From Aride to Tiree

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Scottish Bird News

No 70 Dec. 2003

1 h*s*wi

Tiree (left) and Aride,
Seychelles (right).
(John Bowler)

Few of us have the chance to experience
two totally isolated wildlife communities
on opposite sides of the globe. John
Bowler has! Read on...

It takes at least three days of air-flights to
travel from Aride Island, Seychelles to
Tiree in the Inner Hebrides. The two
islands would seem to be quite different in
terms of size, character, habitats and not
least climate, yet they hold many ornitho-
logical parallels. Having spent three years
managing Aride Island Nature Reserve for
the Royal Society for Nature Conservation,
and over two years working as Tiree
Conservation Officer for RSPB, I feel that I
have come to know both islands
reasonably well in terms of their birdlife
and the hireling that they have to offer.

At just one mile long and a quarter of mile
wide, Aride is much smaller than the 10
mile by 3 mile island of Tiree, but it is
easier to get lost on its' steep thickly
forested slopes than in the open machair
and moors of Tiree. Obviously, Aride is
rather warmer than Tiree, but the latter
does have the reputation of being the
sunniest place in Scotland, if not Britain,
and on calmer summer days, it is not
impossible to feel a tropical vibe on Tiree.
Both islands have white sandy beaches,
azure seas and more than their fair share
of breeding seabirds.

The 1,300 pairs of Roseate Terns on Aride
comprise the largest remaining population
of the species in the Indian Ocean.
Poaching of eggs elsewhere in Seychelles
has decimated the species and yet it is
sobering to think that in some years more
Roseates still breed on the tiny island of
Aride than in the whole of Europe! The
shrill cries of the Roseates in April rise

above the din of the other species of tern
nesting in the native hill woodland of
Aride. Some 650,000 pairs of six species of
tern breed on Aride, including up to

435.000 pairs of Sooty Tern, where
uniquely they nest on the woodland floor.

1 90.000 pairs of Lesser Noddy and 1 0,000
pairs of Fairy Tern nest in the trees, whilst

10.000 pairs of Brown Noddy and 200
pairs of Bridled Tern breed on the rocks. It
is tempting to think that the Bridled Tern
that summered on Tiree in 1994 may have
come from Aride, although the Caribbean
is probably a safer bet. In the absence of
rats, other ground nesting seabirds on Aride
include some 1,500 pairs of White-tailed
Tropicbirds, the last three pairs of Red-
tailed Tropicbird in the granitic islands,
19,500 pairs of Wedge-tailed Shearwater
and 57,000 pairs of Audubon's Shearwater.

Rats on Tiree and all of its offshore islets
have put paid to any chances of nesting
shearwaters or Storm Petrels, and of
course there aren't any trees, but the
familiar sounds and smells of seabird
colonies are never far away. Tiree is home
to some 500 pairs of Arctic Tern, 60 pairs
of Little Tern and a few pairs of Common
Tern, and their return in April coincides
with the annual return of Roseate Terns to
their breeding colonies on Aride. Inland,

Brown Noddy. (John Bowler)

there are large colonies of Herring,
Common, Black-headed and both Lesser
and Greater Black-backed Gulls. The
rocky headland of Ceann a'Mhara holds a
classic northern seabird city, with 1,400
pairs of Fulmar, 350 Razorbills, 1,900
Guillemots, 155 pairs of Shag and a
handful of Tysties. Looking down at the

Razorbills. (Arthur Grosset)

cliffs on a sunny June day, the Fulmars
wheeling about on the updrafts are not so
unlike the marauding Frigatebirds of the
Aride cliffs and on one memorable visit
in May 2003, we spotted a visiting
Eleonora's Falcon sitting on a cliff-ledge
just as they do in November and
December on Aride! Similarly, Tiree was
the locality for Britain's only Ascension
Frigatebird to date - interesting examples
of synchronicity.

1

Both islands have relatively short lists of
breeding species: Tiree, on account of its
windswept, treeless habitats and Aride,
because of its small size and oceanic
location. However, both islands are hugely
important for bird conservation. Tiree hosts
more Corncrakes than any other British
island and holds nationally important
numbers of breeding Ringed Plover and
Dunlin. Surprisingly perhaps, the first two
of these species have both appeared on
Aride as migrants over the years.

It is the endemic breeding species that are
most important on Aride. Restocking of the
native forests on Aride since its inception
as a nature reserve in 1976, has allowed
two Seychelles endemics, the Blue Pigeon
and the Seychelles Sunbird to return of
their own accord. Three other species with
less ability to recolonise naturally have
been re-introduced in recent
years. Following their re-
introduction to the island in 1988,
Seychelles Brush-Warblers have
flourished and Aride now hosts
over three-quarters of the world
population. Two other endangered
species, the Seychelles Fody and
the Seychelles Magpie-robin, are
also now breeding once again on
the island, creating additional
populations to aid their long-term
survival.

From a birding perspective, both islands
are perhaps most exciting at migration
times and both, perhaps not coinci-
dentally, have impressive lists of
unexpected vagrants. A regular pastime is
the daily check of the local beach to count
the Turnstones and Sanderling, always
with the hope that something else might
turn up. Creenshank, Whimbrel, Little
Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Grey Plover and
Common Sandpiper have all brightened
my days on both islands, but Lesser
Sandplover, Greater Sandplover and Crab
Plover have yet to make it to Tiree!

Sea-watching prospects are good on both
islands. Tiree's western location at the
southern entrance to the Minch, means
that NW gales can funnel birds along its
northern shores, whilst southerlies can be
equally productive from its southernmost
tip. Sifting through the huge autumn
movements of auks, Fulmars, Gannets and
Manx Shearwaters is both enjoyable and
rewarding. Sooty Shearwaters and Storm
Petrels are often present in good numbers,
together with regular Arctic and Great
Skuas, and more occasionally, Pomarine
and Long-tailed Skuas, Grey Phalaropes,
Leach's Petrels and Sabine's Gulls. Aride's
location on the shallow Seychelles bank,
means that truly oceanic migrant seabirds
rarely come close to its shores. However,
towards sunset, the gathering mass of

locally breeding shearwaters, noddies and
Sooty Terns is a tremendous spectacle in
itself, and in June and July, these in turn
attract the attentions of Antarctic Skuas
and more rarely, South Polar and Arctic
Skuas. Brown, Red-footed and Masked
Boobies have all appeared from time to
time, whilst vagrant terns during our stay
included Crested, Lesser Crested, Black-
naped and Saunder's, and as on Tiree,
careful scrutiny of the tern flocks could
produce a lurking Common Tern.

Aride has the bonus of an annual raptor
migration in November-December. Each
year, the island plays host to an array of up
to seven species of falcon, often
conveniently highlighted by a wheeling
mob of Fairy Terns, as they circle distantly
in dazzling tropical sunshine. Less
conveniently, all are immature birds,

providing a trying, but fun, test of identifi-
cation skills to separate such similar
species as Hobby, Sooty and Eleonora's
Falcons, and Western Red-footed from
Amur Falcons. Migrant raptors on Tiree
are normally rather easier to identify,
having included both Black and Red Kites,
Rough-legged Buzzard, Osprey and Sea
Eagle in recent years.

Tiree fares better for migrant passerines
than Aride. There is an annual influx of
warblers, chats and flycatchers in May and

Whooper Swans. (Arthur Grosset)

again in September, always with the
chance of something special, such as a
Hoopoe in spring or a Yellow-breasted
Bunting in autumn. Migrant passerines
were the "Holy Grail" on Aride, requiring
cyclones in November to produce a subtle
combination of strong NW winds to force
birds crossing the Arabian Sea into the
Indian Ocean, and tropical deluges to
bring them down onto the island. If all
these elements came together, then Aride
could be rewarded with a Tree Pipit,
Swallow or even a White Wagtail! On one
occasion, a visiting birding friend idly
mentioned a Spotted Flycatcher that he
had seen - a once in a lifetime bird on
Aride - which I fortunately managed to
track down later. More exotic visitors
during our stay included both Jacobin and
Asian Lesser Cuckoos, and perhaps more
mundanely, a Quail and a House Sparrow.
The Quail was new for the
Seychelles at the time and the
House Sparrow proved to be the
first recent record for the central
island group!

The small wetland on Aride can
hardly compare with the rich
machair lochs on Tiree, but its
Moorhens were easier to see than
their secretive Hebridean cousins,
and both islands have produced
fine drake Garganey in spring.
However, Tiree can boast up to
7,000 wintering geese, a stirring spectacle
in themselves on a winter's day and
always worthy of a check for the odd
Pinkfoot, Brent, Canada or Snow Goose.
The larger Tiree lochs such as Loch a'
Phuill and Loch Bhasapol host wintering
flocks of Whooper Swans, and rafts of
dabbling and diving ducks, which have
held several Nearctic species in recent
years including Ring-necked Duck,
American Wigeon, Blue-winged Teal and
American Black Duck.

Ultimately, the two islands are both
fantastic places to visit, to savour their
important populations of breeding birds
and to search for interesting migrants. Both
Aride and Tiree are benefiting from
sustained conservation efforts and
sensitive management, in order to ensure
that this remains the case in the future, and
both embrace sustainable eco-tourism.

Lor more information on Tiree, visit: www.
isleoftiree.com Aride Island is currently
managed by the Island Conservation
Society based in Seychelles. Lor more
information on migrant birds in
Seychelles, visit the site of the Seychelles
Bird Records Committee at: www.

stokecoll.ac.uk/sbrc

John Bowler
john. bowler@rspb. org. uk

Fairy Terns. (John Bowler)

2

Scottish Bird News
No 70 December 2003

Edited by

Jimmy Maxwell
Brian Cartwright
Assisted by

Martin Coliinson
Ian Francis
Caroline Scott
Bill Gardner

Contents

From Aride to Tiree 1

News and Notices 3

Conference 2003 6

Little Ringed Plovers in Scotland 10

Bird artists in Scotland - Darren Rees 12
Highland Branch in Orkney 14

Presidential Profile - Mark Holling 16

Bird Atlases Update 17

Reviews 1 8

Notes & Comment 20

Recent Reports 22

Contributions for the next issue of SBN
should be submitted not later than 31st
January 2004 to:

SBN Editor, SOC,

Harbour Point,

Newhailes Road,

Musselburgh EH21 6SJ

Articles and photographs can be sent on
disc or by e-mail (mail@the-soc.org.uk),
although we do still accept typed or
handwritten material.

Designed by

Harry Scott, Pica Design, Aboyne

Printed by

Meigle Colour Printers Ltd, Galashiels

NEWS & NOTICES

New Editorial Team

Well, here it is - our first combined
attempt to follow in the footsteps of Mike
Fraser, whose last few editions have
raised the profile of SBN to a very high
level. Mike has now begun studying for a
teaching career - a very difficult job - we
wish him well. We will certainly try to
maintain the quality he achieved and we
will certainly need your help to do it. Our
magazine must reflect the membership of
the SOC - your interests, your work and
all the things that excite you about birds.
We hope that opportunities for you to
communicate news to us will be
facilitated by the Regional Committee
and its representatives from each Group,
but in the end, individual initiative is
what matters.

Our 4-man team will be keeping a
watching brief on all the ornithological
projects taking place in Scotland, the
artistic work going on and, of course, the
many SOC-based interests and
developments. The latter naturally
includes the building of Waterston House,
which we hope is going to be a functional
and beautiful seaside centre for all of us -
a home we can all be proud of. We four
will not be known to all of you, so there
follows a very brief profile on each of us.
Who knows how well we can work
together to form a coherent team but we
will be doing our best to make SBN a
worthy reflection of ornithological thought
and happenings in Scotland.

Brian Cartwright: In May 2002, I moved
from Staffordshire and now live in a small
village near Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire
having retired from business. I was a
member of the West Midland Bird Club
and served on its committee for two years,
but since moving north, have joined the

© B. Gardner 2001 Olympus Digital 3030

Angus & Dundee Bird Club and am editor
of its "Newsletter" . As well as the SOC, I
am a member of the BTO, RSPB and the
SWT. I spend some time each day
birdwatching - its amazing what you see
from the kitchen window!

Martin Coliinson: I have lived in Scotland
since 1991 and was previously Editor of
SBN from June 2000 to June 2002. At
present I am a member of the British
Ornithologists' Union Records
Committee, convener of its Taxonomic
Sub-Committee and a member of the
Editorial Board of 'British Birds' since
1998. Living in Newtonhill on the north-
east coast encourages me to work hard at
increasing my patch list.

