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DPE PT Mere , Serene repens Dee Soe Tae ae ree Se le Print < Tweed ts 1 & 2, Uni , Block 11, ters. by Meig q \ ottish Bo n the Printed in th sral Est | THRE ALO URAL — 1999 | | ; | J Eastern PHISTORY MUSEUM | Scottish : ; ‘ ; SAUL SRR Spo oo: Fy Ae : Bird Sardinian Warbler Little Bustard Red-flanked Bluetail Bobolink SECT RET ET PY posi a] 2 2 +e ©) co Pred Coed cond Cattle : Egret _ Report Calon Lark Caspian eo, Tern a Editor Aquatic Warbler Crag Martin Ray Murray eee Scaup Baird’s Puffin Pallas’s Warbler Sandpiper Corncrake- Common Rosefinch Greater Red-breasted Merganser - Hoopoe Yellowlegs Golden Plover - Long-eared Owl -E Golden Rael Black Guillemot -Song Thrush ) Yellow-rumped Woodcock - Common Scoter Warbler Icterine Warbler - Robin Mourning Wigeon - Greenshank Dove Sand Martin -Wood Sandpiper Dunlin Woodpigeon - Green Woodpecker Pied- White- Red-beasted Merganser Eider billed tailed Eagle Common Sandpiper -Red Kite- Wren -Short-billed Dowitcher Grebe Whimbrel Black Guillemot - Spotted Sandpiper - Collared Fycatcher Mute Kestrel Long-billed Dowitcher - Capercaillie - Black-headed Wagtail - Swan Spotte Buff-breasted Sandpiper - Scottish Crossbill - Black Stork Jack Sandpiper Lesser Black-backed Gull - Dotterel - Citrine Wagtail Coot Fulmar Shelduck - Grey Heron - Green Sandpiper - Ne Richard's Pipit - Black Grouse - Great Black-Backed Gull Canada Goose - Red-throated Diver - Osprey - Chaffinch wi ; Snipe Ruff Gadwall - Slavonian Grebe - Ptarmigan - Booted Warbler \ Velvet Scoter Pochard - Snow Bunting - Lesser Whitethroat | Corn- Hooded Woodpigeon - Blyth’s Pipit - Common Tern ; crake Eider Crow - ney. - Raven - Red-breasted Flycatcher Purple Cuckoo - Green Woodpecker - Grey Partridge Sandpiper Buzzard - Short-eared Owl - Little Gull | Kittiwake - House Martin - Spotted Flycatcher Corn Wigeon Booted Warbler - Blackcap - Bunting Rock Long- Whitethroat - Blackbird - Hawfinch Pipit tailed Mandarin - Bullfinch - Black Tern Chough Tit Scaup Water Rail - Smew Gannet Goose Brent Jay Yellowhammer - Royal Tern - nacle Goose Ruddy Duck - Sparrowhawk - Pallid Swift op0se_ Nightjar _ Kingfisher - Garganey - Red-flanked Bluetail Iceland Gull Black-tailed Godwit - Goshawk - Whinchat Knot Wren Yellow-legged Gull- Nuthatch - Marsh Tit Coal Spoonbill - Purple Heron - Ring Ouzel Tit Lesser Whitethroat - Yellow Wagtail Great Spotted Woodpecker - Stonechat Dunnock- Reed Bunting- Wood Warbler Little Tern - White-fronted Goose Lesser Yellowlegs - Skylark - Nightjar Little Willow Whooper Owl _ Tit Swan Published by The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club 1999 Scottish Bird Report Number 32, June 2001 Contents Editorial i Introduction Zz Abbreviations 2 Scotland’s Birds in 1999 te 3 Scottish Birds Records Committee - Notice to Contributors & Acknowledgements 6 Best Artwork Award | 7 Species List for 1999 8 Escapes 122 The Breeding Bird Survey 123 Local Bird Report Areas, Bird Recorders & Local Bird Reports 125 Edited by Ray Murray, 4 Bellfield Crescent, Eddleston, Peebles, Borders EH45 8RQ. Published by Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, 21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh EH7 5 BT Printed by Meigle Printers, Block 11, Units 1/2, Tweedbank Induustrial Estate, Galashiels, Borders TD1 3RS. Tel: 01896 753076. Fax: 01896 754900. E-mail: sales@meigleprint.co.uk ISSN 0036 9144 , A : ; { | j | | - @ gpl s Pos, ve ean R.D.Murray [Ed.] PUTO TURY AALS EIAs TE, 3 5 i ¥ . & i) * Editorial | Sear es CRS Se - Changes continue in the layout of the Scottish Bird Report. Those introduced last year cesar ocirable — | comment, for which I am grateful. The major change this year is in the decision of the Council of the Scottish _ Ornithologists’ Club to adopt the ‘new’ names put forward by the British Ornithologists’ Union, the body with responsibility for the “British List’. Unfortunately this list of names has proved to be controversial. Some of the name changes have been accepted universally without any problems. Some seem to be just nit-picking examples - of political correctness (Skylark becomes Sky Lark while Storm Petrel becomes European Storm-petrel ??). : Others have been accepted with resignation in a world where English names are often the Jingua franca of | birders, and some universal method of treatment is deemed to be necessary. Typical of this class is where a » qualifier has been added to a name which has become the generic name for a family (e.g. ‘Northern’ added to _) Wheatear to distinguish it from the other wheatears). There are however a small number of names that are pretty _ unpopular, probably because it is difficult to see the justification for the change, and it will take many years for | : them to become fully accepted, if at all. A few examples might be Dunnock becoming Hedge Accentor, Little Ringed Plover becoming Little Plover and Red Grouse becoming Willow Ptarmigan. | | To put this in perspective however - whatever happened to Pomatorine and Richardson’s Skuas, Scarlet Grosbeak and indeed Hedge Sparrow? It is also worth pointing out that some of the BOU’s names, such as Bearded -Reedling, have fallen by the wayside in a very short time. To accommodate these name changes, the Scottish Bird ’ Report will use both names for the next issue or two before fully adopting the ‘new’ names. | ‘Developments in bird recording in Scotland continue apace. In addition to the excellent SOC website, a number / of regional websites have started to appear. Local websites dealing with recent sightings for birders to look up _have recently appeared for Ayrshire and Angus & Dundee. These are to be recommended. They are also another » method of collecting bird records for Scotland, the website authors passing on records to the local recorders. It is F even possible that even the SBR might go online at some point in the future. | Can I make my usual appeal for help in collating and editing the Scottish Bird Report. A few intrepid people come forward each year to collate & proof-read. However I always need more. Ideally I would like lots of people to volunteer to do a small task, collating 2-4 pages, a job that might just take a few days. Ten people in such a _ scenario might quickly cope with a third to a half of the SBR. Alec Copland & John Bell are thanked for their _ kind offers of help in putting together the 1999 Scottish Bird Report while Denis Corley & Mark Holling are ) thanked for their proof-reading. ee ~ Ray Murray, June 2001. Great Grey Shrike Angus Hogg Ayrshire Bird Report Introduction | This is the 32nd Scottish Bird Report to be published since 1968 by the Scottish Ornithologists Club. The SBR is mostly based on the local area bird reports published by SOC branches and local bird clubs throughout Scotland. The local areas | area in any year. They do not seek to summarise a species’ status in the area. That is the place of a “The Birds of Moray & | ji Nairn” not the 1998 Moray & Nairn Bird Report. They are in effect annual samples of the local bird populations, some 1 contained in twenty Scottish local bird reports. This task is by no means easy as different bird reports can place a different emphasis on different species. They can also present their data in a bewildering number of ways, all of which are not| , necessarily compatible. In order to present as much data as possible in the SBR I feel it appropriate to abbreviate the area | jj names as much as possible, allowing for full comprehension. Accordingly many area names are referred to by just single letters (in bold). Sites also receive much the same treatment. All site names are followed by the abbreviation for the) | recording area the first time they appear in a species account, but not subsequently. ' Only selected records are provided. Precedence is given to details concerning breeding populations, peak counts and migration patterns. This issue also includes observations of the first sightings of young away from the nest, a feature that / I would like to encourage observers to forward to their recorders. Just as changes in arrival dates might tell us something | of climatic change, so might the first sighting of young, if recorded over long periods of time. All! national rarities and), semi-rarities are included only where the BBRC, SBRC or the local areas committees have vetted the descriptions. Any records pending at the time of publication will be included in future reports, if accepted. If more details are required for, any record, the first source should always be the local area report and then the local recorder. Minor mistakes have occurred in the past in the details of dates and numbers and in the spelling of place names. While every effort is made to) ensure that these do not occur, minor mistakes do creep in noticed. They will not be corrected in future editions of the: SBR. The precise corroboration of any record should always be with the local bird report concerned. I AER tlhe ong Si es ee gga = in s-=— = Ss = 3 z The sequence of scientific names in the species list follows the Voous sequence. English names, for the present, will follow those used in the past. The new BOU appear for the first time, accompanied (in parenthesis) by the ‘old’ names. |), Two conventions are used to denote breeding success: MBS - mean brood size, is used when the data comprises counts of| broods, MBS being calculated by dividing the number of young by the number of broods; MBP - mean breeding produc-| \, tion, is used when the size of the population attempting to breed is known, the number of young being divided by the] , number of breeding attempts or territorial pairs. MBP necessarily includes unsuccessful attempts and failed breeders and| t by so will always have a lower value than MBS which only counts successful attempts. For reasons of comprehension I), prefer to use br1 rather than b/1 to indicate broods size. Where multiple broods are referred to, 3br7 indicates 7 young) counted from 3 broods. Abbreviations n * description required 2br16 =. 2: broods with 16 young total /hr hourly passage rate i m/mm _ male(s) MCS mean clutch size RSG Raptor Study Group | f/ff female (s) MBS mean brood size km? square kilometre | & pr(s) pair(s) MBP mean breeding production Res. Reservoir | , terr territory juv juvenile lewAR Loch/Pond AOT apparenly occupied territory imm immature R. River , AON apparently occupied nest Ist-w age - first-winter etc. BBS Breeding Bird Survey , (34) equivalent figure for 2nd-s _—_ age - second summer etc. WeBS Wetland Bird Survey | " _ previous year N.SE flight direction WBS Waterways Bird Survey | pi; c/2 clutch of 2 eggs etc. max. maximum. minimum etc. CES Constant Effort Site br2 brood of 2 young etc. NEWS Non-estuarine Waterbird Count { - ! R.D.Murray [Ed.] 3 1999 in Scotland | | 1999 started with yet another mild winter with persistent southwesterlies and few sustained spells of cold weather from the Arctic or the continent. February was fairly dry and sunny but March was as changeable as usual. The mild condi- tions allowed good numbers of Blackeap and a few Chiffchaff to persist. Remarkably a Lesser Whitethroat wintered in _ Perth. Many of the weather-sensitive partial migrants such as Eurasian Oystercatcher, Meadow Pipit, Sky Lark and Northern Lapwing had small numbers wintering inland and the mild conditions allowed many to return as early as January. Waxwing, Chaffinch, Brambling, Redwing & Fieldfare were very poorly represented, the scarcity of birds in the previous autumn translating to an almost total lack of birds in the case of Brambling. The only big surprise of the early year was a storm driven Cattle Egret, Scotland’s third, that was lucky enough to land on a boast off Shetland and vallowed to recover before being air-freighted to somewhere less climatically challenged. J | _ Once more a mild winter was followed by an unsettled, cold and wet spring, with snowy periods in April. Spring arrival | dates however continue to err on the early side, with several local reports noting record early arrival dates for some " ;species. It was a pretty poor spring on the mainland with few falls of migrants that brought almost no rarities. Typically "the Northern Isles were more favoured with Scotland’s first Crag Martin on Orkney, the third Scottish Calandra Lark on _ Fair Isle as well as a supporting cast of lesser Mediterranean stars such as a Black Kite & Red-rumped Swallow on ' Orkney, a Great Reed Warbler & Alpine Swift on Shetland & a Blyth’s Reed Warbler on Fair Isle. The best of the "others was a trio of Collared Flycatchers in Orkney, Shetland & North-east Scotland. American vagrants were scarce but a Yellow-rumped Warbler made it to Fair Isle while a Spotted Sandpiper was seen in Moray & Nairn. In June a Caspian Tern was noted in Caithness and a Wilson’s Petrel was seen in sea area Fair Isle. _ The cold weather did have an impact on the 1999 breeding season. Waterfowl & raptor success was poorer than usual and -while seabirds success was poor it was definitely better than the even poorer year of 1998. The start of Seabird 2000, the ‘national seabird census (to run 1999-2001), provided better data than usual. Significant breeding records included the ‘first breeding of Green Sandpiper in Scotland since 1959 (in Highland); Ieterine Warbler, Velvet Scoter and Horned _ Lark all summering in suitable habitat, although only the last was suspected of breeding; Nuthatch continue to spread “in the Borders (although we have still to get a breeding record outwith the area); Reed Warblers are spreading in Dumfries & Galloway and while they were posted missing at the Borders site, they almost certainly bred in Fife for the first time; Bearded Tits are also almost certainly breeding in Moray and Nairn and may be in residence in North-east Scotland. On the raptor front 59 Red Kites, 11 White-tailed Eagles & 98 Ospreys were fledged, a few of latter being exported to England for their introduction scheme. Pilot work for Ruddy Duck culling started in Fife. | The autumn fly-by of shearwaters, petrels & skuas was pretty undistinguished although two exceptional flocks of 70 | | Great Shearwaters & 34 Mediterranean Shearwaters off the west coast were record breakers. Another seabird, Scot- -land’s first Royal Tern appeared in Lothian. One of the highlights of the autumn was an influx of American waders, mostly h during early September. The totals were striking with 31 Pectoral Sandpipers, 13 Semipalmated Sandpipers (including _ 5 together on South Uist), 7 American Golden Plovers, 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 5 Baird’s Sandpipers, 2 Buff-breasted | Sandpipers and Britain’s first Short-billed Dowitcher in North-east Scotland. A Greater Yellowlegs also passed through ' in November. Other Americans turned up with a Black-billed Cuckoo on one of the oil rigs in September, the second | Yellow-rumped Warbler for 1999 on the Outer Hebrides and Britain’s second (& Scotland’s first) Mourning Dove on South Uist in November. A Harlequin Duck on Fair Isle in October may also have been an American. There were a number of interesting falls that brought in good numbers of birds from the east. A fall in late September produced Red-flanked Bluetails in Shetland & Borders; Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Paddyfield Warbler & Pallas’s Grass- hopper Warbler on Fair Isle & an Aquatic Warbler on Orkney. The other good fall in mid-October managed Scotland’s _ second Pallid Swift in Borders with a support cast of Pied Wheatears on Orkney & North-east Scotland, 3 Lanceolated _ Warblers on Shetland & Fair Isle, a Black-throated Thrush on Shetland and an Isabelline Shrike in Borders. The _ autumn was only moderate for the common migrants and produced another winter of poor finch and thrush numbers across f the country. A minor Waxwing arrival occurred in November. _ Two records that had been pended by the for some time also produced two first records for Scotland. After many years in | limbo the Chimney Swift seen in the Borders in 1983 was accepted by the BBRC as that species, becoming the first for _ Scotland. There had been no problems with the identity of the Daurian Starling from Highland in 1998 but rather it’s _ | origin but this was formally added to the British List by the BOURC. 1 Ray Murray i Scottish Bird Report 1999 |h); CR A BE PI A TCS | The Scottish Birds Records Committee were rare in Scotland. The original intention of the SOC’s Council, was to maintain a high standard of accuracy in the Club’s annual Scottish Bird \\\ Report, thus SBRC was set up to ensure that all unusual Scottish records were fully assessed and examined in detail prior | to being accepted for publication. With the advent in recent years of many excellent local records committees, a three tier |7 system of record assessment was introduced:- 1. BBRC assesses British rarities. 2. SBRC assesses birds rare in a Scottish context, but not rare enough in Britain to be assessed by BBRC. 3. Local committees assess records of slightly less rare Scottish species, together with all other local rarities. (ia In areas where local committees still do not exist, SBRC fill this function. By introducing this system we have a more} uniform approach to record assessment, aimed at achieving the aspirations of the SOC Council when they originally set |i, up SBRC. Following consultation during 1994, between the Editor of the Scottish Bird Report and SBRC, and after seeking the | views of Local Recorders, it was agreed that records of species appearing on the SBRC List would not appear in the th Scottish Bird Report without being assessed and accepted by either SBRC or a local committee. } SBRC has seven voting members. At least six must vote in favour for a record to be accepted. SBRC strives to ensure that! ~ published records of unusual sightings are valid, being supported by accurate descriptions and records failing, for what-! ever reason, are eliminated. It should therefore be realised that a record which has not been accepted is not necessarily | incorrect, but more often (due to either brief views or insufficient detail) simply failed to meet the standards for accept-| 115 have been accepted and 9 were found to be unacceptable. One particular sighting involved 70 Great Shearwaters and|_ when this is taken into account there were only 52 actual submissions to the committee, which is the lowest number] examined since 1992. This is believed to reflect the increased activity of local committees, rather than a reduction in| birds seen. 7 ance Records involving 125 birds were submitted to SBRC for 1999, of which only one remains pending. Of those adjudicated, H ; * t Scottish List In addition to record assessment a major function of SBRC is now the maintenance of the Scoftish List. A fall list of species and subspecies recorded in Scotland has been published in the Summer 2001 issue of Scottish Birds. It is intended | that future amendments to the list will appear within the Scottish Bird Report. Aa ae oes During 1996, ‘Records of species recorded in Scotland on 5 or fewer occasions’ was also published within Scottish Birds | (SB18:132-143). Amendments and additional records have been incorporated within short papers ‘Amendments to the _ Scottish List’, which were published in 1998 (SB19:259-261), 2000 (SB21:1-5) and 2001 (SB22:43-44). It is now also | intended that future changes, will appear in the Scottish Bird Report. As a result of recent decisions the following additions are now made to the list of records:- Wilson’s Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus | At sea, sea area Fair Isle 61... 37N 02...45W, 1 June 1999 (British Birds 93:516). This is the third ‘at sea’ record, in addition to only | full Scottish record. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis M V Hendra, between Mainland and Whalsay, Shetland, taken into care, exhausted, 27 January 1999, released Portugal 18 February (British Birds 93:519). 3"! Scottish record. Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii 4 Male, Tyninghame, Lothian, 6-7 June 1999 (British Birds 93:529, photo British Birds 92: plate 146). 4" Scottish record. Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca Loch Mor, Benbecula, Outer Hebrides, 2 November 1999 to at least 9 March 2000 (British Birds 92:534). 6" Scottish] record. Removed from the list of species recorded on 5 or fewer occasions. LL a LE EE EIS —— ae oo eS SS oe —o —— R.D.Murray [Ed.] 5 I LE SNL EE CRF TS MER REIT 5 UREN (s RE PR EO Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythrophthalmus ‘At sea, North Sea, sea area Forties, oil platform ‘Maureen’, 58... ON 01... 42, found exhausted 30 September 1989, taken into care, released 1 October (British Birds 83:470). This is the first ‘at sea’ record, in addition to 2 Scottish records. Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica Coldingham, Borders 5 November 1983 (British Birds 93: 541). | This supersedes the 1991 St. Andrews bird as the 1* Scottish record. There are now two Scottish records. 1 | Pallid Swift Apus pallidus ‘Burnmouth, Borders 25 October 1999, taken by a Sparrowhawk (British Birds 93:541). 2™4 Scottish record. Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra Fair Isle, Shetland 16-17 May 1999 (British Birds 93:544). 3" Scottish record. Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata ist-s male Fair Isle, Shetland 3-5 June 1999 (British Birds 93:562). “arogarry, South Uist, Outer Hebrides 17 October 1999 (British Birds 93:562). 