

Recent Reports 3

Editorial 4

New Breeding Atlas 4

Club Policy Review 5

Having a whale of a time 6

What's in your Garden? 6

Short Notes
Scottish Gamebirds
National News
Musselburgh Ash
Lagoons
Reviews
SOC Notices &
Announcements

7 & 1 1
8 & 9
10

12 & 13

15

16

SBN Advertising Rates

Full page £100. Half page £60. Quarter page
across £30. Sixth page £20. Third page
upright £40. Small ads £1 per line. Prices are
exclusive of VAT. Adverts should be sent to
Business Editor, SOC, 21 Regent Terrace,
Edinburgh EH7 BBT,

Deadlines

SBN is published four times a year, at the
beginning of March, June, September and
December. Material submitted for possible
publication should be sent to 21 Regent
Terrace no later than 8 weeks prior to publica-
tion (e.g. by 1 October for the December
number), although late news and notices
may be accepted slightly later. Queries - and
suggestions - will be welcomed by the Editor.
Information on the submission of material for
Scottish Birds, will be found in SB 14(1).

SOC Membership

Membership subscription rates are as follows:

Adult £10.00

Junior (under 1 8 or student under 25)£4.00
Family (husband, wife & children under 18)

£14.50

Life, individual £200.00, family £300.00
Pensioner, individual £6.00, family £8.50
Further details from Membership Secretary,
SOC, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT.

SOC Notices

Subscriptions 1 98 7/88

May we remind members that subscriptions
for 1987/88 are now due for renewal. A
Subscription Renewal Form is enclosed with
this issue of Scottish Bird News. Please
complete the form and return it with your
remittance to Susan MacKenzie, the member-
ship secretary, as soon as possible. And
please, if you don't already do so, seriously
consider paying by Bankers Order and com-
pleting the Deed of Covenant. These save you
and the club time and money.

British Birds

The independent monthly magazine for every
birdwatcher is again available at a special con-
cessionary rate for SOC members - £18.75
instead of the personal subscription rate of
£25.00. See the enclosed leaflet for further
details.

The Bird Bookshop
The new free 1987/88 Catalogue is now
available. Remember, besides getting the best
bird and natural history books post and pack-
ing free, buying books from your Bookshop
helps the Club's funds as well. Write or phone
(031-556-6042, 24 hours) now to get your
copy.

Scottish Ringers Conference

The 1 2th annual conference of bird ringers
in Scotland will be held in Braemar over the
weekend of 14th & 15th November, 1987.
This years conference is being hosted by the
Grampian Ringing Group. Details of the
conference programme and booking forms
can be obtained from Alastair Duncan, 12
Cairncry Avenue, Aberdeen, AB2 5DS.

New Branch Names

As a result of the Club Policy Review, SOC
Council decided at its June meeting that each
Branch should adopt the name of the area
which reflects the part of Scotland in which
it has an interest, rather than the present
town or city. The local recorders' areas were
changed a year or two ago to correspond to
the local government regions and districts.
This latest change is a logical follow on from
this. Following consultation with the branch
committees the following list of branch
names (with old names in brackets) has been
agreed and will be used from now on.

Caithness (Thurso)

Highland (Inverness)

Grampian (Aberdeen)

Tayside (Dundee)

Fife (St. Andrews)

Stirling (no change)

Lothians (Edinburgh)

Clyde (Glasgow)

Borders (no change)

Ayrshire (Ayr)

Dumfries (no change)

Stewartry (New Galloway)

West Galloway (Stranraer)

Winter Field Trips

Details of this autumn & winter's branch field
trips are printed on a separate sheet enclosed
with this issue of Scottish Bird News.

RSPB Conservation Review

There is a long and fruitful history of co-
operation between the Club and the RSPB in
Scotland - which gives me sufficient excuse
to use Scottish Bird News to draw attention
to an important new annual journal - The RSPB
Conservation Review - and to seek Club
members' support as subscribers.

At only £3 (inc. postage), the first issue
is good value for money - so why not give it
a try? By doing so you will be helping to
further the joint interests of ornithology
and bird protection in Scotland will keep
up-to-date with the conservation scene too.
Orders to RSPB (CL), The Lodge, Sandy, Beds,
SG19 2DL.

Mike Everett

Wader counters wanted!

The Birds of Estuaries Enquiry needs
extra counters in most parts of Scotland to
help gather data on important bird populations
and habitats that are often threatened by
various forms of development. Counters
receive an annual report as well as the
satisfaction that they have contributed to a
worthwhile cause. If you feel you can help
contact Jeff Kirby, BTO, Beech Grove, Tring,
Herts HP23 5NR. Phone No. 044-282 3461 .

Goose weekend at Vane Farm

October brings over 10,000 wildfowl to Loch
Leven mostly from Iceland. The RSPB are
organising a series of events from Friday 1 6th
to Sunday 1 8th October, mainly on geese. For
details contact Jim Stevenson, Vane Farm
Nature Centre, Loch Leven, Kinross,
0577-62355.

Small Ads

APRIL COTTAGE. Stay in this cosy Sussex
flint cottage and enjoy the bird life and beau-
ty of the Cuckmere Esturay, the Heritage
Coast and South Downs; bed and breakfast
with private bathroom £8; other countrystyle
meals available as required; open all year. Tel:
0323-890879.

KINGUSSIE, HIGHLANDS. Thinking of visiting
the Spey Valley? Then why not stay at "Son-
nhalde" Guest House, AA, STB listed. All
home comforts and 5 mins in car from Insh
Marshes. Write or phone for details. Tel:
05402-226.

UPPER GLENISLA - ANGUS. Very comfor-
table, well equipped, warm cottage in
beautiful setting. Sleeps 3. Available April-
October. SAE 31 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh
EH7 BBS.

ARRAN BIRD REPORT 1986. £1.00 to
members from The Bird Bookshop, or £1.25
(inc p & p) from Mrs M H Dunn, Tigh and
Droma, Kings Cross, Isle of Arran, KA27 8RG.

BIRDS OF FIFE. The original line drawings
from this book are for sale. Signed by the ar-
tist and in a grey flecked mount they measure
7x7. Price of £16.50 includes postage.
Please state second and third choice. David
Mitchell, 51 Dura Street, Dundee.

Published by The Scottish Ornithologists' Club, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BT © SOC
Printed by Alexander Ritchie & Son Ltd., 163 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh EH6 5RE

BirdNeu^

THE SCOTTISH
ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB

DECEMBER 1987 No. 8
ISSN Q268.ai99

Q ti h ! f

f -- X

f MAR 2 2 1988 |

- J

Edit^'By^^^ da Prato
Assisted by Ian Andrews

Twenty five years on

Few birdwatchers can be unaware that chemicals in the environment can damage birds. But is DDT not a thing of the past and
is there still a problem? Ian Newton of ITE's Monk's Wood Experimental Station outlines why a quarter of a century after it was
realised that British birds were accumulating lethal pesticide residues there is still a need for birdwatchers to send eggs and
corpses for analysis.

Studies of the effects of pesticides
and pollutants on birds were started at
Monks Wood in 1 963. The setting up of
this special unit, initially under the direc-
tion of Dr Norman Moore, followed
widespread incidents of mortality among
birds which occurred from the late
1950s, associated with the use of
organochlorine pesticides in agriculture.
The work on organochlorines has con-
tinued ever since, but has widened to in-
clude other pollutants, such as industrial
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and
heavy metals.

The scheme is based on analyses of
eggs and tissues from birds found dead
and sent in by interested observers. At-
tention is focussed on predatory species
because they tend to accumulate most
pollutants to higher levels than other
birds, and are thus more vulnerable to
them. Each year we request carcasses
of Sparrowhawks, Kestrels, Herons,
Kingfishers and Great-crested Grebes,
and eggs from Merlins and Peregrines.
Each carcass is subjected to a post-
mortem examination, and the liver and
other tissues removes. Some parts are
used for immediate chemical analysis,
while others are stored at very low
temperature in a 'tissue bank' for possi-
ble future use.