Ian Francis: I live in Aberdeenshire and
work for the RSPB as Area Manager for N-E
Scotland. Until recently, I have been an
SOC Grampian Branch committee member
for seven years - also a member of
Grampian Ringing Group, N-E Scotland
Raptor Study Group and Chair of N-E
Scotland Biological Records Centre. I am
currently organising N-E Scotland Breeding
Bird Atlas and am a member of the UK Rare
Breeding Birds Panel. Having a keen
interest in geese, I co-ordinate the
Greenland White-fronted Goose census
each year in Scotland.

Jimmy Maxwell: Originally from Ayrshire,

I now live in Hamilton. A retired music
lecturer, my last ten years has been spent
more and more on birds and other wildlife
- am also increasingly keen on insects and
flowers. Love chamber-music. Enjoy hill-
walking and sailing and my new sport of
curling. Regular foreign holidays are
increasingly constrained by BTO/RSPB
activities often involving work at Baron's
Haugh (Website maintained) and also the
SOC - now a Council Member. An
ongoing study of Willow Tits uses up any
time left over.

3

Attendees at the Scottish Recorders Conference 2003 (from left to right) were: Martin Cook
(Moray & Nairn), Ian Andrews (Lothian), Paul Baxter (NE Scotland), Malcolm Ogilvie (RBBP),
Bernie Zonfrillo (Clyde Islands), Ron Forrester (SBRC), Andy Thorpe (NE Scotland), David Kelly
(Lothian), Neil Beilby (Upper Forth), lain Gibson (Clyde), Paul Collin (Dumfries & Galloway), Cliff
Henty (Upper Forth), Angus Hogg (Ayrshire), Val Wilson (Clyde), Dave Butterfield (Highland),
Alastair NcNee (Highland), Andrew Stevenson (Outer Hebrides), Jim Wilson (Clyde) and Ray
Murray (Borders). Also present were Ron Youngman (Perth & Kinross), Paul Daw (Argyll) and Dan
Carmichael (Angus & Dundee).

Scottish Recorders
Conference 2003

A Scottish Recorders Conference held at
Stirling on 6th December 2003 was
extremely productive and well-attended
by recorders and reports editors. The all-
day meeting allowed discussion on many
Local Recorder and Local Bird Report
issues, and provided an ideal opportunity
to share ideas, suggestions and problems.
There were also talks on the Rare
Breeding Bird Panel and the Scottish Bird
Records Committee.

Water birds
around the World

Wetlands International are organising an
international conference to review the
conservation, management and research
themes concerned with the world's major
flyways. The "Water birds around the
World " Conference is being held at Heriot
Watt University from 3rd - 8th April 2004.
You can find out more detail on
www.wetlands.org. The Conference has
many international partners. The main
sponsors are the JNCC, Wetlands
International and "Landbouw, naruur en
voedselkwaliteit" from Holland.

The event is expected to attract about 400
research ornithologists from all over the
world. SOC is assisting in the provision of
birding excursions on Tuesday 6th April
and other help will be required at Heriot
Watt during the week. If you would like to
assist in this interesting event please
contact Bill Gardner at SOC HQ.

Bill Gardner SOC Development Manager

Cruises to the Shiants and
North Rona in May 2004

The SOC organised two successful cruises
on the Poplar Voyager to St Kilda in 2003
and we aim to repeat the experience by
visiting North Rona and the Shiant Isles in
May 2004. The trips will last seven days,
leaving and returning from Kinlochbervie
in Sutherland. Sailing dates are Saturday
the 8th, 1 5th and 22nd May. The aim is to
spend two days and nights at each
location, going directly to North Rona on
the first day. If the weather is less than
perfect(!) we would take the more
sheltered alternative via Handa, then
across the Minch to the Shiants.

The skipper will be Bob Theakston, who
has made more than 20 successful trips to
Rona and as many to the Shiants. Anyone
keen to join one of these cruises should
contact Bob Theakston direct at; Poplar
Charters, Fairview, Stockton Road,
Sedgefield, Stockton on Tees TS21 3HA.
Tel: 01740 620562. E-mail:

bobtheakston@poplar-charters.fsnet.co.uk
Updates on bookings and the availability
of places will be posted regularly on the
SOC website.

SOC photographic
competition 2003

The results of the annual SOC
Photographic Competition 2003 were
announced at the Friday evening session
of the Conference. The various categories
had attracted 13 photographers who
submitted 113 photographs. Winners in
the various categories were:-

TECHNICAL - Best picture of a species

1st Peregrine by Edmund Feliowes
2nd Swift by Bobby Smith
3rd Cuckoo by Gordon Yates

Also selected for special mention were:
Snowy Owl by Brian Orr, Meadow Pipit by
Eric Middleton and Willow Warbler by
Graham Checkley

COMPOSITION - A picture that puts the
bird in its habitat or a bird doing
something typical of that species

1st Parrot Crossbill by Harry Scott
2nd Chiffchaff by Jimmy Maxwell
3rd Dipper by Dennis Johnson

Also selected for special mention were:
Water Rail and Tree Sparrow by Jimmy
Maxwell and Puffin by Margaret Mylne

RARITY - Self-explanatory

1 st Booted Warbler by Sam Alexander
2nd Little Bunting by Harry Scott

As there were only 10 entries received for
this category it was decided that only two
prizes would be awarded this year.

This year's completion is the first of three (or
four) to be run in connection with the new
'Birds of Scotland' publication. I'm afraid,
readers will have to wait until this is
published before they see the winning
photographs and many of the other entrants!

The Editorial Group would like to thank
the 13 photographers who sent in a
combined total of 113 slides, prints and
digital pictures. The goal of illustrating all
the species on the Scottish List in the new
book has taken a large step forward.
Anyone interested in submitting
photographs for the book or next year's
competition is welcome to do so.

Ian Andrews

New members

We welcome the following new
members to the Club: Ayrshire B.

Lennox, R. Lennox. Borders W.

Johnstone. Central Scotland Mr. and
Mrs. J. Smellie, G.J. Fraser, G.J. Riddoch.
Clyde D. Fotheringham, J. Scrimger, Mr.
and Mrs. D. Palmar. Dumfries A.

Marshall. Fife Dr. and Mrs. R.
MacGregor, J. Munday. Grampian Mrs.
J.D. Davies, Mrs. E. Ferguson. Highland
Ms. F. Newcombe. Lothian D.

Loughney, F. Germi, J. Ellison, Ms. L.
Macleod, W.F. Howarth, S. Wensley, P.
Hyvonen. Stewartry G.H. Smith, Mr.
and Mrs. R. Ackerley. No Branch J.
Hastings, J. Mackenzie, S. Morris. South
of the Border C. Hartley, B. Bourke.

4

200 Club

The latest prize winners are: September -
1st £30 Mrs. J. Watson; 2nd £20 Mrs. G.
Hartland; 3rd £10 ). Ballantyne. October
- 1st £30 Dr. J. Stewart; 2nd £20 Dr.
Campbell; 3rd £10 Miss S. Goode.
November - 1st £150 Miss McCulloch;
2nd £75 Prof. Jenkins; 3rd £50 R.J. Allen;
4th £30 Mrs. Pyall; 5th £20 P.W. Speak;
6th £1 0 Mrs. J. Jacobs. There are still some
places to fill to complete 200 members. If
you are a member of the SOC and over 1 8
you can join for the remainder of the 200
Club year for £6.00. Please send a
cheque payable to "SOC 200 Club" to me
at Rosebank, Gattonside, Melrose,
Roxburghshire, TD6 9NH.

Daphne Pierce-Duncombe

Scottish Raptor
Monitoring Group

The SOC is represented on this group,
which includes the Scottish Raptor Study
Groups, RSPB Scotland, BTO Scotland
and SNH (see SBN65:5-6). The group
meets quarterly, but there are also
meetings of a separate science support
sub-committee on which the SOC is also
represented. Over the last year the
Scottish Raptor Monitoring Group (SRMG)
has been involved in the preparation of a
Raptor Monitoring Manual which will
provide guidelines to raptor workers and
will be published by the Stationery Office
in 2004.The Science sub-committee has
prepared frameworks for monitoring
Golden Eagle, Peregrine, Hen Harrier,
Merlin and Buzzard making use of
existing data and planning how best to
collect it in the future so that population
trends and causes for changes can be
better understood. There has been input
into the Raptor Round-up which the SOC
produces and circulates to all its
members. The Group has employed a
Raptor Monitoring Officer (Brian
Etheridge) who has recently been
collecting all data for 2003 from the
Raptor Study Groups in order to set up a
new monitoring database. The Group also
has representation on the Moorland
Forum and is active in any conservation
issues affecting raptors in Scotland.

Mark Holling

Argyll Bird Club
Spring Meeting

The Argyll Bird Club Spring Meeting will
be held in the Royal Marine Hotel,
Hunter's Quay, Dunoon, on Saturday,
27th March, 2004 - to which non-

members are always welcome. The event,
which runs from about 10.30a.m -
4.30pm, usually includes a diverse
programme of speakers, with topics likely
to include birds in Argyll and further
afield, plus matters of a wider natural
history remit. Announcements of Recent
Bird Sightings, read by The Argyll Bird
Recorder, Paul Daw, are always of
interest. We invariably start the day with
coffee before the programme begins,
which allows time to congregate and
catch up with old friends. The breaks half
way through both morning and afternoon
sessions, and the lunch hour, all provide
further opportunities to exchange news
and views, plus making use of the hotel's
facilities and giving car-bound dogs a few
minutes of relief! Any SOC member
wishing to find out more about the Club
should contact the Chairman - David
Wood at Drovers House, Bellanoch,
Lochgilphead, Argyll PA31 8SN (phone
01546 830272, e-mail: puffinus®

stormie.idps.co.uk at home, or phone
01546 603611, e-mail: david.wood@
snh.gov.uk at work) who will be happy to
forward them a complimentary copy of
the Club's quarterly magazine - The Eider.

Katie Pendreigh

Save the Albatross

- Stop Pirate Fishing

- Sign the Petition

Throughout the Southern Ocean seabirds
face the danger of death by drowning on
longline hooks. Unless changes are made
within the fishing industry we will
witness the extinction of some albatross
species. We can influence this deadly
outcome. Please sign this petition to help
save the albatross.

This petition has been born from the John
Ridgway Save the Albatross Voyage and
the BirdLife International ’Save the
Albatross1 Campaign. It is supported by
BirdLife International and partner groups
in over 1 00 countries, Greenpeace and the
British Antarctic Survey. John Ridgway and

representatives of conservation organi-
sations will present the petition to the
United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organisation in June 2004.

A word from John Ridgway " Almost
forever ; the albatross has graced the skies
of the Southern Ocean. But soon they will
be no more.

Pirate longline fishing will kill them all. I
cannot stand by and watch this happen. I
will sail around the world, following their
circumpolar track to raise public
awareness and prevent their needless
slaughter. It may be the last chance for the
albatross.

I invite you to help. Add your name to the
cry to stop the needless slaughter of the
albatross. Please sign the petition.

Into the mist..." John Ridgway, Sept. 2003.

To follow the John Ridgway Save the Albatross
Voyage, go to; www.savethealbatross.org

To obtain the Petition for you and your friends
to sign, go to; http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/
A552908

Fleece hat in navy with SOC logo
One size - £8.50 + £1.50 p&p

Blue biro with silver SOC logo
£1.00 + 50p p&p

Only six Chris Rose Prints left.
£30 + £3 p&p from HQ.

5

Once again, the Balavil Sport Hotel at
Newtonmore was the venue for the SOC
Conference and ACM. The 2003 event
took place over the weekend of 31st
October to 2nd November and its success
reflected the extremely hard work of the
organising committee and SOC staff. The
report that follows in these pages is a
combined effort of two of the new editors,
Jimmy Maxwell and Brian Cartwright with
able support from Ron Forrester, Tom
Cray, Dave Merrie and Stuart Rivers.

Friday evening

Ian Andrews, SOC President, opened the
Conference and welcomed all those
attending. The theme of the event this
year was "Picturing Birds" and it was
much travelled photographer, Eric
McCabe, who presented the first lecture
with a winter journey to Japan to see
cranes and eagles. In addition to these, he
also saw jay, redstart and shrike plus great,
marsh, coal and willow tits; all these were

Unforgettable Japanese Cranes with Eric.
(Eric McCabe )

different sub-species from the birds we see
in Scotland. No house sparrows but lots of
tree sparrows. This talk was a delicious
taster for the main Conference with the
slender beauty of the cranes coming to life
in vivid and stunning photographs. No-
one present will forget the final picture of
a sea eagle flying towards the cranes
which was described by one person
present as one of the finest bird
photographs that he'd seen.