4" and 5" Scottish records. S.B.R.C. LIST 2001-2003 CORY’S SHEARWATER KENTISH PLOVER CETTI’S WARBLER GREAT SHEARWATER Pectoral Sandpiper* AQUATIC WARBLER | Balearic Shearwater Buff-breasted Sandpiper MARSH WARBLER 1 Little Egret Sabine’s Gull Icterine Warbler * 1 | PURPLE HERON RING-BILLED GULL MELODIOUS WARBLER : White Stork HERRING GULL (yellow-legged DARTFORD WARBLER i Green-winged Teal Races MICHAHELLIS and Barred Warbler* Ring-necked Duck CACHINNANS ) Pallas’s Leaf Warbler* | Surf Scoter (females only) European Bee-eater Firecrest | European Honey-buzzard* LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER _ Red-breasted Flycatcher* Ht MONTAGU’S HARRIER GREATER SHORT-TOED LARK WOODCHAT SHRIKE | ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD WOOD LARK EUROPEAN SERIN Eurasian Hobby* Richard’ s Pipit* Common Rosefinch _| Common Crane* TAWNY PIPIT CIRL BUNTING yi. STONE-CURLEW WATER PIPIT ORTOLAN BUNTING* 4 | Little (Ringed) Plover COMMON NIGHTINGALE LITTLE BUNTING ti KEY UPPER CASE (BLOCK CAPITALS): SBRC would prefer to receive all records. committee. * A dispensation has been granted to the Lower case: These should normally be dealt with locally if a local records committee exists, but should be submitted to SBRC if there is no local Local Recorders in Shetland & Orkney that records of species marked with an asterisk can be accepted at their discretion without full written descriptions. A similar dispensation has been granted to the Argyll Local Recorder in respect of Balearic Shearwater. we re ‘he Scottish Bird Report will only include records of the above species if they have been accepted by either SBRC or a _jocal records committee. Assessment of a record can only take place by a committee, if a full written description is i irovided by the observer, which should be submitted by the observer to the Local Recorder. l ot | 6 Scottish Bird Report 2 r Surf Scoter wees Andrew Stevenson aN 7 g oe Outer Hebrides Bird Report oY SS OOS SUDGN cae ee re PRO CRAKS 2 SO ara PP AOR 2 O so: ey, 5S > a> es BROOD o SEN SALLE K SORRY. ; The SBRC list has remained unaltered (other than small amendments as a result of changes to the BBRC List) for the thre| years 1998-2000. Following a review, a number of changes have been made with effect from 1° January 2001. Eurasia! Spoonbill, Mediterranean Gull, Bearded Tit and male Surf Scoter have been removed. There is a very high acceptance’ level for all of these birds. Mediterranean Gull and Bearded Tit have both shown a considerable increase in occurrence i) recent years. Marsh Warbler, Common Nightingale and Ortolan Bunting (away from northern isles) are probably al occurring in Scotland with less frequency than in the past and it has been decided to change these three species from ‘lowe, case’ to capitals’ on the list. Whilst Marsh Warbler has been decreasing, a species with which it can be confused, Blyth’) Reed Warbler, has been increasing in frequency and descriptions also require to eliminate the fuscus race of Eurasian Ree: Warbler. To maintain a degree of stability we intend that the new version will remain unaltered until at least 2004. In addition to the above, all records of subspecies recorded in Scotland on twenty or fewer occasions, should be examine’ by either BBRC or SBRC. All ‘new’ pre-1950 records of species appearing on the BBRC List, require to be accepted b} SBRC. Committee Membership Kevin Osborn, having served since 1993, retired from the committee during 2000. Kevin made a valuable contribution ti the committee in a number of ways during the last seven years. Dr Roger Riddington, replaced Kevin on the committee Roger will be known to many Scottish birdwatchers from his time as Warden of Fair Isle Bird Observatory. Roger ha recently taken on the task as Editor of British Birds, for which we wish him good fortune. Roger intends running ‘BB’ fror his home in Shetland and still expects to find time for SBRC duties. | The present voting members of the committee are Dave Clugston (Chairman), Bruce Forrester, Ian Andrews, Coli Crooke, Martin Gray, Dougie Dickson and Roger Riddington. In addition Ron Forrester is the non-voting Secretary an! Bob McGowan is the committee’s Museum Consultant. All records should be sent to SBRC via the Local Recorder, who should then forward correspondence to Ron Forrestel Secretary, SBRC, The Gables, Eastlands Road, Rothesay, Isle of Bute PA20 9JZ. | | | ; | Acknowledgements I would like to thank Alec Copland & John Bell for their efforts in compiling part of the SBR (raptors to rails and warbler to flycatchers respectively). I still need help for the 2000 report as I intend to attempt to advance the publicatiom date of the SBR by 3 months to facilitate publication of the Borders Bird Report which I also edit. If you feel that you could tackle 5-6 pages please contact me. Mark Holling & Denis Corley also assisted with proofreading. Angus Hoge not only allow me to use artwork from the Ayrshire Bird Report but also provided a number of slides for publication. | The professional ornithologist’s that passed on information and reports are also thanked; Kate Thompson for the Seabin| i Report; and Richard Bashford at the BTO for the Breeding Bird Survey data; and Scott Patterson for the Lochwinnocl report. If there are any other reports out there that have not been included in the SBR I would be most grateful to receiv them to help complete the annual picture of Scottish ornithology. ul *R.D.Murray [Ed.] 7 The major thanks however must go to all of the Scottish local area recorders and their editors for the compilation and - production of the area reports. With the passing years the records received from observers has improved in both quality | and volume and it is the handful of local recorders and editors that are mostly responsible for that improvement. Success _has bred success. _ As usual their have been a number of changes to the recorder network. Steve Cooper has stood down in the eastern part of Dumfries & Galloway, Paul Collin now takes over responsibility for the whole of the area. In Caithness, Stan Leyshone -takes over from Peter Miller while in the Outer Hebrides Andrew Stevenson becomes the new local recorder, Brian -Rabbitts standing down, although he will still be editor of the local bird report. All are thanked for their work in recent -years. A full list of local recorders can be found on the last two pages of the SBR. Collared Flycatcher Chris Gibbins North-east Scotland Bird Report »est Artwork in a Local Scottish Bird Report Award | i | irecent year the Scottish Bird Report has been adorned by examples of some of the best artwork that appears in the local ird reports published in Scotland. In 1995 it was decided to make awards for the best artwork made available for use in ‘ie SBR. Local report editors are always wary of making demands on professional artists and are always grateful for the _ \3e of their work at no cost. The award is made to encourage new artists to help out their local bird report. would like to thank Tommy Daniels (Clyde Birds), Steve Turner (Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report), Stuart Rivers Vife & Lothian Bird Reports), Derick Watson (Borders Bird Report), Andrew Stevenson (Outer Hebrides Bird Re- ort), Peter Donnelly (Orkney Bird Report), Angus Hogg (Ayrshire Bird Report), Chris Gibbins (North-east Scotland rd Report), Steve Votier & Howard Towll (Shetland Bird Report) & Dave Pullan (Moray & Nairn Bird Report) for -e of their splendid works. I would also like to thank Kevin Harris, Mark Smith, Frank Golding & Angus Hogg for ,€ of their photographs in the SBR. ne winners of the Best Artwork Award for 1999 are made to: | 1 ommy Daniels for his Cormorant & Spotted Crake vignettes in Clyde Birds. ack Watson for the Sparrowhawk cover of the 1999 Borders Bird Report. oward Tewll for his Great Northern Diver from the 1999 Shetland Bird Report. : Scottish Bird Report 199) \) Species List For 1999 Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata : Winter/Spring: 31 Greenock Clyde & 21 Port Seaton L in Jan; 105 at Balmedie NE in Feb; 93 Goosepools [ 55 Prestwick Ayr, 38 Scapa Flow Ork, 3 0 Ardrossan Ayr, 25 Troon Ayr and 22 Trestra Voe Shet in Mal 150 Lunan Bay A&D, 116 Ardmore Pt. Clyde, 44 Gullane Pt. L, 20 L.Indaal, Islay Arg & 17 W.L.Tarbert Ar in Apr. Jan/Feb counts at Forth Est. F were the lowest since 1992. \ Movements: 23 Fife Ness F 5 Apr; 19 Ruddon’s Pt. F 17 Apr; 21 Anstruther F 18 Apr; 41N off Balranall N.Uist OH 26 Mar-25 May; 13N North Ronaldsay Ork 14 Jun. q : Ge Breeding: After two late seasons in 1997 & 1998, the 19 Burghead M&N season was more average in Shetland where there was 4 Eden Est. Fife improvement to 48prs in the numbers of successful pairs | Fof Forth F &L monitored plots, although still below the long-term ave Clyde Est. Clyde - age (53prs). Weather was again poor during incubation a ', Ardrossan Ayr a number of nests failed due to heavy rain and storms \ Turnberry Ayr | May. The MBS at fledging of 1.33 was slightly below ti —' long-term mean of 1.36. Elsewhere in Shetland breedii success was above 1998 levels except in Yell where Otter predation killed young at 5 sites. Overall however breedii \! success was below the long-term values except in Fetlar where 22prs managed a mean of 0.91, the best value since 198 iit Success was again poor on Foula with just 3 chicks fledging from 13 pairs. il In Orkney 1999 was the best breeding season since 1989, 92 monitored sites achieving MBP 0.75, well above the lon} \\p term mean of 0.49. The better summer weather and improved food supply was thought to be crucial on Hoy. 4 sites ¢ 4, Rousay managed MBP 1.25, after total failures in 1997 & 1998. Few data were available elsewhere but 8prs on Ru, managed just 3 young and 2prs on Eigg managed just I fledgling. On the other hand 4prs on Handa fledged 8 young, ti highest figure since 1986. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. OHeb c.10prs N.Uist reared 4 broods, 9prs in part of \S.Uist; first successful breeding on Barra ; M&N sing] _. summered; NE 2 calling L.Muick but no evidence of success; A&D 2 briefly on Auchentaple L. on 9 May; P&! — 2 summer singles but no evidence of breeding; Forth pr bred Trossachs with a single in another area: Arg 3p) : Ederline/Eredine, mid-Argyll on rafts were all successful, bred 3 sites on Mull and present in breeding season ¢ 3 Coll, Colonsay, Jura & Kintyre: Clyde Is 2prs were successful on Arran; Clyde 3 sites, 2prs nested but bo failed with fluctuating water levels implicated. 3 Autumn/Winter: movements: 122S Aird an Runair-Grimnish Pt., N.Uist OH Aug-Nov; 57 Machrihanish (6hr th Arg & 18S Ardmore Pt. 11 Sep; 36S Turnberry Pt. Ayr 17 Sep (4hrs) with 42 there 26 Sep; 9N/281S Fife Ne \ F 19 Sep (Shrs) when 36S along Berwickshire coast B & 17W Barns Ness L; 23N Seacliff L 20 Nov; 6N/Ag i Peterhead NE 21 Dec. i Other counts: 101 Balmedie, 53 Ruddon’s Pt., 26 Spey Bay M&N in Sep; 38 Turnberry-Girvan Ayr & | Musselburgh L in Oct; 35 L.Indaal, Islay in Nov; 81 Ardmore Pt., 29 Greenock, 26 L.Ryan D&G & Zz "' Burghead Bay M&N in Dec. N For a review of the Islay population : see Colling & Colling (2000) in Argyll Bird Report 16: 109-116. = hd Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica LF Very poor year Shetland & Clyde but above average numbers Fife with a few summering on Forth. a Mostly 1-2 birds Jan-Apr: 47 Scapa Flow Ork in Jan; 40 Ballantrae shore Ayr 30-31 Jan; 4 Kinghorn F 30 Ja: M 16 L.Coalisport Arg 7 Feb; 21 W.Kintyre Arg 8 Apr; 67 Ballantrae shore 17 Apr; 23 Sound of Gigha Arg ar H 12 W.L.Tarbert Arg 24 Apr; 8 Ruddon’s Pt. F 6 & 9 May; 5 Gosford Bay L 8 May; 4 Reef, Lewis OH 4 Jun; j L.Braigh na h-Aoidhe, Lewis OH 6 Jun. Breeding: OHeb 4prs & 2 broods in partial count N.Uist; P&K reported from 9 lochs but just one confirm success; Forth pr noted but no hint of young: Arg 10prs monitored, | pr did not breed, only 5 sites hatched wi) , just 3 single juvs fledging; Clyde Is ad+br2 N.Sannox, Arran in Jun; Clyde pr bred but failed; D&G single | __ hill loch, breeding not confirmed. Autumn/Winter: 2 summered Echnaloch Bay Ork; 3 Aberlady L 4 Jul; 27 L.Braigh, Lewis OH & 13 Hornis 4 N.Uist OH mid-late Aug; 5 Balgarva, S.Uist OH in Sep; 5 Burghead Bay M&N 24-26 Sep; | Fair Is 30 Se ~ was 5th record; 14 Sandoyne Ork 10 Nov; 16 Ballantrae shore 16 Nov; 4 Ruddon’s Pt. 14 Nov; 19 Dipple A’ 13 Nov with 16 there 12 Dec; 10 Sound of Gigha 20 Nov; 4N Fife Ness F 14 Dec. 4 -R.D.Murray [Ed.] 9 mi Great Northern Diver Howard Towll Shetland Bird Report | Great Northern Diver Gavia immer ) Winter/Spring: 115 Deer Sound Ork, 71 Howmore, N.Uist OH, 44 Skelda Ness shore Shet, 14 L.na Keall, ‘Mull Arg, 12 Troon shore Ayr & 10 Ballantrae Ayr in Jan; 781 Scapa Flow Ork in Mar (an astonishing 25% " )f the UK population); 13 Rattray Head NE in Mar; 251 Deer Sound, 103 L.Indaal, Islay Arg, 100+ Sound of /sigha Arg, 86 Howmore shore, N.Uist, 68 Tiree Arg, 62 W.L.Tarbert Arg, 54 Coll Arg, 35 Scalloway isles )Shet, 20 Quendale Bay Shet in Apr; 33 Sound of Barra OH & 30 Mull Head, Papa Westray Ork in May. ‘As usual few on E coast: max 5 Goosepools F 9 Mar & 5 Rattray Head NE 16 May. ew Jun-Aug: Shet (18), Ork (6), NE (3) & Arg (7) with singles Fair Is & Fife: max 6 Mull Head, Papa Westray, _ 5 Fetlar Shet & 3 Hascosay Shet. » Autumn/Winter: 10 L.Scridain, Mull Arg in Oct; 125 L.Indaal, Islay, 84 Sound of Gigha, 52 Tiree, 45 Kilphedar whore S.Uist OH & 20 W.L.Tarbert in Nov; 19 Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist OH, 12 Maywick Shet, 13 Turnberry shore Ayr , 8 Sullom Voe Shet in Dec. | inland at L.Ken D&G in Dec. i ‘ Yellow-billed Diver (White-billed Diver) Gavia adamsii A) N. Ronaldsay Ork 27 Apr; 1 ad Whalsay Shet 29 Apr; 1 ad Kirkabister Shet 1-2 May; | Tiumpan Head, Lewis f ra 14 May; 1 ad Aith Voe/Mousa Sound Shet 2 Jun; Ist-s Dunnet Bay Caith 20 Jun; 2nd-s Fetlar Shet 9 Jul- t i 2 Aug; Ist-s Machir Bay, Islay Arg 21 Sep. Photo of Fetlar bird: see Shetland Bird Report 1999. nother year with 8 birds. The northwards spring movement was well defined this year but where are these | irds wintering? The summering bird was also notable. 19th record for Orkney. 1994] 1 1st-s Dunnet Bay Caith 13-25 May. This now makes 4 records for this year. - i Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps J id L.Fada, Benbecula OH 28 Nov-11 Dec. Second record for Outer Hebrides & 7th record for Scotland. . _ /Tevious records: _ 975: 1 Carlingwark L. D&G 1-8 Oct q O77: 1 L.of Strathbeg NE 9 Jan-27 Mar 983: 1 Askernish, S.Uist OHeb 8 Jun-22 Aug 387: 1 Lochmaben, D&G 24-25 Apr 998: 1 Aithrey L. Forth 3-7 Jun & 1 L. Peallach, Mull Arg 8-15 Jun. af ‘ittle Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis [fisea: 22 Outer L. Etive Arg, 16 Skinflats Forth, 15 Clyde Est. Clyde and 1 Millport Bay Clyde Is. in Jan; _ 5 Findhorn Bay M&N & 5 Kingston M&N in Feb; 1-2 birds in Fife at Eden Est., Goosepools, Inverkeithing, “‘utto Ness & St.David’s Harbour Jan-Mar; "_ivers: 8 on R.Tweed at Norham B 17 Jan with 1-2 at 5 other sites on Tweed Jan-Mar; 16 R.Leven at Dumbar- " |n Bridge Clyde in Jan; 13 R.Clyde at Thankerton Clyde in Jan with 7 there in Feb. Ochs: 29 Balloch Castle Clyde, 11 L-Houram, N.Uist OH, 9 Douglas Water P. Clyde, 8 Baron’s Haugh Clyde _) 5 N.Locheynort, S.Uist OH in Jan; 10 Brig 0’ Waithe Ork, 10 Linlithgow L. L & 7 Auchinharvie Ayr in Feb; \? Coves Res. Clyde & 11 L.Gair Arg in Mar. Scottish Bird Report 1999 Pairs Broods Young MBS MBP Breeding: First broods: Bord 10 May ; Clyde 19 May. 2 1.0 Largest breeding assemblies noted include 8prs Frank- ip field L. Clyde & Sprs Hogganfield L. Clyde. Post-breeding assemblies: 18 Montrose Basin A&D Carriston Res. F, 24 Frankfield L., 23 Carlingwark D&G, 23 Coot L., S.Uist OH, 23 L.Moraig P&K, L. Etive, 16 Skinflats, 15 Houstonhead Dam Clyde, 13 Folly L. B, 12 Portmore L. B, 11 Grogarry L., S.Uist OH in Sep; 23 Seafield P. L, 22 Duddingston Small influx (c.13) to Shet Oct-Dec. Inland: 10 L.Ken D&G in Nov; 16 Culzean Ayr, 14 Dunalistair Res. P&K, 12 R.Clyde at Lamington, 12 Hogganfield L. & 5 R.Clyde at Thankerton in Dec. 1-5 noted at 13 Mainland & Burray Ork sites in Nov-Dec. — On sea: 16 Findhorn Bay, 12 Eden Est., 6 Kingston & 4 Inverkeithing in Nov; record 34 L. Etive, 8 Brig — o’ Waithe, 6 Hunterston Ayr, 5 Clyde Est., 5 Kinneil Forth in Dec; singles noted Peterhead NE & St.David’s Harbour in Nov & Burnmouth B in Dec. Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus WeBS | N.Forth F 95 S.Forth L 67. 71 ] 41 163 238 169 Clyde Est Clyde 67 62 58 tle 356 N.Solway D&G 19 0-0 3 4 L.Ryan D&G - — - - 350 162 Big counts include: 70 Ardmore Pt. Clyde, 65 Inverkeithing Fin Jan; 112 Cruikness shore F, 46 S.Queensferry Lin Feb; 86 Blackness Forth, 47 Inverkeithing, 16 L.Ken D&G & 15 Langbank Clyde in Mar; Cameron Res. F , 20 Lindores L. F & 16 Waulkmill/Littleton Res. Clyde in Apr. Small (1-3) during Jan numbers on freshwater in NE, Forth, Arg & Clyde. Return to territories: Clyde 10 Mar, | M&N 15 Mar, Bord 17 Mar, Forth 22 Mar. 1 Bay of Firth Ork 3 May was a rare visitor. Breeding: Typically poor success, despite fairly buoyant numbers of pairs present. Pairs Broods Failed Fledged MBS 0 l L.of Strathbeg but just 1 chick; A&D none bred Lig 6 5 3 numbers for some years but poor success; Clyde Is small chick L.Ascog, Arran on 31 Jul is late; some evidence of polygyny at Frankfield L.; Ayr bred at new site; D&G 8prs L.Ken, 7prs L.Rutton, c.6prs Carlingwark L.. First broods: Bord 8 Jun, Clyde 11 Jun; Forth 25 Jun. Generally poor success. Late starts and broods suggest some relaying but early departure and larger numbers than usual flocks on sea rather earlier. Post-breeding assemblies: 27 at L.of the Lowes P&K and 18 L.of Strathbeg in Jul; 16 Monikie A&D in Aue . 16 Hogganfield L. Clyde, 14 Cameron Res.& 13 L.Marlee P&K in Sep. On the sea: 14 Lunan Bay A&D in Jul; 22 off Blackness in Aug; 131 Dalmeny shore L, 115 Ardmore Point, | 104 Musselburgh L, 24 Kinneil Forth in Sep; 12 off Stevenson Pt. Ayr in Nov; 122 Auchencairn Bay D&G, : 48 S.Queensferry & 40 Cruikness in Dec. in Jul; 44 Kilconquhar L. F, 23 Carsebeck P&K & |! 14 Beecraigs L in Aug; 70 Hogganfield Loch, 35 | 22 L. Flemington M&N, 21 L.Spynie M&N, 19 | | L. L, 19 Linlithgow L. & 16 L.na Bo M&N in Oct. | M&N single bird summered at L.Spynie, with L : another single at L.Flemington in Jun; NE 6prs | Kinnordy; P&K 40prs attempted to breed L.Leven | — with first breeding Vane Farm, also successful at | 4 other sites; Fife little success, mostly due to poor } weather; Loth very poor success; Bord the best | Clyde much better year than “98, despite drop in | numbers of pairs and some unexpected failures, | 5 & ~R.D.Murray [Ed.] 11 NT I RLS EN MA Ss GR EN SE ET) ' Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena Winter/Spring: Lower than usual winter/ | Mex counts "spring numbers were remarked upon on ei- ae ) ther side of the Firth of Forth. 12 Black- | Musselburgh ness L 3 Mar were unusually far up the Firth. | Ruddon’s Pt. ___ Away from the Forth numbers were very low | Elsewhere Jan-Apr with 2 at Ardmore Pt. Clyde and ce ee | 1L.Bee, S.Uist OH in Jan, 23 in the Scapa E/C Scot _ Flow Ork survey & singles off Is of May, | SE Scot ~ Ronachan Pt. Arg & Cable Bay, Colonsay [W&S -. Arg in Mar; 11 still in Scapa Flow in Apr. 1 inland at Linlithgow L. L 7 Feb. _ | Breeding: The long term pair at Lindean Res. B were only intermittently present 7 Apr-29 Jul and showed little - interest in nest building. A displaying pair noted at Musselburgh in Jun may well have been these individuals on ' the move. A series of records from Meikle L. NE & L.of Strathbeg NE from May to Aug could have involved _ . the same individual. - Autumn/Winter: 1-2 birds present Burghead Bay M&N 23rd Sep-7 Nov. First returned Scapa Flow 30 Sep with ' 1-3 counted there into Nov. Away from main resorts 1-3 birds noted Murcar NE, Strathclyde L. Clyde & L.Ryan + D&G in Sep; Is of May, Aberdeen NE & Kildonan, Arran Clyde Is in Oct; Lunan Bay A&D & Claggan Bay, _ | Islay Arg in Nov; Ardneil Bay Ayr, Fairlie Ayr, Barassie Ayr, Boatsroom Voe, Lunna Shet in Dec. “ Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus Winter/Spring: Sites » Overall Jan-Mar numbers were lower than 1998 | Shet sites i) 1 OWW, PW BE and mostly concentrated at the main sites. Ork sites | 64Arg, c.51 Shet, 30 Clyde, 11 OHeb, 9 away | Burghead M&N - from main area in Loth, 3-5 birds in M&N and ee e 2 E il Bord with singles NE & Ayr. Systematic count } forth Est. F _. of Scapa Flow in Jan revealed 13 birds (31% of | Gosford Bay L | the UK winter population). Elsewhere on Ork - | Musselburgh L _ 14 Harray L. in Jan & 23 Inganess Bay in Feb. es ee Elsewhere: 59 Ruddon’s Pt. F, 33 Whiteness Voe L— = Shet, 29 L.na Keal, Mull Arg,, 20+ L.Indaal, Islay Arg, in Jan; 23 Tresta Voe Shet in Mar. | Breeding: M&N yet a further decrease to just 8prs at 3 sites with just 1 young reared to fledging; Forth/Clyde | 1 summered Carron Valley Res.. — ANNO WAONN OC nN — =) Slavonian Grebe Darren Woodhead Lothian Bird Report | Autumn/Winter: return - Loth 5 Aug; Arg 31 Aug, Ork & OHeb 16 Sep; Fife & Clyde 23-26 Sep, Shet 1 Oct. Away from main resorts: 38 Sound of Taransay, Harris OH & 16 Balgarva, S.Uist OH Oct-Dec. 24 Harray L. i in Oct; 41 Sound of Gigha Arg, 23 Goosepools F, 21 L.Indaal, Islay & 17 Echnaloch Bay, Scapa Flow in Nov. 12 Scottish Bird Report 1999 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis Winter/Spring: 2 Ruddon’s Pt. F 20 Mar. . Breeding: A&D only lpr attempted to breed Kinnordy but left early, present 28 Mar-23 May; P&K 11 ata site) | did not linger; Fife 1 L.Gelly 1 Apr only; Loth ad at inland site 5 Apr only; Bord single Hule Moss 30 Mar, |"! then single prs at 2 sites, with additional adult, hatched br3 & br2 respectively but only single young known to im have fledged, present 11 Apr-17 Sep; D&G | at former breeding site on 12 Apr only. Autumn/Winter: 1 L.Ryan D&G 26 Sep; | Braefoot Pt. F 9 Oct; | Musselburgh L 10-13 Oct. For a review of the Angus & Dundee population at Kinnordy: see Hammler (2000) in Angus & Dundee Bird Report 1999: 61. Northern Fulmar (Fulmar) Fulmarus glacialis Fulmars had an average breeding season, the bal ie 4 SW MBP being 0.43 in 36 colonies (mean 0.42). Several sites\ 1276 : along the E coast again had poor success with St.Abbs\ 1242 the worst, managing just MBP 0.11 , this was better than| — 1095 the 0.00 of 1998 however! Failures occurred during in-| |! Yechange — -11.8 : : : : cubation. Poor feeding is thought to be the cause. Poor| ‘i success was also seen at Tantallon (0.18), North Sutor |} (0.12) & Wilkhaven (0.11). The Isle of May had above | ee 39] average success at 0.47 (mean 0.43). There was little |_| Orkney change on Shetland. Orkney fared better than in 1998. | N Scotland 49 : : 11] On the W coast Canna at 0.25 suffered below average | , NW Scotland ; ; i A “ results (mean 0.38). Once more, after the eradication of | q SE Scotland : 5 3 ; i rats, Ailsa Craig had a good year with MBP 0.38.Based ; on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. a Ork 43,382 AOS counted with 35,858 on Hoy; NE min 3 nests on the islands of L.of Strathbeg, increases| noted Nigg Bay/Cove; P&K a few prs Benarty Crags, L.Leven; Fife 31 prs at 2 inland sites has stabilised after the drop of 1997, 298 AOS at St.Andrews; F.of Forth 28% decrease to 1,479 AOS on Forth islands (2,045 in| 1997); Loth just 10 AOS Salisbury Crags, Edinburgh with 12 AOS Torphin Quarry; Arg 1,078 AOS on Tresh-| nish Is & 500 AON on Sanda Is.; Ayr 210 AOS on S.Ayrshire coast; D&G 99+prs along 8 areas of coast. 423 were counted along the Loth & Bord coast on 23 Jan. mostly displaying on the cliffs. 4 Passage: Rates off Ork included 3,000/hr Brough of Birsay 14 Mar with 1,000/hr Papa Westray in 16 Apr & 22) f May and 2,000/hr on 17 Aug. OHeb averaged 90/hr in spring & 197/hr in autumn. 206/hr (2hrs) Frenchman’s|__ Rocks, Islay in Jul with 250/hr (2hrs) on 7 Sep. At Fife Ness F 420/hr (1hr) were noted 8 Aug & 720/hr there on 25 Aug. Eyemouth B had 600-750/hr twice in Mar. The busiest passage however was at Peterhead NE whic witnessed 4,800/hr on 12 Jun with movements in excess of 1,000/hr noted there in Feb, Apr, Jul & Aug. Blue-phase: 2 birds on cliffs Shet, mixed pair successfully bred Inchcolm F; several reports Shet include 5 Sumburgh Head 22 Sep & 12 Eshaness 3 Oct; occasional Fair Is; 1 Pentland Firth Ork 15 Feb, N.Ronaldsay; Ork 23 &25 Apr & Papa Westray Ork 22 Jul. 1 inland in Glen Fruin Clyde 4 Dec. * Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea 1 Fife Ness F 12 Jun; 1-2 Kinghorn Harbour F with 1 on 4 Jul, 2 on 13 Jul & singles 13 Jul, 17 Jul & 28 July accepted as same individuals; 1 The Minch OH 15 Jul; 2 Girdleness NE 14 Sep. /7th-1 8th records for Fife. | [1998] 1 Rhuba Arvule , N.Uist OH 30 Aug. * Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis . 1 photographed 3kms N of Muckle Flugga, Unst Shet 15 Aug; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 27 Aug; 1S Grimnish Pt.|__, N.Uist OH 30 Aug; 1S Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist OH 9 Sep; 1 Scapa Bay Ork 25 Sep; singles off N.Ronaldsa 29 Sep & 5 Oct; an unprecedented 70+ seen from ferry at Haes Bank, 10kms N. of Coll Arg on 3 Oct. The remains of a bird were found on Scapa Beach Ork 25 Sep. 9th for Shetland. Photo of Muckle Flugga bird: see Shetland Bird Report 1999. Wa f&-— = & | " | [ [ le | R.D.Murray [Ed.] 13 Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus Odd singles noted Peterhead NE 22 Mar, Rattray Head NE 15 May & Grimnish Pt., N.Uist OH 19 Jun. _ Early influxes 30 Jun when 79 Mull Head, Papa Westray Ork, then 15-23 Jul when 3 Brough of Birsay Ork & singles Grimnish Pt. (2), Fair Isle, Fife Ness F & Peterhead. Main arrival heralded 2-9 Aug by 3 Fife Ness & singles Ballevulin, Tiree Arg, Hermaness Shet, Unst Shet, Kinnaird Head NE & Peterhead. ~ Main movement 15Aug-20 Sep but while numbers were below par off N&W Isles and Inner Hebrides, it was a _ extremely poor year, if not the worst on record, on the N.Sea coasts and around the Firth of Clyde. Min numbers reported - Shet 38, Fair Is c.30, OHeb 257, Caith , High, M&N 2, A&D , Fife c.50, Is of May 3, Loth nil, Bord 5, Arg c.165 & Ayr 4. 