seis tee PENS CADE ANAT SRS bon boty Whe snddt ol le 5 Nesnriw a) Pete ore eh ven oe Rte erence any ners are See aa gel nnd ee Bo he ad ing ioe Bae ee Se RE Se Oe Calne a Oe he Cyrene eS Seat eee yes Creme owen tedien Sirerencren fara cee ae fran en nase Bee Pepa iem Me ete errr Sang ire Cee eine a eae Say ert ental oot sh mo Sie ga ee et Tenet ee : ne oe pee ovo see = bepecrrerse pee ners tp att aaa ty oa tog Datei tee wont ey we tetas been, ae I Saisie Ves Diree ae Byer etey tng ticy # aeetawe Ds ahinw ote votes beetle Sopot eae or 9 sen ony oan ve y Yes hve reve cere neeeraty niger tyes Sarees say, reece Peay ey cee Teh Rie we Se ee ed Reteg me eee ae ge oR nreeN natin A sy ein devise seer ows ae eal ORORLL OT indne fe 46 ped awn penatvey bin a be \ - 7 Yi a EDITED BY RAY MURRAY PUBLISHED BY _ THE SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB [Wem wlll, S —> \ sy Scottish Bird Report 1991 Editor: Ray Murray Assisted by : Paul Doyle, Paul Speak and Stan Howe. The Scottish Bird Report is published by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club and is available|) free to SOC members. It is on sale to non-members: contact 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh|) for current prices. - The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club was formed in 1936 with the aim of encouraging alll aspects of ornithology in Scotland. The club has nearly 3,000 members and some 14 branches around Scotland which meet in Ayr, the Borders, Dumfries, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow Inverness, New Galloway, Orkney, St.Andrews, Stirling, Stranraer and Thurso, each with th own programme of field meetings and winter lectures. The club organises an annual weekenc t conference in the autumn and a one-day bird-watchers' conference i in the spring. Club members receive the quarterly newsletter Scottish Bird News, two copies of the journa i Scottish Birds and the annual Scottish Bird Report. The SOC’s offices and Library are iif Edinburgh. The Waterston Library is the best ornithological reference library in Scotland, ant i is open during office hours and at other times by arrangement with the ae { The Club acts as the coordinating body for ornithological recording in Scotland, appoints loce| recorders, and in addition to the Scottish Bird Report, publishes a number of Local Bir Reports via the branch network. A comprehensive stock of local bird reports is held ‘ headquarters and may be purchased by mail order. “| SOC annual membership subscription rates Be | Agu eo eee aes eee ae eae eae are ree ee eee ae eB £158 Family (wife, husband & children undend8)....---¢- 1.4 x. ee a Junior (under 18jor student under 25)5s cc. oes od. es te ce Meee ge ee £ 6.0 Pensioner/, Unwaped o2 020 oe a ee es eae. See 2 Pensioner Family; 2 ue vies Se ang a ait ee ee ee eee ee £12.( Ear Rese) eee pe ne IN toy cc a a a pet SE 1. phic Oo Nr SNe Sy eR ong £300.( All subscriptions may be paid by Banker's Order and Covenanted if desired . Subscriptions paid this way ry a greatly assist the Club. . | Published by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BT Printed by Milne, Tannahill & Methven Ltd., 113-119 Glover Street, Perth PH2 OJE SCOTTISH BIRD REPORT | 1991 ! z ed 2 Number 24, July 1993 Edited by Ray Murray 4 Bellfield Crescent, Eddleston Borders EH45 8RQ Published by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5BT ISSN 0036 9144 2 Scottish Bird Report 1991 | RSE aa a TT IR I EES TET Scottish Bird Report Number 24, July 1993 TS SN Contents Editorial | 3 Introduction 4 Abbreviation 4 | Notice to Contributors , 5 Ackowledgements 3 3 Letter: Bar-headed Geese in Sweden by Jeff Price 5 Scottish Birds Records Committee 6 Species List for 1991 7 Local Bird Report Areas, SOC Recorders and Local Bird Reports 734 R.D.Murray [Ed] 3 Aa aN RIEL AR DNATA DRE FE TRON PS NET DST TID EP OR a OOD ED ON RS Oh OP UR NEA Editorial The 1991 Scottish Bird Report continues the changes started in the 1989 SBR to alter the nature of the national report from a simple list of bird records to attempt to pull together as much information as possible about ornithology in Scotland in the year concerned. To this end the indices from the BTO’s Common Bird Census and Water Bird Survey has been added to breeding accounts in order to place the data gathered from the Scottish local area reports in context with that from a much wider area of Britain. In most cases the data match, but interestingly some species do show a mis- match that suggests that the ‘national’ trends do not always apply north of the border. This is of course a reflection of the lack of BTO sites in Scotland. It will be apparent from the 1991 SBR that the most of the data from Scotland on the population of common species comes from CBC & WBS sites or from reserves where CBC-type census techniques are used. There are a smaller number of plots around the country where transect-type counts are done or where counts simply come from intimate knowledge of a ‘local patch’. These data are crucial to assessments of the Scottish scene and anyone who has such information available are urged to send them to their Local Recorder each year for use in their Local Area Report and hence to the SBR. The data from the Birds of Estuaries Enquiry (BoEE) data from Scotland has also been gathered together in the SBR for the first time. These have allowed a much more complete picture of wader numbers and movements to be made in the SBR than has hitherto been possible. Most of the data is presented as a graph summing up the numbers in each of the major estuaries in Scotland. As I have been trying to catch up with the back-log in the SBR the short time scale has meant that it has not been possible to include any articles in the 1991 SBR about events that occurred in Scotland in that year. As inany year there were additions to the ‘Scottish List’. These included the first Chimney Swift at St. Andrews on 9 November (although there is a prior claim still with the BBRC); the second Sandhill Crane on Shetland and Little Swift on Fair Isle; the third Greater Sand Plover on the Don, Needle-tailed Swift on Shetland and Blackpoll Warbler on Fair Isle; the fourth Killdeer on N.Uist and only the third Baillon's Crake this century on Fair Isle. Other ‘events’ of the year include the vast numbers of Crossbill that first appeared in 1990 but had almost vanished by the end of 1991; a minor Waxwing invasion; and major skua passage in spring, involving Pomarine Skuas off the Hebrides, and in the autumn, Long-tailed Skuas along the east coast. Finally I would like to appeal for material for the SBR that contains accounts of important surveys conducted within the year concerned. The SBR will hopefully become the SOC's future outlet for the publication of survey results of this type. Ray Murray, July 1993 4 Scottish Bird Report 1991) SSSR Sa USA SESS RTA VISE OPIS MERGE SGN LTDA MSE STIS SE SR A SOS ALE Latha ENT PRT aS Pele PA a UN Vc NAD REE RE Na Introduction This is the 24th Scottish Bird Report to be published by the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club. It covers the whole! country and was compiled from material published in local area reports. It is on these local area reports that! the SBR is based. The Angus & Dundee and Inverness & Ross areas were unable to submit their summarie in time for inclusion. The local areas are named and mapped on the inside back cover of the SBR alongsid a full list of recorders with the details of the areas they cover. It must be emphasised that I can only publish what is submitted to the local recorders and appears in the local area reports. Accounts for any area are what has been observed (and reported) that year - nota summary of what is really there ! They are, in effect, a sample, some of which are more comprehensive than others| As a summary it is felt appropriate to abbreviate the area names as much as possible. Many of the recording areas are referred to by the briefest abbreviation possible for comprehension. These are listed, along with arez a map, at the back of the SBR . Some of these have proved to be less popular than others but all are retainec for the present to allow for continuity between SBRs. Other abbreviations used are listed below. Only selected records are given. Precedence is given to peak counts, breeding populations and migratior) patterns. All national rarities and semi-rarities are included where some decision on their validity has beer taken by the BBRC or the SBRC. Any records still pending will be added to future reports. If more details are required on any records published here, the first source should be the Local Bird Repor and then the Local Recorder. The sequence and scientific names in the species list follow the Voous sequence. (See Voous, K.H. 1973-1977 List of Holarctic Bird Species. Ibis 115: 612-638 & 119: 223-250.) Data from the British Trust for Ornithology Common Bird Census (CBC) & Waterways Bird Survey (WBS are presented as the indices for the year concerned. This is in the form of a percentage change ( + or -) fron the level of the previous year. There are separate indices for woodland (W) and farmiand (F) or where th sample is too small to be valid, all (A) data is used. The WBS results are in the form of a simple percentag change. The data is taken from the indices published in B.T.O. News . Material from the B.T.O. Birds of the Estuaries Enquiry (BoEE) is presented mostly as stacked histogram showing the birds counted in each month of the year at the major estuaries. These counts are gathered togethe by the BoEE from more than 20 separate counting areas but for clarity the data have been clumped togethe to represent the five major coastal areas of Scotland; | Forth Tyninghame & Forth. Tay & NE Eden, Tay, Montrose Basin, Dee, Don, Ythan. Moray Spey, Inner Moray Forth, Cromarty Firth, Dornoch Firth, Loch Fleet. Clyde Inner Clyde, Irvine, Loch Ryan. Solway Luce Bay, Wigtown Bay, Fleet Bay, Kirkcudbright Bay, Auchencairn Bay, Rough Firth, Solway, Like most of the records in the SBR, the BoEE figures do not pretend to tell the whole story. Some coun! at some estuaries are more complete than others, some counts were conducted on different days within a mont and in others no count was conducted at all in certain months. They should be treated, as should all the record in the SBR, as samples ( albeit more comprehensive) representing what occurred at the time. \ | Abbreviations | . All known records given MBS _ mean brood size (young/pair) inc includes | m male juv juvenile asl above sea level | fe female imm immature m, Km metres, kilometres. pr(s) pairs (s) Ist-w __ first-winter plumage, etc. Km? square kilometres | AON _ apparently occupied nest Ist-s _ first-summer plumage, etc. Res Reservoir | AOT apparently occupied territory N,SE flight direction Pt Point c/2 clutch of two eggs, etc. or area of Scotland L/P. Loch, Lake/ Pond br2 brood of two young, etc. Jan all months cut to 3 letters R. River MCS __ mean clutch size max maximum ~ R.D.Murray [Ed] 5 Pe ca Maa ar Ra RIGS Fe SA ENERGON EUR TON SSA SC RT Notice to Contributors Allrecords should be sent directly to the appropriate SOC Local recorder. They should be on one side of a sheet of paper only, and if possible in the Voous order (as in this report). Some Local Recorders can cope with computer-based data and welcome material on a floppy disc (always accompanied by hard-copy). You should ask the Local Recorder concerned for the particular arrangements if this option is available. Observers are directed to the Local Bird Reports for the type of information required. All notes for the previous year should be sent in promptly to Recorders by the end of January, but more frequent submissions are welcome. Monthly _ or quarterly submission spreads the workload of the Recorder. Acknowledgements I was assisted in the compliation of the 1991 Scottish Bird Report by Paul Doyle (divers to ducks), Paul Speak (raptors to waders) and Stan Howe (skuas to chats). Their contributions were greatly appreciated. Keith Chapman also assisted - withhis experise with computers and the translation of floppy-disc formats. All ofthe artists thathave submitted artwork to the SOC are thanked but special thanks go to David Mitchell and Steve Brown for the volume of their contributions. - Sylvia Laing and Michael Murphy are thanked for their help in proof reading the final drafts. ’ The British Trust for Ornithology is thanked for making the Birds of the Estuaries Enquiry results available to the - SBR. Ray Waters, the National Organiser, in particular is thanked for presenting the data to me in a form useful for the presentation I had in mind. _ I would like to thank all of the Local Recorders and Bird Report Editors involved in producing the local area reports _ throughout Scotland that form the basis of the SBR. This is the bedrock om which Scottish ornithology stands at present. ‘ Please support them by not only contibuting records but by buying your local (and perhaps neighbouring!) area reports. Anyone who contributed any record to Scottish Recorders in 1991 is thanked fortheir help in building up a picture of - Scotland 's birds for that year. So please keep them coming. ii I! ! } i IN i Tony Mainwood has retired as the Local Recorder for Sutherland, a post he has held since 1982. He is thanked for all ' of his work over the years. Alan Vittery has agreed to join the fold in Tony's place. Red Kite Angus Hogg Letter: Bar-headed Geese in Sweden ‘ _ Itis stated in the species accounts in the 1990 Scottish Bird Report that the Bar-headed Goose seen on Shetland s 1 8-10 May may have come from the feral population in Sweden. | The Swedish feral population is actually a bit of a myth. _ Itis certainly true that a number were released in southern Sweden some 60 years ago during the 1930's and _ that some did indeed breed. However the species is now extinct as a wild breeder in Sweden. Nowadays Swedes regard sightings of Bar-headed Goose in Sweden purely as escapes. | Bee Sveriges Faglar - Sveriges Ornitologsika Forening, Stockholm 1978). elf Price, Maglegards Alle 51st.tv, 2860 Soborg, Danmark [the myth I believe was fostered to a some extent by the maps in Bruun & Singer: The Hamlyn Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe and in the BWP which mentions the Swedish birds as ' probably failed to become established and perhaps now dispersed’. Perhaps this letter might help dispell the myth altogether now! Ed.] i ih D ii 6 ES TE a DH PCD NN REA OM Par MP MO WR UNE JN SPD MCR PEL FEDS Og NC REN ES SR, OR MP PE SRY HN EP PT, | The Scottish Birds Records Committee The Scottish Birds Records Committee was set up by the SOC in 1984 to consider records of species not rare enough in Britain to be dealt with by the British Birds Rarities Committee, but which were rare in Scotland. The Committee examined 53 records for 1991. One was withdrawn, 40 were accepted and 12 were found to be unacceptable (in most cases they were considered possible but not proven). Species which continue to have a high ratio of unacceptable records include Great & Cory's Shearwater, Rough-legged & Honey Buzzard and Hobby. These are all species which are usually only seen in flight, sometimes briefly, often at adistance, and which are easily confused. It is important with all of these species to record, where possible, accurate plum- age details, shape, size, actions ( including manner of flight) and jizz. One member of the Committee retires by rotation each year and nominations are sought from Club members. In October 1991 Eric Meek replaced Roy Dennis and in 1992 Pete Gordon joined the Committee to replace Alan Brown. Both Roy and Alan had served on the SBRC List of species considered by the S.B.R.C. Scottish Bird Report 1991 since its inception in 1984 and during this period made | valuable contributions to the work of the Committee. As there is now no common link between the British Birds | Rarities Committee, Alan who is a member of the | BBRC will continue to see our circulation of records, | but no longer have a vote. The "Scottish List" which the SBRC has been working onis now nearly finalised and should be published soon. It is the intention to keep this list up to date on a regular basis. The SBRC list of species has been regularly amended | and in 1993 includes Mediterranean Shearwater, Green- winged Teal and the yellow-legged races of the Herring Gull (michahellis & cachinnans). \t is expected that the BBRC will make several changes to their list within the next few months and therefore it is likely that the SBRC| list will see further amendments for 1994. All records should be sent to the SBRC via the Local) Recorder who should forward correspondence to Ron Forrester, Secretary SBRC, 31 Argyle Terrace, Rothersay, Isle of Bute, PA20 OBD. CORY’S SHEARWATER GREAT SHEARWATER MEDITERRANEAN SHEARWATER Little Egret PURPLE HERON White Stork Spoonbill GREEN-WINGED TEAL FERRUGINOUS DUCK SURF SCOTER Honey Buzzard Red Kite MONTAGU’S HARRIER ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD Hobby Crane STONE CURLEW Little Ringed Plover KENTISH PLOVER Buff-breasted Sandpiper Capitals - Lower Case - Pectoral Sandpiper Long-tailed Skua Mediterranean Gull Sabine's Gull RING-BILLED GULL HERRING GULL- yellow legged races michahellis & cachinnans Roseate Tern * Little Owl * BEE-EATER LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER WOODLARK RICHARD’S PIPIT ~ TAWNY PIPIT Water Pipit Nightingale CETT?S WARBLER SAVI’S WARBLER AQUATIC WARBLER Marsh Warbler * (preferably trapped) KEY All records should be submitted to the SBRC. These species can be submitted to the SBRC at the discretion of the Local Recorder. ~- Northern Isles records can be judged locally. - East coast/Northern Isles can be judged locally. - Records from the normal breeding range should be judged locally. Icterine Warbler * MELODIOUS WARBLER DARTFORD WARBLER Barred Warbler * PALLAS’S WARBLER Yellow-browed Warbler* Firecrest * Red-breasted Flycatcher * Bearded Tit Marsh Tit “ Willow Tit * Crested Tit “ NUTHATCH WOODCHAT SHRIKE Chough * SERIN Scarlet Rosefinch * CIRL BUNTING Ortolan Bunting | t R.D.Murray [Ed] Species List for 1991 Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata 55S (7hrs) Turnberry Ayr 3-6 Jan was the only significant winter movement. Peak winter counts inc 26 Spey Bay & 33 Burghead Bay M&N and 41 Aberlady/Gullane L in Jan; then 20 L.Ryan D&G, 40 Ardrossan/Troon Ayr & 29 Clyde Estuary Cly in Feb. Note Jan max in E with Feb max in W. Spring passage was especially strong on E coast with 63 Spey Bay, 50 Largo Bay F , 237 Donmouth- Murcar NE & 62 Golspie-Embo Suth in Mar; 40) Aberlady, 79 Delnies M&N, 300 Donmouth- Blackdog NE in Apr. Passage inc 28N Peterhead NE 5 Apr, 55N Fife Ness F (Shrs) 14-15 Apr & max 15N Aird an Runair OH 22 May. Breeding: Shet well below average ratio of 2-chick to 1-chick broods (1: 0.45 in 1991 c.f. 1: 0.37 in 1990) although best for 5 years, 18 prs fledged 10 chicks, 8prs bred Hermaness; Ork c110 prs raised c83 young, a slight improvement over 89/90 but still poor on Rousay; Caith 2 prs success at | site; Suth 3prs Handa raised 5 young; OHeb 62-64 prs; Arg 11+ prs Coll; Arran 8 sites; Clyde 1 pr bred; P&K c8 prs at 5 sites; Cent only | pr noted. Best autumn passage peaks, mostly in E, include 32S Girdleness NE 13 Sep; 39S Fife Ness 21 Sep; 195S Uisaed Pt Arg (320 hrs Aug-Oct), max 22-24 Sep; 52S Qhrs) Turnberry Ayr 22-24 Sep; 41S Fife Ness 29 Sep. Autumn/winter counts were generally lower than 1990 inc 38 Embo 6 Oct; 74 Largo Bay F 25 Oct; 118 Spey Bay, 85 Burghead Bay & 35 Aberlady- Gullane in Oct; 68 Balkenna-Ballantrae Ayr | Dec; one movement of 100 passed S off Southerness D&G in 2hrs on 24 Dec inc some B-T Divers. Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica Numerous records of mostly single birds at coastal sites, Shet, Ork, Caith, OH, NE, Fife, Loth, Bord, D&G. Regular wintering flock at King’s Cave Arran held up to 14 birds. 15 Largo Bay F 17 Feb. Spring peakes 29 Mar to 28 Apr inc 38 Balkenna- Ballantrae Ayr, 50+ Sinclair's Bay Caith, 23 Echnaloch Ork, 42 Finnarts Bay-Turnberry Pt. Ayr. High numbers in Sound of Gigha Arg late spring inc 18 on 30 Apr, 31 on 9 May & 46 on May 22. Breeding: Another poor year with only single young from Cent (from 2prs), P&K & Arg (from | Iprs). Single sites only Caith & Clyde & only | bird at Ayr site. OH 23 prs with decreases in N. Uist & Benbecula; | pr S. Uist. Suth min 8 prs in N. 55 Sound of Gigha 26 Aug with 28 there on 6 Sep & 33 on 25 Sep; 52 Balkenna-Ballantrae Ayr 1 Dec were the only substantial autumn/winter counts. Great Northern Diver Gavia immer 26 Luce Bay D&G January; 60 at Echnaloch Ork 10 Feb; 32 Scalloway Shet 11 Feb; 52 Gletness - South Nesting Shet 25 Feb. 12 Spey Bay M&N 14 March. 23 The Brings Ork 20 Mar; 70 Dunnet Bay Caith 24 Mar. Spring passage max in Sound of Gigha Arg were 41 in Apr & 79 in May. 30 Rhunahaorine Pt Arg on 5 May; passage off Aird an Runair OH Mar-Jun, max 30 on 16 May; 8 off Fetlar Shet on 13 June. Autumn passage Aird an Runair from 21 Sep was late. 13 Imachar Arran 21 Oct was best for area since 1980; 40 Gairsay Sound Ork 24 Oct; 268 Sound of Gigha 25 Oct; 34 Skelda Voe -Whiteness Voe Shet 14 Nov, inc Sandsound leucistic bird, returning for 11th year; 44 South Nesting Shet on 20 Nov. 34 Balkenna-Ballantrae Ayr 1 Dec was higher than usual; 46 Shapinsay Ork 9 Dec. Shet numbers were higher than normal due to a series of systematic winter counts. White-billed Diver Gavia adamsii 10-11 birds, mostly singles. Whalsay Shet from 1990 to 9 Apr; juv Bluemill Sound Shet 13 Jan; West Burrafirth Shet 7-9 Feb;. Echnaloch Bay Ork 9-20 Feb; Stromness Ork 20 Feb; Machrihanish Arg 5 May; Ist-s Rubha Ardvule OH 14 Jun; Ist-s Gosford L 31 Jul-Sep with another Ist-s Gosford-Aberlady-Gullane L 25-30 Aug; Holm of Heogland Shet 19 Nov. The Whalsay bird failed to return for what would have been its 14th winter. LLL LEA PEI LIE ES TL EET SSH WS TE SST 8 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Jan-Feb: 11 L. Feochan Arg; 20 at 5 sites R.Clyde, max 6 Merryton Cly; 9 Faskally P&K. More wintered than usual Bord. Breeding: Sites Pairs Young MBS Orkney y 3 ? Caith 6 c8 2br5 OHeb 6 12 + M&N 10 25 + NE Scot 3 3 + P&K 13 19 Sbr5++ Fife 9 20 9br16+ Cent 3 16 10br27 Loth 13 29 + Bord 17 215) 15br32 2.23 Clyde 18 29 4br8++ 1.50 Ayr 22 42 14br29 2.07 Post-breeding flocks: 18 Coot L. OH, 14 L.Loy & 35 L. Flemington M&N, 33 Linlithgow L.L, 18 Thankerton & 22 Lamington on R.Clyde Cly, 17 Lochinvar & 12 Carlingwark D&G, 14L. Leven P&K, 57 Cameron Res & 17 Carriston Res F & 15 Shewalton Ayr were seen 16 Aug-29 Sep. Flocks lingering into winter inc 23 Carsebreck P&K 5 Oct; 10 Tweed Haughs B 17 Oct; 22 Clyde at Quothquan Cly 26 Oct; 12 Kinghorn Loch F on 12 Nov; 20 R. Almond Pools L in Dec. Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Largest flocks were 320 Kinneil Cent 13 Jan with max 560 there 10 Feb; 100 Culross Bay F Jan/Feb. Breeding: Sites Pairs Young MBS M&N 1 1 nil P&K 7 ci c56 Fife 7 13 35 Cent 4 7 nil Loth 6 14 ? Bord i, 7 1 Clyde 12 22 12 0.90 Ayr 5 7 nil D&G 3+ 11+ ? L. Leven P&K record 25 prs rearing 53 young. 234 Mussleburgh & 295 Silverknowes L 14 Aug; 305 Kinneil Cent 24 Aug with 200 there 22 Sep; 26 Balgray Res Cly 25 Aug; 103 Prestonpans L 16 Sep; 126 L. Leven P&K 26 Sep; record 70 off Ardmore Pt Cly 27 Oct; 100 L. Ryan D&G mid- Nov, with max 117 there 14 Dec. Dec. Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena One of the best years ever for this species with exceptional numbers in Loth, OHeb, M&N and F. | 64 at Gosford L was a new record for Britain but was exceeded there by 68 on 16 Nov. Other Loth | counts are summarised below: Peak Counts Site JFMAMJ JAS OND Gosford 9 3 122 0 0 36 54 64 26 1713 Aberlady 7 50 339 1 1 0 1 1 15 4312 | Mussleb;) 3° 4.01 0%. Oli bale 123-4 om Scarce winter/spring, mostly singles Jan-Apr in Shet (1), Ork (2), Caith (1), M&N (3), NE (1) and D&G (1) with 2 wintering Pirnmill Arran 1 Jan -| 1 Mar; 2 Inverkeithing F 2 & 27 Jan; singles Largo Bay F Jan- Mar with max 7 on 16 Mar. | Red-necked Grebe John Busby | Breeding: pair summered Bord for 3rd year, see 19 Mar-3 Jul but again with no success. | Outwith Lothian coast first reports were D&G o1 3 Sep; Shet & Arg 23- 29 Sep; Fair Is, OHeb 18-1‘ Oct; M&N 21 Oct; Fife 23 Oct. Influx mid-Oct to mid-Nov with 6 birds OHeb, | Arg, 1 D&G, 4 M&N, 1 NE, 5 Fife & 1 Is of May Single wintering birds in OHeb, Ork, M&N, Fif 1, Clyde, Ayr (2) & D&G, | | | } Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus Largest counts Jan-Feb counts were 21 Burghhea Bay M&N in Jan; 21 L. of Harray & 12 Echnaloo Bay Ork, 14 Kinshaldy & 14 Largo Bay F in Fel max 38 Gosford & 22 Gullane L in Mar; 41 Indaal, Islay Arg & 14 Wiesdale Voe Shetin Ap Mainly 1-2 birds reported in Suth, NE, OHeb, Ar Cly, Ayr, D&G. arenes R.D.Murray [Ed] 9 Breeding: M&N where 13 pairs & 1-3 unmated adults at 4 sites raised 10 young; P&K possibly same single seen at 3 sites in summer. Offshore birds, mainly singles, from Jul onwards with build-up in numbers Sep-Oct. 7th- 9th records St. Kilda OH Sep & Oct. Max 36 L. Indaal, Islay & 21 L. of Harray in Oct; 46 Gosford, 11 Burghhead Bay & 8 L. Ryan D&G in Nov; 21 Tresta Voe Shet, 41 Luskentyre Banks 35 Taransay OH in Dec. Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis 3 at L. Ryan D&G 6 Jan,with 2 up to 8 Mar; max 3 Musselburgh area L 13 Jan -2 Feb; 1 Ardmore Pt Cly 20 Jan; 1 Gosford L 17 Feb; 1 Lower Largo F on 16 Mar; 3 Ruddon’s Pt F 29 Mar. Summer: 1 Gladhouse L/Portmore L. B 1-8 May; 1 Eden Estuary F 26 May-5 Jun; 1 Bemersyde B 22-27 Jun; 1 L. Leven P&K 19 Jul with 2 on 27 Jul. No breeding records published. 5 L. Ryan D&G 26 Aug; | juv. St. Kilda OH 16- 21 Aug was Istthere; 1 juv.L. Leven F 19 Aug with 3 there 21-27 Sep & again 13 Oct; 1 Aird Meadows 27 Oct; 6 L. Ryan D&G 5 Nov; 1 Clyde Estuary Cly 8 Dec; 1 L. Leven F 15 Dec. Black-browed Albatross Diomedea melanophris The Hermaness Shet bird was present from 23 Mar to 13 Apr and sporadically until 4 Jun. Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis Breeding: AONs MBS 1 1991 %ch 1 199] Shetland Noss 498 549 +10% 0.39 0.39 Hermaness 298 321 + 7% 0.35 0.31 Eshaness 253 236 - 71% 0.30 0.47 Sumburgh 169 200 «=2=+18%- ~=—- 0.39 0.54 Troswick 860 876 +2% £0.44 0.44 Fair Isle 35,213 0.27 0.52 Orkney Gultack 1100 +40% 0.47 0.49 Costa Head - 8% 0.42 0.55 Mull Head - 3% 0.40 0.44 Papa Westray 0.40 0.50 Rousay 0.64 0.61 NE St.Cyrus 145 164 = +13% Arran 190 108 -34% Isle of May 198 221 8 +12% 0.42 Bord St.Abb's 292 362 «6 +24% ~—O.14 0.30 Increasing numbers and better success Shet, Fair Is, Bord, D&G. Returning to 1989 levels Movements: 20,000/hr Brough of Birsay Ork 4 Jan was largest count. 3,360 Ardivachar Pt OH 22 Mar; 6,600 Peterhead NE 18 Aug; 4,800 N.Ronaldsay Ork 12 Sep were next best hourly rates. Inland: singles L.Lomond Cly 12 & 14 Jun. Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea 1 Girdleness NE 26 Aug; 1 North Ronaldsay Ork 8 Sep; 1 Peterhead NE 21 Sep. Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis 1 long dead at Breckon, Yell Shet 25 Aug; singles N off Brora Suth 13 Oct & 14 Oct Large Shearwater sp. 4 off Ardivachar OH 19 Aug thought to be a Great Shearwater, also | Troon Ayr 22 Sep. Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus An extremely poor year in all areas. Perhaps only 150 birds listed from 13 recording areas with only Ork & NE having large enough numbers not to itemise each record. Singles N.Ronaldsay Ork 8-9 Jun; 2S Baleshare OH 14 Jul; 1 Handa Suth 9 Aug; 3 Birsay Ork on 10 Aug; then mainly late Aug-late Oct with main passage mainly mid-Sep (on W coast), early Oct (N. Isles) and late Oct (E coast ). Best movements: 120 N.Ronaldsay Ork 12 Sep; 12 North Head Caith 16 Sep; 12 Ruhba Ardvule OH Sep 21; 41 Fife Ness F 28 Sep; 37 Girdleness NE 13 Oct with 26 there 21 Oct & 27 Peterhead NE 29 Oct. Last birds mainly in late Oct but IN St.Abb's B & 1N Brora Suth 12 Nov; 1N Brora & 1N/1S Barns Ness L on 18 Nov. Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus A poor year with only small-scale passage. Unusual winter records: 1-2 Pinmill Arran 4 Jan, 1 Lossiemouth M&N 10 Jan, & 2 past Corsewall Pt D&G 6 Feb. Largest numbers off W_ coast: 3,300S/hr Rubha Ardvule OH 12 Apr, 1,035 (45mins) there 7 May. Largest summer peaks mostly further S with 800S/hr Uisaed Pt Arg 10 Jun. SLATE LI AAS EEE PE TE I BS 10 Largest counts: 4,142S Uisaed Pt (114hrs) in Aug; 1,512 Rubha Ardvule 10 Aug; 2,000 Kennedy's Pass Ayr on 17 Aug; 887 Frenchmen's Rock Arg on 5 Sep; 400 Ardrossan Ayr 10 Sep; 400S off ~ Turnberry Ayr on 23 Sep. Breeding: few substantive records. Shet 26 monitored burrows (with endoscope) Fetlar had 20 predated by cats; Arg ‘low hundreds’ bred Lunga Arg; | ashore Flannan Is OH in Aug. Few Ecoast & N.Isles reports Apr & May with first real penetration into N.Sea in Jun, peaking Sep. Few birds passed through North Sea indicated by with best counts :42N Girdleness NE 15 Jul; 40N/ 3S St.Abb's B 8 Aug & 40 Kirkcalday F 12 Aug. 1 Gullane L 1 Dec & 1 St.Abb's 5 Dec were late. Mediterranean Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan Only singles at Girdleness NE on 30 Aug & Birsay Ork on 14 Sep. Not sursprising during sucha poor year for shearwater passage. Storm Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus 1 killed by.cat Balivanich OH 2 Jan was earliest- ever by 2 months. First reports mainly May-Jun on W.coast & N_Isles with first on N.Sea coasts in late July/Aug although 2 caught Eyemouth B 26 Jun. Breeding: probably vastly underestimated but noted Shet 'several hundred’; Ork 4 churring Eynhallow & 50 Muckle Green Holm; OHeb present ashore at St.Kilda & 106 trapped Eilan Mor, Flannan Is; Arg 50-100 churring Lunga. Tape-luring was carried out at Fair Is, NE, Is of May, Loth & Bord with numbers down on recent years but confirming presence of large numbers of nomadic non-breeders on E coast and N_Isles. Passage birds mostly recorded in very small num- bers in N.Isles and SW, the largest counts being 55-60 from boat Lochboisdale to Oban Arg 16 Jun; 80+ from ferry Ullapool to Stornoway 10 Aug; 36W/8E Butt of Lewis OH 14 Aug; 15+ off klondykers in Lerwick harbour Shet on 17 Aug; 130 past Turnberry Pt. Ayr on 14 Sep (Shrs). Leach’s Petrel Oceanodroma leuchora Breeding: Shet bred Ramna Stacks, breeding likely Foula; OHeb 108 trapped at colony Eilan Mor on Flannan Is. Scottish Bird Report 1991 Away from regular breeding sites on OH and Shet, 4 were trapped on N.Ronaldsay Ork 15-16 Jul and 10 on Fair Is 18 Jul-6 Aug. Small scale passage, mainly on W coastlate Augio | mid-Oct. Best counts inc 67S (90mins) Uisaed Pt Arg 18 Sep; 117 Rubha Ardvule OH & 54 (Shrs) | Troon Ayr 24 Sep;48S past UisaedPt 17 Oct; with | 2 Fraserburgh NE 19 Oct. Gannet Morus bassana Breeding Shet Noss (+17%) & Hermaness (+15%) showed good increases on sample plots and better MBS values of 0.72 & 0.75; Fair Is 687 OATs | had MBS 0.62; NE 85 OATs Troup Head with | MBS 0.61; OHeb 500 ashore Roareim, Flannan — Is 27-29 Aug; Loth Bass Rock population thought to exceed 20,000 pairs. Few systematic counts but max counts inc 2,000 Ballantrae-Ailsa Craig Ayr 24 Mar; 1,365N | Peterhead NE 16 May; 1,000 W/hr Butt of Lewis | on 12 Aug; 2,000 St.John’s Head Ork 22 Sep; 1,800/hnr Corsewall Pt D&G 5 Oct. 5,000 past Uisaed Pt Arg 15 Aug-17 Oct had 89% ads , 10% 2-4 yrs & 1% juvs. Inland: 1 Baillieston Cly 15 Mar & | Inversnaid Cly 11-12 Jul. Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo | O5N Peterhead NE 12 Jan; 128 Prestwick-Ayr Ayr 13 Jan; 418 Clyde Estuary Cly , 614 Forth Estuary | Cent & 549 Skinflats Cent 16 Jan; 144 SconeP&K 20 Jan; 100 Longannet F 29 Jan; 70 Inchgarvie L | 3 Feb; a record count of 800+ at L. Leven P&K on 9 Feb; 137 Yell Shet 12 Feb; max 73 Strathlene M&N in Mar. Poor spring passage Fair Is but ad St. Kilda OH on | 12 Apr was only 13th there. : | Breeding: Shet all-colony count of 272 nests was | down (377 in 1989) but good MBS of 3.01 (2.6 in| 1990); Ork 360 nests at 4 sites, none at anothena Arg 46 nests McCormaig Isles; Ayr 98nests Dove Cove; D&G 588 nests at 4 sites inc 518 Mochrum/ Castle Loch. 100+ Lady Isle Ayr 4 Aug; 143 Bogside Ayr | Sep;! max 111 N. Ronaldsay Ork 7 Sep; 120 on Tay at) Lucky Scalp F 8 Sep; c.300 Yell Sound Shet on 25 Oct; 148 Bogside Ayr 26 Oct; 238 L. Leven P&K' 27 Oct; 85 Strathbeg NE 10 Nov; 138 Skinflats) Cent 5 Dec. R.D.Murray [Ed] Cormorant D.G.Mitchell Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis Large winter counts inc 416 Yell Sound Shet 8 Jan; 869 Bluemull area Shet 13 Jan; 2,084 roosting Portknockie NE 15 Jan; 804 Skelda Voe-Kettla Ness Shet 11-15 Feb; 6,400N Peterhead NE on 16 Feb; 500 Burra Sound Ork in Feb; 628N (1hr) Eymouth B 2 Mar. Breeding: Colony AONs MBS 1990 ___1991 %change 1 1991 Shetland Hermaness 0.43 1.00 Sumburgh 332 289 -13% 0.65 0.95 Skelda Ness 87 715 -14% Noness 110 119 + 8% Fair Isle 0.97 1.18 IsleofMay 1,386 1,487 + 7% 0.42 Loth Fidra 166 144 -13% Bord St.Abb's 338 436 +29% 0.76 1.80 Arg McCormaig Is 200 221 +10% Arran Holy Is 14 0.86 Shet 4 other sites (398 nests) had an 18% decline from 1988/89 values. Ork 146 nests at 5 sites; Suth stable - slight increase Handa; M&N 5 nests Portknockie (2 in 1990); NE 8 nests Fowlsheugh, 1 Forvie; Arg 85 nests Lunga; D&G 35 nests Mull of Galloway has stablised after decline from 80 in 1985 also 2 nests Meikle Ross. 1400 Kincraig F 27 Aug; 2000 Kincraig F 6 Oct; 785 Lady’s Holm Shet 8 Oct; 435 Yell Sound Shet 25 Oct; 8550 (1hr) Anstruther F7 Nov; 762 Bluemull area Shet 8 Dec; 1,000 Lothbeg Suth in Dec. 11 Bittern Botaurus stellaris 3 winter, | summer & 5 autumn/winter. Singles Bemersyde B 10 Jan, Strathbeg NE 30 Jan &10 Feb, Duddingston L 26 Jan -10 Feb. 1 Strathbeg 18 &23 Jun. An unusual date for a Scottish Bittern. 1 Possil L. Cly 29 Sep, presumed same Knightswood Park Cly 1 Oct; 2 Duddingston L. 14 Noy; 1L. Ken D&G on 5 & 19 Dec; 1 Aird Meadow Cly 22 Dec. Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Several were seen in L but were almost certainly all escapes; the Edinburgh Zoo population now con- tains 32 birds of which three are unringed juveniles. One seen at L. Leven P&K at the end of the year (an unringed juvenile) is still being discussed. Little Egret Egretta garzetta 1 L.Craignish-Lochgilphead Arg 28 Sep-6 Oct; another Caerlaverock D&G in Nov, moving to Rockliffe and Glencaple D&G in Dec. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Large counts inc 26 Selkirk B 2 Jan; 49 Hunterston Ayr 12 Jan; 26 Stromness Ork 4 Feb; 25 Edenside F 18 Aug; 26 Doonfoot Ayr 29 Aug; 17 Trondra Shet 30 Aug; 32 Selkirk 30 Oct. Breeding: huge variation in colony monitoring: Ork 11 prs at 1 site; M&N 9 prs at | site; Fife 7 prs at 1 site; P&K 15 nests at 2 sites; Loth 12 nests at 3 sites; Bord 10 sites, 86 nests inc 34 nests Fishwick; OHeb 81 nests at7 sites, inc 37 Kelleasay; Arg 33 nests at 7 sites; Arran 6 nests at 1 site; Clyde 3 sites with 97 nests inc 51 nests Bothwell & 37 at Finlaystone; Ayr 13 sites with 80 nests inc 33 Ardeer. No reports NE, Cent, D&G. Passage was normal, with FI, Shet and Ork record- ing usual numbers. St. Kilda OH had the best year so far recorded, with 7 individuals (53 previous records). Black Stork Ciconia nigra 2 seen Garynahine OH 25 Jul-5 Aug. One was found dead. Second record for Outer Hebrides. Skin now in Stornoway Museum. ss, SE eS = ll]_aaaqqca5 Ra a aaa TT 12 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia Singles Cramond L 5 Jun & Tyninghame L 6 Jun; Barr L Cly 8-9 Jun; Baron's Haugh Cly 21 Jun; Strathbeg NE 27 Jun- 27 Aug; and Loch Gelly F on 28 -29 Aug. All these reports could relate to one individual. Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis Escapes: 2imm Endrick Mouth Cly 22-2 8 Jun; 2 Cobbinshaw L 14-18 Jul. Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber 2 L. Leven P&K throughout year. Mute Swan Cygnus olor Largest numbers, as usual in Ork with 1,171 L. of Harray in Jan, 1,201 in Feb & 821 in Mar where plague of Canadian Pondweed has boosted feeding opportunities. 646 OHeb 12/13 Jan in island survey comprising 157 N.Uist, 44 Benbecula & 445 S.Uist. Elsewhere peak counts include 254 L. of Skene NE, 330 Tweed Estuary & 88 Tweed Haughs B in Jan; 80 Tyninghame L in Feb; & 389 L.Bee OH in Mar. Breeding CBC (A-5%), WBS (-7%): overall an average season in terms of failures and production but poor in P&K and Clyde. Area Pairs Broods Young MBS Caithness 6 3 16 5.33 M&N 19 2 47 3.92 Fife 8+ 8 30 B75 Lothian 61 48 204 4.25 Borders 48 20 87 4.35 Clyde 33 10 35 3.50 Ayrshire 23 12) 36 3.00 Only 119 cygnets fledged Loth from 30 of the above broods further reducing the MBS to 3.96. Moults flocks:140+ Dumbarton Cly , 450+ L.Leven P&K & 340 Tweed Estuary in Jul/Aug. 200 found dead L.of Harray as Pondweed failed and birds died through starvation and infection reducing winter counts but still 564 in Sep and 333-383 birds Oct-Dec. 323 Tweed Est. in Sep; 158 L.of Bosquoy Ork in Oct; 359 L. Bee, 329 L. of Skene 136 Tweed Haughs & 91 Cramond L in Dec. Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus Perhaps 76 birds seen in small parties Jan- aia? | ! mostly 1-3 birds in NE, P&K, Fife, Loth, OHeb, Arg & D&G. Best counts: 16 Caerlaverock D&G in Jan & 18 in | Feb; 5 L.Bee OH 7 Feb; 4 L.Indaal, Islay Arg to | mid-Feb; 8 Islesteps D&G 6 Mar; 5 E. Linton L | 9 Mar; 8 Caerlaverock D&G in Mar; 5 Balivanich | OH 22 Apr; with last Caerlaverock D&G in Apr & | 2 Colonsay Arg on 3 May. | Lagg Arran 6 Jan was first for area. 28 L. Leven P&K 14 Oct was only Oct record. 8 Caerlaverock in Oct; then 9 Stewarton Arg on 2 Nov; 12 Hirsel B 3 Nov; 25+ New Gullet Bridge F 6 Nov; 7 Congalton L 6 Nov; 10 Meallbrodden P&K 16 Dec; 4 Cleish P&K 19 Dec; 12 Scotland-. well F 29 Dec; 23 Caerlaverock D&G in Dec. Smaller parties 1-3 reported Loth, Fife, Loth, Bord, | Clyde & Ayr. Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus Good numbers: 384 in Uists survey OH 12/13 Jan comprised 39 N.Uist, 34 Benbecula & 311 S.Uist; Biggest numbers were in Ork with 381 L. of Harray 6 Jan with 306 on 21 Feb & 518 on 24 Mar also 140 Shapinsay 12 Jan; 129 L.of Broadhouse on 17 Feb & 115 L.of Banks on 15 Mar. Elsewhere >100 birds reported: 150 Crailing B, 131 Tweed Haughs B, 188 L.of Skene NE & 129 Strathbeg NE in Jan; 184 Caerlaverock D&G & 123 Bladnoch D&G in Feb; 100 aes P&K 26 Mar. Counts of 25-100 reported from Shet, Caith | M&N (3); NE, Fife (3); Loth (4); Bord, OHeb (4)! Clyde (10); Ayr (3); D&G (4). 506 passed through Uists 6 Mar-18 May, larges movement 249N on 10-11 Apr. Numbers summered in most recording areas, bu was not recorded breeding. Largest numbers wer in Ork (12), inc 4 L.of Harray; Caith (4), 4L.o) Wester; OHeb (14) inc 6 at L.Bee. First returnees were 4 L.Loy M&N 25 Sep; thes simultaneous arrival Shet, Fair Is, Ork, Caith, OHel & NEon 26 Sep; with first D&G, Ayr, Clyde Bor on 27-29 Sep. 190S on passageUists plus 219 thought to b grounded migrants 26 Sep-23 Oct, max I0IS 0: 14 Oct; 43S St.Kilda OH 5 Oct. ! R.D.Murray [Ed] Good breeding season suggested by % of juvs; Shet 27.8%, Caith 31%, Bord 43%. MBS Shet 2.1. 371birds Shet on 10 Nov census with 268 adults and 103 juvs. Peak counts elsewhere in Nov: 57 L.of Sabiston Ork, 130 L.Calder Caith, 88 L.Indaal, Islay Arg & 340 L. of Skene NE. Dec counts were lower as passage birds moved south, max 176 Strathbeg NE, 138 Candren Pool Cly, 90 Loch Freuchie P&K & 73 Islesteps D&G Black Swan Cygnus atratus Pair Bogside Ayr 28-30 Aug. Bean Goose Anser fabalis Better numbers winter 90/91. C.Scotland flock: 147 Slamannan Cent on 6 Jan; 125 L. Elrig Cent 15 Jan; 112 Blackhill Cly 29 Jan. SW Scotland flock: 20-25 Loch Ken D&G 12 Jan; 8 Hightae Drum, Threave D&G 13 Jan; 25 over Laurieston D&G 14 Jan; 8 Stranraer D&G 9 Feb. Also 1 St.Abb's B 17 Jan & 6 Dowlaw B 16 Mar. 1 Stronsay Ork 24-27 May was an odd report. C.Scotland flock: 40 Slamannan 10 Sep; 22 Shortrig Moss Cent 23 Sep with 20 on 4 Oct; 88 Carron Valley Res. Cent 13 Oct; 15 Slamannan 18 Oct; 88 Carron Valley 22 Oct; 45 L. Elrig 27 Oct. No reports SW in autumn. Also 2 at Ackergill Tower Caith 7 Oct. Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus Jan-Feb counts indicate approximate winter populations after some redistribution due to frost and snow: North-east 10,000; Forth 5,000; Tay 12,000; Fife 8,000; Lothian 8,000; Borders 3,000; Solway 15-25,000. Best individual counts inc 10,250 Strathbeg NE in Jan; 16,380 Lochmaben D&G in Feb. Numbers gradually increased in Mar with passage producing peaks of 15,500 Caerlaverock D&G and 24,650 Strathbeg in Mar; 6,000 Miltonhall M&N 19 Apr; & 9,200 Strathallan P&K 20 Apr. Last birds mostly mid-May with last Fife 7 May; Ayr 12 May; Arg, M&N 14-18 May; P&K, Caith 22-26 May; Suth, Cent, Fair Is 27-29 May; Ork, Clyde, Shet 2-6 Jun & OHeb 14 Jun. Usual scatter of summering reports. 13 First birds Strathkinnes F & Reston B 4 Sep; Ork 5 Sep; Clyde 8 Sep; Loth, D&G 9 Sep; Cent, Ayr 10-11 Sep; M&N, Is of May 15 Sep; Shet, Ork, Caith 19-20 Sep; OHeb, Arg 24-26 Sep. Late Sep assemblies with a staggering 57,000 at Dupplin Lochs P&K (25% world population!) Resort Sep Oct Nov Dec Strathbeg NE =10,540 23,350 12,350 10,100 DupplinP&K 57,000 38,900 10,740 na Strathallan P&K 13,000 9,200 9,250 9,000 L.Leven P&K na 21,880 9,770 na Fala Flow L 10,500 16,410 566 nc Aberlday Bay L 1,700 10,000 9,640 2,130 West WaterB 17,906 32,636 nc 10,000 Hule Moss B 18,500 12,000 9,184 3,865 Peaked everywhere in Oct with reasonable maintainance of numbers into Nov before real drop-off into Dec. Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Grey Goose Counts Oct-Nov 1991 Pink-footed Goose SE Scotland NE Scotland Other Scotland England 0 100000 200000 300000 Record maxima of 232,962 birds in UK October goose counts, 95% of which were in Scotland. Breeding success was moderate in 1991 with 18.1% young seen in sample flocks. The MBS was slightly less than average at 2.10. See Cranswick & Kirby (1992) The 1991 National Census of Pink- footed and Greylag Geese in Britain WWT. Pink-footed Goose Keith Brockie FEast/Central Scot 14 White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons Greenland race A. a. flavirostris Winter max: 350 Endrick Cly Jan-Mar; c750 at 2 sites D&G in Jan; 138 at 4 sitesOHeb & c550 at 3 sites Caith in Feb; 10,604 at 8 sitesin Arg census 24 Mar, mainly 9,041 on Islay; c 130 at 3 sites Ork in Apr. Small numbers reported elsewhere, mainly 1-5 birds, in Shet, M&N and P&K. Last birds Ork 4 May, OH 6 May & Arg 10 May. First 5 Hule Moss B 19 Sep and first Arg & OHeb 20-21 Sep were considered early. Then FairIs 29 Sep; Caith, Ork 4 Oct; P&K, Loth, D&G 6-7 Oct. Numbers built-up from mid-Oct into Nov with m ax 300 L.of Mey Caith on 27 Oct; 166 The Loons Ork 17 Nov; 150 at 5 sites OHeb in Dec; record? 14,723 in all- Arg census 24 Nov- 4 Dec; 880 at 2 sites D&G in Dec. Small numbers, typically <10 reported most other area, mainly in Oct/Nov. Samples Islay suggests average breeding season with 12.6% juvs with MBS of 3.3. European race A. a. albifrons 2 Strathbeg NE 31 Mar; | Slains NE 13 Apr. 2 Kilconquhar F 13 Jul are likely to have been feral. In autumn 4 Scatness Shet 17 Oct; 8 Fetlar Shet 22 Oct; 4 Ringasta Shet 24-27 Oct; 1 Corby NE 22 Dec; 1 near Meikle L. NE 28 Dec. Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus One very tame escape Musselburgh L 15-17 Jun. Greylag Goose Anser anser Winter counts: c42,000 at 6 sites NE in Jan, inc 21,030 Dinnet & 19,150 L.of Skene but after poor weather in Feb reduced to 5,000 in area; c5,000 at 2 sites M&N Jan-Mar; c10,000 at 8 sites P&K in Feb; c2,000 wintered OHeb. Areas with flocks > 1,000 birds Jan-Apr inc Ork (3 sites), Caith (3), Fife (2), Clyde (1), D&G (2). Breeding: Shet min 6br20+; Ork 188 juvs Jul; Caith 23 prs & 108 young, inc 16br90 (MBS 5.6); Suth 35 ad +4br16; NE 3 broods at 2 sites; P&K many adults but only 5 juveniles in Jul; Loth 17br108 at 5 sites (MBS 6.3); Bord br5 at | site; OHeb 47 broods inc 27br112,(MBS 4.2); Arg 82 broods with 234 young (MBS 2.85) +524 other adults, mainly Coll & Tiree; Clyde 8prs with 4br6; Scottish Bird Report 1991 Ayr 5 ads with br4; D&G 115 juveniles in Jul, together with 1,287 adults. Presence of so many feral bids obscures arrival of | wintering populations but first birds mid-late Sep | with bulk from mid-Oct, peaking mid-Nov. Pas- | sage was generally late with some birds possibly | staying in Iceland. Wildfow! & Wetlands Trust Grey Goose Counts Oct-Nov 1991 Greylag Goose East/Cent Scotland N.Scotland NE Scotland N&W Isles Other Scotland England 0 20000 40000 60000 80000 = 100000, 123,071 birds were counted in Scotland in mid- | Nov, representing 69% of the birds wintering in the UK. Numbers were well down, some 23% less than in 1990/91. A poor breeding season with only14.1% young in sample flocks although MBS of 2.29 was average. | The best counts were 5,325 Strathearn P&K & | 6,600 L.Spynie M&N in Oct; 15,928 L. of Skene. NE, 10,500 Dinnet L. NE & 5,050 Kercock P&K | in Nov. Sites with counts in > 1,000 were reported | from Ork (6); Caith (4); M&N (3); NE (2); Fife “a Loth (1); Arg (1); D&G (1). See Cranswick & Kirby (1992) The 1991 National Census of Pink- footed and Greylag Geese in Britain WWT. | i | Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus | 1 early Jan L. Ken D&G; 2 South Ronaldsay Ork| 14 May; 2 Broubster Caith 4 Jun; 2 L. Spynie| M&N on 6 Jun; 1 Tyninghame L 25 Jun -1 Aug;) 2 L. Tummel P&K 13 Jul; 6 found in D&G in Jul;, 2 Marlee P&K 13 Sep. | Swan Goose Anser cygnoides 2 hybrids with feral Greylags at L. Ken D&G. | R.D.Murray [Ed] Emperor Goose Anser canagicus 1 Stornoway OH 1 Jan-Feb 28; 2 Noddsdale Water Ayr 30 Aug-21 Sep with 1 Fairlie Ayr to 31 Dec. Ross’s Goose Anser rossii 1 Sunbank M&N 23 Mar-16 Apr, possibly same Findhorn M&N 15-19 Mar; | Kinlochbervie Suth 30 May. See Proctor (1991) Birding World 4: 82-83. Snow Goose Anser caerulescens Usual small numbers accompanying other geese. Site JI FMAMJ J AS OND Orkney 1 6 Caith M&N NENScot, | .2,..4 1. 1 1 P&K 1b Sy 2 Cent 11 Bord 1 OHeb 4 Arg J heaiaqee) Teak 1 Li Miata Dicaeusl Clyde 2 D&G 1 1 Bees olor el? “34a 1 Breeding: feral population on Treshnish, Mull Arg bred this year. 3 were there Jul 20. Largest numbers were 6 Stronsay Ork 12 Jul and 11 Skinflats Cent 24 Sep, seen Torry F next day. Canada Goose Branta canadensis Small numbers throughout year where ferals breed but most E areas experience influx in early summer as English moult-migrants move N. Singles Shet, Fair Is, Ork & Caith in May with passage Bord, Loth, Fife, NE & M&N in Jun, max 40 Hindhope B 27 May; 40 St.Andrews F 2 Jun; 25 Tyninghame L 13 Jun. No data on Beauly moult flocks. Breeding: widespread but localised P&K 9 sites with 54 young; Cent br4 L. Watson; Loth br3 Duddingston; Bord 2br7 Bemersyde & Bassendean; Arg 1| pr; Clyde 2prs Gadloch plus hybrids; Ayr 1 pr failed; D&G 26 sites. Flock counts in breeding areas suggest local populations of c300 P&K; c60 Colonsay Arg; c30 Barcraigs Cly; 22 Ayr; 270 D&G. Return passage Sep with 20S St.Abb's B 13 Sep & 22 Lindores F 18 Sep the best counts. 150S Grogarry OH 29 Jul in mist may have been lost moulters. 15 Several “small” birds, perhaps Arctic races minima, parvipes and/or hutchinsii: 1L.Ken D&G 14-19Jan & 3 Mar; 1 Duddingston L 3 Mar; 1 Strathallan P&K 4 May; 1 Mertoun Bridge B 4 Jul; 3 Barcraigs Cly 23 Jul; 3 Endrick Mouth Cly 2-4 Aug; 4 Whittlemuir Cly 28 Aug; 1 Auchterarder P&K 16 Nov; 1 Kinghorn L. F in late Nov; 1 Bargo OH 30 Nov. Only the last could conceivably be genuine. Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis Breeding: only record was of Canada x Barnacle breeding, producing 4 hybrid young L. Ken D&G 22 May. Solway flock: 12,000 wintered 90/91. 6,000 still present 1 May with last there 3 May. Few passage birds seen but 400E Gordon B 28 Apr; 127 Is of May 2 May & 50N Peterhead NE early May First 3 birds 19 Sep with 12,700 wintering almost entirely at Caerlaverock. Autumn passage was poorly reported in E, perhaps due to mid-week arrival: best flocks were 200S Girdleness NE 22 Sep; 220 Musselburgh & 105 Tyninghame L 30 Sep; 150 Moss Side B 18 Oct. Hebrides flock: c30,000 wintered Arg 90/91 per- haps another 2,000 OHeb. 22,782 Islay 23 Mar, 1,000 still there 26 Apr with last 27 May. Spring passage poor in OHeb with only 372 seen Uists 14 Apr-8 May. 400 birds through Uists 26 Sep-12 Oct. First Islay 21 Sep with 19,524 roosting Gruinart 30 Nov. Arg census 24,490 24 Nov-4 Dec was lowish. Breeding season poor with only 4.6% juvs and MBS 1.7. N. Isles: Main Ork flock c1,000 South Walls/ Switha Jan-Mar with only odd birds elsewhere. Last Rousay 6 Jun. First N.Ronaldsay 19 Sep but max 1,200, the best-ever, at Walls-Switha in mid- Novewith only c150 elsewhere. Only 1-2 birds Shet Jan-Mar but max 39 Oct-Nov. Odd birds were widespread in both winter periods alongside other geese, the biggest count being 32 Thankerton Cly 25 Jan. Some feral birds pass through in early summer associated with the moult-migration of Canadas between N.England and the Beauly Firth. a NLT NN TENS NR AT AT ERM MPL IOS NUT SRT OS TET 16 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Brent Goose Branta bernicla Pale-bellied Brent B.b.hrota Scarce in winter with c6 birds Jan to mid-Apr at Strathbeg NE (1), L. Indaal, Islay Arg (3) & L.Ryan D&G (2). Light passage, mainly W coast, 19 Apr - 23May inc 100+ L. Indaal Arg 6 May; 9 Aird an Runair OH 6 May; 38 Stinky Bay OH 6 May; 60 Mull Arg 9 May plus single parties NE & Ork. Area Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec N_ Isles 1 W.Isles* 11 35 4 NE Scotland* 14 41 6 6 E/C Scotland* 34 16 31 4 W.Scotland* 30 5 SE Scotland 60 40 SW Scotland 14 10 4 4 * not complete. NB includes birds not racially identified More widespread in autumn: first 11S Rubha Ardvule OH 29 Aug; 71 Uists OH 29 Aug-12 Oct; 31S Uisaed Pt Arg 19 Sep-1 Nov; 19 Hound Pt. L 15 Sep; 25 L. Indaal Arg 20 Sep; 22 Barns Ness L 12 Oct; 22 Donmouth NE 11 Oct; 17 Girdleness NE 29 Oct. Dark-bellied Brent B.b.bernicla 8 reports ‘of 1-2 birds, 20 Feb-9 May, mostly Mar. Singles Shet (2), Fair Is, NE (2) & Ork with 2 L. Hempriggs Caith 20 Feb & 2 Rubha Ardvule OH 9 May. 5 autumn/winter records: | Strathbeg NE end Oct & same? Donmouth NE 24 Nov; 1 L. Gruinart Arg 15 Oct-12 Nov; 9 Culbin Bars M&N 29 Oct; and 1 Craighouse, Jura Arg 1 Nov. Black Brent B. b. nigricans 1 Moine Mhor Arg 1 Feb-11 Apr with Greylags. Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis lst-w arrived Caerlaverock D&G with Barnacle Geese 2 Oct, stayed until end of year. CE Shelduck ——S D.G.Mitchell Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea 1 at Mersehead-Sandyhills D&G in May & Nov. Shelduck Tadorna tadorna Winter max inc : 589 Wigtown Bay D&G & 114 Dornoch Suth in Jan; 1176 Eden F; 531 Skinflats Cent & 195 Islay Arg in Feb & 220 Clyde Estuary Cly in Mar. No counts elsewhere >100 birds. Breeding CBC (A+26%): Shet 5 sites; Ork bred on 9 islands with 5 sites S.Ronaldsay; Caith 8prs 42 juvs; M&N min 50 juvs from 3 sites on coast & poss bred 2 inland sites; NE 23 young at 2 sites; P&K 25prs N shore of Tay & 31 prs+19 singles L.Leven; Fife 60 young from 2 sites; Loth 46 juvs was best breeding at Aberlady since 1980, 17 juvs Tyninghame, cl5prs at 8 other sites; Bord |pair bred inland at Whitton L.; Arran 19prs had 141 young; Clyde 2prs L.Lomond & 2br27 Endrick Mouth; Ayr c24prs inc 10br56 & Ist breeding Ailsa Craig; D&G inland breeding continues to | increase. Moult areas: record 4,894 Inner Solway D&G in Jul; 4,200 Kinneil Cent 25 Aug; summer max of 104 Findhorn Bay M&N continues decline there since peak of 250.in 1985. 1,402 Eden Estuary F in Nov rising to 1,590 in Dec; 1,347 Caerlaverock D&G 16 Nov. Flocks elsewhere Sep-Dec were typically <100 with only a few sites 100-200 birds: Suth (1); Arg | (1); Cent (1); Loth (1). Mandarin Aix galericulata | Main areas : NE | m attempted to breed with £ | Mallard, Bridge of Don, pr there 21 Apr & 31 May, 1 Haddo May & Jun; P&K 2 prs Tay at North Inch | in Jan/Feb, 3m/1f£ there 4 May then | m on | another possible breeding site 14 May. Numbers | decreasing with only 2m n/1£ in autumn/winter | Bord mainly Eye Water but spread to neighbour | ing Whiteadder Water: pr Howburn, Eye Water | probably bred, pr Eyemouth B 27 May; 12+ Abbey | St.Bathans on Whiteadder 28 Oct, 2 mmSt. Abb’s | 15 Nov; 7 Houndwood , Eye Water 29 Nov. | 1 Tweed at Lyne Station 9 Jul at other end of area. Away from these areas - 2mm Gosford L 7 Apr 1m Threave D&G | June & 2 Aug, | m shot! Whaupmill D&G in Dec perhaps same bird; 1 £| Ham Pool Caith in Aug. | R.D.Murray [Ed] 17 Wigeon & American Wigeon Steve Brown Wigeon Anas penelope Winter/spring max at main resorts, mostly N & E, inc 3,800 L. of Skene NE & 1,113 Eden Estuary F in Jan, 4,200 L. of Harray Ork , 1,931 Findhorn Bay M&N & 1,050 L.Leven P&K in Feb. Drop in numbers to 20% winter levels by Mar as spring exodus starts. Breeding: Shet 3+ prs at | site; Ork breeding Hoy & Mainland (4 sites) with pairs Shapinsay & Stronsay; Caith 5 sites ; NE 12-15 prs Braemar area but 95% of ducklings killed by late cold weather; P&K 50+ prs but only 9 broods seen to survive; Bord 8prs at 5 sites, no proof; Arg may have bred L.Tulla, 14 in May; Clyde 3 sites but no evidence of breeding; D&G poss nested 2 sites in Stewartry. 504N/7S St.Abb's B on 5 dates 6-28 Sep, 86W at 3 sites Loth 22 Sep; max 17 Fair Is 24 & 26 Sep; 1,600 Findhorn Bay in Sep were probably newly arrived migrants. Oct-Dec max inc; massive 6,200 Dornoch Suth, 1,896 Boardhouse Ork & 1,799 L. Indaal Arg in Oct; c2,000 Carness Skerries Ork, 1,140 L.Ryan D&G & 1,607 Tyninghame L in Nov; 2,018 L.of Skene, 2,011 Strathbeg NE, 1,113 Forth Estuary Cent, 1,300 Gartmorn Cent & 1,112 Caerlaverock D&G in Dec. Im L.Ryan 4 Nov-14 Dec showed features of hybrisisation with American Wigeon. as i tus WY Le / L tS American Wigeon Anas americana Pr Stenhouse Res. F from 1990 to 12-13 Jan, with m there to 4 Mar. Im L.Ussie I&R from 1990 to 18 Jan; 1m Gladhouse L from 1990 to 27 Jan. Im Lochore Meadows F 15 Oct-8 Dec, poss Stenhouse bird returning? Gadwall Anas strepera Present but scarce in most areas but only really frequentin Ork, P&K and Fife. Records elsewhere are mostly of single Mar-Dec. Most areas note a slight increase in numbers over last few years. Few winter/spring records, mostly in SW. Clear evidence of spring immigration during Mar/Aprin S & Apr/May in N. Best count was 11 Kilconquhar L.F 17 Mar Breeding: Ork pr+br5 N.Ronaldsay; OHeb 3 sites inc br2 L. Fada 2 Jun; Suth £ +br5 Forsinain 4 Jun; P&K 49 prs + 2m mL. Leven in Apr, only single brood reported, also 2 prs elsewhere; Fife 40 young reared at 2 sites; Clyde 7br60 Baron's Haugh. Wandering prs seen breeding season (Caith, M&N, Cent, Loth, Bord) suggesting potential future sites. Autumn passage from late Aug, peaking mid-Sep: 120 L.Leven in Sep; 62 Kilconquhar L. F 29 Sep; 35 Baron's Haugh & 48 Cameron Res. F 17 Oct; 10 N.Ronaldsay Ork 26 Nov. 18 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 1,712 Forth Estuary Cent, 1,626 Strathbeg NE, 1,383 Strathclyde Park Cly, 960 Carsebreck P&K, 970 Perth P&K, 797 Skinflats Cent, 779 Tweed Haughs B & 725 L.Fleet Suth in Jan. Feb max inc 1,280 L.Leven P&K. Additional Jan/Feb counts >250 in Suth, NE (2), P&K (2), Cent, Fife (2), Loth (5), Bord, Clyde (3), Ayr (2) & D&G. Breeding CBC (F+1%) WBS (+8%): Ork 15prs Hoy; Caith 12 prs inc 5br29; P&K many losses Strathallan, MBS 3.1; Fife 28 prs; Loth 74prs, 23broods at 8 sites; Bord 116 broods at 46 sites MBS 5.80; Cent only 60 fledged from 34 broods, a poor season; Clyde 70 broods at 23 sites, MBS 5.0; Ayr 54 pairs inc 20br105, MBS 5.25. Breeding numbers reflected in large post-breeding (moult?) flocks: 800 Hirsel B in Jun; 610L. Spynie M&N_ Jul, 303 Baron's Haugh Cly & 360 Caerlaverock D&G in Aug. Large autumn/winter peaks inc: 1,028 L. Leven P&K & 550 Airthey Cent in Sep; 1,356 Tweed Haughs B, 726 Teviot Haughs B, 1,200 Hirsel L. B, 430 Dinnet Lochs NE in Oct; 1,253 L. of Strathbeg NE in Nov; 438 L.of Sabiston Ork , 450 Gladhouse L, 717 Carsebreck in Nov; 495 Kilconquhar L. F, 936 Perth, 800 Gartmorn Cent in Dec. Teal Anas crecca Winter max: 609 Threave D&G, 425 Baron's Haugh Cly, 1,220 Forth Estuary Cent, 670 Grangemouth Cent & 362 Carsebreck P&K in Jan. 450 Clyde Estuary Cly, 510 Eden Estuary F &700 Bogside Ayr 13 Feb; Breeding: Usual rather sparse reports: Shet 5 sites; Ork 2 sites; Caith 3 sites; Suth | site; M&N 6 prs at 4 sites; P&K 7 broods Strathallan inc 5br28, 14prstS5m m L.Leven, 2br5 at 2 sites Rannoch; Fife br4 at 1 site; Loth 13 prs at 5 sites; Bord 26prs at 11 sites, inc 3br14; OHeb 4prs at 2 sites; Clyde 8 prs at 7 sites, inc 3br11; Ayr 14prs at 7 sites. Peak winter counts include 360 Loch Ken D&G, 300 Carness Ork & 1,873 L. Leven P&K in Sep. 2,931 L. of Strathbeg NE, 500 Lochouses L in Oct. 391 Caerlaverock D&G, 320 Loch Gruinart Arg, 350 Aberlady L & 764 Hule Moss B in Nov. 661 Carsebreck P&K, 300 Watch Water B & 650 Bogside Ayr in Dec. Scottish Bird Report 1991 Crispin Fisher — Green-winged Teal A. c. carolinensis 1 Islay Arg 24 Jan-2 Mar; 1 Crantit Ork 3 Feb- | 6 Mar; 1 Scatness Shet 1990 to 3 Mar; 1 Dale Shet 20 Feb; 1 Burn of Strand Shet 14 Apr. 1 Scatness 20-25 Nov; 1 L. Bee OH 15 Dec. Pintail Anas acuta Wintering in good numbers _ at only a few sites, elsewhere limited to <10 birds: 47-53 L. Indaal, Islay Arg Jan-Mar; max 20 Eden Estuary F in Feb; 22-72 Skinflats Cent Jan-Mar. Breeding: Ork study showed 22-26 potential prs at 15 sites, inc 5-6prs Stronsay & The Loons, where | 2br7 in summer, perhaps 50% UK of population (See Meek (1993) Scottish Birds 17:14-19); OHeb | pr+ | br2 L. Hallan - /st report in O.Heb since 1970; | D&G pr L.Ken but no proof of breeding. 16S Uisaed Pt Arg 16-25 Sep, 23S there 11-19 Oct. Presence of any numbers restricted to SW with 700 Caerlaverock D&G in Sep, 388 Wigtown Bay | D&G in Oct & massive 3, 000+ off Blackshaw | Bank D&G in Nov. Best elsewhere was 109 L. Leven P&K in Sep; record 34 Strathbeg NE & 37 Eden Estuary F in, Oct; 85 Skinflats Cent in Dec. Only small numbers, mainly <5, elsewhere. | { Garganey Anas querquedula | Poor year, only 12 in spring & 3 summer. | Pr Sumburgh Shet 26 Apr; 1 m L. of Wester Caith 28 Apr; 2 prs Strathbeg NE 10-31 May, | pr until) 6 Jun; 1m Mauchline Ayr 12-25 May; 1 m Culzean i R.D.Murray [Ed] 19 Ayr 12 May; 1 m L.och Spynie M&N on 17 May; 1 L. an Aibhe Duibhe OH 27 May; pr Cruden Bay NE 1 Jun; 1 Blairgowrie P&K 13 Jul. Only 1 autumn: pr Loch Gelly F 2-11 Aug. 3m mTyninghame L 18-19 Oct which were tame, were probably escapes. Blue-winged Teal Anas discors Adm Rackwick, Hoy Ork 27 May & presumably same L. of Stenness Ork 30 May; then Ist yr m Hirta, St. Kilda OH 16-17 Sep. Shoveler Anas clypeata Very scarce Jan-Mar, with few reports of mainly 1-5 birds Shet, Caith, M&N, NE, Cent, Loth, Bord, OHeb, Arran & Ayr. 28N.Ronaldsay Ork; 14 Baron's Haugh Cly, 19L.Leven P&K & 21 Kilconquhar L. F in Jan with 15 L.Ken D&G in Mar. Main arrival Apr. Breeding: Ork 11 prs inc 5prs The Loons; Caith br4 at 1 site; P&K 11prs+4m mL.Leven , at least 1 bred Vane Farm, 11mm at 3 sites Blairgowrie & 6prs+4m m Strathallan but only 2 broods which died in bad weather; Fife br3 at | site; Loth 1 pr+1m Bavelaw, no evidence; Bord 3prs+2m mBemersyde & 2prs+10m mHirsel where br7; Clyde 3prst+3m m Lochwinnoch; 2br17 Baron's Haugh probably died; Ayr 2br9 Knockshinnoch: D&G 8prs L.Ken only 1 brood, pr Threave failed. Generally a poor autumn with an early departure. Main site was L. Leven P&K where 412 in Sep & 576 in Oct; elsewhere the largest counts were 104 Hoselaw B, 53 Hirsel & 77 Kilconquhar F in Sep; 86 Hule Moss B & 52 N.Ronaldsay Ork Oct; low numbers after Oct with only 47 Priestside D&G in Dec exceeding 10 birds. Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina Im Seafield Pond L 12 Jan; 1 m L. Watten Caith 13 Jan; 1m Kilconquhar L. F 20 Jan & next day on sea at Leven; | m Hirsel B 19 Jun; 1 £ Lochwinnoch Cly 1-6 Sep & Baron's Haugh Cly 8 Sep, then perhaps same Caerlaverock D&G 14-23 Sep; 1 m St. John’s L. Caith 14 Oct-31 Dec;pr Lochore Meadows F 15 Oct; Im L. of Harray Ork 9 Nov- 24 Dec. Pochard Aythya ferina Main flocks L. of Boardhouse & L. of Harray Ork and L.Leven P&K are summarised below: Jan Feb Mar Sep Oct Nov Dec B'house 826 0 4 610 1,820 1,864 1,042 Harray 762 901 1,100 2 456 218 448 L.Leven na 820 na 165 460 442 510 Otherwise best Jan-Mar reports were 200 Lochore Meadows F & 249 on sea at Leven F in Jan; 182 Strathbeg NE & 250 Kilnconquhar F in Feb. Breeding: P&K pr bred L.Leven but no young, £br7 Blairgowrie, birds at 3 other sites but no evidence; Fife best success since 1984 with 3prs+ 13 juvs; Bord best-ever success with 3prs+8m m Hirsel with 2br5, 2pr Yetholm Marsh with 2br13, Apr+3m m Bemersyde with 7br25. Best counts, outwith table, were 433 L. of Skaill Ork 20 Sep; a massive 1,400 St.John's L. Caith on 9 Nov; 163 Carlingwark D&G 15 Dec & 814 L.Watten Caith 16 Dec. Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris 1m R. Doon, Waterside, Bogton L. & Burnton L. Ayr from 1990 to 20 Apr; 1£ Milton L. & Auchenroech L. D&G 19Jan -24 Feb; | mArdnave L. Islay 27 Jan-22 Apr; 1m L. Nell Arg Feb 14-16; 1 £ Martnaham L. Ayr 6-16 Apr; 1 m Loch Gelly F 29 Apr-2 May; Im Inverdruie I&R end-Apr to end Jun; 1 m L.of Kinnordy A&D 23-25 Jun. 1m L.Morlich & L.Insh I&R 16 Sep-22Dec; 1m Bogton L. Ayr 16 Oct-6 Nov; 1m L. Ken D&G on 9 Dec; 1 £ Auchereoch L. D&G 26-30 Dec. 1£ Hule Moss B7 Oct had hybrid features and was unacceptable to the BBRC in view of known hybrid escapes nearby. Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Largest flocks were 400 on sea at Leven F, 463 Strathclyde L. Cly & 396 Linlithgow L in Jan; 1,099 L. of Harray Ork Jan with 1,320 there in Mar; 1,280 L. Leven P&K in Feb. Flocks 100-250 birds were in OHeb (3), Suth, NE, Fife, Loth, Clyde (2), Ayr (2) and D&G. Breeding: Shet 8 br40 (MBS 5.0); Caith 8 sites, inc 6br24; M&N 17 broods at 7 sites; NE 15br108 L.ofSkene (MBS 7.2) 2br10 Cruden Bay;. P&K 21broods at 8 sites, average success L.Leven (MBS 4.5); Cent 14prs Airthey produced 8br54 but only a Re TT aS DL RIE BEET IY TT EA TS ER 20 19 fledged; Fife min 22prs with 70 young; Loth min 45prs at 21 sites with broods at 15, inc 20br86; Bord 148 prs+ 56m m at 41 sites with 42br217, (MBS 5.16); Clyde 9prs at 7 sites, only 2 success- ful broods; Ayr 21 prs at 6 sites, only 1 brood reported. Good autumn/winter counts inc 335 Cameron Res. F in Jul; 344 L. of Skene in Aug; 4,064 L. Leven & 1,200 L. of Harray in Sep with 1,831 and 1,570 respectively in Oct; drop at both sites into Dec. 222 Lindores F & 239 Lochwinnoch Cly in Sep; 229 L.of Spiggie Shet in Oct; 259 Strathclyde L. in Nov; 334 L.of Stenness Ork & 388 L. Watten Caith in Dec. Scaup Aythya marila Highest numbers in W & SW. 300 L. Ryan D&G and 620 L. Indaal Arg in Jan; 2,480 offshore between Powfoot-Priestside D&G 17 Feb; 461 L. Indaal, 90+ St.Andrews F , 90 Irvine Ayr in Feb & 460 Mar; 500+ Leven F, 144 Clyde Estuary Cly, 460 L.Indaal, 194 L.of Stenness Ork & 200 L. of Harray Ork in Mar; Breeding: no confirmed reports but Im/2£ £ L.Spynie M&N in summer while pr seen one site with m at another P&K. 627 L. Indaal & 133 Musselburgh L in Oct; 4,410 off Carsethorn D&G 16 Nov with 4,488 there on 18 Dec; 950 L. Indaal Nov with 1,430 there Dec; 243 L. of Stenness, 510 L. Ryan, 126 Irvine & 179 Leven in Dec. Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Im at Milton L. & Auchenreoch L. D&G from 1990 to 25 Jan. First record for Scotland Eider Somateria mollissima Further decline in Shet wintering population from 16,500 in 1977, to 12,000 in 1984 and now an estimated 7,000 in 1991 (5,840 actually counted). The Loth coast (Blackness-Gullane) and Ythan NE flocks are graphed below. Counts in excess of 200 birds in winter/spring are listed: 461 Burghead M&N, 500 R.Don-Balmedie NE in Jan; 342 Rangehead OH in Feb; 550 Machrie Arran, 300 Pirnmill Arran, 1,157 Largo Bay F in Mar; 725 Kyles of Bute Arg, 300 Troon Ayr & 500 Ardrossan Ayr in Apr; 700 Saltcoats Ayr in Jun. Scottish Bird Report 1991 Counts of Eider on Lothian coast and Ythan NE in 1991 | Lothian coast JF M.A Me OAS OVNE_D Breeding: breeding very under-recorded in most areas. Ork lower numbers Work & fewer broods | Hoy, 30 nests Papa Westray; Caith 6 sites but only 3br12 noted; Suth 42 young noted Handa (c30£ £), | 9 known to have fledged; M&N 7br24 at 3 sites; | NE very poor breeding Forvie, only 33 ducklings late Jul; Is of May 592 nests (841 in 1990), 71% monitored nests hatched, max count was 76 juvs; | Loth min 332 prs on 3 Forth islands, mostly 224 prs Inchmickery, but only 2 broods Musselburgh & 1 at Aberlady; OHeb 29 £ £+95 young Stinky Bay; Arran27 ff with 83 young; Ayr 288 nests Horse Is, 10 nests Ailsa Craig, 236 young noted at 8 sites. | Largest flocks: 800 Barassie Ayr & 1,060 moulting m m Kingston M&N in Jul; 1,200 Bogside-Irvine | Harbour Ayr in Sep; 4,000 Don-Balmedie NE & 1,230 Ythan-Collieston NE in Sep; 2,080 Largo Bay F , 600 Dipple Ayr in Oct; 1,400 Bogside- | Irvine Ayr, 600 St.Abb's B & 2,865 Largo Bay F in Nov. Eider | D.G.Mitchell | Z - 4 AYA a, 4 y, of, vi y a= ds; Z 2 Zi LifD Zz Sf “4 7 FEL Letras R.D.Murray [Ed] 21 SE I IS OLR GA EET ED LOE MLD DEL DES ee nae i MO me aE Se ee ey CEES We ee a ee King Eider in Scotland 1991 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Tresta Shet 1st-w Lerwick Shet Sumburgh Shet Whalsay Shet ist-w Noss Shet Fear a EE Lerwick Shet, Gulberwick Shet Ist-w Burra Bridge Shet phew 29° £ Noss Shet E Sumburgh Shet Deerness Ork PETS) Tayport Fife ¥than 1 NE Blackdog 1 NE Donmouth NE Ythan 2 NE Blackdog 2 NE Burghead-Kingston M&N Loch Fleet Suth Loch Fleet Suth Ist-w_Y than NE 2nd-w Seafield L Ist-w St.Abb's B King Eider Somateria spectabilis See chart above for general dates and possible affinities. Shet records relate to at least 4mm&2£ £; NE records perhaps only 2 ad m mand Ist-w m. The BBRC suggests the NE Ist-w &the Bord bird are the same, while the young adm in Lothis likely the same bird in new plumage. Although there is some overlap in dates (but no occurrence on same date) the Suth and M&N birds are thought to be the same. The presence of a minimum of four Ist-w mm indicates the presence of this species for years to come! Harlequin Histrionicus histrionicus limm £ Wick Harbour Caith 6 Feb-26 Mar. The 2nd Caith record and only the 12th for Britain. See Young (1991) Birding World 4: 47-48. Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis Main resorts N.Isles and Moray Firth. Current Shet wintering population estimated at 2,500-3,000. Largest counts by far from Moray Firth coast M&N, as follows: Jan Feb Mar Oct Nov Dec Nairn/Culbin 360 347 121 656 660 298 Burghead Bay 1,265 311 251 2,078 2,603 4,493 B'head-Lossie 90 72 300 141 579 = 334 Spey Bay 787 61 847 1,719 361 395 Winter/spring: 260 Aikerness Ork & 200 Kinshaldy F in Jan; 186 Yell Sound Shet, 434 Bluemull area Shet, 365 Watersound Ork & 200 Gulberwick Shet in Feb. 170 off Quendale Bay Shet in Mar; 146 Thurso Bay Caith, 200 Dunnet Bay Caith, 175 Aberdeen NE & 317 Don-Balmedie NE in Apr. 340S Sumburgh Head Shet 8 Oct & 280S Brora Suth 12 Nov were evidence of passage. 500 Dunnet Bay, 250 Egilsay/Wyre Ork , 180 Kinshaldy in Nov. 165 Yell Sound, 790 Bluemull area & 250 Burra Sound Ork Dec. 1,021 on 3 stretches of Suth coast Portmahommach to Helmsdale 4 Dec. Usual scatter of inland records, esp in Oct-Dec when NE (1), P&K (8), Fife (5), Loth (6), Bord (4), Clyde (10), Ayr (5), D&G (7). a 2 LE EI ECE RE TS eS OST SONNE nee ee 22 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Common Scoter Melanitta nigra Main resorts Moray Firth coast, esp Murcar NE, Burghead Bay M&N and Spey Bay M&N and Forth along Lothian coast L (Musselburgh- Gullane). Other Forth records from Fife are listed below. Main resorts are summerised in table of monthly maxima (numbers include “Scoter sp”). Jan Feb MarApr Jun Jul Oct Nov Dec Spey Bay 482 199 385 ne ne_ ne 573 1054 1282 Burghead 395 130 504 nc ne ne 570 556 995 Murcar 239 50 nc 400 1840 3500 30 40 19 E.Loth 633 13471355 540 400 68 251 320 229 Also 300 Luce Bay D&G, 385 Culbin M&N in Jan. 2,100 Kinshaldy F in Feb. 400 Kirkcaldy F on 31 Mar; 442 Leven F, 184 Sound of Gigha Arg in Apr; 135 St. Abb’s B & 338 Ruddon’s Pt. Fin Jul. 341 Sound of Gigha in Aug. 710 Kinshaldy in Sep; 160 St. Abb’s B, 260 Shell Bay F in Oct; 130 Powfoot D&G 13 Nov; 110 Stevenson Pt. Ayr on 27 Dec. Breeding: Shet br3 seen; Caith | brood seen; Suth single prs at 2 sites; P&K no signs of breeding in regular sites Arg 6-7 pairs but no young seen; Clyde Im Daer Res in Jun is interesting. *Black Scoter V.n.americana Im Embo Suth 23 Mar-2 May. Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata Forth: 1m Fisherrow Harbour L 2 Jan with 2mm there 13 Jan; pr Largo Bay F 10 Feb-30 Mar joined by another m 21 Feb;1 m Musselburgh L 20 Mar with pr 30 Mar & £ staying until 15 Apr. Pr returned Largo Bay F 29 Dec. Moray: 2m mBurghead Bay M&N 14 Jan with Im there 14 Feb; 1 m Culbin Bar M&N 20 Mar. 2m mEmbo Suth 2 May, joined byimmm 4-8 May. 2mmreturned Burghead Bay 21 Oct with Im there 20 Nov. North East: m Blackdog NE 8 Apr; 2 Blackdog on 15 Jun; 1 ad & 2 sub-adm mMurcar NE 23 Jun with 6 were Murcar (8mm, 1 £ & 2 sub-adult m m) on 21 Jul, with 3 still there 19 Sep; 1 ad Donmouth NE 3 Oct. Elsewhere: lst yrm N.Ronaldsay Ork 10 Apr and 2mm Taransay OH 20 Oct-17 Nov. Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca Very small numbers recorded in all areas except NE, MEN and L; probably under-recorded. Forth: 500 at Gosford L in Jan & 207 Gullane L in Mar were record site counts at time when Fife counts were very low. 200 were at Musselburgh L 15 Jun. 11N St.Abb's B in Jul & c20N there 20 Oct- 19 Nov. Only c100 Loth coast Oct-Dec. Moray & NE: 175 Burghead Bay & 127 Spey Bay M&N in Jan; 115 Culbin Bars M&N Feb; c400 Dornoch/Embo Suth 13 Apr-7 May; c300 Murcar NE in July, dropping to 140 by Oct; 263 Burghead Bay M&N Oct; c190 M&N coast Nov-Dec. Elsewhere: Most areas 1-2 birds, mainly in winter except in OH/Arg with moulters in summer. 2 St.Kilda OH 25 May were first since 1975. 23 Stevenson Ayr 27 Nov-31 Dec was described as an ‘astonishing’ count. Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica (1979) The ad m at Irvine Ayr 4 Nov-28 Dec has, somewhat belatedly, been admitted to Catgory A of the British List . Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Largest counts: 381 Doonfoot & 300 Irvine Ayr, 850 Leven F , 265 L. Leven P&K, 475 Lower Tweed B Jan, 609 Clyde Estuary Cly & 624 Loth coast L Jan in Jan. 510 Musseburgh L, 276 Forth Estuary Cent, 600 Irvine Bay, 170 L. of Strathbeg | NE, 750 Leven F, 400 off Powfoot D&G, 259 L. | of Stenness Ork in Feb. 318 Kilconquhar L. F, 228 Tweed Haugh B and 172 L. of Skene in Mar. Most by mid-Apr. Late birds indistinguishable from those summering. Breeding: M&N 7 birds 28 Jul perhaps £ +br6; P&K pr probably reared young nest box; Bord brood seen last 2 miles of Tweed (in England ) thought to have hatched in Scotland. May have attempted breeding in Fife and D&G. Many other | summer records. Major movement into Forth with 200N St.Abb's B & 330W Hound Pt L 20 Oct. 338 L. of Strathbeg NE in Oct; 200 Dunnet Bay | Caith, 220 Dipple Ayr, 680 Leven in Nov. Very high count of 2,000+ off Leven, 214 Tweed | Haugh 357 Clyde Estuary, 580+ Girvan-Dipple | Ayr; 396 Doonfoot-Heads of Ayr Ayr in Dec. RS a SS TS CS _— SO = —_» ee = ad Crispin Fisher R.D.Murray [Ed] Smew Mergus albellus Winter/Spring: 1-6 birds Strathclyde Park Cly was best site Jan-Apr, max 3m m+3f£ £ on 3 &10 Mar. 4£ £ L.of Strathbeg NE in Feb & 2£ £+1m L.of Skene NE 17-23 Feb. Last birds: 1 £/imm L. of Hillwell Shet 6 Apr & 1m Hirsel B7 Apr. Area J FM A O N OD _ Spr/Aut N_Isles eee 3vie2 t,. Hi 2 3/2 N.Scot Se teal 1 2 3/3 NE Scot I ERS) Li aS 11/6 E/C.Scot DECC ONG | Sn gy 3/3 SE Scot Doo eM Vie xa 1 1 4/2 SW Scot Ame 22893 [ae aoe] 19/8 i282! 8 5) 9 i 84324 Smew CF First 1 £ R. Dee NE 1 Oct; then 1 £ /imm L. of Spiggie Shet 15 Oct. 2 Culzean Ayr 12 Dec was first multiple report. Only £ /imms reported until firstm Tweed Haugh B 15 Dec. Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator Forth: 215 Forth Estuary Cent, 110 Kinshaldy F & 258 Lothian coast L in Jan, with 469 Lothian coast in Mar. Moray Firth: 283 M&N coast in Mar & c200+ Embo /Dornoch Suth late Mar/early Apr. Numbers mainly 1-20 birds elsewhere, best in N.Isles during Feb when 49 Sullom Voe, 98 Dales Voe area Shet & 56 L.of Stenness Ork. 27N Aird an Runair OH 5-22 May was low. Breeding: Shet broods at 7 sites; Ork 7 broods; M&N 9br69; NE poorest breeding (wet spring) since 1986 on N. Esk with only 3br10; P&K 7br48 at 5 sites but only | brood Strathallan where 6-8prs; Bord | pr but did not breed; Arran 4-5 £ f reared atleast 21 young; Clyde 11£ £ at9 sites and 2br14; Ayr 3br30 at 3 sites. 21N St.Abb's B 26 Aug signifies post-breeding moult movements. Aug reports of probable moult 23 flocks inc 152 Dipple Ayr, 350 Kintyre Arg, c300 Kinshaldy F & 250 Gosford L . Numbers peak Sep: 98 Lothian coast L, 765 M&N coast, 180 Luce Bay D&G, 141 Bogside Ayr, 198 Shell Bay F, 148 Largo Bay F, 760 Kinshaldy F & 336 L. Indaal Arg. Winter numbers lower with 430 Delnies M&N in Oct; 430 Kinshaldy F & 286 Lothian coast in Nov. Goosander Mergus merganser 723 censused R.Tweed B 13 Jan (total estimate c800 birds). Best regional counts elsewhere during Feb with 162 Clyde, 154 NE, 115 Loth & c120 P&K. Note that Bord Wildfowl Count in Jan was 207, so many birds clearly missedbyWWT counts. Best winter/spring sites: 170 Hirsel B, 67 Balgray Res Cly, 58 Perth P&K & 40 L.Spynie M&N in Jan. 210 Strathclyde L. Cly, 90 Cobbinshaw L, 50 L.Leven P&K, 47 Kilburnie Ayr and42 Cults & 40 L.of Skene NE in Feb. Generally smaller numbers Mar before flocks break-up for breeding. 397 censused R.Tweed Bord 7 Apr. Total popula- tion estimated at 490 birds suggesting breeding population in order of 225prs. Pre-moult migration assemblies: 13m m Tweed at Norham B 13 May; 85 Endrick Mouth Cly 16 May; 166(c75% m m) Hirsel & max 15 Baron's Haugh Cly 17 May; 10m m L.Awe Arg 29 May. Breeding: NE 86 young R.Dee, none on N.Esk - this was poorest production there in 4 yrs of full surveys; P&K 5-6 broods noted in 4 areas; Cent br5 at one site, anxious £ at another; Bord 12mm, 63 redheads and 30 broods of 221 young (MBS 7.4) in partial survey; Arg reported 11 sites, bred at 2; Clyde 10br49 survey of Loch Lomond, prs seen at 3 other sites, inc 2br7 Inchconnachan (MBS 4.7); Ayr 1|3prs at 10 sites with 4 nests and 2br13; D&G poor success Glenkens & R.Cree and L.Ken where 6prs managed only | brood. Late summer flocks (prob of failed breeders and/ or successful £ £+young) inc max 52 Glencaple D&G in Jul; 79 Tyninghame L, 124 Speymouth M&N, 32 Tay at Luncarty P&K, 76 Eden Estuary F in Aug with 191 at Lucky Scalp F on 8 Sep. Gradual increase in numbers Oct-Dec as return of mm from moult-migration: 77 Cults Res NE in Sep; 170 Hirsel in Oct; 62 Luncarty in Nov; 130 Strathclyde L., 132 Hirsel, 105 Tweed Haughs, 120 L.Leven & 56 L.of Skene NE in Dec. RES LI I LL SG SP OE IT ES ET EE 24 Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis First 1 Stevenson Ayr 16 Feb; then Fife 3 Mar; Clyde 9 Mar; P&K 13 Mar; Bord 7 Apr; Loth on 14 Apr; & NE 25 Apr. Migrants seen Shet 1 May & Ork 24-27 May (2). Breeding: Slightly poorer season than 1990. Area __ Sites rm ff Broods NE 1 2 0 - P&K 5 11+ 7+ 5br22 Cent 1 2 4 br 1 Fife 4 4 2. br 9 Bord 3 5 2 2br 6 Clyde 3 3 1 Ayr Dy 9 2 - Bestsite: 7m m+3£ £Hare Myre P&K with 2br5 in Jun/Jul. Spread to new site Bord and first breeding Cent at L.Watson where br1 seen in Aug. Spread perhaps held back by imbalance in sexes. 6 moulted Lochwinnoch Cly in Aug with max 18 Woodend L. Cly in Oct. Im L.SpynieM&N in Oct. Last reports Bord, Ayr 18-26 Sep; NE & Clyde in Nov; Fife 9 Dec; P&K 19 Dec. *Honey Buzzard Pernis aviporus 9 reports of singles. 1N Balivanich OH on 7 Jun; 1 Belhaven L 12 Jun; 1N.Ronaldsay Ork 29 Jun; IN Monkton Ayr 26 Jul; 1N.Ronaldsay 2 Aug; 1S Kilkerran Ayr 18 Aug; 1S Carsethorne D&G 8 Sep; IN Boddam Shet 14 Sep. 1 juv found injured East Loth L 2 Sep, still had downy feathers suggesting relatively local breed- ing, died after 2 days. Skin retained by R.M.S. Red Kite Milvus milvus In the third year of the reintroduction project, birds have dispersed over much of Scotland with birds seen Shet (1bird at 3 sites), Fair Is (1), M&N (19 sites), NE (6 sites), P&K(10 sites), Fife (1), Loth (1), Bord (3), Arg (8 sites), Clyde (3) & D&G (2). Wintering takes place widely Nov-Feb with ten- dency to return to release site in spring. White-tailed Eagle Halaeetus albicilla Another introduced species with 82 birds released Rhum 1975-1985. 4 prs raised 7 young, bringing the Scottish-bred total to 22 birds. Causal sightings OHeb, Arg, I&R, Suth & NE. Scottish Bird Report 1991 Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Arrival late with no Apr records. First 1 Duich Moss, Islay Arg 2 May; then first NE 5 May; Loth 12 May; Ork 17 May; Shet 25 May; M&N 6Jun. 4(1m+3£ £)Strathbeg NE5 Jun with pr there until end-Jun; 2£ £ L.Spynie M&N 6 Jun. 1-15 16-31 1-15 16-30 1-31 1-31 1-30 May May Jun Jun Jul Aug Sep N.Isles 1 1 W.Isles 1 N.Scot 1 2 NE Scot 2 1 6 1 1 3 3 W.Scot 3 D, E/C Scot 1 1 1 SE Scot 1 1 2} 2 SW Scot 1 No breeding reports. Last birds: 1 juv Unst Shet 1 Sep; 1 m Strathbeg 14- 17 Sep; 2 ££ Hule Moss B 11 Aug to 22 Sep; Im L.Spynie 19-23 Sep. Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus 8-15 birds in 3 roosts Ork; 6 at Deeside roost NE; 18-23 birds in 3 roosts Arg; 29 birds in 3 roosts D&G. Elsewhere only scattered winter records. Breeding Sites Nests Failed Young Orkney - 47 30 44 W.Isles 11 4 3 3 Northeast 17 13 3 19 P&K 58 36 17 74 Borders 6 - - - OHebrides 11 10 3 Argyll 90 - 176 Arran 1 5 Clyde 5 1 1 0 Ayrshire 14 9 20 D&G 7 3 2 2 No successful! breeding Caith, Suth & Loth. An improvement on 1990 in terms of both nests located and young fledged per successful nest. Nests Failed Young Success 1990 183 50 277 2.08 199i 220 15) 346 2.38 Failures mostly due to illegal persecution, except in Ork where many failed due to polygyny. Roosts: 7-17 birds in 3 roosts Ork; 6-11 Deeside; 19-41 birds in 3 roosts Arg; 35 birds in 3 roosts D&G. Usual scatter of winter reports. R.D.Murray [Ed] 25 —L A TI IS TI OT EP DP *Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus Ist-yr m Newburgh NE 3-4 Jun. None have bred in Scotland since 1955 and there have been few since then. This is only the I1th Scottish record since 1950 andis alate report, most occurring in late Apr and May. Goshawk Accipter gentilis A scattering of records but breeding reports neces- sarily very sketchy. Rare in N. 1 E.Burra Shet 31 Oct-5 Nov was Ist since 1977. Dh Goshawk ss Doug Weir Sparrowhawk Accipter nisus Ork 4 nests but 3 failures; Ayr 16 nests, only 2 failures in Central Ayrshire study area with 14br46 also 3br11 Gjoint MBS 3.35). CBC (A+55%). ‘Fairly common’ to 'common' in most mainland areas but few details given. Observer Cly noted 15 bird/days for Sparrowhawk compared with 40 for Kestrel (ratio of 1:3). Buzzard Buteo buteo The spread continues in many areas although per- secution is still rife in places. This is especially seen in the contrast between Loth recorded 4 sites (2prs bred) and Bord 59 sites (7-15 prs bred). Increases noted Ork, M&N, NE, P&K, Bord, Clyde, Ayr & D&G. Breeding success (in areas with studies): Sites Nests Failed Young Orkney 3 3 1 4 W.Isles 34 11 5 19 P&K Di 19 8 28 Argyll 83 78 21 89 Best mutiple sightings were 11 Carsebreck P&K on 3 Mar; 16 Ballochroy Arg 6 Sep; 13 Glen Quaich P&K 28 Sep. *Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus 1 Yell Shet 27 Feb was the only winter/spring record. Autumn/winter singles: lst-yr Druidibeg OH 28 Oct, perhaps same Balmartin OH 12 Dec; then Byrecleugh B 15 Dec; Leslie F 22 Dec. Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos Occasional wandering birds reported in south. Breeding Sites sites sites _— sites _ total RSG area checked occupied laid fledged young W. Isles 38 32 19 11 16 Highland 112 - - 51 56 NE Scot 21 16 13 8 13+ Central 9 Vl - 2 3 Argyll 73 68 43 26 32 Tayside 33 a25) hae _10 215 Totals 286 148+ 108 135+ A mixed year for breeding success, ranging from an average of 0.5 young/successful pair (Highland) to 1.5/1.6 in other srea. One pair in W.Isles reared an exceptional brood of 3. A high proportion of pairs were unsuccessful, such as 5 from 7 in Central Scotland and 15 from 25 in Tayside. 8 pairs in W.Isles failed due to human interference. (from SBN 26:1-2). Osprey Pandion haliaetus The earliest-ever record was 1 Castle Douglas D&G 2 Mar but the next was delayed until 27 Mar at Findhorn M&N. The first P&K & Ayr 31 Mar; Bord 6 Apr; Cent, Loth & Caith end-Apr. Breeding: 72 pairs were located, of which 60 laid. eggs, 50 hatched eggs and 43 successfully raised a total of 81 young. The hatching success was lower than in 1990 due to cold, wet weather at hatching time and difficult fishing in Jun. Five pairs lost clutches to egg collectors. (SBN 26:2) Main autumn passage 10 Aug to mid-Sep with last reports M&N 17 Sep; Ork 21 Sep; D&G 23 Sep and last 1 Lanton B on 3 Oct. LL RE ET SIT LSTA I TS 26 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Few meaniful reports of this widespread breeder. It occurs in all areas except Shet, where it only occurs on passage. A breeding study in Ayr (G.Riddle, Ayrshire Bird Report 1991 pp12-13) reported that of 43 territories checked, 33 were occupied, 22 laid clutches aver- aging 5 eggs. One laid 8 eggs, the highest number recorded in 19 years of the study. 77% of the eggs hatched but wet June weather reduced survival to about 75% of young. The MBS was 3.1, well down on 4.0 of 1990. A £ was shot at Gladhouse L showing that the commonest and the most ‘harmless' of our raptors is not immune from small-minded persecution. Merlin Falco columbarius A scatter of coastal winter records. Breeding Sites sites sites sites _ total RSG area checked occupied laid fledged young Shetland 62 31 20 13 41 Orkney 48 16 13 9 21-28 W. Isles 19 10 4 9 Highland 31+ 31 24 18 47 Grampian 51 26 71+ Tayside 93 64 48 33 89+ Argyll 7+ 7 - - 12 SE Scotland 21+ 21 15 10 30+ SW Scotland 25 21 16 9 55 Totals 306+ 252 140 126 355-362 Generally a rather poor breeding season due to bad weather. Only Ork reported a high success rate. (SBN 26: 2-3) Passage generally light Mar-Jun & Sep-Nov, with few multiple records. *Hobby Falco subbuto Ten records, Apr-Sep. First 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 26-27 Apr is the earliest- ever and Scotland's only Apr report. 1 found injured on oil rig off NE during May was later released in Ayrshire. 1 Montrose Basin A&D31 May; 1 W.Lammermuirs B in early Jun; 1 Fair Is 20 Jun; 1 Carse of Gowrie P&K on 2 dates Jul/Aug. 3 autmn: | Black Gaet Shet 25 Jul; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 27 Jul; 1 Ruthwell D&G 24 Aug; 1 St.Abb's B 6 Sep. *Lanner Falco biamarcus 1 Caerlaverock D&G 14 Oct. *Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus 1 grey-phase Ist-yr £ S.UistOH 9 Jun & presumed the same on Benbecula OH 6 Jul. This bird was heavily abraded on the tail, which with the dates, might suggest an escape. Imm £ 'Greenland'-type McArthur's Head, Islay Arg 3 Nov, found dead 10 Nov. Skin held by R.M.S. Peregrine Falco peregrinus Seen at many coastal and lowlands sites outwith breeding season. Mostly singles but intensive watch- ing in study of wader predators at Tyninghame L | revealed a minimum of 5 birds wintering in area. Breeding Sites Sites Sites Sites Sites Total RSG chckd occup laid hatch fledg young Shetland 5+ 0 0 0 0 0 Orkney 35 16 =6-11 4-9 3-9 6+ W_Isles 20 9 - - a Highland 273 129 107-129 - 58-85 90+ NEScot 95 76 62+ - 39+ 74+ Tayside 119 92 48+ 39+ 58 119+ Central 47 38 - - 23 49+ Argyll 101 88 56 = 27-35 43+ SEScot 35 35 34 - 17 37 SWScot 107 94 69 47 44 88+ Totals 837 547 - = Reis BE The continuing improvement in some areas, such | as the NE and SE, was offset by a decline in the W.Highlands, Ork and especially Shet where no birds were raised at all. Persecution continues in some areas such as the SW where 13 clutches or | broods were taken and one adult was shot. (from SBN 26: 2-3 & 28:10) R.D.Murray Ed | 27 Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus A varied year with areas such as OHeb, M&N, Arg, Arran & Ayr reporting improvements while Caith, P&K and D&G had poor results. Bord had some poor areas and others with best results for many years! 61 Hule Moss B 28 Jul; 100+ Glen Lednock P&K 15 Sep; 158 in 10 coveys Glen Lochan P&K 29 Sep & 70 Glenshee P&K 3 Nov were the best counts. Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus Breeding: M&N a good year Ben Avon; NE poor results in E.Cairngorms study area caused by snow showers in Jun; P&K good breeding season E.Perthshire despite bad weather; Arran good number of reports from 3 sites. Also reported Caith (3 sites) & Arg (15 sites). Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix Breeding Sites Tm ff nests/broods M&N df 22 6 1 P&K 132 886 - - Argyll 35 40 3 : Ayr 10 46 6 2 Lothian 8 20 10 - Borders 50 147 22 2 The Perthshire Black Grouse Study Group found 78 new leks in a total of 132 visited in P&K . The total of leks now known is 237. No obvious trends discerned in this healthy population. See Robinson, Baines & Mattingley (1993) Scottish Birds 17:20-26. More sites than usual in Bord due to Tetrad Atlasing with 241 birds at 50 sites. Also reported from NE, Cent, Arranand D&G but in small numbers or little detail. Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus Poor breeding due to wet Jun. ‘Common’ in NE with min 25 m mreported inc 11 at Tullynessle on 29 Dec. A healthy increase P&K, seen 5 sites M&N but only a single report from Cent at L.Ard. A survey of 4 L.Lomond islands Cly produced 10mm, 4££ and br4, with br2 at Ross Pt Cly. Reports of singles at Inverleiver & L.Avich Arg were first from area for many years. A Scotland-wide survey revealed only 0.7 chicks per hen, insufficient to maintain the population. (See Northeast Scotland Bird Report 1991) SS Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa inc Chukar A.chukar and hybrids. Reports north to M&N. Both pure species and crosses being released, mainly in W as in Arran & Arg. The NE again provided the highest counts with 19 Skene on 2 Jan & 23 Strathbeg on 13 Jan. A Chukar paired with a Grey Partridge Perdix perdix at Lugate Water B 17 Mar raises prospects of even more horrendous hybrids! Grey Partridge Perdix perdix Widespread in the S and E lowlands northwards to Caith. Only scattered reports elsewhere. No changes reported: an ‘average’ breeding season Fife. Releases still occurring in a few western locations. Several large flocks reported: max 30 Cluny NE on 22 Feb and many of coveys of 20+ in P&K, Fife, Loth and Bord. Quail Coturnix coturnix Very scarce this year with only cl18 reports, after two good years. First 1 Kirkwall Ork 13 May. Long gap until next birds in mid-Jun when singles at Dowan's Hill Ayr 8 Jun; Tranent L 16 Jun; Fair Is 19 Jun & New Deer NE 24 Jun. Jul reports: 2 Fair Is, 1 Fife, 1 Is of May; 1 Loth, 4 Bord, 1 Ayr & 1 D&G. Aug reports from OHeb, Fife & Bord with family group seen near Bankend D&G. Last report Lundin Links F 26 Aug; 1 Eswick Shet 8-9 Oct. 1 caught Cardoness D&G7 Nov was suspected of being of captive-bred stock. *Silver Pheasant Lophura nycthemerra 1 escape Raey Caith 7-8 Jun. Pheasant Phasianus colchicus No significant reports of this common species. *Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus 2 populations reported: max 17 Mull Arg anda few in Palnure area D&G. Im+ 4£ £ released Loth. 28 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Water Rail Rallus aquaticus Winter records from about 33 sites from Shet to Bord. Mostly single birds but max 4 Strathbeg NE 31 Jan, with 6 there 15 Nov; 4 Balgone L 17 Nov and 4 St.Abb's B 1& 28 Nov. Passage birds scattered throughout the country in Mar and in Aug-Oct. 4 singles St.Kilda OH were 9th- 14th reports suggesting more regular there than previously thought. Breeding: reports during summer (*= proved). Ork 2 sites; Loth* 3 sites; Bord 5 calling at3 sites; D&G 3 sites; Arg 3 sites; Clyde* 8 at 4 sites; Ayr* c19 at 9 sites. Numbers difficult to assess due to their secretive nature but a survey in the Tay reedbeds P&K during Apr revealed an amazing 126 AOTs. Try using a tape lure on your local reedbed! *Spotted Crake Porzana porzana 7 reports but none of breeding. 1 Duddingston L 1 & 6 May was Ist there since 1982. 1 L.Stiapavat OH 14 Jun; 2 calling Islay Arg in Jun. 3 individuals Fair Is on 21 & 28 Oct. *Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla Juv Fair Is trapped & released 28 Sep. It fed well until 1 Oct but was found dead on 2 Nov. Scotland's third this century, the others being in Caith in 1910 and at Fair Is in 1929. (See Suddaby & Harvey 1192: SB 16:211-214) Skin retained by D.Suddaby. Corncrake Crex crex No Apr reports. First 1 Stornonway OH 5 May then singles Sanday Ork & Raey Caith on 13 May. Breeding Sites Calling Bred Ork 10 13 1 Caith ®) d 0 OHeb ? 260-275 k Argyll ? 151-153 ? Surveys on OHeb reported 68 calling birds Lewis, 5 on Harris, 56-62 on N.Uist, 21 on Benbecula, 66- 75 on S.Uist & 44-46 on Barra/Vatersay. This represents an apparent increase over recent years but may be due to better coverage and differ- ent counting methods. Ray Murray The Arg total was made up from 1 1-12 calling birds Islay, 6-7 Colonsay, 20 Coll & 106 Tiree. 5-6 calling birds Durness & 9 Melvich Suth with 1 calling Alford NE but no evidence of breeding. Reported in autumn from Shet, D&G in Aug/Sep. Last birds : 1 Benbecula OH 20 Sep & 1 Fair Is on 25 Sep. Only the 2nd occasion that there has only been a single record for Fair Is. Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Large winter counts inc 56 Airthrey Cent 14 Jan; 76 Strathbeg NE 28 Jan & 50 N.Ronaldsay Ork on 10 Feb. Elsewhere 1-15 was considered ‘large’. Breeding: Sites Pairs Broods Shetland 1 1 1? Orkney 12 13 + Caithness 4 4 3br 10 P&K 8 27 17br 35 Central i Hea” 18 26br 52 Lothian 11 39 + Borders 63 107 48br144 Argyll 4 4 + Clyde 9 39 br 29 Ayrshire 19 41 8br 55 CBC (F-13%), WBS (-12%). Many areas reported predation by Mink Mustela vison although success _ in Caith was reported as good, in spite of Mink. | ‘Surprisingly scarce' in D&G. MBS figures of 2.8 (10 broods) in Strathallan; 3.00 | (48 broods) in Bord (much better than the 2.14 in 1990) and 3.6 (9 broods) in Ayr. 18 prs at Airthey Cent, 8 of which were double- brooded, fledged 52 young, 47 juvs by the 1 1prs not effected by Mink. Sep peaks include 62 Airthrey, 26 Bothwell Pool Cly, 32 L.of Skene NE & 41 Tweed Haughs B. Migrants in N & W Isles mainly Sep/Oct. Coot R.D.Murray [Ed] Coot Fulica atra 1 Larybeg Arran 24 Jan was only the 4th for area. Jan-Mar: 527 Linlithgow L & 440 Drummond P&K in Jan; 454 Lindores L. F & 274 L.of Skene NE in Feb were the best winter counts. Breeding: CBC (A-1%), WBS (+4%) Sites Pairs Broods Orkney 14 - + Caithness 5 5 Abr ? M&N 8 13 + P&K 17 60 17br 27+ Central 3 56 ?br 56 Lothian 15 45 45br ? Borders 46 191 91br274 Clyde 19 90 ? br 87 Ayrshire 11 25 Obr 32 MBS in Bord was 3.01, just above average (2.75). MBS Clyde was low at 1.2. Autumn counts inc 1,250 L.Leven P&K in Sep, down from 1990 peak of 1,515. Other high counts inc 595 KIlconquhar L F in Sep, 480 Bishop L. Cly in Oct and 740 Gartmorn Cent, 606 Linlithgow L. & 476 Lochmaben D&G in Dec. *Crane Grus grus Ist-s Baltasound Shet 14 Apr-16 May. The only report for 1991, the worstyear since 1981. *Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis Ist-s Exnaboe Shet 17-25 Sep and then Sumburgh Shet on 26 Sep. Probably the same bird seen in the Netherlands on 28 Sep. This was the first for Shetland, 2nd for Scotland 3rd for Britain and 4th for Western Palaearctic. (See Ellis (1991) Birding World 4: 322-323). Oystercatcher Haemtopus ostralegus Winter/Spring: BoEE peak count in Feb shows 73,047 birds in Scotland, 58% of which were on the Solway, the 3rd most important site in the UK. The highest single count was 10,000+ Caerlaverock/ Blackshaw Bank D&G in Jan. Other high counts in area reports include 3,110 Lothian coast L and 2,853 Eden Estuary F. Rapid drop-off in Mar as birds migrate and/or move inland to breed. Odd inland birds reported P&K, NE and M&N in Jan but inland arrivals from mid-Feb onwards with P&K 10 Feb; D&G 17 Feb; Cent 20 Feb; M&N, _ Shet 21 Feb; NE 22 Feb; Loth & Bord 23 Feb. 80000 60000 40000 20000 29 Breeding: WBS index (-1%) Fair Is 7Oprs (75 in 1990); Ork 26prs N end of Hoy (20prs in 1990); Suth 32prs Handa (27 in 1990); Is of May 31prs (36 in 1990); Ayr 17prs Greenock Water (15 in 1990). Good success in both numbers of pairs and in the numbers of young in the N, less so in the S. Oystercatcher: BoEE Counts 1991 Autumn/Winter: heaviest passage in N.Isles late Jul/Aug with gradual build-up in numbers in main estuaries to Sep/Oct peak when 64,309 BoEE Scottish peak, 57% on Solway. Drop-off into Nov due to lack of Nov count in Moray Firth. Bestcounts were 19,937 Caerlaverock/ Blackshaw in Nov; and record 8,916 on Lothian coast in Dec. *Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius 5 reports: 1 Tyninghame L 19 May; 1 Sandwater Shet 6 Jun; 1 Starnafin NE 2 & 3Jul; 1 Shewalton Ayr 7 Jul; 1 Cameron Res F 22-26 Sep. The second good year in a row (6 in 1990). The recent average being 2-3 per year. No less than the 14th for Tyninghame, best Scottish site? Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticulata Main Scottish wintering population in S.Uist OH with 373 Bornish, 481 Peninerine, 328 Rangehead & 390 South Ford in Jan/Feb. As Scottish BoEE max was 1,559 in Feb it is possible that there were as many in OHeb as in the rest of Scotland. Elsewhere only N.Ronaldsay Ork (140) & Lothian coast L (111) held over 100 birds. | 2000 30 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Spring passage was highest on E coast, peaking in mid-May with 1,400 Findhorn & 143 Lossiemouth M&N, 241 Ythan NE, 192 Eden Estaury F, 150 Lothian coast & 100 BarassieAyr. Passage of the Arctic race C.h.tundrae was again noted in OHeb from 25 Apr and in Arg in late May & early Jun. Max 240 South Ford 3 May. Ringed Plover: BoEE Counts 1991 1000 Breeding: Shet 70-74prs Fetlar (56-61 in 1990) & 7Tprs Noss; Fair Is 18prs (14 in 1990); Ork 10- llprs Hoy (19 in 1990); Suth 8prs Handa (5 in 1990); M&N stable Cloddach; Loth 9prs Aberlady 10 in 1990). Poor success noted several areas. Large post-breeding flocks late Jul with 400 St.Ola & 285 Hoy Ork and 150 Dipple Ayr. Peak passage Aug-Sep with best counts in late Aug at 310 Virkie Shet, 400 Findhorn Bay, 477 Lothian coast, 438 Goosepools F & 250+ Barassie. BoEE Scottish max 1,843 in Sep, best site counts 471 Peninerine & 486 Lothian coast. In winter smaller counts in OHeb with max there 540 North Bay in Oct, 220 L.Paible in Nov but only 100 Akernish in Dec. *Killdeer Charadrius vociferus Ist-yr Aird an Runair OH 5 May but may have been present since mid-Apr, according to local crofter. *Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii 1 adm Donmouth NE 18-19 Aug. This was the 3rd Scottish & 10th British record. (See Shaw & Webb 1991 Birding World 4: 396-398.) 20000 10000 Dotterel Charadrius morinellus Three very early birds Dirrington B 21 Mar. Main arrival May with 3 Bord & 5 D&G on 5 May; first Arg 8 May; OHeb 13 May; Fife 16 May; Clyde & Ork 27-28 May. No details of breeding but NCCS survey in NE reports slightly late arrival but normal breeding density. Success was higher than in recent years, perhaps due to lack of gull predation. Only 2 autumn reports with 2 Beinn a'Chleibh Cly 4 Aug and 2 Ben Cleugh Cent 18 Aug. *American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica 4 birds, allin NJsles. \st-w N.Ronaldsay Ork 6 Oct-2 Dec; juv Virkie, Quendale & Ringasta Shet 9-27 Oct; another juv L.Spiggie & Ringasta Shet | 20 Oct- 3 Nov; Ist-w N.Ronaldsay 3-4 Nov. *Pacific Golden Piover Pluvialis fulva 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 14 Jul-9 Aug. First record for Orkney. Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria BoEE counts peak in Jan at 4,852 with flocks mainly in Ork (outwith BoKE counts) & Forth where max counts of 1,393 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 1,000 Crail F, 1,630 Lothian coast L, 722 Glencaple | D&G & 607 Traigh nam Faghailean OH in Jan. 1,000 St.Ola Ork in Feb. Return to hills from 3 Feb in Ayr, 28 Feb in Bord to | 3-10 Mar in M&N and P&K. Golden Plover: BoEE Counts 1991 R.D.Murray [Ed] ‘ %G Le 4 ESR LIK Y/, Spring passage of ‘Northern’ altifrons-types noted Shet, Caith, Bord & Ayr beginning with 18 Balkenna Ayr on 29 Mar, peaking with 516 Whitfield B on 25 Apr to 33 L.of Brow Shet on 11 May. Breeding: mostly small numbers in suitable areas but little detail. P&K 32 sites; Bord 25 sites. Shet had 11prs Hermaness; Clyde 13prs Ballenclugh & 9prs Duncansgill Head ( both cSprs/Km7’). Returning birds seen from mid-Jun & Jul with small numbers Loth, Ork, Ayr & Bord but 1,000+ Swainbost OH 25 Jul. BoEE counts suggest twice as many birds present c.f.previous winter, max 12,804 in Oct. Good inland counts inc 530 Tweed Haugh B & 800 Carluke Cly in Oct; 2,000 Riccarton L in Nov Coastal counts inc 5,000 Gosford Bay L in Oct; 2,750 Crail in Nov & 4,000 Ythan NE in Dec. Best count in W was 1,000+ Sollas OH in Nov & 1,024 L.Indaal, Islay Arg in Dec. Grey Plover Pluvialis squaterola Small mid-winter population, mainly Forth & Sol- way. Immigration into Scotland Feb-Apr as birds move north with BoEE max 2,024 in Mar. Best individual counts from Lothian coast L with Mar max of 565. Highest passage early May from Forth with 660 Aberlady L & 337 Goosepools F. No comparable counts elsewhere. 3000 2000 31 ’Northern' Golden Plover Steve Brown 6 A ct fyge AD 2.7 i AY fee i See » a \\ SAK ane LEAL Dr S> 2 Small numbers, presumably non-breeders, persist throughout the summer, mainly in Forth/Tay where max counts of 152 Aberlady & 136 Tentsmuir F in Jul. Grey Plover: BoEE Counts 1991 1000 First birds Shet & Ork 7-9 Aug; OHeb 13 Aug; M&N 23 Aug; but main passage mid-Sep with peaks of 490 Aberlady & 350 Tentsmuir. Oct peaks include record 273 South Ford OH & 200 Musselburgh L. Steady BoEE count of c1,800 Oct-Dec, slightly less than in winter 90/91. Main site was Lothian coast with 664 in Nov. aN aM BEETS LCE NSS RIL BOE BS NEG DSN BAT RD SA DCS AO NE PEE 50000 0000 0000 32 Lapwing Vanellus vanellus Most Jan counts down on previous year with 1,000 Stanraer D&G, 350 Inverkeithing F & 482 Kincar- dine F and only 384 Lothian coast L. Only St.Ola Ork maintained the higher figures of 89/90. Best count was 1,706 Clyde Estuary Cly in Feb. BoEE counts only register a tiny peak of 7,009 birds, clearly missing many non-estuarine birds. Inland returnees from 2 Feb in NE but most mid- Feb with P&K 17 Feb; Caith 21 Feb; Bord 23 Feb; M&N, Loth 24 Feb. Latest area: Cent on 10 Mar. Best flock was 800+ roosting on ice Fingask L. P&K on | Mar. Breeding CBC (F+5%): Mixed fortunes varying from ‘widespread and successful’ in Shet to ‘decline in numbers’ Caith. Glenalmond WBS site P&K had an even worse year than 1990 with only 7 prs, the lowest since 1978 when it began. At least 200prs bred L.Gruinart, Islay Arg. Post-breeding flocks of several hundreds from ealry Jul in most areas. Significant autumn flocks inc c1,000 L.of Bosquoy Ork in Jul; 2,500 Prestwick Ayr in Aug; 1,884 L.Leven F, 2,000 Bandeath Caith, 1,450 Thankerton Cly & 1,064 Garmouth M&N in Sep. 17,972 in BoEE Oct count, mostly Solway D&G with 10,253 birds but then redistribution to give Dec max of 20,824 mostly Clyde and Forth with 9,616 Clyde Estuary Cly and 5,013 in Forth Estu- ary Cent , a marked contrast to winter 90/91. Knot Calidris canutus BoEE max in Feb with 26,069 birds, 58% of which were on Solway D&G. Knot: BoEE Counts 1991 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Best sites were 2,600 ,Aberlady L & 3,650 Forth Estuary Cent in Jan, 1,700 inner Solway D&G in Feb and 2,000 Delnies M&N in Mar. 1 Fair Is 7 Feb. Only 2nd winter record there. Most birds gone by late Mar but still 170 Aberlady in May with a few summering at several sites. First returnees OHeb & Shet 11 Jul; Ayr 12 Jul; Fair Is 13 Jul; M&N & NE 14th Jul. Main passage through Uists mid-Sep with max 320 birds 14 Sep. Inland reports Jul-Sep from Loth and P&K. Gradual build-up to Dec peak in BoEE counts of 21,043 with most birds in Forth, where 3,500 Aberlady & 1,400 Kirkcaldy F, or Solway, where 6,500+ Gillfoot Bay & 3,500 Priestside D&G. Sanderling Calidris alba BoEE winter max in Jan was only 657 birds, the main sites in E where 200 Ythan & Don estuaries NE; 190 Tentsmuir F & 104 Aberlady L. Outwith the BoEE coverage Ork & OHeb held the largest concentrations with 120-215 N.Ronaldsay Ork Jan-Apr & 250 Berneray, 190 South Ford & 200 Arnal OH, the best counts there Jan-Mar. Movements heralded by 330 Ardivachar Pt OH on 22 Mar & 240 Askernish OH 10 Apr. Later else- where with 240 N.Ronaldsay 14 May and a few moving through M&N, Fife & Loth into late Jun. Returning birds from mid-Jul. First Shet 12 Jul: Fife 14 Jul; Ayr, OHeb & Ork 14-15 Jul. Peaks counts: 140 Dipple Ayr in Jul; 150 Aberlady in Sep, 650 North Bay & 700 Rangehead OH , 300 N.Ronaldsay & 200 Outhead F in Oct. BoEE data shows gradual increase from 166 in Sep to peak of 704 in Dec with 300 in Solway and 300 Tay & NE area. Also 290 N.Ronaldsay in Dec. Little Stint Calidris minuta 1 Aignish, Lewis OH 30 Jan. First Jan record for Scotland since 1953! 1 Carsethorne D&G 9 Mar was rather early, well ahead of main spring passage. . 18 spring birds: first | Ythan NE 11 May then remainder from 24 May to 22 Juninc | Shet, 4 Ork, 2 Caith, 1 M&N, 2 NE, 3 Fife, | Loth, 2 OHeb and | Ayr. | { | | | \) | | | | } i | “eS R.D.Murray [Ed] First autumn bird Kinneil Cent 14 Jul, then Shet on 16 Jul, NE 28 Jul & Fife 30 Jul. Very small numbers perhaps c110 birds. Peaks in Sep were 4S Uisaed Pt. Arg 17 Sep; 4 Aberlady L; 5 Stinky Bay OH & 10 Goosepools F. Odd singles followed into Oct from M&N, Fife and D&G but 1 Starnafin NE 14 Nov and 1 juv Tyninghame L 1-9 Dec were unusually late. Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii 1 Strathbeg NE 31 May; 1 Deerness Ork 27 May- 2 Jun. No data on breeding population. 1 Kingston M&N 3-16 Jul and 1 at an undisclosed inland in Caith 19 Jul. *White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis Ist-yr North Bay, S.Uist OH 1-3 Oct. This was 4th record for OHeb. *Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii 1 juv Fair Is 5-16 Sep. This was the 2nd for Fair Is, the first being in 1982. *Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotus 6 birds: 1 Kinloch NE 25-27 Aug; 1 juv Lochlea Ayr 27-28 Aug; 1 Loch of Spiggie Shet 1-2 Sep; 1 West Mainland Ork 15 Sep; 1 juv Ardivachar Pt OH 24 Sep; | juv Fair Is 27 Sep-1 Oct. Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea Sin spring: 1 St.Kilda OH 22-23 Mar; juv L.Ordais OH 1-4 May; 1 Musselburgh L 2 May; 1 Ythan NE 211 May; and 1 juv Aird an Runair OH 3 Jun. First 2 Musselburgh 19 Jul; 1 Stronsay Ork 22 Jul; 1 Virkie Shet 22-26 Jul; 1 Donmouth NE 27 Jul. Next brids 15 Aug but widespread by 24 Aug, inc 15 L.Leven F 28 Aug. Peak counts 9-21Sep with 11 Grangemouth Cent, 19 Eden Estaury F, 17 Barassie Ayr, 15 Findhorn Bay M&N & 15 Aberlady L. Scatter of singles in Oct. Last Fife & Arg 3 Oct; Ayr, M&N, NE & Cent 5-7 Oct; Ork 11 Oct; Loth 14 Oct; Shet & Caith 18-19 Oct. Late movement St.Kilda with 1-3 birds 25 Oct-30 Nov. a FSS SS 33 Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima Peak winter counts show a recovery from 89/90 with 332 N.Ronaldsay Ork in Jan, rising to 374 in Mar; 137 Peninerine OH & 120 Eyemouth B in Jan, 228 Buckie M&N and 148 Girdleness NE in Feb. BoEE counts peak in Feb with 374 birds, mostly Moray Firth (166) & Forth (103). Small scale passage 1-13 May with 40 Fife Ness F; 50 Aird an Runair OH; 35 Fair Is; 50 Scatness & 30 Whalsay Shet and 145 N.Ronaldsay Ork. No data on breeding population. Small numbers summered in Fair Is & Ork. First 30 Is of May 13 Jul rising to 173 by 30 Jul; 2 Handa Suth 16 Jul; 1 Tyninghame L 26 Jul and 2 Grutness Shet 31 Jul were the other Jul reports. A general increase from early Sep to Dec peaks of 142 Buckie; 313 N.Ronaldsay; 129 Lothian coast and 80 Girdleness in Dec. BoEE peak of 319 in Dec mostly Forth (181) and Moray Firth (107). Dunlin Calidris alpina BoEE peaks in Feb with 41,058 birds with 32% in Moray Firth area. The largest winter count was 9,000 Caerlaverock/Blackshaw Bank D&G in Jan. Other good counts inc 1,850 Findhorn Bay M&N and 1,350 Wigtown Bay D&G in Jan; 5,150 Inner Forth & 2,150 Skinflats Cent and 2,200 South Ford OH in Feb. Rapid drop-off by Mar as winter birds leave but passage movement in May with peak 400 Ythan NE 22 May. Dunlin: BoEE Counts 199] Breeding few meaningful reports: Ork 17prs Birsay Moor; P&K 6 sites; Bord 7prs West Water; Clyde . 6 sites; Ayr 8prs at 5 sites. LR TR TT SS SE TE SS EET 34 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Passage from mid-Jul but peak movements Aug & Sep with 2,000 Findhorn Bay & 2,300 Goosepools F 23 Aug with 1,800 Ythan 24 Sep. A very small arctica race bird noted Camphill Res Ayr 15 Sep. Rapid build-up Nov-Dec to winter peak of 50,720 in BoEE counts, 36% on Solway area. This is reflected in largest site count of 12,000 Caerlaverock/ Blackshaw Bank in Nov while peaks elsewhere were 3,320 Skinflats and 4,010 Lothian coast in Dec. *Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis 1 juv Fair Is 26-28 Sep and perhaps the same bird South Ronaldsay Ork 5-11 Oct. Ruff Philomachus pugnax 16 overwintered: 2 Inverkeithing F, 1 Donmouth NE, 7-8 Musselburgh L, 2 Castle Semple Loch Cly; 1 Tarbolton Ayr and 2 L-_Ryan D&G. Also 1 injured Brodgar Ork 14 Jan. Passage: c45 birds 24 Mar-7 Jun. First 1 Forve OH, earliest in area by 25 days. Max counts: 12 Mussleburgh & 5 Strathbeg NE in late May. The last was also Strathbeg 5 Jun. Im summered Hillwell Shet 19 May-27 Jul. Also singles Mussleburgh & Kingston M&N in Jun. First singles Stronsay Ork 13 Jul; Skinflats Cent on 15 Jul; with 3 in NE and M&N 26-27 Jul. Passage peaked 20-27 Aug, earlier but fewer than in 1990 with 24 Virkie Shet; 12 Stronsay; 40 Strathbeg & 42 Girdleness NE; 12 Musselburgh; 13 Newshot Is. Cly; 17 Lochlea & 16 Highfield Ayr. Second peak inland 1-8 Sep inc 13 at Carstairs Junction Cly & 24 L.Leven P&K. Most gone by early Oct but a few lingered into Nov and Dec with 7 Musselburgh & singles Donmouth, L.Leven & Benbecula in Dec.. Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus Widespread Jan records with max 5 Kinneil Cent; 5 Kilaulkay OH; 11 at 5 sites Clyde; & 6 Munnock Ayr. 20 Kinneil.in Feb was winter max while Blantyre Muir Cly peaked at 15 in Mar. Scattered reports Mar/Apr with last 1 Earlshall Muir F 1 May. Anexceptionally early return was single at Muirfield L 7-18 Aug in totally dry habitat. Small influx 15 Sep with single Ork, and parties of 3 in Arg & Bord. Main arrival from 29 Sep in Clyde; NE 6 Oct; Caith 12 Oct; Ayr 14 Oct. Max 12 Kinneil 19 Oct and a record 29 Blantyre Muir 29 Oct, one of the largest-ever counts in Scotland. Next best counts were 9 Weydale Caith and 5 Aberlady L in Nov/Dec. Snipe Gallinago gallinago Wintering flocks mostly down on 1989/90 with 122 N.Ronaldsay Ork being the only count to exceed 100 birds. Next best counts were 75 at Munnock Ayr in Jan & 54 Inverugie NE in Feb. Mar peaks of c60 probably involved some passage birds at Tailend Moss L & Cander Moss Cly as did 40 Fair Is 26 Apr. Breeding: Ork 29 terr at 5 sites; Suth 32 prs Handa; P&K 10 sites; Loth 17 terr at 5 sites; Bord 45 at 31 sites; Arg 45 terr Colonsay in incomplete census; Clyde 20 at 7 sites; Ayr 25+ at 10 sites. Autumn passage from mid-Aug, inc 66 Strathbeg 30 Aug and peaking in N & W Isles 13-30 Sep with 100+ St.Kilda OH; 120 Fetlar & 107 Hillwell Shet; 100+ Fair Is; 200+ St.Ola & 279 N.Ronaldsay Ork. Few big mainland counts, 96 Whittliemuir Cly, being the best. Influx 28/29 Oct inc 169 Blantyre Muir Cly; 80 Bogside Ayr; 262 N.Ronaldsay & 300+ West Scapa Flow Ork. Winter counts moderate, best totals 312 Costa- Quanterness Ork 19 Nov & 120 Bogside 8 Dec. Snipe D.G.Mitchell StH “ 2. see ee p cmttee figs ime wile eT a Wh elt Th uw MU 4 eA ti . ‘ eer ou WH Iiti- UT Itceruett LULA *Great Snipe Gallinago media : 1 North Ronaldsay Ork 30 Oct . | The 4th record for Orkney this century. | a a A a a I VC AEE A NE A STEN Fe 1 CELL tlt i | R.D.Murray [Ed] 35 *Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus 1 Caerlaverock D&G, first seen 15 Oct 1990, remained until 14 Jan. 1 Aberlady L 12-13 May . First specifically identified for Lothian. Woodcock Scolopax rusticola Most winter reports involve 1-3 birds but 35 were flushed by shooters Endrick Mouth Cly 19 Jan. 27 Hoy Lodge Ork 27 Jan, 30 Elie Estate F 1 Feb & 11 Tweedbank B 2 Feb suggests a small influx. Spring passage was ‘poor’ on Fair Is. Breeding: much under-reported but Caith 2 sites; M&N 10 sites; Fife 6 sites; Cent br3 at 1 site; Loth 12 sites; Bord 23 sites; Arg & Arran 10 sites each; Ayr 11 sites. Autumn passage from late Sep with first singles Stronsay Ork and Fair Is 27-29 Sep. Movements seen most areas mid-Oct with first Bord, Is of May, NE & Shet on 10-11 Oct; Arran, Fife 19-20 Oct; and Suth, OHeb, Ayr , D&G from 26 Oct-4 Nov. Max counts inc 40 Fair Is, 19 N.Ronaldsay Ork and 30 Fetlar Shet 29 Oct-14 Nov. Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa Winter reports mostly in S & SW but 20 Kyle of Tongue Suth as well as 20 Kinneil Cent & 170 Eden Estaury F in late Jan and early Feb. Spring passage, peaking 4-21 Apr, mostly on N.Sea coasts was lower than 1990 inc record 17 Strathbeg NE; also 220 Eden Estuary and 40 Caerelaverock D&G. Black-tailed Godwit: BoEE Counts 199] 1000 800 20000 10000 Breeding: Shet 2 prs both raised 2 young; Ork pr present usual site but no evidence of breeding; Clyde pr Endrick Mouth 19-21 May seen scraping. A few summered on coast on mainland. A good autumn passage was reported with records being broken in NE where 'unprecedented num- bers' and Fife ' highest for 40 years' and many other areas reporting higher than usual sightings. Peaks, mostly 21-27 Aug, inc 32 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 24 Findhorn Bay M&N, 53 Strathbeg & 47 Donmouth NE, 15 Aberlady & 12W Gosford Bay L with 47S in 4 hrs Uisaed Pt Arg on 22 Aug. High numbers remained throughout autumn into winter. The Solway D&G area is dominated by a BoEE count of 802 in Oct, partly made up from 86 Caerlaverock & 98 Torduff. Max 234 Eden Estu- ary 19 Oct falling only to 171 in Dec; the Kinneil Cent flock rose slowly to max 62 in Dec; 76 Ythan NE in Oct dropped only to 50 in Dec in an area that usually has only single figures in Dec. Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Winter numbers highest in E, peaking mid-Feb with Feb max 723 M&N coast, 680 Eden Estaury & 1,200 Outer Tay F & 1,700 Aberlady L. Bar-tailed Godwit: BoEE Counts 1991 BoEE max in Feb was 13,372, fairly evenly spread on N.Sea coasts and Solway. Significant numbers outwith the BoEE coverage on OHeb where 350 Ardivachar and 675 Ford in Jan & Feb. Comparatively small spring passage mid-Apr to mid-Jun: initially on W coast with 284 Balranald OH & 125 Blackrock, Islay Arg Apr/May before an Ecoast passage 1 1-16 Jun when 253 Culbin Bars M&N and 282 Musselburgh L. a I TN LNT LEST LE AAG SE TE Sa UT ST SIE 36 Autumn passage was light and protracted with peaks of 302 Sanday Ork inlate Aug; 980 Tentsmuir F & 292 L.Indaal, Islay Arg in Sep 450 South Ford OH and 1,238 Lothian coast L in Oct. 7 Alemoor B 22 Sep. 2nd inland Bord report. BoEE shows a gradual rise to Dec peak of 7,169 birds, mostly Moray and Forth areas. Best site counts were 1,734 Lothian coast, 850 Gilfoot Bay D&G and 470 Culbin Bars in Dec. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Wintering singles noted Shet, Ork, Arran & Loth. Spring passage started with singles Cordon Arran 22 Mar, then Lunna Ness Shet 26 Mar. Most arrived Apr with first Loth, Fife 13-14 Apr; then Ayr, D&G, M&N, Ork 19-20 Apr; OHeb & Fair Is 25 Apr. Peaks counts inc 95 Ham area Caith on 29 Apr; 200 Balranald OH 12 May; 46N past Irvine Ayr 15 May. 'Very good' passage St.Kilda OH with 50- 98 birds 25 Apr-1 Jul. Breeding: Shet ‘successful at usual localities’ ; Ork 8prs west Mainland; Caith 4summered Brims and may have bred; OHeb 4 summered but no evidence of breeding. Autumn passage poor in NE, Loth, Bord & Arg but very good in Fife. First M&N, NE 2 Jul; Bord, Loth 4 -6Jul; Fife, Cent 8 Jul and Ayr 9 Jul. Peaks: 22 Musselburgh L in Jul; 44 Eochar OH, 35 Kingston M&N & 22 Girdleness NE in Aug. 27N St.Abb's B and 53 Eden Estuary F 27 Aug. Most gone by mid-Sep. 1 Mussleburgh 2 Nov was late. Wintering singles Loth, Arran & Shet. Curlew Numenius arquata Largest wintering population is in Ork, where 2,200 Widewall & 1,000 St.Ola 9-10 Jan. 500 Lady's Holm Shet & 688 Islay Arg outwith cover of BoEE counts which peaked at 12,209 in Feb. These birds were fairly evenly spread but a marked shift took place in Mar where 68% of the 10,673 birds were in Solway area. Max site counts in Mar inc 1,683 Wigtown Bay D&G, 960 Clyde Estuary Cly; 706 Ythan NE & 500 Bogside Ayr. Inland flocks inc 290 Miltonduff M&N, 113 Pitlochry & 170 Aberfeldy P&K, 130 Bavelaw L & 296 West Cameron F during Mar-early Apr. 15000 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Breeding: Fair Is 6 prs; Ork 24prs N.Hoy (29 in 1990) & 17 prs Trumland, Rousay (18 in 1990); Ayr 17-19prs Carrick Hills (22-23 in 1990) were amongst the few details of this widespread species. The season was noted as poor in P&K, Cent, Bord and D&G. Curlew: BoEE Counts 199] Post-breeding flocks in Jul inc 3,195 Ythan Estuary NE (twice previous record count), c900 L.Leven | P&K, 800 Dipple Ayr & 685 Valleyfield F. As numbers decline inland a corrpsonding increase on coast with 1,376 Inner Forth Cent and 1,517 Lothian coast L in Sep while in Ork the Widewall flock peaked at 1,300 in Nov. The BoEE counts peak Sep/Oct with max 12,171 in | Sep, evenly spread across country. | Slightly fewer remained to winter compared with 90/91 with 9,804 in Dec. | 1 ) Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus Mainly 1-3 birds but 5 Findhorn Bay M&N 30 Sep; 4 Kinneil Cent 6 Oct; 5 Torduff D&G 15 Oct. | } Summary . JF MAMJ JAS ON D N. Isles 1 4 10 W.Isles 1 1: Al N.Scot 2 | NEScot Drs, A> Gye | W.Scot 1 E/E Scott.2. 2, wl. Te el Selb Sloe. SE Scot eI 7 a ise) SW Scot LOie 8 Cave Total 2 313° 5 ies ia ee 20000 10000 R.D.Murray [Ed] 37 Greenshank D.G.Mitchell dt | Redshank Tringa totanus BoEE winter peak Jan/Feb, max 14,646 in Feb, mainly N.Sea coasts. Max site counts inc 800 St.Ola Ork; 800 M&N coast; 745 Loth coast in Jan with 2,441 Clyde Estuary; 996 Skinflats Cent in Feb and 980 Eden Estuary F in Mar. Rapid movement away by Apr with first inland P&K 2 Mar; Bord 4 Mar; Cent 10 Mar; NE 20 Mar. Breeding few significant reports: Shet 40prs Fetlar, 8-9 prs Whalsay; P&K 62prs at 1 site where only 8prs raised 8 young (45prs, 9+17young in 1990); Loth stable 13prs Aberlady; Bord 27prs at 12 sites; Ayr 39prs at 9 sites. Redshank: BoEE Counts 1991 a fy eo Passage from early Jul with 540S (114hrs) Uisaed PtArgin Aug. 2,000 Findhorn Bay M&N but main build-up in Oct with BoEE peak of 18,760 evenly spread across Scotland. Best site counts were 3,636 Inner Forth Cent in Sep; 1,695 Clyde Estuary & 2,487 Lothian coast in Oct; 664 Ythan Estuary NE & 600 St.Ola in Nov. A few inland winterers in P&K, Bord and Clyde. Greenshank Tringa nebularia Small numbers wintered M&N(9), Loth (6), Arg (9), Clyde (13) with singles elsewhere. Light spring passage with first 10 Tyninghame L 15 Mar; 12 Woodhall Cly 25 Mar & 6 Luskentyre OH 28 Apr the only other reports >5 birds. Breeding: Shet 2prs successful; Caith alarming at 2 sites; P&K 8 sites; OHeb 65 terrs inc / st breed- ing S.Uist; Arg 4 sites. Autumn passage from late Jun, peaking in Aug & Sep. Max of 15 Ythan NE, 23 Caerlaverock D&G, 16 Findhorn Bay M&N in Aug; 16 Langbank Cly, 20 Tyninghame, 14 L.Leven P&K 8-10 Sep. Few remained by early Oct except at regular winter sites where population as in 1990/91. *Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Juv L.of Tankerness Ork 15 Sep. The first record for Orkney. Green Sandpiper Tringa ochuropus The only wintering birds were singles Findhorn Bay M&N 1990 to 11 Mar & Castle Semple L Cly 3-6 Feb. A quiet spring with only 14 records from 7 sites, inc 2 Strathbeg NE 4 May, the only multiple record. No summering birds. In contrast a very good autumn with passage late Jun-early Oct. Mostly singles with a few parties of 2-3 birds. Max counts inc 6 R.Nith D&G 21 Jul; 4 Highfield Ayr 3-5 Aug; & 4 Aberlady L 11 Aug. Singles Barony College D&G Nov-Dec & Nerabus, Kintyre Arg 17 Nov were the only winter reports. SE a a ER STORET TE OATS SSIS RNAS a CSS LTS DT PID SUIS ST ST SE SA CE 38 Green Sandpiper Summary JF MAMJ JASON D N.Isles 1 idk p24 p42 oS5k 6 W.Isles 1 4 NEScot 1 1 1 4° °2°%6; 16, 3 W.Scot 1 1-1 E/C Scot 5 lS), 25, 30 ok SE Scot 5315-26, 22619.-1 SW Scot 13 SPdion Ae L I Total TE a RE Us 9 ei sic We 0 Sear A | Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola A poor year, except in Fife which had first 1 Clatto Res 2 May, the max of 4 Birnie L. on 3 Jun and the last single at Cameron Res 23 Sep. Elsewhere only 1-2 birds except for 3 Strathbeg NE 27-28 May. Last spring bird Hermaness Shet on 13 Jun. Only 16ina poor auutmn. First 1 Strathbeg on 3 Jul. Mostly singles except for 2 Musselburgh L 29 Jul & 2 Eve's Howe, Deerness Ork 31 Jul. JI EF M.A'M.-).,J. A. S,O N-D N_Isles >) 4 N Scot 1 NEScot Ar 2 eS] E/C Scot 3:75:6) nubs 412 SE Scot 1 2 SW Scot lie lee 6 Total TESS Oli *Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus Ad m Mid Yell Voe Shet 25 May. The 2nd Shetland & 4th Scottish record. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 1 wintering Shewalton Ayr was last seen 6 Jan. Very early arrivals were 2 Cobbinshaw L 16 Mar & | Bergrennan D&G 29 Mar. Main influx from mid-Apr with first Fife 12 Apr; Clyde 13 Apr; M&N, Suth & Bord 14 Apr; Arran, Arg 16-20 Apr. Widespread from 28 Apr. Breeding: WBS (-11%) Very few systematic comparisons available but OHeb 4 prs in north of S,Uist c.f. 12 prs in 1990; P&K 20 terr along 6.6Km upper Glen Almond ; Ayr 23prs Greenock Water (18 in 1990), 5prs N.Craig Res - 2 prs raised 6 young (4prs in 1990 with 8 young). First autumn birds 3 L.of Hundland Ork 3 Jul & singles Aberlady & Mussleburgh L 6 Jul. Scottish Bird Report 1991 Peaks counts 14 Jul-1 Aug inc 31 Port Allen P&K, 15 Kingston M&N, 23 Bogside & 27 Dipple Ayr with 18S in 3 hrs Uisaed Pt Arg 24 Jul. Last records: Caith 31 Jul; OHeb, Arran 8-15 Aug; Cent, P&K 22-26 Aug, Fair Is, Bord 2-8 Sep; Ork, Is of May, Arg, Fife, Shet 20-22 Sep; M&N 9 Oct; NE 16 Oct; with record-latest single Musselburgh L on 26 Oct. Wintering bird returned to Shewalton from 17 Sep to end of year. *Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia Ad Twageos Shet 22-26 Sep & 1 Balgray Res Cly 27 Sep-1 Oct. These were the first for tShetland & Clyde and the 8th & 9th for Scotland. Turnstone Arenaria interpres Winter: 414 Loth coast & 374 N.Ronaldsay Ork 9 Jan; 424 Buckie M&N 17 Feb was highest-ever there; 420 N.Ronaldsay 2 Mar; 600 Ardivachar Pt OH 11 Mar; 727 Rosehearty to Fraserburgh NE 13 Mar. BoEE counts record 2,015-2,313 birds Jan-Mar but misses many non-estuarine birds. The best areas counted were Forth, with 1,275 in Mar, and only c300 in each of other areas. 230 Fair Is Apr & 750 Traigh Tar - Aird an Runair | OH 5 May were peak counts of passage birds. | Inland: 1 Whittliemuir Cly & 3 L.Leven P&K on | 16-19 May. A scatter summered but very few Jun records, the | best count 30 Kingstom M&N on 22 Jun. Return passage started mi-Jul with 351 Is of May 30 Jul; 1,000+ North Bay & 450 Ardivachar OH on 10 Sep; 743 Loth coast in Oct; 300 Barassie Ayr 26 Oct. Winter peaks of 511 Rosehearty-Fraserburgh on 13 Nov; 942 Loth coast & 290 Irvine Ayr in Dec. | BoEE records 2,083 in Oct rising to 2,735 in Dee, | much the same as in 190/91. | | | | | *Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor Ist-yr Caerlaverock D&G 3 Oct. This was second for Dumfries & Galloway, the first being in 1972. | | SS eer | R.D.Murray [Ed] Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus 1 Unst Shet and 1 Dunnet Bay Caith on 20 May; 1 Fair Is 22 May; Im N.Ronaldsay Ork on 24 May, with £ there 25 May; 1 £ Lochcarnon OH 2 Jun. Breeding: Shet 13-17 broods Fetlar with 1 brood another site; Caith 1£ in suitable habitat; Arg 2m m+1f£ usual site but no young seen. In autumn 1 St.Kilda OH 16 Aug; last juv Fetlar on 17 Aug. Then gap until 2 Ythan Estuary NE 14 Sep and 1 Hound Pt L 15 Sep only the 3rd Loth record this century. Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius 1 Lossiemouth M&N 19 Jan was the only winter/ spring record. Also only the second record for area, the first being in 1879! 1 juv St.Kilda OH 29 Aug & 1 Lewis OH 9-10 Sep were forerunners of another big gale-driven influx, mostly in OHeb where 47-51 birds in the Uists from 14 Sep-8 Oct, max 24-28 on | Oct. Elsewhere | juv Turnberry Ayr 22 Sep; 6 Gartnatra, Kintrye Arg 24 Sep; 1 L.Feochan Arg on 25 Sep; 1 Fair Is 1 Oct; 1 Uisaed Pt Arg 5 Oct followed by 20n 17 Oct and 1 on 18 Oct; 1 Castlehill Caith on 19 Oct; 1 Doonfoot Ayr 20 Oct; and 1 Girdleness NE 29 Oct, the only N.Sea bird. Total of 65-69 birds following on 57-74 in 1989 & 98-135 in 1990 might seen ordinary but in fact is excellent when a ‘good' year previously had c20 reports. Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus First 1 Collieston NE 28 Apr was early. Heavy spring passage: OHeb 667 birds in May & 8 in Jun, max 120 Aird an Runair 12 May & 105 on 19 May. Last 2N there 13 Jun. 105 Shet 14-25 May, max 48 Nobbon 14 May; Suth 110 Handa 21 May, 7 there 22 May; Arg 8 reports 8 May-15 Jun inc 5 Mull 10 Jun. 1S Peterhead NE 18 May Autumn: 1 Eyemouth B7 Jul & 2 Is of May 15 Jul. Aug movements very light and confined to Forth & N.Isles. Main movements early Sep with mainly small parties of 1-6 birds, but 20W/3E Hound Pt L 7 Sep & 19W there on 9 Sep, birds clearly using the Forth/Clyde route as a short-cut to Atlantic. Largest parties seen Forth area, inc 18W Hound Pt 9 Oct, ISW/6E there 18 Oct & 26 NW past Tyninghame L in 20mins on 24 Oct. _ Elsewhere the largest party was 9 Lochmaddy OH 39 22 Sep but W coast totals were good, although mostly 1-2 birds. 1 Pirnmill Arran 3 Oct was first for area in recent years. Last regular at Cramond L9 Nov but 1S Peterhead NE 31 Dec was unusual. Passage Totals July Aug Sept Oct Nov N.Isles 0 2 18 14 0 N.Scotland 0 1 6 15 2 W&SW Scot 0 0 26 64 2 NE Scot 0 0 11+ 34+ 9 E/C Scot 2 0 36 18 9 SE Scot 1 5+ 56+ 111+ 1 Totals + 143+ 254+ 2 Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus 1N Girdleness NE 10 Mar. First Shet 4 Apr, OHeb 8 Apr; Loth, Ork ,Caith 14-16 Apr; Fair Is 25 Apr; Ayr, Bord 21-22 May; Arran 13 Jun. Best passage OHeb: 306N counted 8 Apr-10 Jun with max 35N Aird an Runair 12 May & 21N Ardivachar Pt 20 May. 10 Hound Pt L 15 Apr suggests cross-country movements in spring. 1 Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh L 14 Apr was unusual site. Breeding Colonies Pairs Young/pair Shetland 14 221 0.65 Fair Isle 1 99 0.75 Orkney general - 21 0.86 Flotta* 1 23 0.83 Birsay* 1 50 0.53 Papa Westray* 1 45 0.67 Rousay 1 122 0.84 Westray* 1 30 0.43 Hoy 1 21 0.00 Sutherland - Handa 1 31 1.36 Outer Hebrides 2 55 na Slightly reduced numbers in samples (*) but better success than 1990. Young at Hoy Ork colony were totally predated by Great Skuas; Caith several prs but no confirmed breeding; Arg 4 colonies Jura with 39 AOTs rearing 21 young. Largest scale passage mostly on N.Sea coast, with numbers in W much smaller and considered poor. Biggest movements were 44N/5S Peterhead NE on 18 Aug; 75W/13E Hound Point L 7 Sep; 102W Lossiemouth M&N 10 Sep; 41W Lossiemouth & 45W/2E Hound Pt 11 Sep; 49N Girdleness NE on- 13 Sep; 137N/6S Barns Ness L on 28 Sep; and 56W Lossiemouth 18 Oct. Inland: | L.Leven P&K on 24 Aug; 1 Aird Meadow Cly 10 Nov. Last birds Shet 25 Sep; Caith, Ayr, Fair Is 5-7 Oct; OHeb, Arg 10-13 Oct; Bute, Bord 17-22 Oct; NE, Is of May 29 Oct; M&N 4 Nov; Ork, Suth 16 Nov; latest 4 Scoughall L & 1 Anstruther F on 19 Nov. I ee 40 Scottish Bird Report 1991 ~—- —_— — aa CLE _ fe LOM (4 Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus After a disappointing year in 1990 there were spectacular movements past Airdan Runair OH in the spring and at Hound Point L in the autumn. Heaviest spring passage-ever O Heb with 1,398 birds past the Uists 6 May -10 Jun. Aird an Runair: 1,364 N there 12-25 May Date (May) 12 1314 15 161718 19 20 21 2225 No.ofifiocks: 12° 4-46 #2=32 1 (6.16 93-1713 Largeiflock. 112-8 .25 -33) 3) 2 516285; 20180 1.2 No.of birds 424 16 39 6 9 260 540 67180 1 5 First 1 Tiree Arg 1 May. 131 Wats Ness Shet 14- 22 May with 119 there on 22 May inc a single flock of 105 birds; 120 Handa Suth 21 May with 34 there 22 May. Also 11 Ork 24 May-6 Jun. See Davenport (1991) Scottish Birds 16: 85-89 First autumn birds were 1 L.of Girsta Shet 21 Jul; and simultaneous singles 19 Aug at St.Kilda OH, N.Ronaldsay Ork &St.Abb’s B. First Arg 27 Aug; Loth 30 Aug; Fife 6 Sep; Fair Is, M&N 10-11 Sep; Ayr 22 Sep. Passage totals Aug Sept Oct Nov N. Isles Z 118 3 0 OHeb 1 9 3 0 M&N/NE Scot 2 193 1 0 Forth 2 626+ 2 0 7 946+ 9 0 Largest movement through Forth at Hound Point: passage was concentrated 5-12 Sep with daily totals: 33W on 5 Sep, 52W on 6 Sep, 177W/13E on 7 Sep, 112 on 8 Sep, 30 on 9 Sep, 58W/2E on 11 Sep, 16 on 12 Sep. Total of 443 birds (375W, 7E & 33 unspecified in c40hrs seawatching). Girdleness NE also had excellent passage with 191(186S/5N) birds 6-14 Sep, max 45 on 6 Sep & 50 on 8 Sep. “a2 CAA L7- LD fp LILLE EE TE — —_ LLL gE, 4 Sih Lj OT PE de oS a“, Fair Isle 1 79 2 - 0.70 Orkney general 2 17 11 ? | sample N.Hoy 84 ? 0.74-0.79 | Caithness 3 ? 2 2 Sutherland 1 104 - 1:28. a Outer Hebrides 8+ 39 ? ? { Autumn passage unexceptional, very poor in SW) First Bord 19 Jul; Loth, Fife 30 Jul; M&N 6 Aug! Is of May 13 Aug. Only birds SW were 3 TroonAy ! & 2 Corsewall Pt D&G 24 Sep & | Gillfoot D&C 9 Oct. 1 inland L.Leven P&K 10 Sep. Best counts in E & N: 100 Lerwick Shet, 34 suf of Lewis OH & 55N at Peterhead NE in Aug) R.D.Murray [Ed] 47 St.Kilda OH 9 Sep; max 15 Inverkeithing F & max 32 Hound Pt L 28 Sep; 20 Fair Is 9 Oct; 32W Lossiemouth M&N 18 Oct with 17W there 4 Nov. Last birds - Caith 12 Oct; Loth, OHeb 18-21 Oct; Ork, Suth 28-31 Oct; Arg 2 Nov; Fair Is, M&N, Shet 4-9 Nov; Bord, Fife 19 Nov. 2N past Peterhead NE 30 Nov & 1N there 4 Dec & 1 Baltasound Shet 9 Dec were only winter reports. *Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus 12 reports, perhaps only 8 individuals. Ad roosted Donmouth NE during Jan may be same as the birds nearby at Dyce & Girdleness 1-11 Feb; ad Aberlady L 8 Jan; 1st-w St.Abb’s B 2 Mar; and ad Mussleburgh L 23 Mar. 1st-s Mussleburgh 15 Jul-5 Aug; ad Valleyfield F 10 Aug; ad Donmouth 21 Oct & 28 Nov. *Laughing Gull Larus atricilla Ad Stenness Ork 16-22 May; 1 Musselburgh L on 26 May; Ist-s Ardivachar Pt S.Uist OH 12 Nov. First reports for Orkney & Lothian, 3rd record for Outer Hebrides. *Franklin’s Gull Larus pipixcan Ad Skellister Shet 27 May. This was the 2nd report for Shetland, the first was in May 1990, perhaps a returning bird? Little Gull Larus minutus Although spring passage was evident the Oct numbers in Tay/Forth swamp all other records. Fewer around Jan-Apr than in 1990. Initially mostly in W but then only in numbers in Fife where best counts were 6 Tayport F 18 Mar with 20 there 3 Apr. More widespread May-Aug, esp on E coast, but seldom in numbers. Build-up into Sep, particularly in Forth, with Oct peak. Most sightings were of 1-2 birds with best counts: 6N St.Abb’s B 14 Sep; S9N/6S in hr Fife Ness F on 14 Oct with 14N there 15 Oct; a massive I'76N Is of May 23 Oct with 30+ there on 25 Oct; 20 Fife Ness on 27 Oct. The old roost at Kilconquhar L F has apparently become ‘extinct’. Last birds M&N 17 Sep; OHeb, Arran 2-3 Oct; Bord 10 Oct; D&G, Ork 17-22 Oct; Loth, Suth, Fife 26-27 Oct; with latest 1 Banff NE 2 Nov. 41 Ja Eo MAM. 3. t) AgS) O2N, D N.Isles 3 Dele aS N.Scot ele Oe W.Isles D2 2m NE Scot* 1 1} FAO) lee Dero A W.Scot 4 1 1 DMN Deh Dire 2 18. ail E/C Scot* Lerom 20 9.4 O38. 