Bill Gardner, SOC Development Officer,
followed with an up-date on the new Club
headquarters at Aberlady. It was typical
Bill with detail presented effectively and
with humour. Design of the HQ is
complete and planning permission was
granted on 2nd October; the process was
straightforward but thanks were expressed
to both BTO and RSPB for their support. In
the presentation, potential problems of
alternative locations around Aberlady
were highlighted but it was comforting to
learn that the chosen site has a list of 250
species. It is an exciting project but much
work is still to be done especially in
achieving the fundraising targets.
Donations to the project by corporate
organisations in terms of materials and
support services showed the value of
relationships with the commercial sector.

Ian Andrews returned for the final session
which included a presentation on the
likely layout of the coming publication,
Birds of Scotland. One of the objectives of
BS3 is to be able to illustrate all 495
species with the best photographs
available in Scotland and so this year's
Photographic Competition had taken
place with this in mind. The results of this
were then announced (details on p.4 of
this issue). It was a fitting end to the first
evening and there was no doubt that the
theme of the Conference had got off to a
good start. BC

Many members went on an unsucessful search
for a local Sea Eagle at Insh Marshes.
(Hawk Conservancy/Jimmy Maxwell -
manipulated by Lang Stewart)

Saturday

In the morning delegates were free to bird
watch and the cold, crisp morning
provided its own reward for the hardy
souls. Those who preferred a more
relaxing approach to the Conference were
able to spend time (and money!) in the
attractive retail area on the first floor prior
to the afternoon's sessions.

Keith Brockie at the goods table with Jill
Andrews. (Jimmy Maxwell)

John Busby opened the afternoon and
treated us to "Instabird" on what looked
like a giant-sized loo roll. True to his
artistic temperament he had changed his
mind about the subject matter of his talk
almost at the last moment. Inspired by
Eric's photographs of cranes the evening
before, he used cranes as the medium for
showing us how the artist perceives the
various facets of birds, their shapes,
colours, patterns and translates these into
images. With the lightest of touches, he
tested his concept on paper. Invisible
to most of the audience, John Busby was
hesitant at first, but, as his confidence
grew, the image began to build on the
paper. Cranes standing, cranes posturing

6

Four Japanese Cranes. (John Busby)

in display and obeisance, cranes flying. A
sea eagle appeared, diving on the
scattering, frightened cranes. "No", said
Eric McCabe, "My cranes were oblivious
to the eagle; the eagle went for a fox". A
fox sprang up!

The work in progress now assumed the
appearance of a frieze. Helpers rushed to
wind it on to fresh paper. A perched
peregrine came next. A tree sprouted
below, changing the perspective. The
peregrine was John's first love - as a boy he
imitated one by rushing round the
garden "scaring pigeons". A few more
scratches on the paper accumulated into
the recognisable shape of a fleeing pigeon;
shading gave pictorial weight, quick lines
suggested land below and clouds above.

After a shot at doing a frogmouth diving on
prey, a bird he'd never seen, John returned
to his favourite and originally intended
subject of kittiwakes. Using a paper
model, he showed how it helped him to
construct images of birds in various flight
postures. "Oh! but we should have the cliff
first." So, one appeared, and a flight line of
a kittiwake, wheeling away, twisting and
turning, interacting with other kittiwakes.
At the end came the lesson - 'Make your
hand react to the things you see.' Well
John had done so superbly. We had had a
master class. DM

Ian Wallace is renowned for his inspira-
tional energy and enthusiasm, and this
was again to the fore in the presentation
that followed entitled The Field Sketch -
Fact or Fiction ?, where he set about
providing a "defence of the field sketch
before it is knocked into history by glossy
photos". We were treated to a selection of
drawings from his early days, with the
initial tendency to affix the 'wings of
geese' to all birds in flight, through the
steep learning curve of experiences on Fair
Isle and the new suite of species
encountered on National Service in
Kenya. Rarities like Britain's first Wilson's
Phalarope and Citrine Wagtail progressed
to his love of the redpoll complex and the

tan Wallace after his talk. (Jimmy Maxwell)

ID challenges within, while the close
examination of birds for sketching
underpinned his interest in field identifi-
cation - observation of different nostril
shapes in warblers being one illustrated
example. Other rarities seen allowed a
few digs at record-assessing bodies which
got support from some parts of the
audience. The lack of field-sketching
among the current generation of
birdwatchers was lamented, but it was
good to hear that Ian has lost nothing of
his enthusiasm for drawing and birds. SR

Michael Thomas's time machine rushed us
from 2000BC or earlier to the present at an
average speed of 1 00 years a minute. Early
representations of birds were symbolic or
decorative rather than scientifically
accurate. In the first 2000 years we
travelled from a Papua New Guinea stone
pestle, flying over the 1 00 metre humming
bird in the Nazca desert, past a frieze of
swallows in Athens and ancient Egyptians
catching wildfowl, down across the
tremendously powerful symbols of birds of
prey of the Greeks and Egyptians, to land
upon a handsome cockerel in a Roman
mosaic floor.

The millennium of the Dark Ages was
skipped and we restarted our journey in
12th century Italy with a beautiful bronze
gyrfalcon. Next followed St. Francis of

7

Musing on the displays. (Jimmy Maxwell)

Assisi and his birds; later Hieronymus
Bosch and his erotic composition of birds
and naked couples in the "Garden of
Delights".

A squacco heron of c.1 600 seems to be the
first attempt to accurately portray a bird. At
about the same time, the "Concourse of
Birds" got some right and others wrong.
From 1612, a Turkey from India made one
wonder how this bird got so far, when it
had hardly been imported to Europe from
America. Portrayals became more
realistic, like the 18th century 'Cock in a
Shower' - you could feel the wet feathers.
But, in the far north, symbolic images
prevailed - from an ancient eskimo raven
mask, to the modern lithograph of a
"round bird".

Enter the 19th century masters, Landseer
and Audubon, who mixed reality (more
from skins than life) with imaginative
poses. Perhaps Brune Lillefors, with his
eiders of 1896, was the first artist who
really knew his birds. So from now on

there were at least two distinct streams -
the artistic but realistic, as in a greetings
card of tree sparrows from Japan, and the
distorted or purely symbolic as with Paul
Klee and Pablo Picasso. Michael even
allowed some photographers as artists, but
ended very topically with references to
previous speakers John Busby and Ian
Wallace. DM

The 67th AGM

Ian Andrews, our retiring President,
welcomed all those attending and
presented the Council's Annual Report.
He thanked all those who had supported
him in his time in office, highlighting
especially Mark Holling's able contri-
butions as Vice President. He wished
Mark every success as President and felt
that he was leaving the SOC Council in
good hands.

Janet Crummy, Treasurer, presented the
Statement of Accounts giving a simple but
lucid idea of the year's complicated
financial procedures. A grateful audience
was happy to agree the Accounts which
were duly accepted. Janet, after all her
hard work in this post now becomes our
new Vice President, the position of
Treasurer to be filled by new Council
member Dick Vernon (Ayrshire).
Appreciation was voiced for the valuable
contribution from retiring Council
member, All ister Lavery, during his five
years of service. The extra position will be
filled by Keith Morton (Edinburgh). We
wish all of them every success in their
work on Council.

Mark Holling, duly elected as our new
President, concluded the AGM with a
short address where he paid all due
respect to Ian Andrews' vast contributions
while in office and gave personal thanks to
him for his support. Credit was given to
Bill Gardner, Development Officer, and
untiring protagonist in the Waterston

House project, who, with his staff, is
steering steadily through each
development stage. Mark emphasized the
continuing value of this work, especially in
the next few years as the Club adjusts to
this next exciting phase.

Under AOB a question was asked
concerning the suggested charging of
levies at Branch meetings. Various points
were raised, including the matter of non-
member attendees. It was announced that
the decision on levies should be left to
each Branch committee.

The President then formally concluded the
meeting after wishing everyone all success
in the coming Club year. JM

Saturday evening

An enjoyable dinner was, once again,
provided by the hotel and served with
speed and efficiency. The buzz of conver-
sation in the dining room was testament to
the enjoyment that was being experienced
and to the friendly atmosphere of the
whole event. Laughter was the order of
the evening as Ian Wallace entertained all
those present with his usual tongue-in-
cheek look at the bird scene today. A
valuable prize of an SOC pen was
awarded to the best bird theme tie worn by
the male diners. Dancing ended the
evening for some whilst others retired
either to bed or "some other place"! BC

Sunday

Tim Loseby used his lecture, entitled "A
Bird Photographer's Garden", to show a
sequence of splendid slides, taken over the
last 15 years, with many of the
photographs captured from the windows
of his home. The garden itself was a fairly
typical suburban space, with some
woodland adjacent. The essential
feature, however, to bring the birds within
camera range, was a middle-sized pond in
the centre of the lawn. In harder winters,
the water often required to be kept open
by breaking the ice daily.

A pebbled beach provided the main stage
on which the local Kent birds could
strut their stuff, moving and perching
amongst logs, catkin twigs and flowers,
etc. each appropriate to the season.
Native flora, of lilies and other aquatics,
kept the habitat looking natural and a
total of 79 bird species had used the
bathing and drinking facilities. Possibly
the most outstanding picture for me was
that of the Hawfinch, but Tim
had photographed many of the
commoner species to best effect.

Delegates taking a moment to chat between talks. (Jimmy Maxwell)

Paul Hackett followed with his presen-
tation on "Digiscopes", a word which
wasn't even in my vocabulary at the
beginning of the day. However a
digiscope is essentially a telescope with a
digital camera (still or video) fitted at the
eyepiece end. Inevitably there are
problems of compatibility between
cameras and 'scopes from different
manufacturers, and there are significant
costs in purchasing equipment for anyone
starting from scratch.

Sometimes the video would catch a
sequence of events - the hapless
sanderling caught first by the marauding
bonxie only to be retaken by the herring
gull and then finally dispatched by the all-
powerful greater black-back - a lesser
black-back tearing up its rabbit prey, with
comical interruptions from a tail-tweaking
carrion crow, all became realities for us as
the video revealed them.

It appeared to me however that the most
important items are the adaptor, required
to link camera and 'scope, a stable tripod
and a cable release for the shutter. The
latter reduces camera shake resulting from
the high magnification of combined
'scope and camera. Using members of the
audience, Paul demonstrated that no
previous experience was needed to
produce a photograph with the
equipment, once it was in place - the
whole activity can be reduced to one
of "button pressing".

However, before I can start, I shall have to
upgrade my own Kodak Digicam 240. I
may be further tempted when Paul's
promised book on the subject appears on
the market, but even then, the profes-
sional standards of his photography
will always stay beyond my reach. TG

Following a short break for tea or coffee,
Mark Hamblin, a former winner of the
British Birds prestigious 'Bird
Photographer of the Year' title, treated us
to a selection of breathtaking
photographs, all but one of which (an
evocative shot of a pair of European bee-
eaters) were taken in Britain. These
included a bathing jay sporting a 'punk
rocker' hairstyle, a ring ouzel carrying a
recently caught lizard, a perfectly
composed picture of a summer-
plumaged Slavonian grebe and a frame-
filling male sparrowhawk. But for many,
his photographs of owls (particularly a

little owl feeding a moth to its young and
a wonderfully composed picture of a
barn owl perched on a gate), were
perhaps the pinnacles in a mouth-
watering selection.

Mark who grew up in Warwickshire has
recently moved to the Scottish Highlands.
As the quality of his photographs fully
illustrate, this is England's loss and
Scotland's gain. RF

The last talk following our Conference
theme, Picturing Birds, was by Paul
Doherty. Could there possibly be anything
more to say on the subject? With Paul's
video expertise, we were to enter another
dimension altogether - that of Movement
and Sound. With Movement, the video
images came thick and fast - that sooty
shearwater gliding endlessly through the
wave-tops - the diving eiders caught
suspended inside huge transparent

Sound too can bring reality - we
watched as a wren and then a wood
warbler delivered their sibilant melodies,
lower mandibles vibrating on the trilling
sequences. A blackcock leapt and
strutted giving its frenzied wheezing
calls and the beauty of blackbird and
nightingale songs thrilled us in such
personal close-ups on their
performances. Paul demonstrated how
an unwanted extraneous noise from a
reversing lorry could be eliminated from
a recording - certainly not like that in
the old days!