As material is received from all
regions of Britain, the analytical findings
allow us to detect geographical patterns
in the levels of various pollutants in the
species concerned. They also enable us
to follow trends in pollutant levels over
the years, and thus check on the effec-
tiveness of government regulations.
Observers who send in eggs usually give
details of nest success, which allows us
to make some assessment of the effects
of pollutants on breeding success.

One of the problem chemicals,
which has caused much mortality among
birds, is known as HEOD, derived from
the insecticides aldrin and dieldrin. This
chemical was mainly responsible for the

i

Heron and prey Derek Robertson

population declines of Sparrowhawk,
Peregrine and other raptors in the late
1 950s. Following restrictions in the use
of aldrin and dieldrin, HEOD residues
have declined in bird tissues and eggs,
and the most affected species have
largely recovered in numbers. Over the
years, birds from the lowlands of Ayr-
shire and East Lothian have shown ex-
ceptionally high levels of HEOD, perhaps
because of the heavy use of dieldrin in
cereal seed treatments in these areas.
Another important organochlorine,
which has caused shell-thinning and egg
breakage in some species, is DDE, deriv-
ed from the insecticide DDT. This
chemical continued to be used in quan-
tity in Scotland to a much later date than
dieldrin, and its residues have declined
in bird tissues to a much lesser extent.
Shell-thinning is still evident in such
species as Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and
Merlin.

In contrast to insecticides, residues
of industrial PCBs have shown no obvious
decline in most of the species examined,

and in some have even increased. PCBs
tend to occur at especially high levels in
coastal birds, and Peregrines and Golden
Eagles which breed near the sea are
much more heavily contaminated than
their inland neighbours. The effects of
PCBs on birds are poorly understood, but
in some mammals they cause abortions
and embryo deaths.

Mercury in birds is partly natural in
origin, but is mostly derived from
agricultural and industrial sources. In
general, its levels in predatory birds have
declined over the years, but it is still pre-
sent at high levels in Merlins. Those
Merlins nesting on the Scottish islands,
especially Orkney and Shetland, contain
mercury at sufficiently high levels to
reduce breeding success. It is not known
how they get this mercury, but the pro-
blem is currently under investigation.

Recently we received the most con-
taminated bird ever examined at Monks
Wood. This was a young Golden Eagle
which had died on Lewis in 1986. The
bird had been living near the coast, and
feeding partly on Fulmars. Its liver con-
tained (in net weight) 59 ppm HEOD,
1 82 ppm DDE, 447 ppm PCB and (in dry
weight) 1 76 ppm mercury. The dieldrin
alone was easily enough to have killed
it. Compared to other seabirds. Fulmars
tend to be especially heavily con-
taminated with persistent chemicals, so
represent a particular threat to any
predators which eat them.

My colleagues and I would like to
take this opportunity to thank all the
SOC members who over the years have
sent carcasses and eggs for analysis at
Monks Wood. We would be glad to
receive further carcasses and eggs from
the species listed above at Monks Wood
Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton,
Huntingdon PEI 7 2LS. Eggs can be sent
either to ourselves or to Dr J Bogan,
Veterinary School, Bearsden Road,
Glasgow G61 1QH, with whom we work
in close collaboration.

Scottish Farming and Birds

Farmers and conservationists can get along rather better than headlines in the media often
suggest and there is a lot of scope for co-operation, especially in the Highlands and Islands, where
traditional human lifestyles are as vulnerable to powerful outside forces as Choughs and
Corncrakes.

The programme for the 1 987 SOC Conference
had two balanced pairs of conservationists
and farmers to set their respective scenes on
Saturday morning, with results from individual
studies to follow on Sunday. This neat plan
promptly collapsed as conservationists like
Roy Dennis discussed whether they could
afford to continue with cattle on their crofts
and Crofter's Union spokesman Jim Hunter
recommended an alliance to protect Gaelic
culture along with the environment which
nourished it.

The human factor

Several themes were common to all the talks.
One was the fact that the land in question has
been moulded by people struggling to earn a
living for centuries before we were rich
enough to afford professional conservationists.
It is therefore important to take local sensitivities
into account though it was instructive to
hear both NCC and NFU spokesmen say
that relations on the ground were actually
improving on Orkney and Islay, even if some
local politicians couldn't always resist the
temptation to stir things up. Another point
was that it was the lack of investment in
modern methods that has allowed birds like
Corncrakes to survive in parts of Scotland: it
is neither fair or realistic to expect crofters to
forego the improvements enjoyed elsewhere
without some sort of recompense. The much
maligned SSSI's are actually welcome on
some islands since they can give farmers
revenue but there are problems with present
legislation, which doesn't allow payments
outwith designated sites despite the fact that
birds persist in flying over boundaries.

European influence

The subsidies available elsewhere in the EEC
are mouth wateringly large; in Germany
farmers get up to £600 a hectare to maintain
pastures for breeding waders and wild
flowers, but only if their land is deemed
important enough. Not surprisingly farmers
are keen to encourage wildlife. Euro politicians
defend this level of spending by pointing
out that the CAP exists to safeguard rural
communities who otherwise would probably
be added to the pool of urban unemployed.
Even if this seems unrealistic in the present
political climate in Britain, the EEC is a
significant factor due to legislation, such as
Wild Bird Directives, which call for member
states to safeguard habitats as well as
species.

Do birds damage crops?

Of the species that are of conservation
interest the answer seems to be sometimes
but only at a local level. Currently around
100,000 Greylag and a similar number of
Pinkfeet winter on farmland, lain Patterson's
studies show some effect on pasture,
especially in late winter, but only on a few
fields. He also pointed out that geese can
make a field look worse than it really is. A
similar story was told by Steve Percival about
Barnacle Geese on Islay except that, as they
are less mobile than grey geese, damage to
pastures can be more significant to a few
farmers. He also fascinated the audience with
the information that geese produce droppings
every five minutes! On Islay compensation is
being paid to some farmers but the geese are
stubbornly refusing to confine themselves to
the designated area.

Golden Eagle

Derek Robertson

The Gleneig eagle . , '

Headlines about lamb killing led Alan Leitch i
to investigate interactions between Golden i-
Eagles and lambs in an area where sheep and >
Eagles are at above average density, but more i
natural prey are scarce, possibly due to graz- s
ing pressure. Some lambs were undoubtedly '|j
killed although the best estimate amounted '
to only 1 .8% of those born in the area. These i;
lambs were not necessarily sickly individuals .
and the fact that some were killed in full view ; i
of the houses did not encourage a feeling of
tolerance among the farming community. A ^
hen eagle, just off the nest and probably very ■;
hungry, killed six lambs in a day near the road. ii
It seems disturbance prevented her from i
feeding on the corpses and this in turn led to
further killing.

Changing land use

More cattle and less sheep would benefit
Scotland as a whole but the opposite is more
likely as beef is in EEC surplus and sheepmeat
is not. If sheep do increase then birds such
as Choughs and Corncrakes could suffer
through habitat damage. Although even the ,
NFU accept that surpluses must be reduced,
and the CAP reformed, their spokesman
pointed out some anomalies when local
circumstances are not taken into account.
Scottish Cheddar is now being made from |
English milk as the quota system cuts our
dairy herds and some creameries are going out
of production. There is a case for encouraging
beef in Scotland as the local product is still
attractive to customers. More trees are
inevitable though few want to see conifer
monocultures obliterating the uplands. Unfor-
tunately our present tax structure is less
generous to farmers who want to integrate
woods and other activities than to top rate
taxpayers investing in big, specialist forestry
firms.

As hill farming generates more income
than forestry, and twice that of tourism, it
would cause large scale social as well as
ecological change if it were suddenly deprived j
of all state subsidy. Crofting has been regarded
as an inefficient anachronism by most politi-
cians and agriculturalists but that view may
have to change as the population in places like
Lewis actually increases. It has not been lost
on the Highlanders that organisations like
RSPB have more members than there are peo-
ple in the Highland Board area. There seems
to be a lot of political mileage in pushing for
a switch of subsidy towards systems that
support people as well as birds.