9.318 SEScot 1 1 UR Anis Yencanits is ye ah). shat SW Scot 5 NA beet | Total Gras Tes 2301S 1S! 27 11505334727 0 *incomplete, “ not A&D *Sabine’s Gull Larus sabini 2 winter/spring: 1st-w West Wemyss, Islay Arg on 4 Jan; ad Ardivachar Pt OH 21 May. 16 birds, mostly singles in autumn with 11 birds on W coast: 1 ad Baleshare OH 14 Jul; 1 Handa Suth 8 Aug; 1 Rubha Ardvule OH 15 Sep with 5 juvs there 21 Sep & 1 juv on 24 Sep; 1 Forth L from 'MV Gardyloo' 26 Sep; imm Uisaed Point Arg 3 Oct; 1 Sound of Gigha Arg 6 Oct; ad Stronsay Ork on 9 Oct; juv St.Kilda OH (1st there) 10 Oct; 1W juv Hound Pt L 18 Oct; 1 Is of May 24 Oct. Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus Breeding: Area Colonies Total prs Largest colony (prs) N.Isles 12 2,014 N.Ronaldsay Ork c600 N.Scotland 3 1,101 Broubster Caith c1,000 NE 17 2,752 Strathbeg NE 1,827 E/C Scot 4 893. Redmyre F 475 SE Scotland 15 22,494 Bemersyde B 14,320 W.Scotland 7 417 L.Stiapavat OH c200 SW Scotland 20 1,645 AirdMeadow Cly 227 Many colonies noted but few counts or even estimates. The giant Bemersyde B colony was estimated at 14,320 - continued growth from 9,050 in 1984 & 11,600 in 1987. Usual good and poor results from some areas. 1 colony at Gruinart Arg was heavily predated by Ferrets Mustela ferox ! Roosts: Jan-Apr - 11,000 Strathclyde L Cly 6 Jan; 3,000 Balgray Res Cly 15 Jan; 7,000 Barassie Ayr 17 Jan; 1,470 Findhorn M&N 17 Apr. Sep-Dec - 6,000 Hirsel B 14 Sep; 7,200 Wigtown Bay D&G 18 Sep; 4,500 Hule Moss B 26 Oct; 15,000 Castle L D&G 10 Nov; 9,000+ Doonfoot Ayr 6 Dec. 1,243N Ardivachar Pt OH 10 Sep was only movement of note. ERRATA TY SREY ET TS EET ET 42 * Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis c10 birds, inc 6 long-stayers: Winter/Spring: 1st-w Stromness Ork 5 Jan - 7 Jun; ad Stromness Ork 6 Jan - 16 Mar; imm Oban Arg 14 Jan- 15 Apr; 1st-w Musselburgh L 16-28 Mar, 2 ad there 20 Apr; 2nd-w Crantit Ork 3 Feb-20 Feb Autumn/Winter: ad Malachete OH 12 Oct; possibly same ad returning Stromness 11-31 Dec. Common Gull Larus canus Breeding: Shet/Fair Is poor success continues; Ork 2,489 nest at 13 sites; NE 208 prs at 3 sites; P&K 12 sites, ‘fair season’; Loth &Bord 22 prs at 5 sites; Clyde 504 nests at 12 sites, inc 445 L.Thom; Ayr c6S5 prs at 6 sites. Roof nests noted NE & Ayr. Roosts: 2,500 St.Ola Ork 5 Jan; 6,000 Doonfoot Ayr 23 Jan; 1,650 Ardivachar Pt OH 2 Apr. 2,866 Valleyfield F 24 Aug; 2,269 Leuchars F in Oct; 6,000 Hule Moss B 20 Oct; 10,000 Doonfoot 23 Nov; 4,500 Watch Water B 24 Nov; c2,000 Sandwick Shet 28 Dec. Eastern.Common Gull L.c.heinei/kamschatschensis 6 (3ad, two 2nd-w, 1 1st-w) resembling this large race at Donmouth NE 21 Feb-31 Mar. Lesser Black-backed Guil Larus fuscus Scattered wintering birds: 7 Ayr, 2 Cent, 4 Fife, 2 Loth, 11 Bord & 1 Arran. Most numerous in SW, esp in Clyde, where massive 230 Strathclyde L. Cly 6 Jan & 87 Balgray Res Cly 24 Jan. First Loth, Bord 16-18 Feb; Cent, Ayr 21-22 Feb; Ork, OHeb 23-24 Feb; Shet 27 Feb; P&K, & Arran 2-6 Mar; Fair Is 10 Mar; M&N, Suth 16-17 Mar; Caith 23 Mar. Peak roosts 600 Strathclyde L. 24 Mar; 400 Chiscan Arg 28 Apr; 500 Endrick Mouth Cly 14 May. Breeding: Shet still few reports; Fair Is 20prs (9% reduction from 1986); Ork 652+ nests at 10 sites; Is of May 788 prs (continuing 12% increase since end of culls) MBS 0.54; Loth 135 prs Inchmickery; Ayr c1,500 nests Horse Is; Clyde 38 1 nests reported, 319 on roofs, mainly Glasgow. Few significant autumn numbers, best being 1,700 Bogside Ayr 29 Jun; 700 Linwood Cly 20 Aug. Last M&N 29 Sep; Shet, Ork 4-6 Oct; Fair Is 8 Oct; NE 10 Oct; Is of May 28 Oct; Arg 1 Nov with wintering birds | NE, 3 Loth, 2 Bord, 4 Cly, 8 Ayr, 3 D&G. Scottish Bird Report 1991 Herring Gull Larus argentatus Largest roosts/flocks Jan-Apr were 19,500 Strathclyde L.Cly 6 Jan; 4,500 Longannet F 18 Jan; 3,000+ Glenrothes F 19 Jan; 5,000 Barassie Ayron — 5 Feb; 3,000+ St.Andrews F 10 Feb. Breeding: Shet 53 prs Fetlar, 65 prs Noss MCS 2.4 | (Syr mean is 85 prs &MCS of 2.2); Fair Is 107prs, 59% down on 1986 and only 22% of 1975 figure; NE 271 nests St.Cyrus (410 in 1990), 436 nests | Fowlsheugh; P&K 25 nests Braco; Is of May | 1,447 prs (8% increase since end of cull) MBS 1.23; | Bord 408 prs, inc 398 St.Abb’s (6% decrease since 1989); Clyde 86 nests at 13 sites (43 on roofs). Ayr pr bred on boat in Irvine harbour. 3,800 Laggan Arg 10 Sep; 4,500S/6hrs Ardivachar | Pt OH 12 Nov; 4,200 Fallin Cent 15 Dec; massive | 23,000 Strathclyde L. in mid-Dec. Yellow-legged Herring Gull L.a. cachinnans/michahellis| Singles Newton 22 Mar-15 Jun; N.Ronaldsay Ork) Mull Arg 4 May;) 12 Apr; Holm Ork 20 Apr; Donmouth NE 5 Jun; 1-2 St.Abb’s B 5 Nov. Birds resembling L.a.argentatus reported several Ayr, | Shet, 1 Ork, 3 OHeb+271S/6hrs Ardivachar Pt 12 Nov. 1 argentatus/omissus Loth in Mar. Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides | 4 Strornoway OH 13 Jan; 5 Strathclyde L. Cly o1 10 Feb; 9 Lerwick Shet 3-4 Mar. | Fewer Sep-Dec. Several influxes OHeb, but ne fully documented, was record year with 67 record covering 70-11 birds, St.Kilda adding 11 to | surprisingly low total of 19 previous records. | JIFMAMJJAS OND NIsles 19 23 21 14 9 3° 60a N.Scot.~ 3-6 37216 1 dead 30m Wrislest. 2.02) Jit yO multeaal lke NE Scot*8 4 7 10 9 -3 Dips ! WeScot rid. 12) 54 2? 2° Sam E/CScot* 5 6 6 5 1 to ae SE Scot: 22-2)" 222 SW Scot ees 1 43 55 56 47 24 5 Sl OF i * Kumlein’s Gull L.h.kumleini | Usual bird returned to Banff and Macduff NE f ; 7th consecutive winter 5 Jan-25 Mar. | 1 kumleini/thayeri Ayr 1 Feb-23 Apr & 14 Nov- | Dec; Ist-w Balranald OH 12 Jan with prob sare bird on 19 Jun showed some features of kurale may have been a kumleini x glaucoides intergra)- See Hogg (1991) Birding World 4: 82-83. | W/ == R.D.Murray [Ed] Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus Best counts: OHeb where 33 birds in several influxes 12-14 Jan, 17-20 Jan, 26-27 Jan & 6-10 Feb. Best counts elsewhere: 4 Fraserburgh NE on 5 Jan; 12 Skaw, Unst Shet 19 Oct; JF MAMJ JAS ON D meisies 19°59 11, 6-5 5 2-1 #7 40 38°21 N.Scot ANtO!.3 ch "4.. 1 1 1 meisies* 1110 1 4 3 Di» Oieiere 4 Besco 1) 3 1 1 1 1 lS aulenonl WSco 74 4 1 Zn Ae eescowe, 22 2.3 93). 1 F 11 kot Bescon 2 2 tt 1. bt 3.-3-2>°1 mescot 8 5 5 5 2 Jie A AS lial 3) Gres OR Sl 18920) 99 555 18 61 51°35 *more indicated but not detailed. * not inc A&D. Glaucous x Herring hybrids: singles noted Caith, NE, Ayr, OHeb and M&N. Greater Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 1,200 Sule Skerry Ork was best spring count. Also 143 Strathclyde L Cly 6 Jan. Breeding: Shet 200prs Fetlar & 250 ads High Holm raised only 6 chicks, 66prs Noss (lowest there since 1985); Fair Is 160 prs (41% increase “since 1986); Ork c1,070 prs, inc 335 prs Hoy , where good success; Suth 31 prs Handa; M&N -2prs Coversea; NE 6prs Forvie Cliffs; Is of May 4 prs fledged 7 young; Clyde 6nests L.Thom; Ayr 94 nests Horse Is; D&G 5Oprs Fleet Is. , Sutumn/winter counts: 900 Inverugie NE 22 Aug; (228 Gooselpools F 26 Aug; c2,000 Lossiemouth | M&N 1 Sep; 237s/6hrs Ardivachar Pt OH 12 Nov; MW 139 Watch Water B 24 Noy; 1,500 Fair Is on 10 & "18 Dec. 9 a ES 43 Iceland Gull Steve Brown Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla Spring passage inc 7,220N/Shrs Ardivachar Pt OH 22 Mar; 4,100N/hr Eyemouth B 25 Jun. Breeding: A better year for productivity in the N, perhaps due to reasonable Sand-eel numbers, although numbers continue to tumble. First overall decline in colonies in S and markedly poor productivity. Colony 1991 Previous % MBS count (yr) change 1991 Shetland total 9,672 16,351 (81) -41% na Sumburgh 1,442 1,812 (89) -20% 0.62 Fetlar 112 170 (88) -34% 0.40 Hermaness 2,280 3,497 (87) -34% 1.06 Troswick H. 338 583 (88) -42% 0.47 Eshaness 1,329 1,823 (89) -17% 0.79 Fair Isle* na na na 0.90 Ork Mainland 15,125 na c-10% 0.93 Papa Westray 233 262 (90) -11% 0.76 Rousay 338 388 (90) -13% 0.82 Suth Handa na na +9.6% 1.53 NEFowlsheugh 23,522 na Forvie 789 915 (90) -13% 0.30 Bullers 286 na 0.60 Isle of May 6,535 8,129 (90) -19% 0.27 Loth Dunbar 671 516 (90) +30% 0.69 Bord St.Abb’s 16,183 19,066 (90) -15% 0.44 AyrAilsa Craig* 118 0.22 * sample Autumn counts inc 2,200 Scotsoun NE 13 Aug; 4,000 Speymouth M&N 21 Sep; 6,000N Peterhead NE & 10,500 Lochmaddy-Uig OH 22 Sep; c6,000 Brora Suth late Sep-early Oct; 4,200S/hr Ardivachar Pt 27 Oct with 3,000N/hr there 22 Dec. Inland birds reported Clyde in Jan & Feb; Cent in Feb & P&K in Apr but possible overland passage at Woodhall & Longhaugh Cly 21-26 Mar with c115 birds on 4 dates, some heading E ! 4 44 Scottish Bird Report 1991 *Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea 1 injured 1st-w Cairnbulg NE 29 Dec was taken into care. The first for NE since 1977. Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis 2 overwintered Stronsay Ork for 4th consecutive season. First 1 Peterhead & 2 Ythan NE and2S. Ronaldsay Ork on 26 Mar; then Suth 2 Apr; M&N, D&G on 5 Apr; Fife, Ayr 6-7 Apr; Loth 13 Apr; Caith, Arg 18 Apr; Arran, Bord 25-27 Apr. Passage 1-5 May: 68 L.Fleet Suth, 230 Findhorn M&N, 20N Eyemouth B & 250 Fife Ness F. Breeding: Ork c79+prs bred 4 sites; NE a stable 1,115prs Bred Sands of Forvie but production reduced by predation with only 335 young (MBS 0.30), Strathbeg 283 (MBS 0.35) - much better than 1990 (121 prs & 0.05); Loth 475 prs Inchmickery (418 in 1990). Did not breed Caith, Is of May. Inland: 1 Alemoor Res B 23 Jun; 1 L.Meadie Caith 19 Jul; 1 Scone & 3 L.Leven P&K 3 Sep. Main movements in Aug with 1,100 Musselburgh L, 400 Eden Estuary F & 1,300 Goosepools F. 652S past Girdleness NE, 1,633 Valleyfield F & 260 Hound Pt L, in Sep with 1,000S in 2 hrs Corsewall Pt D&G 22 Sep. Last Shet, Arran 23-25 Sep; Bord 29 Sep; Caith on 1 Oct; Is of May 9 Oct; M&N on 16 Oct; NE, Fife 20-22 Oct; Loth 3 Nov; 1 Girvan Ayr 20 Nov; then 2 Stronsay Ork 2 Dec, perhaps overwintering again. Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii First reports from Inchmickery L 2 on 24 May; with 2 Is of May 28 May and | there 29 May. All reports, c18, from Forth with the exception of single Brora Suth 18 Jul & the latest individual at Girdleness NE on 13 Sep. No reports of breeding, including Inchmickery Reserve. Max 4 Port Edgar L 3 Jun with further Jun reports from Musselburgh L & Anstruther F; Jul reports from Musselburgh, Kirkcalday, Pettycur & Burntisland F; Aug reports from Port Edgar & N.Queensferry F. It is possible that all Forth reports may refer to fewer than 7 individuals. Common Tern Sterna hirundo First single Donmouth NE 26 Apr; then Ayr & OHeb 27 Apr; Loth, Arg, Fife 28-29 Apr; Shet, Ork | 30 Apr-1 May; Suth, Bord 5-9 May; Is of May, Fair | Is, Caith 11-14 May; Clyde, Arran 17-21 May. Unprecedented numbers of “‘Commics’ Ayr with | 300-400S Irvine & 200 Gailes 30 Apr (perhaps same); 400 Delnies M&N 17 May. | Breeding: Arg 12 colonies consisting of 4 ‘pure’ & | 8 mixed with Arctics together held 1,070 prs & | reared 250-450 chicks with 58% of prs and 86% of chicks from the largest colony (620prs). Sites in Arg, NE subject to predation while flooding removed colony D&G. Area Sites Pairs Young/Success | Shet 2 20 17 Fair Is 1 10 2 Orkney 2) 22 ? OHeb 3 85 2 good, 1 poor Argyll 12 1,070 250-450 | Clyde 1 1 ? ' Ayr 2 11 ? | D&G 3 46 good Suth Bit 96 very poor | M&N 3 33 ? NEScot 3 285 mainly poor P&K 8 15+ u Fife 1 144 89 Is of May 1 195 very good Cent 1 92 ? Loth 4 237 mainly good | Passage: 180N Uisaed PtArg 30Jul; 2,585 Outheal, F 9 Aug; c2,000 Tentsmuir F 17 Aug; 126! | ‘commics' Peterhead NE 15 Aug. i Relatively late departure. i Last birds Bord 8 Sep; Fair Is, OH 21-24 Sep; P&l) 28 Sep; Ayr 1 Oct; Shet, Ork, Fife 6-13 Oct; the) NE 3 Nov; Arg 14 Nov; with latest 1 Hound Pt | 19 Nov. | Common Teri D.G.Mitchell, | f R.D.Murray [Ed] 45 Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea First 2 Tyninhame L 21 Apr; then first Ork 25 Apr; Is of May 26 Apr; NE, M&N Shet 28-30 Apr; OHeb, Arg 1-2 May; Fair Is 7 May; Caith, Ayr, Fife 8-12 May. Arrival mainly small parties but 20 Thurso Caith 8 May & 500+ Fair Is by 19 May. Breeding: Mainly poor with little success although numbers much better in N than in recent year. Widespread failures atmainland sites due to ground predators. Area Sites Prs Young/Success Shet 8 ? c64% hatched, MBS 0.67, successful Fair Is 3) 650 MBS 1.0-1.3, very successful Orkney c12 7,900 Better than 1990, MBS 0.2 Papa Westray, but some failures OHeb 20 c700 Mainly good but all N.UVist colonies predated by rats. Argyll 11 243 44 young, all small sites failed. Bute 2 19 no success, disturbed by dogs Ayr 1 6 no success D&G 1 23 good success Caith 5) 180 few young Suth 4 370. very poor, ‘handful of chicks’. M&N 1 140 successful 2 NEScot 330 numbers down, 30+ chicks, failures due to predation Loth 1 20 unsuccessful Passage 120 Grogarry OH 17 Jul; 1,500 Tentsmuir F 26 Jul; 2,000+ Scatness Shet 5 Aug; 300 Fair Is 12 Aug; 125 St.Abb’s B 26 Sep. Last Loth 23 Sep; Bord, Ayr 26 Sep; But, Ork 3 Oct; Fair Is & Is of May 5 Oct; Arg 7 Oct; Shet 14 Oct and 2 Scrabster Caith 17 Oct. 1 Brora Suth throughout Oct with last sighting 11 Nov. ‘Little Tern Sterna albicilla First OHeb, Loth on 28 Apr; NE 4 May; M&N on 5 May; Ork, Arg 8-9 May; Ayr, Fife 19-20 May. | , Breeding: Sites Prs Young/Success cll 110 success variable Pcl early nests failed, 4 prs relaid 1 5) only 2 young 2 1 failed 1 22 only 2 young, disturbance 6 84 no data 1 4 no young 1 9 unsuccessful No significant movements: last birds Loth, OHeb, XE, Suth by 26 Jul; then passage birds mid- Sep ee Arg 13 Sep; Ork 18 Sep; Fife 21 Sep; with Ps single Turnberry Pi Ayr 22 Sep. Black Tern Chlidonias niger 6 spring, 3 summer, c59 autumn. First 3 Gruggleton D&G 5 May; 2 Orphir Ork on 7 Jun; 1 Skinflats Cent 13 Jun. Best movements in Forth with 12 birds Dalmeny & 13 Hound Pt L (some poss same birds) on 25 Aug; 7 Hound Pt 4 Sep & 15 St.Abb’s B 8 Sep. Last | Fife Ness F 30 Sep. Jul Aug Sep Oct N coast 1 1 0 0 W coast 0 0 0 0 NE coast 0 0 3 0 Forth 2 44 11 0 * White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus 2nd-yr L.of Mey & St.John’s L. Caith 7 May-5 Jun & 1 juv St.John’s L Caith 15 Oct were 2nd & 3rd for area; 1 ad Annarchie L. NE 14-22 Jul. Guillemot Uria aalge 99 corpses Moray Firth Beached Bird survey 3 Jan was the only significant mortality reported. 1 long dead inland at Logieriat P&K in late Feb. Breeding: Counts %Change (1990) MBS Shet Noss sample + 3% Sumburgh sample +24% Hermaness sample +24% Troswick Head sample + 4% Burravoe sample + 31% Fair Isle sample 22-65% 0.70 Orkney mean 0.77 Gultack 2,815 + 3% ( Les) Marwick Head 37,000 - 1% Mull Head 1,605 + 28% Row Head 8,440 Tio) Var Suth Handa + 8% 0.67 NE Fowlsheugh 51,588 na Is.of May 16,834 + 33% 0.81 Bord St.Abb’s sample + 12% D&G M. of Galloway 1,314 + 2% Numbers were generally up due to better availablity of food but the presence of loafers at Shet & Fair Is sites meant that breeding numbers were not necessarily higher. Breeding success was generally marginally better than in 1990. Movements: 4,500 at sea Lochmaddy/Uig areaOH 22 Sep; 400S Troon Ayr 24 Sep; 200N Pirnmill, Arran 28 Sep; 500S/hr Corsewall Pt D&G 5 Oct: 5,000N Brora Suth 9 Oct; 122S Uisaed Point Arg 2 Nov. SS a TT I 7S SEES 46 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Brunnich’s Guillemot Uria lomvia 1 Sule Skerry Ork 25 Jan. 4th record for Orkney. Razorbill Alca tarda Large movements only reported from Firth of Clyde with 350S/5 mins Pirnmill Arran 6 Jan; 500 on sea there 21 Jan; 180S in 6hrs seawatching Turnbeery Ayr 3-6 Jan. 2ad ££ found dead Shet in Jan had wing-lengths within range of the Scandinavian/Russian nominate subspecies A.t.torda. Breeding: Counts %Change (1990) MBS Shet mean 5 samples +38% Fair Isle mean 0.58 Orkney Gultack 795 + 1% (1988) Marwick Head 1,140 = 10% ws Mull Head 143 +21% “ Row Head 168 - 2% NE Fowlsheugh c6,450 na Is.of May 1,633 + 8% 0.75 Bord St.Abb’s sample +14% D&G Mull of Galloway 375 0% Although 38% increase (over 1990) Shet the population index is still <70% of early 1980 levels. I nest at Portandea Ayr was first proved breeding for mainland Ayrshire. Main movements again in W: 905S/hr Ardivachar OH 16 Jul; 1,400 Lochmaddy/Uig area OH 22 Sep; 1,400 (auks, mainly Razorbill) )S/9hrs Uisaed Pt Arg | Oct with 697S/hr there 13 Oct. Black Guillemot Ceppus grylle 494 Bluemull, 211 Trondra & 126 Whalsay Shet Jan-Mar; but numbers in W &SW much smaller. Single birds seen SE coast - Loth (1) & Fife (5) perhaps same bird? Breeding: Shet stable at monitored sites Noss but 9% increase Yell Sound to 1,105 adults (1,005 in 1988) - oil pollution may be inhibiting population through greater winter die-off, especially in oiling incidents as in March when 150 adults killed nr Sumburgh; Fair Is MBS 0.85 (0.73 in 1990); Ork increase to 1.4 MBS Holm of Papay, only 3 broods from 20 monitored nests Papa Westray mainly due to Rat predation; M&N another br2 Portknockie; NE 3prs; Arran 10pr; Ayr 1Oprs at 3 sites. 370 Bluemull & 360 Yell Sound Shet Nov-Dec; but more than usual M&N & Ayr: max 63 birds Balkenna Ayr | Dec. Singles in SE - 2 Fife, 5 Loth, 3 Bord Aug-Dec. St.Abb’sin summer; OHeb 5-6,000 birds St. Kile Little Auk Alle alle Continued presence of birds from Dec 1990 influx: mainly small numbers in N & Isles but goodnumbers 1-3 Jan on E coast from Moray Firth southwards | with 15S Brora Suth, 20 N Lossiemouth M&N, | 20N Peterhead & 20 N Girdleness NE, 127/10mins Kirkcaldy F, 364/hr Mussleburgh & 287/30mins | Port Seton L, 20 Eyemouth B & 45 Turnberry Ayr. | Also 400+E in Nairn Bay M&N 9 Jan. 1 far inland at Glenlivet M&N 7 Jan. Few later but 12 Embo Suth 27 Jan; 9 Lossiemouth & 23 Burghead M&N in Feb; & 8N Ardivachar | OH 22 Mar. Last 3 Sinclairs Bay Caith 7 May. First 3W Lossiemouth 3 Sep; 1S Uisaed Pt Arg on 7 Sep; then Shet & Loth 22-29 Sep; Bord, Fair Is, Caith, Ork 20-22 Oct; Suth, NE 25-26 Oct; Fife, Ayr 10-13 Nov. Best movements were 20E Mussleburgh 29 Sep; 72W Lossiemouth 18 Oct; 28S Peterhead 27 Oct; 21N Brora Suth 30/31 Oct; 25 Lossiemouth 8 Nov; 150 off Mousa Shet 22 Nov; 80 Sumburgh-Fair Is 10 Dec. Few Dec records. Several birds found dead Ork in Jan had wing- lengths in excess of usual Svalbard population and are attributed to A.a. polaris from Franz Josef Land and points east. Puffin Fratercula arctica Only a handful of winter records, mainly in N Overwintering mortality high due to Jan wreck ii) Fair Is & c50 dead in Jan count Ork. Breeding: Shet Hermaness, better food supply an) i higher success, MBS 0.70; Fair Is MBS 0.87 wa) highest -ever; Ork only 650+ nests noted inc 400 Pentland Skerries; Caith 400 bred at 5 sites; NI 241 off Fowlsheugh in Jul; Is of May stable number MBS 0.78 was moderate, perhaps due to fod — shortages in Jul; Loth 3prs may have br Inchmickery, 149 seen nearby in Jul; Bord 58 o fa me 13 Apr, 465 young ringed; Suth numbers back i mts Ph 1988 levels Handa;Arg 300+ burrows Mull; D& adults seen carrying food, suggesting breeding. | . 2 inland NE at Kinnordy & Aboyne | & 2 Jul. i MM Few reports after breeding with last birds most va end-Aug, some movements in Oct. 2 specimens found dead Scapa Ork in Jan hi ~ wing-lengths within range of large northern ray naumanni, a race not found in Britain before. Mid Ill] | WD, R.D.Murray [Ed] Rock Dove Columba livia Breeding: 25prs Hoy Ork; bred old buildings Islay, Arg; birds resembling wild Rock Doves bred Inchmickery L & Is of May. Highest counts:370 Drimsdale OH 7 Jan; 200 Via Quarry Ork 26 Jan; 165 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow Cly 23 Mar; 250 Inchmickery L 12 Apr; 282 Burghead M&N 7 May; 400 Olrig Caith 8 Sep; 350 Highfield Ayr 30 Sep; 200+ Is of May. Stock Dove Columba oenas Winter flocks typically small (<20) but 200 Eden Estuary F in Feb & 36 Ardmore Cly 23 Feb. 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 2-4 Mar was 4th for Orkney. Breeding CBC (F+6%/W-21%). Reports patchy: M&N9 sites; P&K 8 prs; Cent 4 sites; Loth 11 prs; Bord 18 sites; Cly 8 prs; Ayr 38 prs; D&G 2 sites. No conclusions about population trends possible. Woodpigeon Columba palumbus Winter flocks were largest during Jan-Feb with 2,500 Crail F & 1,500 Portmore B in Jan; 5,000+ Udny NE, 4,000 Gosford L, 3,500 Kinneil Cent & 3,000 Portsoy NE in Feb. Breeding CBC (F+1%/W stable): 4prs Baltasound Shet, none were successful but 20prs bred Ork, inc 8 Queenamidda, Rendall; Clyde 12 prs Baron’s Haugh (10 in 1990). Passage: 1,000 Sandyford Ayr in Nov; 1,000 Darent House L, 6,000 Polwarth B, 5,000 Kingsbarns F, 1,410 Motray F & 1,000 Wemyss F in Dec. Flocks in W only had max c500 birds. Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto Movements: 1-5 birds Fair Is 15 Apr-8 Aug; with 1-4 N.Ronaldsay Ork 26 Mar-1 Sep; 14 birds OHeb 16 Apr-14 Jun; 6 singles Is of May 15 May- 21 Jun; 40 singles at sea on N.Sea platforms Mar- Sep reflects some interchange with continent. Breeding CBC (F+5%/W-3%): Ork 4prs fledged young; OHeb probably bred S.Uist; D&G continuing increase in some areas - Glentrool now 4 prs. Pr bred Kirkcaldy F in Nov. ‘40 Coaltown F 1 Sep; 125 Auchterarder P&K 7 Oct; 59 Caerlaverock D&G 18 Oct; 100 Gullane _L mid-Dec were best counts. | | =a 47 Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur A poor year with few (36) in spring and even fewer (24) in autumn. No parties of other than 1-2 birds. First 1 Boddam Shet 29 Apr ; then Loth 1 May; Fife, NE 15-18 May; Arg, OHeb 23-24 May; Shet 31 May; Ork 2 Jun; Caith 13 Jun. Breeding CBC (F-27%/W-15%) - large decline matches no suggestion of summering. Some birds seen Jul in N.Isles but mostly mid-late Sep & only in N.& W Isles. Last Arg 30 Aug; OHeb 23 Sep; Ork 4 Oct; Fair Is 8 Oct; latest 2 Whalsay Shet 13-14 Oct. [Eastern Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis] After a long period of consultation with foreign experts 1 Barns Ness L 2 Oct 1982 was finally rejected by the BBRC. *Ring-necked Parakeet Psittacula krameri 3 reports: 1 Strathclyde Country Park Cly late Jul; 1 £ Edinburgh L 17 Sep; 1 Lochmaben D&G on 26 Dec. Cuckoo Cuculus canorus First 1 Ardencaple Arg 16 Apr; 1 Bute 19 Apr; Loth 21 Apr; D&G, Bord 24 Apr; Clyde, Ayr, OHeb, Ork 25-28 Apr; P&K, Suth 30 Apr-1May; Caith, M&N 10-11 May. Breeding CBC (F-3%/W+6%): singing and other evidence of breeding from Shet, OHeb, P&K (at 30 sites); Loth (15 sites); Bord (55 sites); Clyde (c32 sites); Ayr (27 sites) & D&G. A good year D&G, normal numbers Bord. Most left by Aug but last dates were: Ork 22 Jun; Caith 10 Jul; Bord 17 Jul; Fair Is & Is of May 27- 29 Jul; Ayr, Clyde 14-18 Aug; Cent, P&K, Bute, Arg 27-30 Aug; Loth 1 Sep; OHeb 5 Sep; D&G on 6 Sep. Latest report was a juv at Norwick Shet to 18 Sep. — *Y ellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus | freshly dead N.Ronaldsay Ork 25 Sep. The 3rd for Orkney but the first in Scotland since 1970. Fate of skin is not known. : 48 Barn Owl D.G.Mitchell Barn Owl Tyto alba Only 6 reports from P&K & Fife, no reports N.Scotland & Isles. Seen 11 sites Clyde but no breeding reports. M&N 2 nests, 5 sites in summer & 25 sites in winter; NE 2 probable & 2 confirmed nests with sightings maintaining 1989 level; Cent 1 nests, 3 other reports in spring; Loth 1 nest, seen 20 other sites; Bord 3 nests, seen 75 sites, an increase on last 4 years; Arg 14 prs bred, inc 10 Islay, MBS 2.8, ‘numerous’ sightings; Bute 4 prs bred, 3 successfully, 6 other reports; Ayr 16 prs bred S.Ayrshire - 3 were double-brooded, 2 prs bred N.Ayrshire; D&G 87% of 38 monitored forestry sites were successful with MBS 3.06, 13% were double-brooded. 1 dark-breasted bird resembling continental race T.a.guttata was brought ashore from a rig 280mls NE of Fraserburgh at sea in Feb. It was released after five days in care. * Eagle Owl Bubo bubo The escapee/introduction first seen Jul 1989 was still resident Arduaine Arg throughout 1991. *Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca 14 reports involving min 11 birds inc 2 from mainland. Shet, 2 adf£ £ Unst & Fetlar all year, also a 2nd-w £ Ollaberry 22 Apr with perhaps the same Ronas Hill 16 May & a £ feather Mangaster area in Jun; Fair Is lm on 11 May; Ork Ist-wm Sanday 12 Apr, Stronsay 22 Apr, N.Ronaldsay 27 Apr-5 May & a different m Sanday 10 May, | £ S.Roanldsay 22 Apr, | imm f£ Sanday 10 Jun; M&N | £ Cairngorms 15 Apr; NE | £ St.Fergus 2-3 May. Scottish Bird Report 1991 * Little Owl Athene noctua Usual sparse reports from the breeding areas in S but some interesting records from N of Forth-Clyde area. D&G pair nested Mull of Galloway, several autumn records Glenluce with 1 Challoch 21 Jul; Bord singles Reston/Causewaybank area in winter & Whitsome in Nov; NE | L.of Strathbeg 4-5 May; P&K 1 freshly dead ad on A977 between P&K and Cent on 14 Nov. CBC index (A-3). Tawny Owl Strix aluco No apparent change in status noted but breeding | effected by wet weather in SW, by Grey Squirrels taking over nest-boxes in Cent & by unknown causes in M&N. CBC (A+9). Caith 13 singles, 1 nest; Suth 2 sites, br3 at one; M&N only 3 nests from 30 boxes, only brl fledged; Cent reported 9 sites, only 1 nest; Fife — present 12 sites, bred at 4; Loth 24 broods, present 24 other sites; Bord min 108 birds at 85 sites including 13 broods; Clyde 12 sites with 20+ prs & present 7 other sites; Ayr 27 sites, inc 8-10 Culzean but only 7 young raised; D&G 50% success Newton Stewart MBS 2.38. Long-eared Owl Asio otus 66 winter/spring sightings with Shet 25 (much | fewer than usual), FairIs 4, Ork 20, Suth 2, P&K | 3, Fife 2, Is of May 3 , Loth 4 , OHeb 3,Arg 1 and Ayr 1. Breeding: singles broods Caith, NE, P&K & Cent; | M&N 3 sites, Fife 7 sites; Loth 6 sites; Arg 2 sites; Arran 2 sites; Clyde 5 sites; Ayr 15 broods. md evidence D&G. 83 autumn/winter birds: Shet 25, Fair Is 15+, Ork], | 13, Caith 1, Suth 2, NE 2, Fife 5, Is of May 5, Loth 3, Bord 10, Clyde 18. | Influx mid-Oct to late Oct with 10 Shet 25 Oct- 5 Nov; 1-4 Fair Is 11-16 Oct with 1-6 birds there” i 24 Oct-4 Nov; max 4 N.Ronaldsay Ork 29 Oct; & | 1-3 Is of May 24 Oct-2 Nov. | Few seen on mainland at this period. Roosts of up to 7 Merryton/Strathclyde Park cy Nov-Dec & max 7 Quennamidda, Rendall Ork 1 Dec. ° R.D.Murray [Ed] Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus 55+ winter & spring records but only single records from sightings from Ork, Fair Is, Caith, Suth, M&N & NE. More frequent in S with P&K 5, Cent 10, Fife 6, Loth 6, Bord 23, Arg 2, Clyde2, Ayr 17 & present D&G. Best Jan counts - 5 Glen Quaich P&K; 4 Broughton Knowes & 6 Deep Sike B; with 6 Knockshinnoch, 6 Bogton & 5 Dalmellington Ayr. First birds on Fair Is 21 Feb; Ork by 10 Mar, Caith 22 Mar & Shet 13 Apr. Breeding: Ork 21 prs at 6 sites, inc 13 Birsay Moors; Caith 4 sites; M&N 7 sites; P&K 46 prs; Cent 5prs/2nests Ochils; Loth 3 sites; Bord min 60 terr at 57 sites; Arg 54 sites, bred at 16; Arran 1-12 prs; Clyde 11 sites, with 15+ prs Glentaggart although season was poor; Ayr 34 prs, inc 14 prs Glentrool with MBS 2+; D&G 6 prs Glentrool. Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus Breeding: First 20 Jun. The cold, wet start to the summer delayed arrivals and limited search of suitable habitat in D&G. Arg present | breeding site in Cowal; Arran 2m m at one site, no data about other; D&G |llmm Wigtownshire, 16m min Stewartry & 2 elsewhere. *Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica 1 St.Andrews F 9-10 Nov. The first accepted record for Scotland. See Murray (1991) Birding World 4: 400 and Byrne & Graves (1992) Scottish Birds 16: 216-218. *Needle-tailed Swift Hirundapus caudacutus 1 Noup of Noss Shet 11 &14 Jun,. The 2nd Shetland & 3rd Scottish record, the last being in May/Jun 1984. Swift Apus apus Arrival was generally late, especially towards the N & N_Isles. First 1 Baron’s Haugh Cly on 26 Apr; then Loth on 27 Apr; Ayr & Fife 28 Apr; Arg, D&G and Bord 3- 3 May; P&K, NE, Cent 10-12 May; M&N & Caith 15-16 May; Is of May 19 May; Fair Is, Shet, Ork, OHeb 28 May-9 Jun. | tf 49 Main passage: 100 L.of Skene NE, 135 Kilconquhar F & 408N Eyemouth B (40 mins) 19-21 May. Summer movements include 500 Loch Gelly F, 300+ Duddingston L and 200 Martnaham Ayr on 2-3 Jun. Then 1,000-1,500 Loch Gelly 12/13 Jul. No really systematic breeding accounts. Autumn passage from late Jul: 50 Thurso Caith on 4 Aug & 500 Mosstodloch M&N 12 Aug but late season and late departure with last Cent, Caith, P&K 22-25 Aug; Shet, OHeb 29 Aug; Ork, Is of may, Fair Is 1-3 Sep; Arg, NE, D&G 12-15 Sep; Loth, Bord 24 Sep. Latest birds really late with singles at Fife Ness F 2 Nov & St.Andrews 4-5 Nov and 9-10 Nov. The latter was seen with the Chimney Swift, a unique meeting ? *Little Swift Apus affinis 1 Fair Isle 1 Nov. The Ist for Fair Is, 2nd for Scotland and 10th for Britain. See Harrop (1992) Scottish Birds 276-277. Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 1 Sandwick Shet 23 Aug was out of normal range. Breeding WBS (-31%): M&N 2 sites, bred at 1; NE bred 6 sites; P&K 17 sites, bred at 2; Cent 8 sites, 2 bred; Fife 10 sites, 3 of breeding; Loth bred at 4 sites, seen at another 11; Bord 16 sites, bred at 2; Clyde 23 sites, min 12 prs; Ayr 11 sites, 6 bred; D&G 8 sites, 1 bred; Kingfisher D.G.Mitchell 50 *Bee-eater Merops apiaster Perhaps 9- 10 birds: 1 Cramond NE 3 Jul; | Stronsay Ork 11 Jul & presumably same bird at St.Ola Ork 19 Jul & 27-28 Jul; 7W Ruthwell D&G 12 Sep. The latter was a first for Dumfries & Galloway and perhaps the largest party ever seen in Scotland. *Hoopoe Upupa epops 1 overwintered Nairn M&N from 18 Oct 1990 to 14 Apr 1991. 3 in spring, 6 in autumn: 1 Fair Is 13 Apr; 1 Holm Ork 13 May; 1 Tankerness Ork 19 May. 1 Holywood D&G 4 Aug was early; 1 Wick Caith 11 Oct; 1 Shapinsay Ork 25 Oct; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 27 Oct-1Nov; singles Okraquoy & Lerwick Shet 31 Oct. *Wryneck Jynx torquilla Poor year with only 8 in spring and 9 in autumn. First 1 Fife Ness F 26 Apr; singles Fair Is 30 Apr & 3 May; 1 Unst Shet 9 May; 1 Fair Is & 1 Longniddry L 11 May; 1 NossShet 12 May; 1 Mull Arg 9-10 Jun. Breeding: NE 2m m Upper Deeside on 25 May and in Jul, 1 laid c/3 in nest-box which was later predated. Only autumn singles were from N.Isles with single N.Ronaldsay Ork 23 Aug; | Fair Is 24 Aug; 1 Fair Is and 1 Stronsay Ork 17 Sep; 1 Unst Shet 23 Sep; 1 Stronsay 29 Sep & 1 Unst 10 Oct. Wryneck D.G.Mitchell Scottish Bird Report 1991 Green Woodpecker Picus viridis CBC (F-15%/W+8%) M&N 9 sites; NE | area; P&K 8 sites inc 11 prs Pitlochry but now common in central Perthshire; Cent 8 sites; Fife 24 sites; Loth 34 sites; Bord 32 sites, back to 24-30 level of 84-89; Clyde 7 sites; Ayr 5 sites; D&G mainly Gatehouse area where 7 sites. Dispersal noted on coast in Bord in Oct. Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus major Singles overwintered in N.Isles with 2 birds remaining until Mar. A few migrants in N: 2 Shet, 1 Fair Is, 2 Ork & 2 Caith in Apr-May. Breeding CBC (F-3%/W+6%): P&K 10 sites inc 4-5 Killiecrankie; Cent 7prs at 5 sites; Fife 19 sites; Loth 31 sites; Bord 63 sites; Clyde 25 sites; Ayr | seen 20 sites Only 2 migrants Ork, end-Sep to mid-Oct. 1 Denburn Wood F 23 Nov resembled nominate subspecies D.m.major from Scandinavia/Russia. * Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla 2 spring: singles Fair Is 28-30 Apr & 17-31 May. An unusually good autumn in the N_Isles with c 14) records, including several long-stayers. | 1 Unst Shet 19 Sep; singles Sumburgh & Fetlar, . Shet 28 Sep; 2 Fetlar 29 Sep with 4 there 30 Sep) when | Fair Is. 1-3 birds Fetlar to 13 Oct. 