Lastly the gulls - what better medium
than video for freezing wings in flight to
sort out those ageing and moulting
problems, Paul was now opening our
eyes to its educative potential. The scene
moved to gulls in Japan, and somehow I
felt, remembering Eric McCabe's Japanese
cranes, that the Conference had come full
circle. This splendid contribution from
Paul Doherty formed a fitting conclusion
to a weekend full of visual stimulation of
all kinds, certainaly an experience to
remember. JIM

Paul Doherty and Frances Gatens talk videos.
(Jimmy Maxwell)

Last year's Rufous Turtle Dove in Stromness.
(Paul Hackett)

breakers and that immense roost of knot -
we could home right in on those restless,
undulating swathes of running

waders And in contrast, something

as private as a skulking jack-snipe,
bobbing as it probed the mud for its prey
or the tiny pallas's warbler, delicately
searching among the twigs for insects

9

Male Little Ringed Plover. (Hugh Addlesee)

1. A breeding attempt in Clyde

For me, the Little Ringed Plover has always
had that bit of magic about it. Ever since
reading Kenneth Allsop's book about the
first English breeding, the bird has remained
in the special category. Such a wonderful
description of the bird's migratory flight
over the English Channel among waves of
other species and its eventual arrival at a
small gravel-pit - great stuff!

Well, something the same happened this
year right on my local patch, Baron's
Haugh RSPB Reserve, Motherwell. In fact,
it all started in April, 2002, when Dave
Abraham an avid young local birder,
through regular, painstaking watching,
found the species at Carbarns Pool, a
flooded field just beyond the Reserve.

Although a new bird for him, the diminutive
size beside other migrant Ringed Plovers,
the bright yellow orbital ring and the lack of
wing-bar when it flew, all persuaded him to
access Birdline - Scotland directly, with the
news. This brave move, of course, prompted
the usual sceptical remarks, especially as the
bird kept regularly disappearing, but Dave
piled on the agony by reporting two and
then three of the species present and also
mating taking place.

The usual questions were asked - could the
birds be contemplating nesting? - were they
frequenting the small gravel spits of the
nearby River Clyde? - and why were there
longish periods with no birds present?

I became involved in fairly long sessions of
watching. Every time the bird flew up, we
followed the circling sweeps as it gained
height and settled on its eventual direction
over the extensive backdrop of fields,
farm-buildings and the cluttered mass of
industrial Lanarkshire. Was it possible that
this species should be forsaking such an
apparently suitable area with plenty of

feeding and minimal disturbance, except
for cows, to find a better habitat in that
kind of landscape?

We scrutinised the O.S. map, trying to
project the last sighting into some of the
numerous wastelands of the Motherwell area
- sites of previous coalmining and heavy
industry where rosebay-willow herb now
ruled over a desert of concrete and industrial
rubbish. We found wheatears, meadow
pipits, larks, linnets, goldfinches, redpolls,
oystercatchers and then - plovers - but only
Ringed Plovers, nesting quietly behind a
factory among stony rubble. The 2002
season eventually ended with fewer and
fewer sightings of the Little Ringed Plovers
and no answer to the breeding question.

This year, we were better organised. As
soon as the species showed up in April at
Baron's Haugh, we swung into action with
entire days spent tramping out long
parallel transects over industrial relict
ground, progressing further and further
away from the birds' regular recreational
area. Fourteen breeding pairs of Ringed
Plover were found in the process as well
as some lapwing nesting sites and,
delightfully, an abundance of Brown Hares
which cavorted about in the open as we
had our lunch breaks.

Eventually, after almost giving up hope, our
efforts paid off. In one of our last areas to
survey, we heard the different piping call,
clinched the bird's identity and quickly
retired to telescope-viewing cover. The
female was soon running in to brood her
three eggs - which were noticeably smaller
than Ringed, the only material, a lining of
specially selected, fine stone-grains. The
immediate area was plain, grey, clinker-
gravel with only the occasional birch
seedling enriching the surface. Several
other Ringed Plovers nested nearby.

A 'record' photo by digiscope was taken
from cover (of poor quality due to the
distance and heat distortion) and later,
when the bird had left, a discrete tele-photo
of the eggs, always conscious of the scent
risk, the constant worry of all nest-finders.

The last problem now remained. Was this
'our' bird, so far away from Baron's Haugh?
On our next visit, mobile phones were used
with Dave at Carbarns Pool and myself in
view of the nest. Sure enough, eighteen
minutes after Dave texted me that the
female had just flown off, she flighted down
and came running in to relieve her mate on
the nest. He, in his turn, took off into a
headwind and arrived at Baron's Haugh
twenty minutes later. - a well-organised
commuting couple! (it was the 14th May)

Unfortunately, when I returned eleven days
later, it was to find a wrecked, burnt-out car
within only 40 metres of the nest, which was
empty. With an incubation period of 25
days, the eggs could never have been
hatched in that time and tyre-mark swathes
within a metre of the nest indicated the kind
of disturbance trauma the birds must have
endured. However it is possible that this site
was also used in 2002 and perhaps will be
again in 2004. We will be waiting...

Another single male Little Ringed Plover
was found towards the end of May, on a
similar site 6km away from this one, where
it remained for about three days. The
species is obviously showing signs of
interest in the Lanarkshire area, and, as we
shall see in the next note, it seems to be
part of quite a general influx into Scotland.

Little Ringed Plover nest. (Lang Stewart)

10

Area

Year

Location/Flabitat

Breeding Information/Comments

Angus

01

Inland, private site with sand & gravel / pools

Probable breeding

& Dundee

02

II

1st pair fledged 3
2nd pair fledged 3

II

3rd pair fledged 1

03

Same site as above

1st pair incubating - deserted due to works lorry disturbance
2nd pair mating/nesting - deserted (same reason)

3rd pair displaying - no breeding (same reason)

Argyll

No records of breeding

Ayrshire

No records of breeding

Borders

No records of breeding

Caithness

No records of breeding

Clyde

02

Carbarns Pool (B. Haugh) Flooded field area

Pair displaying/mating but breeding unconfirmed One other bird present

03

Ex-industrial site - pools and mixed clinker-gravel

Pair incubating, but failed due to disturbance - each bird commuted
regularly to Baron's Haugh RSPB Res.

Housing development in Steppes area

Pair displaying often but no confirmed breeding established

Gartloch

Possibly the same pair seen here as above

Clyde Islands

No records of breeding

Dumfries &

02

Active quarry with sand and gravel

Pair incubating - one chick seen. Also another bird present

Galloway

Abandoned quarry

Alarm calls from pair, but no nest found or young seen in area

03

It

Pair displaying - (Ringed plover harassment)

(97)

Dry building site near Lockerbie

One chick ringed - (this record is previously unreported and inserted just for interest)

Fife

02

West side

Attempted breeding

03

Central - Areas of gravel in quarries

Pair bred successfully

II

Pair bred successfully

West side

Probable breeding

Forth

No records of breeding

Flighland

No records of breeding

Lothian

03

Restored opencast site with industrial spoil and

Two pairs on this site - Fledged 1

seasonal water at some distance

Inland reservoir with stony mud exposed

Pair incubating, but attempt failed - disturbance from anglers

Moray

01

Large shingle areas of the Spey Estuary

Pair present - probable breeding

& Nairn

02

"

Juveniles seen in the area

03

II

Nest found - young hatched
Another pair seen - possibly breeding

N-E Scotland

02

(A new site) - disused corner of a gravel pit next to a pool

Fledged 1

03

Same site

3 half-grown chicks seen

03

Loch of Strathbeg (breeding site unknown)

5 birds seen (Adults and Juvs.) in late July

Orkney

No records of breeding

Outer Islands

No records of breeding

Shetland

No records of breeding

2. Scottish breeding records
for years 2001-3

We can all check back easily to find out
about Little Ringed Plovers' appearances
and breeding in Scotland by consulting
Rae Murray's excellent account in Scottish
Bird Report (1996) and thereafter in each
edition until 2000.

This brief note attempts merely to outline
recent breeding attempts from then till
the present. It does not include casual
sightings of single birds and is
deliberately vague as to site locations
detail, for obvious reasons. I have tried to
contact all informed parties in each area,
but may inevitably have missed some
records, so apologies if this has happened
- later, more detailed accounts will
hopefully put these right.

I thought it would be easiest to view or
check each area if a table format was
adopted, as above.

As you can see, Little Ringed Plovers seem
to be favouring the Central Lowlands and
Eastern coastal areas for their colonising
attempts; also, a whole variety of man-
made habitats are being chosen. It may well
be that many of these undesirable
wasteland sites are just not being covered
consistently enough to catch this
unobtrusive little wader in its expansion
moves. It will be interesting to see next year
whether the species consolidates today's
areas and what new territories it colonises
elsewhere. Whatever its future successes,
"Charadrius dubious" is surely beginning to
deserve a slightly more hopeful title!

Jimmy Maxwell

View from the Clyde, looking over Carbarns Pool, (in
Autumn) up towards Motherwell. (Jimmy Maxwell)

11

BIRD ARTISTS IN SCOTLAND

The trouble with Darren Rees is that he
has done so much in his artistic career it is
difficult to provide the reader with an
adequate portrait within two pages - and I
thought the editor had handed me an easy
assignment! Well here goes...

September of this year sets the scene. The
Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) had its
40th Anniversary Exhibition in the Mall
Galleries in London with over 400
paintings on show by the elite of British
Wildlife Art and I had gone to the preview.
Countryman magazine had sponsored a
new annual award for the best portrayal of
British countryside in a painting. And there
was its first recipient- 'Red Kites over
Stirling Carse' by Darren Rees! Not
unexpected, perhaps, since Darren's work
has been attracting a string of awards since
1981 including the RSPB Fine Art Award,
Birdwatching Magazine Young European
Artist of the Year, and Birdwatch Magazine
Artist of the Year.

Born in Andover, Hampshire in 1961,
Darren graduated in Mathematics at
Southampton University and taught the
subject for a year before pursuing a career
in wildlife art. His first major commission
was Biographies for Birdwatchers by
Barbara and Richard Mearns (Academic
Press 1988) and it remains one of my
favourite books, not least for its superb
black and white illustrations. (The Finsch's
Wheatear and Raddes's Accentor in
particular are fine examples of Darren's
skills as an illustrator). The evocative
watercolours in Portrait of Wildlife in a Hill
Farm (Whittet Booksl 995) are a delight too
(not just birds here but flowers, bats,
butterflies and others). His work reveals a
wide range of artistic ability - from the
precise requirements of ornithological
illustration as in Corvid plates in Birds of the
Western Palaearctic to the freer expression
of his own book Bird Impressions (Swan
Hill Press 1993) which received much
critical acclaim. This latter book includes
the watercolour Chough and Bluebells,
which caused Nicolas Hammond (Modern
Wildlife Painting- PICA Press 1998) to
comment "the unusual combination of a
chough and bluebells derives from Ree's
experience in the field. Unless he had seen
the bird among bluebells no artist would
have considered it."

Therein lies the secret! Darren has spent a
lifetime from childhood, observing and
sketching birds and other wildlife in the
natural habitat. He is an enthusiast for the
natural world. When a painting is
conceived and derived from the artist's
lifetime knowledge and experience of his
subject, it shows. The feel and the 'jizz' of
the subject are just right! This is the
message Darren's paintings convey.

Red-throated Diver and Phalaropes, Fetlar, Shetland
(watercolour).

Darren lives in the Carse of Stirling near
Thornhill and about four miles from my
own home. His studio looks over the Carse
and the West Perthshire hills. It is a perfect
setting for a wildlife artist with its red kites,
flocks of migrating geese, curlews, brown
hares and the like. I reckon his 'Hare and
curlew chicks' (shown here) were just
along the track from his front door! Amidst
all the paraphernalia which artists gather
in their studios the critical items are the
sketchbooks - and Darren has shelves of
them stretching back for some years. As I
drive along the bumpy track to visit him,
there is always the feeling of anticipation
at seeing his latest work-in-progress.

Hawk Owl, White Mountains, New Hampshire.

Wallcreepers in the Pyrenees, New World
Warblers in New England, Cormorants on
Craigleith Island - they are all there. His
Hawk Owl started out as field pencil
sketches. Then there came the watercolour
composition layouts and finally the large
acrylic painting, sometime later snowflakes
were added. I know the White Mountains
and Mt. Washington well - Darren's
painting really captures the scene.

Recently he has returned from the latest
Artists for Nature Foundation/WWF Project
in Peru where he spent three weeks with
Chris Rose, Darren Woodhead and others.
I've had the joy of thumbing through

Brown Hare and Curlew chicks (watercolour).

12

•tf

Waxwing quartet (acrylic).