What they didn't say

With such a wide topic it was inevitable that
some aspects were missed out. In particular
the Lowlands received short shrift and the
conference might have been more accurately
titled Farming and Birds in the Highlands and
Islands. We really must try a conference on
the birds and habitats that most Scots actually

live beside! j n „

Stan da Prato

Thanks: to the speakers who, In order of
appearance, were Jim Hunter (Crofters Union),
Eric Bigenal (NCC), John Goodfellow (Scottish
NFU), Roy Dennis (RSPB), Alan Leitch (ITE),
Steve Percival (Glasgow University), lain
Patterson (Aberdeen University) and Tim
Stowe (RSPB), to Annie and Don Smith for
projection, to all the members who con-
tributed to the discussion and slide show and
to the SOC staff who worked throughout the
weekend.

2

1

Recent Reports

These notes include unchecked reports and
are not intended as a permanent record.
Please send reports to Pete Ellis, Seaview,
Sandwick, Shetland, via local recorders at the
end of March, June, September and
December. The period July to September is
covered here.

Several seabirds, particularly Arctic Terns
and Kittiwakes had yet another disastrous
breeding season in Shetland. Guillemots fared
much better, but, towards the end of
September, unusually large numbers began to
gather in shore in Shetland and Orkney. Some
of these have already died, which suggests
that high mortality is again likely to occur in
the Northern Isles for the fourth successive
winter. There were few days with easterly
winds in the early part of the autumn, but
none the less many rare birds turned up.
August was particularly unusual with influxes
of both Greenish Warblers and Two-barred
Crossbills into the Northern Isles. September
proved even better, and Fair Isle probably had
its best year ever for rare birds.

The Whalsay White-billed Diver re-
appeared early, in mid September, one was
seen off Pennan, whilst another was found
dead at Wick. The Hermaness Black-browed
Albatross was last seen in mid July. Single
Cory's Shearwaters were seen off St. Abbs
and Turnberry, while good counts of Sooties
included a flock of 350 off Birsay and up to
300 per hour off North Ronaldsay in
September. 710 Manx Shearwaters off
Peterhead was exceptional. Balearic Shear-
waters were off Peterhead, Barns Ness, St.
Abbs and Turnberry. Leach's Petrels occur-
red off several sites, including 1 70 off Troon
on 14 September and 141 off Ayr the next
day.

A Bar-headed Goose in Stornoway and
a Snow Goose at Collieston were the most
unusual geese. A King Eider was seen in the
Sumburgh moult flock and a Surf Scoter was
off Gullane. A White-tailed Eagle was on
South Uist in August and Hobbies were on
Fair Isle and in Aberdeenshire in July. Quail
were on Fair Isle, at Aberlady, Tranent and
Ladykirk. A Spotted Crake called on South
Uist. An American Golden Plover was on Fair
Isle. Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers were
scarce, but 40 of the former were on
Benbecula. A Pectoral Sandpiper was at
Musselburgh and 2 on Fair Isle. This was a
good autumn for Black-tailed Godwits, Green-
shanks and Wood Sandpipers. Wilson's
Phalaropes appeared at Findhorn and Lothian
with Grey Phalaropes at Sumburgh and South
Uist.

Long-tailed Skuas were off 8 sites from
Fair Isle to St. Abbs. A Mediterranean Gull
was at Doonfoot. Single Sabine's Gulls were
off Sumburgh, Peterhead, Girdleness and
Musselburgh, but a total of 1 0 between Cor-
sewall and Troon from 5-10 September was
exceptional. An adult Ross's Gull joined the
Sabine's off Girdleness on 26th September.
Musselburgh produced a new Scottish record
when a Lesser Crested Tern appeared from
21 to 22 August. Black Terns were at several
sites. A rare, dark-breasted Barn Owl was
seen on Rousay in August.

Wrynecks were scarce. Richard's Pipits
were on Out Skerries, Fair Isle and Orkney and
a Red-throated Pipit was on Fair Isle. Grey

headed Wagtails bred in Shetland, a Blue-
headed bird was at Peterhead and one of the
eastern races was on Fair Isle, which also had
a Citrine Wagtail. Five Bluethroats were
reported from the Northern Isles, while Fair
Isle had an early Black Redstart on 2nd July.
Stonechats were seen at Sumburgh and on
Fair Isle, whilst Quendale had a Siberian
Stonechat and Fair Isle 4 more on 29
September. A Lanceolated Warbler at
Scatness was the first mainland Shetland
record; Fair Isle had 3 in September. The on-
ly Aquatic Warbler was on Foula on 1 5
August. Fair Isle had both Paddyfield and
Blyth's Reed Warblers and a Marsh Warbler.
Shetland had a Melodious Warbler. Barred
Warblers were scarce this year. The influx of
Greenish Warblers involved 6 in Shetland, 1
on Fair Isle and 1 at St. Abbs between 13
August and 9 September.

Arctic Warblers were seen on Unst, Fair
Isle, North Ronaldsay and at Wick. Yellow-
browed Warblers appeared in Shetland from
21 September. This was a good autumn for
Wood Warblers. St. Abbs had a Firecrest on
20 September. Red-breasted Flycatchers in-
cluded 5 in Shetland, 1 on Fair Isle and 2 adult
males on North Ronaldsay, but Red-backed
Shrikes were scarce.

The Dufftown Rose-coloured Starling
stayed into July. An Arctic Redpoll, probably
of the Greenland race, was on Fair Isle. The
influx of Two-barred Crossbills into the Nor-
thern Isles included 21 in Shetland, 3 on Fair
Isle and 3 in Orkney between 9 and 22
August. Shetland also had Scarlet Rosefin-
ches. Fair Isle produced a first record for
Scotland, and only the second record for the
Western Palearctic, in the form of a Savan-
nah Sparrow on 30 September. Unusually
high numbers of Lapland Buntings included a
maximum of 70 on Fair Isle and 32 on North
Ronaldsay on 1 1 September. Single Ortolans
were on Shetland and Fair Isle, where there
was also a Rustic, and 3 Little Buntings, with
singles on Out Skerries and near Kirkwall. A
Yellow-breasted Bunting was at Scatness in
Shetland, but Fair Isle produced at least 5.

STOP PRESS

October has produced an amazing number of
rarities, including a dead Green Heron at Tyn-
inghame, a Harlequin Duck on Islay, a bucket
full of Olive-backed Pipits in the Northern
Isles, Eye-browed Thrush on Fair Isle, Black-
throated Thrush and Isabelline Shrike in
Shetland, 3 Pine Buntings on Fair Isle and
another on North Ronaldsay.

Pete Ellis

ERSKINE

EXPEDITIONS

Come north with us this summer
and spot such birds as these,
actually breeding:-

White-billed Diver
Snow Goose
King Eider
Gyr Falcon
Baird’s Sandpiper
Long-tailed Skua
Ivory Gull
Sabine’s Gull
Little Auk
Snowy Owl
Arctic Redpoll
Lapland Bunting
and many more!

All our expeditions are small
friendly groups led by experienced
birdwatchers such as Will Higgs,
James Fenton and Angus Erskine.

We have boat-based expeditions
to Spitsbergen, back-packing
treks to Northeast Greenland,
semi-permanent camps in
Herschel Island and Ellesmere
Island (Canadian Arctic), and
wilderness lodges in sub-Arctic
Canada.

Sabine's Guill Mike Ashley

Other destinations include St
Kilda near home, to watch Puf-
fins, and the Falkland Islands in
the South Atlantic to watch
King Penguins and Crested
Caracaras.

Write for more information to:

ERSKINE EXPEDITIONS
1/8 Ferryfield,
Edinburgh EH5 2PR

3

Birdword

Clues across

3. Dives like a diver but isn't one (5).

5. Raptor reintroduced recently (4).

6. Sea parrot (6).

7. St. Kildan way of catching 6 across (5).

10. Trendy biological term for a steady state

(initials) (3).

1 2. Tropical finch with religious connotation
(3).

13. Flies like a bird but isn't one (3).

14. Early birds encounter this along with
worms (3).

1 6. Controls the numbers of most birds (4).

1 7. Our most elusive breeding seabird (12).