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 7 Oct; 1 Fair Is 9 Oct; 2 North Ronaldsay & another Fair Is 10 Oct. 1 Scatness, ' Shet 12 Oct and 1 Fair Is 15 Oct & last there 26 Oct) ~ aD IO, oN oi \ ; R.D.Murray [Ed] Woodlark Lullula arborea 1 Fair Is 19-30 Nov. First there since 1985. Skylark Alauda arvensis Major winter flocks, often associated with snow, inc 330 SW Killearn & 180+W over Johnstone Cly 7 Jan; 200 Highfield Ayr 9 Jan; 150 St.Johns L. Caith 10 Jan; 1,100+ Hasten OH, 300+ Eyemouth B & 850 Anstruther F on 12 Jan; 320 Ardmore Cly 26 Jan. 1,300 NE passed Anstruther in 1 hr, 800 Ythan NE, 800 Longniddry L, 200 Blairdrummond & 250 Kinneil Cent on 10 Feb with 150 Lossiemouth NE 11-12 Feb. 240+ Bent Farm Cly 21 Feb; 180+ Islay Arg on 27 Feb; 250 N.Ronaldsay Ork 1-5. Mar; 380 Fair Is 3 Mar; 150 Braco P&K 3 Mar; 100 Caerlaverock D&G 29 Nov. _ Breeding CBC (-8%F): first song 6 Jan Ork, 21 Jan Cly, 12 Feb Caith, 21 Feb Cent, 24 Feb on M&N, 7 Mar Shet, 10-11 Mar OHeb, Suth. Fair Is 90 prs; Ork 36prs N.Hoy, 21 AOTs Rousay; Suth 49 prs Handa. Autumn movements: 200+ Shet 23 Sep; 350 Fair Is 1 & 10 Oct; 3,000 SE Mull of Galloway D&G on 9 Oct; 100 Is of May 14-15 Oct. _ * Shore Lark Eremophila alpestris _ 1Tyninghame L 13-14 Feb & 18 Feb was the only \ winter/spring report. ’ Excellent passage Oct-Dec, mainly N.Isles and E: ) 1FairIs 11 & 12 Oct; 1-4 Kilminning F 12-15 Oct; - 2FairlIs 14-23 Oct with 3 there 21-22 Oct; then | 1N.Ronaldsay Ork 14 Oct with 3 there on 15 Oct: 1 Is of May 23 Oct; 1 Fair Is 2 Nov & 9-10 Nov. | 2Tyninghame 17 Nov with steady build-up to 9 on ' 30 Nov and max 13 on 31 Dec, the highest levels - since 1977. ' Sand Martin Hirundo riparia _ First singles Heads of Ayr Ayr, Crianlarich Cent | 16 Mar and Endrick Mouth Cly 17 Mar were on _ time but well ahead of next birds at Lochwinnoch Cly 28 Mar & Hirsel B 1 Apr. | Passage was late and lightweight with first birds | D&G, P&K 5 Apr; Loth & Arg 10 Apr; Fife, M&N, “Arran 12 Apr; NE 16 Apr; Caith & Ork by 28 Apr; but none reached Shet & OHeb until 24-26 May. a 51 Numbers low with 30 Gladhouse L 13 Apr; 100+Martnaham Ayr 17 Apr; 40 Lees B 20 Apr & 240 Baron’s Haugh Cly 29 Apr the best counts. Breeding: poor breeding season with only scattered reports: largest colonies - 500 burrows Dyce NE, 450 Drumbeg Cly & 413 Barbush Cent . c50-60% decline in P&K and Arg. Bord site had low numbers, 25% of 1990 figures, but productivity was at the same level as 1990 - 1.07 juvs per adult £ . Autumn numbers low but 150 Shewalton Ayr on 13 Jul; many amongst 50,000 hirundines Tay reedbeds P&K in Aug; 320 L.Ken D&G 29 Aug. Last birds Caith 1 Sep; Clyde 3 Sep; P&K15 Sep; M&N & Fair Is by 25 Sep; Fife, Is of May 2-3 Oct; Shet 10 Oct with last 1 St.Abb’s B 11 Oct. Swallow Hirundo rustica First | Kelso B 19 Mar was distinctly early. Next singles Baron’s Haugh Cly 31 Mar, Endrick Mouth Cly 3 Apr, Strathtay P&K 5 Apr & New Galloway D&G 6 Apr. First Loth & Bord by 8 Apr; Bute, Fife, NE, Shet by 11 Apr; Ayr & Fair Is 12 Apr; Arg, M&N 13 Apr; 1 St.Kilda OH 14 Apr but first Caith & Ork not until 23-26 Apr. Main movement c28-29 Apr but build- up to 1,500 birds as passage stalled around 26 May with low cloud Machrimore Arg. Breeding CBC (-15%A). A late season but despite some local declines numbers and productivity were generally good with double-broods reported OHeb and Loth. 3br12 reported 3 sites Shet. Complete albino seen 3 sites Clyde 29 Jul-1 Sep. Good autumn passage with bulk of the 50,000 hirundines in Tay reedbeds P& K during Aug mainly Swallows. Aug passage inc 1,100 StrathallanP&K; 600 Leuchars F; c2,000 Kingston M&N; c2,000 L.Watten Caith; 5,200 Newshot Is; 3,000 Banchory NE; 600 Glencaple D&G; & 450 Holm Ork. Few re-traps Banchory NE indicates rapid turn- over of migrants. Smaller numbers in Sep with 1,000 L.Spynie M&N 3 Sep & 600 Glencaple 5 Sep being best counts. Most birds gone by early Oct but 100 Tyninghame L 14 Oct was unusual. Last Cent, Caith, Arran by 13 Oct; Bord, M&N by 26 Oct; D&G 31 Oct; Clyde, Is of May, Arg, Suth, Shet by 4 Nov. Late flourish with birds Loth & NE 24- 26 Nov; Fife & Fair Is 30 Nov (the latest at Fair Is by over 4 weeks!) Ayr on | Dec and a record late bird at Griminish Pt. N.Uist C H on 6 Dec. ————————————— 52 Olive-backed Pipit Steve Brown House Martin Delichon urbica A late & protracted arrival with first singles at Martnaham L. Ayr & Seafield P. L 6 Apr; Clyde on 11 Apr, Fife 12 Apr; Arg, D&G, Shet by 15 Apr; Cent 17 Apr; Bord, P&K,Bute by 28 Apr; but M&N, Fair Is, Caith, Ork not until 11 May; and O.Heb until 19 May. No great numbers in S until early May, late May in N and ngt common in parts of P&K until early Jun. Few large parties : max 15 Eddleston B 15 May & 12 St. Kilda OH 2 Jun. Breeding CBC (-34%A): numbers generally low with none Shet, Fair Is and only 3 sites in Ork & Caith. Elsewhere declines or low numbers noted M&N, NE, Fife, P&K, Arran but best year O.Heb since 1986 with first breeding St. Kilda. Autumn passage poor with only small flocks c300 at Longniddry L 22 Aug; 50+ Halkirk Caith 28 Aug; 300+ Doonfoot Ayr 31 Aug; 150 Tibbie Shiels B 3 Sep; 150 Scone P&K 7 Sep; with 95 at Dunfermline & 95 Kincraig Pt. F 19 Sep. Last reports O.Heb, Shet by 30 Aug; Caith 19 Sep; Arg & Fair Is 29 Sep; Ork 11 Oct; M&N, Arran on 20 Oct; Clyde, Ayr and Is of May by 30 Oct; P&K, Bord, D&G by 9 Nov. Last singles at St. Andrews F 15 Nov & 1 South Middleton L 18 Nov. *Richard’s Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae I spring & 8 autumn birds, a typical year. 1 Barns Ness L 12-13 Apr. The 4th for Lothian. Singles at Girdleness NE 27 Sep; Fair Is 30 Sep- 3 Oct; Rattray NE 10 Oct; up to3 Fair Is 10-21 Oct; then singles Deerness Shet 12 Oct; Is of May 12-13 Oct; South Ronaldsay Ork 21 Oct and Fetlar Shet 25 Oct AS Bul NSE N Scottish Bird Report 1991 ANY Nt At TS Nin ——_— 1 ~ Ly he ec i ORCS o- wget vce cee ger’. *Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni 5 records was a good year although not up to the levels of the 22 birds of 1990. 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 10 Oct & 1 Fair Is 10-13 Oct; another Fair Is 11-23 Oct; 1 Coldingham Bay B on | 12 Oct, another single Fair Is 20 Oct with 4th ps there 1 Nov. The Coldingham bird was the first for Borders. Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis First 1 Aberfeldy P&K 3 Apr; next 1 Haddington | L 11 Apr; then first Bord, D&G, Clyde, Ayr, Arg | 13-15 Apr; Ork, Fife, Cent, O.Heb 24-26 Apr; Shet | 30 Apr but none NE, M&N until 9-18 May. Passage generally extremely poor with worst year| on record at Fair Is where mainly singles on only, 14 dates. Most first reports were territorial birds, during main influx in mid-late Apr. 1 4 N.Ronaldsay Ork 4 Jun only ‘large’ count. | 5 it Breeding: CBC (+6%A): patchy recording of} territories, bestnumbers in the S & W: Caith 6m Hf at 1 site; P&K 22 birds at 4 sites; Fife 10m mal 3 sites; Arg 18 AOTs Mealdarroch NNR; Clyde 29 at 10 sites; Bord 20 at 12 sites; Ayr 35 terr all 18 sites; D&G 21 prs Cree Wood (c.f.31 in 1990 8) 52 in 1984). | | Autumn passage worse than usual, almost non existent: regular Tummel Valley P&K and Clyd ! valley in Aug but only 4 Shet, 7 Ork and 3 dates o}/ Is of May with max 8 there 16 Aug. Last Ayr, Arg, P&K by 28 Aug; then Clyde & Sh¢ by 1 Oct; Loth, Bord 11 Oct; Fair Is 17 Oct BP latest 1 Stronsay Ork 29 Oct. R.D.Murray [Ed] 53 *Pechora Pipit Anthus gustavi Influx Fair Is 17-24 Sep with max 3 on 22 Sep; also 1 Unst Shet 20 Sep & 1 Kergord Shet 22 Sep. 5 birds but 3 birds together was unprecedented. Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis More widespread winter reports than 1990 in Shet, O.Heb, M&N, NE, P&K, Fife, Cent, Clyde & Bord with largest flocks 80 at Culbin Bars M&N 13 Jan and 50 Strathbeg NE in late Feb. Passage lightly earlier than 1990: from 11-13 Mar in S with 200N Irvine Ayr 13 Mar. Main movement in late Mar/early Apr with max 100+ Is of May on 27 Mar; 200+ Dromore D&G 3 Apr; peak 240 Fair Is 9 Apr; 1,410 past Aberlady Lin4hrs on 10 Apr and 1,807 there in 4 hrs on 11 Apr; max 120 North Hoy & 103 N.Ronaldsay Ork 11-12 Apr. BreedingCBC (-7%A): Fair Is 35 prs; Ork max 53 OATs Rousay reserve; Suth 48 prs Handa, slight decrease; P&K 39 prs Vane Farm, c110 terr in8 mile walk Ben Chonzie; Clyde 35 prs Powbone/ Glengavel area; Loth 76 terr at 3 sites. Few post-breeding flocks Glentrool Ayr and early autumn numbers generally lowish. 130 Drimsdale OH 1 6 Aug; 140 St.Kilda OH on 25 Aug; 190 Carsebeck P&K 31 Aug; peak 450 Fair Is 2 & 8 Sep; c500 S/hr Irvine Ayr 5/6 Sep; max 250/3hrs past Uisaed Pt Arg; 250 Peebles B 10 Sep; 400 Drums NE 15 Sep; 500 Is of May 20 Sep; 100 at sea Hunter (60-N) 24 Sep; max 260 N.Ronaldsay Ork 26 Sep; 300S/hr Irvine 27 Sep; 430 Fair Is 28 Sep. Strong Oct movements in D&G with 330SE/hr Mull of Galloway 9 Oct and 750E/2hrs Isle of Whithorn 13 Oct; 450 Fair Is 14 Oct. Most birds gone by late Oct with only a few Nov/ Dec birds noted Shet, Ork, P&K. *Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus 2 records - a typical year. 1 Grutness Shet 6 Jun; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 11 Oct. Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus Few winter reports, only Ork, Suth, Loth, Cent, _ Ayr, D&G. 25 Brora Suth 1-3 Jan; 76 Birsay Ork 4Jan;73 N.Ronaldsay Ork 24 Jan; 55 Tyninghame _L10Feb were only notable counts. Spring passage mainly Mar-mid Apr with max 108 N.Ronaldsay 2 Mar; 144 pipits/hr, mainly Rocks, over Hirta, St.Kilda OH 3 Apr; max 35 Is of May 19 Apr. Breeding: Ork 17 prs N.Hoy reserve, 16prs Papa Westray NHR, 40 birds Pentland Skerries 29 Jun; Suth 31 prs Handa, increase; Loth 2prs Fidra; Bord usual 11 prs St.Abb’s CBC; Clyde 7+ prs Coulport; Ayr 2 prs Horse Is, 3prs Ayr harbour. Passage: 30-50 daily St. Kilda OH late Aug-Sep; 35 Girdleness NE 27 Sep; 24 Lossiemouth M&N 28 Sep; 20 Brora & 27 Buckie MKN 6 Oct; 35 at Tyninghame L 11 Nov; 59 along 40Km of north Mainland shore Ork 19 Nov but 52 on 6Km shore SE Stronsay Ork on 14 Dec; 93 North Ronaldsay on 23 Dec. Scandanavian Rock Pipit A.p./ittoralis Only identifiable in field in spring: all Loth records - 3 Barns Ness 10 & 16 Mar, | Yellowcraig 16 Mar with 3 there 17 Mar. | Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta 1 Hoy Ork 13 Apr. First record for Orkney. Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava First 1 Barns Ness L 27 Apr; then | Bogside Ayr & 1 Merrytown Cly 1 May. First Shet 6 May; Bord 11 May; NE Scot 23 May; Is of May 30 May; OHeb 5 Jun. Best count was 10 Birgham Haugh B 11 May. Breeding: CBC (+13%A) WBS (-29%). Only breeds in S: Clyde 2 prs Gilmertoun but only 2 prs Avondale, where 8+ prs in 1987/88, despite search; Loth ipr Eweford; Bord c10 prs at 6 sites inc 5prs Birgham Haugh, produced at least 3 broods. Poor autumn dispersal with 5 Shet, 1 Fife, 3 Loth, 1 Ayr & 3 D&G records from Jul to early Sep. Last reports were Is of May 23 Sep; Ork 29 Sep; Loth 30 Sep; Fife 6 Oct; with singles Fair Is & Fetlar Shet 12-14 Oct. Blue-headed Wagtail M_f flava ; Singles Birgham Haugh B 11 May; 1 Highfield Ayr 3Jun; | Noss Shet 22 Jun; 1 Fair Is on 29 Jun; 1 Strathbeg NE 2-3 Jul. 1 S.Uist OH 24 Aug. This was 2nd record for area. The 5prs of wagtails breeding at Birgham Haugh included 2 male and | female flava-types, the 3rd year that this mixed population has been noted. La SSM ne SIIB RSL To ANGE oe BOUGRASRO SET CS SVR OLN ST AAS TV ET AE EO ELE STC 54 Grey-headed Wagtail M_f. thunbersi: 6 spring singles: Starnafin NE 5 May; Is of May 13-15 May & 31 May; Fair Is 31 May; North Ronaldsay Ork 6 Jun and Fetlar Shet 8 Jun. *Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola 3 reports: I1st-w Sumburgh Shet 23 Sep; 1 Fair Is 26 Sep; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 14-15 Oct. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Winter reports from Ork, Caith, M&N, NE, P&K, Cent, Clyde, Bord. Arrivals/passage from 25 Feb in D&G; 2 Ailsa Craig Ayr 10 Mar; return P&K on 14 Mar; Caith on 20 Mar; Is of May 29 Mar; OHeb 9 Apr; Fair Is from 12 Apr. 1 Apr, 2 May & 1 Jun records Fair Is; 2 Shet records on 8 & 20 Jun were unusually late. Breeding CBC (-18%A) WBS (-30%): Ork 1-2 prs Hoy; OHeb 2 prs Stornoway; Arg bred Islay & Colonsay. Elsewhere few systematic counts but increase 3 to 5 prs Wood of Cree D&G where mixed reports of breeding success; good P&K while poor in Trossachs Cent. Noted breeding on clear-felled forestry D&G, a novel habitat? Autumn passage: 15S (45 mins) Irvine Ayr 5 Sep; 14 Falls of Clyde Cly 9 Sep; passage inc 8 reports Shet 6-20 Oct; 3 Fair Is 5-14 Oct; Fife, Bord & Loth 9-12 Oct; 4 Is of May 15-20 Oct; last Caith 20 Nov; Shet 24 Nov; Cent 1 Dec with small numbers wintering Cent, M&N and Clyde. Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba Unusual winter assemblies: 150 Irvine Beach Ayr, 15 Bridge of Allan Cent, 16 Machrihanish Arg & 16 Reston B 21-24 Jan. Usual scattering of winter birds elsewhere from Ork to Bord. Arrivals from 19 Feb in D&G; Shet on 4 Mar; P&K 6 Mar; Is of May, Caith by 12 Mar. Peak 80 Melrose B roost 14 Mar; 57 Gladhouse L 16 Mar; daily Fair Is from 18 Mar, max 12 there 5 Apr but later peaks of 39 Gruinart, Islay Arg & 37 N.Ronaldsay Ork 3-7 May. Breeding CBC (-8%F) WBS (-14%): Shet 9 siies; P&K9 prs Glen Almond CBC where 14 previously; D&G weather related mortality Kirrieroech while Glentrool/Cree had MBS of 4.8 from 19 nests. - years. Mainly early Aug-early Oct, peaking first in Scottish Bird Report 1991 Lighter passage than usual noted Is of May & Bord and nationally flock sizes much lower than previous N and W,, later in S & E. Aug passage inc 200 Kingston M&N, 22 Balranald | OH, 300+ roost Tay reedbeds P&K, max 46 North Ronaldsay Ork, 30 Dunrossness Shet, 75 Fair Is, 154 Perth P&K & 130 Killantrigan D&G. Sep | maxima inc 450+ Irvine Beach Ayr, 100 Altens | NE, 100 Kirkcaldy F, 100+ Peebles B, 500 roost | Sandside D&G. 120 roost Blyth Bridge B 7 Oct; 30 Hogganfield Loch Cly 11 Oct. White Wagtail M.a.alba First 1 Fairlaw B 25 Mar; then Arg 3 Apr; Ork on | 5 Apr; Loth 11 Apr; Shet, Clyde, Ayr,Is of May by 15 Apr; Bute, Caith 22 Apr; M&N, D&G 28 Apr. Max 20 Barns Ness L 13 Apr, 12 Eden Estuary F on 15 Apr; 10 Nairn M&N 27 Apr; 10 L.Ryan D&G | 28 Apr. Bestnumbers in far west with 42 Uisaed Pt. Arg in Apr and 129 there in May, inc 52 on 4 May. | St.Kilda OH had peak of 50+ in Village Bay and | 41N there on 5 May. . Breeding: Shet bred Burrafirth and Fetlar; Ayr hybrid pair Failford. First breeding record for Ayr. | Autumn passage again showed bulk of records'! from N &W with few reports on E coast ! | Passage St.Kilda OH 6 Aug-9 Oct, with max 59 on 26 Aug, movements Fair Is 8 Aug-17 Oct with max 75 on 28 Aug. 30 Mull of Galloway D&G on | | ir 31 Aug and 50 Carsluith D&G 3 Sep. In contrast only 14 birds seen E coast with 6 birds Ork, 3 Caith, 3 M&N, 1 NE and 1 Fife, mainly late! Sep and mid-Oct. | | 1 / Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus , | Jan Feb Mar Apr May Sep Oct Nov Dec Nisles 1 1 2 91 10) W Isles 1 30 2 NScotei 5 lig dil 5 50-53-16 NE Scot 124 131 73 197 44 2 144 214 W.Scot 1 1 68 3 E/C Scot 140 176 53 41 335 122 SEScot 488 176 149 215 10 14 725 958 SW Scot 370 116 136 31 11 169 83 1136 611 412 484 70 2 66 1615 140) numbers approximate ! 1990-91 Numbers maintained into Jan &Feb with bulk of flocks in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and growin!” numbers in Glasgow area. Best counts: 100 Rosyt)_ F | Jan; 360 Granton L 1-14 Jan; 129 Thornlieban| Cly 4 Jan; 94 Aberdeen NE 20 Feb. NY = R.D.Murray [Ed] Flocks in the 15-40 range reported D&G, M&N, P&K & Cent with smaller parties widely scattered. Small scale increase in Apr in NE with passage showing peak of 100 Bucksburn NE 12 Apr. Last reports Fair Is, Bord by 20 Mar; P&K 4 Apr; M&N, Fife & Loth by 28 Apr; then 10 Glasgow Cly 1 May & last 1 Newhills NE 4 May. 1 extremely late report of bird killed on road at Helensburgh Cly on 30 Jun. First 2 Haroldswick Shet 27 Sep; 1 Cruden Bay NE 13 Oct; 1 Aberdeen NE 21 Oct; c50 Balnakeil Suth 31 Oct were ahead of the early Nov influx. Otherwise first birds arrived from N & W before spreading to S: first OHeb 4 Nov; Shet, Ork 6 Nov, Fair Is 8 Nov; Caith 11 Nov; Arran, Arg 12-13 Nov; Loth , M&N, P&K, Fife, 15-16 Nov; Clyde, Ayr, D&G, Bord 17-18 Nov; Cent 26 Nov. Peak in N mainly mid-Nov with 22 Stromness Ork & 15 Stornoway OH on 15 Nov, 90 Thurso Caith 17 Nov; 160 Perth 21 Nov; 33 Clynelish Suth on 22 Nov; 28 Nairn M&N 23 Nov; 25 Tweedbank B & 30 Motherwell Cly 24 Nov; 26 Guardbridge F 26 Nov; 50 Stirling Cent & 75 Aberdeen 27 Nov. Few stayed on, even in Aberdeen and Glasgow, most parties travelling through but build-up in Edinburgh L to max 200 on 15 Dec. Dipper Cinclus cinclus Breeding WBS (-9%): Caith pr seen throughout year Thurso R.; P&K drop from 11 to 9 terrs R.Knaick but usual 4 nests Killiecrankie; Cent fair season Trossachs; Bord no change Melrose WBS. Birds reported at 500m asl Glen Quoich NE 23 Feb and at 700m asl in Atholl P&K. Passage birds noted at sea at Thistle (61°N) 28 Apr; Buchan May & Forties (58°N) 25 Sep and Ninian (61°N) in Oct. Singles Is of May 25 May & 17 Jun were first there for 25 years. las as VEN . INS ~ WSsss rs LE y en Za $< Se eI BE) Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Territories Mixed returns contradicts big fall in national trends CBC (-41%F/-34%W): Ork 17 prs TrumlandWood, Rousay (9 in 1990): Fair Is 34 AOTs, a slight increase on 31 in 1990; Loth 2-3 AOTs in Whiteadder moorland CBC, down from 8 in 1990, further drop to 13 AOTs in Aberlady CBC from 19 in 1989 and 16 in 1990 but increase Bawsinch from 32 AOTs in 1989 to 40 in 1991; Bord stable St.Abbs CBC; Clyde 30 prs at Baron’s Haugh was stable, but a return to pre-1989 levels with 24 AOTs Lochwinnoch, a drop from the 1989 peak of 44 and 35 in 1990; D&G increase Castramont CBC 8 to 10 AOTs while stable 56 terr in Wood of Cree transect. Poorly reported passage: Is of May 9 Mar-4 May with max 10 from 4-14 Apr; 19 N.Ronaldsay Ork 12 Apr; 1 nominate troglodytes subspecies Fair Is 20-22 Apr. Autumn: Is of May migrants 3 Aug then 25 Sep into Nov with max 8 on 27 Oct; max 27 N.Ronaldsay 14 Oct; max 15 St.Abb’s B 10 & 26 Oct. Dunnock Prunella modularis Usual sprinkle of overwintering birds in N_Isles. Very small-scale passage noted mid-Mar to end May . Only 1-2 birds noted Is of May 4-18 Mar; Fair Is 14 Mar-6 Jun; Shet/Ork 27 Mar-9 May; O.Heb 20 Mar -22 May. Breeding: Comparative data shows some increases, unlike national CBC which fell (-23%F/-15%W): Loth 34 OATs Aberlady (30 in 1990, 23 in 1988), 18 OATs Bawsinch ( 13 in 1989), 2 Prestongrange (5 in 1990); Bord 10 OATs St.Abb’s (7 in 1990); Clyde 25 prs Baron’s Haugh (20 in 1990), 8 prs Lochwinnoch was stable but 9 prs Merryton where 11 in 1990. Poor breeding season in parts of P&K, where 11 prs Vane Farm. Dipper Steve Brown at j bs ot pa Y —_—, 4 ae 4 j Zs Z a on 7 a Ligne 7 oe Og y Sh VES 3 LD, MI ea igo GZ 2s Ze L Affe PAE Ee Sh le de Ta SS LLL \ 56 Treeline territory at 330m asl Tarfessock Ayr. Moderate passage mid-Sep to late Nov: 22 St.Abb’s B 26 Sep but main passage mid-Oct: 20 St.Abb’s 10 Oct; 27 N.Ronaldsay Ork 11 Oct; 8 Whalsay & 30 Dunrossness Shet 12 Oct; 10-12 birds Is of May 13-15 Oct; 30 Kinshaldy F 13 Oct; 15 Fair Is 16 Oct; 6 Ailsa Craig Ayr 25 Oct; 20 St.Abb’s on 26 Oct. Robin Erithacus rubecula Light spring passage late Feb to mid-May with main movement mid-Mar, max 4 Is of May 9 Mar; 10 Shet at 7 sites 10-11 Mar; 10 Ailsa Craig Ayr 14 Mar; max 14 Fair Is 18 Mar. 1-2 birds thereafter except 1 May when 4 Fair Is & 3 Is of May. Singles St.Kilda OH on 8 days 23 Mar-2 May. Breeding CBC (-24%F/-17%W): Shet 2 prs successful Kergord 3rd & 4th Shet breeding records; Ork stable 9 OATs Rousay; Loth9 prs Aberlady (14 in 1990), 3 prs Prestongrange (6 in 1990); Bord 2 prs St.Abb’s (1 in 1990); Clyde 30 prs Baron’s Haugh (25 in 1990), 20 prs Lochwinnoch (22 in 1990, 26:in 1989); 12 prs Merryton ( 21 in 1990); 50 prs Wood of Cree D&G was much higher than anticipated after cold winter. Passage mid-Aug-Dec, max 9-25 Oct: c41 at 5 sites Shet 9-14 Oct; 40 Barns Ness L 10 Oct; 1,000 Is of May 10 Oct; 500+ there, 50 N.Ronaldsay Ork & 68 St.Abb’s B 11 Oct; 60 Donmouth - Blackdog NE & 40 Scoughall L 12 Oct; max 20 Fair Is 13- 14 Oct; 55 N.Ronaldsay 14 Oct; 10 Alisa Craig Ayr 25 Oct. Winter numbers very low parts of P&K. *Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia 1 Sumburgh Shet 14 Jun. 12th for Shet but the latest-ever (others 14-19 May) matching the UK latest-ever on Fair Is 1974. *Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos I spring, 3 autumn. | N.Ronaldsay Ork 8 Jun. 2nd Orkney record. | Fair Is 22 Sep; 1 Sumburgh 11 Oct & Scatness 12-13 Oct was found dead; 1 Fife Ness F 12 Oct. Scottish Bird Report 1991 *Bluethroat Luscinia svecica 10 spring, 1 summer, 15 autumn reports. 1 Stronsay Ork 3 May; | Fair Is 17 May; 1 Kinneil Cent 22 May; | FairIs 24 May; 1 Is of May on 27 May; 1 Fair Is 31 May -2 Jun; 1 Kergord Shet 6-7 Jun; 1 FairIs 8 Jun; | Rhiconich Suth 9 Jun and 1 St.Ola Ork 11 Jun. 1 Handa Suth 19 Jul was an odd date. 1 Fair Is 19 Sep; 1 Is of May 27 Sep & 2 Fair Is on 1 28 Sep; 1 Sandwick Shet 1 Oct; 1 Skerries Shet & 1 Stronsay Ork 6 Oct; 1 Fife Ness F & 1 Whalsay Shet 10 Oct; 1 Causeymire Caith & 1 Skerries on | 12 Oct; 1 Is of May and 1 Balmedie NE 13 Oct; | 1 St.Kilda OH 13-14 Oct; | Fair Is 14-18 Oct. Black Restart Phoenicurus ochurus 1 wintered Monreith D&G 19 Jan-16 Feb. Poor, episodic, spring passage with c23 birds: 1 Sumburgh Shet 17 Mar followed by 2 Ork, 1 Fair, Is 1 Shet 18-22 Mar; then gap until next 1 Glen App) Ayr & 3 N.Isles 9-14 Apr. Singles Fair Is & Rattray NE, 24-27 Apr before 1 Shet, 2 Fair Is, 4 Ork on 30 Apr-16 May. More widespread 29 May - 6 Jun with | Fair Is, 1 Ailsa Craig Ayr, 1 Colonsay Arg) 1 St.Abb’s B & 1 Rattray NE. Summer: singles Fair Is 20 Jun, 15 Jul: Is of May 5-22 Jul; Noss Shet 22 Jul & Fair Is 6 Aug. c40 autumn birds. 1-3 birds almost daily Fair Ij 18 Aug-14 Oct; but none elewhere until the mai’ influx 9-14 Oct when 2 Shet & 2 Bord 9-10 Oct then 2 Fife, 2 Loth, 2 NE 11- 12 Oct; 1 Shet, 1 NE’ smc 1 Fife, 2 Loth on 13 Oct & 1 Caith, 1 Ork on 14Oci" Another arrival: singles Fife & Is of May 26 Oc’ 4 Shet 26-30 Oct; 4 Fair Is 27 Oct; 1 Loth 29 Oc; 3 N.Ronaldsay Ork 31 Oct; 2 Fife 3 Nov; 1 Whalsa Spey am Shet 3-23 Nov; | Fetlar Shet 20 Nov. 1 Burray Ork 24 Dec. Black Redstar R.D.Murray [Ed] Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus First 1 Laurieston D&G 15 Apr; then Clyde, Shet, Arg on 16-18 Apr; Ayr, P&K, Loth, Is of May on 24-25 Apr; with Bord 27 Apr; M&N, Fair Is, Cent on 6-8 May; and Fife on 15 May. Very few migrants seen, most birds seen arriving on territory. Only 2 Shet, 2 Fair Is, 1 Ork, 6 Is of May & 3 coastal birds in SE reflecting very bad passage (worst-ever Shet, Fair Is). Breeding: CBC (-11%A): Arg poor breeding season Ellary & Taynish NNR; P&K 19 OATs Killiecrankie (18 in 1990); Cent 26 nests Trossachs produced 149 young an MBS of 5.73 (54 nests with 203 young,3.76 in 1990); Bord 79 prs at 47 sites; Clyde 18 prs at 9 sites; Ayr 40 prs at 19 sites inc 8 Glen Afton (15 in 1990) & 11 Killkerran (9 in 1990); D&G 25 AOTs Wood of Cree (36 in 1990) but stable Castramont. Few Aug/early Sep reports, suggestive of poor breeding. Last Ayr 18 Aug; M&N, P&K by 9 Sep; OHeb, Arran, Clyde by 30 Sep; Arg, Ork, Caith, Fife 12-15 Oct; Bord, Loth 20-21 Oct; singles Is of May, Fair Is 30 Oct; last 1 Sumburgh Shet 9 Nov. Main movement 8-14 Oct with 6 Sumburgh, 6 Fair Is, 4 Stronsay Ork, 20 Is of May, 2 Scoughall L, 1 inland at Peebles B, 3 St.Abb’s B, 3 Fife Ness F. 30th FG 28th 26th 16th | 10th | 8th | 6th | 4th ! | | 2nd Arrival date of Whinchat in Scotland 1968-1991 mean date= 16th April 23rd Mar Laas OO Ns TCT NL Ee ETON ON, Soa LE Mee SE EE De Ee | 14th 68 69 70 71 72 73 7 a eh eas sa = 8 12th . | | | 37 Whinchat Saxicola tubetra First 1 Wemyss F 5 Mar was extremely early, beating the previous spring record of 1 Peebles Bon 13 Mar 1977. The chart below shows trends for the arrival of Whinchat in Scotland (data from SBR 1968-91). Discounting a few exceptionally early birds the mean arrival date over the 23 years was 16th April. The chart indicates wholesale changes during that period with birds between 1968 and 1977 being an average of 6 days later while dates between 1978 and 1987 were, on average 6 days earlier. The general arrival date seems to have averaged out over the last few years but the incidence of extremely early birds has increased markedly (3 out of the 4 years 1988-91). Next 1 Skinflats Cent 14 Apr was close to the average; | Handa Suth & 1 Reston B 15 Apr. Firstreports Arg, Arran 26-27 Apr; Is of May, Ayr, Loth 28-29 Apr; Clyde, D&G 2 May; P&K 5 May; Fair Is, Fife, OHeb 8-9 May; Ork, Shet 10-11 May; NE, Caith 14-19 May. Poor passage with worst-ever Shet & Fair Is where only 2 Shet, 9 Fair Is, 6 Ork. 3 St.Abb’s B 21 May & 8 Is of May on 25 May were the only records of more than 1-2 birds but best-year on record OHeb with 21 records outwith Lewis. 24th 22nd 20th TSth < BI 714.75 78 79 80 81 BM 83 84 85 86 87 fm 89 90 91 13th Mar 5 Mar 58 Breeding: generally poor with depressed numbers: P&K 26 terrs Upper Knaik; Fife 2 prs bred; Bord 49 terr at 33 sites, inc only | Lauder Burn (10 in 1990); Arg only 5 AOTs Colonsay, 31 terr Moine Mhor; Bute only 28 terrs Arran, inc 10 Glen Iorsa; Ayr 53 terr in 27 sites inc 6 Dalgig (2 in 1990); D&G scarce Newton Stewart, stable Dromore & Stranraer. More than usual Tay reedbeds P&K in Aug; last inland birds generally late Aug/early Sep. Last Arran 28 Aug; Fife, Clyde 1-3 Sep; D&G, NE 5-9 Sep; P&K, OHeb 12-15 Sep; Cent, Arg 22-24 Sep; Loth, Caith 25 Sep; Ayr 29 Sep; Bord, Is of May 10 Oct, Shet, Fair Is, Ork 14 Oct. Generally very scarce on passage with 5 Fetlar Shet 17 Aug; 5 St.Abb’s B 2 Sep; 8 Fair Is 17 & 25 Sep the only records greater than the usual 1-2 birds. Three very late birds: Baltasound Shet 2 Nov & Sandwick Shet 14-15 Nov and Tyninghame L 23 Nov-1 Dec. The last is only the 2nd Dec record for Scotland. Stonechat Saxicola torquata Thin scatter of Jan/Feb reports with only 2 M&N, 2 P&K, 4 Fife, 5 Loth, 1 Bord, 6 Arran, 6 Ayr and10 Clyde but birds probably unreported in main areas of west: O.Heb Arg, D&G. Spring passage only really detectable in N.Isles where 2 Shet, 3 Fair Is, few Ork 1 Mar-10 Apr, also 1 Ailsa Craig Ayr 10 Mar. Breeding: Patchy resurgence continues with some setbacks more apparent than real (M&N, P&K were thought to show continued improvement) : Ork record 113 prs (101 in 1990); Caith ‘healthy’ ; M&N 16 prs, inc 8 inland (21 in 1990); NE some early (Apr) broods & 1 pr Forest of Birse reared 3br14; P&K 12+ prs bred (15 reported 1990); Loth & Bord drop with only 2 breeding reports (9 in 1990); Arg 24 terr Colonsay, 13 terr Moine Mhor; Bute 24 prs Arran - “a gross underestimate’; Ayr ‘successful’ with 38 prs at 23 sites, inc 6 prs Carrick Hills (3 in 1990), 6 Irvine Beach (2 in 1990) & 6 prs Crosbie Hills, many double-broods reported; D&G ‘high numbers’, inc some well inland as at Moffatdale. Passage, mainly 6 Sep to 11 Nov, was very light, esp in N_Isles with only 3 Shet 9-16 Oct and none Fair Is, Ork yet ‘good autumn passage with many juvs’ Caith. Oct/Nov reports only 1 P&K, | Cent, sev Bute; 2 Ayr, 1 M&N, 3 Fife, 1 Loth, 2 Bord. Scottish Bird Report 1991 Eastern Stonechat S.t maura/stejnegeri 11 in autumn. 1 Unst Shet 20 Sep; 1 North Ronaldsay Ork & | 1 Rattray NE 29 Sep (3rd for NE); | Grutness Shet |, 11 Oct; 1 Boddam Shet 20 Oct; 2 Fair Is 26 Oct | with new singles there 27 Oct & 30 Oct; 1 St.Abb’s | B 26-30 Oct Ist for Borders; last 1 Fair Is 9 Nov. | Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe First 1 Gullane L 10 Mar, 1 Thurso Caith 13 Mar; | 1 St.Agnes B & 15 The Wilderness Arg 15 Mar; | then Clyde, OHeb, Ayr on 16 Mar; Bute, D&G on 17 Mar; Fair Is, Is of May 25 Mar; M&N, | P&K,Ork, NE, Suth 27-30 Mar; Shet 3 Apr; Cent, | Fife 9-12 Apr. Mainly light passage in S, stronger (and later) in N: | 12 Aberlady L 5 Apr; 14 St.Abb’s B 9 Apr; 10 Lossiemouth M&N 11 Apr; 35 N.Ronaldsay Ork | &12 Skateraw L 12 Apr; 25+ Sumburgh Shet on 25 Apr; 180 Fair Is 26 Apr; 25 Is of May 13 May; 56 N.Ronaldsay 7 May; 30+ Hirta, St.Kilda OH on 16 May; 48 N.Ronaldsay 27 May; 11 Is of May on . 1 Jun. Breeding: Ork 33 prs N.Hoy reserve (56 in 1990), 20 prs Papa Westray reserve (19 in 1990); Suth increase to 42 prs Handa; P&K ‘numbers well down’ Ballinloan/Scotston; Arg 18+ prs Gruinart, || Islay; Ayr 25 terr at 13 sites, inc 3 prs Carrick Hills, | (2 in 1990); Bord 70 terr at 22 sites, inc 14prs with ~ 40 juvs Kingledores & Sbr24 Fruid on 16 Jun, br& | ringed Holmswater. i Reasonable early autumn passage (good breeding « season?) inc 41 N.Ronaldsay 17 Aug; 180 FairIsor i 22 Aug; 13 Delnies M&N & 15 St.Abb’s 25 Aug} | 104 N.Ronaldsay 22 Sep; max 27 St.Kilda 25 Sep) | 15 Fair Is 4 Oct. Few thereafter. Last Clyde, P&K' |! Ayr 2-10 Oct; Fife, Loth, D&G, Is of May, Caitl i 12-14 Oct; Bord, NE 16-18 Oct; Bute 23 Oct; Fai) 1 Is, OHeb, Arg, Ork 1-3 Nov; 2 Grutness Shet 01‘) 7 Nov; last 1 Delnies M&N 8 Nov; j Greenland Wheatear 0.0.leucorrhoa i} Only 13 in spring, mostly in E/S: 1 St.Abb’s Bo} & 27 Apr; | Is of May 29 Apr; first 1 Loth 11 Mayd@ | Fife-12 May; 2 Is of May 15-16 May; | Loth I) oth on May; 1 Loth & 3 Bord 26 May; 1 Ayr 28 May 5, More (52) in autumn, mostly in W, esp OHe) i; where 19 Drimsdale 19 Sep and 26 St.Kilda 2-3) % Sep, max 10 on 25 Sep; also 1 Cly 8 Sep; 1 Arg | Na Sep; Caith 18 Sep & 22 Sep; Bord 28 Sep; Caithj |) Oct; last | Ardnave Pt Arg 11 Oct. R.D.Murray [Ed] *Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka All lst-wm m. Singles Sumburgh Shet 9-13 Oct, Lerwick Shet 17 Oct & Thorntonloch L 27-29 Oct. First reports for Shet & Loth. See Ellis (1992) Scottish Birds 16: 214-216 *Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti 1 £ Fair Is 26 Oct. Sth for island but first there for 21 years. *White’s Thrush Zoothera dauma 1 E.Clyne Suth 27-29 Sep. First for Sutherland. White's Thrush Alan Vittery Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus 1 Boddam Shet 15 Mar was well ahead of arrivals elsewhere but first birds poorly reported in what was a poor and late spring. 1 Innerwick P&K 30 Mar, | Glen Lednock P&K & 1 Glen Avon M&N 31 Mar; 1| Fair Is on7 Apr; 1 Killpallet B 8 Apr; 1 Berwick Law L 10 Apr; first birds Clyde, Ayr, Is of M, Suth, NE 13-15 Apr; Fife, Ork 27-29 Apr; Cent, Arg 4-6 May. Only 5 Shet, 3 Ork, 4 NE (in Apr), | Fife, 3 Is of May. All singles except 1-3 birds Fair Is 23-25 Apr _& 30 Apr-9 May. ‘ Breeding: Poorly reported: Caith | site; Suth 4 at 3 sites; M&N 2 sites: Arg 10 sites; P&K 33 sites; Loth 3 at 2 sites; Bord 27 AOTs at 17 sites; Cly Oprs at 5 sites; Ayr 4 sites, no proof; D&G few ‘Teports, poss decrease. Some movements, mainly singles reported early- mid Sep -Loth, Is of May, P&K with 8 Inversnaid \Cly 20 Sep; but main passage from late Sep, peaking 10-14 Oct with large-scale influx on E coast when \ 59 25 Sumburgh Sheet, 15 Fair Is, 105 N.Ronaldsay, 20 Sanday & 20 Stronsay Ork, 43 Rattray-Muchalls NE, 50 Is of May, c27 N.Berwick-Barns Ness L, c22 St.Abb’s B. 1 St.Kilda OH 11 Oct. Mainly singles thereafter with last reports D&G, Caith, Loth, Fife by 15 Oct; Suth, NE by 28 Oct; Shet, P&K 1 Nov; Bord, Is of May 2 Nov; lHoy Ork 3 Nov with last Baron’s Haugh Cly 5-16 Nov. Blackbird Turdus merula Few winter comments: 30 in 3.8 Km transect Torrance House & 25 in 1 km N.Calderglen Cly 12-13 Jan; 50-60 at roost Pitlochry P&K 17 Jan; 52 wintering Tweedbank B 4 Feb. Passage generally light with 25 Is of May 9 Mar; 59 Skerries Shet & 60 N.Ronaldsay Ork 10 Mar; 100 Fair Is 12 Mar; 12 Girdleness NE 14 Mar; 70 Fair Is 25 Mar; few Apr. Breeding: CBC (-10 F/-12W) Ork 21 prs N end of Hoy (23 in 1990), 13 Tramland, Rousay (14 in 1990), 12 prs Herston (8 in 1990); P&K numbers ‘well down’ Carse of Gowrie with few juvs but ‘abundant as ever’ Pitlochry; Loth 19prs Aberlady (17 in 1990), 8 Prestongrange (10 in 1990); Bord stable St.Abb’s & Bridgeheugh; Clyde 15 prs Lochwinnoch (18 in 1990), 8-10 prs Merryton (12- 15 in 1990); D&G numbers stable Wood of Cree, increase 1-4 prs Castramont. Movements from early Aug but 2 main influxes mid-late Oct, mainly in Forth area: 1,000 Is of May, 150 Tyninghame L, 100 Barns Ness L & 1,500 St.Abb’s B 10 Oct; 500 St.Abb’s 11 Oct; 400-700 Is of May 11-13 Oct; 90 at 2 sites Shet, 1,000 Fair Is, 300 N.Ronaldsay Ork, ‘hundreds’ Fife Ness F & 200 Lochouses L on 12 Oct; 300 Fair Is & 190 N.Ronaldsay 30 Oct-1 Nov. Fieldfare Turdus pilaris Scarcer than usual with few notable winter flocks: 6-7,000 Gullane area L in Jan was, by far, the largest reported. Elsewhere 750 Saltcoats Ayr on 6 Jan: then 150 in Caith, 90 in Arg, 200 on Arran, 350 Clyde, 200 P&K, 200 Cent and 200 Bord. Spring movements from mid-Mar with 300 Dunning P&K 6 Mar; 1,000 Halmyre & 450 Threepwood B 16 Mar; 12,500 Braehead Cly 20 Mar; 180 Dava M&N 26 Mar; 3-400 Ken Valley D&G 27 Mar; 1,000 Symington B 28 Mar. Eee 60 Gap until nextmovement: 1,200 Whiteadder Res.L 19Apr; 550 Mount Lothian L 21 Apr; 300 at Kirriereoch D&G, 200 L.Coulter Cent & 500+ Gilston L 24 Apr; 300 Glen Fernate P&K 29 Apr; 600 Fenwick Ayr 3 May; 1,000 Jedburgh B 4 May; 450 Halmyre & 1,200 Whim Bon 6 May; with 350 Branxholme B 8 May. Late passage, and lack numbers in N.Isles (max count 75) suggests direct movements to Scandinavia rather than northwards coasting. Last regulars Arg 11 Apr; M&N, D&G 20-24 Apr; Cent, Fife, Ork 4- 7 May, Clyde, Ayr, P&K, Bord 8 May, Loth 16 May, OHeb, Fair Is 20 May. Late singles Shet 29 May, Fair Is 1 Jun, Ork 16 Jun, Shet 18 Jun. Breeding: Caith 4 Reay Caith 8 Jul may have been family party; NE Scot ad+br2 in suitable habitat; Bord 2 alarming birds in Apr but not detected later. Autumn passage: singles Fair Is & N. Ronaldsay 27 Jul; then 24 Harehope B 13 Aug. Initial influx with mainly 1-2 birds Shet 19 Aug; Arran, Fair Is, Ork, Is of May, M&N 21-24 Aug; OHeb 31 Aug; Bord, P&K 15-20 Sep, D&G 29 Sep; Caith, Loth, Suth,Clyde 2 Oct; Arg, Fife, Ayr 13-21 Oct. Main passage, in late Oct, was rather low key, esp in S and E: 3,200 on Fair Is, 800 Drumgirnan & 800 Maybole Ayr on 26 Oct; 500 Whalsay, 500+ Fetlar & 200 Sumburgh Shet, 1,630 N.Ronaldsay & 2,000 Stronsay Ork 28-30 Oct; 1,500 Hoy Ork & 300 Gladhouse L 2 Nov; 6,000 Chisan Arg & 2,965 in 7 flocks Strathallan P&K 3 Nov. Rather quick passage with only one sizeable flocks in Dec - 1,500 Gullane 25 Dec. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Small numbers overwintering inland: P&K 5, Bord 2, Clyde 3. First arrivals: Bord 2 Feb; M&N 9 Feb; Caith, Suth 11 Feb; Shet 15 Feb; P&K 21 Feb; Clyde 25 Feb. Small scale passage from early March, with mainly 1-2 birds but 8 Fair Is 13 & 20 Mar; 3 Is of May on 24 Apr with some stragglers into May at both sites and Jun in Shet. Breeding: CBC (-22%F/-25%W), asubstantial drop not reflected in the few Scottish figures. Ork 10 prs Hoy (11 in 1990), 4 prs Trumland, Rousay ( 6 in 1990); Loth Aberlady 10 prs (9 in 1990), 6 Preston- grange (7 in 1990), stable Bawsinch; Bord stable Bridgeheugh & St.Abb’s; Arg poor season Taynish Scottish Bird Report 1991 | NNR; Clyde 20 prs Baron’s Haugh (15 in 1990), | 10 prs Lochwinnoch (11 in 1990); 4 prs ety | (8 in 1990). Light autumn passage from mid-Sep: 50 Wood of, Cree D&G & 13 Tweedbank B on 20 Sep. Main movement 10-14 Oct with 50 Cruden Bay NE, 1,500 Is of May, 300 St.Abb’s B & 300 Barns | Ness L, 500 Fair Is 10-11 Oct; 350 at 3 sites Shet) & ‘hundreds’ Fife Ness F; 400 N.Ronaldsay Ork, and 100 Noss Head Caith. | 55 N.Ronaldsay &10 St.Abb’s 26-27 Oct. Few large parties thereafter. Redwing Turdus iliacus Larger numbers than usual but only 6 flocks more) than 150 birds: 300 Haggs Road &500 Killearr Cly, 200 Olrig Caith in Jan; 200 Gosfords L 2,500+ Blair Ayr, 60 Newton, Islay Arg in Feb| with 7 others in the 100-150 range. | Movements from mid-Mar in smallish parties witl 70 Rosebury L, 50 Plean Cent, 80 Wood of Cre: D&G & 90 Kirriereoch D&G in Mar; 60 Craigen B, 100 Claddach OH, 62 Achvarasdal Caith ani 50 Fair Is in Apr. Only 1-2 birds thereafter. Last D&G, P&K 2-6 Apr; OHeb, M&N 16-20 Ap Clyde, Arg, Ayr 25-27 Apr; Caith, Bord 5 May Loth 11 May; Is of May 16 May; Shet 11 Jun; Fa Is 14 Jun; Ork, NE 19 Jun. Breeding: Shet Mainland pr raised 2br4+5; Sut) | Ipr raised br4; OHeb pr Lewis seen carrying foor | NE | juv seen.. le 15 Penmore Arg 23 Jul was odd. ia First Shet 26 Aug; Ork 1 Sep; Ayr, Fair Is, Isof Ma” | 15-19 Sep; Arg 22 Sep; OHeb, Loth, D&G, M&! 26-30 Sep; Caith, Cent, Bord, P&K 1-6 Oct. | 4 Main passage mid-Oct with massive numbersin] | main movement 10-13 Oct with 10,000 Sumbur; Shet, 25,000 Fair Is, 12,000 N.Ronalday Or 5,000 Is of May, 3,000 Barns Ness L, 15-20,0¢ St.Abb’s B the greatest estimates, with thousan) elsewhere in Shet, Ork, Caith, NE, Fife, Loth | be, Bord. These birds passed through quickly wil .. parties of several hundreds seen across Scotland b. the following few days. Smaller flocks appear over the next three weeks in the E & N: 3 S00+E 6 sites OHeb, 300 Grimmet Ayr, 1,000 Fair |; , 1,300 N.Hoy Ork, 400 Martnaham Ayr. in , Scarce after mid-Nov: 700 Lochwinnoch nf Dec the only flock exceeding 60 birds. R.D.Murray [Ed] Mistle Thrush Turdus viscovorus 20 Yellowcraigs 3 Feb & 10 Brookbank L 2 Mar were the only winter flocks. Inland arrivals from late Jan in D&G with small scale passage in N from late Feb, mainly 1-2 birds, 8 records Shet 26 Feb- 14 Apr with 6 Fair Is 4 Marand max 7 N.Ronaldsay Ork 9-19 Mar. Breeding: CBC (O%F/+2%W). Loth 2 prs Preston- grange (1 in 1990), stable Gladhouse; Bord 2nd broods successful Hirsel; Clyde stable Torrance House. No other comparitive data and few comments on success. Flocks from mid-Jun: 12 Bennan Hill Ayr 23 Jun (1st broods?) but mostly Aug: 110 Killiecrankie P&K, 100 Aberfeldy P&K, 35E Airthey Cent , 85N Lennel Bin Aug; with 89 Ballinluig P&K, 36 New Galloway D&G &2 Pollok Cly in Sep. Roost at Craigurd B: 10 on 31 Jul, 41 on 21 Aug, max 135 on 18 Sep, 48 on 5 Oct, last 5 on 17 Nov. _ Small numbers (c16 birds) N.Isles in Oct, mainly ' singles. 3 records OHeb outwith Lewis in Jun & - Oct/Nov, where only 10 previous reports. ’ *Lanceolated Warbler Locustella lanceolata _ 2 reports Fair Is: 1 28 Sep-5 Oct, another 10 Oct. . _ Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia _ First 1 Endrick Mouth Cly 14 Apr; 1 Wood of Cree | D&G 22 Apr; then Arg, Loth 26 Apr; Cent 28 Apr; \ NE, Fife, Bute 30 Apr; Fair Is 1 May; Bord, Is of \ May 6-7 May; Caith 11 May. _ Asusual only singles at migration points but poorest _ formany years Fair Is (2 birds) with none Shet and only singles Is of May, Ork & OHeb. Breeding: Sites with singing males reported- mm sites mm _ sites Tm sites eG 5) (Fife, 9 97): Argyll, 22.7 fee 8 7) (Cent. 54 Bute 11, 10 Beak 822 6 oth, 27% 12 Cly 42 22 | Bord yy lie 8 Ayr 649 34 ‘| Best areas, mainly in W: P&K Tay estuary with 17+ singers; Loth 4prs Aberlady; Arg 15 terr \\Moine Mhor; Clyde 11prs Lochwinnoch, Sprs I Inversnaid, Sprs Baron’s Haugh; Ayr 12+ 'N.Glentrool; D&G 11 prs Wood of Cree. ‘Last Caith, Bord, Bute 19-25 Jul; NE, Loth on 2- 3 Aug; Fife 18 Aug; last singles in Clyde -Baron’s fh Haugh 9 Sep & Lochwinnoch 16 Sep. re | | 61 Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus 1 Lochwinnoch Cly 17 Apr; 1 St.Abb’s B 23 Apr; then first Ayr, Fife 26 Apr; D&G, Loth 30 Apr; M&N, Caith 4-5 May; Fair Is 7 May; Arg, NE, P&K 10-12 May; P&K, OHeb 18 May. Main arrival c10-12 May in W but 10 St.John’s L. Caith 15 May; 8 Bavelaw L & 25 St.Abb’s 25 May; 33 Cameron Res F 26 May and 28 Fife Ness F on 28 May included migrants. Few in N.Isles. Breeding: CBC (-31%F) WBS (-27%). Widespread reports of lower numbers: NE fewer bred and failure of 2nd broods meant many less ringed; P&K 13 AOTs Strathallan (25 in 1990), 19R.Allan (16 in 1990), Tay reedbeds showed 20% drop; Loth 31 Aberlady (38 in 1990), 18 Bawsinch (27 in 1990), 12 Gladhouse (16 in 1990), 9 Tailend (8 in 1990); Bord 6 at St.Abb’s (10 in 1990); Clyde 160 prs Lochwinnoch (171 in 1990), stable Baron’s Haugh; Ayr 3 Munnoch (5 in 1990), 5 Bogside (4 in 1990). Numbers of passage birds in the Tay reedbeds P&K were ‘well down’. Last dates Caith 29 Jul; Cent, OHeb 2-11 Aug; Ayr, Bord, Suth 20-27 Aug; D&G, P&K, Clyde 10-16 Sep; Ork, Is of May, Fife, NE, M&N 21-25 Sep; latest 1 Aberlady L 6 Oct and 1 Fair Is 10 Oct. Max count 4 St.Ola Ork 20 Sep. *Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris 8 spring, 3 autumn, only in N. Isles. Singles Scatness Shet 10-13 Jun; Fair Is 11 Jun; Fetlar Shet 15 & 25 Jun; Yell Shet 15 Jun; N.Ronaldsay Ork 18 Jun; Eswick Shet 21 Jun 7 Haroldswick Shet 4 Jul. 3 singles: Stronsay Ork 24-28 Aug; Ist-w Norwick Shet 28-30 Sep; Boddam Shet 14 Oct. Poorest showing Fair Is since 1979. *Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus 3 spring, c25 autumn - a very poor year, the third such year in succession in Shet: 1-2 Stronsay Ork 10-12 Jun; 1 Fair Is 13-14 Jun; 1 Sumburgh Shet 28-29 Jun. 2 Powgavie P&K 27 Jul were unusually early. 16-31 1-15 16-30 1-15 16-31 Aug Sep Sep Oct Oct Shet 1 yD, 2 3 Fair Is 4 2 1 3 1 Fife 1 lof M 1 Bord 1 Last 1 Fair Is 27 Oct. LS a EE 62 *Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus 1 Norwick Shet 27 Sep. First autumn report for Scotland. *Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina A poor year, only 1975 was worse in Shet. 4 spring: 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 1-15 Jun & another there 8 Jun; 1 Fetlar Shet 10-11 Jun; 1 sang Rendall Ork 24-27 Jun. 7 autumn: 1| Is of May 22 Aug; 1 Noss Shet & 1 N Ronaldsay 23 Aug; 1 Veensgarth Shet 25-26 Aug; 1 N.Ronaldsay 2-5 Sep; 1 Norwick Shet & | Fair Is 21 Sep. *Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria None in spring, c59 in autumn. Singles Fair Is, Stronsay Ork, Grutness & Eswick Shet 22 Aug, another 6 Shet 23-30 Aug; c20 birds Shet during Sep; max 1-3 birds Fair Is 2 Sep-2 Oct with 5 on 16 Sep & 40n 30 Sep; c3 birds N.Ronaldsay Ork 1-23 Sep; 2 Stronsay 5-6 Sep, 1 there 27 Sep; 1 Girdleness NE 3-6 Sep; 1 Stranraer D&G 5-9 Sep was the first for Dumfries & Galloway. 1 Tankerness Ork7 Sep; | atseaon'MVGardyloo’ 26 Sep may have been same as Is of May bird on 27 Sep; 2 Noss Caith 29 Sep; singles Kergord Shet 1-2 Oct;St.Kilda OH 3-8 Oct, and 9 Oct. Gap until 1 Quendale Shet & Clyne Suth 20 Oct; Balivanish OH 28 Oct; last 1 Denburn F 3 Nov. Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca Curiously phased arrival with 1 Muirfield L 26 Apr & 2 Coldingham Bay B 28 Apr; then Ork 5 May; Clyde 8 May; Bute, Is of May 16-19 May; Shet, Fife, Fair Is 23-26 May ; Ayr 1 Jun; M&N 3 Jun. Later arrivals in S suggests pulsed passage with migrants Isof May & St.Abb’s B 24-26 May on 1-3 Jun. 1 St.Kilda OH 9 Jun. Best counts: 3 Is of May 1 Jun & 4 Fair Is7 Jun but generally considered a poor spring. Breeding CBC (-20%F) but no significant changes in tiny Scottish population: NE | pr +br3 Bridge of Don; Fife 3 sites, only | pr; Loth 7 terrs at 7 sites, fairly stable, inc 6 prs Aberlady, Sprs Muirfield & 2 Longniddry; Bord 6 birds at 4 sites; Arran | site; Clyde 4 sites; Ayr 5 sites; D&G | site. Scottish Bird Report 1991 i ! Poor autumn with pulsed passage, none Is of May. Last birds Clyde 4 Aug; Caith 19 Aug along with | most local breeding birds. 40 Shet 15 Sep-13 Oct; | last OHeb, Loth 28-29 Sep; max 5 N. Ronaldsay| | Ork 10-14 Oct & last Bord 13 Oct. Late birds: c7 Ork 20 Oct-2 Nov; 2 Fair Is 25 Oct: | 1 Fife 2 Nov; 2 Shet 5 Nov with last 1 Helendale | Shet 7 Nov. ! Whitethroat LA John Busby Li | A YA/ y Ma A | Whitethroat Sylvia communis First 1 Hamilton Cly 24 Apr; then Fife 1 May; Ard Ayr, Loth 4-5 May, Bord, Is of May 9-10 May, Cent, P&K, Bute, M&N 14-18 May; Ork 25 Jur ' OHeb, Fair Is, Shet 1-5 Jun; Caith 9 Jun. . Late arrival almost everywhere but markely so in] , and N.Isles; no May reports from Fair Is- first tim” , since 1960s; ‘very few’ N.Ronaldsay; only 5in Ni during May c.f.35 in 1990. Best year-ever OHe™ with 5 June migrants. Breeding CBC (-41 %F/-28%W) WBS (-27%): goq numbers in N but fewer reports & decline in { Shet | terr; Ork 4 terr (1in 1990); OHeb 2 prs- be in recent years; Arg fewer Taynish NNR; Clyc t 10 prs Baron’s Haugh (7 in 1990), 3 prs Merrytc” (6 in 1990); Ayr 7 Kilkerran (10 in 1990); D&, stable but increasing in young plantation in E; N poss increase in some ares; Loth stable but 2p ; Bawsinch (3 in 1990); Bord 2 Ayton Castle (6 | 1990). Passage from late Jul - but very quiet passage wi most local birds away by early Sep. | Only Only c16 Shet, c18 Fair Is; 4 Ork, 1 Is of M max 3 Fair Is 13 Sep. Last Ayr, Clyde, D&G 30 Aug; Fife, Loth, Arran 7-13 Sep; Arg, Ca 20-29 Sep; Is of May 10 Oct; Fair Is, Shet 14-5 Oct; Ork 25 Oct; 1 St.Abb’s B 7 Nov. q _ | | R.D.Murray [Ed] 63 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin First New Galloway D&G 27 Apr; 1 S.Lochboisdale OH 28 Apr; Loth 3 May; Ayr, Fife, Clyde, Bord, P&K 6-8 May; Shet, Fair Is 11-12 May; Arg, Cent 14-17 May; Is of May, Caith, Bute 19-25 May; Ork 2 Jun. Very poor and late passage, esp in N where worst spring Fair Is since 1960s. Only 14 Shet, 3 Fair Is & 7 Ork, mainly in Jun. Only 4 birds Is of May and ) in NE. Breeding CBC (F+10%/W-9%). Few comparative data but increase hinted at despite Ayr declines - Clyde 6 prs Baron’s Haugh (2 in 1990), 3 Falls of Clyde (1 in 1990), stable Lochwinnoch, Merryton; Ayr 91terr at 24 sites (77 at 24 sites in 1990) inc 20 Kilkerran (24 in 1990), 2 Glenshalloch (5 in 1990); (D&G stable 16 prs Wood of Cree; Loth; many (more) reports’; Bord 76 terr at 50 sites (62 at 50 in 1990) inc 4br14 Bridgeheugh (3br12 in 1990). Stable Fife, P&K. Another very poor passage with a ‘fade-out’ from the breeding areas in Jul followed by extremely _ scarce passage migrants. \ Main movement was in N_Isles in late Aug withc12 *Shet 22-26 Aug, max 10 Fair Is 24 Aug & 5 » N.Ronaldsay Ork 24-26 Aug. 1-2 birds N.Isles in Sep but almost non-existent elsewhere until mid- - Oct influx with 2 Ork, 1 Caith, 1 NE, 1 Fife, 4 Loth 10-14 Oct and a smaller movement in late Oct. ' Last Bord 29 Sep; NE, Loth, Ork 12-15 Oct; Fair Is, D&G 22 Oct; OHeb 23 Oct; Caith 24 Oct; Shet, Is of May 27 Oct; with last 1 Denburn F 3 Nov. a | Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla i Area Jan Feb Mar Nov Dec |, N.Isles 0 0 0 c24 1 | W.Isles 0 0 0 0 0 | N.Scot 0 1 0 0 1 ' NE Scot 2 1 2 1 6 H W.Scot 0 0 0 1 3 T'BIC Scot 1 0 0 8 6 4 | SE Scot 9 6 2 3 0 qe Scot 862 9 3 ia 1991 14 1 4 46 20 we 1990 1 1 2 2] 13 No comparable early passage as in 1990 to inflate Mar figures. First | Tweedbank B & Stronsay Ork i ‘May; OHeb, Bute 5-8 May. Main arrival early May but migrants few and late with first St.Abb’s B 11 May where only 3 all spring; Is of May 24 May (only 4 birds) and Fair Is 7 Jun (c10 birds, the worst since 1960s. Breeding CBC (F-11%/W-15%) but Scottish figures conflicting: P&K exceptional 12 prs at Pitlochry but slightly down elsewhere; Loth c87 sites, inc 12 Muirfield (8 in 1990) - a “good year’; Bord a stable 73 terr at 56 sites inc 7 Hirsel (8 in 1990); Clyde 9 Baron’s Haugh (10 in 1990), 2 at Merryton (3 in 1990), stable at Lochwinnoch (7) and Drumpellier (3); Ayr c91 sites, inc 16 prs Culzean (14 in 1990), Knockdolian 2-3 (8 in 1990); Kilkerran 15 (17 in 1990). Movements Jul & Aug with last local birds late Aug-mid-Sep. Larger movement late Sep-Oct with 15 Fair Is 30 Sep; max 50 Fair Is, 8 Fife Ness F on 10 Oct; 10-60 1s of May 10-14 Oct; 31 N.Ronaldsay & 10 Stronsay Ork 11 Oct; 17 Sumburgh Shet on 12 Oct; 15 St.Abb’s 15 & Fetlar Shet on 13 Oct; 30 Kergord Shet 20 Oct; 1 St.Kilda OH 28-30 Oct. *Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides 1 Fetlar Shet 10 Jun. 3 autumn: 1 Fair Is 25 Aug-2 Sep; 1 Collieston NE 1 Sep, was first for area; 1 Whalsay Shet 17 Sep. First spring record for Shetland & first-ever for North-east. *Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis 4 birds. 2 first-w Fair Is 12 Sep; 1 Graemeshall Ork 16-20 Sep; 1 Whalsay & Ist-w Sumburgh Shet 17 Sep. Pallas's Warbler *Pallas’s Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus Only 2 records: 1 Fife Ness F 26-28 Oct; 1 Exnaboe Shet 28 Oct. A very poor year. 64 Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus 1 Sumburgh Shet 10 Sep; 6 at 3 sites Shet & 2 Fair Is 17-18 Sep; 3 Shet & 1 Fair Is 20-22 Sep; 1 Fetlar Shet, | Isof May & 1 Wormiston F 26-27 Sep; with 3 Shet & 4 Ork 29 Sep-2 Oct. Then more widespread influx 8-16 Oct, mainly 10-11 Oct, with 6 Shet, cl 1 Fair Is (inc 8 on 10 Oct), 5 Ork, 2 NE, 2 Bord & 1 OHeb. 1 Fair Is 27-28 Oct was latest there since 1975 but 1 St.Abb’s B 27 Oct and 2 there 30 Oct were later-still. A typical year with the usual series of arrivals involving c53_ birds. *Radde’s Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi Singles Out Skerries Shet, Fair Is & | Fife Ness F 10 Oct; 1 Girdleness NE & 1 Castlesea Bay A&D 11 Oct; 1 Kergord Shet 11-12 Oct. Out Skerries skin in R.M.S. *Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus 1 Scoughall L 30 Oct. First for Lothian. Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix 1 Dalguise P&K 17 Apr & 4 Elibank B25 Apr; first Clyde, Ayr, D&G 26-27 Apr; Loth, Arg 28-29 Apr; Cent 9 May; Bute 13 May; Suth 20 May; M&N, OHeb 26 May. The arrival was late in P&K with some sites not occupied until early Jun. Almost none seen on coast with only 1 St.Abb’s B & Shet and none Is of May & Fair Is. Breeding CBC (W-13%). OHeb | sang Stornoway Woods but still not proved to breed; Arg marked decline Taynish; Arran record 18 OATs reflects increase observer cover; Ayr 41 terr, inc 6 Kilkerran (12 in 1990), 3 Knockdolian (1 in 1990); D&G stable 43 Wood Of Cree, Castramont 2 (3 in 1990) but breeding at 6 sites Galloway Forest in mature conifers; NE numbers down at Ballater; P&K stable Killiecrankie but drop elsewhere and general poor success; Bord 26 birds at 16 sites was mostly stable but 5 Elibank (4 in 1990), 6 Plora (1 in 1990). Usual disappearing act in most areas but last Clyde 17 Jul; NE 25 Aug; Arran7 Sep; with few migrants and only 6 Shet, 3 Fair Is & 3 Ork. 2 Fair Is & singles Ork & Shet 26-27 Aug; 2 Shet 2 & 10 Sep; 1 Fair Is & 2 Shet 17-23 Sep; with last Kergord Shet from 23 Sep-2 Oct. | Scottish Bird Report 1991 | Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita f 7 wintering birds: 1 Lerwick Shet to 17 Feb; 1 Perth | P&K from 1991 into Jan; 2 Kinneil Cent 12 Jan; | 2 Aberdeen NE in Jan; 1 Tweedbank B 8 Jan. Small early influx: first Caerlaverock D&G & | Bawsinch L 17 Mar; then Fair Is, Shet, Clyde 18- | 19 Mar; Suth, Ayr 21-23 Mar; Bord 30 Mar; Fife, | Ork, Cent, M&N 2-5 Apr; Arran, Arg, OHeb, P&K | 11-15 Apr. | The main influx was in mid-Apr: max 13 St.Abb’s| B 13 Apr; 9.Fair Is 26 Apr; c18 at 7 sites Shet on) 28 Apr & 5 Is of May 30 Apr. Passage continued) into Jun in N.Isles with c 20 in Shet in Jun; 15 Fair! Is 8 Jun & 5 N.Ronaldsay 9 Jun. | Breeding CBC (F-42%/W-27%) with clear signs of) widespread drop in Scotland: OH 1 sang Stornoway) Woods; M&N only 15 singers (27 in 1990); Clyde. 15 AOTs (37 in 1990) inc 3 Baron’s Haugh (6 in) 1990); Ayr 122 AOTs (133 in 1990) inc 21 Culzear (33 in 1990) & 16 Kilkerran (20 in 1990); Loth 2 Bawsinch (8 in 1990); Bord 28 AOTs at 22 sites (60 at 35 in 1990) inc 2 Hirsel & 2 Ayton Castle (5 & 6 respectively in 1990). | Late, possibly local birds, into late Sep inc 5 Ailsi, Craig Ayr 15 Sep but main passage on coastin mid) __ Oct with 60 Fair Is 10 Oct; then 53 at 4 sites Shet_ | 25 Stronsay & 20 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 15 St.Abb’s]) - and 1-6 birds many Ecoast sites on 12 Oct. Severe) | smaller influxes followed over much of the E coas, inc 20 Kergord Shet 20 Oct; 30 Fair Is 25 Oct. | Last P&K 17 Sep; D&G 26 Sep; Clyde 5 Oct; NE | Loth 22-30 Oct; Bord, Is of May, OHeb 1-3 Nov * Fife 14 Nov; Fair Is 19 Nov. : . Winter: c7 Shet wintered in Dec: with 3 Uns’ 1 Baltasound, 1 Helendale, 1 Whalsay, IEswick! I also 1Carnduncan Arg 4 Dec; | Dervaig Arg cq) © 15 Dec; 1 Rangefield OH 18 Dec; 1 Drumoak N) 27 Dec; | Newton Stewart D&G 29 Dec. J — a i} Grey P.c.abietinus/tristis birds, probably of tHe race were widepsread in the mid-Oct fall wil single OHeb (3rd record). All the Fair Is birds of er & 2° Oct were this race; alsocl0inLoth. |) Arg, Bute, P&K, Is of May 12-13 Apr; OHeb, Ceg M&N, Loth, Shet 14-15 Apr; Suth 18 Apr; Fai$) Wi, 25 Apr. ly R.D.Murray [Ed] Widespread 13-16 Apr in S, 21-25 in N. Best movements were 80 Southend Arg 13 Apr; max 100 Is of May 30 May; in N.Islesin Jun - 1 St.Kilda OH 4 Jun; 2 0 Fair Is 7 Jun; cl17 at 3 sites Shet 13-16 Jun. Breeding CBC (F-14%/W-9%) but Scottish figures suggests an E/W divide, decline in W, increase in E: Arg 95 AOTs Mealdarroch NNR, 30 Moine Mhor; Clyde 40 Lochwinnoch (43 in 1990), 19 Baron’s Haugh (30 in 1990), stable 11 prs Merryton; Ayr 29 Culzean (32 in 1990); P&K 69 Vane Farm (with 54 in 1989, 33 in 1990); Loth 25 Longniddry Railway (18 in 1990), 18 Bawsinch (24 in 1990), 13 Tailend (11 in 1990), 9 Prestongrange (6 in 1990); Bord 4 St.Abb’s (0 in 1990). Suth worst-ever year for ringing at Melvich, 50% less than next-worst year; NE poor numbers of young in autumn blamed on poor Jun weather; P&K few Tay reedbeds suggests poor success; - Clyde only 32 juvs ringed with poor ad/juv ratio of ringed birds 1:3 (1:15 in good year). Passage from mid-Jul but main exodus of local birds was light with c20Is of May 18-19 Aug; -c10 on 2 dates Fair Is 24-29 Aug; max 14 St.Abb’s 8 Sep. Continental birds probably followed in N with c 60 at 6 sites Shet & 15 Fair Is 17 Sep. Last Arran 30 Aug; D&G 12 Sep; Cly, P&K 25 Sep; Is of May, OHeb, Loth, Bord 10-12 Oct, Fair Is on | 16 Oct; Arg 23 Oct; Shet, Ork 27 Oct; 1 Denburn F | 2-24 Nov was very late. | A presumed hybrid Willow Warbler X Chiffchaff was seen & heard Craigie Ayr 14 Apr-7 Jul. _*Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus | Singles Is of May on 5 Sep and Clynelish Valley _ Suth 28-29 Sep were the only reports. ; _ Goldcrest Regulus regulus Very light spring passage: maxima 8 Ailsa Craig ) Ayr 13 Mar; 5 Whalsay Shet 21 Mar but only max ' 4elsewhere Shet Mar-May; 10 Is of May 27 Mar; 2 Don NE 4 Apr; 10 Fair Is 6 Apr; 10 Is of May on ! 9 Apr; 5 St.Abbs B 12 Apr; max 3 Ork during Mar- | May. Breeding CBC (F-53%/W-66%). \The lack of comment suggest that numbers were presumably stable, with only a crash in SE, esp inland areas, sharing the UK collapse, the worst effected species that year: 65 Shet | pr bred Kergord; Ork 9 prs at 4 sites (16 at 5 in 1990); Loth 1-2 Gladhouse (4 in 1990); none Aberlady , 4 in 1990); Bord population crashed, with only a handful of reports for Tetrad Atlas before young appeared in mid-Jun; Clyde 12 prs Baron’s Haugh (10 in 1990), 2 Merryton (3 in 1990); D&G ‘about same’ Wood Of Cree. P&K numbers ‘well down’ in autumn on N bank of Tay, suggesting poor season, similarly no autumn movements Glenbuck Cly where normally 200- 500 birds. Good autumn passage with large-scale influx mid- Oct with 100+ Is of May & 40 St.Abb’s 29-30 Sep; 1,500 Is of May 10-14 Oct; 150 Fair Is, 60 Stronsay Ork & 300 N.Ronaldsay Ork 10 Oct; 100 Balmedie NE, 250 Cruden Bay NE & 100 Girdleness NE with 100+ Tyninghame L on 11 Oct; 90 Murcar NE &60 Hatterseat NE 12 Oct; 85 St.Abb’s 13 Oct; 50+ Balcomie F 14 Oct. Strangely Shet only managed a max of 19 duriung this period. Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata First 1 Leveren Water Cly 6 May; 1 Glen Tanar NE 12 May; then Loth, D&G, Ayr 14-15 May. Very late general arrival with first Is of May, Arg, Arran, Bord 24-26 May; Cent, M&N, Ork, Fair Is, OHeb 27-31 May; OHeb 31 May; P&K 7 Jun; Shet 9 Jun. Perhaps one of the latest arrivals for many years with the main influx only in the first week of Jun. Passage light: max 4 Is of May 24 & 30 May; 5 Fair Is 11 Jun and only 1-2 birds Shet & Ork. Breeding CBC (F-39%/-23W%) but little useful comparative Scottish data: Ork 1 pr Finstown, no proof of breeding; Arg lower numbers noted Taynish; P& K ‘numbers well down’; Fife ‘scarce’ ; Clyde 10 prs Lochwinnoch (7 in 1990), 3 Falls of Clyde (7 in 1990), stable 2prs Baron’s Haugh & Merryton; Bord 3 prs Bridgeheugh (1 in 1990). Widespread reports of movement Aug to mid-Sep with last local birds early Sep. Extremely light coastal passage with only 5 Shet, 2 Fair Is, 6 Ork, 7 Is of May & 8 St.Abb’s B. Last Arg 11 Aug; Is of May, M&N, Loth 6-9 Sep; D&G 18 Sep; Ayr 20 Sep; OHeb 21 Sep; Clyde on 24 Sep; Fair Is 30 Sep; P&K, Shet 1-3 Oct. Last 1 St.Abb’s 10 Oct; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 13 Oct. —K<—<————————X_ ES ee et _ SRE ATT ET TT] , 66 *Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva 1 in spring, 21 autumn, all £/imm unless stated otherwise. | Is of May 30-31 May. 2m Girdleness NE | Sep were early. Singles on Fetlar & at Frakkafield Shet 17-18 Sep; 1 Skateraw L, 1 St.Abb’s B & Burnmouth B, max 5 Fair Is and singles Toab Shet & Quendale Shet on 27-30 Sep; 1 Voxter Shet 2 Oct; 1 Barns Ness L 8 Oct; | Fair Is 9 Oct; 2 Foveran NE & | Stronsay Ork 10 Oct; 1 Fetlar 11 Oct. Red-breasted Flycatcher D.G.Mitchell Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca First | Inversnaid Cly &Gatehouse D&G 15 Apr; 1 Rumbling Bridge P&K 19 Apr; then Bord, Ayr 22-24 Apr; NE, Ork from 26-30 Apr; Fair Is, Loth on 8-11 May; Cent, Is of May 25-30 May; Fife, Shet 3-7 Jun. Passage very light with only 5 Shet, 6 Fair Is, 4 Ork, 1 NE, 1 Fife 7 & 4 Is of May. Nest-box schemes mm nests juvs MBS 1990 Trossachs Cent DS 317 547 4.04 Killiecrankie P&K ? 8 32 457 4.40 Argyll, 2 sites dena | Sie Soi SLi Inversnaid Cly* 34 20 9 045 0.26 Tarbert Cly Pg 92) S41 5:31 Sallochy Cly LS aid 14. 7.00 4.71 Inchcailloch Cly 10 6 27 ~=4.50 Wood of CreeD&G + 34 Castramont D&G + 11 oW48) Caldons D&G + 5 4.00 *Inversnaid was subject to intense predation by Pine Marten. Note the large numbers of surplus males in Clyde, a feature also seen in D&G. It was noted that many f£ £ arrived late, perhaps with differential mortality? P&K noted 5 other sites; Cent singles 3 other sites; Cly singers 6 other sites; Ayr 7 singers at 6 sites; Scottish Bird Report 1991 Loth 3 sites; Bord 9 singers at 7 sites + 6 succesful prs at another 5 sites. Usual ‘fade-away’ from breeding areas in Aug with | last Arg 23 Aug; P&K 27 Aug & Ayr 5 Sep. Very | light passage end Aug/early Sep with 7 Shet, 4 Fair Is; 1 Ork; 1 OHeb; 6 NE; 1 Fife; 1 Loth & 1 Bord. | Another movement mid-Sep in N.Isles with 9 Fair Is 17 Sep & 21 Shet, max 5 Swinning on 22 Sep. 1-2 birds into Oct with late movement, mainly singles, on E coast 8-14 Oct. Last Shet 30 Sep; Is) of May, Ork 8 Oct; Bord 10 Oct; Fife 12 Oct; NE, Loth 13 Oct; with latest 1 Fair Is 14 Oct. Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Breeding CBC (F-28%/W-8%): Population apparently stable everywhere excepl Bord where decline noted, matching the trends in the rest of Britain, as in Goldcrest. Max flocks numbers: 15-25 in Suth, Bute, Cent. M&N, NE; 26-40 in Fife, P&K, Loth, Bord. The biggest flocks were 70 Conie Glen Arg 16 Ju) & 85 Ardeer Ayr 5 Nov. Passage Is of May: 3 or 8 Oct & 1 on 26 Oct. *Marsh Tit Parus palustris CBC (W+22%) Bord Seen 9 sites in breedinj! , | ! | | | i if i season inc usual 4-6 prs Hirsel & several new sites, __ increase in numbers being reported at nut-feeder, and seen 10 sites outwith breeding season; Lot] — min 3 birds Oct-Dec at Dunglass/Innerwick area o” E.Loth. Willow Tit Parus montanus CBC (A+18%) Arg 1 Crannach, Water of Tallao : 290m asl possibly the highest breeding site in U| and at Glenbuck where pair comprises at 10 yr-ol i m and a Ist-yr £, 1 juv caught later; probab) — 1 Jun; Cly bred Harthope near Beatock Summit i breeding sites inc: Baron’s Haugh (3m m L.Ardinning, Cander Moss (2m m), Dalserf Merryton;Ayr Seen breeding areas at Dalry (2prs), Glenbuck & Bogton with passage bir( : Craigmure & Martnaham in Mar-Apr; D&G fe’ Wood of Cree & Ken-Dee area early in year b more after breeding season; notable autumn yes Glentrool; Bord prs seen Duns Castle, Coldstrea & Hirsel, single bird Eyemouth. a ay Alp} ~ R.D.Murray [Ed] Crested Tit Parus cristatus M&N 9 prs Culbin Forest average clutch 5.6 & MBS 3.6; 1 prs Lossie Forest raised 6 juvs; also reported Daugh of Edinvillie, Scootmore & Bin of Cullen; Arg 1 Doire Darach 9 Nov. The last report may be first for Argyll. Coal Tit Parus ater Breeding CBC (F no change/W+6%): OHeb | pr bred Garynahine South Wood, Lewis in 1990 - first breeding outwith Stornoway Woods, no report 1991; 3prs Stornoway Woods in Mar of which I pr bred, the first since 1969; also 1 Lochmaddy, N.Uist 24 Oct, the first outwith Lewis since 1988; Arg increase territories Taynish; Clyde 10prs Baron’s — Haugh (5 in 1990), stable 2 prs Lochwinnoch; D&G good numbers Wood of Cree M&N 6prs at ‘ Culbin had ACS 8.7/MBS 5.8 and 4 prs at Lossie an ACS 8.7/ MBS 5.0; P&K poor season; Bord f ‘good numbers in some areas’. | Passage birds noted Mull of Galloway D&G 9 Oct . with 3 heading out to sea with larks and pipits; 2 Is « of May 18 Oct; good numbers St.Abb’s B 6 Aug- 30 Oct, max 11 on 26 Sep & 10 on 11 Oct. Largest ’ flocks noted: 30 L.Glashan Arg 21 Mar; 50 Dunkeld ’ P&K 17 Sep; 45 Carron Valley Cent 27 Nov. a Blue Tit Parus caeruleus | 1 Sandwick Shet from 1990 to 13 Jan; 1 Finstown ( Ork 26 May-23 Jun were typical N.Isles rarities! ' Breeding CBC (F-1%/W+2%): A Nest-box schemes Nests Young MBS | Caithness | Moray & Nairn Ais 2605. 6.34 | Perth & Kinross 38 170 4.47 i) Cailness, Clyde 18 124 6.90 i Glen Trool, D&G ? ? TT uh | Lothian 24 168 7.00 25% of Caith nestlings died due to poor weather; alt but within each area results were often variable. , | Increases reported Taynish Arg, Trossachs Cent & | Lossie M&N; stable Loth & Bord. Clyde 40prs LBaron’ s Haugh (30 in 1990), 10 prs Merryton (9 in /1990), 32 prs Lochwinnoch (38 in 1990). 80 Baron’s Haugh 21 Aug. Passage: 8 off sea Uisaed Pt Arg 22 Oct; daily St.Abb’s B 8 Sep-26 Oct, max 20 on 11 Oct. 67 Great Tit Parus major Breeding CBC (F-3%/W+2%): Nest-box schemes Nests Young MBS Moray & Nairn 2A 91 4.3 Perth & Kinross 32 114 3:5 Cailness Clyde 2 15 The) 2 sites D&G 7.0 OHeb population in Stornoway area very low, perhaps 1-2 prs, only 1 report in 1991. Population increases D&G at Glen Trool & Wood of Cree, doubling since 1988; also in Trossachs Cent and in Bord at Bridgeheugh & Longformacus. Clyde 20 prs Baron’s Haugh (151in 1990), 10 prs Lochwinnoch (12 in 1990), 9 prs Merryton (8 in 1990). Singles Helendale Shet 1990-27 Mar; St.Margaret’s Hope Ork 17 Mar; Fair Is 20 Apr-1 May; Unst Shet 20 Oct. Passage St.Abb’s B 8 Sep-11 Oct, max 4 on 11 Oct; also max 33 Tweedbank B 5 Sep. Nuthatch Ray Murray *Nuthatch Sitta europaea Bord no reports from breeding sites at Hirsel & Floors Castle but 1 at nut-feeder Peebles 30 Apr. This was first from Tweeddale and far to the west of known breeding areas. Treecreeper Certhia familiaris Breeding CBC (F+48%/W-4%): OHeb bred Stornoway but population very close to extinction; Caith none seen Thurso & Olrig; M&N only 4 used nest-boxes Culbin & Lossie (8 in 1990); Loth 3 prs Bawsinch (2 in 1990); Clyde stable Lochwinnoch (Sprs) and Merryton (6prs); D&G average Wood of Cree & Ken/Dee. Only | St-Abb’s B 26 Sep and no reports of migrants elsewhere on E coast & N_Isles. Largest party reported was 8-9 Fans B 12 Jan 68 *Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus Only 6 spring singles at Gruinart, Islay Arg 1 Jun; Coll Arg 10 Jun; Almondbank P&K 12 Jun; Evie Ork 16-17 Jun; Stromness Ork 17 Jun; & Geosetter "Shet 27 Jun. A very poor year. *Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus 1 adm N.Ronaldsay Ork 28 Oct-2 Nov. The first record for Orkney. *Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio An extremely poor year with only 25 in spring and a miserable 5 in autumn. First 1 Is of May 25 May; 1 Magus Muir F 31 May; 1 Duddingston L 2 Jun; 1 Dalry D&G 3 Jun. Main influx 8-24 Jun: 8 Shet 9-20 Jun at Strand, Fetlar, Girlsta, Sumburgh, Grutness, Virkie & Troswick; 6 Fair Is 8-24 Jun; 5 Ork at N.Ronaldsay & Stronsay 9-23 Jun and singles Duncansbay Caith & Strathbeg/Rattray NE on 10 Jun; No breeding records but 1 summer bird Fair Is on 17 Jul. Autumn singles at Newburgh NE 8 Sep; Tanker- ness Ork, Ham & Berriesdale Caith 29 Sep; Fair Is 30 Sep; and Norwick Shet 9 Oct. Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor 5 winter/spring singles at L.Dornal D&G from 1990 to 15 Apr; Green Hill Ayr 26 Jan -26 Mar; Stormont L. P&K Feb; Cullendoch D&G 16 Feb; Baron’s Haugh Cly 7-8 Mar, then Merryton Cly to 25 Apr; Frakkafield area Shet 28 Apr-1 May. 1 N.Hoy Ork 5 Jul - an odd date. 15 autumn/winter birds. Singles Is of May 10 Oct; Girdleness NE 11-13 Oct; Whinnyfold NE, Grutness & Sumburgh Shet 12 Oct; Baltasound Shet 13 Oct; Voe Shet & Kilminning F 14 Oct; Whalsay Shet 17-20 Oct; N.Hoy Ork 20 Oct with 2 there 21 Oct; Fair Is 25-26 Oct; Glenluce D&G 18 Nov; Fair Is 19-24 Oct; Glencaird D&G 28 Nov. Jay Garrulus glandarius CBC (F-14%/W+2%). An enigmatic species in some areas, but often under-reported where common. Population in Loth & Bord shows further spread, even into heavily-keepered areas of E.Lothian & Merse, where very furtive! Reports Scottish Bird Report 1991 continue from M&N, another area of expansion. | | No decline P&K (see 1990) where under-reported, but none found during search of regular sites’ L.Lomond Cly. | Magpie Pica pica | CBC (F-4%/W+7%). Overall picture is of expansion, with further spread and increase in numbers reportec| from: Loth now 12 sites E.Loth (10 in 1990); Bore | further marked spread Berwickshire coast & Moorfoots; Clyde slow colonisation of soutl | L.Lomond and S.Lanarkshire continues despiti | some some population drops with 4 prs Baron’ Haugh (6 in 1990) & 1 pr Merryton (2-3 in 1990), |i Ayr, mainly around Ayr and in S/C Ayrshire) «i D&G ‘slight increase, pushing further inland) \) Largest flock was 44 Possil Marsh Cly 10 Mar. | |) | Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax | Arg Islay had poor breeding season, max flock ii there 39 Ardnave 25 Mar and 56 Kilchoman 30 Ju) i 9 prs probably bred Colonsay, 7 reared 16 youn) pr Mull unsuccessful; no data from Jura. | Mainland 1 Lochgilphead 28 Feb. D&G pr Wigtonshire raised 2 young. " i i 'e Jackdaw Corvus monedula Ip it Breeding: CBC (F+7%/W+3%): Shet 4 summer) ™ Kergord but no evidence of breeding; OHeb a tl Howmore but no signs of expansion. . Best roost counts: 200 Dougarie Arg 1 Feb; ssi al Auchenlodment 7 Aug & 500 Cameron House Gp 30 Sep; 150 Loch Gelly F 2 Oct; 350 Hirsel Bt" 1 Dec; 1,000 Pitlochry P&K 19 Dec. Odd migrai Fair Is Mar-May & St.Kilda OH Oct-Nov. Rook Corvus frugilegus i Shet Kergord 33 nests had MBS 1.9 (1.7 in 199 Ork persecution continues with 3 of the 5 colo counted severely effected; OHeb only 135 nes Stornoway, the decline continues; Arg 30 rookeis with 2,147 nests located Kintyre; Bord 19 rookeiss counted: 2 were known to be new & 5 had) previous reports, 7 showed an increase, 3 a dech & 2 were stable. Roosts: 3,740+ (with Jackdaws) Torrance Ho WRayp Cly 10 Jan; 2,816 Leuchars F in Oct; 4,500 (vit ifn R.D.Murray [Ed] Jackdaws) Lochwinnoch Cly on 13 Oct; 2,500 Dalrymple Ayr 24 Dec. The largest roosts was at 20,000 Ellon NE (no date given), where the flock took 20 mins to pass the observer! Carrion Crow Corvus corone - Carrion C.c.corone Usual spring movements N.Isles: c15 Shet Mar-Jun; max 18 Fair Is 22 May, with fewer seen autumn; 2 bred Ork, paired with Hoodies; OHeb c 13 Uists in autumn, where only 15 previous records; P&K reports of hybirds increasing in upper Tay/Tummel/Rannoch area. - Hooded C.c.cornix Usual scatter of reports in S and E esp in Mar/Apr & Dec; Fair Is 1 pr bred - successfully, first since 1982; Ork slight inc with l6prs N.Hoy (14 in 1990); 4 prs Trumland Reserve, ' Rousay (2 in 1990). + Raven Corvus corax Central 17+ 14 2 11 M/S 22 Perth&K 16 14 A ee ‘ ‘Ayrshire 12 12 4 1 6 N/E P23 i ‘Bord 1-2 prs Berwickshire coast bred successfully, | more reports S.Uplands. ssembles: Fair Is record 60+ migrants 13 Apr; ae j OHeb 150 Balranald 11 May, 57-62 roosting birds ‘4 S.Uist survey; Arg max 103 Oban rubbish dump 29 Aug; Bute 40 Glen Chalmadale, Arran 7 Dec; ' P&K roost persecuted, max 20 Jan/Feb and initially 50-60 in early winter but deserted by end of 1991. ~ Breeding: Area Sites Occupied Outcome Nest Young | checked sites Failed ??? success MBS /Shetland ? 5 1 - 4 jie rey FairIsle 3 3 1 - 2 4 2.0 Orkney 46 46 ? 15 31 1Orr 225 _ Arran 15 15 ? ? ? 15 ? 1 2 y | —_ ue Juv Raven hese .2-G.Mirchell if 69 Starling Sturnus vulgaris Winter/spring roosts: 21,000 Glasgow Cly 1 Jan, rising to 30,000 by 17 Mar; 2,000 Stromness Ork 26 Jan; 4,000 Ayr 17 Feb; 1,500 West Fenton L on 22 Feb. 800 migrants Fair Is 27 Mar; Breeding CBC (F+7%/W+7%): Loth stable; Clyde 6 prs Baron’s Haugh(4in 1990), 16 prs Lochwinnoch (14 in 1990). Post-breeding/juvenile flocks: 1,500 Hunterston Ayr 25 Jun; 3,400 Strathallan P&K (only 5% adult); 1,750 Upper Glendevon Cent on 6 Jul; 5,000 Groundiston B 10 Aug. Autumn/Winter roosts: 30,000 Glasgow 23 Oct, falling to 22,000 by 24 Dec; 20,000 Heart L. Ayr early Nov; 30,000 roosts Perth P&K on 9 Nov; 8,000 L.Skipport OH 1 Dec. Passage noted: 150 Kergord Shet 13 Oct; 750 Fair Is 20 Oct Reports from OHeb of mimicry of Green Woodpecker and Scarlet Rosefinch! Migrant St.Abb’s B dived into sea to avoid predation by Herring Gull, flew off later. *Rose-coloured Starling Sturnus roseus 3 juvs: 1 Is of May 14 Sep-2 Oct; 1 Ardivachar Pt OH 27 Sep-8 Oc t & Thurso Caith 11 Nov-6 Dec. House Sparrow Passer domesticus Breeding CBC (A+15%): 30-40 prs Millfield/ Ladywell area Livingston L was only record. Highest flocks counts, numbers low cf 1990: Fair Is 96 on 10 Sep; Ork 345 N.Ronaldsay 25 Oct; OHeb 87 W.Gerinish 1 1 Dec; Bute 50 Corriecravie, Arran 23 Sep; Clyde 10-12 Maryhill, Glasgow where formerly 20-30; Ayr 150 Highfield 21 Jul; Cent 50 Dunmore 25 Sep. Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Breeding CBC (F-13%): OHeb only 1 Feb report, giving cause for concern over extinction; M&N only 2 nestbox broods (8 in 1990); NE 24 prs Longside; P&K Blairgowrie study - 18 boxes produces 108 young, well down on 1990 and perhaps due to decline in raspberry acreage, no third broods; Clyde 28 prs Dungavel nest-boxes (31 in 1990) with very poor second broods of which only 25% reached ringable age and only 10% fledged. Again few breeding season reports elsewhere with Caith (1), Loth (7), Bord (7), Ayr (8); D&G (1). 70 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Inmostareas 1-5 birds was more typical than aad | i t Flock counts: 100 Stenhouse Res F, 50 Aberlady L, 60 Pitairlie M&N, 75 Anstruther F, 80 Cairncross B, 40 Crieff P&K in Jan; 40 Lecropt Cent & Clola NE in Feb-Mar; 30 Kilmaurs Ayr, 110 Reston B, 65 Cupar F Nov-Dec. *Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceous 1 Barns Ness L 13-14 Oct First record of this species for Lothian. Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Winter flocks much smaller Jan-Mar compared to Oct-Dec & notable flocks varied from 10 in Shet & 60 in Ork to thousands in S. Largest Jan-Mar flocks: 500 Toxide L, 400 Crieff P&K, 570 Kilbucho B, 500 Glen Quaich P&K & 400 Little Urchany M&N in Jan; 500 Glencaple D&G in Feb; & 400 Cambusshinnie P&K in Mar, but few really large flocks. Flocks of 200-400 reported from Caith (3); M&N (1); NE (1); P&K (4); Cent (1); Fife (1); Arg (2); Arran (2); Clyde (1); Ayr (1); Loth (2); Bord (3). Hardly any passage; max 30 Fair Is 12 Apr. Breeding CBC (F-8%/W-5%): Shet 1 prs bred Kergord, 1 sang Halligarth; Ork stable; P&K numbers low Vane Farm (67prs) but virtually no juveniles; Loth stable Aberlady, Prestongrange & Bawsinch; Bord stable St.Abb’s & Bridgeheugh; Clyde 50 prs Baron's Haugh (30 in 1990), but stable Lochwinnoch & Merryton. Poor passage N.Isles mid Oct:max 20 Fetlar Shet 7-12 Oct; 5 N.Ronaldsay Ork 8 Oct & 40 Fair Is 11 Oct. Big flocks on mainland from late Oct, initailly in E with 2,750 Shiplaws B & 1,000 Ken-Dee D&G in Oct; 600 Cardon B, 3,000 Mount Lothian L & 500 Pitgaveny M&N in Nov but mainly in S/C areas during Dec- 1,200 Shiplaws, 1,000 Muthill P&K, 2,000 Beattock D&G, 1,000 Glen Quaich , 600 Fortingall P&Kand 2,000 Dalry D&G. Brambling Fringilla montifringilla A poor winter/spring with few substantial flocks: 100 Thrumster Caith 10 Feb far exceeded most others the largest flocks reports being: M&N (43); NE (10) P&K (15); ; Fife (7); Loth (35); Bord (43); Clyde (50); Ayr (20); D&G (50). scarce larger flocks. Passage very light, mainly mid-Apr to early May; max 7 Fair Is 24 Apr & 8-9 May & 6 N.Ronaldsay, | Ork 7 & 9 May. Last Ayr7 Apr; Bord 21 May; Arg 28 Apr; Fair Is 9 May; Ork 16 May. Breeding: no reports but 1m sang/displayed P&K 11 May with another m singing P&K 28 May; | sang Sullom Shet 5 May-4 Jun. First 2 Whalsay Shet 17 Sep; 1 Locheport OH or 21 Sep; then 1 Loth 28 Sep; Bord, Fair Is, Ork) Is of May 29 Sep; D&G 6 Oct; Fife, P&K, Caitt! | 10-13 Oct;Suth, Arg, Ayr 22-27 Oct. First trickle mainly 28-29 Sep in E with smal) numbers until big E.coast arrival 7-14 Oct witl) max 300 at Fetlar & 300 at 4 other sites Shet 600+ Fair Is; 680 N.Ronaldsay & 80 Stronsa), ‘ t Ork; 80 Duncansby & 80 at Wick Caith; 200: Balcomie F; 100+ Is of May ; 100+ St.Abb’s B 70 Seacliff, 150 Whitesands & 100 Barns Ness J) 13 Oct. Small numbers (10-30) continued to arriv” through Oct inc100 Kildrummy NE on 24 Oct. | Big winter were flocks sizes scarce, the best being 100 Raggra Caith & 700 Mount Lothian L in Noy | 300 Shiplaws B, 1,000+ Cranshaws B, 400 Muthi! P&K in Dec. Few medium-sized flocks evidel eslewhere, mainly <20 birds. Greenfinch Carduelis chloris ee Better wintering N.Isles with c17 Shet & c40 Or, ) Large flocks were scarce: 200 W.Kilbride Ay | 1,000+ Dumfries D&G & 150 Ardmore Cly in Jal | 250 Cairncross B in Feb; 300 at 2 sites NE in Mi ta) were by far the largest flocks, few >40 birds. | Breeding CBC (F-25%/W+25%): Ork none bre few comparative breeding figures but mainly stab i in Cly, P&K, Loth & Bord although 3 Bawsin L where 6prs in 1990. A few Jun-Aug flocks, but first substantial ull le were 180 Homeston Arg 24 Aug, 300 Chirnside | 22 Sep, 360 Califer M&N 14 Oct & 150 Irvine AP |) 22 Oct before the winter when the biggest i were 270 Glen Quaich P&K, 200 Muthill P& 200 Livingston L & 500 Halterburn B in Dec. Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis | 80 Kirriereoch D&G in Jan & 120 Tarfessock bi 29 Jan were supported by good Sitka cone er Elsewhere 56 Aberfeldy P& K9 Jan & 60 Stratht} if / ull | B! | ' R.D.Murray [Ed] 71 NE 11 Apr were the best counts with few areas with flocks in excess of 20 birds: M&N (1), Clyde (1), Cent (1), Fife (1) & Loth (2). 2 Fair Is in Apr. Breeding CBC (F-12%): few useful breeding counts: Caith 2 prs bred; P&K ‘many sightings’; Clyde 3 Merryton (2 in 1990) with many juvs in flock 60 there Jul; Loth 6 Prestongrange (4 in 1990); - Bord stable numbers but poor success. 70 Strathbeg in Sep; 130 Hairshaw Ayr on 6 Oct; 250 Whitesands L 12 Oct were the largest parties with few elsewhere >25 birds: 5 in Clyde, 2 Arg, 4 Ayr, 1 P&K, 2 Cent, 3 Fife, 3 Loth & 1 Bord. _ Siskin Carduelis spinus ' Present in excellent numbers in many ares with . extensive forestry. Study area 7,600ha in Cowal Arg had estimates of 2,300 Jan-Mar, 12,400 Apr- | May & 6,800 May-Jun (FC/Aberdeen Univ). These ‘ figure were reflected across area of Arg, Clyde, . Ayr, D&G, P&K, Cent & Bord. There were few | large winter flocks (>100) as food was very » widespread but birds were said to be virtually . ubiquitous in some areas. 150 Findrassie M&N, | 300 Devilla F, 375 Camilty L, 200 Torrie Cent | were the largest Jan to mid-Apr. | The Apr-May passage moderate with few passing ‘though N Isles, although best-ever year OHeb. T o movement continued N_Isles to Jul. ’ Breeding Few substantive breeding counts but Arg i figures along with ‘huge numbers bred’ N.Glentrool Ayr & estimates of 400+ in 8 Km:Scotch Kershope a) B in Jun suggest good season. Many reports of (i) small numbers ouwith major forests indicates "strength of population. Ork 2-3rd records with i) 2br4 N.Hoy; OHeb presence through summer ii Stornoway Woods suggests possibly breeding. i Increases noted most areas but slightly fewer Loth _ and no breeding records NE. mt « Light autumn passage: N.Ilses max were 34 Tresta A) Shet & 18 Finstown Ork 24-25 Sep & 5 Fair Is on " 11 Oct; 5 Is of May 10 Oct; 50 Kinshaldy F & 50E iy in 2hrs Is of Whithorn D&G 13 Oct. =—_- c= | Linnet Carduelis cannabina “T ' Largest winter flocks in S&E; 1,000 Prestongrange L, 1,000+ Carberry F in Jan & 1,000 Whitecairns 4t NE in F eb were the biggest with 1 M&N, 2 NE, aif > P&K, 4 Fife, 2 Bord, 1 Ayr & 2 D&G in the 200- inl 600 class. 20-30 were good-sized flocks in N&W. Breeding CBC (F+10%/W-17%): Ork stable cl 8prs on Hoy; Clyde 4prs Merryton was stable ; Loth 4 Prestongrange (1 in 1990) but stable 21-22 prs Aberlady; Bord stable 9prs St.Abb’s. Poor breeding season is suggested with no flocks of >100 birds in N and few with only 1 P&K, 3 Fife, 6 Loth, 2 Bord, 3 Ayr, 3 D&G. The largest flocks were 500+ Coble Shore F 29 Sep; 600 Darent House L 30 Nov; and 700 Muthill P&K 14 Dec. Twite Carduelis flavirostris Biggest flocks Jan-Mar: Ork 350 Bay of Skaill, 200 Holm; Caith 800 Hempriggs, 300 Gillock; Suth 300 Bonar Bridge; OHeb 350 Drimsdale, 200 Balranald; Cent 70 Kinneil; Fife 100 Kilrenny; Loth 41 Aberlady; Bord 100 Stantling Craig; Ayr 120 Irvine; D&G 111 Wigtown Bay. Passage: max 21 Ailsa Craig Ayr 13 Mar; 1 Is of May 17 Mar; max 70 Fair Is 17 May. Breeding: br5 Ben Ever Cent was first for Clack- mannan district; C6 prs at 3 sites Arran.° Passage: mid-Aug-Oct Fair Is, max 280 on 17 Sep; 300 Fetlar Shet in Sep; max 80 Uisaed Pt Arg on 16 Sep; max 134 N.Ronaldsay & 150 S.Ronaldsay Ork 24 Oct. Low autumn numbers Arg. Flocks Nov-Dec: Ork max 700 S.Walls; Caith 600 Gillock; OHeb 376 Drimsdale; M&N 100 Glenconglass & Loth 175 Gladhouse were only sites outwith N/W & Isles with >100 birds. Redpoll Carduelis flammea Very poor numbers with 300 Glen Mullie M&N on 3 Mar the only flock >100 birds and only 4 single flocks in P&K, M&N, NE & Fife >40 birds! Far less than usual Ken-Dee D&G and in P&K, perhaps due to lack of birch seed. Passage light at migration sites, mainly 1-3 birds, Ork max 20 Hoy on 24 Apr & max 4 Fair Is 3 Jun. Breeding CBC (A+45%): numbers stable where there is data in Loth, Clyde, Ayr, D&G. Increasing Carse of Gowre P&K where now common. Passage: 70S Ru Stafnish Arg 16 Sep but poor in N. Isles. Max 17 Is of May 23 Oct. Winter flocks again small:65 Gladhouse L 11 Oct; 60 Monk Myre P&K 14 Oct; 150 Endrick Mouth Cly 17 Nov; 80 Lochore F 19 Dec the only parties to exceed 50 birds. 0 *Mealy Redpoll C.fflammea Flock 100+ L.Brora Suth 27 Jan was mixed flammea/cabernett; 1 Red Moss L 31 Jan; 100, mixed flammea/cabernet flock The Bell B 24 Feb; 4-5 Tister Caith 25 Feb. 1-3 birds on a few dates Shet Mar-Jun. 1 Hoy Ork 30 Jun; then Fair Is had c15 birds 17- 23 Sep, 7-25 Oct & 2-3 Nov; max 8 several sites Shet & 3 Lochmaddy OH 5 Oct; 1 Starthavon M&N 24 Oct; marked passage L.Brora area Oct/ Nov, max 45 on 29 Nov. *Greenland Redpoll C.f,rostrata Only 2 records: 15 Lochmaddy OH 28 Sep; 2 Hoy Ork 13-14 Oct & Scottish Bird Report 1991 t *Arctic Redpol! Cardiuelis hornemanni Only 4 singles at South Wick Shet 28 Sep; N.Locheynort OH 19 Oct;Fair Is 15-16 Nov and Fetlar Shet 5 Dec. (1982) 1 Deerness Ork 5 Mar. *Two-barred Crossbill Loxia leucoptera lad m 3 Apr L.Dee D&G was the only report. (1990) 1 Fair Is 28 Aug, not 23 Aug. Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra A curious year with massive numbers Jan-Jun and very few therafter. See Jardine 1990 SBR for account of irruption. Many birds remained in the main forestry areas breeding in winter of 1990/91. Study area of 7,600 ha in Cowal Arg estimated of 17,660 Jan-Mar, 8,200 Apr-May & 24,200 May- Jun (FC/Aberdeen Univ). C : rossbill John Busby r | Jan-Mar: many large parties - Arg 35 Avenvogie, 20 Glen Cruitten; Ayr 40 Afton, 30 Whitelee; D&G 1,500 Glentrool & 150 Clatteringshaws; NE | 100+ Durris & 60 Aboyne; P&K 250+ Deuchny, | 50 Ballinluig, 50 Logieriat, 100+ Dunfallandy, | 50+ Fonab; Cent 34 Dollar, 50 Carron Valley; Fife | 300 Holls Res; Loth 150 off sea at Yellowcraigs, | 90 Camilty, 45 West Cairns, 30 Cobbinsahw; Bord | 250 Yair, 82 Glentress, 63 Elibank, 50 Leithope, | 300 Craik, 100 Hyndhope & 110 Redfordgreen, | were amongst many other counts. a Breeding: Although breeding widespread, judging ! | from singing m m & pairs flighting together, few | accounts of young actually seen - Clyde 150+ prs |_| S.Lanarkshire, spaced about 200m apart, Mar-Apr | also 6 other sites; Ayr c7 broods; D&G trapped | £ £ with brood patches laying end-Jan; P&K cl0 sites; Loth c8 broods; Bord c15-20 broods. May-Jul: renewed flocking end-May & Jun and) | general movements. Flocks in forestry reduced:) * largest were 60+ Logoch Cly, 70 Mill Dam P&K,) | 180 Scotch Kershope B. Conversely larger parties appearing away from forests with birds on the! moveina mirror movement tothe originalinvasion., First in N and Isles late Mar-early Apr with first! Ork 23 Mar, Caith 26 Mar, Shei, OHeb 11-12 Apr; Fair Is 20 Apr. Continued reports, with 1-3 birds“ from May to Aug. Peak Shet influx late Jun-Jul) with max 30 Kergord 24 Jun & 31 Jul. | This trickle was joined May-Jun by birds moving _ il restlessly all over the mainland with good numbers‘ on the E/C coast. Passage Is of May from 31 May) “) -Jul; Fife 6 parties 6-20 birds Apr-Jun; Loth & “7 Bord 19 reports of parties 15-100 E.Loth/Ber coas)_ ‘th Apr-Jun; but none oncoast NE where large number) i appear inland at Kirkmill (200) & Tilliefourie (300) i Crossbill became progressively scarcer into Ju) |“ with continued passage in N_Isles, max 15 Fair I) 17-27 Jul & Ork max 25 Hoy 31 Jul. Thes) movements dried up in Aug with only 2-3 report! ili Fair Is in Sep & none OHeb, Ork, Caith. | eer Virtual absence of birds in forested areas thereafte!| %) P&K single reports in Sep/Oct with max 15 inN ov Alp Cent & Clyde single Sep report each; Is of Ma) i. 1 Sep, 1 Oct record; Fife 2 Oct, 1 Nov record) i Bord 3 parties c20 birds Oct, no reports Nov/De() Ww. D&G max 4 birds; none Ayr, Loth. | Disappearance is attributed to virtual failure ( \jy\ conifer crop and damage to flowers due to frosts |) ji Jun. es F R.D.Murray [Ed] 73 * Scottish Crossbill Loxia scotica 10 Balbair Wood, L.Fleet Suth Jan-Mar, 2-3mm singing mid-Jan; 1 m Black Wood of Rannoch P&K 10 Feb with 10 on 11 May; 6 Glen Quoich NE end Mar; 20 Glen Tanar NE in Apr; 60 Groddie NE 18 May. Presumed scotica: Brora Suth, max 15 on 26 Jan, 16SW at E.Clyne Suth 4 May with 10 SW there 26 May. *Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus c25 in spring: 1 Haroldswick Shet 25 May; | Is of May 30 May; 4 singles Shet 6-14 Jun; c 12 Fair Is with 1-5 daily there 4 to 17 Jun with singles 26 Jun, 5, 12 & 13 Jul; Ork 2-5 birds daily N.Ronaldsay 10-18 Jun, max 5 on 12 Jun, also 1 Hoy 15 Jun. Breeding: 1 sang Hoy 23 Jun. c 24 autumn, mostly in N_Isles: 1 Girdleness NE & 1 Stronsay Ork 23 Aug; 1 Fair Is 27-28 Aug; 1 Lunna Shet 31 Aug; 1 St.John’s - Caith 1 Sep; 1 Fair Is & 2 N.Ronaldsay 3-5 Sep. i Me f | i! \ | fh) i ve i | (iS, 12 Shet 14-28 Sep, max 7 on 28 Sep; 2-4 daily Fair Is 12-20 Sep & 2-3 Ork 13-28 Sep; 1 Is of May on 27 Sep; 4 singles Ork 5-14 Oct &Shet 11 & 29 Oct. Singles Norwick Shet 19 Nov & Fair Is 30 Nov were the latest-ever for these areas. Later still was 1 £/imm Clynelish Suth 11 Dec. | Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula CBC (F-14%/W-1%): M&N 28 Glacks of Balloch 9 Feb; P&K 20 Killiecrankie 10 Feb; Clyde stable Re ryton & Lochwinnoch, 30 Inversnaid 16 Jan; | Loth 2 prs Aberlady (4 in 1990). 1 spring record Fair Is, 3 Shet & none Ork. c 21 Shet, c14 Fair Is & c7 Ork in small influx late Oct-early Nov with several winter reports Ork. Hawfinch Coccothruastes coccothruastes Usual thin scatter of records in likely breeding . areas. P&K 40 Scone 21 Feb; Loth 1 East Calder 28 Aug; Bord pr Kelso | Jan, 1-3 Hirsel on 4 dates 31 Mar-17 May with 2-3 new site 17-25 Sep & single 7 Dec; Ad Minto 7 May with juv 28 Jun. ‘Cl Passage birds in N: 1 Finstown Ork 21-23 Mar; _ singles Helendale & Baltasound Shet 16-20 Apr; : all ,( 1 Stoer Suth 22 Apr-6 May; singles Helendale, Singles Fair Is 13 Oct; Whalsay Shet 19 Oct & | Grutness Shet 24-27 Oct. * Blackpoll Warbler Dendroica striata 1 Fair Is 30 Sep. First for Fair Is & 3rd for Scotland. Lapland Bunting Calcarius lapponicus Very poor winter: 4 Eyemouthn B , 2 Musselburgh L & singles Anstruther & Kilrennie F, Kinnedar M&N, Aberlady, Tankerness Ork in Jan-Feb. Next singles at Fair Is 13 Apr, Copinsay Ork on 22 Apr, Sumburgh Shet 24 Apr, Fair Is 3-5 May, Rattray NE 11 May & N.Ronaldsay Ork 2 Jun & Fair Is 4-6 Jun. Autumn: | Fair Is 27 Aug was the earliest for many years, with another there 2-3 Sep; 1 Haroldswick Shet 4 Sep; 2 N.Ronaldsay 7 Sep; singles Shet & Ork 8-14 Sep; St.Kilda OH 15-28 Sep, max 10 on 15 Sep; daily N.Ronaldsay 19 Sep-28 Oct; | Is of May 27 Sep; 2 Fetlar Shet 28 Sep; 3 Sumburgh Shet 30 Sep. 1-3 birds Skateraw & Tyninghame L, Stronsay Ork , Rosehearty NE, Sumburgh, Is of May, Baltasound Shet, 1 St.Kilda & 1 Fife Ness F, 9-28 Oct. with 8 N.Ronaldsay 15 Oct.1 Crail F on 19 Nov; 1SW Muirfield L 20 Nov. 2 Aberlady & 7 Tyninghame during Nov with max 10 wintering Tyninghame in Dec. Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis A poor winter/spring with low numbers in OHeb, Caith, M&N, P&K & Cent while numbers good in E from NE to Bord. 70 Fair Is 21 Jan were still on passage but largest flocks were 110 S.Ronaldsay Ork 14 Jan; 44 Earlsferry F & 40 Freswick Caith 14 Jan; 40 Eden Estuary F 28 Jan; 14 Musselburgh L and 44 Lossiemouth M&N in Jan; 300 Methlick NE 8 Feb; 300 N.Ronaldsay Ork 17 Feb; 65 Priesthope B 3 Mar; 72 Delnies M&N in Mar. It was noticeable that many flocks in S were at altitude, often on hill summits, rather than near coast. Last records Bord 3 Mar; M&N 10 Mar; Fife, Bute 20-23 Mar; Caith, Loth 3-5 Apr; Suth, Ayr, OHeb 14-24 Apr; Arg 8 May. Passage: max 20 FairIson . 20 Mar; max Shet 28 Fetlar 20 Apr. Trickle of birds into May with last Ork 6 Jun, Shet 8 Jun & Fair Is 20 Jun & Is of May 26 Jun. Breeding: NE 2 regular areas, the main area held a record number of territories with somem munmated. Eggs were deserted in an early Jun snowfall but although re-lays were a success there were few 2nd broods. 74 First 1 Ardmore Cly & 1 Fair Is 8 Sep, then Ork, Bord, Caith 14-15 Sep; Shet, OHeb 21-24 Sep; Arg, Ayr, Loth 1-6 Oct; Arran, M&N 18-24 Oct. Lightweight passage: 92 N.Ronaldsay, 40 Skaw Shet & 60 Fair Is 19-22 Oct; 100+ Scaraben Caith 3 Nov; 100 Fair Is 16 Nov; 30 West Loch B 20 Nov; 30 Fetlar Shet 30 Nov; max 95 Nairn/CulbinM&N in Nov. Early winter numbers poor with 90 Fair Is 5 Dec & 180 Deerness Ork 15 Dec the best counts. *Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalus 1 £ N.Ronaldsay Ork 12-13 Oct with imm f there 1-5 Nov. 7-8th report for Ork. Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella 120 Kirkcaldy F, 100 Pitairlie M&N, 300 Crail F, 150 Dunning P&K, 100 Elgin M&N, 100 Methlick NE in Jan/Feb. Flocks of 40-80 in P&K (4), Cent, Fife & Loth (3). Passage: Shet 3 singles Shet in Mar, 2 Ork in Mar &1 in Apr; with single records Fair Is in Apr & May and 4 Ork in May. Breeding CBC (F-17%/W-22%) declines Arran, N.Ayrshire and parts of P&K; Clyde 7prs Merryton (4 in 1990); Bord 8 St.Abb’s (10 in 1990). Poor passage in N.Isles: 3 Shet, 3 Fair Is, 6 Ork. Few winter flocks:50 Fintry NE , 50 Caerlaverock D&G, 70 Gifford L & 60 Cove B in Dec. *Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana 3 autumn singles : N.Ronaldsay Ork 8-17 Oct; Sumburgh Shet 9 Oct; Eswick Shet 10 Oct. *Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica 3 spring, 2 autumn. 1m Baligill Suth 16-17 May; 1 £ Noss Shet 27 May; | £ Fair Is 8 Jun. Ist-yrm N.Ronaldsay Ork 23-27 Sep; 1 ad £ there 10 Oct. *Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla 1 spring, 13 autumn. | Fair Is 28-30 Apr. 1 Fetlar Shet 17-18 Sep; 1 Fair Is 28-20 Sep; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 2-6 Oct; 1 Fair Is 8-11 Oct with 4on 11 Oct, 3 on 12 Oct & 1 to 17 Oct; 1 Noss Head Caith 12 Oct was 2nd for area; 2 N.Ronaldsay 12- 14 Oct; 1 Pefferside L 13 Oct was 2nd for Loth; | Spiggie Shet 14 Oct; 1 N.Ronaldsay 29 Oct. , LE SS Eee eee ir Scottish Bird Report 1991 | *Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola 6 birds, all £ /imm. 1 Fair Is 6 Sep with 3 there 12 Sep, 2 remaining to. 13 Sep & 1 to 15 Sep; another Fair Is 17-20 Sep; 1 Fetlar Shet 24-25 Sep. i i \ *Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala 1m Handa Suth 29-30 May & a Ist-w Sumburgh| Shet 26-31 Aug. (1988) 1 m nr Dundonnell I&R 13-19 Jun. 1990) 1 m Scourie Suth 23-28 Jun. | Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniculus | Only 2 large flocks : 100 Kinneil Cent 10 Feb & 150 Dumfries D&G 13 Feb. Only 3 others in thy 20-50 range - OHeb, Arg & Loth. 15 wintered Shet. Breeding CBC (F-1%) WBS (+10%) but som C.Scotland sites show significant increases: She cl4prs at 7 sites; Ork stable; Clyde 12prs Baron’ Haugh (8 in 1990), 26prs Lochwinnoch (24 i 1990), 22prs Merryton (18 in 1990), Loth 42pi Aberlady (35 in 1990), 9prs Gladhouse (5 in 1990) P&K numbers down Tay reedbeds in late summe Passage from Aug but main influx in Oct fall wil c51 Shet 7-25 Oct; max 30 Is of May 10 Oct; 12: St.Abb’s B & 20 Fair Is 11 Oct; 37 N. Ronaldsa_ Ork 13 Oct &16 Boddam Shet 20 Oct. Few winter counts, 45 Easter Inch Moss L 17 No) 37 Drimsdale OH 11 Dec & 40 Crossroads Cait) 12 Dec being the best. | Corn Bunting Milaria calandra | Few Jan/Feb flocks: Ork max 12 Stronsay; OH. 4 flocks inc 61 Drimsdale & 60+ Tigharry; M& 15 Lossiemouth, 10 Hopeman; Fife 12 Anstiall 23 Cambo; D&G 13 Caerlaverock. Breeding CBC (A-5%) further drop sipsesel lack of reports: Ork c8 m m3 sites; M&N 13 sit} Kinloss-Buckie; Fife 67 m min survey, a drop [f 7 over 1990; Loth 20 terr at 12 sites; Bord 12 mi at 3 sites; OHeb noneLewis for Ist time-ever; At only 2 mm; D&G 'now very scarce' Wigtow Stewartry, 9m mat 2 sites; single reports P&K all Cent. None Clyde. Few big flock counts Aug-Dec: 20-50 Glencajs D&G, 21 Crail F, 10Drainie M&N, 100+ Balemé OH were by far the best counts. R.D.Murray [Ed] 75 LOCAL BIRD REPORTS AREAS, SOC RECORDERS and LOCAL BIRD REPORTS Theareas listed below in bold capitals are the areas referred to throughout the systematic list. The number assigned to each recording area is in reference to this map. The fullest details for most areas is available in the Local Bird Report, listed below. Map Recording Area 1 SHETLAND (except Fair Isle) 2 FAIR ISLE 3} ORKNEY 4 OUTER HEBRIDES (Harris & Lewis) (Uists, Benbecula & Barra) 5 CAITHNESS 6 SUTHERLAND 7 INVERNESS & ROSS (Badenoch & Strathspey, Inverness, Ross & Cromarty, Lochaber, Skye & Lochalsh 8 MORAY & NAIRN (Moray and Nairn) 9 NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND (Banff & Buchan, Gordon, Kincardine & Deeside, Aberdeen) 10 ANGUS & DUNDEE (Angus & City of Dundee) 11 PERTH & KINROSS (Perth & Kinross) 12 FIFE (Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, N.E.Fife) Local Recorder David Suddaby 92 Sandevin, Lerwick Shetland ZE1 ORU The Warden Bird Observatory Fair Isle Shetland ZE2 9JU Chris Booth 34 High Street Kirkwall, Orkney KW14 1AZ Peter Cunningham 10 Barony Square Stornoway Isle of Lewis PA872TQ Tim Dix 2 Dreumasdal South Uist PA81 5RT Eric Maughan Burnside, Harbour Rd. Reay, Thurso Caithness KW 14 7RG Alan Vittery Elmag Croft, 164 West Clyne Brora Sutherland KW9 6NH Colin Crooke Etive House, Beechwood Park Inverness [V2 3BB Martin Cook Rowanbrae, Clochan Buckie Banffshire ABS 2EQ Ken Shaw 4 Headland Court Newtonhill Kincardine AB3 2SF Stuart Green 41 Laird Street Dundee Wendy Mattingley Cluny House, Aberfeldy Perthshire PH15 2JT Douglas Dickson 45 Hawthorn Drive, Thornton Fife KY1 4DZ Local Bird Report Shetland Bird Report Ian Sandison 9 Burnside, Lerwick Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report FIBOT 21 Regent Terrace Edinburgh EH7 5BT Orkney Bird Report Mildred Cuthbert Vishabrack, Evie Orkney Outer Hebrides Bird Report Tim Dix (below) Outer Hebrides Bird Report (from Recorder) Caithness Bird Report (from Recorder) Moray & Nairn Bird Report (from Recorder) North-east Scotland Bird Report Mark Tasker 17 Rubislaw Terrace Aberdeen AB1 1XE Angus & Dundee Bird Report (from Recorder) Perth & Kinross Bird Report (from Recorder) Fife Bird Report (from Recorder) TE IR EE EN PLR SE SRS 2 SS SSIES 76 Scottish Bird Report 1991 Map 13 14 15 16 17 Recording Area ISLE OF MAY CENTRAL (Clackmannan, Falkirk Stirling -Forth drainage area only) ARGYLL (Argyll & Bute -except Isle of Bute) BUTE Cunninghame (Isles of Arran, Bute and Cumbrae) CLYDE (Clydesdale, East Kilbride, Motherwell, Hamilton, Monklands, Strathkelvin, Renfrew, Inverclyde, Clyde drainage of Stirling area, Clydebank and Dumbarto, Glasgow, Eastwood, Bearsdean & Milngavie 18 AYRSHIRE (mainland Cunninghame, Kyle & Carrick, Cumnock & Doon, Kilmarnock &Loudoun) 19 LOTHIAN 20 BORDERS 21 DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY (Nithsdale, Annandale, Eskdale) (Stewartry & Wigtown) Local Recorder Ian Darling $79 Lanark Road West Edinburgh EH14 7BL Dr.Cliff Henty 7 Coneyhill Road, Bridge of Allan Stirlingshire FK9 4EL Mike Madders Smithy Cottage, Lochdon Craignure, Isle of Mull Argyll PA64 6AP Bernard Zonfrillo 28 Brodie Road Glasgow G21 3SB Jain Gibson 2 Fulton Crescent Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire PA10 2EB Angus Hogg Kirklea, Crosshill Maybole, Ayrshire KA19 7RJ Tan Andrews 15 The Parsonage, Musselburgh Midlothian EH21 7SW Ray Murray 4 Bellfield Crescent Eddleston, Peebles Borders EH45 8RQ Ken Bruce Mallaig, Wellington Street Glencaple, Dumfries DG1 2RA Paul Collin Gairland, Old Edinburgh Road Minnigaff, Newton Stewart Wigtownshire DG8 6PL Abbreviations for recording areas used in text: Shet Shetland Fair Is Fair Isle Ork Orkney OH or OHeb Outer Hebrides Caith Caithness Suth Sutherland T&R Inverness & Ross M&N Moray & Nairn ° NE or NE Scot North-east Scotland A&D Angus & Dundee P&K Perth & Kinross F Fife L or Loth Lothian B or Bord Borders Cent Central Arg Argyll Cly Ayr D&G Local Bird Report Isle of May Bird Observatory Report (from Recorder) in Forth Naturalist & Historian L. Corbett, University Library Univ. of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA Argyll Bird Report Nigel Scriven, Ardentinny Centre Ardentinny , Dunoon Argyll Arran Bird Report (Arran only) Tristan ap Rheinalt, Ashgrove Pirnhill, Isle of Arran KA27 8HP Clyde Birds (from Recorder) Ayrshire Bird Report (from Recorder) Lothian Bird Report Paul Speak, 49 Douglas Crescent Longniddry, East Lothian EH31 OLH Borders Bird Report (from Recorder) Dumfries & Galloway Bird Report (see Stewartry) Dumfries & Galloway Bird Report Joan Howie, 60 Main Street St.John's Town of Dalry Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire Clyde Ayrshire Dumfries & Galloway Abbreviations in tables: the data for recording areas has been combined as follows: N_Isles W Isles N.Scotland NE Scotland W.Scotland E/C Scotland SE Scotland SW Scotland Shetland, Fair Isle & Orkney Outer Hebrides Caithness, Sutherland, Inverness & Ross Moray & Nairn, North-east Scotland Argyll & Bute Angus & Dundee, Perth & Kinross Central & Fife Lothian & Borders Clyde, Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway OL a a PS ET RA TE NGS SO Wind Tete Li od Sow eth ed wih Aol ob, hp, Ne steeriei Sods 41s IMAM th Sipe Apes 2G tone apts eee A dt Miers ie ens Te ian (acd di ge A barit Med 1dr teamed ied Atm gray par. auie eed Satna ett utigeiig tay LEN A Ba fi hidns RES Hb onda be ae gin eee nem bem, Sn tisnuigslekaned a tteas ut te Not 2d Uap ome a VE ade Rad Ae eT dpe Gas oye gaa Faenet rade ahiels tohitaeen Weed. matinee pad eae po dat pe NOnal aie ip aed OM a det kyl t Bede AZo AANA a de pA RAEI A papigeh WA) ERY Area hah Oh vinid a ade Wiener et pooten san (hick atte hd yg aed: Fs 4 Pee (eerie demas ante COf B04’ Wits MI bn i tS me GENE Tp te UG Giana ane * Lo naib eaict ap laap 04 ouaiunay fA Nin si had flaviver shades seent asp arct fh it eed agdnw tuned petite! ve he) B51 ete ame Sie ee 1 Se rma on en eyaitytiae f AI ie ol pons iat tev sitianipe Goal ia whee DE capa ae ede vcna toe (ihe te tan apt Vo petne4 adn tw ha aye el Napa yah ataoe otic erp ay bayer 5 a eraenly He we wee bdnae ee ae, dor angharastad A Abid Aid T Rn Be four RR ns nt a pr ariatn re SRS OS s (teenie PeAAi sso wal osenee Pagee Siri reanandanr se a cen VAMIA BIOL dtd ALB oN obra ping renege ps oeeret sa naae if Pe teeta Tahes Aiea pxpatet pony ts: [iweple eats SDT Ne aeidtl atic Cay erin Gites Spite ds sitter cece Se cig.nr nv awa tiem meee Re pore ine doa fue em omy mS flee mn ma Pat LUN eee Fara etee Re yo aanemom as A Saree ore sie Sapo n ea BAe eve cv ee ce (ores, TRANS ene ash cace oe ee A ylarinee ne we. oe pe wpa ther Aqennneoes soe pak ate ee a balk ngangeitcnan vat geo Serene 4 date wataoek AD ARR ae Rape fie ee Rec shiee Spek rte Sorcha: eee Sf BM me ethno 3 ptm a mp ty Fane Bo ke my diy eb vie broek ere) are ee tees eirvee WNP VAs i moe creas <= yo has — yi wir Hioe (ok La Ni ole iF eneS eae een cmntets LETS lar wincae pen ae, Bo enna yt BSA eS HRA Ae ae ee ririeteoe nese tery pies BNE NM Eh eae aie he ange weit wae enAv xa ne LAN ee Fraptooonnn 8 fo emt” EN ae hw Senretorge ee ee ee Os prmnate age oaee AEF Spee whee oe TORS, foie pete nies Date bm pobaraps omen oe wemene tens a Bo ANE cS yor Pia atch etd Ay Wate See hes wet Sartre ralph Regt ane ptt una MrAan tang Gree leet Dak et Oe er