1999 was the first occasion since 1979 (at least) when no birds were seen in Lothian. _ Most Shet records were of small numbers seen from boats, birds that would have been well out of sight from the shore. Regular off Ork in small numbers mid-Aug to mid-Oct. - Best off N Scotland & Hebrides: 83 Grimnish Pt., N.Uist OH on 9 dates 28 Aug -13 Oct (3/hr); 120S Rubha - Ardvule, S.Uist OH on 11 dates 14 Aug-11 Oct (5/hr); 9S Frenchman’s Rocks, Islay Arg 13 Aug with 20 there _ 29 Aug, 62 (3hrs) there 9 Sep; 8S Machrihanish Arg 2 Sep with 26 there on 11 Sep; 30 N.Ronaldsay Ork | Oct. _ Best movements in the North Sea were 12N Cove NE (lhr) 18 Sep; 5N/14S Fife Ness (4hrs) 19 Sep; otherwise the best rates were typically 1-2/hr, mostly mid-Sep. Last birds noted: NE, Is of May, Bord & Ayr 18-19 Sep; M&N, Arg & Shet 3-15 Oct; Fife & Fair Is 22 Oct; Latest birds were 4S Grimnish Pt. OH 2 Nov & singles N.Ronaldsay 7 & 10 Oct. _ Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus Winter: 1N Fife Ness F 6 Feb was the only unseasonal bird. Spring: first birds noted Arg 14 Mar; OHeb & Fife 18-24 Mar; Ork & NE 2-3 Apr; Ayr & Is of May 17-19 Apr; Loth & Bord 5-8 May; A&D, Shet & M&N 23-29 May; Clyde Is 5 Jun; D&G 6 Jun; Fair Is 17 Jul. Best spring numbers were in W. 300 between Coll & Tiree Arg 23 Mar. 6,257S Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist OH on - 6 dates 5 Apr-23 May (368/hr); 488 off Hynish Arg 20 Apr. Feeding movements were noted with 1,275S ‘ Grimnish Pt., N.Uist OH (3hrs) 30 Jun; also 1,200 Monach Is OH (2.5hrs) 1 Jul. 35 Lossiemouth M&N 29 May; 87 Fife Ness 4 Jun & 109N there 12 Jun and 40E Elie F 26 Jun were very exceptional E coast counts this spring, most counts rarely straying into 2 figures. _ Breeding: On Canna there was no response to tape playback from all 100 burrows checked and none of the 40 burrows _ used for checking success were occupied. This suggests that Manx Shearwater are now close to extinction on Canna. Rat eradication procedures will continue. Rats were also a problem on Rum where another poor season was blamed on rat predation. Occupancy levels were 63% in monitored burrows but breeding success was just 0.56, well below the long- term mean of 0.71. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Shet 8 occupied burrows Wick of Tresta, Fetlar, also 2 off former colony at Burravoe, Yell; Ork small numbers Hoy with max 50 on sea nearby in May; OHeb 3,443 AOS on Hirta, St.Kilda in tape-lure sample on Carn Mor - with 1,138 burrows noted elsewhere; Is of May no responses to tape lures at burrows this year; Arg birds seen at night on Lunga & Bac Mor, Treshnish Is., 200 occupied burrows noted Sanda Is where 46 nestlings ringed. Summer/Autumn: Max passage rates on W coast at Frenchman’s Rocks, Islay Arg were 1,642 25 Jul (1.5hrs), 12,500 on 13 Aug (2.5hrs) & 6,000 on 25 Aug (1.5hrs) with much lower rates into Sep. Max counts at Machri- hanish Arg were 1,600 on | Sep (Shrs) & 2,600 on 2 Sep (6hrs). _ Firth of Clyde counts suggest a build up in mid-Jul, before birds moved into the upper Firth in early Sep before withdrawing again in late Sep. Cetacean sightings suggest the birds were following the food. The best counts were 840/hr Porta Leacach, Arran Clyde Is & 700 Corsewall Pt. D&G 15 Aug; 400 Portpatrick D&G 19 Aug; 1,000 Turnberry Pt. Ayr 21 Aug; 601N/400S Cloch Pt. Clyde 2 Sep with 49N/554S there 11 Sep; 1,500 _ Portencross Ayr & 1,500 Ardrossan Ayr 13 Sep; 1,000+ Turnberry Pt. 26 Sep. \ Offthe Hebrides a total of 7,436 passed Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist OH on 9 dates 15 Aug-9 Sep (367/hr); 135-230/ | hr were noted off Butt of Lewis OH & Tiumpan Head, Lewis OH 16-22 Aug; 1,558 passed Grimnish Pt. OH 29 Aug-3 Sep (mean 173/hr); 930E Greian Head, Benbecula OH (4hrs) 9 Sep. ' Only small numbers were seen off N.Isles, max 35 N.Ronaldsay Ork 17 Jul. ‘ On the North Sea coasts counts were really poor in 1999 with all areas noting an exceptionally bad showing. There were only 2 three-figure counts along the whole coast: 103 Fife Ness (7hrs) 5 Jul; 98 Kinghorn F 12 Jul & 100 Fraserburgh NE 22 Jul. The max counts elsewhere were: 10 Loth, 6 Bord, 5 M&N & 3 Is of May. ||! Last birds: Loth, Is of May, M&N, Fair Is & Shet 10-21 Sep; Arg 30 Sep; Fife 21 Oct; OHeb 2 Nov; Clyde Is . 26 Nov; Ayr 27 Nov with the very late singles off Peterhead NE 11 Dec & St.Abbs B 12 Dec. . Inland: 1 was noted over L.Leven P&K 1 Sep. 14 Scottish Bird Report 1999 * Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus | Fishtown of Usan A&D 30 May was exceptionally early. | | Frenchman’s Rocks, Islay Arg 4 Aug with 2 there 13 Aug; 1N Peterhead NE & 1S Turnberry Pt. Ayr 21 Aug; | 1 Fife Ness F 25 Aug; 2 Frenchman’s Rocks 28 Aug; | Machrihanish Arg 1 Sep; 2S Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist OH |’ & 2 Machrihanish 2 Sep; 1S Rhuba Ardvule 3 Sep; 2 Frenchman’s Rocks 7 Sep; 1W Greian Head, Benbecula OH 8 Sep; 2 Frenchman’s Rocks 9 Sep; 4 Machrihanish & IN Turnberry Pt. 11 Sep; 1 Saltcoats Ayr 13 Sep 7 with another bird there 16 Sep; | N.Gigha Arg 19 Sep; 1 Turnberry Pt. 26 Sep; 1 Frenchman’s Rocks 10 Oct; |" 1 Saltcoats 26 Oct; 2 Turnberry Pt. 1 Nov with 5S there (1hr) on 2 Nov. g Third record for Angus & Dundee. With 34 records it is now becoming regular, with a typically W coast bias. \ q Wilson’s Storm-Petrel (Wilson’s Petrel) Oceanites oceanicus At sea, sea area Fair Isle 61... 37N 02...45W, 1 June. This is the third ‘at sea’ record, in addition to only I full Scottish record. European Storm-petrel (Storm Petrel) Hydrobates pelagicus A better year than usual with large numbers noted generally in spring & in the west coast in early summer, | 4 augmented by the start of Seabird 2000 which provided more data than usual about the breeding population. |__ | E.Ellisay, Islay Arg 21 May; | N.Ronaldsay Ork 22 May with 4 on 29 May; 5 Sound of Mull Arg & 1S Troon | .. Ayr 23 May; 3 Sound of Harris OH 2 Jun; 60 Fair Is 8 Jun; 1 Fife Ness F 12 Jun; 1 Peterhead NE on 27 Jun. 4 Small numbers were also off Aird an Runair, N.Uist & Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist OH in spring (no dates). a Breeding: Another late season as shown when the nests on Mousa were checked on 12 Sep when 38 chicks were ringed, | : still 2 weeks from fledging. Four other sites had dead chicks and 9 others had failed but conditions were not as wet as in| . 1998. 200prs estimated Sanda Is. (150 in ‘98). These figures were obtained by re-trap data and counting singing birds. | ¥ There was no response from 10 sites where tape playback was attempted. Diurnal playback was attempted on sites round | — Yell. Responses were obiained from 15 of 29 sites. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Shet 5 sites in the 15 where tape playback was trialed yielded more than 50 responses per site; Ork birds were | * present at Auskerry, Sule Skerry & Holm of Papay but no counts were made; OHeb only 425 AOS on all | i, suitable sites on Hirta, St.Kilda using tape playback; Arg birds were heard on the Treshnish Is. at Bac Mor,} * Lunga & Fladda (but no counts were attempted) while breeding was proved on Staffa for the first time and £ confirmed on Soa (S of Iona). i Trapping near breeding sites saw 1,000 caught on Fair Is in Jul with 1,500 there in Aug; 370 caught on N.Ronaldsay | 12-14 Aug; 732 new birds were trapped on the Treshnish Is while 526 were trapped on Sanda Is Arg. £ Trapping away from breeding areas, mostly Jul-Aug saw a reduction in the effort with just 3 trapped at Girdle-| 2 ness NE (1 night), 1 on Is of May, 9 at Fife Ness, 8 at St.Abbs B (1 night) & 2 at Turnberry Pt. (1 night). t Movements: 35 Noup Head, Westray Ork 21 Jun; 30 Mull Head, Papa Westray Ork 30 Jun; 50 off Skigestra, |! Lewis OH 1 Jul; 240 N.Ronaldsay 7 Jul; 1 Craigendoran Clyde 18 Jul; 60 Troon Ayr, 18 Machrihanish Arg &} & 9 Frenchman’s Rocks, Islay Arg 21 Jul; 34N Turmberry Pt. Ayr (4hrs) 22 Jul; 2 Luce Bay D&G 2 Aug; 22N/| * 124S Rhuba Ardvule, N.Uist on 7 dates 14 Aug-4 Sep; 42 Clachan, Tiree Arg 30 Aug; 18 Machrihanish 11 Sep. |” 4 Last dates: Ayr 16 Aug; Arg 15 Sep; NE 20 Sep; Shet 3 Oct; Ork & Fair Is 13-16 Oct; OHeb 2 Nov; with the; latest 1 M&N 7 Nov. For a review of Priest Isand (Highland) population: see Mayhew er al. (2000) Scottish Birds 21:78-84. Leach’s Storm-petrel (Leach’s Petrel) Oceanodroma leucorhoa | Ythan Est. NE 22 Feb. Stormy conditions (W gale) 22-25 May brought a most unusual influx of birds toW) 5 coast with 129N Aird an Runair, N.Uist & 62S Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist OH over the period as well as 18) » Frenchman’s Rocks, Islay Arg (4hrs), 1 Port Charlotte, Islay Arg & 1 Troon Ayr on 22 May. Breeding: Shet 20 burrows located Gruney & 2ads tape-lured on Foula; Ork | heard Sule Skerry in Jul butno; * proof of breeding; OHeb a tape-playback quadrat survey on Hirta, St.Kilda yielded 2,288 AOS on Carn Mor, 109 AOS on Poll a’Choire, 100 AOS on Mol Carn na Liana (some sites were not surveyed). Trapping away from breeding areas: | Vatsetter, Yell Shet 25 Jul; 14 trapped Fair Is 11 Jul-24 Sep. Elsewhere: 7 Mull Head, Papa Westray Ork 30 Jun; 1 Machrihanish Arg 21 Jul; 5 N.Ronaldsay Ork 14 Aug;| 5 Mull Head 19 Aug; 48 S Rhuba Ardvule on 9 dates 31 Aug-11 Oct; 1 Peterhead NE 20 Sep; 1 Foula ferry Shet 25 Sep; | Frenchman’s Rocks 10 Oct; 2 past Machrihanish on 11 Oct; 1 Peterhead on 22 Oct; 1 N.Ronaldsay| § 28 Oct; 1 Turnberry Pt. Ayr 1 Nov; 2 Grimnish Pt., N.Uist OH & 1 Frenchman’s Rocks 2 Nov; 1 Dunoon Arg} ‘) 4 Nov. | | R.D.Murray [Ed.] 15 ] i a Se PEN PED Eee ee PEE SO eg a _ Northern Gannet (Gannet) Morus bassana Winter/Spring: movements were typically low with max Jan counts of 36/hr at Fife Ness F & 38/hr at Eyemouth .__ B; rates increased with 420 Fife Ness in Feb & 250/hr at Eyemouth in Mar. | Only 5 noted off Clyde coast in Jan/Feb. Only 1-10 noted at 6 sites in Ork Jan-Mar. 1 Few counts elsewhere until 1,000/hr after storms on St.Kilda OH in Apr. Into the breeding season passage at ) _ Eyemouth increased to an estimated 6,400/hr on 1 May before dropping to between 870-1,630/hr there Jun-Aug. ; i Counts in mid-May at Aird an Runair, N.Uist OH averaged 67/hr while at Rubha Ardvule, S.Uist OH move- ments averaged 135/hr. 98N/840S on 20 May was the best count off Peterhead NE with 500 off Papa Westray _} Ork & N.Ronaldsay Ork 22 May; 400 Arbroath A&D 29 May.. . | Breeding: Population increase slowed down on Fair Isle with just a 0.4% increase to 1,123prs between 1998 & 1999. Since 1994 counts at Hermaness increased to 16,386prs (37%) and at Noss to 89,01 prs (9.7%). Mean breeding success across the 4 monitored colonies was MBP 0.66 (mean 0.67). Productivity increased at | Success MBP Mean 86-97 _ Hermaness & Noss but that on Fair Isle was the lowest | Ailsa Craig Ayr 0.67 recorded since 19991 due to nests being washed out in | Hermaness Shet 0.67 Noss Shet 0.68 _ May storms. Success on Ailsa Craig was the lowest since 1993 as a result of disturbance by helicopters. ‘ Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. ' Fair Is a pair nested on Sheep Rock once more, some re-nesting occurred after the May storms which led to ' chicks still on the cliffs in Oct; OHeb the Sula Sgeir guga harvest was reduced this year due to the lack of young -, mature enough to be killed. _ Autumn/winter: Hourly rates around the country included an average of 503/hr past Aird an Runair on 7 dates _ 29 Aug-9 Sep; 154/hr past Greian Head, Benbecula OH 7-9 Sep; max passage Cloch Pt. Clyde of 112N/135S i on 8 Sep; max 500/hr Brough of Birsay Ork 11 Sep; max passage past Frenchman’s Rocks, Islay Arg was 789/ ‘ hr on 30 Sep; 170/hr off Troon Ayr 1 Oct; 360/hr Strathlene M&N 22 Oct. These counts were all dwarfed by . | the Bass Rock birds passing along the Berwickshire coast where rates peaked at 3,360/hr at Eyemouth 21 Aug ! & 3,120/hr at Dowlaw B on 25 Sep. The best daily counts were 1,650 at Anstruther F on 25 Aug; 1,000 in the ’ Pentland Firth from the ferry 29 Sep; 1,700 Turnberry Pt. Ayr 15 Oct \ Westwards movements up the Forth were noted at Blackness Forth & Kinneil Forth in Jun & Sep while towards the west singles were seen over Hogganfield L. Clyde on 16 Sep & Longhaugh Pt. Clyde 23 Sep. Fair Isle 0.69 Great Cormorant (Cormorant) Phalacrocorax carbo ._. Winter: 141 along Loth/Bord coast (Gullane to English border), 111 Dalgety Bay shore F, 40 Strathclyde L. ( Clyde & 20 L.Ken D&G in Jan; 83 L.of Strathbeg NE, 62 S. Yell Sound Shet in Feb; 35 Cobbinshaw Res. L _ in Mar. have levelled off in recent years after a steep decline, the population de- creased again from 225 nests in 1998 to 102 in 1999 as Ramna Stacks were again deserted. In Orkney number in- i i Breeding: In Shetland where numbers | WeBS S.Tay F 20 N.Forth F 125 S.Forth L 27 Clyde Est. Clyde 194 N.Solway D&G 22 72 190 279 OS 135 234 91 218 466 Lis 170 [13 | creased on Boray Holm by 12% to 169 : | AONSs while Little Green Holm dropped by 31% to 55 AONs. In N. Cen numbers dropped from 128 to 114 AONs and | the North Sutor colony also dropped, to 210 AONs (-9%). Drops were also noted in the SW at Port O’ Warren (-29% to 96 | | AONs) and Portandea (-26% to 106 AONs) as well as on Craigleith in the Forth (-57% to 56 AONSs). || Breeding success onn the norm in Shetland (MBP 2.8), but well below the norm at 1.66 at 2 sites in Caithness | OANs SW Scot Shet NScot SE Scot (range 2.20-2.93) & at North Sutor with 1.9 (mean 2.07). | 1998 596 225 349 314 6 colonies in W.Scotland had a minimum of MBP 1.35. | 1999 377 2 22 3 Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. ‘% change 25 $%Wi $06 16 Shet the 3 main colonies declined to the lowest value yet . Yell Sound colonies have been abandoned; OHeb 57 ; || nests L.an Tomain, N.Uist (63), 54 nests Fiaray, Benbecula; High ; NE 6 nests L.of Strathbeg islands (1); F. of i Forth 375 nests in a complete survey, dropping from 460 in 1997; Bord 37 nests Fast Castle (31) with MBS | ' 2.37 (2.86); Arg 122prs at 5 sites plus 21 nests on Sanda Is., fledging rates were good; Ayr 106 nests Finnarts ] / Pt.-Downan Pt. shore (144), 51 nests Horse Is. (39) with MBS 3.3, 3 nests Brest Rock marker; D&G 300 nests * Mochrum Lochs, 98 nests Port O’ Warren, 35 nests on the Mulberry harbour, at Garlieston. ¢ lg RR ae a A YY 5 | 16 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | Autumn/winter: 47 Lossiemouth M&N in Jul; 220 roosting MV Captyannis Clyde, 154 Ardrossan Ayr, 130 | Kinghorn shore F, 104 Thieve’s Holm Ork, & 26 southern L.Lomond Clyde in Sep; 151 Kirkcaldy shore F, 95 | Girdleness NE, 84 Dalmeny shore L, 51 L.Ryan D&G, 43 Is of May in Oct; 41 Lintrathen L. A&D, 36 Gairsay Ork & 23 Carlingwark L. D&G in Nov; 608 L.Leven P&K, 220 Tay Road Bridge F, 93 R.Tay at Kercock| . P&K, 88 L.Clunie P&K, 70 Meikle L. NE, 54 Lendalfoot Ayr, 50 Gosford Bay L, 36 Portgordon shore M&N, | } 32 Cameron Res. F & 27 Hogganfield L. Clyde in Dec. | For a reviw of Pc. sinensis birds seen in Moray & Nairn: see Proctor & Donald (2000) Moray & Nairn Bird Report 1999: 84-92 Cormorant Tommy Daniels Clyde Birds Winner of Best Artwork in a Scottish Local Bird Report European Shag (Shag) Phalacrocorax aristotelis | Winter/spring: 2,154 Scapa Flow Ork, 316 Gullane-English border L/B, 258 Eyemouth B, 192 L.na Keall] Mull ae 106 Kincraig F in Jan; 628 Scapa Lone invBebs UL 7.bife nee F in Apr; 270 Kincraig F in Jun. j increased by 19% to 266 AONS. Across 14 UK colonies (mostly in Scotland) the 199 OANs SW Scot NWScot Shet NScot SE Scot MBP was 1.06, well below the long-term mean of 1.32) 1998 1,022 1,344 1,286 224 960 : In SE Scotland breeding success at St.Abbs Head w 0.93, lower than the long-term mean of 1.26 there. Th poor attendance on the Isle of May and lack of breed. ing behaviour dropped the figure there to 0.33, wel Productivity below the long-term mean of 0.81. Success was als SW Scotland : : : : : lower than average at North Sutor with 1.36 (mean 1.52 NW Scotland : : : : . whole on Shetland the 0.98 figure was the lowest re Shetland corded since 1990 due to spring storms washing nest off the cliffs and Aug storms washing away the unfledge chicks hatched from re-lays. Success on Fair Isle wa. 1999 1,030 924 1.034 266 546 Yochange +0.8 -31.3 -19.6 +18.8 -43.1 N Scotland SE Scotland 1.13 (mean 1.41) for much the same reasons. In W.Scotland mink were responsible for severe chick predation on Ab Glas eilean. 7 other colonies with 350 nests fledged 0.92, below the estimate for mink-free colonies of 1.30 in 1998. Canna also had low success at MBP 0.91. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000.) R.D.Murray [Ed.] 17 Shet 1,213 nests were counted along 19 areas of coast, 16% fewer than the last count; Fair Is poorest breeding performance since the sand-eel crisis; Ork 227 nests noted at 5 sites; OHeb 506 nests Shiant Is where 1,777 in 1986, 20 AONSs St.Kilda ; High ; M&N further increase at Portknockie to 22 nests with 2 nests Covesea; Bord 18% decrease St.Abbs to 165 nests, also 26 nests Fast Castle stacks; Arg 374prs at 8 sites (351 at 8 sites in 1997), 608 nests on 7 islands in complete survey of Treshnish Is., 516 nests Sanda Is. (564), 38 nests Coll reserve, 149 nests Tiree, 17 nest Eilean Beg, Jura; 30 ads Garvellachs, also 39 nests at 2 sites on Colonsay; Clyde Is 70prs Pladda Is, Arran; Ayr 251 nests Finnarts Pt.-Downan Pt. (183), 17 nests Balcheuchan-Lendalfoot. Autumn/winter: 357 around Bute coast Clyde Is, 184 L.Ryan D&G, 172 Kincraig in Sep; 230 Kinghorn F & 224 N.Ronaldsay Ork in Oct; 750 Pittenweem F, 682 Kincraig, 250 Elie Ness F & 120 Aberlady L in Nov; 1,419 S. Yell Sound Shet, 237 Lendalfoot Ayr & max 89 Clyde Est. Clyde in Dec. Movements: 219 Eyemouth 1 May; 1,550N Peterhead NE 6 Mar with 1,270N on 4 Dec; 300W Elie F 18 Dec. Great Bittern (Bittern) Botaurus stellaris 1 Auchenreoch L. D&G 4 Jan; ad m found dead on road Appin Arg 19 Sep; 1 Endrick Mouth Clyde 20 Dec. Skin of Arg bird now in NMS, Edinburgh. First for Argyll since 1982. Black-crowned Night Heron (Night Heron) Nycticorax nycticorax Breeding: No counts at Edinburgh Zoo L . Away from the Zoo birds were seen in Edinburgh at Chesser in May, Cramond in Jul & Saughton in Oct. Ist-s L.Caravat, N.Uist OH 26-29 Apr. The fourth record for Outer Hebrides, last being in 1987. * Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 1 found on board MV Hendra at Symbister, Whalsay Shet 27 Jan. The bird was taken into care at Gott and later flown to Portugal by British Airways. It was possibly seen at Quendale & Stromfirth the previous day. The first record for Shetland and only the third for Scotland,. The previous records were in Angus & Dundee in May 1979 & Dumfries & Galloway during Oct-Dec 1986. See Phillips (1999) Birding Scotland: 2: 77 & Marshall (2000) Shetland Bird Report 1999: 93-94 for account of this bird. Photo: see Shetland Bird Report 1999. Little Egret Egretta garzetta Singles Aird, Benbecula OH 5-7 May; Ythan Est. NE 22 May & 29 May and L.of Strathbeg NE on 25 May were presumed to all be the same bird; Bridgend Merse, Islay Arg 19 May was later seen L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 28 May; 1 Mersehead D&G 25 Oct. 15th record for the Outer Hebrides. Great Egret (Great White Egret) Egretta alba 1 Aird, Benbecula OH 27 Apr-17 May. The first record for Outer Hebrides was accompanied by a Little Egret. See Rabbitts (2000) in Outer Hebrides Bird Report 1999:100-101 for an account of the bird. [1998] 1 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 18 May. Great Egret Andrew Stevenson u Outer Hebrides Bird Report 18 Scottish Bird Report 1999 ET SS AN Oo PT AY Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Counts: 42 Clyde Est. Clyde, 17 Lowood P. B in Jan; 21 lower Devon Forth in Feb; 21 N.Solway WeBS D&G, 15 Blairdrummond Forth & 11 Baron’s Haugh Clyde in Mar; 14 Mersehead D&G in Apr. Breeding: Clyde 4% drop since 1998. Largest colonies include: 32 Finlaystone Estate Clyde, 27 Barmichael Plantation Clyde, 22 Duddingston L. L. Counts: 30 Eden Est. F in Jun; 32 Ythan Est. NE, ; =e 25 L.Ken D&G, 20 Lundin Links F & 14 Is of Area Colonies Nests Area Colonies Nests ; : Orkney 1 6 Borders 16 92 May in Aug; 78 Clyde Est., 55 Finlaystone Pt. Quter Heb 12 103 Argyll 5 Clyde, 50 at Ederline Arg, 49 Hunterston Ayr, | 1 Clyde Is 31 North Solway WeBS, 20 Findhorn Bay M&N, Clyde 19 St.Andrews Golf Course F, 17 outer L.Etive Arg, | 14 Scoughall L & 14 Dam L., Uyeasound Shet in | Ayr 3 3 3 D&G 6. Sep; 23 Bridge of Walls Shet, 21 Kip Water Clyde, Nov; 56 Hunterston & 22 N.Solway WeBS in Dec. 4 through St.Kilda OH 5 Aug-18 Oct; 10 Fair Is 21 Sep. * Purple Heron Ardea purpurea | imm Megget Res. B 28 Jun. Second record for Borders. See Smith, T. (2000) in Borders Bird Report 19: 91 for an account of the bird. * Eurasian Spoonbill (Spoonbill) Platalea leucorodia 1 ad L.of Strathbeg NE 8-26 May; | ad Vane Farm P&K 11-13 Jun; Ist-s Vane Farm 21 Jun-2 Sep; 4 ads L.of | Strathbeg 26-30 Jun when joined by | imm, | ad remained 1-7 Jul; imm Raith Res. Ayr 10 Sep. Third record for Ayrshire. A Strathbeg bird was colour-ringed as a pullus on Terschelling, Netherlands in 1994 . It passed through East Anglia in Jun 1999 appearing at Strathbeg in 26 Jun. It and another moved away on 30 Jun. They were seen at Cleveland on I Jul 200kms to the south, where they started nest building. See P.Baxter (2000) in North-east Scotland Bird Report 1999: 122 for an account of the colour-ringed individual. * White Stork Ciconia ciconia Singles Roxburghe Golf Course, Kelso B 30 Mar; 1 Rathen NE 19-20 Apr, probably the same as | Pitsligo NE 24 Apr; 1 Careston A&D Ist Sep when it flew N into NE Scot; 1 Lumsdaine B 29 Sep; 1 Tyrie NE 7-10 Oct. | Inveralmond Park, Perth P&K 1 Oct to Dec bore a frail looking colour ring and was described as an escape. 4th record for Angus & Dundee, 5th & 6th records for Borders, 12th-13th for North-east Scotland. Photo of Careston bird: see Birding Scotland 3(1) cover. Mute Swan Cygnus olor 439 L.of Harray Ork, 212 L.Bee, S.Uist OH in winter. 140 L.Skene NE, 127 Ayr Ayr, 103 Knightswood Park, Glasgow Clyde, 87 St.Margaret’s L. L, 85 Craigluscar Res. F, 75 Bingham’s P. Clyde, 50 Oban Arg, 44 L.Spynie M&N in Jan; 190 Montrose A&D, 80 Saltcoats Ayr, 79 Strathclyde L. Clyde, 49 Forth/Clyde canal Forth in Feb; 96 L.of Stenness Ork in Mar; 109 Hogganfield L. Clyde, 101 Linlithgow L. L, 60 Hendersyde B in Apr; 130 Leven Cut F, 103 Eden Est. F & 68 L.Ken D&G in May. Breeding Pairs Nests Broods Young | Juvs were 19.1% of 431 aged birds i in Bord Shet during Jan-Mar. | Ork ? : Moult flocks: 404 L.Leven P&K, 302 Montrose | M&N North- : : : ; ee = Langbank Clyde & 60 Carlingwark D&G in P&K Jul; 422 L.Bee, S.Uist, 255 L.of Strathbeg NE, Fife : : 199 Musselburgh L, 170 Ayr, 100 Linlithgow Forth - | L., 99 Cramond L in Aug. OHeb ? Basin, 206 Hogganfield L., 129 Strathclyde Park, L., 127 Tweed Haughs B, 83 Mugdrum Is. F, 77 L.Ore F in Sep; 137 L.Skene, 102 Castle L. D&G, 80 Forfar L. A&D & 65 Broadwood L. Clyde in Oct; 495 L.of Harray, 107 Fourden 16 Ugie Est. NE in Oct; 28 Ardencaple Clyde in | 100 R.Leven Clyde, 72 Doonfoot Ayr, 69 | Counts: 136 Clyde Est. Clyde, 132 Strathclyde | R.D.Murray [Ed.] 19 Ee a ae De NG EIR IN ORT MORE Tab Se FE OST RUDD ECU QE PUN SE OL ET SP CSL TT SS NC yD SE P&K, 104 Leven Cut, 68 L.a’Phuill. Tiree Arg in Nov; 141 Montrose Basin, 110 Rhynd P&K, 101 Inverleith P., Edinburgh L, 96 Ayr, 89 Bingham’s P., 88 R.Tweed at Rutherford B, 79 Tyninghame L, 71 Knightswood Park, 44 L.Spynie, 43 Oban in Dec. Juvs formed 22.8% of 732 aged birds in Bord Oct-Dec. See Brown, A.W. & Brown, L.M. (2000) in Lothian Bird Report 1999: 111-119 for an account of Lothian breeding season. Tundra Swan (Bewick’s Swan) Cygnus columbianus - 2 Ballo Res. F 9 Jan; 2 Thwaite Farm D&G 13 Feb. 2 Craigend Farm, Auchmuir F 20 Oct increased to 17 on 1 Nov, peaking at 26 on 17 Nov but dropped to 7 by 12 Dec, the last date seen. 1 Caerlaverock D&G 28 & 31 Oct & 14 Nov.; 13 New Gullet, L.Leven P&K 5 Nov; 1 Lecropt Forth 12 Nov; 2 L.Leven P&K 20 Dec. Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus Winter/spring counts: 262 L.of Strathbeg NE, 246 (sev. sites) S.Uist OH, 207 Ravenstruther Clyde, 181 Caerlaverock D&G, 141 Black Cart Water Clyde, 124 R.Clyde at Thankerton Clyde & 102 Wigtown Bay D&G in Jan; 129 E.Loth L( sev. sites), in Feb; 600 (sev.sites) S.Uist, 139 L.of Strathbeg in Mar; 102 Caerlav- erock in Apr. These were the only counts of >99 birds. Sites with 25-99 noted Jan-Mar: Ork (7 flocks, max 66), M&N (2, max 39); NE (3); A&D (1, max 47), P&K (7, max 89), Fife (3, max 76); Forth (3, max 45); Bord (7, max 75); Argyll (4, max 48); Clyde (2, max 63), Ayr (3, max 50); D&G (7, max 181). Aged flocks: 26.2% in Fife, 23.7% juvs in Bord, 20% in Forth, 14.6% juvs in Ayr. Passage birds noted: 40N Dervaig, Mull Arg 11 Mar; 5ON Dreghorn Ayr & 20 on sea Kilrenny F 24 Mar; 125N Carnish, N.Uist OH 24-30 Mar; 48N Arinagour, Coll Arg 25 Mar; 18W Is of May 29 Mar; 40W Lein M&N 14 Apr. No spring birds noted Fair Isle. Last birds noted (other than summering birds): Clyde Is & Bord 4- 6 Apr; Loth 13 Apr; Arg 28 Apr; Forth 30 Apr; Ayr 19 May; M&N 24 May; Clyde 8 Jun. Breeding: Shet usual pair (since 1994) reared br1, another pair showed signs of nest-building but were driven off by Mutes; High pr may ahve bred L.Insh. Summer: 3 Spiggie Shet; pr+imm summered L.Grogary, N.Uist OH with 2prs & single L.Bee, S.Uist OH; up to 7 L.a’ Phuill, Tiree Arg in June but only 1-3 there Jul/Aug; elsewhere singles noted Shet (sev), Ork (5), OHeb (9), High (4), D&G & Arg (3), M&N & Clyde (2) & single birds NE, P&K, Bord & Ayr. Autumn: Odd flock of 50-100 high over Forres M&N 22 Aug, otherwise the first birds were noted at: Machrie, Islay Arg 16 Sep; Shet 26 Sep; OHeb 28 Sep; D&G & Loth 30 Sep; Forth, Clyde & Fife 2 Oct; Ork, Fair Is, M&N, NE, P&K, Clyde Is, Ayr & Bord 3-5 Oct. Passage: 22S Drimsdale, S.Uist OH 28 Sep. Rapid build-up Strathbeg to 221 on 8 Oct similar build-up at Black Cart Water to 99 by 14 Oct. On Ork several large counts through Oct showed the accumulation of numbers as birds arrived with 89 Deerness & 75 Skaevrae 14 Oct. There then followed a slow build-up through Oct with the main arrival during the first week of Nov when northern sites peaked as birds passed south. In Shet 114 arrived overnight at Unst along with 52 at Burrafirth, 30 Haroldswick & 40 at Baltasound with 62 Papil Water, Yell on 3 Nov & 50 Foula on 4 Nov. In Ork numbers rose with 187 Lea Shun, Stronsay 20 Oct, 92 Ladybank, Sanday 26 Oct; 103 Braebuster 5 Nov & 111 Vasa L. Shapinsay 7 Nov before number sharply declined into Nov. 300 passed S at Bayhead, N.Uist OH on 1-2 Nov; with the peak of 127 on Tiree on 5 Nov. Similarly the peak of 413 Strathbeg occurred on 7 Nov. After the movement only 157 were located during the Shet census (25 sites) on 7 Nov. The Black Cart Water peaked at 177 on 30 Oct & 7 Nov with 122 staying into in Dec. This number however was ' topped by a remarkable record 393 at Thankerton on 14 Nov, although this tailed-off to just 125 in Dec. ' Other Nov/Dec counts >99 birds include: 148 Craigend Farm F, 138 Dalreoch P&K & 108 Harestanes B in | Nov; 191 Caerlaverock in Dec. | Otherwise max area counts: Shet (7 flocks, max count 62); Ork 2, max 54), NE (2, max 413); A&D (1, max - 49), P&K (2, max 64), Fife (5, max 148); Forth (3, max 54); Loth (2, max 79); Bord (6, max 108); Arg (3, max » 86); Ayr (2, max 50); D&G (3, max 191). | Aged flocks: 21.7% juvs Shet on 7 Nov. 20.2% juvs in Bord; 19.8% juvs in Ayr, 13% juvs in Forth. 20 Scottish Bird Report 1999 LFS LS ea Se a Ae Se ERS ne sO EWES WARS A ef RO EU NE RO OE OP OT Bean Goose Anser fabilis | Taiga Bean Goose 4. fabilis . Winter/Spring: Wintering flock at Fannyside L./Slammanan Plateau Clyde/Forth: max counts were 168 Gar- bethill Clyde 6 Jan; 132 L. Ellrig Forth 10 Jan; 168 Fannyside Moor Clyde 30 Jan & 150 Garbethill 10 Feb. Elsewhere: 1 Milnathort F 9 Jan; 1 L.of Skaill Ork 14 Mar; 1 Twatt Ork 31 Mar. 1 unassigned bird Stronsay Ork in Jan Autumn/Winter: First 100 Fannyside L. 6 Oct with 176 there 20 Oct, max 188 Easter Fannyside Farm 12 Nov before settling on 180 through Dec. Also 27 Slammanan Forth 3 Dec. This flock continues to increase (max 168 in 1998/99). 1 Whitefields, Meikle L. NE 2 Oct; 1 Gennoch Moor D&G 27 Oct; 1 Malaclete, N.Uist OH 12-13 Dec. . Tundra Bean Goose 4.frossicus ; .. 1 L.Leven P&K 10 Mar with 2 there 19 & 20 Dec; | Skaill Ork 19 Mar; 1 Pittrathie Farm F 28 Dec to 2000. th ’ Second record for Fife. \ Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus i Winter/spring counts: Few large counts away from main resorts: 4,250 P&K, 2,500 Phantassie F, 2,000 Druim | MEN in Jan; 7,000 Ravenstruther Clyde, 4,800 Caerlaverock D&G, 3,000 Blairdrummond Forth, 3,000 | f Huntly Farm A&D, 2,000 Star Moss F_ in Feb; 9,000 The Meetings Clyde, 5,029 Wigtown Bay D&G, 5,000 ! The Myres F, 4,500 Tomhommie M&N, 3,000 Newburgh F, 2,500 Miltonhill M&N in Mar; 8,000 Ythan Est. | : NE, 6,500 Mugdrum Is. F, 5,000 Glenrothes F, 4,300 Tarras M&N, 2,000 Thornhill Carse Forth in Apr; 1,500 [ Mugdrum Is. in May As seen in 1998, smaller flocks are becoming established in new areas including: Kelvin Valley Clyde, max 210 in Mar & in the Endrick Valley Clyde, max 700 in Mar. Last regular birds Clyde Is 29 Apr; Ayr & Fife 10-14 May; Loth 20 May; Arg 2 Jun; Shet & OHeb 8-10 Jun. | _ Pink-footed Goose - Resort maxima: Jan-Apr & Sep-Dec Resort Jan Feb Mar Apr Sep Oct L.of Strathbeg NE 11340 = 11906 24312. 13,409 27,949 29,847 Montrose Basin A&D 300 = 19.225 2,209 3,230 8,000 102 Strathallan P&K 4,920 _ 4.750 4,900 11,650 - - Carsebeck P&K 15,400 11,500 | Dupplin L. P&K : : : : 2,800 | NE Fife (sev sites) F = | Tentsmuir/Abertay F : - 3,000 Aberlady Bay L ay, : 4,550 : Threipmuir/Bavelaw L - West Water Res. B . : : 13,134 | | | | Hule Moss B : 19,100 1,050 0 Summer: Birds (probably injured): M&N (4-6), Fife (1), Loth (1), Bord (2). Feral birds present Blackford P., Figgate P., Duddingston L. (all Edinburgh ) L; Tyninghame L (2), Tweedbank P. B & Lochend L. Clyde. sites cout . count Autumn: First 8 Ythan Est. 27 Aug; | Balphetrish 23 90 Bay, Tiree Arg 30 Aug; NE 10 Sep; A&D & Bord 59 2 532 : 12-13 Sep; A&D, MEN, Fife & Forth 23-26 Sep; 8 45,536 : 40,458 : OHeb and Ayr 28-30 Sep; Is of May, Ork & Shet S101 28. 72,901 34.3 | 3-16 Oct. | 63,519 30. 25,786 12.1 | Away from main resorts the max counts include: 2,932 1. 5060.2 | 5.200 Walston Clyde, 3,000 L. of Lintrathen A&D, ae 1,228 0.5 | 2.176 Whitton L. B in Oct; 4,000 Monikie A&D, eee as | 1,000 Thomhill, 3,100 Lecropt Forth in Now : 4,600 Covington Clyde in Dec. For account of the year for Pink-footed Goose in Lothian: see Brown (2000) Lothian Bird Report 1999: 120-124. ” [ay fou ae ae Source: Hearn, R. (2000) The 1999 National Census of Pink-footed Geese and Iceland Greylag Geese in Britain & Ireland. WWT. R.D.Murray [Ed.] 21 Greater White-fronted Goose (White-fronted Goose) Anser albifrons Greenland White-front 4.a.flavirostris (includes un-raced birds) Argyll: 8,931 on Islay in Jan (12,418 in ‘98). The low figure was probably due to birds wintering in Ireland. 20,192 were censused in the area count of late Mar (17,669 in ‘98): 13,560 on Islay, 3,219 at 3 sites on Kintyre, 128 on Tiree, 1,311 on Coll, 523 at 4 sites in mid-Argyll, 35 on Colonsay, 147 on Oronsay & 1,122 on Mull. Elsewhere: OHeb 177 wintered at 7 sites; Ork 110-125 West Mainland ; Clyde Is Bute flock average 170, max 200 there early Feb; Clyde max 267 Endrick Mouth Jan with 260 there in Apr, also 12 E.Fannyside L. in Jan; D&G max of 380 L.Ken in Feb, 114 West Freugh in Jan. Max elsewhere: 11 records in NE, 2 records A&D, c.8 records Fife, 4 records Ayr; 3 records P&K, M&N and Bord, 2 records Loth & single Shet. Best count: 5 St.Fergus NE 24 Jan. Spring: Mar-May passage noted: 32 L.of Hillwell Shet 1-7 May; 33 Munnoch Res. Ayr 3 May; Last Clyde 2 Apr; Fife 19 Apr; OHeb 23 Apr; Ayr 3 May; Shet 7 May; 3 L.Gruinart, Islay 14 May Breeding: P&K 1 nested Kercock P&K, mated to Chinese Goose, all eggs hatched; Arg 3prs of feral birds again bred in the southern Rhinns, Islay hatching 3br10 which was later reduced to 5 young; | injured on Tiree Arg. Autumn: First Islay 29 Sep; NE 30 Sep; OHeb 6 Oct; Ork, Clyde & Clyde Is 10 Oct; Bord 26 Oct; Shet 29 Oct. 18,710 birds in Argyll census 14-18 Nov (17,735 in ‘98) with 13,871 on Islay, 2,292 at 2 sites on Kintyre, 1,148 on Tiree, 845 on Coll, 336 at 2 sites in mid-Argyll, 166 on Colonsay & 52 on Mull. Ageing on Islay showed 10.4% were young birds (10-year mean 15.5%) with MBS 3.60 (4.09 in ‘98) which indicate the 3rd-worst breeding season in the last 10 years. Passage: 580S at 3 sites N.Uist OH 8 Oct; - Elsewhere: Ork 120-141 noted West Mainland; OHeb 187 wintered, max 78 L.Bee & 61 Kilphedar; Bord up to 26 wintered Bemersyde Oct-Dec, the first record of substantial number ever wintering; Clyde max 200 En- drick Mouth 14 Nov & 15 Croftamie in Dec; D&G 170 L.Ken in Oct, rising to 380 by Dec, also 42 Castle Kennedy in Oct & 329 West Freugh in Dec. 5 records NE, 4 P&K,3 Fife, 2 M&N & singles Shet, Fair Is & Ayr: max 5 Dalreoch P&K in Dec. European White-front 4.a.albifrons Spring: | Lairo Water, Shapinsay Ork 9 Jan; 1 Carnbee F and Cameron Res. F 7 Feb; 1 Redland Ork 20 Feb; 1 Firth Ork 23 Feb. | Autumn: | Mill Dam, Shapinsay Ork 17 Sep; 1 Carsebeck P&K 23 Oct; 2 Lecropt Forth 9 Nov; 4 L.of Vensilly, S.Ronaldsay Ork & 1 Redland 13 Nov; 1 Drip Carse Forth 5 Dec. Greylag Goose Anser anser Jan-Apr area max: Shet 508 at L.of Spiggie in Jan; Ork 1,200 Swart Holm in Jan, 3,000 at Work in Feb and 1,340 S.Ronaldsay in Mar; OHeb 2,542 in Feb census; M&N 500 Findhorn Bay in Mar; NE 2,932 L.Skene in Mar; P&K 2,600 Strathearn & 720 L.Leven in Jan, 500 Scone in Mar; Fife 1,500 Eden Est.& 800 Craigluscar Res. in Mar; Forth 530 Drip Carse in Jan; Loth 300 Threipmuir in Apr; Bord 830 Hirsei in Jan & 830 Bemer- syde in Mar; Arg 3,502 Argyll census late Mar, 51.5% on Tiree; Clyde Is 400 Shiskine, Arran in Mar; Clyde 1,100 Endrick Mouth in Jan, 750 Millichen Flood & 460 Summerston in Feb, 1,200 Torrance & 430 R. Clyde at Lamington in Mar; Ayr 950 Tarbolton & 770 Maybole in Mar; D&G 1,000 West Connell in Feb, 600 Crocket- field & 560 Wigtown Bay in Mar. Greylag Goose - Resort maxima: Jan-Apr & Sep-Dec Resort Jan Feb Mar Apr Sep Oct Nov Dec L.Spynie M&N - - - - - 2,600 2,700 2,900 Findhorn Bay M&N - - 500 - - 2,600 - - Threipmuir Res. L 150 6 - 300 350 1,300 600 - | L.Ken/R.Dee D&G 575 202 151 127 It 254 896 1,742 | Breeding: Shet new record of 36 broods Unst, bred at another 5 sites, moult flocks total c.220 birds; Ork total _ of 103prs (98) with 53prs W.Mainland, 20+prs Copinsay & 18prs Gairsay with 280 L.of Isbister & 246 L.of Tankerness in Aug; OHeb 83 young Lewis, 9br36 L.Druidibeg, S.Uist, 3,544 counted in Aug census; M&N _ 4ads & 23 young Lochindorb, a new site for area; NE bred 2 sites; P&K 90prs L.Leven, | lprs L.Moraig and small numbers 6 other sites, largest flocks 245 Marlee L. & 220 in Sep/Oct; Fife 264 in Kirkcaldy feral flock in - Oct, bred min 3 sites; Loth 9 sites with c.33br172+, including 20br100 Gladhouse Res., MBS 5.0 where 490 bird in Jun; Bord c.15prs at 6 sites, 5br24 noted; Arg 134br495 (MBS 3.69) Tiree with 2,890 in Tiree census a IS ET EN IO I Ys ES SY 22 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | a So SE 29 Aug of which 29.7% were juvs, 13br40 Colonsay, 4br14 Islay with nests & young seen at other areas; Clyde |_ max 207 Hogganfield L. in Jul & 166 Millichen Flood in Aug with c.18prs at 8 sites producing c.11br39; Ayr |) \ birds at 7 sites with 31 young noted; D&G 12prs L.Ken & 20prs +40 juvs Lochinvar. First broods: OHeb 7 May; Fife 9 May; Arg 13 May; Shet 16 May; Bord & Ayr 20 May. Autumn Grey Goose Census Area sites count % sites count % Autumn/winter: First Fair Is on 20 Sep; M&N i ; Ork 9, 11437 23° Ii, 20475 272 26 Sep; Bord 27 Sep; Ayr 29 Sep; Shet 10 Oct; | ~ NScot 2. 15333 320 11 20.672 22 | Clyde'16 Oct. ae ae L aes a fe ae ae Monthly area max: 6,000 L.of Lintrathen A&D, | | ue 3,500 Lyne of Skene NE, 2,100 Shapinsay Ork, |_| SE Scot 14 965 2.0 | n00 Nuition MEN © 880 LumicchCIndea WScot 8 1045 22 59 0340 3 , apres Ne ee SW Scot 3 758 16 g 761 1.0 Oct; 10,000 Dinnet L. NE, By 000 L.of Swannay | a England 12 1262. 26 12 1619 21 Ork, 1,100 S.Ronaldsay Ork, 1,060 Strathallan | f Ireland 0 0 0 7 2522 33 P&K, 1,005 Lumsdaine B, 1,000 Ballo Res. F, : Total 47,970 75,866 825 Dunrossness Shet and 800 Gart Forth, | © Source: Hearn, R. (2000) The 1999 National Census of Pink-footed | 800 Lecropt Forth in Nov; 1,870 Millichen, i; : Geese and Iceland Greylag Geese in Britain & Ireland. WWT. 990 Kilconquhar L. F & 730 Maybole Ayr in ’ Dec. | 1,473 i in Ork Oct census rising to a new record of 20,475 in Nov; 4,289 in Argyll census mid-Nov with! 72% on Tiree. Snow Goose Anser caerulescens . Wild? birds: 1 L.a’Phuill, Tiree Arg Jan-7Feb; 1 Port Charlotte, Islay Arg 9-24 Feb; 1 at Caerlaverock D&G } 20-30 Mar. : 1 L.of Strathbeg NE 8-10 Oct, later seen Balmedie NE 15 Oct & Meikle L. NE 15 Oct-7 Nov before cama it , to Strathbeg/ St.Fergus area to 26 Nov. : Feral birds: 30+ Coll Arg 25 Mar (no data on Mull birds); 4W Stillgarry, S.Uist OH 16 May; 1 paired with I hybrid goose Bardowie L. Clyde & 2 Kilmardinny L. Clyde 19 May; | Lochend L. Clyde 7 Jul; 1 Caerlaverog D&G from 4 Sep-17 Oct; 1 Drymen Clyde 16-17 Nov (with a Canada Goose). Canada Goose Branta canadensis Resident birds: NE max 7 Meikle L. in Mar with 1-2 seen at several sites Apr-May, 7 summered Y than Est. with 9 Meikle L. Sep-Oct; P&K 76 Freuchie & 52 Butterstone in Feb, 200+ L.Monzievard & 80 L.of the Lowes in| : Jul, 232 Drummond P., 173 L.of Craiglush & 63 L.Leven in Sep, 172 Avercairney in Oct; Forth 24 Bonny-| — bridge in Jan, 40 Cambusmore in Feb, pairs seen at 6 sites with 16 juvs noted Glen Finglas, 50 Gart, 53 L. Venachar| " & 39 Glen Finglas in Dec; Loth 4 nests Duddingston L., reared br10 seen also hybrid pair Gladhouse Res., max} ~ 27 noted Duddingston & 23 at Linlithgow L.; Bord singles at 2 sites with hybrid pairing (Greylag) Lumsdaine P.|_ ~ rearing br5; Arg 23 Likoran, Colonsay in Jan with 52 L.Awe (S end) in Mar - 10br29 Colonsay with 33 non- .” breeders, hybrid (with Barnacle) with br3 Baleromin, broods at 3 other sites on mainland; Clyde 69 Endrick| ~ Mouth in Feb, 69 S.L.Lomond In Mar, 108 Barcraigs Res. in Jun, 209 Summerston in Aug. 211 Gadloch in Oct} ~ & 234 Barcraigs & 234 Rowbank Res. in Nov, bred 9 sites with 12br57 noted; Ayr 93 Barcraigs Res. in Feb;|_ f D&G bred L.Ken where in Jul also 192 N.Solway WeBS in Aug. Yorkshire-Beauly Firth moult-migration: 32 Mains of Usan A&D 11 May; 140N Dalnamein P&K 14 May, 94N Eyemouth B 29 May; 8 Loch Gelly F 30 May; 27N St.Abbs B 4 Jun; 16 Ythan Est. NE 5 Jun; 30N Newmains B 7 Jun; 20N Bridge of Don NE & 16W Kingston M&N 11 Jun; 25 W Kippo F & 12 Aberlady L 13 Jun; 14 L.of Strathbeg NE 14 Jun; 11W Leuchars} © F 18 Jun; 12 Tyninghame L 27 Jun with 16 Tyninghame 25 Jul; 51 Aberlady 28 Jul; 40 Moine Mhor Arg 9 Aug;) * 41 Kinnordy A&D & 20S Kilrenny F 20 Aug; 21E past Higgins Neuk Forth 21 Aug; 35 Eden Est. F 24 Aug;}" © 9 Meikle L. NE 12 Sep; 25 N.Couston L 26 Oct. Several Canada flocks arriving in autumn & wintering: 75-80 Carse of Stirling Forth Aug-Dec; 24 Martnaham L. Ayr Sep-Dec; 24 Whiteadder Res. L Oct-Dec. Possible vagrants: Single small or medium-sized birds on Islay Arg noted at 13 sites Jan-Apr; 1 small bird} ~ Trumisgarry, N.Uist OH 13-14 Feb & L. Bruist, Benbecula OH 23 Feb. 3 small race Meikle Water, Stronsay Ork late Aug; 1-2 medium & small-medium birds noted Islay at 6 sites Oct-|* Dec. Small-race bird with local breeders Kilmardinny L. Clyde 19 May was probably a feral bird. N Photo of hutchinsii birds on Islay: see Birding World 12:5 | r R.D.Murray [Ed.] 23 Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis Svalbard flock: The 1998/99 Solway D&G census- 22,209 birds with 15.6 % juvs & MBS 1.67. J F M A M Ss O N D N.Solway WeBS 2004 4318 2000 1548 0 2 2900 1000 2001 Small numbers of what are presumably Svalbard birds now winter at L.of Strathbeg NE with 136 there on 2 Jan, 302 on 29 Jan, 125 on 21 Feb & 42 on 14 Mar. Smaller numbers, evidently now wintering, noted Jan-Mar with: 12 Strathallan P&K, 10 Eden Est. F and 1-3 at various sites in Fife; 1-7 noted at various sites in E. Lothian L; 4 Bavelaw L Feb & Mar; 4-8 at West Water Res. B; max 10 Millichen Flood Clyde, 10 Balmore Haughs _ Clyde & 1-6 at 4 other sites in Clyde; 1-2 at various sites in Ayr Jan-Mar may have been Svalbarders but could equally have originated from Greenland. Spring departure from Caerlaverock was mostly in early May with 13 still present 13 Jun Passage from Solway noted when 170 over Belhaven L & 16E Musselburgh L 26 Apr; 230 Newmains B 28 Apr; 150 Coldingham B 29 Apr; 100 Fair Is 12 May; 67 N.Ronaldsay Ork & 36 Fair Is 21 May. Numbers also rose at Strathbeg to peak of 321 birds in Apr as passage birds passed through. Last Fife 16 Apr; Bord 29 Apr; M&N, P&K & Loth 2-10 May; Shet 19 May; Fair Is 21 May. _ Autumn: Apart from a few isolated records in early Sep, the Svalbard population appears to have been some- _ what ahead of the Greenlanders this autumn. The Svalbarders passage was well underway before the end of Sep, whereas the Greenlanders only attained full steam during the first half of October. As usual birds passing ' through Shetland could have originated from either population. | 5 Is of May 28 Aug and 4 L.of Strathbeg 4 Sep could have been migrants but were more likely feral caught up _ inthe Canada Goose moult migration. Otherwise the first back were seen off Fife on 18 Sep; Shet & Loth 19 Sep; ' D&G 20 Sep; M&N 21 Sep; Bord 23 Sep; P&K & Ayr 27-29 Sep; Is of May & Forth 4-10 Oct. ! Build up at Caerlaverock reached 15,389 by 6 Oct. ~ Visible passage was much poorer than usual this year with the best counts of 53 Fife Ness F 18 Sep; 200 ) Newmains 23 Sep; 200 Eden Est. F 26 Sep; 74 Nairn Bars M&N & 70 Musselburgh 27 Sep; 195 Musselburgh, 188 Aberlady & 90 Irvine Ayr 29 Sep; 40 Eddleston B 30 Sep; 264 Musselburgh, 116 Fife Ness & 106 Hound | Pt. L 4 Oct; 150 East Linton L 5 Oct. | Later movements, mostly 1-5 birds included 15 Carsebeck P&K 15 Oct; 120 over E.Linton 4 Nov. _ The 1998/99 Solway Firth census gave a total of 24,100 birds with 10.9% juvs and MBS 1.60. _ Fewer small parties than usual lingered away from Solway Oct-Dec. The L.of Strathbeg birds peaked at only 142 on 3 Nov and just 2-4 birds Bord &1 Forth with none lingering M&N, Fife, Loth & Ayr. Greenland flock: Jan census on Islay Arg had 35,417 birds (32,392 in ‘98). Elsewhere in Arg: 300 Colonsay and 150 Balmeanach, Mull in Jan; 1,572 Tiree in Feb. During Argyll census 27-3 Mar: 35,172 on Islay, 1,390 Tiree, 931 Coll, 228 Oronsay & 178 on Colonsay. ~ On Orkney counts 1,000 South Wall, Hoy Jan-Apr with 1-5 elsewhere on the islands until Apr. Elsewhere: 1,648 Berneray & N.Uist OH in Feb; | Departure from mid-Apr: 2,000 left L.Gruinart, Islay 19 Apr; main passage OHeb 16-19 Apr when 750 noted at various sites moving NW; 52 over Tiree 24 Apr. Last regular Ork 28 Apr. Stragglers seen OHeb to 16 May & Arg to 19 May. First arrivals were singles L.Gruinart 6 Sep & L.Indaal, Islay 17 Sep with 3 Ballinaby Arg 22 Sep; 18 Grimnish Pt., Lewis OH 30 Sep; ~ Main arrival in first half of Oct with 13,370 L.Gruinart, Islay by 11 Oct when 2W Machrihanish Arg with 585 _ Balphetrish, Tiree 20 Oct. Main movement of just 150 N.Uist & 232S S.Uist OH between 8-17 Oct. ' Argyll census mid-Nov: 35,729 Islay, 1,024 Tiree, 433 Danna Is., 576 Oronsay/Colonsay & 303 Coll. _ 21 Shiskine, Arran Clyde Is in Dec. Aged sample of 11,107 birds on Islay gave only 8.1% juvs with MBS 1.9 indicating a very poor breeding season. e.1,000 Ork, mostly at S.Walls Sep-Dec. _ Feral birds. Odd birds, perhaps in the Canada moult migration, or injured, include 1-2 Fair Is & Shet in late May » & Jun; 1-2 Ythan Est. NE, L.of Strathbeg & Haddo NE between May-Aug; 5 Is of May 28 Aug. ' Resident birds were noted: P&K pr bred L.Leven, max 15 early Sep; Loth (5 sites); Clyde (5 sites, max 4); Ayr _ pr bred Horse Is with c/9 on 20 May. 24 Scottish Bird Report 1999} | a SA SPS UNL OE DESIST IR AUN LL ES ae eR RON Ra aie SR Me ae TET ae WENN oe as See Se hes NERO i Ey ed] Brent Goose Branta bernicla Pale-bellied Brent B.b.hrota Area 1 N. Isles - O.Heb* : 1 NE Scot - |, E/C Scot# - ie! SE Scot ie (| W Scot 4 175 - - D SW Scot 10 19 22 2 2 15 Totals present each month, includes un-raced birds : # many unassigned * some totals approximate Few in early-year: 8 L.Ryan D&G, 4 Eden Est. F & 3 Nairn Bar M&N in Jan; 3 S.Ford, S.Uist OH in Jan-Feb,| “' 2 Maidens Ayr Jan-May; 2 Scatness Shet in Feb; 20 L.Ryan & 4 Colonsay Arg in Mar with other singles Ork,| ‘ M&N (2), NE, A&D & Ork during Jan/Mar. i Passage in Apr/May: 30 L.Paible, N.Uist OH, 18 Stinky Bay, Benbecula in Apr; 5 L.Indaal, Islay Arg 9 Age i 6 Tayinloan Arg 11 Apr; 76 Gott Bat, Tiree Arg & 35 Balphetrish Bay, Tiree Arg 12 Apr; 3 Coble Shore F) 1 18-25 May; 45 Crossapol, Tiree 24 Apr; 6 Papa Westray Ork 12 May. Also 1-2 birds L.Leven P&K, St.Kildal 4 OH, Edenside F & Shell Bay F in Mar/Apr. Last P&K 17 Apr; Arg 24 Apr; OHeb | May; Ayr 27 May. it 1 L.of Strathbeg NE 24 Jul was unusual. | a Autumn/Winter: First 150 Grimnish Pt., N.Uist OH 30 Aug; 1 Eden Est. 31 Aug. Then Arg, M&N, Ayr & NE p 9-12 Sep; Shet & Bord 17-18 Sep; P&K & Loth 25-26 Sep. | 12S Machrihanish Arg 9 Sep; 5 Findhorn Bay M&N 9-10 Sep; large movement through OHeb 10-11 Sep when 500 grounded, 200S & 60W in parts of N.Uist & Barra; 6 Montrose Basin A&D 11 Sep; 7 Fife Ness F 12 Sep with 11 there 14 Sep; 30 L.Indaal, Islay Arg 28 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg & 10 The Reef, Tiree 16 Sep; 17 St.Abbs B 18 Sep; 43 Fife Ness 19-21 Sep; 12 L.Leven P&K 26 Sep; 26 Frenchman’s Rocks, Islay Arg 2 Oct; 13 Eden Est. 6 Oct; 10W Lossiemouth M&N 8 Oct; 71 Frenchman’s Rocks, Islay 9-10 Oct; 39 Nairn Bar M&N 10 Oct; 22 Machrihanish 11 Oct; 30W Anstruther F 16 Oct; 46 L.Gruinart, Islay 20 Oct; 5 Rattray NE 28 Oct. Winter: rather scarce during Nov-Dec with 12 L.Ryan, 5 L.Indaal, Islay & 5 L.Bee, S.Uist OH, 4 Virkie Shet, & 1-2 birds Tayport F, Tentsmuir Pt. F, Tyninghame L & Eyemouth B. Dark-bellied Brent B.b.bernicla 1 Redland Ork 19-20 Jan; 1 L.of Hellister, Weisdale Shet 4 Apr; 1 St.Kilda OH 28 Apr- 4 May. 1 Meikle L. NE & | Caerlaverock D&G 19 Oct; 1 Musselburgh L 21 Oct; 2 Aberlady L 23 Oct; 1 Slains NE 23-24 Oct; 1 Banff NE 25 Oct; 1 L.of Strathbeg NE 26 Oct-12 Nov; 14 Rattray NE 24 Oct; | Anstruther F 11 Noy; 2 Eden Est. F 22 Nov-8 Dec; 1 Tyninghame L 5 Dec. | While it is often difficult to identify fly-bys, the racial identity of any Brents seen should be forwarded to the local recorder whenever possible. | Common Shelduck (Shelduck) Tadorna tadorna Winter/spring: Numbers | Main resorts for Shelduck - WeBS and local maxima were the lowest on the | F May J Jul A Sep Oct : Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oc Clyde Est. Clyde since! Findhorn Bay M&N_ 12 16. 9 L.of Strathbeg NE 8 10 . 1991. Other counts include | Ythan Est. NE 45 22 256 Ardmore Pt. Clyde, | Eden Est. F 98 282 127 L.Paible, N.Uist OH, |, 66 Hunterston Ayr and N.Forth F 135 52! S.Forth L 145 332 | Forth Est. Forth - 2360 4714 3052 65 Dipple shore Ayr in Islay lochs* Arg Jan; 98 Nairn/Culbin Bars Clyde Est. Clyde M&N, 77 Scapa Flow N.Solway WeBS 1027 420 294 109 482 1129 1025 Ork. 47 The Strand. Tiree * L.Indaal & L.Gruinart Arg, 46 Widewall Bay, : Ork & 33 L.Don, Mull Arg in Feb; 212 West Ferry shore Clyde, 72 Tiree, 37 around Bute Clyde Is in Apr.