20. Northern wader that feeds like a seabird
(9).

21. Phone them if you find oiled birds (5).

22. Tropical tree that migrants might perch
on (3).

23. Most of them breed on Scottish islands
(6).

24. Birds putting 36 down in their feathers
indulge in these movements (5).

26. If the engine fails on an island trip you
may need two of them (3).

27. Whaup (6).

28. What this magazine is about (4).

29. Small duck (4).

30. Bachelor finch with cheery song (9).

31 . Not our smallest but could be our com-
monest bird (4).

34. This warbler rarely warbles in Scottish
beds (4).

35. Northern version of penguins (3).

36. Small, Pacific version of 35 (6).

38. Most likely warbler in winter in Scotland
(8).

42. Bird in a cage (3).

43. Has spat and spread around British
coasts (6).

44. The motorway falcon (7).

Clues down

1. Birds could be the real explanation for
some of these (initials) (3).

2 . Most species use these to get around (4) .

4. Sea swallow (4).

5. Did it come before the hen? (3)

6. Nest boxes can attract these attractive
migrants ( 1 4).

7. They mostly eat seeds (5).

8. Northern pirate (4).

9. Horse of the woods, if you know the
Gaelic (12).

1 1. Wise old? (3)

14. Commonest small wader (6).

15. Flickering fire tail (8).

18. SOC emblem (10).

19. One of these may not make your
summer (7).

25. Feeding on 36 down may give it a sore
neck (7).

28. Four and twenty make a pie (9).

30. Talkative relative of the thrushes (4).

32. Smart little redhead (7).

33. Shetland village sounds good for
breeding in (7).

36. Six legged aids to feather maintenance,
especially with corvids (4).

37. Herons like these slippery customers (4).

39. Male of the species (4).

40. Biggest threat to garden birds (4).

41. What 40 does after eating a bird (4).
43. Caithness tree planters (initials) (2).

In the 1 950's American mink were reared on
three small farms in Lewis. These were closed
down in 1961 and it must be assumed that
the feral mink which began to appear in Lewis
afterwards were escapees. At first their
depredations among domestic poultry were
blamed on feral polecats descended from
escaped ferrets until dead specimens were
found in 1 969. A feral population of escaped
ferrets had existed in these islands long
before the arrival of the mink with their main
concentration around Barvas in west Lewis,
where rabbits abound in machair devastated
by sand blow-outs. Their inter action with
mink is unknown.

The spread of mink over the island and
into Harris was rapid. It was hoped that the
Sound of Harris would prevent an invasion of
the southern isles but, in 1986, a mink was
killed in South Uist and one or two dead
specimens were found in North Uist.

In 1975 an Aberdeen University expedition
studied the diet of mink at Aird Bheag, in west
Lewis, to discover if they were competing
with otters. They found that mink were mainly
littoral foragers whose diet comprised 36%
vegetation, 30% invertebrates, 22% fish,
9% mammals and only 3% birds. A trapping
campaign was launched by the Department
of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland
which failed to contain the spread, but which
still yields hundreds of mink every year. No
statistics of mink distribution or control are

available but it has been established that it is
the males which range inland and cause
damage to wildlife while the females seem to
remain on the coast. Apart from game-
keepers and, now, fish farmers no-one seems
to take the problem seriously until domestic
poultry are slaughtered when there is a flurry
of local activity.

In Lewis and Harris Little Grebes,
Moorhens and Coots have disappeared and
the scarcity or disappearance of several
other ground or hole nesting species can be
attributed, in the writer's opinion, to mink.
For example, terns have abandoned several
offshore islands on the west of Lewis and
Harris and vulnerable woodland birds, such
as the Treecreeper, have almost disappeared
from the Stornoway Woods. It is unfortunate
that no specific study of this problem has
been made.

It is to be hoped that the people of the
Uists and Benbecula will learn from what has
happened in Lewis and Harris and make every
effort to prevent or, at least, contain any
invasion of their islands by mink as the very
important populations of waders and wildfowl
in the southern isles would be jeopardised by
a similar explosion there. A "Mink Commit-
tee" has been formed in the south islands
which should be bad news for any musteline
adventurer!

Peter Cunningham

4

Scottish Atlas Organiser

Dr Jim Reid has been appointed the SOC's
Scottish Organiser of the New Atlas of
Breeding Birds in Britain & Ireland. A 35 year
old Glaswegian, Jim is married and lives in
Crail on the East Neuk of Fife. He took his first
degree at Stirling University and his Ph.D., on
aspects of the behaviour and ecology of the
rook, at St. Andrews. He has been a research
fellow at Keele and St. Andrew's Universities
working on domestic dogs, magpies and
blackbirds. He spent last summer working on
the Isle of May with Dr Mike Harris.

Jim Reid started work in November and
if he has not already done so will be in touch
with BTO regional representatives and SOC
local recorders to keep them informed of plans
for next year's fieldwork. He will also be
visiting some branches in the New Year and
speaking at the Scottish Birdwatchers' Con-
ference in Inverness in March.

Following comprehensive pilot fieldwork
last summer, the Atlas Working Group has
decided that the census method will be bas-
ed on sampling tetrads (2 x 2 km squares) for
the presence/absence of species within a 10
km square. Rare or colonial species will be
counted directly or their numbers assessed
from existing data, like the Seabird Colony
Register. Fieldwork is planned for the three
years 1988-1990. Full details of the survey
methods and recording cards will be mailed
to all members with the March issue of SBN.

At the time of writing we have funding
for this project for 1 5 months thanks to the
Nature Conservancy Council's Commissioned
Research Programme, the Gilman Trust, the

George Waterston Memorial Fund and the
SOC's Jubilee Appeal & Endowment Funds.
A newly formed fund raising committee
chaired by Ian Darling is actively pursuing
further sources of finance. There is con-
fidence that funds for a further two years will
be forthcoming in due course.

Goshawk retrieving prey
from loch

At 1152 GMT On 1 6th May 1 987, beside a
wooded loch in Speyside, Inverness-shire, I
was startled by a large raptor crashing into
the Scots Pine canopy above me. Looking up,
I saw a male Goshawk leaving the tree tops,
and, as it flew out over the loch, drop an
object from its talons. The object fell into
the loch c. 10m from the shore. Through
binoculars I identified it as a female or juvenile
Crossbill which appeared to be dead.

The Goshawk circled and dropped to a
height of about 5 m above the water, and
dashed towards the prey. When immediately
over the Crossbill the hawk struck down with
its legs in an unsuccessful attempt to retrieve
it from the water. This was repeated half a
dozen times before the Goshawk seized its
prey in its talons and carried it off. The entire
incident took about two minutes. The water
in the loch was very calm which may have
aided the Goshawk in picking up the dead
Crossbill from the water surface.

Keith Rickard

Goshawk Doug Weir

ORNITHOLIDAVS 1988

Member of The Association of British Travel Agents

Twenty-three years' Service to
Naturalists and Birdwatchers

Holidays organised by Birdwatchers
for Birdwatchers

Forthcoming tours include:

Kenya

Jamaica

Okavango Delta
Ethiopia
Morocco
Etosha

The Seychelles

N. India & the Himalayas

India - Tiger Special

Thailand

Malawi

Tanzania

Vancouver & the Rockies

The Galapagos

Jordan

Israel

Turkey

Cyprus

N.E. Greece
S.W. Spain
Yugoslavia
Lake NeusiedI
The Camargue
The Rousillon
Andorra

Spanish Pyrenees
Majorca

Write or 'phone for a brochure to:

LAWRENCE G. HOLLOWAY
ORNITHOLIDAYS

Dept. 4,1/3 Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis,

Sussex, England P021 2PW

Telephone 0243 821230

ATOL Licence No. 743

5

Scotland's seabirds come out on top

When the Seabird Group first established the Seabird Colony Register and enlisted support from the Nature Conservancy Council in 1984, the
idea of having all the data on seabird breeding numbers in Britain and Ireland contained in one place seemed a remote possibility. But, as completion
of the Register draws near, requests for information are already coming in and the Register is showing its worth and repaying the efforts of the
army of surveyors who did the fieldwork.