Darren's sketchbooks from the trip - the
hummingbird watercolours dazzle on the
pages. The Peru Project will be the theme
for the 2004 Bird Fair at Rutland Water. I
cannot wait for the book to come out.

Over the past decade Darren's artistic
activities have moved on. Whereas
previously his output was mainly fine
illustrations in various books and
beautifully rendered watercolours, now he
seeks the freedom of expression that his
larger exhibition paintings in acrylic or oils
provide. In recent times large paintings
have been inspired by watching "a
bewildering exodus of ten million bats
billowing into a Texas sky" and the sighting
of "White-beaked Dolphins feeding with a
mighty Blue Whale off Iceland in 2002". As
you chat to Darren about his work you can
sense his passion, and even restlessness, to
capture and portray on canvas or board the
amazing variety of wildlife and birds he has
observed and the special unique moments
embedded in his memory. In short, whilst
very much still a superb illustrator, he has
developed as an artist, now seeking to resist
overworked detail but to render in an
impressionistic and painterly fashion the
great spectacle of nature. There is probably
more of the man himself revealed in his
current work; he has been observing birds
and wildlife since a child but clearly still
revels in nature.

No artist works in a vacuum and Darren will
count John Singer Sargent and Andrew
Wyeth in U.S.A. and Lars Jonsson and
Charles Tunnicliffe and others as influencing
his work at various stages of his development
as an artist. He and his wife lived in New
England for two years which explains the
American influence. His works have been
accepted on a number of occasions at the
prestigious 'Birds in Art' annual exhibition at
the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum in
Winsconsin (This exhibition only selects 1 00
paintings each year from around 1500
submitted by bird artists worldwide!). He is a

regular exhibitor at the SWLA annual
exhibition and is currently on the SWLA
Council. In 2004 apart from the latter show,
he will be exhibiting at:

'Diversity of Wildlife in Art II' at Edinburgh
Zoo Gallery (14th May-1 7th June)

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge (One
man show 14th Nov. -5th Jan. 2005)

During December 2004 a small selection of
his works can be viewed at Stirling Art, in
Upper Craigs St., Stirling.

Some of Darren's current work is
illustrated here. The 'Waxwings' and

'Hawk Owl' are now available in fine
giclee prints (he is offering these at a
special price to SOC members with the
Club receiving 20% of sale proceeds).

Whilst I write this article Darren has left
the Galapagos Islands and is somewhere
in the Amazon leading a birding group.
Since 1993 he has been a tour leader with
Speyside Wildlife Tours and his travels
encompass not only the Galapagos, but
Iceland, Texas, Arizona, New England,
Majorca, Pyrenees, Extremadura, Sweden,
Poland, Holland, Cyprus, and Nova Scotia
(Wonder if he keeps a bird list total?). The
Autumn 2003 Birds Illustrated magazine
carries an article on the work of Lars
Jonsson - the author is Darren Rees, now
a regular contributor on the subject of
Wildlife Art. Oh, and his 'Waxwings' are
appearing in the Winter 2003 issue. A
busy man indeed.

In rounding off this portrait of the artist there
has to be kept in mind the strong support
provided to him by his wife Gwynneth and
children Michael (7yrs) and Sophie (4yrs). I
haven't seen examples of Michael's artistic
talent yet, but on my last visit Sophie was
standing at her easel in the kitchen painting
Castle Campbell with great panache, under
the watchful advisory gaze of Darren. The
start of a Rees' artistic dynasty?

Richard Daly

Abernethy Forest (watercolour).

13

Highland Branch in Orkney
- 9th to 1 2th May 2003

On the cliffs near Marwick Head. (Carol James)

The party of 14 met in Inverness on a bright
sunny morning. The forecast for the
weekend was pretty awful and no ferries
sailed to Orkney the day before. May should
be good in the islands but, of course, we
had summer in March and April this year!
Nothing to do but, hopefully, set off north,
straight up the coast. The ferry wasn't until
6.45pm - time to make a few detours, first to
Loch Fleet and the old ferry pier opposite
Little Ferry. By the time we reached there
our bird list had started - kite, buzzard,
oystercatcher, swallow, song thrush,
shelduck and most of the common birds.

At Loch Fleet, we watched ringed plovers
running along the sand and a common
sandpiper bobbed among the stones. Eider
ducks (several males and one female)
floated on the incoming tide and a heron
flew gently past. Pied wagtails flitted along
the shore as several shelduck fed in the
muddy pools. We continued around the
loch to the Mound where we stopped to
stretch our legs. A pair of buzzards cavorted
above the cliff - then a peregrine, low over

the top, up and round the bluff An

osprey floated over the hill and down to the
loch, landing somewhere in the scrub at the
far side. Although it occupied a nest in the
area, we didn't have time to look for it.
Wigeon and mallard pottered around the
shallows and a great tit sang in the whins
and scrub willows beside the car park.

On north, through Brora, Helmsdale and
Dunbeath with swift, blue tit, cormorant,
lapwing and house martin added to a
growing list. At Leatheronwheel, seven of
us followed the wooded glen to the
harbour where the rest of the party would
be having lunch. This lovely walk
produced greenfinch, wren, willow
warbler, robin and blackbird - and what a
super harbour! The others had seen grey
wagtail and a shag perched on the rocks
guarding the entrance to the cove. Rock
pipits and pied wagtails flitted here and
there and the sun still shone! On again
towards Thurso with another detour, this
time to visit the upper reaches of the River
Thurso, past Strathmore Lodge. An Osprey

Short-eared Owl. (Arthur Crosset)

was sitting on a post right in front of the
bus - it took off and immediately started
diving for fish - but without success. The
weather had turned a bit cold with
hailstones drumming on the roof, so no
volunteers for more walking! We watched
four common scoter diving in the loch - a
snipe flew over and a golden plover was
heard behind us.

Another loch held a distant black throated
diver - no problem for the telescopes!
Then it was time to head for the ferry,
through Thurso and along the coast
towards John o' Groats to Gills Bay.
Common seals in the bay and on the rocks
below us - a common gull, and shelduck,
their plumage looking wonderful in the
evening sunlight. The crossing was about
an hour and a half - and very calm. I
nipped out at one point to catch a puffin,
lots of tysties and guillemots too. We
arrived about 7.30pm at St Mary's Hope
on South Ronaldsay.

We headed across the island, stopping at
Echnaloch for the tufted duck, goldeneye,
mergansers, long tailed ducks and mute
swans on the loch. Swallows swooped low
over the water feeding on the many insects
hatching on such a nice balmy evening.
Rooks, starlings and oystercatcher were
added as we crossed the Churchill barriers
to Burray - superb views of a great
northern diver - then to the Mainland of
Orkney, heading for Kirkwall.

14

Next morning we set off to explore the
mainland - down to Scapa bay , a lovely
harbour with three tugs at the pier. A raft of
eider rode the swell, while ringed plover
fed frantically along the shore. Black-
headed gulls, fulmars, herring gulls and a
couple of twite flying across and up the
whin-covered bank. Arctic terns were
diving on the other side of the pier and
someone picked out a sandwich tern way
out to sea. Next, east towards the airport,
scattering the lapwings over the boggy
grazing land - wheatears, rock doves and
hoodies everywhere. We continued on to
St Peter's Pool, a good wader spot in the
winter, enjoying views of bar-tailed
godwits and redshank. Some of us climbed
over the dunes and looked south into a
good strong wind to see yet more divers. It
was a lovely spot. Then back to Echnaloch
watching the long-tails flying in to feed on
the loch with teal and lesser black-backs.
The high wind ensured that the
sandwiches lived up to their name!

After lunch it was back to the mainland. As
we were driving along the south road
towards Hobbister reserve, a female hen
harrier rose nearby and flapped lazily
along with us for a while before
disappearing over the cliff - we hoped to
see more of these wonderful birds but alas
that was it for the week-end! We stopped
at Maes Howe and some of us who had
never been before, visited this amazing
underground tomb, with its hieroglyphics,
huge stones and interesting history. We
drove on along the shore of Harray Loch
and saw a black swan among lots of mute
swans. A reed bunting perched on a fence
post beside us, looking wonderful in the
golden sunlight - a couple of bonxies were
attacking the terns on a low island.

Next, we walked along the sea cliffs at
Yesnaby point with distant views of the
Old Man of Hoy. Primula scotica were
found, wonderful to see again with its
purple flowers and small yellow centres -
also some lovely spring squill - tiny little
sky blue flowers. You forget how small
these primroses are after seeing the usual
ones around the glens. Back in the bus
again and on into Stromness, in time to
head back to our B&B. A short-eared owl
sat on a post overlooking a road junction.

We drove past it slowly then back

again. When we finally stopped the bus
beside it, it glided off with its lovely slow
and silent wing beat. After such a busy day
it was good to relax with friends and a wee
dram of the local whisky.

The next day was once again bright and
sunny and our walk very pleasant, with
views looking over to Hoy - the highest
island in the Orkney archipelago. The
flowers were lovely with forests of willow
only 3 or 4 inches tall! Linnets flitted over
the dry stone dykes and dunnocks popped
in and out the ruins. On the mainland the
sun shone - the sea a wonderful clear
turquoise colour - the sand white, with
skylarks calling above our heads. What
more could you ask for? Then off again to
the north coast, over the moors and hills.
Lour arctic skuas wheeled above the tops,
chasing, diving, almost playing in the
wind. We had our lunch at the aoleonite
site near the Broch of Gurness, looking
over to Rousay. Aeleonite is sand and shell
wind-blown into rock and is only about
1 0,000 years old.

Two Tysties. (Arthur Crosset)

Arctic Skua chasing tern by John Busby

No rest for the wicked - off again, this time
up a steep narrow track to a lochan with
an RSPB hide to see the red throated divers
nesting there. Wonderful - there were two
pairs, giving everyone good views. At
Brough Head half of us opted to walk
along the tops of the magnificent sea cliffs
to Marwick Head. The sun was shining,
the sky blue with a few white fluffy clouds
and a pleasant breeze blew in from the
sea. Raft upon raft of guillemots and
razorbills out to sea - bonxies and arctic
skuas patrolling the cliffs. Noisy
kittewakes and gliding fulmars added to
the atmosphere of the place and a puffin
flew in with its whirring flight to land near
us. It was wonderful just sitting there
taking it all in.

Too soon it was back into the bus and off
to the Loons, an RSPB reserve, with a hide
overlooking a shallow series of lochans
and a large reedbed. Two families of
mallard explored the channels of the reed
beds and a superb male shoveler was
feeding at the far side. Greylag geese and
wigeon were away over in the distance. A
coot slowly followed the break in the
reeds and a heron stood quietly feeding at
the edge. As we made our weary way back
to Kirkwall a sparrow hawk swept past and
another short-eared owl was spotted.

The next day was rather damp and drizzly.
We were glad the weather had held for our
two hectic days of birdwatching and
sightseeing and that the rain only came as
we were leaving. We had another calm
crossing, although with poor visibility at
first. The weather cleared as we
approached the mainland and most of us
went up on deck - then back to Inverness.
We really packed a lot in for such a short
time, seeing about 67 species in Orkney
and 90 on the mainland as well as visiting
most of the main historic sights. Thanks to
all who came - it's the people as well as
the birds that make a trip successful.

Janet Crummy

15

(Jimmy Maxwell)

Mark joined the SOC Council in 2000,
and was Vice President under Ian during
2001-03, the two making a good working
partnership. So what of the next two
years? Mark would like to continue and
build upon some initiatives begun in
Ian's Presidency to make the central Club
more inclusive of all its membership and
branches, and to make the SOC the
obvious choice of club to join for birders
in Scotland. This means development of
the recently begun Club and Branch
websites and publications, and
maintaining good communication
between the Council, staff and members
and where non-SOC bird clubs exist, to
foster a relationship with these.
Similarly, to maintain a position with
other conservation and wildlife organi-
sations and have a voice on these issues,
something which Mark's work with the
Discussion Group and Raptor bodies
steers him towards. The recent reduction
in size of the Council and creation of
several committees, including the
Regional Committee, has begun to
extend the work of running the Club to
more members and Branches.

Another goal for Mark's presidential time
is to improve bird recording in Scotland
through development by the Club of a
common and improved standard for all
recording areas. And lastly, his will be
the task of overseeing the Club's move
into Waterston House, where secure and
ongoing partnership with Bill Gardner
and his staff is vital - a task where success
must involve all our membership.

Harry Dott

Residing initially in Edinburgh, Mark
soon took up residence in Borders Region
for some years, though recently he
moved to Lothian to live east of
Edinburgh. All this period allowed him to
be active in both Borders and Lothian
SOC Branches and he must have clocked

Mark Hulling representing the SOC at the launch of the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme lune 2002.

PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE

The new President of the SOC, as from
the AGM on 1st Nov 2003, is Mark
Hoi I i ng, so some of you may now be
thinking it's time to know more about
him. Due to his interest in the Club and
his organising skills he has risen through
various roles fairly quickly since his
arrival in Scotland to take the helm.

Mark's interest in birds started at seven
years of age and by high school days he
was counting waders, gulls and doing
beached bird surveys. By his sixth school
year Scarborough Borough Council asked
him to report on why Herring Gulls had
become such an urban problem and he
homed straight to the fact of nearby open
refuse tipping which was later duly
rectified. At Nottingham University he
qualified in both biology and information
technology, and although his interests lay
much more in the former, he chose the
latter as the vehicle for his career. Whilst
at university, Mark presided over the
Ornithological Society, after which he
was active in the Leicestershire & Rutland
Ornithological Society and still maintains
his membership and contacts there today.
A post with the Bank of Scotland brought
Mark to Scotland in 1988.

up considerable mileage going to the
meetings of both. Though Mark will
"twitch" a good bird in SE Scotland, his
main interests lie firmly in bird distri-
bution and record keeping and he got
heavily into this by assisting in the
production of Borders Bird Reports,
contributing many of his personal records
to these and to the Lothian Bird Reports.

Other interests soon progressed and
Mark played a leading role in the
production of that important book "The
Breeding Birds of South-east Scotland, a
Tetrad Atlas 1988-94", from the initial
planning before the first fieldwork in
1 988 right to its publication in 1 998. As
well as fieldwork and technical
planning, Mark was very good at
organising dates of meetings, who would
do what and by when, and generally
keeping everything on track. Another
activity which Mark took over from Allan
Brown in 1991 and still performs, is to
lead the South-east Scotland Discussion
Group monthly meetings from autumn to
spring each year - an important role in
which many issues, surveys and Club
activities are discussed and planned;
Mark takes on much of the letter writing,
responses and agenda-preparing himself.
Buzzards are yet another of his interests
and he continues to compile records of
this species' spread and distribution in
Lothian and Borders. He is in the SE
Scotland Raptor Study Group and is the
SOC Representative on the Scottish
Raptors Monitoring Group. A family
man, one wonders how he can keep all
these activities going?

16

Bird Atlases Update

In SBN 64 a summary of the current
status of the Scottish bird atlases was
presented. This brief article serves to
bring members up to date. The last issue
gave details of the new north-east
Scotland atlas. It is also hoped that the
teams responsible for those projects still
conducting fieldwork will be able to
provide interim results in future SBNs.

Clyde and Ayrshire

Fieldwork for these two atlases was
completed a few years ago and
compilation of the results ready for
publication is still proceeding, but no
end dates are yet available.

Clackmannanshire

The second year of fieldwork on the
Clacks Bird Atlas is now over and
completed forms are being returned. A
further 48 km squares were allocated to
22 fieldworkers this spring to add to the
59 in 2002. This brings the total so far
allocated to 107 out of 200 and means
that the fieldwork is well on target for
completion in the projected five years.

Some early findings relating to UK
Biodiversity Action Plan species indicate
that, of those likely to be found in
Clacks, there have so far been no Black
Grouse records and extremely few of
Grey Partridge. Skylarks have been
plentiful both on the Ochils and in
suitable locations in lowland areas.
There have also been good numbers of
Song Thrush whilst only one Spotted
Flycatcher has so far been recorded. In
contrast, Tree Sparrows have been more
widespread than anticipated, whereas
Bullfinches have been quite sparse.
Linnet numbers are in line with
expectations and Reed Buntings have
occurred in good numbers, especially
along river systems.

per copy. This book had excellent
reviews and should never be thought of
as out of date. It remains the only
detailed account of the distribution of all
breeding species in Lothian and Borders
and will remain a benchmark with which
future surveys and information will be
compared. The general layout is a
double-page spread for all but the rarer
species, with text on one page and a
main map with subsidiary maps and
block graphs on the other. With bird
atlases for other parts of Scotland now
being prepared, atlas aficionados should
bear in mind that by the time this note is
published there will probably be less
than 100 copies of the South-east
Scotland atlas available! It is intended to
use the profits from the book to assist the
costs of a bird-watching hide in the
Lothian or Borders area. Possible sites
are being investigated at present. To
obtain a copy of the atlas, or for any
other enquiries, please telephone Mark
Holling (01620 894037), Harry Dott
(0131 447 6525 after 8th Oct) or Jim
Mattocks (0131 332 7104). A choice of
collection points or ways of delivery to
suit may be available. [Contributed by
Harry Dott].

Mark Holling

North-east Scotland

The second year of fieldwork has
been completed and the project is
on track to survey all tetrads
comprehensively by the end of
the five year period - a huge task
considering there are around
2,300 tetrads! Participation in
the survey has been
surprisingly reassuring, with
similar numbers of
fieldworkers in 2003 as in
2002 but including some
new volunteers. Inclusion of
two years of data means that
the interim maps, which
will be produced over the
winter, are likely to give
more meaningful results.

Further information and
contact details are given
by Ian Francis in SBN
68: 8-9.

The Fife Bird Atlas

The news you've all
been waiting for: the
Fife Bird Atlas is now
with the printers.

Barring problems (of
which there have been very many
during the Atlas's gestation period!), the
book should be with us before
Christmas. Get your orders in quickly, as
we have been able to decide on a very
competitive pre-publication offer.

You will all agree that £20 for an A4
364-page Atlas, describing and mapping
all species recorded throughout each
year of the fieldwork (1991-1999), is a
very reasonable price. If you live in Fife,
an extra £1 will see your copy delivered
to your door or, by arrangement, to SOC
or FBC meetings for you to collect. If
you live outwith Fife, postage and
packing is a necessary extra, although
you may collect a copy from RSPB Vane
Farm for the nominal £1 surcharge or, if
you can wait until after mid-January,
from SOC HQ.

Finally, you can arrange to collect your
copy from Fife Ornithological Atlas
Group members at no charge. But first of
all, you have to complete your order
form and send your cheque! A copy of
the order form will be found on the SOC
website or, alternatively, contact:
Norman Elkins, Secretary, Fife
Ornithological Atlas Group, 18
Scotstarvit View, Cupar, Fife KYI 5 5DX.
Tel: 01334 654348 or e-mail:

jandnelkins@rapidial.co.uk

Lothian and Borders

Copies of The Breeding Birds of South-
east Scotland, a Tetrad Atlas 1988-1994
(published in 1 998) are available for £1 5

Song Thrush by John Busby

A mapping programme is in the process
of being set up and distribution maps of
all species should be available by next
spring. Extra volunteers are always
welcome, please contact Neil Bielby
(01786 823830; Neil.bielby@ntlworld.
com). [Contributed by Neil Bielby],

17

REVIEWS

Birds and Light: The Art
of Lars Jonsson by Lars
Jonsson, Staffan

Soderblom and Bjorn
Linnell. 232 pp, 180
colour paintings.
Christopher Helm,
London. Hbk. ISBN 0-
7136-6405-3. £35.00.

Most birders will be familiar with Lars
Jonsson's distinctive work through his
fieldguides, in particular Birds of Europe
(Christopher Helm, 1996), but some may
not be aware that he is also recognised in
the art world as one of the best contem-
porary wildlife painters. This sumptuous
book, weighing 2kg and with a large
format of 28 x 30cm, is the first in English
to regale us with biographical details of
the life and work of this Swedish artist.
Filled with memorable images (mainly of
birds), it includes early childhood
drawings, fieldguide illustrations, and
beautiful sketchbook pages, watercolour
paintings, oils and lithographs.

The first chapter, "Looking At Nature" by
poet Staffan Soderblom, tries to psycho-
analyse Jonsson and his work. I have to
admit that I found this and the foreword by
Hans Brummer, hard going as "We
encounter a world where the existential
questions temporarily step aside before the
miracle of perception". However, don't be
put off, as the text becomes much more
readable and infinitely more interesting
when Bjorn Linnell takes over the writer's
task and, in the form of an interview
beginning with "The Boy With The Magic
Pen", provides an insight into what makes
Jonsson tick. This works well, and we
discover something about his upbringing,
his burgeoning interest in birds and art and
how this developed into a career in
illustration and wildlife painting. They also
discuss which artists influenced him and
his thoughts on conservation and wildlife
painting. A potted biography is provided in
the final chapter.

An idea of the scale of some of Jonsson's
work is provided by a photograph of him
with one of his canvasses - the painting (of
Grey Plovers) is almost 2m wide! We are
given tantalising glimpses of how he works
- sketching and painting in the field, using
a telescope to get him closer to his
subjects, and rattling off film in his
excitement when he first encounters Sea
Otters in California. The resultant painting
of the otter has to be one of my favourites
(p. 115) but I could list many more: Rooks
pulling on worms (p. 169), juvenile

18

Herring Gull (p. 147), and the pencil
sketches of Garden Warbler (p. 91) are
also superb.

This is a beautiful book which looks and
feels exquisite. I recommend it to anyone
interested in this artist's work. It makes an
interesting read and its pages are, indeed,
filled with "Birds and Light".

Liz Fraser

Tracks & Signs of the Birds of Britain
& Europe (Second edition) by Roy
Brown, John Ferguson, Michael
Lawrence and David Lees. 2003.
Christopher Helm. 333 pp. Pbk. ISBN
0-7136-5382-5. £24.99.

This is one in the
Helm identification
guide series; the first
edition was published
in 1987. There is a
lengthy introductory
section with chapters
on interpretation of
trails, nests and
roosts, pellets and
droppings and
feeding and other signs. There is then
an identification chapter (with text and
facing illustrations) on feathers, which
takes up nearly half of the book. These are
ordered by size. Finally there is a chapter,
again with illustrations, but on text pages,
on skulls. This is ordered by type of bill.

The book contains a lot of information,
particularly about feathers and moult. It is
a little large for putting in a pocket, but
should help considerably with identifi-
cation of any feathers or bird skulls taken
back home.

john Davies

Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland

Marjorie Blarney, Richard Fitter, and
Alistair Fitter. A&C Black (Domino
Guides). 482pp, numerous illustrations.
Pbk. ISBN 0-7136-5944-0. £16.99

It is nearly 30 years since 'Fitter, Fitter &
It rapidly established
itself as an essential
item of every library,
usually living with the
favoured bird guide
in the car. This work
is not precisely a
replacement as its
coverage is more
restricted geograph-
ically, not dealing
with the whole of

Blarney' came out.

NW Europe. On the other hand, it also
deals with grasses, sedges and rushes, and
ferns, horsetails, etc. The illustrations by
Marjorie Blarney are new, and there are
distribution maps by Alastair Fitter, with
Richard Fitter providing the descriptive
text, which is also new.

The book has been substantially updated -
although plants do not move about in the
same way as birds, they undoubtedly
change their distribution. For example, the
earlier book did not mention Few-flowered
Garlic Allium paradoxum, even though it
was already prevalent along the Water of
Leith. Now we are struggling to keep it out
of our garden, and this book duly includes
it, indicating that it is increasing rapidly,
but rarely dominant. Thus, for each
species, we are told about the plant's status
as well as where it is to be found.

There are one or two minor criticisms. The
distribution maps are small (inevitably in a
book of this size) and printed in green.
There is special indication if the plant is to
be found in Orkney, Shetland or the
Scillies, but it can be impossible to discern
eg whether Sea Holly Eryngium
maritimum is to be found in Scotland, as it
is (or was up to two years ago) on Iona.
Then they run down the side of the text
page but do not always align precisely
with the matching text, so you have to be
careful when referring to them. Also it can
be difficult to find a plant by an alternative
name, even if given in the index;
synonyms are not highlighted in the text.

However, these are minor quibbles. This
new guide is very likely rapidly to become
as indispensable as its predecessor. You
will almost certainly want to have it, even
though there is not a single picture of a
bird in it!

John Davies

Where to watch birds - Britain by

Simon Harrap and Nigel Redman.
2003 Christopher Helm, London.
ISBN 0-7136-4137-1 pbk. £19.99

To write a guide such as this covering, as it
does, the whole country is a fairly
monumental task involving a huge amount
of local research and
contacts. The result is a
substantial and

impressive tome of over
600 pages which

updates a previous
guide published in 1 987
and now covers nearly
440 sites with over 240
clearly defined maps.