|_ Pre-moult flock on Inner Clyde Est. reached 394 on 15 Jun and later peaked at 415 on 7 Jul. Breeding: a moderately successful breeding season. Ork 30prs Mainland, 25-30prs Sanday, 10prs Papa Westray; A&D bred Kinnordy; P&K 60prs L.Leven; Fife survey of Eden Est. found 108 AOTs in May which fledged) ! CT ES a BB r R.D.Murray [Ed] | 25 " between 34-62 young; Loth 4br26 Aberlady & 7br26 Tyninghame, | potential iniand pair; Bord 4 inland sites ~ with 4 br12; Arg 24prs Colonsay with 10br70, 7br41 Tiree & with 5br34 elsewhere; Clyde 43 young Long- - haugh Pt. reported from 14 inland sites Apr-Jun with br8 Ballochruin, br9 Drymen Bridge & 4br15 southern - L.Lomond; D&G now found at minimum of 4 inland sites. First young seen Ayr 5 May; Shet & Ork 18-19 May; Area Sites Pairs Broods Young MBS i ; p . | Shetland 3 4 4 Da 6.72 Fife & Arg 3 Jun; Bord 6 Jun; Is of May 13 Jun; Orkney A ae oe 633 Clyde 27 Jun. | OHebrides + 46 256, By Summer/autumn: Inner Forth moult flock at Kinneil M&N 8 3.63 stood at 2,360 on 25 Jul, rising to 4,174 on 7 Aug. North-east Birds dispersing from Forth Est. moult area include P&K peaks of 768 at Eden Est., 208 Aberlady L, 200 Ard- re i May more North Bay Clyde & 200 Dalmeny shore L in Forth Oct. Only tiny numbers return in the autumn to Shet, Lothian NE & M&N by Dec, implying that birds that have Borders moved to moult don’t bother returning to their breed- Areyll : ; Clyde Is ing area for the winter as they seem to do further south. Clyde Winter: 1.071 Montrose Basin A&D, 100 L.Paible, N.Uist in winter; 134 Ardmore Pt. in Dec. 6 AN aA BB OW fe We f ee — 1S) Ayrshire od ¥ eee fe ae ras | Tie a = Yee er aa SS ee = a= = = = Male Mandarin paired with female Mallard Tweedbank Pond, Borders, May 1999 Photo: Ray Murray i Winter/spring: Pr released Torlum P. P&K in Jan; 1m Largs Ayr 29 Jan-6 Feb; 1m Mill Ponds, New Abbey | D&G 18 Feb; 1m R.Ettrick at Selkirk B 21 Feb; 1f Lower Largo F 19 Apr; 2m R.Dee Inchgarth NE 3-18 May; -! Im Caerlaverock D&G 15 May-19 Jun; 1m Tweedbank P. & R.Tweed at Tweedbank B 15 May into 2000; 1m _| Stronoway, Lewis OH May to Aug; If Water of Leith, Edinburgh L 1 Jun. | Breeding: P&K 3m/2f present all year on R.Tay at R.Almond junction, 1f Hare Myre in May; Bord pr in ) suitable habitat Biglawburn near Eyemouth 24 Apr; Arg no details of breeding population but 2prs R.Shira | (i5kms N of L.Eck breeding area) in Dec. + Autumn: 1m Rouken Glen Park Clyde 14-21 Aug; 1m St.Monans Windmill F 3 Sep; 1m returned Largs 5 Sep, » also seen 14 Nov; 1m L.of Kinnordy A&D 12-13 Dec. 26 Scottish Bird Report 1999} EL a EN TT EE TN PP ESE | Eurasian Wigeon (Wigeon) Anas penelope Area Jan Feb Mar Sep Oct Nov Dec L.Harray Ork 5,263 2,585 1,255 = 35660 3.135" 4183 L.of Broadhouse Ork 895 282 320 = 12590) 545 340 Scapa Flow Ork 3.865. 2.758 ial - - - | Winter/Spring: 2,080 Montrose A&D,| Widewall Bay Ork 1,055 650 420 - 257 1,405 1,192 Forth Est. Forth, | ,140 Loch of FF Findhorn Bay M&N 1600 490 900 1811 ; Lossie Est. M&N 198 1177 575 135g | [sbister Ork, 1,042 Balfour Mains, jy Nairn/Culbin M&N 560 52 5 9 955 Shapinsay Ork, 800 Mersehead D&G, | Fi L.of Strathbeg NE 1203 346 349 418 | 680 Carseback P&K, 500 L.Bee,| , Ythan Est. NE 502,307 341 877 | S.Uist OH & 337 Kepple, Cumbraes) , oe aa i, a Clyde Is in Jan; 640 Tullibody Inch) 307 «114 417 280 Forth, 418 Gart Loch Forth, 410)" : 1931 1281 1224 1650 | Kingston M&N, 312 Endrick Mouth|_ Islay lochs Arg 618 510 802 512 | Clyde & 212 Merryton Clyde in Feb;) Clyde Est: Clyde 78 oe 232 | 390 Dalreoch P&K, 302 Cloddach) Wigtown Bay D&G 500 500 - NSolway WeBSD&G 255 622 goo | Quarry M&N, 300 L.Ascog, Butey Clyde Is in Mar. Breeding: Shet only breeds regularly at a single site where 9ads with 2br6, only sporadic occurence elsewhere;) Ork 16 broods reared at 10 sites, suspected at another; OHeb 3 broods Benbecula with 9prs (2 with nests) noted on S.Uist; M&N 2 broods (2br5) seen in traditional area of W.Moray & E.Nairn, several others at noted at othe sites in area; NE 2prs seen Braemar but no ducklings noted; P&K attempted to breed 14 sites, few young seen; | Fife 1-5 birds noted Kilconquhar L., Gaddon L. & L.Ore Meadows in summer with no evidence of breeding; Forth up to 10 birds in Jun Cambusmore & pr Kinneil in Jul; Loth 1-4 mm Musselburgh, Aberlady & Tyning-+ | hame in summer; Bord full survey revealed drastic reduction with just 1m+3ff found in area where 62 ads were} . noted in a similar survey in 1978 & 38 ads in 1987, disturbance by the perpetual presence of anglers at breeding) | lochs may be a factor although factors such as acidification due to afforestation were not investigated; Arg) _ 3br10 noted L.Tulla but no evidence elsewhere; Clyde pr summered Endrick & Kelvin Mouths and odd males at); several sites; D&G 3prs bred Mersehead. Autumn/Winter: 1,950 L.of Tankerness Ork in Sep; 596 L.of Lintrathen A&D, 492 L.Crinan Arg, 312 Tiree}. 300 Bogside Ayr in Oct; 1,400 L.Ryan D&G in Nov; 980 L.Ascog, Bute, 800 Mersehead, 580 Carsebeck, 570 L.Quien, Bute Clyde Is, 500 Threave D&G, 477 Kingston, 468 Forth Est., 455 Hightae & Castle L. D&G, 40 Gart L., 319 upper R.Forth Forth, 300 Whitrig B in Dec. * American Wigeon Anas americana i Ist-w m Ythan Est. NE from 1998 to 23 Jan; 1m first seen L.of Harray Ork in 1998 was still there 23 Feb; 1m Lossie Est. M&N staying there from 1998 until 12 Mar was relocated on 14 Nov after returning & remained _ into 2000; 1m Montrose Basin A&D 3-17 Jan, possibly the same bird returning there noted 26 Sep & 9 Oct; Im i L.of Strathbeg NE 27 Jan & 28 Mar; 1m L.of Tankerness Ork 13 Mar, possibly same bird returning there 1-2 Sep, couid also be the individual seen at L.of Tankerness & Mill Sound Ork from 11 Nov into 2000; Im Ade __ Est., Crinan Arg 3-18 Apr; Ist-s m Doonfoot Ayr 30 May-2 Jun; 1m L.Spynie M&N 19 Jun; 1m Brough Caith 1 Jul; 1m Ist-w m Udale Bay H 28 Oct; 1m L.of Suckquoy Ork 24 Nov into 2000. Second record for Ayrshire & the L Spynie bird was the fourth record for Moray & Nairn, 7th-Sth for Angus & Dundee and 14th for North-east Scotland. For account of Ayrshire bird: see Forrester (2000) Ayrshire Bird Report: 1999 70-71. [1998] 1m Kinneil Forth 25-26 Apr. Winter _max: 16 Baron’s Haugh Clyde & Strathclyde L. Clyde in Jan; 6 Keltie L. P&K & 4 Cameron Res. F in Feb; 5 Cambus Pools Forth & 4 Woodend L. Clyde in Mar with 5 Caerlaverock D&G in winter period) ~ Otherwise mostly 1-2 birds Jan/Mar with records from Shet (1 record) , Ork (3), M&N (1), NE (1), Fife (8)} ! Loth (5), Arg (1), Ayr (2). F Spring: Widespread influx in Apr but most singles or single pairs: the best counts were 13 Yetholm L. Bin May» with 7 Forfar L. A&D & 4 Cramond L in Jun. Gadwall Anas strepera : | | 4 ' _ Many sites had 1-2 males during _ Apr-Jun but few pairs lingered. ' Haroldswick area and at Hillwell - with no hint of breeding; Fair Is R.D.Murray [Ed.] +4) Breeding: N.Ronaldsay Ork Shet single pr lingered Uyeasound- Musselburgh L Baron’s Haugh Merryton Clyde pr passed through in May; Ork Sprs The Loons, 4prs Mill Dam, Shapinsay & single prs Birsay Moors, N.Ronaldsay, Papa Westray & Mill Burn, Stronsay; OHeb pr probably wandered to 3 different sites Benbecula,j M&N pr L.Spynie displayed but no suggestion of success, a pr on Lossie Est. moved through; NE 3prs lingered L.of Strathbeg without success but 2prs Sand L. and single prs Ythan Est. & Rigfa Farm moved through quickly; A&D Sprs bred Kinnordy ; / P&K 2prs bred near Perth; Fife 2prs Kilconquhar L. & single pr L.Gelly lingered to no success with prs at Eden + Est. & Carnbee passing through ; Loth prs at Dundas L. and Cramond did not stay while pr Musselburgh ' lingered to no effect; Bord br10 Yetholm L. in Jul fledged successfully; Arg pr lingered L.Gruinart, Islay but - did not breed; Clyde 31prs at 11 sites, 16prs Baron’s Haugh in Apr where 5ff reared 36 young, also br2 Raith ~ Haugh but was not proved to breed elsewhere; Ayr pr lingered Blairbowie early May with f seen in Jun. Autumn/winter: 44 Baron’s Haugh, 12 Mill Dam, Shapinsay Ork & 5 Bemersyde B in Aug; 28 Merryton, 20 Gartloch Pools Clyde, 12 L.Mor N.Uist OH, 10 Gaddon L. F, 9 Kilconquhar L., 5 L.a’Phuill, Tiree Arg & 3 _ Cruden Bay NE in Sep; 109 L.of Kinnordy A&D, 25 L.of Stenness Ork, 9 Auchencairney L. P&K, 8 Carse- > beck P&K, 8 Bothwell P. Clyde, 7 L.Ore F & 7 Carriston Lower Res. F in Oct; 14 Fordoun L. P&K, 5 Carnbee ~ & 3 Exnaboe Shet, 3 Gartmorn Forth in Nov; 7 Torlum P. P&K in Dec. Otherwise records of 1-2 birds during Oct-Dec in Shet (3), Ork (5), OHeb (3), M&N (1), Fife (1), Loth (3), Bord (2), Arg (5), Clyde (23), Ayr (2) & D&G (2). ' Eurasian Teal (Teal) Anas crecca | Winter/spring: See table for main resorts. 992 Forth Est. Forth, 430 New Cumnock Ayr, ' 297 L.of Isbister Ork, 270 Lochs of Banks WeBS L.of Harray Ork Mill Dam Ork Scapa Flow Ork Oct Nov Dec Ork, 265 Tiree Arg, 259 Carsebeck P&K, - 256 Skinflats Forth & 250 L.Ore F in Jan; _ 550 Baron’s Haugh in Feb. _ Elsewhere max areas counts include: 126 Shet, | 84 OHeb & 162 Loth. _ Breeding: Shet Sprs Fetlar, 4 broods seen | Unst; Ork 63prs breeding at 8 sites with 25prs i Hundland L., 16prs The Loons & 12prs Shap- | insay; OHeb 3 broods & juvs at 8 sites N.Uist with 2 broods & 2 nests at 2 sites in S.Uist; M&N single prs at 7 sites with 2br9 noted; ‘|| NE br5 Braemae & br8 Hill O’ Fare were the " only records; P&K bred 13 sites with 2 broods L.Spynie M&N Spynie Canal M&N Strathbeg NE Cruden Bay NE Eden Est. F N.Forth F S.Forth L Hule Moss B L.Gruinart Arg Baron’s Haugh Clyde Clyde Est. Clyde Mersehead D&G Caerlaverock D&G noted; Fife 1-2prs at 3 sites but no suggestion of breeding; Forth prs at 4 sites with br8 Blackdevonmouth & br4 Thornhill; Loth no hint of breeding; Bord c.38prs noted at 24 sites with 6br46 confirmed at 5 sites, very high success; Arg 16 broods L.Gruinart, Islay, present 8 sites Tiree with 2br11 seen; with single prs noted on Oronsay . & at a mainland site Clyde Is no hint of breeding noted; Clyde noted 19 sites with potentially ¢.22prs which _ reared 10br43, well above average; Ayr prs noted at 5 sites with 2br12 noted; D&G 3prs bred Mersehead. _ First young seen: Clyde 1 Jun; M&N 7 Jun; Bord 26 Jun; Forth 4 Jul. » Autumn/winter: 691 Duns Dish A&D in Sep; 4,320 L.Leven P&K, 1,750 Carsebeck & 383 Hule Moss in Oct; 1,230 S.Ronaldsay Ork, 480 Stantling Craig Res. B and 463 L.of Lintrathen A&D in Nov; 1,212 Forth Est., _| 766 West Ferry shore Clyde, 505 L.of Isbister, 443 Baron’s Haugh, 392 Threave D&G, 378 Montrose Basin , A&D, 365 Kinneil Forth, 319 Tiree, 264 Dinnet L. NE & 262 Kilconquhar L. in Dec. _ Elsewhere max area counts: 92 Shet, 45 Fair Is, 125 OHeb, 43 Is of May, 171 Loth, 153 Clyde Is, 190 Ayr, Winter/Spring: Pia Ser cS 2 eN Baim . Cad 6855 Oserere se: Autumn/Winter: 1 Graemeshall L. Ork or) Lintrathen A&D 12 Dec to 2000. Eurasian & Green-winged Teal Andrew Stevenson 26 records now for Outer Hebrides. Outer Hebrides Bird Report Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Winter/spring: See Table. 1,255 Carsebeck P&K, 598 Kilconquhar L. F, 490 R. Tweed at Norham B, 426 Forth) ~ Est. Forth, 420 Newark Bay, S.Ronaldsay Ork, 322 R.Tay at Perth P&K, 314 Islay lochs Arg, 320 Dalreocl P&K, 310 Baron’s Haugh Clyde, 290 Airthrey Forth, 270 Gladhouse Res. L, 258 Cobbinshaw Res. L, 24( Wooden L. B, 222 Eden Est. F & 203 Skinflats Forth in Jan; 215 Linlithgow L. L in Feb Elsewhere max area counts include: 71 Shet, 9 Fair Is & 114 OHeb. ‘Area Jan Feb Mar Sep Oct Nov Dec Breeding: Shet scarce with just 2 broods Fetla Mill Dam Ork 693 & 4 on Unst; Fair Is 2prs failed at 1st attempt Scapa Flow Ork = 1,127 but reared 2br8 after re-lays; Ork 70+prs at § LSpyne MEN 0 sites Mainland & 20prs Shapinsay; OHeb many Findhorn Bay M&N 325 pee? Beaye : Strathbeg NE 899 well-grown juvs in Jun suggest good success| Montrose A&D 847 NE good success; P&K c.420prs bred L.Leveni L.of Lintrathen A&D 262 24-28prs Carsebeck with 23 broods (10br56) - oe 2 a Fife 11prs Eden Est. managed 87-97 youn iO OR Clyde Ba Clyde 420 Forth 23prs lower Devon (18 in *98); Loth 5¢ N.Solway WeBS 133 broods noted; Bord first broods c.2 weeks late with many re-lays after Apr floods produced thi poorest brood size (3.07) in last 10 years, well below the 5.37 mean; Arg 35 broods L.Gruinart, 7 broods Tire Clyde Is 10 broods Arran; Clyde record number of young during an average breeding season (mean = 5.0 most productive site was Merryton where 90 young were noted; D&G 27prs Mersehead reared 165 young. Area BroodsJuvs MBS_ | First broods: Bord 2 May; OHeb 7 May, Clyde & Arg >20 5.00 | M&N 11 May; Fife 18 May. Autumn/winter: 276 L.of Skene NE & 242 Loch{ winnoch Clyde in Jul; 1,906 on L.Leven P&K 1,105 Strathbeg, 578 Hightae & Castle L D&G! 420 Yetholm L. B, 300 L.of Harray Ork, 252 Blac Cart Water Clyde, 250 Bogside Ayr & 200 L.Connell D&G in Aug; 825 Tweed Haughs B, 662 L.Gruin Islay Arg, 573 upper R.Forth Forth, 384 Harperrig Res. L, 381 Cloddach Quarry M&N, 369 Dundas Loch L 263 Kinnordy A&D, 230 New Cumnock Ayr, 222 R.Tweed at Lowood B in Sep; 442 Blairdrummond Fort 406 Folly Loch B, 358 Caerlaverock D&G, 285 Levenmouth F, 282 Gadloch Clyde, 264 L.Earn P&K an 260 Monikie A&D in Oct; 375 L.Ken D&G, 310 N.Third Res. Forth, 242 Airthrey & 200 Crosswood Res. in Nov; 666 Levenmouth, 658 Baron’s Haugh, 592 Dinnet L. NE, 464 R.Tay, 430 Glendevon P. L, 426 Fort) Est., 402 Hule Moss B, 388 Kilconquhar L., 327 Lochwinnoch, 276 Gartmorn Res. Forth, 268 Ruddon’s Pt. 265 Gladhouse, 243 Carlingwark D&G & 237 Culbin Bars M&N in Dec. 1 Baron’s Haugh Clyde) N from 1-10 Jan; 1 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 9 Jany 4 a and 9 Feb with another (or same?) there 9 i Apr - 3 May and 2mm there on 22 Apr; I | L.of Tingwall Shet 23 Feb-20 Mar, returned, there 10 Dec into 2000; 1 Mersehead D&G_ | on 12 Apr; 1 L.of Strathbeg NE 14-15 Api | & 13 Jun; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 29 Apr-]| | May. ip 20 Oct; 1 Scapa Ork 7-22 Nov; 1 Lock " Bhasapol, Tiree Arg 19-21 Dec; 2m L.oimt Assy Now treated as a separate species fron i Common Teal. 7th-8th birds for Angus & % Dundee, I1th-13th record for Orkney, bu\_ ih - R.D.Murray [Ed.] _ Northern Pintail (Pintail) Anas acuta _ Winter/Spring: 22 L.Loy M&N, 16 Nairn Bars M&N and 7 West Ferry Clyde in Jan; Area L.of Strathbeg NE Montrose A&D Jan Feb Mar Sep Oct Nov Dec 35 . 22L.Ken D&G, 12 Start Point, Sanday Ork, I D&G, 16 Moonzie F, 11 Baron’s Haugh - Clyde, 10 Langbank Clyde & 8 Merryton - Clyde in Mar. Eden Est. F Skinflats Forth 84 L.Indaal, Islay 21 Clyde Est. Clyde 6 Caerlaverock D&G 1473 N.Solway D&G 1570 Mersehead D&G 810 35 6 Valleyfield F, 6 Craigluscar Lower Res. F & 4 Cobbinshaw Res. L in Feb; 69 Carse Bay Max counts elsewhere Jan-Mar include 2 Shet, 2 Bord & 1 Ayr. Spring passage was more distinctive than usual with several birds Shet & OHeb & first on Is of May since 1992. ’ Breeding: Shet min 3prs passed through in spring without lingering; Ork 3prs bred The Loons, 2prs at L.of Banks & Mill Dam, Shapinsay & lpr Papa Westray, possible breeding occurred at 5 other areas; OHeb 2prs & several singles in spring but none lingered; High pr bred Insh Marshes, prs L.Fleet & L.Croispol, 1f at another site; M&N single f summered L.Spynie; P&K may have nested Carsebeck & Vane Farm; Fife breeding sus- ; pected Mugdrum Is with possible brood nearby in Aug, also pr briefly at L.Ore; Forth pr Cambus early in ’ season did not stay; Loth pr lingered site in Edinburgh but no suggestion of success; Arg 1-2prs Tiree in spring, . despite lpr lingering no evidence of breeding; Clyde 2-3prs Baron’s Haugh in Apr did not linger. _ Autumn/winter: 23 Cramond L., 22 North Ronaldsay Ork, 16 Mill Dam, Shapinsay Ork, 11 Kinneil Forth, » 10 Bavelaw L, 9 Harperrig Res. L, 6 Tayport F & 5 Gladhouse Res. L. in Sep; 600 Scar Pt. D&G, 180 Wigtown | Bay D&G, 102 Vane Farm P&K, 26 Findhorn Bay M&N & 24 North L., Sanday Ork in Oct; 4 Seamill Ayr | in Nov; 15 Ardmore N.Bay Clyde in Dec. Elsewhere max counts include 2 Shet, 2 Fair Is, 2 OHeb & 1 Bord. ‘ Garganey Anas querquedula + Spring: 1 L.of Arifea, Stronsay Ork 7 Apr; | Bardowie L. Clyde 18 Apr; 1 Newburgh NE 24 Apr; 1 St.Abbs B | insay & Graemeshall L.; OHeb pr in N.Uist | through L.Gruinart, Islay with no hint of ' Ork 31 Aug; last noted Graemeshall L. Ork ' & 1 Gartloch Pool Clyde 27 Apr; pr Haroldswick Shet & 1 Caerlaverock D&G 28 Apr; 4 Endrick Mouth ' Clyde 30 Apr. Main influx 2nd week May, max 3 L.of Strathbeg NE & 3 Aberlady L 6-7 May. The best spring ever in Clyde and Scotland generally with a rare breeding record in Orkney. | Breeding: Ork br5 noted Papa Westray on : - 26 Jun was first confirmed breeding for is- lands, also long-staying prs Mill Dam, Shap- Mar Apr Apr May 1-30 1-15 16-30 1-15 N.Isles i 1 5 OHeb - NE Scot E/C Scot SE Scot W Scot SW Scot 1999 1998 1997 1996 May Jun _ Total 1-16 were in suitable habitat; Arg late pr passed breeding; Clyde pr Endrick Mouth early Jun with If there in early Jul but no evidence of breeding. Autumn: | Marywell NE 14 Aug; | Vane Farm P&K 17 Aug; | Mill Dam of Rango DohPe Dre fi 20 Sep; 1 f/imm Balgray Res. Clyde 21-24 Sep; 1 L/Fada, Benbecula OH 15 Nov-11 Dec hada ea wing. In contrast to the spring, a very quiet autumn. ' Northern Shoveler (Shoveler) Anas clypeata | Winter/ spring: Few Jan-Mar records » away from main resorts: 31 Papa Area Mill Dam Ork | Clyde in Jan. | Away from Ork & Clyde just 2 Fife dt ji & Ayr & single records from Forth, (| | 4 Rossie Bog F 15 Mar _ being the | ( | Harray Ork & 10 Endrick Mouth | N.Ronaldsay Ork L.of Strathbeg NE Musselburgh L _Westray Ork, 19 Garnqueen L. _ Clyde, 15 Merryton Clyde, 14 L.of L.Gruinart, Islay Tiree Arg Baron’s Haugh N.Solway D&G » best count. 30 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | | First arrivals Bord 21 Mar; Shet 27 Mar, OHeb 2 Apr. Clear Apr influx, especially in Fife. Breeding: Shet 3-5Sprs but none lingered; Ork confirmed breeding on Papa Westray 1 6prs, Shapinsay 8prs, L.of Banks 3prs & single prs Work L., N.Ronaldsay & Toab, possible breeding 4 other sites; OHeb 4prs & 13 juvs|) | lingered, without breeding ; NE brood L.of Strathbeg; A&D 11 prs Kinnordy; P&K 3prs bred Vane Farm noted | 5 other sites, confirmed at one site; Fife 6prs noted at 4 sites during season but only pr at Kilconquhar L. lingered, | without breeding; Forth 2prs but no proof of success; Loth pr briefly at Musselburgh only; Bord 6prs at 5 sites, iz may have bred Hoselaw L.; Arg 13prs with 11 broods L.Gruinart, Islay, 6br27 noted Tiree; Clyde Is pr pros-|_ pected Kirk Dam, Bute, to no success; Clyde 7prs at 4 sites but no proof of any breeding; Ayr no evidence of) success for pr summering at Knockshinnoch. | Autumn/winter: away from main resorts 8 Cambus P. Forth in Jul; 8 L.of Hillwell Shet in Aug; 420 L.Leven| | P&K, 62 L.Gelly F, 38 Kilconquhar L. F, 33 Kinnordy A&D, 28 Hoselaw L. B, 25 Gartloch Pool Clyde & 15) Slains P. NE in Sep; 234 Shapinsay Ork, 64 Hule Moss B, 55 L.Gelly, 50 Hogganfield L. Clyde, 34 Stronsay|_., Ork, 23 Woodend L. Clyde & 66 Duns Dish A&D, 14 Musselburgh L in Oct; 18 Hirsel L. B, 14 Roughrigg\, Res. Clyde &11 Kilconquhar L. in Nov; 40 Papa Westray, 35 Montrose Basin A&D & 21 Hogganfield L. un Dec. Few Dec records away from main resorts. Poorer numbers than usual Kilconquhar L. in autumn because of disturbance related to Ruddy Duck culling. Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina ' Im Monikie P. A&D 22-22 Sep; 1m Carlingwark D&G 8 Oct with probably the same bird at Milton L. D&G on} : 18 Oct; ad m L.of Strathbeg NE 19-25 Oct with eclipse m there 11-28 Nov. Feral: 1f Mire L., St.Abbs B 3 Feb & 29 May (and probably those of recent years) were from a nearby waterfowl) } . collection. 6th- 7th records for North-east Scotland. Common Pochard (Pochard) Aythya ferina | Winter/spring: Away from the main resorts: 427 L.Gelly F, 164 Baron’s Haugh Clyde, 73 L.Ore F, 61 Yetholm|_ L. B, 46 Hogganfield L. Clyde, 45 Gadloch Clyde, 44 Lochwinnoch Clyde, 30 Ballo Res. F, 30 Trabboch L, Ayr in Jan; 192 Milton L. D&G, 159 Strathclyde Park Clyde, 103 Castle L. D&G, 78 Hamilton Low Park) Clyde, 29 L.Bhasapol, Tiree Arg, 28 L.Achray Forth in Feb; 74 Heritage L. Clyde in Mar. Elsewhere max 9 Shet, 1 OHeb & 12 OHeb. Peak counts/WeBS 7 eM Breeding: Ork br6 Mill Dam,| | L.of Broadhouse Ork 54 Shapinsay, 2br4 Ancum L., L. of Harray Ork 150 N.Ronaldsay; High possibly bred) _ eee ok Kinellan P.; P&K present Vane) | | ae NE Farm & 2prs Blairgowrie; Fife 2br10 at one site in N.Fife with! br6 another site; Loth single pr at 2 sites but no breeding; Bor very good season with min 8pr rearing S5br15 at 3 sites, also 9 ad ditional mm present at 7 sites; Clyde 11mm summered at several sites but no ff seen. First young: Bord 12 May, Ork 30 May & Fife 12 Jun, Autumn/winter: away from main resorts: 79 Hogganfield L. in Aug; 63 Ballo Res.& 50 Gadloch in Sep; 1,320 L.Leven P&K, 220 Monikie A&D, 149 Carsebeck P&K, 92 Gartmorn Forth, 90 Forfar L. A&D, 40S Peters head NE & 31 Tarryholm Ayr in Oct; 141 Echnaloch Ork, 139 L.of Kirbister Ork, 112 Baron’s Haugh, 10 Lochwinnoch, 38 Walton L. Forth, 29 Cambo Res. F in Nov; 245 Strathclyde L., 136 Carsebeck, 110 Heritage) L., 80 Milton L., 46 L.Ard Forth, 40 Trabboch L. & 36 Carlingwark D&G in Dec. | Area max elsewhere: 6 Shet, 1 Fair Is, 10 OHeb, 21 Bord, 4 Arg & 8 Clyde Is. L.of Strathbeg NE } Cameron Res. F Kilconquhar L. F Lindores L. F Linlithgow L. L Musselburgh L TFmaAeconowo fWAN © oO; &NOA OF: Pate ee CS CO Gt * Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris | Im Meikle L. NE 2 May & Cotehill L. NE 2-5 May was possibly the samelm Dava lochans M&N 5-6 Jun. lf L.Loavat, L.Fada & Coot L., Benbecula OH 25 Sep-19 Dec; If L.Milton D&G 27 Nov. First confirmed record for Moray & Nairn, fourth record for North-east Scotland & 14th record for Outen Hebrides. See Pullan (2000) in Moray & Nairn Bird Report 1999 82-83 for account of the Dava bird. a aE OS g f > ! _ in Jan; 105 Carsebeck P&K in Feb; R.D.Murray [Ed.] 31 Se a ES OT DO IT PS IN, IE eT DOE URE ES REEDS SD I PDE NE Te AD ST Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Area : Winter/spring: 120 Strathclyde | BroadhouseOrk = 11i ie L.of Harray Ork 818 Park Clyde & 119 Swannay L. Ork Be on ok ‘ L.Spynie M&N 154 129 Carlingwark L. D&G & 105 | LofStrathbeg NE 36 Lochend L. Clyde in Mar. L.of Skene NE 157 Max area counts elsewhere: 79 Shet, | Cameron Res. F 408 KilcongquharL. F 52 2 Fair Is, 67 OHeb, 75 Bord and | 5. aoecL. F 51 92 Arg. LinlithgowL.L 322 Breeding: Ork 17prs The Loons & | Hogganfield L. 59 14prs Hundland L.; P&K 450prs | Lochwinnoch Clyde 64 ' L.Leven noted 8 other sites; Fife sharp reduction in numbers of pairs and numbers of young, despite an improved MBS; Forth just 2 broods noted; Loth poor numbers breeding and once again many sites with no success, some failing after hatching with just 5 successful broods; Bord considerable reduction in numbers of _ pairs reported (mean 155) with MBS still below the 11-year mean of 4.89; Clyde record 62 broods reported _ represented a below average production (mean MBS 4.5); Ayr better year than 1998; D&G broods only noted Vi eee 3,550 L.Leven P&K, 360 Hogganfield L., 217 Woodend L. | _ Clyde, 180 L.of Tankerness Ork, 152 Balgray Res. Clyde -and 150 L.Ascog, Bute Clyde Is in Aug; 180 L.Gelly F , 152 Gadloch Clyde in Sep; 2,000 Forfar Loch A&D, 6 ‘Res. F & 150 BeaL., Sanday Ork in Oct; 380 Lindores L. 3 | site. First young: Bord 6 Jun; Forth 18 Jul; Clyde 26 Jul. - Autumn/winter: See table. 