Over 370 volunteers, the majority of them
in Scotland, have helped collect up-to-date
details of the distribution and size of seabird
colonies around our coasts. Coverage of the
coastline has crept gradually towards 100%
since the summer of 1985 when fieldwork
began. All that remains now are a few
tantalizing sections which will have to be
examined in 1988. The main gaps are in
Lewis, including the Flannan Isles, much of
Skye, at Clo Mor in northwest Sutherland, and
the Blaskets in southwest Ireland. My special
thanks to all of you who helped with the
seabird counts this summer and took trouble
in completing and returning recording forms.

Computerisation

In addition to this recent information the
Register holds past data as far back as the
Operation Seafarer counts (1969-70). This
has been gleaned from bird reports and other
publications, and from people who have
visited colonies in the intervening time,
in some cases almost annually over the last
19 years. The Register data, which now
occupies six filing cabinet drawers, would be
impossibly laborious to use if we had to rely
on these paper records. More than half the
data have been stored on a computer and data
entry should be completed by Christmas. In
this form information can be quickly retrieved
from the database and in different combina-
tions as required. Questions such as 'what
proportion of our Kittiwakes breed at
Fowlsheugh?' can now be answered and I can
say now that, with over 40,000 nests.

Fowlsheugh and adjacent cliffs have the
largest Kittiwake colony in Britain and Ireland.

Upward trends

Comparisons between the modern data and
that collected by Operation Seafarer have to
be made with caution because of different
counting methods used, but they show up
some clearcut patterns. Almost all species in
Scotland have done extremely well since
1969. For example, the remote Ascarib
Islands off northwest Skye, visited by canoe
this summer, have become inundated with
auks. Roger Powell, who did the Seafarer
counts in 1 970 and landed again this summer,
reports that Guillemots have increased from
250 to over 2000 birds, and Razorbills more
modestly from 200 to 760 birds. The colonies
have covered the main islet, An t-lasgair, and
spread to the offshore stacks of An Dubh
Sgeir. Similar scales of increase have been
recorded at auk colonies nearby including
Canna and the Shiants. Counting seabirds is
never easy and the Register records the kind
of problems that are encountered. As Roger
put it, "a strong rip tide and impending gale
limited the length of the visit but considerably
increased the adrenalin".

The largest seabird colony in Britain is still
St. Kilda which was surveyed by the NCC
Seabirds at Sea Team this summer. Nearly
three quarters of a million seabirds, excluding
unknown numbers of nocturnal petrels, breed
on these rocky islands and stacks 66 km from
the nearest land. The most numerous are
Fulmars with 62,800 pairs, Gannets 50,050

pairs in 1985 and Puffins estimated at
230,500 pairs. The spectacular island of Han-
da holds the largest of our Razorbill and
Guillemot colonies and the fourth largest for
Kittiwakes. Counts by the RSPB wardens
gave totals of 98,700 Guillemots, 16,400
Razorbills and 10,730 pairs of Kittiwakes, all
considerably higher than in 1969.

Gulls in decline

One group that have fared less well are the
large gulls. Herring Gull numbers have at least
halved in the last two decades throughout
north and east Scotland, and also in England,
Wales and Ireland. The only places where
Herring Gull colonies are generally the same
size or bigger than they were in 1 969-70 are
the large islands of Argyll and Bute especially
Islay and Mull, and on the mainland from the
Mull of Kintyre to the Mull of Galloway. Why
these changes should have occurred is far
from clear but, since the decline in numbers
is mirrored, albeit less drastically, by Great and
Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and is so
widespread, it seems likely that an alteration
in the abundance or quality of the gulls' food
has occurred. Disease, particularly botulism,
has also killed large numbers of gulls in
England, Wales and Northern Ireland in recent
years, and is occasionally reported in
Scotland.

Numbers inland

Seabird colonies inland were not covered by
the 1 985-87 survey or by Seafarer although
some data were collected. However, in the
Northern Isles, where it is difficult to describe
any site as truly inland, complete moorland
surveys were carried out. The Orkney skua
survey in 1982 gave totals for Great and
Arctic Skuas respectively of 1652 and 1 034
occupied territories which compared with 482
and 716 pairs in 1974-75, and 90 and 230
pairs in 1969-70. Similar increases since
Seafarer, from 3060 pairs to 5647 occupied
territories for Bonxies, and 770 pairs to 1912
territories for Arctic Skuas, were revealed by
surveys in Shetland during 1985 and 1986.
Both species also continue to thrive on the
mainland of northern Scotland and to spread
down the west coast and on offshore islands.

In addition to the skuas, large numbers
of nesting gulls and some big tern colonies are
also found inland, especially in the Northern
and Western Isles, As a result of the 1 986 and
1987 surveys, for example, one ten square
including part of Hoy holds the record for
maximum number (48) of occupied seabird
colonies. A more comprehensive census of
inland seabird colonies is one of the aims
for the future, especially in view of the
approaching Atlas.

Clare Lloyd

Dr Lloyd has been a seabird enthusiast
for many years, studying Razorbills for her
PhD. She is currently national organiser for
the Seabird Colony Register based at NCC,
17 Rubislaw Terrace, Aberdeen.

Guillemot chicks Derek Robertson

Great Black-backed Gull and chicks D. Hassell

This attractive shot won first prize in the 1987 Photo Competition

SOME PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE SEABIRD COLONY REGISTER

Species

North

North West

Grampian

West Isles

Fulmar

4-43%

-t81%

-t85%

4-41%

(pairs)

21615

11033

8590

3463

Shag

- 50%

-1-48%

-1-85%

no change

(pairs)

613

1618

628

925

Herring Gull

-85%

-51%

-59%

4-30%

(pairs)

1034

2244

18730

6290

Kittiwake

-I- 7%

+ 29%

4-29%

4-101 %

(pairs)

11230

11298

83117

6544

Guillemot

-t 1 20%

-1-219%

4-85%

-h556%

(birds)

23368

99429

86850

20856

The table shows changes in certain seabird populations since Operation Seafarer (1 969-70), with
the total counts for 1985-87 given below each percentage change. N.B. These figures are
provisional since the data are not yet complete.

North = Cape Wrath - Duncansby Hd; North West = Cape Wrath - Loch Alsh; West Isles =
islands off Argyll & Bute.

Death at sea

On 1 6 July 1 987 while walking with my family
on the east shore of Loch na Lathaich, a
sea loch on the Ross of Mull, we startled a
Buzzard, which subsequently made three
short flights round small headlands, keeping
just ahead of us. Finally, it flew out onto a
rocky spit where it was mobbed by a pair of
Oystercatchers and several Common Gulls.
They were successful in making it take off,
but this time it flew out low over the sea
towards the other side of the bay, a mile
away. The gulls continued to dive at it, forc-
ing it lower and lower, until about 1 50 metres
offshore it landed on the sea. It made one suc-
cessful attempt to rise, flew for perhaps 20
metres, but was again driven down onto the
water, where it lay with wings spread out.
After that we watched for 25 minutes while

it was blown out to sea by the wind. It made
unsuccessful attempts for a time to rise, being
dive-bombed continually by gulls. Shags,
presumably attracted by the noise, made low-
flying passes over it, landing near and diving
under it. Eventually, when we could see no
movement from the Buzzard, all the birds left,
except two gulls, which sat like sentries on
either side of the body, occasionally pecking
at it. By the time they finally left, we could
no longer see the receding speck of the body.
Could the bird have been a juvenile? This
might explain its reluctance to fly any great
distance when disturbed, its inability to shake
off or ignore the birds mobbing it, and its
landing on the sea.

Ann M. Miles

BUY WHERE
YOU

CAN TRY!

Visit our shops to
see and choose
from the finest
range of binoculars
and telescopes in
Scotland.

We welcome part
exchanges and
offer a full repair
and overhaul
service.

Visit the

VIKING

OPTICAL

CENTRES

at

57 Lothian Road,
Edinburgh.
(031)229 8458

and

Tom Dickson
Cameras,

15-17 Queen Street,
Glasgow.
(041)221 2125

7

Birdwatching at the Hirsel

The Hirsel offers excellent opportunities to see woodland birds and waterfowl in attractive sur-
roundings, now enhanced by the new SOC hide. Local recorder and author of Birds of the Borders
Ray Murray describes the birds while Borders Branch secretary Malcolm Ross explains how the
branch is building hides which help you get better views of them.