Users of the guide may inevitably find
their local patch not mentioned but,
obviously, the authors had to be
reasonably selective. In this respect,
bearing in mind how species can fluctuate
and sites change for better or worse, the
areas covered provide a good insight into
what may be expected throughout the
year. Two omissions that might have been
mentioned were the three hides at
Musselburgh and Wigtown Bay which is
one of the largest National Nature
Reserves and has an excellent hide.

Though possibly a bit high in price for a
paperback, today's mobile bird watcher
will find this guide invaluable when
planning a tour or following up an
elusive rarity.

Keith Macgregor

Atlas of Wintering Birds in
Northumbria compiled & edited by J C
Day & M S Hodgson 2003.
Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club.
468 pp. ISBN 0-9538839-4-9 £42

have spent a fair
amount of time over
the years in
Northumberland in
winter, mainly (but not
exclusively) by the
coast so this excellent
volume covers an
area we know well. It
claims (correctly as
far as I can tell) to be
the first 'county'
wintering atlas, and gives a clear picture of
what is to be found in the area. There is an
| introductory section, with photographs,
describing the area, the weather over the
survey winters (1996-99) and the
methodology. Species accounts with tetrad
maps for the main species follow them
with shorter notes for scarcer species and
some detailed appendices (e.g. WEBS
counts). Each account also includes a
smaller 1 0km square map and the
Northumberland portion of the equivalent
map from the Britain & Ireland winter
atlas, enabling comparisons to be made.
(Suitable cautions are included about
problems at the county boundary where
Lack's data, of course, includes reports
from neighbouring areas.)

I found it all very interesting, and was
rapidly able to confirm, for example, that
the place to go to see sizeable flocks of
Purple Sandpipers is indeed just north of
Bamburgh! I also found the map for
Nuthatches interesting, in that they are
very scarce in the northern part of
Northumberland, only two tetrads each

having a single bird found within 1 0 km of
the Scottish border. Where did the birds (of
this supposedly sedentary species which
have now radiated so far out of the Hirsel)
come from - and why are they not also to
be found just across the Tweed!1 Certainly
I have never come across one in walks
down the Till. Indeed, I was slightly
surprised that the species discussion did
not refer to the Borders birds, particularly
as the SE Scotland Breeding Atlas is
included in the references.

This is an excellently produced book, the
result of much praiseworthy hard work. It
will prove fascinating to many members of
SOC, particularly those who know the area.

John Davies

The Birds of Morocco. An annotated
checklist by Michel Thevenot, Rae
Vernon and Patrick Bergier 2003
British Ornithologists' Union and British
Ornithologists' Club 594 pp, 76 colour
plates Hbk. ISBN 0-907446-25-6

Checklists sound as interesting as that
scribbled note your mother gave you
when sent on the messages: "3/4 lb mince,
tin catfood ..." but this is far more
rewarding. Although Morocco has no
endemic species - three pairs of Northern
Bald Ibis in Syria block this distinction - it
has a rich avifauna, combining
Mediterranean and north African species
with a few birds typical of the sub-Sahara
as well as a wealth of European migrants.
Combine that with spectacular scenery
and a friendly people and it is no wonder
that it is a favourite birdwatching
destination for northern Europeans.

The bulk of the book consists of a
systematic account of the 452 species
recorded in Morocco, mostly 1-2 pages
per species detailing breeding distribution
and numbers, habitat and food, nesting
information and migration, winter distri-
bution and ringing recoveries. Visitors
who only have a couple of weeks to spend
will find the timing information of
particular value. Rarities are dealt with at
appropriate length - all four goldcrest
records are detailed but the now-extinct
ostrich merits half a page.

An excellent series of colour habitat
photographs gives the feel of the country,
although it omits the splendour of
downtown Marakkech, which you must
not miss! Twenty-two birds, all Moroccan
specialities, are superbly illustrated but
this book, rightly, does not attempt to be a
field-guide. A full gazetteer of all named
locations and 65 pages of references
suggest the authors' thoroughness

although this reviewer has checked
neither. From recollection, the price is
about £40.

Peter R. Gordon

Sutherland Bird Review 2002-2003

Available from Alan Vittery, 164 West
Clyne, Brora, Sutherland, KW9 6NH,
price £3.00 (plus 50p postage and
packing).

Got £3.00 to spare?

Recently, through the
letterbox, dropped a
booklet just short of
30 pages long. Its
name? The

Sutherland Bird
Review, a mini
report compiled by
the East Sutherland
Bird Group and
sold for only £3.00. Set out to run with the
seasons and, thereby, running from March
2002 to February 2003, it by-passes the
systematic list style.

Come to think of it, the birds run by the
seasons and not the human calendar and
a bird report is about birds, after all. The
records are always the meat of any report
but with so few observers the number
was always going to be low. None have
gone through the sieve of Rarity
Committee Assessment but what we do
get, however, are records of some
impressive birds. Among them are
Cory's, Great and Little Shearwaters,
coastal Honey Buzzard (with photo) and
the original details of the Kinbrace Black
Kite. A Woodchat Shrike was the cream
on the milk of all the other species.

Transcribed in a readable format,
including a note on "Recent Indications of
Breeding of Great Northern Diver in
Sutherland", it provides a good evening's
read. Whilst it could not be regarded as a
"classic" report, it is certainly thought
provoking. From 2003 there will be a full
Highland Bird Report that will encompass
all these records but, in the meantime, this
small publication is well recommended.

Martin Scott

19

NOTES & COMMENT

Above: Grey Phalarope. (Lang Stewart)

Grey Phalarope in Clyde

This attractive, dunlin-sized wader turned
up in Strathclyde Country Park,
Motherwell, on 21st Oct. - it should have
been well on its way south from its Arctic
breeding grounds. Normally, it will winter
west of South Africa, out in the Atlantic,
quite an oceanic bird. High winds
probably forced it off course and inland to
land on this Lanarkshire haven. It had the
appearance of a tiny gull on the water -
being in its silvery winter plumage. (Grey
phalaropes are now being called "Red" -
the new title apparently to remind us of
their brilliant breeding colour).

During its stay, it paddled around on the
loch, feeding avidly on surface insects,
quickly pecking them up with deft, jerky
movements of head and body. This
behaviour proved a testing experience for
all the photographers who flocked to
capture the rarity on film.

Luckily it was totally confiding and
ignored all the attention, swimming to
within a few feet of the audience.

Obviously unnerved by the Nov. 5th
annual fireworks display further up the
loch, it left not long after. Our mild
weather this year was probably the reason
for its extraordinary long stay.

jimmy Maxwell

Whites Thrush on
North Ronaldsay

On 17th Oct. 2003, a first winter Whites
Thrush was trapped at Holland House
gardens on North Ronaldsay, Orkney, at
9.50. In the previous week, several other
eastern vagrants had been seen on the
island including Lesser Whitethroat of one

Below: Whites Thrush. (Ross McGregor)

of the desert races ( minula or
halimodendri), 2 Pallas's Warblers, 3
Yellow-browed' Warblers and 2 Red-
breasted Flycatchers. Other birds trapped
that day included 23 Blackbirds, 2
Redwings, 4 Chiffchaffs, 8 Goldcrests, 4
Blackcaps, 12 Robins, and 6 Brambling

The bird was aged as a first winter as the
pale tips of the greater coverts extended
up the shaft of the feather (see images). A
wing length of 169mm, while small for a
male and within the range of female, was
within the overlap range for the species, so
it was impossible to sex.

VIDEO; "A taste of" The Birds of Cuba.
53 min. 20+ endemic species, 19 near
or regional endemics plus migrants.
£1 5.00 inc. postage.

CD; North-East Scotland Digital Bird
Reports 1974-1999 inclusive. £25.00
inch postage. Requires Adobe Acrobat
Reader 3 or later (free to download).

From: Ian Philips, 88 Langdykes Drive,
Aberdeen AB12 3HW.

The bird was seen throughout the 1 7th but
not on the 18th despite searching.
However, it was seen again briefly, and for
the last time, on the afternoon of the 1 9th.

Ross McGregor

Leucistic Lapwing

I first saw this leucistic bird in a flock of
350 Lapwings at Kenovay, Tiree on 26
August 2002. I picked it up in flight when
the sandy-white upper wing coverts and
mantle contrasted strongly with the black
flight feathers and black tail patch (leading
me to think that it might be a more
exciting species....). On the ground, the
bird was more obviously a Lapwing with a
marked blackish breast-band, typical crest
and rusty vent patch, although the crown
and most of the upperparts (except for
exposed flight feathers and tail patch) were
buffy-white.

What was almost certainly the same bird
was observed foraging alone on the
roadside at Crossapol, Tiree on 2 Feb.
2003 (just 1km south of the August
sighting), which is where the bird was
photographed. It was not observed
subsequently.

lohn Bowler

20

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SOC, Harbour Point, Newhailes Road, Musselburgh,
East Lothian, Scotland EH21 6SJ. Tel : 0131 653 0653
Fax : 0131 653 0654 E-mail : mail@the-soc.org.uk

Available at the Conference or
from HQ by mail order.
Phone for payment & delivery
details.

21

Booted Warbler, Shetland (above) and Pechora
Pipit, Fair Isle (below), (both by Hugh Harrop,
www.hughharrop.com)

700234

Hotline 01292 611994

RECENT REPORTS

Autumn 2003 Review

This autumn may go down as one of the best
ever for rare birds in Scotland, especially on
Shetland where rarities just kept coming, even
during their supposed "quiet period" i.e. from
mid-October onwards. Indeed the parting shot
of the autumn there, was the discovery of an
American Coot with 2 Coots on the Loch of
Clickimin, Lerwick on 30th Nov. This is the
first record for Scotland of this somewhat
uninspiring "mega" and only the third ever for
Britain, after singles in Kent in 1996 and
Cumbria in 1999. The first few days of

Savannah Sparrow, Fair Isle. (Hugh Harrop,
www.hughharrop.com)

was trapped and found to be the eastern
form fusca and first ever Scottish autumn
record as well as being only the ninth ever
for Scotland.

No fewer than eight Blyth's Reed Warblers
were seen this autumn with non-Shetland
singles on the Isle of May, North Ronaldsay
and Barra - the last named island also
playing host to a Paddyfield Warbler on
26th-27th Sept (first record for the Outer
Hebrides). On Shetland, one on Foula on
29th Sept-8th Oct that was then re-found
and trapped at Kergord on 1 1 th-1 2th Oct,
and another on Fair Isle on 14th Oct. Three
Booted Warblers reached Shetland in Sept
between the 14th-20th with single Sykes's
Warblers on North Ronaldsay on 29th Sept-

Siberian Rubythroat, Fair Isle. (Harry Scott)

Shetland this autumn was the place to be
though for the rarity enthusiast, with an
almost unbelievable list of rare birds there.
Pride of place in this list of rare birds must
go to the Ist-year Siberian Rubythroat and
Savannah Sparrow both of which were on
Fair Isle in Oct. After having largely been
out-gunned by the rest of Shetland during
September, Fair Isle wasted little time in
hitting back and hitting back hard at that.
The Savannah Sparrow discovered on 14th
Oct remained until the 19th, thus
overlapping with the Rubythroat which was
present on 1 7th- 1 9th, the former being the
second for Fair Isle and third for Britain, the
latter also the second for Fair Isle and fourth
for Britain. That out gunning by the rest of
Shetland in Sept was epitomised by the 28th
Sept, which may go down as the best single
day for rarities ever on Shetland. Amongst
birds found on that day were a Pallas's
Grasshopper Warbler on Whalsay(which
remained until 4th Oct), a Red-flanked
Bluetail on Fetlar and a White's Thrush at
Scatness. In Oct, further Bluetails were at
Denburn Wood (Fife) on 1 5th-1 7th and on
Fair Isle on 1 6th and another White's Thrush
was on North Ronaldsay on 1 7th- 1 9th . The
numbers of what, only ten years ago, were
considered to be extremely rare birds that
marked this autumn were in sharp contrast
to the very few common migrants being seen
anywhere. If you weren't looking at a rarity
or scarcity this autumn you probably weren't
looking at any migrants at all. Ten Citrine
Wagtails were seen in Sept and Oct all on
Shetland apart from singles on Barra and
North Ronaldsay. Three or four Pechora
Pipits were reported, a probable at Kergord
(Shetland) on 28th Sept, one on Fair Isle on
5th- 1 4th Oct, on Foula (Shetland) on 8th-
15th Oct and at Helendale, Lerwick
(Shetland) on 1 4th- 1 7th Oct. The only Red-
throated Pipit was one seen briefly on Fair
Isle on 17th Sept, while 11 Olive-backed
Pipits were seen on Shetland between 29th
Sept-6th Nov. In Sept, a remarkable eight
Lanceolated Warblers were seen, five
different on Fair Isle, one on the Out Skerries
on 30th - 3rd Oct and singles on North
Ronaldsay on 8th and Sanday on 29th - the
second and third records for Orkney. A
Savi's Warbler, on Fair Isle on 30th Sept,

American Coot, Shetland. (Harry Scott)

December brought no respite, with a Rufous
Turtle Dove found near Ham (Caithness) on
5th. This bird appeared to be an adult of the
form meena, so producing the inevitable
question - could it be last year's bird that was
present on Orkney in Dec returning? Birds
found in winter in Scandinavia have returned
in future years including one bird in Sweden,
which returned every winter between 1985-
1 994. Another potential first for Scotland was
also present in early Dec, having been first
seen on 20th Sept, namely a presumed
Redhead, probably a juvenile female, on
Barra (Outer Hebrides).