50S Grimnish Pt., N.Uist OH Sites Pairs Broods Young MBS on 28 Sep with 20S Aird an Runair, N.Uist OH 26 Oct. : ‘Other large counts include: 108 Stormont L. P&K in Jun; 136 L.Gelly F and 121 Loch of the Lowes P&K in Jul; 318 Hundland L. Ork, 278 Gartmorn Forth, 189 Carnbee 2 7 5 9 3) 1 4 8 0 3 8 7 F, 195 Baron’s Haugh Clyde & 156 Hightae/Castle L. D&G _ in Nov; 333 Strathclyde Park & 163 St.Margaret’s L. L in Dec. _ Long-term decline noted in NE since 1970s both in numbers breeding and wintering. Low numbers in winter se. = 11 Loch of Spiggie Shet in Jan; | 40 Parklea Clyde in Feb; 74 Steven- | Ciyde Est. Clyde 29 son Pt. Ayr in Mar; 57 Longhaugh | Auchenharvie Ayr 115 Pt. Clyde and 13 Tayport F in Apr; | Ayt-Prestwick Ayr 18 _8N.Ronaldsay Ork in May. aes Ug | noted Forth, although stable in Fife. _ Aythya hybrids Tufted x Pochard Lairo Water & Mill Dam, Shapinsay Ork 3 Jan-7 Apr; Greater Scaup x Tufted noted Auchen- harvie Ayr Jan-Mar & in Dec; 1m Lesser Scaup x Tufted present Mire L. B 12 Sep (from nearby collection). Greater Scaup (Scaup) Aythya marila } _Winter/spring: 768 Caerlaverock | area Jan Feb Mar Apr May Sep Oct Nov Dec D&G, 35 Delnies M&N, 20 Mon- | L.of Stenness Ork 17 trose Basin A&D, 11 Cramond Land |L.of Harray Ork 39 Largo Bay F 390 L.Indaal, Islay Arg 1120 Elsewhere maxcounts: 4 OHeb, 4 NE, 3 Clyde Is and singles Forth (2). c.15 inland record in Clyde Jan-Apr. | Breeding: Shet late pairs lingered L.of Asta, L.of Clumlie & L.of Brow with moulting adult Haroldswick; P&K pr L.Leven in May, f seen mid-Jul hints at breeding; Fife 3mm summered Eden Est.; Arg 1 summered , L.Indaal, Islay; Clyde 1m Balgray Res. 18-27 Jun & 12-28 Aug. Mostly singles Jul-Aug: Shet, Caith (4), NE, | Fife (2), Bord & Clyde but 87 (84mm) Annan D&G 9 Jul. » Autumn/winter: 24 at Musselburgh L in Oct; 30 Delnies, 15 Eden Est. F & 9 Heritage Loch Clyde in Nov; _, 17 Montrose Basin & 15 Ardmore Bay Clyde in Dec. ’ Elsewhere max area counts: 8 Shet, 3 OHeb and singles NE, Forth (4) & Bord. . For an account of inland records in Clyde in autumn 1999: see Mack & Gibson (2000) Clyde Birds 13: 179-185 32 Scottish Bird Report 1999 * Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Ist-w f Ardnave L. Islay Arg from 1998 remained there to 9 Jan; 1f L.of Tankerness Ork from 1998 to 10 Jan; | Ist-w m St.John’s L. Caith 11 & 25 Jan; 1m Munnoch Res. Ayr 9-10 May also seen Linwood Pool Clyde 12) May & Balgray Res. Clyde 29 May-4 Jun; 1 L.Leven at Vane Farm P&K 10 & 12 May. First records for Orkney, Clyde and Perth & Kinross, second record for Ayrshire. For an account of the Ayrshire bird: see Votier (2000) in Ayrshire Bird Report: 1999:71-73. Common Eider (Eider) Somateria mollissima Winter/spring: 1,962 E.Lothian/ Berwickshire shore B, 1,000 Tay Est. F, 784 Turnberry shore Ayr, 554 St. Abbs| ; B in Jan; 316 Burghead Bay M&N & 251 Bluemull Shet in Feb; 500 Tayport F, 340 Fair Is, 209 Strathbeg NE’ shore in Mar; 2,110 Inner Tay F in Apr; 3,365 Montrose Basin A&D in May. Movements included: 740S Turnberry Pt. Ayr & 1,590N at Peterhead NE on 6 Feb. In a joint spring census (8-24 Apr) a massive 17,996 birds were counted along the coast and islands of Argyll and the Firth of Clyde (Clyde Is & Clyde areas). Only 29% were found west & north of Kintyre (as far N as Ardnamurchan), the greatest number being located within the Firth of Clyde where the majority apparently breed. 7,816 were found in Argyll with about 40% of these birds being found on the Inner Hebrides, the remainder off the mainland. Arran Clyde Is had 1161 birds while Bute Clyde Is recorded 2,197. Area O Scapa Flow Ork =: 1582 Ythan Est. NE 944 1198 1166 Girdleness NE 204 171 69 N.Forth F 2160 1926 2481 S.Forth L 2091 4444 2 1318 Clyde Est. Clyde 1334 | 4011 4454 2951 Cumbrae Clyde Is. 705 = S07 577, Breeding: Shet 28 broods Fetlar (MBS 3.1), 24 broods Noss (MBS 2.5) Noss, broods along W.Mainland, Burra & Scalloway had MBS 2.3, 3 broods Skerries was better than ‘98 but none fledged, 154mm, 54ff & 33 young on E.Foula in Jul, MBS 1.8; Fair Is a handful of broods seen despite predation of nests; Ork 169 nests Holm of Papa Westray; OHeb over 500 young were noted on several of the main islands (including MBS 2.6) with another 15 broods St.Kilda where predation limited survival, one brood seen on fresh water at L.Druidibeg, S.Uist; M&N 10 broods with MBS 2.1 was slightly below average; NE 614 fledged Ythan,, double 1998 rate, 16 nests L.of Strathbeg, bred 4 other areas; Is of May 1,200 pairs bred with 996 nests & 89% hatching success; Fife 4 nests Longcraig, | pr Craig Carr, 5 young survived 2br11 on Eden Est.; Forth brood seen Blackness could be first breeding record, although birds might have originated from Lothian side of bay; Loth 365 nests on Inchmickery, 111 nests Fidra, 7 nests Eyebroughy & 50 young at 3 other sites 115 juvs Dalmeny shore; Bord pr bred St.Abbs Head but failed; Arg 45br142 young Colonsay, 22 broods Sanda Is, with many other broods noted on mainland shores; Clyde Is several young Arran, 3br13 Cumbraes; Clyde noted 6 sites with 8 ff with 24 young; Ayr 494 nests Horse Is with MCS 3.95, 9 nests Lady Is with MCS 3.40, 148 young noted at elsewhere at 6 sites; D&G no suggestion of any success. First young: Is of May 12 May, Clyde Is & Ayr 28-29 May, Ork & Fife 31 May; Shet 3 Jun, Fair Is 10 Jun, Clyde 13 Jun; Forth 26 Jun. Autumn/winter: Firth of Clyde Sep census (64% ad mm) : 5,519 in Arg part, 4,011 in Clyde part & 1 a around Bute (a 14% drop in Clyde area from 1998 count). 2,000 Barassie Ayr & 350 Mirkady Ork in Jun; 930 Kinghorn F in Jul; 1,500 Irvine Bay Ayr, 830 Ardmore : 0) Clyde, 667 Fife Ness F, 600 Lunderston Bay Clyde, 400 Nairn M&N & 300+ Eynhallow Ork in Aug; 2,00 Tayport & 1,400 L.Ryan D&G in Sep; 1,856 Shelly Bay F, 318 Burghead M&N & 232 Is of May in Oct; 33 Strathbeg shore & 312 Mill Sand Ork in Nov; 680 Seafield L in Dec. 400N Peterhead 6 Nov & 890N there 19 Dec. | Photos of the Ythan bird: Birding World 12:91, 269, 353 & British Birds 92:384 & 93:525 | Northern Eider S.m. borealis Im of this form (with orange bill & sails) was noted Toft Shet on 20 Dec. This may be only the second record of this population for Scotland. Se ————— ae ee R.D.Murray [Ed.] 33 - * King Eider Somateria spectabilis i Im Tayport F 2 Jan-3 Mar (presumed same as 1998); 1m Ythan Est. NE 19 Mar-3 Oct (presumed same as Le 1998); 1f Aberlady L 21 Apr-11 May & 12-21 Jun, presumed same as 1f Leven F 6-13 Aug (this bird has | summered in Forth since 1995). _ Drastic shortage of King Eider for 1999 with only 2 individuals and no new birds. ' Photo: Ythan Est. in British Birds 93: 525. _- [1998] 1m Kingston M&N 19 Apr (presumed same as Burghead bird of 1998); 1 Skeld Shet 6 Dec (presumed same as Raewick-Tresta birds of Jan 1998). |) * Harlequin Duck Somateria spectabilis 1 (prob imm ) m Fair Is 15 Oct. Second record for Fair Isle and ninth record for Scotland. ;| Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis Area Jan Feb Mar Winter/spring: 205 Howmore, S.Uist OH, 191 Yell Sound Shet, 119 Watersound, S.Ronaldsay Ork, 63 off Aberdeen NE, 55 West Voe Shet, 20 Rattray NE in Jan; 305 Bluemull Shet, 50 Quendale Bay Shet in Feb; 448 Peninerine, South Uist OH, 75 Sound of Taransay, Harris OH in Mar; Scapa Flow Ork 1582 Nairn Bars M&N 141 Burghead Bay M&N 796 Burghead-Hopeman 365 | Spey Bay M&N Eden Est. F N.Forth F Levenmouth F S.Forth L Apr Sep Oct Nov Dec - 0 93 120 921 0 571 55 3 14 182 | H 228 Kirkwall Bay Ork, 200+ Rapness | Sound, Westray Ork, 53 Stinky Bay, Ben- becula OH, 21 Tiree Arg in Apr. Max count Clyde 2. » Inland birds noted with 8 L.of Strathbeg NE & 2 Tayport F in Jan/Feb with other singles Fife, Forth & Clyde uf (2). Last A&D & Arg 24-28 Apr; M&N & Fife 1-3 May; Clyde 8 May; Loth 16 May. YY Summer: 6 Jun birds in Ork & 1 L.Altabrug, S.Uist OH 4 Jun; 1 Kilconquhar L. F 6-20 Jun; 2 Lerwick Shet 9 Jun; 1 L.Branahuie, Lewis OH 20 Jun; 1-2 Papil Water, Fetlar Shet 25 Jun-15 Jul. Autumn/winter: First Loth 15 Aug; Fife 19 Aug; Ayr 28 Aug; OHeb, Ork, Shet & Fair Is 25-30 Sep; Arg 10 Oct. 100 West Linga Sound, Whalsay Shet in Oct; 130 L.of Stenness Ork, 117 Watersound, 105 Kincraig Pt. Forth, 88 Aberdeen in Nov; 329 Eynhallow Sound Ork, 299 Aberlady L, 246 Yell Sound in Dec. Max count Clyde 4. Inland: more records of 1-3 birds than usual noted OHeb (6), M&N (2), P&K (1), Fife (5), Loth (6), Bord, Arg (2), Clyde (6) & Ayr (2) during Nov-Dec. Black Scoter (Common Scoter) Melanitta nigra | Winter/spring: 40 L.Ryan tl j Area Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec | D&G & 30 Dunglass Bin | Naimn/culbinM&N 680 oe 130 || Jan; 27 Girvan shore Ayr | Burghead Bay M&N_ 1930 2 - 850 Burghead-Hopeman 232 : . - s Spey Bay M&N - - - - - - 715 1018 509 2690 112 A in Feb; 50 Turnberry shore Ayr in Mar; 500 Rattray 1 NE, 200 Sound of Taransay OH & 40 Salt- -. coats Ayr in Apr. *| Breeding: High 36prs found in partial survey, 9 with confirmed breeding; ; P&K 4prs noted 2 sites but no young seen; Arg Sprs +6 y i Don-Balmedie NE Eden Est. F 27 620 N.Forth F 152 435 S.Forth L 127 1145 L.Indaal, Islay Arg 70 30 other mm at regular Islay site, Sprs at mid-Argyll site & Ipr at N.Argyll site. Summer/autumn: 5,400 Heston Is/Balcary D&G from May-Aug. 60 Kingston M&N in May; record 466 | Largo Bay F & 250 Lunan Bay A&D in Jul; 1,100 Goosepools F in Sep. | Movements include 40S Burnmouth B 15 May; 30N Usinish, S.Uist OH 16 May; 96 Eyemouth B 12 Jun; 47N/ 48S Fife Ness F 18 Jun with 59N/9S there 18 Jul when 55E at Kinghorn F; 206 Fife Ness (Shrs) on 25 Jul with ; 130 Eyemouth on 26 Jul; 40N Eyemouth 13 Aug; 41 Hound Pt. L 16 Oct | Autumn/Winter: 240 Wigtown Bay D&G in Oct; 82 Sound of Gigha Arg in Nov; record 1,950 Aberlady L, | 200 Sound of Taransay & 123 Burghead-Lossiemouth M&N in Dec. | inland at Strathclyde L. Clyde 12 Sep. 34 Scottish Bird Report 1999 *Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata Adult mm: Firth of Forth : 3 Ruddon’s Pt. F 7 Jan-30 Mar with 4 there on 13 Mar and 2 still present to 28 Apr, | 3 then appeared at Musselburgh L 20-25 May with 1 noted Tyninghame L 4-7 Jun. 1 St.Andrews Bay F 9 Jan was probably one of these birds. 1 Ruddon’s Pt. from 30 Sep with 2 there from 12 Dec, this bird may have been |) the individual seen St.Andrews Bay 5-23 Nov. | Musselburgh 9 Nov was probably the Ruddon’s Pt. bird. Moray Firth: | Burghead Bay M&N 12 Jan with 2 there 26-31 Jan, 1 Nairn Bar M&N 17 Jan with 2 there 26 i Jan were probably the same birds; 2 Burghead Bay 22-26 Sep with 1 there 7 & 14 Nov, 1 Boar’s Head Rock | M&N 12 Nov may have been one of the Burghead birds. Also 1 Murcar NE 30 Jun with | there 2 Sep; 1 Lunan Bay A&D 17 Oct, 12-13 Nov & 1 Dec. | Bay of Meil Ork 5 Apr & | (with 2 imm m ) Inganess Bay Ork 26 Sep-27 Dec. 1 Sound of Taransay OH 30 Jun with 4 there 5 Oct. Ad f: | Papa Westray Ork 10-13 Dec. Imm mm: Ist-w from 1998 at Balphetrish Bay, Tiree Arg to 8 Jan; l1st-w Ruddon’s Pt. 7 Jan-11 Apr; imm | Donmouth NE 19 Feb; Ist-w Prestwick Ayr 27 Feb seen intermittently to 12 Apr; 1 L.Indaal, Islay Arg 11-25 | Apr was possibly the same as I st-s seen at Craignure Bay, Mull Arg 13-19 May and later at L.Spelvie, Mull Arg | 19-25 May; Ist-s Murcar Ist Jun-24 Jul when 2 birds present; 2 Inganess Bay 26 Sep-27 Dec. First for Ayrshire. Imm ff: 1 L.Aulasary, N.Uist OH 10 Feb-9 Mar. [1998] 4 Castlehill D&G in Sep in 1998 SBR actually referred to Velvet Scoter. Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca Winter: Almost no records away from main resorts. 200 Largo Bay F & 150 Musselburgh L Jan-Apr with max 255 Ruddon’s Pt. F in Mar. Max elsewhere only | Shet, 4 NE, 1 Clyde & 3 Ayr. Ork max 21 Inganess Bay & 19 Scapa Flow in Jan/Feb. Gg Spring: 37 Inganess in Apr; 5 Sound of Taransay OH 6 May; 8 Croig, Mull Arg 27 May; ate Bord & Ayr. |) Breeding: 1m found in High Common Scoter survey. in | Area peaks Jan Feb Mar Apr May Sep Oct Nov Dec Burghead Bay M&N 935 Bay A&D in Jul. Eden Est. F Se So 32 Inganess Bay & 16 Balmedie NE in Oct; 1 2 845 St.Andrew’s Bay F in Nov; 160 Rud-| | don’s Pt. & 9 Sound of Gigha Arg in Dec.| N.Forth F 142 118 198 183 11 S.Forth L 208 197 244 156 477 130 Max elsewhere: 5 OHeb with singles Clyde & Ayr (2) . Common Goldeneye (Goldeneye) Bucephala clangula Winter/spring: 269 Ardgowan Clyde, 265 Kilconquhar L. F & 89 Lochwinnoch Clyde in Jan; 1,300 Leven- mouth F , 660 Kirkcaldy shore F, 382 L.Leven P&K & 90 Milton L. D&G & 87 lower Devon Forth in Feb;, 145 Musselburgh L, 129 Barr L. Clyde, 114 southern L. Lomond Clyde, 110 L.Gelly F & 77 Balgray Res. 7 Summer/winter: 10 Murcar NE 4 Jun with | / Nairn/Culbin M&N 150 11 80 there 4 Jul & 220 on 24 Jul; 150 Lunan i } { Clyde in Mar; 776 Kilconquhar L. & 200 Longhaugh Pt. Clyde in Apr. Max elsewhere: Shet 45, Fair Is 2,\ OHeb 30, Caith , M&N 63 & Clyde Is 22. Area Jan Feb Mar Apr — Sep Oct Nov Dec Breeding: Ork pr summered Papa) | Scapa Flow Ork —-282 Westray acted as if they were nesting but} oO me : no proof; High 47 attempts Insh Marshes|_ L.of Stenness Ork 169 Lof Skene NE 134 with 25 clutches & 125 young. 1Iprs| L.ofStrathbeg NE 36 Abernethy reared 38 young, prs at 3 other) N.Forth F 112 sites; M&N brl at the usual site with 2-| S.Forth L 158 Aff at nearby lochans, birds noted 3 other} Hirsel L. B 102 Clyde Est. Clyde 354 R.Clyde , Lamington 136 2 4 eggs but outcome unknown, 2prs| Dipple Ayr 219 : L.Tummel in May but no further evi- Doonfoot Ayr 15 dence; Forth br2 from L.Tay nestbox;) Bord f+br5 Bassendean P. was first definite breeding for area, 1-2 summered at 3 other sites. First young M& 5 Jun; Bord 8 Jun; Forth 9 Jun. Other birds summering on fresh water: Shet 2-3, Loth 1-3, Clyde 5 & Ayr 6. 23 L.of Strathbeg NE in May with 39 there in Jun, 88 in Jul & 185 in Aug. sites in summer; P&K pr L.Tay hatched] | R.D.Murray [Ed.] 35 | | 0 | ee —s es ¢ BZ Lg Uy , | ; ai Yo 38 sites with 11br78 noted | , (MBS 7.1) and another 4ff showing signs of nearby broods or nests, additional brood noted on sea at Burnmouth | in Aug; Arg ff & prs noted 13 sites but no proof of any success; Clyde seen 22 sites with 20br145 (MBS 7.25), | 10br70 on L.Lomond; Ayr noted 12 sites with br6 noted Guelt Water. | First broods noted: Bord 15 May, Clyde 30 May, P&K 17 Jun; Loth 30 Jun included br16 on Leet Water B. Moult movements: - 24 Newburgh F 1 May; 18 Hendersyde B 15 May . Summer moults flocks: 92 Montrose Basin A&D in Jul; 39 Eden Est F in Aug. Record count By ae but no count Tay Est. See table for probable moulting females. | | | Winter/spring: 100 Hightae & Castle L. D&G, 79 Barr Loch Clyde, 42 North Craig Res. Ayr, 34 Hen Poo B, | | Moult flocks Speymouth M&N Findhorn Bay M&N Inchgarth NE Musselburgh L Tyninghame L S.L.Lomond Clyde | | | Dee-Aberdeen NE L.Ken D&G | | Autumn/winter: 60 Aber Is. Clyde & 34 Endrick Mouth Clyde in Aug; 22 L.Venachar Forth & 20 Skinflats Forth in Sep; 58 Tweed at Gattonside B, 52 R.Tay at Almond P&K, 36 Tweed at Lowood B, 34 Hogganfield L., 23 L.of Skene NE, 20 Skinflats & 18 Blackness shore L in Oct; 47 L.Leven P&K, 47 Birnie & Gaddon L.! ' F, 40 L.of Lintrathen A&D & 40 Stantling Craig Res. B in Nov; 53 Barr L., 35 Kinnordy A&D, 30 North Craig| Res., 20 Martnaham L. Ayr in Dec. Max Oct-Dec elsewhere: 2 Shet, with singles Ork & Arg. Interesting records included 6 coming to bread on the Kelvin at Glasgow Botanic Gardens in Oct. For an account of the Tweed Goosander census see: Gordon (2000) Borders Bird Report 19: 94-95. »< th tet R.D.Murray [Ed.] 37 Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis Jan/Feb birds: 3 Kilconquhar L. F 1 Jan with 8 there end Jan, build-up continued there until max 49 by 5 Apr. - 33 Hogganfield L. Clyde 2 Jan but most gone after freeze-up on 11 Jan with max 3 present there until Mar. Also 6 Garnqueen L. Clyde , 2 Gartmorn Forth & singles Linlithgow L. L & L.Leven P&K Jan/ Mar. First arrivals: other Fife 6 Mar; other Clyde & Bord 9-10 Mar; Loth 4 Apr; NE in Apr; M&N, Ayr, Arg & Ork 3-12 May. In regular area no great numbers until early Apr. - Overshooting migrants: lm L.Spynie M&N 3 May with pr+2mm there 6 May; pr L.Fergus Ayr & 1m Martna- f ' » & 35 L.Gelly F 10 Oct. _ 1 Ludquharn NE, | Is of ' May & 1S Musselburgh L _ see Lauder (2000) in Fife Bird | Report 1999: 152-153 ham L. Ayr 11 May; 1m Claddach L., Islay Arg 12 May. Reni z ; Breeding: First young noted: Bord 6 Jun; P&K 13 Jun; Ora Wee Ork 30 Jun; Clyde 27 Jul. First breeding for Orkney. M&N The first of the Ruddy Duck cull trials started at Kilcon- | North-east quhar L. in Fife. Marksmen in boats shot and killed a | one total of 24 birds (including 6 ducklings). Numbers were | fife certainly reduced at the loch through Sep & Oct. However | Lothian judging from the numbers & dates sucha reduction might | Borders c.64 10br52 have taken place in any event due to the natural autumn hy de 22 Poo dispersal that occurs at other post-breeding assemblies. One a} ue 7 SobENI It is quite possible that the disturbance led to increases at ce Couns rrcuaely Raye) Glee Loch Gelly which had record numbers in 1999. There was Le a ee — >] 20 64 8br44 6 zB Amn oBN We — _ some criticism of the impact the disturbance had on the other species using Kilconquhar Loch. This impact can certainly be seen in the depressed numbers of other duck species within the body of the 1999 Fife Bird Report. Post-breeding dispersal & assemblies. 37 Folly L. B 17 Aug; 59 Kilconquhar L. 29 Aug; 20 Linlithgow L. and 16 Hoselaw L. B 12 Sep; 39 Hule Moss B 14 Sep; 45 Hogganfield L. 15 Sep with 48 there 6 Oct; 38 Hule Moss Post-breeding wanderers: 1 Carlingwark L. D&G ne es ae and 4 Loth in Aug; 1 Coot L., Benbecula OH and | Linlithgow L. L 12 1 Loth in Sep. Hule Moss B 22 | Last M&N 30 Aug; Ork 12 Sep; NE in Oct; Bord |!-Gelly F : Hogganfield L. Clyde 35 13 Nov; Fife 14 Nov; P&K & A&D 27-28 Nov. ’ Unlike other areas Hogganfield L. seems to retain good numbers until the water freezes, with up to 43 birds present on 13 Dec and 20 still there on 25 Dec although birds then moved away. Elsewhere winter records were » rare with 5 Linlithgow L. in Nov & | there in Dec; 5 Gartmorn Nov-Dec & | L.of Spiggie Shet 28 Dec-2000. * European Honey-buzzard (Honey Buzzard) Pernis apivorus Spring: | Fair Is 22 June. Honey Buzzard Summer: | Midlothian site Paxton, Jul 1999 L 13 Jun & 25 Sep could videograb:Derick Watson have summered. | found in poor condition in R.Tweed near Paxton B 3 Jul was taken into care but late died. Skin is now in the National Museum of Scotland. Autumn: | Ledaig Pt. Arg 7 Aug; 1 L.Glow F 28 Aug; on 19 Sep; another Is of May 21 Sep. For an account of the Fife bird: Third modern record for Fife, 7th modern record for * Argyll. 38 Scottish Bird Report 1999 Black Kite Peter Donnelly Orkney Bird Report 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 14 May. i Red Kite Milvus milvus In the Highland core area in terms of the number of pairs rearing broods and the total number of young fledged, 199 was the most successful breeding season so far, with a 30% increase in young reared over 1998. It has been suggested that there should be a greater number of pairs than actually exists at the present in North Scotland. Low recruitment i ' 1997 may be to blame for this. Results would have been even higher but for the miserably cold weather during mid May| early June which caused several inexperienced pairs to fail. A bird from the area was found dead under power lines neai, Bilbao, Spain in May. ; In Central Scotland a seventh potential pair of birds spent some days together over an ill-defined area that may prove tq be a future territory. A sixth chick hatched but fell out of the nest and was predated. All young were wing-tagged. One bira was found poisoned close to the eastern edge of the release area and a number of other poisonings in this immediate ared, gave cause for concern. 20 new birds were introduced from Germany. Raptor Round-Up. Red Kite breeding i Territories é 5 Away from the release sites birds were reportec Nests with eggs from P&K & Forth (5), M&N, Bord, Clyde & | * Black Kite Milvus migrans | , 7th record for Orkney & 16th for Scotland, — Nee ees : Arg (3), D&G, Loth & A&D (2), withsingle sight) Young fledged Mean brood size : : : : : : : P&K in Nov. | | ; White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla ings Shet, NE, Ayr. 4 wintered Perthshire site 1999 was the second most successful year since the reintroduction project began 24 years ago. A total of 11 young gz fledged from Scottish nests, 2 less than in 1998. All nest failures were attributed to natural causes, although disturbance\ was suspected at one site. One pair failed when an apparently healthy 3 week old chick fell out of the nest. One of the birds released in 1998 was found dead (of natural causes) in Sutherland. Of the 59 released in the second phase (since 1 993), only 3 have been recovered dead. Raptor Round-Up Wandering birds noted: OHe 4 increase in records; Forth 1 Braes of Doune in Mar wa Ne pats trios first for area; Arg birds notec No. of clutches Oronsay, Islay, Jura, Tiree & Chatches Hale ae on the mainland at Crinan) Broods fledged Kerrera, Otter Ferry, Rubhé Young fledged Fiola & Ben Kinglass. Breeding Success 90 Sites occupied 12 i Q 39 | R.D.Murray [Ed.] ai Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus | First singles Bridge of Earn P&K 3 Mar, then Mersehead D&G 1 Apr; NE & Ork 3-6 Apr; Fife 12 Apr; M&N, Clyde & Arg 19-26 Apr; Fair Is & OHeb 4-6 May; Ayr & Shet 11-14 May; Loth 15 Jun. Breeding: Ork Im seen ata site in Apr & May, joined by If for a few days in May; NE 2 ad ff L.of Strathbeg May-Sep with - several other individuals (mostly imms) present until ad m appeared in Aug; P&K no data from Tay reedbeds but single mm at 2 other sites; Fife noted at 4 confiden- Jul 1-31 *approx. Apr Apr May May Jun Area 1-15 16-30 1-15 16-31 1-30 N Isles 2 W Isles N Scot NE Scot * E/C Scot * SE Scot Aug Sep Oct 1-31 1-30 1-31 W Scot tial sites with pairs at 2 sites, a single m SW Scot at another and 2 imms at a fourth. _ Last birds: Ork 2 Sep; A&D 5 Sep; Fife 7 Sep; Clyde, D&G, P&K, Ayr & Arg 17-27 Sep; OHeb 14 Oct. - Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus - Atroosts: Ork just 1 L.of Banks in Jan/Feb but 3-4 there in Nov-Dec, 8-9 Durkadale in Mar with 13-14 there in Nov, none Cottascarth but 3 Cruland in Nov, an old roost site; M&N 3 Drynachan in Jan; Bord persistent = reports from coastal site suggest 1-2 birds roosting; Arg 15 at the 2 Moine Mhor roosts in Jan, peaked at ) - 11 in Dec, max 5 at L.Gruinart in Feb & 4 in Nov; Ayr ti 2 Bogside in Dec. ' Records increasing in Fife from 4/yr 1980-96 to 13/yr » in 1998/99. Increase also noted in Lothian. ' Breeding: Ork in addition to RSG report pr present ‘ Rousay but no proof of breeding; Arg poor season », L.Guinart, Islay where 3prs managed just 8 young; P&K bred at least 10 areas but just 5 birds fledged _ due to persecution. _ Orkney - 32 ffand 20 mm were located on W.Mainland. 12 ff were non-breeders & the 20 that did attempt to nest only 18 laid eggs of which 10 failed during incubation. With an additional late nest a total of 9 broods fledged 20 young. 