The Hirsel is located to the north and east of
Coldstream; the main entrance is signposted
on the A968 (Edinburgh/Kelso) road at the
edge of town. The car park is about 1 '/2km
from the main road (NT 827 403), adjacent
to a converted stable block that is being
developed as a visitor and craft centre.
Signposted paths around the estate radiate
from this car park. There is another car
park on the A697 next to the Dundock Wood
(NT 818 400). The estate has been studied
ornithologically for some years and has an
impressive list of nearly 1 50 species. The late
Henry Douglas-Home, often called the Bird-
man of the Hirsel, was responsible for much
of our detailed knowledge and he was also the
founder of the long-term study of Swifts that
annually occupy nest-boxes sited below the
windows of the mansion. The main features
of the estate are the policy woodlands and the
Hirsel Lake. There are a number of walks that
are open to the public for much of the year
that give good coverage of the best sites.

The Lake

The shallow lake occupies about 1 7 hectares
and for it's size must be one of the best in
Scotland. The shores provide nest sites, good
shelter and excellent roosting for waterfowl.
They are reed-lined to the north and wooded
to the south. Viewpoints were mainly
restricted to the dam shore in the past, the
height of the reeds preventing good views
from the path round the lake. The new hide
has solved this and we anticipate more ac-
curate counts in the future. A walk round the
Lake is still necessary for a full count as the
south-west corner cannot be viewed from the
dam or the hide. In spite of this many birds
are missed because of the dense cover of the
surrounding woods.

The breeding population is considerable,
the main species being Mallard and Coot.
In 1987 approximately 30 female Mallard
produced 16 broods and 20 pairs of Coot
produce a minimum of 84 juveniles. Other
breeding species in 1987 were Moorhen,
Tufted Duck, Pochard, Shoveler, Mute Swan
and Little Grebe. The reed beds also hold
Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting.

Waterfowl numbers increase at the end
of the breeding season. The proximity of the
Tweed means that many birds use the Hirsel
as a roost, especially when the river is in
spate or disturbed by anglers. August and
September produce good numbers of Mallard
and Coot but the 863 Mallard in late August
1 984 was exceptional. Shoveler increase as
passage birds arrive; usually peaking in
October at 1 00 birds. Early winter months are
the best time of year for waterfowl as the
water surface can be literally swarming with
birds, particularly at dusk when the roosting
species flight in. Peak counts have included
165 Mute Swans in October, 317 Whooper
Swans in November, 800 Greylag Geese in
December, 400 Wigeon in September and 97
Goosander in October.

Up to 30 Mute Swans are frequent but
large numbers only occur when the Tweed is
in flood. Diving ducks are scarce in the
autumn but show a peak in spring, especially
Goldeneye. Pintail, Scaup and Smew are vir-
tually annual and other waterfowl recorded
are Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes,
Canada Goose, Mandarin, Gadwall and Ruddy
Duck. The loch provides excellent roosting
and feeding for hirundines on passage. Water
Rail can be heard at any time of the year, but
are commoner in winter. Whether they breed
is doubtful but hard to prove. The lack of bare
mud or shingle means that waders are scarce.

Redstart

W.E. Middleton

Runner up in the 1987 Photo Competition.

SOC hide at the Hirsel

Stephen Chamberlain

Dundock Woods

The deciduous woodlands of the Hirsel are the
second major attraction of the estate, par-
ticularly in spring and summer. The best time
of year is May and June when Dundock is full
of song and ablaze with Rhododendrons and
Azaleas. Many otherwise single-minded i
birders comment that the floral display alone 1 1
is worth a visit to the Hirsel.

The tall canopy of oak, ash and pine with
its dense understorey and maze of footpaths
and boggy ditches provides a wealth of
habitat for woodland birds, particularly
warblers. A count in 1 987 revealed territories
of 18 Garden Warblers, 16 Blackcaps, 11
Spotted Flycatchers, 5 Redstarts, 2 Pied
Flycatchers as well as Mistle Thrush,
Treecreepers, Long-tailed Tits, Great Spotted
Woodpeckers, Stock Doves, Chiffchaffs, j

Sedge Warblers and one Whitethroat. In ad- :
dition there are probably a minimum of 5 pairs
of Marsh Tits and 2 pairs of Hawfinch as well
as commoner species. The ease with which
the Marsh Tits of the Hirsel can be found in
Dundock has made that species one of the
specialities of the site for Scottish birders.

Passage migrants such as Wood Warbler,
Tree Pipit and Lesser Whitethroat occasionally
pause to sing in May and early June and rarer
species like Little Owl, Nuthatch and Wryneck 1
have also been reported.

Leet Walk <

Another path, running between the main :
house and the old stable block, goes down to |i
the Leet Water, a small tributary of the
Tweed. The path is circular, following the Leet
and leads back to the Visitor Centre car park.
The Leet meanders its way through open
fields of moist, permanent pasture surrounded
by deciduous woodland on steep banks. The
woods hold much the same species as Dun-
dock but the best sites for Hawfinch at the
Hirsel is on this walk, in the fruit trees that
grow between the stable block and the man- !
sion. The Leet provides habitat for river ^
species and has breeding Grey and Pied
Wagtail, Dipper, Common Sandpiper and,
from time to time. Kingfisher. Kingfisher bred
for some years just above the first bridge on i
this walk but the run of cold winters recently 1
has seen them off. Passage birds attracted to
the Leet include Green and Wood Sandpiper
and Yellow Wagtail. |

Ray Murray >

li

8

SOC hides in the Borders

The George Waterston Memorial Hide at the
Hirsel was recently opened by Lady Caroline
Douglas-Home, daughter of Lord Home. The
Borders Branch undertook this as their major
project for the S.O.C. Golden Jubilee. It was
funded by a grant of £700 from the Waterston
Memorial Fund and £100 from Borders
Branch. Design and construction was by a
Community Project Team from Borders
Regional Council funded by the Manpower
Services Commission.

The hide was constructed in units and
erected on a base 5 ft above ground to
improve the outlook over the lake. Larch
screen fences were used to allow access
without disturbing birds on the water. It
was also necessary to remove branches from
adjacent trees to improve the field of view.
During this work the branch treasurer had
the misfortune to fall 1 5 ft into the lake.
Fortunately he was wearing thigh waders so
at least his legs remained dry.

This is the second hide erected by the
Borders Branch, the first being at Hule Moss,
Greenlaw. By using Community Project
workers the cost was considerably reduced
as their services are provided without charge
for projects of benefit to the community. The
only costs involved were for materials and
transport. The Hule Moss hide received grant
aid from N.C.C. and from S.W.T. Tweed
Valley Branch but the Hirsel hide was a 1 00%
S.O.C. project. The Borders Branch hope to
construct more hides which help bring the
Club to the notice of the general public who
have free access to the hides.

Malcolm Ross

Restriction on shooting at
Strathbeg

The Secretary of State has decided as the
result of the public inquiry in Peterhead last
spring (see SBN 6) to lift the total ban on
shooting from the three islets and peninsula
in the middle of the country's second largest
goose roost at the Loch of Strathbeg, but
impose a new one reducing it to not more than
four guns during the period between one and
a half hours after sunrise and one and a half
hours before sunset on not more than six days
per winter. This involves the end of shooting
in the centre of the main roost during the
hours of darkness, and a considerable reduc-
tion of the amount of duck-shooting in the
daytime (with the advantage that the birds are
now likely to move to the quieter area in front
of the RSPB hides). The conservation side are
reasonably content with the compromise,
especially since the public discussion of the
way in which this shooting was formerly
managed seems likely to lead to an
improvement.

The landowner has complained at the
way in which it was found necessary to hold
an expensive public inquiry to obtain a result
which might have been achieved faster
through friendly negotiation. It seems a pity
that he did not agree to some restriction of
the shooting sooner.