Presumed Redhead, Outer Hebrides. (Calum Scott)

BiroLine

SCOTLAND
09068

22

1st Oct and on Unst (Shetland) on 4th-9th
Oct. Single Subalpine Warblers were on
Unst on 28th Sept and Bressay on 30th Sept
(both Shetland), while eight Arctic Warblers
were seen on Orkney and Shetland all
between 1 st-20th Sept apart from one on
Fetlar on Ist-IOth Oct. The only Radde's
Warbler was on Fair Isle on 1 3th Oct, whilst
contrastingly six Dusky Warblers were seen
on Shetland between 14th Oct-8th Nov with
one on South Ronaldsay (Orkney) on 9th-
15th Nov. Also in Nov, four Hume's Yellow-
browed Warblers were reported: at Denburn
Wood (Fife) on 11th, singles on Fair Isle on
1 3th-1 4th and 1 7th-23rd and one on Bressay
on 13th-23rd. November also produced
several rare Wheatears with three Desert
Wheatears seen: showy females at

Kilminning on 1 0th- 1 5th (the first record for
Fife), Girdle Ness (Aberdeen) on 1 2th- 1 5th
and a male briefly at Gulberwick (Shetland)
on 14th. A Pied Wheatear, a female, was on
North Ronaldsay on 1 7th-26th with another,
a 1 st-winter male, seen in Oct near
Collieston (Aberdeenshire) on 25th-28th.

Desert Wheatear, North-East Scotland. (Harry Scott)
Back to Shetland though and in Oct a 1 st-
winter Red-throated (Taiga) Flycatcher at
Dales Lees on 1 3th- 1 6th is the first record for
Scotland and only the second British record
of this recent officially recognised species
that was formerly considered conspecific
with Red-breasted Flycatcher. Three Black-
throated Thrushes were seen on Shetland in
Oct between 9th- 1 8th on Foula, Fair Isle and
at Brae, while a Pine Bunting was at
Haroldswick, Unst on 31st Oct-1 st Nov.
Only two Rustic Buntings were seen in Sept
on Foula and on Barra, with four Yellow-
breasted Buntings seen in Sept, on Fair Isle,
North Ronaldsay (2) and at Sumburgh Head
(Shetland). An Isabelline Shrike was found
dead on the Out Skerries on 1st Oct whilst
three Woodchat Shrikes were seen: one
(probably of the eastern form niloticus) at
Maywick (Shetland) on 8th-1 7th Sept, on
North Ronaldsay on 16th-23rd Sept and on
Barra on 1st-2nd Oct. The "discovery" of
Barra as a prime migration site was made last
autumn and the same observers made sure
that this year it continued to be a more than
ample rival to the Northern Isles.

Indeed Barra played its part in one of the best
autumns ever for Nearctic passerines in
Scotland with a Red-eyed Vireo there on 5th-
7th Oct (seventh record for Scotland).
Nearby on South Uist there was a Blackpoll
Warbler at Snishival on 17th-20th Oct (fifth
record for Scotland) whilst on Orkney, a
Myrtle Warbler in Evie on 31st Oct-2nd
Nov, the sixth record for Scotland and
second for Orkney. Shetland, in Sept, had

Red-eyed Vireo, Outer Hebrides (top). (Jim Dickson)
Myrtle Warbler, Orkney (bottom). (Stuart Williams)

both Grey-cheeked Thrush, on Foula on
27th-29th and Swainson's Thrush on Unst on
27th-30th with remarkably a second
Swainson's Thrush on Unst, at Burrafirth on
15th Oct. It wasn't a vintage autumn for
Nearctic waders though the highlight for
many mainland birdwatchers in Sept was the
juv Baird's Sandpiper at Threipmuir
Reservoir (Lothian) on 6th-1 6th with another
in Sept on Foula on 1 st-6th. Also in Sept a juv
Lesser Yellowlegs was at Loch of Tankerness
on 3rd-4th with a Buff-breasted Sandpiper
on North Ronaldsay on 29th-2nd Oct and
another on Whalsay (Shetland) on 2nd-6th
Oct. Four 1 st-winter White-rumped
Sandpipers were seen in a mini influx in Oct,
two each on the Outer Hebrides and
Shetland whilst no fewer than eight
American Golden Plovers were reported
from Shetland (3), Orkney, Outer Hebrides,
Aberdeenshire, Fife and Argyll. Pectoral
Sandpipers had a great autumn with 1 5+
seen in Sept including 5+ at RSPB Loch of

Solitary Sandpiper, Outer Hebrides. (Martin Scott)

Strathbeg on 9th, four seen in Oct and in
Nov one still at Gladhouse Reservoir
(Lothian) on 4th. Perhaps the star waders
though were the juv Pacific Golden Plover
on the Ythan Estuary (Aberdeenshire) on
2nd-16th Nov and Solitary Sandpiper at
Gravir, Lewis on 23rd-25th, the second
record for the Outer Hebrides and only the
fourth for Scotland. A Great Snipe was on
Out Skerries (Shetland) on 20th Sept with in
Oct a probable on Barra on 9th and one was
at Noss Head (Caithness) on 16th. Only two
Grey Phalaropes were reported in Sept
though 50 were seen in Oct including 15 off
Murkle (Caithness) on 8th and six off
Balgarva, South Uist (Outer Hebrides) on
10th whilst inland a very popular typically
confiding 1 st-winter was at Strathclyde Loch
(Lanarkshire) from 2 1 st— 6th Nov.

The best sea watching to be had was
probably on North Ronaldsay where in Sept
a Briinnich's Guillemot was reported passing
on the 24th, a Great Shearwater was seen
on the 1st, single Cory's Shearwaters passed

Pectoral Sandpiper, North-East Scotland. (Harry Scott)

Baird's Sandpiper, Lothian. (Mark Darling)

23

on the 1st and 24th and a presumed Fea's
Petrel was seen on the 15th. Another Great
Shearwater was seen off Fife Ness on 5th
Sept whilst three other Cory's were reported
in Sept. 20 Sabine's Gulls were reported in
Sept with 1 4 in Oct whilst generally only low
numbers of Leach's Petrels were seen, 1 8 off
Uisaed Point (Argyll) onlOth Oct being the
largest count. An adult Gull-billed Tern was
reported from Wyre Sound (Orkney) on 24th-
28th Sept, an adult White-billed Diver was
again off Kirkabister (Shetland) on17th-18th
Nov and the popular summering male
Snowy Owl was still present until the end of
Oct at least.

Waxwings, Argyll. (Jim Duncan)

A Waxwing invasion took place during Oct
with 700+ from the 19th and then perhaps
1000+ birds seen in Nov with most birds
around Aberdeen, Edinburgh and in Fife
including counts of 300+ in both Kirkcaldy
and Sighth ill, Edinburgh. An influx of
Common Redpolls took place during late
Sept and Oct, mostly in Shetland, with most
if not all of the birds likely to be of Icelandic
origin. Amongst this influx were 13 Arctic
Redpolls, all, apart from one on North
Ronaldsay, on Shetland between 22nd Sept-
1 st Nov - all the birds found dead or trapped
were of the Greenland form hornemanni.

Amongst scarcities, several species had a
fantastic autumn with 45 Pallas's Warblers
seen on 11th Oct-1 7th Nov including 3 at
Auchmithie (Angus) on 17th Oct, one at
Kildary (Highland) on 1 8th-1 9th Oct and one
reported at Urquhart on 20th Oct that will be
the first record for Moray if accepted. As for
Yellow-browed Warbler, up to 100 were
reported in Sept from the 11th, including 15
on Fair Isle alone on 30th. 1 20+ were seen in
Oct, 80+ of which were on Shetland and five
were reported between 1st-23rd Nov - at
times it was the commonest migrant on
Shetland this autumn. Great Grey Shrike
also showed up well with 10+ in Oct from
the 14th and eight reported from Nov. 50+
Common Rosefinches were seen in Sept
including 15 different on Fair Isle whilst a
very late one was at Rendall (Orkney) on
23rd Nov. 23 Richard's Pipits were reported
including in Oct one at Troon on 13th (first
Ayrshire record if accepted) and in Nov one

SMITHSONIAN LIBRARIES

Melodious Warbler, Outer Hebrides. (Stuart Rivers)

at Spiggie on 22nd the latest ever on
Shetland. The latest ever Barred Warbler to
be seen on Shetland was on Out Skerries on
7th Nov with an even later one at Aberlady
Bay (Lothian) on 20th (the first record for the
reserve) whilst in Sept 50+ were seen
including 15 different on Fair Isle and 20+
were reported in Oct. Three Melodious
Warblers were reported, two on Orkney and
one on Barra on 1 st-1 2th Oct also seven
Marsh Warblers in Sept/Oct. 20+ Red-
breasted Flycatchers were seen in Sept
including four on Fair Isle on 20th, 1 8+ were
logged in Oct and two were seen in the first
week of Nov. Two Short-toed Larks were
seen on Shetland with a Wood Lark on Fair
Isle in Nov, also eight Hoopoes were seen.
Ortolan Buntings were on Fair Isle on 5th-
1 8th Sept and at Fife Ness (Fife) on 1 8th- 1 9th
Oct, nine Little Buntings were reported all
on Orkney and Shetland apart from one on
Barra on 9th Oct and six Rosy Starlings were
reported, two each in Sept, Oct and Nov.

Rosy Starling, North-East Scotland. (Ian Hastie)

There are many more highlights to mention
in what was a truly outstanding autumn for
rare and scarce birds in Scotland. Hopefully
the above gives some indication as to how
memorable it was.

Angus Murray (BirdLine Scotland)

ISBN 0268-3199

Scottish Bird News

Scottish Bird News is the magazine of the
SOC. It acts as a channel of communication
for SOC members and disseminates
information relevant to Scotland's birdlife. It
is published four times a year at the
beginning of March, June, September and
December. Articles and notices are
welcomed and should be sent to the Editor
at the address below no later than five weeks
before publication. The views expressed are
not necessarily the policy of the SOC.
Contributors should note that material has to
be edited, often at short notice, and it is not
practical to let authors see these changes in
advance of publication.

The Scottish Ornithologists' Club,
Harbour Point, Newhailes Road,
Musselburgh, East Lothian EH21 6SJ
Teh 0131 653 0653
Fax: 0131 653 0654
E-mail: mail@the-soc.org.uk

The Scottish Ornithologists' Club (SOC) was
established by a group of Scottish ornithol-
ogists who met together in the rooms of the
Royal Scottish Geographical Society in
Edinburgh on 24th March 1936.

The Club now has 2200 members and 14
branches around Scotland. It plays a central
role in Scottish birdwatching, bringing
together amateur birdwatchers, keen birders
and research ornithologists with the aims of
documenting, studying and, not least,
enjoying Scotland's varied birdlife. Above
all, the SOC is a club, relying heavily on
keen volunteers and the support of its
membership.

Headquarters provide central publications
and an annual conference, and houses the
Waterston Library, the most comprehensive
library of bird literature in Scotland. The
network of branches, which meet in
Aberdeen, Ayr, the Borders, Dumfries,
Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness,
New Galloway, Orkney, St Andrews,
Stirling, Stranraer and Thurso, organise
field meetings, a winter programme of talks
and social events.

The SOC also supports the Local Recorders'
Network and the Scottish Birds Records
Committee. The latter maintains the
'official' Scottish List on behalf of the Club.
The Club supports research and survey
work through its Research Grants.

The Club maintains a regularly-updated
web site, which not only contains much
information about the Club, but is also the
key source of information about birds and
birdwatching in Scotland.

www. the-soc. org. uk

Passwords to access members' web pages:
'Hen'& 'Harrier'

24