W.R.P. Bourne

Ayr Branch celebrate
25 years

On May 20th, forty four members of the Ayr
Branch met at Culzean Country Park to
celebrate a quarter of a century of S.O.C.
involvement. The Park's Ranger Service took
the group for an evening's bird watching, the
highlights being Pied Flycatcher and Wood
Warblers (which have only recently become
established), a bemused Tawny Owlet in a
Southern nest box and eight cygnets being
bedded down for the night in the reed beds.
Everyone convened later at the Visitor Cen-
tre for a celebratory drink and supper. Mrs.
Jean Burton, Chairperson, rounded off the
evening with a few words. The Ayr Branch
is alive and well and looking forward to the
next twenty five years.

Gordon Riddle

Isles of Colonsay
and Oronsay —
Inner Hebrides

Remote and unspoilt, the islands encompass 20 square miles of paradise for the naturalist —
almost 170 species of birds (list on request), also otters, feral goats and a major breeding
colony of the grey seal (pupping in September), 500 species of local flora as well as two of the
few remaining natural woodlands of the Hebrides and the exotic rhododendron collection in
the woodland garden of Colonsay House.

Historic sites include St Columba’s pre-Iona foundation at Oronsay Priory, some excellent duns,
a Viking ship burial, crannog-sites in Loch Fada etc.

There are no day-trippers, no caravanners, etc., but there is a comfortable small hotel offering
table d’hote cuisine based on fresh local produce (central heating and private facilities). Drive
on-off car and passenger ferry ex-Oban Monday, Wednesday, Friday (2V2 hour passage).
Dinner, accommodation and breakfast from £27.50 including VAT and service. Free bicycles.
There are also three luxury self-catering chalets, which adjoin the hotel; each unit sleeps 5,
all bed-linen is provided plus daily maid service. Off-season rental is only £60.00 weekly. Also
special demi-pension arrangements for Field Study parties from £9.25 daily. Details on request.

THE HOTEL, ISLE OF COLONSAY, ARGYLL
(Kevin and Christa Byrne)

Telephone: Colonsay (09512) 316 — open all year

N.B. Booklet @ £3.50 inc. p&p describes the island’s birds — 66pp plus 8pp colour photos.

9

WILDFOWL

An identification guide to
the ducks, geese and swans
of the world

Steve Madge and Hilary Burn

Wildfowl: an identification guide to the
ducks ^ geese and swans of the world
brings together for the first time in one
volume, a concise review of all
wildfowl, illustrating all major
plumages and subspecies in colour to
enable anyone, from beginner to
advanced field worker, to identify
wildfowl, whether in collections or in
the wild.

The 47 superb colour plates by Hilary Burn form the backbone of
the book, each plate being accompanied by an informative caption
page summarising the criteria required to identify, and in many
cases, to age and sex each species along with colour world
distribution maps and an easy to use cross-reference system to the
main body of the text.

The authoritative text by Steve Madge treats each species in
depth, summarising identification, ageing and sexing features and
concisely reviewing many aspects of behaviour, migration,
distribution, population and the conservation of wildfowl species.

Third volume in an award-winning series. Wildfowl will be the
standard work of reference for many years to come.

£19.95 0-7470-2201 304 pages 234 x152mm

155 distribution maps, 47 colour plates and over 700 birds painted in

full colour

PUBLISHERS LIMITED

10

Reviews

The skuas by Robert W Furness; Poyser;
1987; 368pp; 30 b&w plates; £18.

This is the third high quality Poyser book
published in recent years to incorporate
results of work on seabirds conducted in
Scotland. The book starts with a lucid review
of the complex subject of skua systematics;
the author reaches the conclusion that the
(northern) Great Skua may well have arisen
from the Falkland Skua - the colonial history
of skuas is evidently the reverse of that of
humans! The following chapters deal with
distribution, population size and migration;
these provide a good summary, though some
of the examples of distribution at-sea are a
little obscure, with most of the work of large
scale at-sea projects omitted. Some skua
specialities are dealt with in Ch. 5-9, and in-
clude a useful discussion of the reasons for
plumage polymorphism. Breeding biology and
related topics are reviewed in Ch. 10-13,
before the last three chapters which review
man's impact on skuas and vice versa. These
provide some interesting predictions on the
future of the skua populations in Britain, and
some sensible discussion about ways in
which skua conservation may be advanced.

I enjoyed this book, and shall appreciate
it as a source of reference for some time; as
with most books, the detail it adds over and
above normal scientific papers will make it
most useful. I recommend it to anyone with
an interest in seabirds or the interaction bet-
ween birds and their environment.

Mark L Tasker

Save the Birds Principal author. Anthony
Diamond. Produced by ProNatur of Germany
in association with the International Council
for Bird Preservation. 384 pp, many colour
illustrations. C.U.P. 1987 £17.50.

This book is beautifully reproduced, with
excellent printing on quality paper and all the
illustrations in colour and very much to the
point. The main approach is by the main
habitats of the world, and some of their birds;
rare ones that are about to become extinct,
such as the Mauritius kestrel, or the ones that
may already have reached that situation. But
it is not all gloom and doom as there are
details of rare species which have been saved
by dramatic operations such as the Chatham
Black Robins in New Zealand. Nor is it all rare
birds as scattered through the sections are
common birds such as Flouse Sparrow and
Collared Dove and how they fit into the
general pattern. The last 31 pages are
devoted to Britain, written by David Atten-
borough and Ian Prestt and just as exciting as
the rest of the book. Other countries, where
this book will be published, will also have
these pages devoted to their particular coun-
try, while the rest will be the same as our edi-
tion, though with the words translated - even
for the Americans! For every book sold there
is a contribution to the ICBP to finance three
international projects. Buy it now and you will
enjoy and learn a lot while helping bird con
servation in the world.

RSPB Conservation Review No. 1, 1987;

James Cadbury & Michael Everett (eds.)
96pp. colour and b&w ilustrations; RSPB; £3.

A beautifully produced publication with 19
articles on the conservation of British birds,
mostly by RSPB staff, or people working
on projects with RSPB involvement, plus
summaries of RSPB projects in 1 986. This is
a much more satisfying read than Birds
magazine and will be particularly useful to
planners and other land managers who want
to know current research results without
ploughing through the scientific literature. It
should also appeal to the keen amateur. My
chief reservation is that it will often be quoted
as though it is a journal when it is really an
in house magazine that does not seem to use
independent referees; it will be interesting to
see if it ever criticises RSPB policy.

SdP

The Birds of Mull by Mike Madders; Saker
Press; 1987; 48 pp; many maps & illustra-
tions; £3.50 (pbk)

This guide to the birds of Mull is attractively
illustrated throughout by Philip Snow. Follow-
ing an introduction and some notes for visitors
birdwatching on Mull, the first half of the
booklet describes the birds and habitats of the
Isle. The second part of the guide is devoted
to a personal selection of locations which of-
fer the visiting birdwatcher the opportunity to
see many of Mull's birds. Each site has a map
illustrated with the birds to be seen together
with notes describing the habitats, the birds
and the best locations to see them. There is
a piece on Mull's birdlife in a changing land-
scape, a comprehensive systematic list and
some useful names and addresses. Recom-
mended for anyone birdwatching on Mull.

John C Davies

Where to Watch Birds in Beds, Berks, Bucks,
Herts and Oxon by Brian Clews, Andrew
Meryet & Paul Trodd; Christopher Flelm;
1 987; 316 pp; many maps and drwgs; £9.95
(pbk).

Where to Watch Birds in Kent, Surrey &
Sussex by Don Taylor, Jeffery Wheatley &
Tony Prater; Christopher Helm; 1987; 270
pp; many maps & drwgs; £9.95 (pbk).
Where to Watch Birds in The West Midlands
by Graham Harrison & Jack Sankey;
Christopher Helm; 1 987; 275 pp; many maps
& drwgs; £9.95 (pbk).

Where to Watch Birds in Wales by David
Saunders; Christopher Helm; 1987; 245 pp;
many maps & drwgs; £8.95 (pbk).

Another four paperbacks in this excellent
series of regional guides to birdwatching
localities south of the border (Devon & Corn-
wall and East Anglia have already been
published). Each book has a general introduc-
tion to the region (or country) followed by a
list of birdwatching sites. Each site has a map
site description, details of species to be seen,
timing your visit, access information and a
calendar listing the birds season by season.
Attractively illustrated and packed with useful
information, these guides are invaluable to
visiting (and resident) birdwatchers in England
and Wales.

by ROBERT W FURNESS

The full classification of the skuas
is still debated, but Dr Furness of
the Applied Ornithology Unit,
Glasgow University, favours six
species, of two genera, with five
subspecies, based on current
knowledge and his own long and
dedicated field studies and
research.

All of the species are treated
comparatively under the following
chapter titles: Early history and
classification. Distributions and
populations. Migration patterns.
Reversed sexual size dimorphism.
Behaviour, Food and feeding,
Kleptoparasitism, Plumage
polymorphism. Breeding systems
and social organisation. Breeding
- laying to hatching. Breeding -
hatching to fledging. Population
dynamics. Pollutants, Skuas and
agriculture. Skuas and
conservation.

The text is supported by 100 maps
and diagrams, 30 photographs
and 65 tables. In addition, John
Busby contributes 35 evocative
drawings which more than
embellish this erudite and
readable summary of an
impressive and diverse group of
birds.

368 pages, £18.00 net

WADERS

their breeding,
haunts and watchers

by Desmond and Maimie
Nethersole-Thompson

400 pages plus 24 plates
£18.00 net

T & A D POYSER

Frank Hamilton

John C Davies

CONTENTS

Twenty five years on

1

Scottish Farming and Birds

2

Recent Reports

3

Birdword

4

Mink in the Outer Hebrides

4

Scottish Atlas Organiser

5

Short Notes 5,7,9

Scotland's seabirds
come out on top

6,7

Birdwatching at the Hirsel

8

Reviews

1 1

SOC Notices

12

SBN Advertising Rates

Full page £100. Half page £60. Quarter page
across £30. Sixth page £20. Third page
upright £40. Small ads £2 per line. Prices are
exclusive of VAT. Adverts should be sent to
Business Editor, SOC, 21 Regent Terrace,
Edinburgh EH7 5BT.

Deadlines

SBN is published four times a year, at
the beginning of March, June, September
and December. Material submitted for
possible publication should be sent to 21
Regent Terrace no later than 8 weeks prior to
publication (e.g. by 1 January for the March
number), although late news and notices may
be accepted slightly later. Queries - and
suggestions - will be welcomed by the Editor.
Information on the submission of material for
Scottish Birds, will be found in SB 14(1).

SOC Membership

Membership subscription rates are as follows:

Adult £10.00

Junior (under 1 8 or student under 25) £4.00
Family (husband, wife & children under 18)

£14.50

Life, individual £200.00, family £300.00
Pensioner, individual £6.00, family £8.50
Further details from Membership Secretary,
SQC, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BT.

SOC Notices

Subscriptions reminder

Members who have not already renewed their
subscriptions for 1 987/88 will find a subscrip-
tion renewal slip with this copy of SBN. Please
renew your subscription now by completing
the slip and returning it to Susan Mackenzie,
the membership secretary.

Scottish Birdwatchers' Conference

The programme and booking form for the joint
SQC/BTO one-day conference on Saturday,
5th March 1988 in Inverness are enclosed.
We know there'll be a good turnout from
Highland Branch members and we hope
members from Grampian, Tayside and further
south will make it too. These one-day regional
conferences are always popular so don't delay
sending off your booking form as numbers will
be limited to 200.

Annual Conference 1988

By popular demand the SQC's 1 988 Annual
Conference returns to the Marine Hotel, North
Berwick for the weekend 28th-30th October
1 988. Further details in due course, but make
a note in your diaries now.

Annual raffle

By popular demand and thanks to Alastair
Peirse-Duncombe and the Borders Branch the
Club's annual raffle has been re-instated to
help raise funds for the SOC. A book of raf-
fle tickets is enclosed with details of the fine
selection of prizes. We hope you will give your
support. Ticket stubs and money are to be
returned direct to Alastair. Thank you in ad-
vance for your help.

New President

Dr Jeremy Greenwood was elected President
of the Club at the AGM in September. A week
or so earlier he had learnt that he was to be
the new Director of the BTO as from 1st
January 1 988. Jeremy will be a great loss to
the Club, but we wish him all the very best
in his new job in Tring, Hertfordshire. Frank
Hamilton, the new Vice-President, is unable,
due to pressure of work at present, to take
over from Jeremy, so Council will be co-
opting and nominating a new President to suc-
ceed Jeremy from 1st December.

The three new elected members of Coun-
cil are John Ballantyne (Edinburgh), David
Clugston (Glasgow) and Don Smith (Ayrshire).

New editor for Scottish Birds

Having successfully launched the new Scot-
tish Birds as well as SBN Valerie Thom is now
handing over to Nick Picozzi. As with SBN
Valerie will assist the new editor until he has
mastered the intricacies of printers' proofs.
Authors should continue to submit papers via
21 Regent Terrace.

Staff news

Susan MacLeod, Bookshop Assistant, left on
30th September to have baby Donald on 21st
Qctober. Congratulations to Susan and father
lain. Mother and baby are doing fine. We
welcomed back David Hunter as Bookshop
Assistant in Qctober after 9 months as a fur-
niture salesman - books are better!

Change of address of local recorders

STRATHCLYDE - lain Gibson's address is now :
c/o Wood, 47 Kilbowie Road, South Carbrain, I
Cumbernauld G67 2PZ. ;

FIFE (Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, NE Fife) - Dougie +
Dickson's address is now 20 Rosabelle Street, i
Kirkcaldy, Fife KYI 3DW.

New sales leaflet

In response to numerous requests we have
at last produced a Sales Leaflet of sundry j
items. SQC ties and car stickers are back in •
stock and we now sell SQC sweatshirts. We .
still have some Jubilee items left and don't
forget the SQC Field List and Checklist. Fur- •
ther details and an order form are on the pink
Sales Leaflet enclosed with this issue of SBN.

Sanderling sightings

Please send any sightings of Sanderling on the
east coast of Scotland to Bruce Lynch, 15
Falkland Crescent, Broughty Ferry, Dundee.

Coiour-ringed Snow Buntings

It is expected that several hundred Snow Bun-
tings will be colour-ringed in Caithness this i
winter. If any birds with colour rings are seen
I would be delighted to hear the details; where
and when they were spotted and what the
ring colours were. Thanks for your help.
Hugh Clark, 3 Lindsay Place, Wick, Caithness

Small ads

CAITHNESS BIRD REPORT 1986. £3.00 from
either The Bird Bookshop or Eric Maughan,
Burnside, Harbour Road, Reay, Thurso,
Caithness KW14 7RG.

4TH ARGYLL BIRD REPORT (1986) £3.50
from either The Bird Bookshop or Colin
Galbraith, 4 Achagoil, Minard, Inveraray,
Argyll PA32 8YE.

SCOTTISH BIRDS INDEX Cumulative Com-
puter Index Vols 1-13. All mentions of a
species entered. Over 6200 entries. £5.
David A Macleman, 14 Ochardhead Road,
Edinburgh EH16 6HL.

WILDFOWL TRUST ANNUAL REPORTS Nos i

3 to 30. Excluding 25 and 28 £75 o.n.o. Tel:- ^
031-339 3787. :

BIRD JOURNAL back numbers supplied -
D. Morgan, Whitmore, Umberleigh, Devon.

APRIL COTTAGE. Stay in this cosy Sussex
flint cottage and enjoy the bird life and beauty
of the Cuckmere Estuary, the Heritage Coast
and South Downs; bed and breakfast with L
private bathroom £8; other countrystyle I
meals available as required; open all year, j
Tel: 0323-890879. |

UPPER GLENISLA - ANGUS. Very comfor- j
table, well equiped, warm cottage in beautiful ’
setting. Sleeps 3. Available April-October. j
SAE Mrs Duff, 31 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh
EH7 5BS. •

LOTHIAN BIRD REPORT 1986. £3.30 from i
Liz Leven, 13 Henderson Row, Edinburgh.

Published by The Scottish Ornithologists' Club, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 BBT © SOC
Printed by Alexander Ritchie & Son Ltd., 163 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh EH6 5RE

\

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vaan libraries Smithsonian institution NoiiniiiSNi__NviNosHiiiAis saiavaan libraries smithsoni/'

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