4 pairs on Hoy managed just Ibr2. dl | The better success on W.Mainland may be due to experimental supplementary feeding in a PhD study. itl Territories Sites Sites Sites Young MBS RSG__ occupied laid hatched fledged Orkney 24 21 10 10 21 O Heb 17 - y 19 Highland - 10 7 20 NE 14 >7 19 21 2.7 2.9 27 2.9 3.5 0.0 2.4 2.8 Tayside 43 Central SE Argyll SW _South-east- 10 pairs were known but only 3 pairs within the Borders portion of the Langholm study area raised any young. There el | was several suggestions of birds disappearing in mid-May and that at least 4 were killed on one estate. ii: | North-east - Another poor year. In lower Deeside, where there were usually 15 or so pairs each year in the 1970s and 80s, there were it | only two pairs. One was definitely persecuted and the other probably so. . Argyll - Sites were monitored on Mull, Islay, Mid Argyll, Knapdale, Kintyre, Cowal and Bute. At Loch Gruinart reserve it was a poor season with only 3br8 young. One nest fledged 2 chicks on Bute. | Central - There were a few records from the south east of Group’s area including 2ff and Imm present in spring at one location. In = | Dunbartonshire one pair reared 4 young, one paired reared 3 young, one pair failed and one additional pair was present. _ Tayside —Perthshire coverage was lower than in 1998. Early failures were attributed to heavy rain and productivity was slightly ym | down. There appears to be a continued gradual decline in the west. In Angus 2 pairs succeeded — the best performance since a | monitoring started in 1983 but only a fraction of the area’s carrying capacity with persecution the most likely cause of this situation. if . Dumfries & Galloway and South Strathclyde - Persistent persecution in upper Nithsdale is fast reducing the population, with my _ only 3 failed attempts where 10-12 pairs were regularly attempting to breed. Nest destruction and the killing of the females at the nest are implicated. This population is likely to be reduced to sporadic attempts by prospecting pairs. Heavy persecution also remains _ apparent in S.Strathclyde in the Muirkirk area resulting in a mean of only 0.53 chicks produced for each occupied territory. Ht) Highland - Only 10 active nests were checked in Highland, the lowest number since 1987. There may be a decline in the number of ll! breeding pairs present. No harriers were recorded at 5 traditional sites on active grouse-moors which received repeated visits. yy | Persecution may be having an general impact on both sporting estates and on other moors. Most 1999 nest records were not on i driven grouse-moors, so that nesting success of the sample (70%) was higher than the long term average. Raptor Round Up. hi j | Goshawk Accipiter gentilis ) )Ork 1 Stronsay in May; M&N 3prs bred; NE 17prs of which 16 nested - fieldworkers have noted the marked difference in rate of expansion between their population and that in the English/Scottish Border country where )/ there has been a 25-fold increase in numbers since the 1970s whereas the NE birds have barely doubled. This has 4 been attributed to big differences in the levels of direct persecution.; A&D just 2 accepted records, | rejected & no ; description for 6 others; P&K just 3 sightings; Fife 3 accepted records (3 rejected); Forth lpr bred; Loth first ‘confirmed record from E.Lothian with records from 3 other Loth sites; Bord good productivity with a UK ol | Scottish Bird Report 1999) \ ies eggs fledged chicks probable record clutch of 6 eggs; Clyde just 4 sigh | checked AOT laid nests fledged MBS ings; Ayr 2prs on territory S.Ayrshire with display} North-east 21 17 16 13 231 239 elsewhere; D&G occurs in four main areas but | Tayside 2 2 2.00 active sites in ‘central area’ had 7 with clutches & Central : : 4.00 South-east 50 792 | with fledged young. D&G 10 1.80 Sparrowhawk | Derick Watson Borders Bird Report Winner of Best Artwork in Scottish Local Bird Repo ] Ork present 8 sites, 4 on W.Mainland, 3 sites Hoy & 1 site Rousay but no success despite Sprs actually nesti M&N breeding season records from 9 sites; NE just 2 confirmed breeding sites; A&D 70 records, with 77 outwith breeding season, bred 5 sites Dundee; P&K noted 22 sites; Fife noted 50+ sites with breeding probak at 9 sites with 3 broods noted; Forth br2 Skinflats was only confirmed record; Loth recorded from 49 sit outwith breeding probably bred 6 sites; Bord 70 casual records with breeding suspected at only 4 sites; Arg of 9 sites at Cowal study site were successful, fledged 34 young, MBS 3.8, bred 5 other sites elsewhere; Cly; reported form 15 territories Lanarkshire, 13 AOTs Renfrewshire, 15 AOTs W.Dunbartonshire & | W.Stirlingsh | 8br14 noted with max site occupancy Sprs Clyde MoD Estate; Ayr 56 sites held viable nests until the 19} R.D.Murray [Ed.] : Al Boxing Day storm that damaged 25 sites with some 27% of sites liable to be clear-felled - 30 prs held territory of which 3prs failed to lay, 4 deserted clutches, 1 was infertile, Buzzards displaced Sparrowhawks at 5 sites - 123 eggs were laid (MCS 4.1) , at the successful nests just 12% failed to hatch, 22prs rearing 89 young, MBS 4.05 with MBP 2.97. First fledged noted Loth 23 May. For full account of Ayrshire data see Todd, I. (2000) Ayrshire Bird Report 1999: 11. Passage: none OHeb in spring but peak of 10 Shet 24-26 Apr with 4 Lund, Unst Shet, peak 3 Fair Is 12 May; Dispersed autumn passage Shet but peaked Fair Is & Ork 11-26 Sep when 3 Holm Ork & S.Ronaldsay Ork & 16-26 Oct when max 4 Fair Is on 25 Oct; just 10 OHeb in autumn. Bird/days: Clyde (6 observers- total 220) Bord (1 observer + casuals - total 141) eam) HV Ag ME J I. ALS O23 ING 7D onde OmeOS mee IO On de Oa NOV 2 Sh P27 raven op Cum lOr IZ eles Te ASG. 21 2409 197 24 Common Buzzard (Buzzard) Buteo buteo Shet becoming more regular of late; Fair Is good year with 6-7 birds; Ork 1 pr bred Hoy (3) another did not breed; OHeb prs at 30 sites Berneray to Barra of which 12 fledged 27 young, MBS 2.25 - | reached St.Kilda in Oct; M&N 275 sightings (300) through year; NE numbers continue to increase - now found all area but just 2 confirmed breeding records; A&D 110 records received, confirmed to breed 7 sites; Fife presence in BBS plots ‘ doubled to 43% since 1998, now being found in all parts of area & 32prs noted breeding at 23 sites& 7br14 | | noted; Forth widespread & increasing everywhere but Falkirk where still scarce; Loth recorded from 122 sites, now seen regularly on outskirts of Edinburgh; Bord similar figures to 1999 but expansion into Merse occurring although still scarce in the Cheviots, infilling of main range still occurring with 25prs in Stow area where just l6prs 2-3 years ago, 27 breeding attempts managed 10br25; Arg 19prs Colonsay have just 8 hatching young due to poor weather & prey scarcity - 26prs Glenbranter managed just 8 young from 8prs, poor success Cowal where 5 young from 4 nests; Clyde Is. probably bred Cumbraes; Clyde expansion continues with c.120prs noted during the breeding season including first breed- ing record for the City of Glasgow; Ayr 45prs recorded Meal eg ae bee from 35 sites with 7br11 seen. North-east 14 27 1.59 Best counts: 20 Glen Orgil A&D in Jan, 22 Braes of | Highland 79 151 1.91 Doune Forth in Sep, 61 StrathallanP&K & 26 Angus} SE Scotland 21 50 2.38 Glens A&D in Oct. Itis notable that in areas where Buzzard are increasing (in North-east, Lothian, Borders, Angus & Fife) that the numbers reported are starting to fall as colonisation proceeds and sightings become less remarkable. Breeding Bird Survey % of plots mean counts Buzzard 1997 1998 1999 1997 1998 1999 22 19 CP en Gi MES OD LED OD SE Scotland 256 Nsw OO Gy. SW Scotland Argyll On Colonsay/Oronsay rabbit populations were low & coupled with poor weather during the breeding season this led to the poorest productivity in 10 years. In the Cowal, Glenbranter study area 26 occupied territories were identified and eight successful pairs fledged only eight young. Only one of the monitored pairs throughout Cowal produced more than one chick. Observations suggest that pairs nesting in the extreme south of Cowal, south of Tighnabruaich, may have fared a little better. North East The Old Castle Fraser estate population was found to have total of 20 breeding sites with a density of breeding pairs 1.13/km2 . Site occupancy fell from 100% to 80% between 1998-99. There was no evidence of persecution. Productivity was 1.58 young/occupied site in 1999 with 1.93 young/successful site. Highland - this was considered an average year. The close study of 52 pairs near Tain area revealed a MCS of 2.8. MBS of successful pairs was low at 1.9 and a 22% failure rate meant that only 1.4 chicks fledged per territorial pair, at the bottom end of the recorded range of productivity. This was attributed to cool, wet weather during June. In N&W Sutherland breeding success was similar to 1998 and similar to that recorded in Tain. There were few total failures but most pairs reared only one or two chicks. The few pairs monitored in Strathspey had a good year with only one failure and half the pairs producing three chicks. No persecution was recorded in 1999 whereas it was considered to be the main factor in failures in 1998. Skye appeared to have a poor season . SE Scotland continued to see substantial recolonisation by buzzards. In the N&W Borders core area a minimum of 357prs are estimated. 4Iprs were estimated in the more thinly spread S&E. The Lothian buzzard population also continued its spectacular success story and further expansion and infilling took place. Raptor Round- Up Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 26 Apr. 42 Scottish Bird Report 1999 LS Ea a ea IO NF RTS A Ta Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos Breeding: OHeb 4 nests robbed by eggers; M&N 1 site was abandoned after continuous occupation of 25 years, | failed early & | reared single chick; NE low success rate due to snow at point of hatching & May rains; A&D 7prs reared 6 young; Forth 7prs managed 5br6; Bord 2prs attempted rearing 1 chick; Arg productivity | poor; Clyde Is. 2prs fledged young; D&G 2prs, one failed at the egg stage, the other failed at the chick stage. Central At one otherwise successful site the remains of the Success Occupied Laid Hatched Fiedged Young Ollchrides 12 9 : 4 week old second chick were found at a regular perch used | Highland . 39 : by the adults. NE Scot 19 : Tayside W of the A9 only 4 nests reached the laying stage Tayside 22 and 2 of these failed. The productivity of the few successful Gontral 8 i) nests in the study area - and always the same ones - must be | SE Scot 2 crucial to the whole local population. Argyll 57 : Argyll A poor breeding season in Argyll especially in S.Argyll | D & G > mainland where it was described as “utterly miserable and the worst year on record”. - Although site occupancy was Ft ERG RE ARS ‘) slightly up on 1998 productivity was much poorer and only one set of twins fledged. Dumfries & Galloway 2 pairs again attempted to breed. One pair hatched at least one chick which disappeared after about a week. \_ This was probably due to the severe weather in mid May but human interference has not been entirely discounted. The eggs at the other site failed to hatch, possibly due to inadvertent disturbance by stalkers. Highland The numbers monitored was appreciably less than the usual 90 to 100 although records continued to be well distributed | \ across the area. Productivity was below the long-term average and was generally similar across the region except in South Lochaber | where it was low. Several failures were attributed to human persecution, notably in Strathspey where an adult and chick were found | poisoned on the nest. This pattern is consistent with previous years. Raptor Round Up. Osprey Pandion haliaetus Spring: First NE 13 Mar; M&N, A&D, Clyde & Fife 27-31 Mar; Loth 10 Apr; D&G & Bord 12-13 Apr; Shet! d & OHeb 23-26 Apr; Ork, Ayr & Arg 3-13 May Breeding: NE |Iprs suspected to have bred, 10 of which built nests & laid eggs which produced 6br13 with} summering birds at 6 other sites; Fife 3 singles summered; Bord pr bred, raising 1 young, another site held a pair all summer; Arg 4prs bred reared 9 chicks; Clyde lpr reared 2 young, another site held singleton which | built nest; D&G two birds were seen at one location stick carrying, but no evidence of breeding. Ay is oo Autumn: 4 Endrick Mouth Clyde 4 Sep; 1 young bird was satellite tracked from Arg , it flew down Sound of Jura towards N.Ireland on 10 Sep, reaching S.Portugal by 21 Aug. Last birds A&D, M&N, Ayr, Fair Is, Fife & Loth 9-17 Sep; Shet, Arg, Ork, OHeb, NE & Bord 19-25 Sep; Clyde} 12 Oct; latest 1 Gatehouse of Fleet D&G 18 Oct. sites sites sites sites chicks Highland - Despite the numbers of . occupied laid hatched successful _ fledged occupied territories continuing to increase 98 99 98 99 98 99 98 99 98 99 and more pairs laying eggs and hatching Highland 64 69 52° 65 23 36 41 AL 99 98 | chicks, the final score of fledged chicks was Tayside 41 45 36 32 26 28 25 61 51 | one down on 1998. A severe storm on 21 | Rese 25 22 21 21 ty 7 bb 32 34 | May destroyed 2 nests. 2 other nests} Total 130 136 116 125 10299 92387 192 183 suffered broken eggs when intruding birds fought with the incubating bird. Eggers accounted for 2 failures. High river levels limited fishing success in one area and 2 broods died. Other brood failures were attributed to poor weather conditions. There were 13 broods of 3, 26 broods of 2 and 8 singles. MBP was 1.42 young per pair with an eyrie, 1.51 young per pair who laid eggs. MBS was 2.08. 12 chicks were taken to Rutland Water. 2 of 1997 Rutland males returned to summer. Tayside - Occupancy and breeding attempts were up but productivity was disappointing. Losses during incubation were due to poor weather in late May. 4 pairs nested on electricity pylons and a further pair used a lower, two-pole, power line support. This nest was struck by lightning on I August, killing the single chick. This was the only nest to reach the hatch stage that failed to fledge young. 51 chicks fledged (10 less than in 1998). There were 6 broods of 3, 14 broods of I & 5 singles. MBP was 1.13 young per occupied nest, 1.31 young per pair that laid and 2.04 per successful nest. Elsewhere - There was little hard evidence of the hoped-for continued expansion in the NE with fewer active nests foun although some were at new sites. Failures during incubation and chick stage were due to poor weather. There were pairs rumoured at a number of other sites and so no actual contraction of the regional population may have taken place. In the S& W the populations remained stable with further sightings of non-breeding birds giving continued hope of further expansion.| Unlike the longer established Highland and Tayside populations the numbers of fledged young increased from 1998 fi, gues i although 2 fledged birds are thought to have died before migration. Raptor Round-Up. I t | , R.D.Murray [Ed.] 43 A I Oe A AD Re NIC TT ATE) A Dr PT ON ST DEN EN EB NPE Ba OY TED UR ET, TG SI Common Kestrel (Kestrel) Falco tinnunculus Ork 9prs W. Mainland but just 2 known to raise young & 4prs E.Mainland with single prs Eday & S.Ronaldsay; OHeb 7prs Berneray to Barra of which 4prs reared 12 young, possible bred 6 other sites; High 9prs in boxes E.Ross & E.Sutherland fledged 31 young at 8 nests, MCS 4.67 & MBS 3.88; M&N noted at 25 sites; P&K several comments about local scarcity of birds; Fife 14 sites with 7br8 noted; Forth 3br12 noted with 2 AOTs _ Devon WBS; Loth 4 confirmed breeding reports & noted from 78 sites outwith breeding season; Bord 12prs ' 5 | : | | | ~ ported with an MBS of ! r e U f J st 4 i | ; lk Territories checked 44 40 Mean young/breeding pair 5 276 occupied territories (26) | Territories occupied 33 21 Mean young/successful pair 4.1 4.3 _ producing 12br41, num- | % occupation 75 52 Breeding attempts failed 7 6 ’ bers well down on Mull, | Number of clutches known 2) 10-— % failed 26 a2) 2prs Scarba & lpr Oron- | Average clutch size 51 5 % brood survival 86 «= «9 - say; Clyde 45prs re- | % of eggs which hatched 70 90 Young ringed 71 36 ae 5 were checked and 21prs, 52%, were found in a se rata 1967 ® eae jog ae ee on in occupation, 1 0prs known prs had MCS 5.0 |#ightand, N&W Isles| 8 9 Ae ae dor teoG ) (5.1) & MBS 4.3 (4.1) with 35% failure rate 20 12 14 Ge RO "+ (25%) although brood survival was good at | E/C Scotland 20 21 EN TOs 91% (86%), the very poor performance with 1.33 : noted; Arg in Cowal number dropped to 12 1999 Ayrshire Report 1998 1999 1998 1999 Number of results known 27 Adults trapped/ringed 13 6 _ 2.80 (n=5); Ayr 40 sites SE Scotland 15 18 - 1.40 SW Scotland 21 22 z 1.67 . down to a dearth of voles well into Jul and a bad period of weather in mid-Apr, the loss of nest sites due to the ' Boxing Day storm in 1998 also played a part, prs were noted at 16 other sites; D&G Ipr raised 6 young. | First young noted Loth 4 Jul; Clyde 5 Jul; Bord 6 Jul; Forth 11 Jul. ' 10 Holyrood Park L in Mar; 14 Cademuir B in Aug; 10 Cobbinshaw L in Dec. _ abig drop in numbers & occupancy was put el - , | Bird/days: Clyde (5 observers- total 928) & Bord (mainly | observer + casuals - total 237) joeerea TCU FU cM AM JS JSAS ON D Reeds 22 24 ls) 21) 23) 9. 30) 17 23-16 5 I malvdes ON ol 1/485 69) 182-88 59122 112" 54116 ( a 4) | hl rt | i | ) i) ) | Merlin Falco columbarius ; Breeding: M&N patchy occupation on the For an account of the decline of Kestrel in Orkney: see Booth (2000) Orkney Bird Report 1999: 90-93. ' For full account of Ayrshire census: see Riddle, G. (2000) Ayrshire Bird Report 1999: 12. | | * Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus _ 1 Torry, Aberdeen NE 8-9 Jun; 1m Kilmory, Ardnamurchan H 13 Jun. Ninth record for North-east Scotland. _) [1998] 2nd-s m N.Ronaldsay Ork 14 May. oi Success Shetland Orkney MBP 2.08 £77 Occupied Laid Hatched Fledged Young MBS 14 13 12 Il >27 2.45 _ lower eastern moors, but better at higher 17 14 10 10 30 3.00 levels with increases in one area, good f success; NE further decline in numbers, the lowest occupation rate ever in lower ) Deeside with few Upper Deeside where a b OHebrides c.16 Highland 33 NE Scot 37 12 23 A&D P&K C12 27 37 4 19 29 9 12 13 62 89 >30 >25 3.25 3.26 3.09 o33 2.08 2.30 2.41 S a SS es 2 rf H if ‘\ : _ persecution is suspected; P&K bred suc- | cessfully at 10 sites. » Orkney 57 sites were checked with 9 found . occupied on the West Mainland, one on | Rousay and 7 on Hoy. At least 14 sites had | eggs and a further 2 may have laid before failure. All 10 sites that hatched are thought to have fledged. \ Highland 33 sites were occupied. Only 36% of W Moray sites were occupied, though many of these are not regularly _ occupied. In Inverness 50% of sites were unoccupied. It is thought that excessive burning for grouse management | contributes to this low rate. Early season weather was poor with much rain but this was mostly light and does not seem / to have affected clutch size or incubation. Improved weather during the critical fledging period meant that successful | pairs had a productive season. 14 sites had MCS 4.0, the upper end of the usual range. MBS 3.2 was near the Highland _ long term average. 5 of 9 nest failures were attributed to predation. SE Scot Argyll S.Strath D&G 25 12 33 12 >I >22 275 3.00 1.00 2.20 44 Scottish Bird Report 1999 tee North East Lower Deeside had the lowest number breeding there since the study began 20 years ago. Some brood | Li reduction was noted. Low occupancy in the Braemar area but good productivity from active sites in mid/upper Deeside, | __ especially in Mid Deeside. Occupation in Donside and Moray was patchy being poor in Mid Donside and Cabrach but an increase was noted in Upper Donside. One new site was found and active sites had good breeding success. | Tayside Extremely bad April weather in Perthshire seemed to affect some areas more than others. Breeding pairs were | _ scarce in W. Perthshire where a lack of prey in late April/May. Successful season Angus with losses of 2 to 3 years ago | now balanced by new successful sites. One site failed at chick stage due to Fox predation. Central 3 pairs were recorded but no results were obtained. SE Scotland This was a third poor year in a recent run of such years with the least successful nests and the lowest | number of chicks in the Lammermuir and Moorfoot Hills since monitoring began. Most worrying was the low levels of | early season site occupancy which suggest an underlying population decline rather than a series of individual seasons | with poor productivity. Are declining farmland bird numbers affecting Merlin winter survival rates? Argyll On Mull birds were reported from 4 areas in the breeding season. A bird was reported in a suitable location on‘ Jura. In Mid Argyll birds were absent from on regularly used site but a bird was seen in a new suitable area. A Knapdale\ pair were on territory but the nest wasn’t found. One Kintyre site was seemingly vacant anda second pair fledged 2 to 3 young. In Cowal 2 new successful pairs were found. S.Strathelyde, Dumfries & Galloway Numbers are low but stable after declines due to afforestation. In Galloway a) reduced population breeds in a few places around the forest edge where there is sufficient productive moorland nearby. Raptor Round Up.| Other times of year: 25% increase in records from coastal Fife but fewer records Loth.. * Eurasian Hobby (Hobby) Falco subbuteo Spring: single birds Stronsay Ork 24 Apr; Slains NE 15 May; Maryton A&D 17 May; Papa Westray Ork 28 May; Copinsay Ork 29 May; Castle Douglas D&G 2 June; Mull of Galloway D&G 10 June; Merryton Clyde 10-20 Jun; Cambo Ness F 13 Jun; Fair Is 15 Jun; Inverugie NE 16 Jun; Autumn: further singles Strathbeg NE in Jul may have been brought in from offshore and released there 18 Jun; Eday Ork 2 Jul; Hoy Sound Ork 4 Jul; Fair Is 9 Jul; Girdleness NE 20 Jul; Vane Farm P&K 1-14 Aug; L. Trool D&G 4 Aug; Tyninghame L 13 Aug; Cassilis Estate Ayr 16 Aug; Burray Ork 4 Sep; N.Queensferry F 12 Sep; Martnaham L. Ayr 20 Sep; Fife Ness F 25 Sep; Kinghorn F 29 Sep. // in spring, 14 in autumn. * Gyr Falcon Falco rusticolus | I st-w/2nd-w Stenness Ork 21 Jan; lad white-phase Whalsay Shet 21 Feb; 1 juv white-phase m exhausted at sea on Tern Alpha platform (130km NE of Unst) 20 Feb - was taken into care and later released at Gott Shet 27 Feb, presumed the same Gulberwick Shet 13 Mar & Voe Shet 4 Apr. 1 white-phase ad Bressay Shet 28 Apr. For n account of the Shetland bird: see Patterson (1999) in Birding Scotland: 2: 76. | Photos of therescued bird: see Birding World 12:47 & 92 & Birding Scotland: 2: cover. Peregrine Falcon (Peregrine) Falco peregrinus Success Occupied Laid Hatched Fledged Young Breeding: Orkney 21 14 >7 >7 Orkney The single confirmed fledgling is an under- OHebrides 11 <4 <4 estimate of the local productivity. The overall im-| Highland 16 13 pression was one of a poor season with no young NE Scot 66 fledged from any of the 6 occupied Mainland sites. Tayside 61 Highland 4 worrying decrease in site occupancy with sees a pairs were absent from 43% of the sites checked and Argyll 23 no occupancy by single birds. The underlying cause S.Strathclyde 25 2 may be a decline in prey availability. There was one D&G 72 case of egg collecting, an eyrie ina Raven’s nest was washed out by heavy rain and a brood of large chicks\ predated by pine marten. Productivity was poor overall at a mean of 0.94 chicks per territorial pair NE Scotland Some improvement in productivity on some grouse moor Sites despite a slight drop in occupancy, due t Grampian Police/SNH/RSG initiative in conjunction with some local estates. Birds consistently failed to occupy sites 0 breed successfully on 14 other estates not involved in the initiative, a high level of failure linked directly to persecution There is a lack of adults to replace lost birds, in former years adult birds were quickly replaced. The decrease occupied sites — a decline fom 79% to 52% in 5 years — is an indication of the lack of a lage non breeding population No new coastal sites were located & success was very low on the N coast (1 fledged from 8 occupied sites). E coast pair. did better (7 pairs from 9 occupied sites produced at 14+ young). The reason for this difference is not apparent. R.D.Murray [Ed.] 45 EG eae OEE In ha SOLES Lae RE SOL Ee es Tayside There was concern that peregrines are showing a decline in Tayside particularly in the west and north of the area. Fewer immature birds were recorded around territories during the season. SE Scotland expansion continues with five new sites in 1999 despite a drop in productivity. Human interference is still detected — at thee nests — but most failues appeared to be natural. Coastal sites had a good year. Argyll /t was a very poor season on the Cowal. Five sites used in recent years had no birds present. Ten failures of occupied sites were at egg/small young stage. SW Scotland The population is largely stable although there may be some room for expansion in the E. Persecution now appears to almost entirely confined to grouse moors in E. Ayrshire & Upper Nithsdale and in pigeon-racing valleys in E. Ayrshire. The taking of eggs and chicks has reduced. There is a widespread feeling that prey availability in early spring is reduced which may yet bring about a reduction in breeding numbers. Raptor Round Up. Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus Winter/spring: 120 Morven NE, 100 Glenshee car park NE in Jan; 60 Glen Isla A&D, 60 Kilpallet L and 50 Faseny Water L in Feb; in Mar Max counts elsewhere: 24-25 P&K, M&N, 13-15 Forth & Bord, 9 Clyde & 6 Shet. Breeding: Shet 2br10 noted; Ork 12prs bred Hobbister; OHeb 10-year mean of 72 brace shot Aline Estate, Lewis; NE numbers fairly high after 1998 peak, stable numbers of cocks Glenshee but decline noted in hens, 31 prs Glen Ey in Apr, pr Sands of Forvie in May; Forth heard edge of Flanders Moss in Jul; Fife present 8 sites in Lomond Hills but only managed 2prs +2 juvs on count in hot weather; Bord noted at 8 sites but season poorer than usual in S&W and better than usual in N&E; Arg noted 11 sites ; Clyde noted in 14 areas with numbers in W.Renfrew moors returning to best years of 1970s although productivity was poor; Ayr 235 brace shot Priesthill. 1 Whalsay Shet 2-5 Oct was first there since 1970s. First young Arg 8 Jun; Bord 10 Jun; Ayr 11 Jun; Clyde 15 Jun; Ork 29 Jun. Autumn/winter: Max counts 40 NE; 34 Ayr; 18-20 P&K & M&N; 10-12 Fife, Clyde & Bord. Rock Ptarmigan (Ptarmigan) Lagopus mutus Winter/spring: 26 Glenshee NE in Jan. Breeding: M&N only noted from Ben Rinnes; NE numbers Cairnwell were 1/3rd_ of 1997 population trough with good breeding, high spring numbers Lochnagar where they bred well and gave good densities (along with White Mounth) , Cairngorms spring number had ‘troughed’ & there were desertions due to late snow in early Jun - although the bred well on Derry Cairngorm & fairly well on Beinn a’ Bhuird, also noted 6 other hill areas; P&K noted 4 hill areas; A&D numbers low on Glas Maol, Mayar and Dreish; Forth noted 4 hill areas; Arg 1 calling Ben More, Mull in May. Autumn/winter: 17 An Socach NE in Sep; 90 Mount Keen A&D in Nov. Black Grouse 7etrao tetrix males females total Area sites males females total 4 Borders 67 166 a 4 Largest groups reported were 20+ Mar Estate NE & 15 Glen Fruin Clyde in Apr; 18 Blackhopebyres B in May; 20 Lochhead Ayr in Oct. NE 13mm Glen Tanar in Jan & 2mm+8ff there in Oct, 11mm+3ff Glen Muick in Nov; P&K 275mm reported br7 Perthshire Black Grouse Study Group compared to 293 in 1998 is a 6% decline for the 7 N.Perthshire 10km squares studied, elsewhere 65mm at 8 other sites; Forth 53mm at 9 leks in Trossachs where hybrid Blackcock x Capercaillie disrupted lek; Loth possibility of extinction in East Lothian; Ayr 34mm at 14 leks, range 1-8, mean 2.4, on Forest Enterprise ground in S.Ayrshire where 5 fledged broods averaging 3.0 seen in autumn; D&G noted S sites. First young Bord 25 Jun; Arg 29 Aug. 46 Scottish Bird Report 1999 aerate Western Capercaillie (Capercaillie) Zetrao urogallus Breeding: M&N local survey of 101km?’ found 41 occupied squares with 9 leks holding 25mm, since 1968-72 F | when birds were present in 23 of the 10km squares, representation dropped to 8 squares in 1988-90 & 7 in 1999 | but with many losses taking place in the 90’s despite the drop of just 1 square; NE breeding season was very | | poor due to bad weather 6 Glen Tanar hens rearing just 2 chicks, the autumn census in Glen Tanar recorded 26 |_| birds, 7mm+19ff (49 in ‘97, 38 in *98) - models of this decline indicate extinction of this population within 15 years, the removal of fencing would allow these numbers to expand however, also noted 7 other sites; P&K | searches in former area of Perthshire found just Ipr at a site in Jan with a If there in Apr; A&D 3 singles + lpr | seen in early year; Forth 1f L.Ard in Jan, 1m Duke’s Pass in Apr & 1f Invertrossachs in Jun; Clyde L.Lomond | census in Mar recorded 35 birds (44 in 98), 19mm & 16ff, a summer count on Inchconnachan revealed 10mm/ | 3ff+ 3br5 with 1f+br2 on Inchmaon; D&G | reported Duncleugh in Jul by gamekeeper is well out of range. Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa MN releases continue in W near coast 7 upcountry with 50 seen Banchor in Oct, noted 8 other sites; NE recorded from 12 localities with 22 Balmedie in Feb & 20 Middlemuir in Oct, no hint of breeding; A&D 24 | records, mostly seen Strathmore; P&K widely released, seen 14 areas, max 23 noted; Fife noted 5 sites with 37 Balcarres Estate in Oct; Loth noted 12 sites, mostly on fringe of Lammermuirs; Bord small numbers noted 15 | sites; Arg seen Islay & Colonsay; Clyde Is c.30 Scoulag Moor, Bute in Oct; Clyde noted 5 sites but 150 | released Endrick Mouth in Oct; Ayr seen 6 sites with 120 released Glen App in Nov; D&G 10 sites, with a| maximum of 11 L.Ken area. No hybrids noted, nor any breeding reports. Some suggestion of increased number of releases in recent years bolstering failing populations. Grey Partridge Perdix perdix M&N smaller coveys more frequent than previously; NE noted min 12 sites with 2br10 seen but poor produc- tivity due to bad summer weather with many prs Barras rearing no young; A&D 37 records; P&K 22prs noted at 9 sites with 8prs Vane Farm; Fife 33prs recorded with 16prs Eden/Leuchars, 7br59 noted including br18 Leuchars, good productivity; Forth lpr Devon WBS (2); Loth 13prs seen at 5 sites with 7-9prs Musselburgh & 4-Sprs Aberlady, 3br18 seen; Bord 17prs seen at 15 sites; Arg releases Islay, max 31 L.Gruinart in Nov; Clyde 21prs reported from 21 sites; Ayr 28prs reported from 22 sites; D&G many more records, some due to releases but 2br20 noted. Max counts 24 Kercock P&K & 23 Kinneil Forth in Jan; 26 L.Ken D&G in Feb; 41 Leuchars in Sep; 38 Coble! Shore F, 24 Longside NE & 24 Prestwick Airport Ayr in Dec. First young noted Clyde 18 Jun; NE 10 Jul; Bord 25 Jul; M&N 3 Aug. Common Quail (Quail) Coturnix coturnix Another below average year. First 1 Carsebeck P&K 29 Apr & 1 Aberlady L 10 May; NE 13 May; Ork, Fair Is, Is of May & Ayr 17-19 May; Fife 26 May; A&D, Forth, Clyde & Shet 30-31 May; M&N, Arg & Bord 14-15 Jun. High 4 mm Ross & Cromarty, Im in Sutherland; Ist dates Oct Total N Isles NE 8 calling Barras compares with 21 there in 1998, NE Scot summered at least 3 areas; A&D 3-4prs Shandford sho Farm, Fern with ads & juvs seen at harvest; Loth 3 a ane Paple in Jul; Bord singles summered Newmains & SW Scot 2 Sunnyside. 1999 Last M&N 9 Jul; Loth on 31 Jul; Fife 24 Aug; NE He on 5 Sep; last Newmains B 25 Sep. 1997 Common Pheasant (Pheasant) Pheasianus colchicus Winter-spring: Ork max 17 L.of Sbiston in Dec; A&D 1|1prs Kinnordy; Fife 6,500 released Teasses Estate; Loth 19prs Aberlady (24) had 6+ broods; Arg 18 calling males on Colonsay (16); Clyde 16prs Mugdock CP. First young: Bord | Jun; Ork 1 Jul; Clyde 14 Jul. > Se St. ft { a f= (4.49 baa £, R.D.Murray [Ed.] 47 ae EY EER RE ee a EE UY PR a PD RO OY MIP oa) Water Rail Rallus aquaticus Winter-spring: c.75 reported from 38 sites across country, with 9 Kilconquhar F & 3 L.Ore F in Jan 13 Fife, 7 Shet, 6 Forth & Bord, 5 Ork, 3 Arg & singles Loth & D&G. Breeding: Shet pr bred Haroldswick is first confirmed record for Shetland; Ork 3-4 calling Mill Dam Shapinsay with juvs seen Hooking, on N.Ronaldsay & Milldam of Rango, Graemeshall & L.of Banks on Mainland; OHeb 3 calling & pr copulating Carnish, N.Uist, also noted at 3 other sites; M&N present 5 sites in varying numbers; NE min 17 birds heard at 7 sites with 5 L.of Leys & 4 L.Davan; A&D noted 4 sites with 4prs Kinnordy & general increase in records; P&K noted 3 sites but ‘several’ prs Vane Farm; Fife young noted Goosepools & Birnie L. but just 1 calling (after tape-lured) St.Margaret’s Marsh suggests no breeding occurred there; Forth noted at 3 sites with juvs seen at Skinflats; Loth 3prs Duddingston with br2 noted, young also noted Aberlady & Bavelaw; Bord tape-lure census of 44 potential sites found 68prs & 63 singles, possibly 131 AOTs at 27 sites with 23 Linton Bog & 15 Murder Moss the best sites, an additional 6 AOTs were noted at 2 other sites; Arg calling birds noted 6 sites Tiree, L.Fada on Colonsay, Coll reserve & 3 sites on Islay; Clyde Is 1 heard Bute in Jun; Clyde 49prs noted at 16 sites with 12prs Lochwinnoch & 9prs Newshot Is, 4br8 seen; Ayr heard at 4 sites with juvs Knockshinnoch; D&G c.5 prs probably present at 3 sites First young Shet 16 Jul; Fife 22 Jul; Loth 24 Jul; A&D 13 Aug; Forth 4 Sep. Autumn-winter: c.141 reported from c.58 sites. Much more abundant in Fife , passage giving best counts for 10 years. Sep-Oct records: 10 each Shet, Fair Is & Ork; 9 Fife & Ayr; 8 Forth & D&G; 7 M&N; 6 Bord; 4 Arg; 3 _ P&K & single OHeb.Max 5 N.Ronaldsay Ork & 4 Vane Farm P&K in Aug; 6 L.Spynie M&N in Sep; 8 Wood of Cree D&G, 5 St.Abbs B & 3 Fair Is in Oct. Nov/Dec birds noted with 16 Fife, 10 Forth, 7 Arg, 6 Bord, 5 NE; 3 Loth, 2 each Shet, Fair Is, Ork, OHeb, & singles P&K; max 4 Strathbeg NE in Nov & 14 Kilconquhar L. in Dec. 3 called during the day at Kilconquhar L. 11 Aug, prompted by the solar eclipse. For an account of the Borders census: see Murray (2000) Borders Bird Report 19: 96-99 * Spotted Crake Porzana porzana _ Spring: | calling L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 27-28 Apr was not heard later. First dates Loth 5 May; OHeb 18 May. ’ Breeding: Shet | calling Mires of Funzie, Fetlar 29 Jun-14 Jul; Ork | calling N.Ronaldsay 22-24 May, another _ Egilsay 8-11 Jul; OHeb 2 calling Benbecula in May with | still there in Jun; High 8-14mm at one sites, singles _ at2 other sites; M&N | calling L.Spynie 25 May; NE 7mm sang at 4 traditional sites with none at 2 other sites _ that have held birds in the past; Loth Im calling Duddingston 5 May & | juv Bavelaw 3 Sep; Arg 1m called ’ through summer at Coll reserve; Clyde 5mm calling 30 May & 5 Jun at un-named site; D&G | calling at Stewartry site 14 May. Autumn: | Baron’s Haugh Clyde 25-26 Aug; | Skinflats Forth 3 Sep. Spotted Cr ake Best-ever set of records in SBR, prompted by national survey. Tommy Daniels Clyde Birds for Fel i 48 Scottish Bird Report 1999 TR iS Sr DPN TRI EET RR NS Sd PEO EW OS RE PR PS PIO Corn Crake (Corncrake) Crex crex Spring: First Totronad, Coll Arg 23 Apr; OHeb & NE 25 Apr; Ork 27 Apr; Fair Is & Shet 11-12 May. Breeding: The 571 singing mm in the core’ area represents a 5% increase over the 1998 total & 27% up on the low point \_- of 1993. The large decreases on Lewis (55% since 19997) are attributed to heavy grazing by sheep early in the season, | removing cover for birds as they arrive on territory. Fortunately this has been balanced by increases elsewhere. From: i) Green, et al. (2000) Corncrake Newsletter & Initiative Report 1999, Scottish Biodiversity Group. Singing mm 93 Shetland Orkney Lewis OH Harris OH Bernerey OH N. Uist OH Benbecula OH 17 S. Uist OH 50 Barra/Vatersay OH 26 Skye H Canna H Rum H Eigg H Muck H Coll Arg 66 94. 95 9 OF 20 39. 43 21 89 104 First young Ork 3 Aug; OHeb 28 Aug. Autumn: Little sign of passage although 3 passed through Fair Is. Last Ork 3 Aug, Fair Is 18 Sep, OHeb 22 Sep & latest 1 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 1 Oct. Fora photo of a 1999 Shetland Corn Crake: see Shetland Bird Report 1999. Breeding sites Shetland 3 Orkney 13 OHeb 4 M&N 24 | NE 10 P&K A&D Fife Forth Loth Bord Arg Clyde Ayr D&G broods 5 22 98 99 4.2 13. 15 Wis Common Moorhen (Moorhen) Gallinula chloropus Winter-spring: 54 Union Canal Forth, 30 Bu Farm Ork, 30 Work Ork, 26 R.Tweed at Norham B, 26 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 25 Birnie L. F & 24 Auchenharvie L. Ayr in Jan; 39 Forth & Clyde Canal Clyde & 28 Kilmardinny L. pairs Singing mm Tiree Arg Mull Arg Iona Arg Treshnish Is. Arg Colonsay Arg Oronsay Arg Islay Arg other High other Arg North-east Clyde Ayr D&G Core Area’ Total 543 571 573. 594 Clyde in Feb; 26 Balgone L in Mar. | Breeding: best sites - 35prs Mersehead D&G; 12prs Merryton/Carbarns Clyde & Lilliesleaf Moss B; 10prs Kilmardinny L.; 8prs Ardeer P. Ayr. First young Bord 2 Jun. Triple brooded L.Gruinart, Islay Arg. Autumn-winter: 92 Kilmardinny L. in Aug; 44 Lindores L. F, 30 R. Tweed at Kelso B & 28 Douglas Estate Clyde in Sep; 44 North Ronaldsay, 42 Kinnordy L. A&D, 41 Garnock Floods Ayr, 28 Monkland Canal Clyde, 20 L.Monzievaird P&K & 20 Trabboch L. Ayr in Oct; 98 Union Canal and 31 Balgone in Nov; 92 Bu Farm, 30 Work, 29 Callender Park Forth & 23 Skinflats Fort in Dec. Breeding: sites pairs broods juvs MBS. | Winter-spring: 585 L.of Harray Ork, 250 Montrose Orkney 15 50 >3 . - | Basin A&D, 233 L.of Menteith Forth, 230 Johnstone“ tee : . : 4-7-0 | L. Clyde, 229 L.Ore F, 165 Carsebeck P&K, 159 Bary)“ A&D 7 > > . 4 . on’s Haugh Clyde and 120 Hogganfield L. Clyde in F Fife 16 < 63 157 25 Jan; 428 Linlithgow L.L, 184 Kinnordy A&D in Feb: 1 Forth 2 7 ? 15 - | 142 Forfar L. A&D in Mar. Loth 13 50 37 112 3.0 | Breeding: Shet 2 wandering birds for most of year but» ee | a - 21 ; 2.6 | no hint of breeding; Fife 47 fledged at Kilconquhar L.: ‘ Cisne Is i 5 3 4 56 Arg pr L.Bhasapol, Tiree in Jul; Clyde a drop in loca) | Clyde 77 productivity to 1.5 compared to long-term mean of 1.7)“ Ayr First young Clyde 10 May; Bord 15 May. . R.D.Murray [Ed.] 49 ee ee ee ee ee ea TO Pew A Pe Autumn-winter: 224 Forfar L. in Jul; 590 L.of Strathbeg NE, 294 Kilconquhar L. & 136 Bishop L. Clyde in Aug; 334 L.Gelly F, 294 Gaddon L. F, 172 Yetholm L. B & 157 Gadloch Clyde in Sep; 3,240 L.Leven P&K, 625 L.of Bosquoy Ork, 331 Gartmorn Dam Forth, 329 Lintrathen A&D, 169 L.of Skene NE in Oct; 290 Drummond P. P&K in Nov; 922 L.of Harray, 414 Linlithgow L., 230 Strathclyde L. Clyde & 184 Lindores L. F in Dec. 2 L.na Doirlimm, Barra OH in Sep were most unusual. Sea: singles Anstruther F in Jan; Irvine Ayr in May; Inchcolm F in Jun; Ythan mouth NE in Sep. * Common Crane (Crane) Grus grus 5 in spring; 1 in summer & 1 in autumn. Spring: 3 Haroldswick Shet 24 Apr-14 May, moved to Skaw & Burrafirth on occasion; 2 over Grey Mare’s Tail D&G 6 May; 1 Twatt Ork 13 May; 1 over Quendale Shet 29 May; | in Bixter/Aith area Shet 12 Jun-3 Aug; Autumn: | Mertoun B 5 Sep, later seen Coldingham L. & St.Abbs B 6 Sep. Photo of Shet Cranes in British Birds 92:323 Eurasian Oystercatcher (Oystercatcher) Haematopus ostralegus Area Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Sep Oct Nov. Dec Nairn/Culbin 886 - 284 1030 - 1294 Findhorn Bay 1554 1125. 790 461 Ythan Est. NE 406 442 395 ADT 378 S.Tay Est. F 1140 593° 600 1015 921 | Eden Est. F 1125 1871 2200 1270 829 | N.Forth F 139] 1706 2169 2310 2077 S.Forth L 4398 5534 5151 4903 5662 Clyde Est. 3835 ; 4791 4682 3347 4878 Tyninghame L 665 884 726 724 674 | N.Solway 15270 23169 15135 22795 35673 12277 21989 Winter/spring: 2,500 Montrose Basin A&D, 1,500 N.Tay Est. A&D, 988 Gullane to English border L/B, 723 Cumbraes Clyde Is & 600 Barassie Ayr in Jan; 334 Tiree Arg in Mar; 936 L.Indaal/Gruinart, Islay Arg in Apr. Inland sites with small numbers during Jan are increasing with 3 Bord, 2 P&K, & singles sites A&D, Forth, Clyde & Loth. While these Jan birds make it difficult to state when first arrivals occur but first inland birds in most parts of S.&C.Scotland were 27-31 Jan-1 Feb & 20 Feb in NE Scotland. Later peaks include 462 Orkney lochs Ork 23 Feb; 242 Almondbank P&K 24 Feb; 370 Craigforth Forth, 197 Abercairney L. P&K on 27 Feb; 131 S. L. Lomond Clyde 1 Mar; 132 Horseburgh B 4 Mar; 220 Miltonduff M&N 6 Mar; 410 Scone P&K 21 Mar; 341 Blairdrummond Forth 23 Mar; 511 L.of Bosquoy/Broadhouse Ork 26 Mar; 200 Gart Forth 31 Mar. Breeding: Shet 40prs Skerries & 14prs Noss (7); Ork 71prs Papa Westray (84), 28prs The Loons (42), 24prs Copinsay (27), 24prs Gairsay with 7Sprs at 8 other sites OHeb 156prs Sollas (140), 161prs Berneray (120), 257prs Baleshare (264), 128prs in 3 study areas Balranald, 16-17prs L.Druidibeg, S.Uist, bred Rona but no young seen St.Kilda; M&N 9prs RAF Kinloss; NE as sample of Aberdeen roof nesters had 18 nests with 50 eggs of which 35 70% hatches but just 13 chicks (26%) fledged , also 14prs Gairnshiel & 9-12prs Mill of Coull; P&K 44prs Strathallan plot (52), 11prs Vane Farm; Is of May 30prs had high chick survival; Fife 101 prs noted at 37 sites with Sbr9, 5-6prs Inchcolm, Sprs Eden Est. (6); Forth 10prs Devon WBS (7); Loth 6prs at 6 sites; Bord 45prs noted at 26 sites with Sbr11; Arg 30prs Sanda Is., 23prs Treshnish I., 10prs L.Gruinart; Clyde 290prs at 69 sites with 53prs Mouse/Dipool valley, 35prs Elvan Water, 4br15 noted; Ayr 48prs at 27 sites with 3br4 noted; D&G 17prs Rough Island & 16prs Mersehead. First young seen Clyde 28 May; Is of May 31 May; Shet 2 Jun; Bord 4 Jun. Late bird still incubating Bord 7 Jul. ‘Daft’ nests include | in bunker at L.Lomond Golf Course Clyde during a tournament; | in the drive of a ' bungalow at Sandbank Arg; | in a stone flower pot at Ardrishaig Bowling Club Arg. _ Autumn/winter: Passage - 770 on 6 dates passed Machrihanish Arg with 220 grounded there 12 Aug. - 455 Peterhead NE in Aug; 392 Seamill Ayr in Sep; 2,000 Havoc Clyde & 893 N.Tay Est. in Oct; 3,172 Mon- trose Basin in Nov. Inland sites with Dec record: 2 P&K & single sites Bord. Pied Avocet (Avocet) Recurvirostra avosetta 1 Ythan NE 22 May; | Skinflats Forth 27 May; 1 Bogside Ayr 29 May. _ Records may all involve the same individual moving south. 4th for Ayrshire & 13th for North-east Scotland. 50 Scottish Bird Report 1999 [LS TS YE SATS RD We OP tS BS Ce | Little Plover (Little Ringed Plover) Charadrius dubius 1 Musselburgh L 25-27 Apr with another there 20 May ; 1 Gaddon L. F 2-3 Apr; 1 Locharbriggs D&G 13 May & | Jun appeared to be unmated. 2 juvs Kingston M&N 16-18 Aug were near the 1996 breeding site. Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Area Bay,Tiree Arg during Jan with | Non Ore te 105 there in Mar S.Ford OH 700 ke Ythan Est.NE 8 430 Gott Bay, Tiree Arg 8 May; | S.Tay Est.F 30 120 Birsay Bay Ork 1 Jun;) EdenEst.F = 54 260 Machair Leathann, N.Uist | N.Forth F 48 ‘ : || ae cA oat 2 Jun; 400 Tyninghame L Islay lochs Arg 98 : ole : \ Clyde Est. 13 First inland on territory: Forth | Newton Ayr on 21 Feb; OHeb 23 Feb; Clyde) Barassie Ayr - - - on 24 Feb; Bord 2 Mar; Loth! N.Solway 918 142 114. 202 1537 on 14 Mar. Breeding: Shet 20prs Skerries & 9prs Noss (7); Ork 1 Sprs N.Hill & 26prs elsewhere on Papa Westray, 14prsj Holm of Papay, 11prs Gairsay, 10prs L.of Harray &a further 32prs at 7 sites; OHeb 142prs Sollas (142), 57prs) Berneray (76), Slprs Baleshare (79) & 31prs in 3 sites Balranald, N.Uist; M&N 6prs at 3 sites; NE 4prs in Aberdeen; A&D no breeding records; P&K 14prs noted at 9 sites; Forth noted 5 sites; Fife poor year Longan- net & Eden Est. due to corvid predation with 17 attempts producing just 1 chick, 6prs fledged 6 at Valleyfield, also prs bred 7 other sites; Loth 4prs at 2 sites suggests a huge local decline; Bord 22prs at 14 sites; Arg 29prs Colonsay (36), 12prs in partial count Orornsay, 4prs Treshnish Is. & 8prs with 5 broods Sanda Is. (6); Clyde 52prs at 28 sites with 6br13, 6prs Ravenscraig, 6prs Elvan water, Sprs Clyde MoD Estate; Ayr 8prs at 7 sites; D&G 22prs at 9 sites with 7prs Mersehead rearing 4 young. First young noted OHeb 11 May; Clyde | Jun; Bord 10 Jun. Autumn/winter: 120 Doonfoot Ayr in Aug; 250 N.Berwick L, 198 Virkie Shet & 110 Birsay Bay Ork in Sep; 297 Balphetrish Bay & 110 L.of Tankerness Ork in Oct; 150 Ledaig Pt. Arg & 140 Killinallan Pt., Islay Arg in Nov; 185 Balphetrish Bay & 101 Stevenson Pt. Ayr in Dec. * Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus if Musselburgh L 3 May. Fourth record for Lothian. * Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii Im (L.s. crassirostris?) eS oe Tyninghame & Belhaven wy Uy, YL) thy, Bay L 6-7 Jun. Z } , TxA Second record for Lothian VAG & fourth for Scotland. By et = \ eee Vo aye Winter/spring: 205 Balphetrish | For accounts of this bird: see Griffin (1999) in Birding World 12:236-237, Neva to. Scott & Griffin (1999) in Birding Scotland: 2: 134-136 & Griffin (2000) in Lothian Bird Report 1999: 125-126. P hoto: see British Birds 92: 382 swe Neer NINN heen Se De GMI IEE) ON fe Mays fa “ee TIGR WOM RIKKI a ag LE ay py $ , Greater Sand Plover ee i Ye Darren Woodhead f Y—$ \ Lothian Bird Report R.D.Murray [Ed.| 51 FE GREETS Sas SOTA SO NT RO TE ES ST PUES IERIE Eurasian Dotterel (Dotterel) Charadrius morinellus Spring: 14 Green Lowther Clyde & 2 Broad Law B 2 May; 1 Cairnsmore of Fleet D&G 3 May; 6 upland site NE & 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 4 May; 10 Runcigill, Hoy Ork and 3 Dale O’Caman, Papa Westray Ork on 5 May; 1 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 6 May; 8 Jock’s Burn B & 7 Blackcraig Hill Ayr 8 May; 5 N.Ronaldsay with 5 more there on 12 May; 25+ Fealar Hills P&K, 10 Fair Is & 4 Meall Corronaich P&K 12 May; 2 Borve, Benbecula OH 13-15 May; | Stronsay Ork 14 May; 5 Angus Glens A&D & 3 Ronas Hill Shet 19 May; Breeding: M&N 3, including chick, Cairn Lochan 9 Jul; 3mm+5juvs Cairngorm Plateau 27 Jul; NE juvs were reported from most of the ‘usual’ areas with apparently good success despite some nests being deserted due to early Jun snows; A&D 9, including juvs, Angus summits 28 Jul. Autumn: 6 Rose Cottage, Papa Westray Ork 12 Aug; 2 Mayback Ork 19 Aug; 1 Sandness Hill Shet 22 Aug; 1 Montrose Basin A&D 31 Aug; | juv Ythan Est. NE 13 Sep; juv Quendale Shet 16-17 Sep; 1 Fair Is 20 Sep; 2 juvs Ardnave Pt., Islay Arg 22 Sep. *American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica Ad St.Kilda OH 3-13 Sep with 2ads there 4-13 Sep; ad Cleat Ork 14-22 Sep; juv Ythan Est. NE 30 Sep-29 Oct, possibly the same as the juv St.Fergus NE 3 Oct; ad Borve, Benbecula OH 2-17 Oct; ad Tingwall Shet 3-17 Oct; juv Fladdabister/Aithsetter Shet 31 Oct-1 Nov. Second for North-east Scotland, 4th-6th birds for Outer Hebrides, 5th for Orkney, 10th-11th for Shetland. » Photo of Shet bird: see Birding Scotland 3:13 European Golden Plover (Golden Plover) Pluvialis apricaria Winter/spring: 2,600 Aberlady L, 455 |Area Jan Feb Mar Apr Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Virkie Shet & 430 Gutcher Shet in Jan; ites Ork a 120 350 : ; .of Strathbeg 1,500 The Loons Ork in Feb; 1,500 Viton Est NE 495 Deerness Ork, 1,000 L.Bee, S.Uist OH Eden Est. F 240 in Mar; 1,000 Rattray NE & 700 Wil- |S.Forth L 1592 derness Ork in Apr. eas on 406 Breeding: First on territory: Shet 2 Feb; | “'00P °Y* , Bord 20 Feb; NE 7 Apr. eo Pe Ork 22 prs Birsay Moors, 19prs Hoy, noted 6 other sites; OHeb 128prs in 3 large areas; M&N noted 6 areas; NE 5 sites only; A&D recorded Glas Maol only; P&K noted 14 sites; Fife pr Gartary did not linger; Forth noted 2 sites; Loth 5 calling at 3 sites; Bord c.47prs at 23 sites with 10prs Heatherhope & 6prs Keilderhead, also 7br9; Arg 9 sites with 6 sites Mull; Clyde 1 Sprs at 11 sites; Ayr 13prs at 4 sites; D&G | site. First young Clyde 27 May; Bord 12 Jul. Late chicks seen Shet 8 Sep. Autumn/winter: 2,500 Milldam of Rango, 2,000 Ringasta Shet, 800 Fetlar Shet, 800 Dunrossness Shet in Sep; 3,270 West Mainland Ork, 2,000 Blackness L, 1,500 L.of Banks Ork, 1,200 Drums NE, 1,000 Tipperty NE , 926 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 750 Whitrig B and 500 Quendale Shet in Oct; 3,000 Rattray, 1,450 Twatt Ork, 1,300 Aberlady &715 Unst Shet in Nov; Northern altrifrons: 123 Netherton Farm Clyde 2 Apr; 9 Harlaw L5 Apr; 175 Limmerhaugh Muir Ayr 9 Apr; 30 Milltown M&N 17 Apr; 178 Knockycoid Ayr & 129 Harelaw Dam Clyde 18 Apr; 575 Carnbee F 20 Apr; 18 Bowhouse F 23 Apr; 8 Caplaw Dam Clyde 24 Apr; 1 Bogside Ayr 8 May. Grey Plover Pluvialis squaterola Area JF M A M Winter/spring: Max counts in other S.Ford, S.Uist 276 47 areas were 35 A&D, 6 NE, 4 Ayr & oe a oe . = .lay Est. | a ieee a & fe ee inca Eden Est.F 580 36 22 249 450 435 | DE; ATE Pt NForth F 28 29.0 4 4 28 Clyde 9 May; Fair Is 30 May. SForthL 582 816 16 14 163 428 Autumn/winter: First M&N, Clyde & Tyninghame L 235 0 6 6 ' Bord 3-6 Aug; A&D, Forth, Ayr & N.Solway 236 o> = Arg 14-20 Aug; Shet, Fair Is & Ork 10-25 Sep. 108 Traigh Eachkamish, N.Uist OH in Sep. Max away from main resorts: 49 Forth, 35 A&D, 23 Arg, 12-13 Shet & Ayr, 7-9 Clyde, NE & Ork & 1-4 P&K, Ork & Bord. 52 Scottish Bird Report 1999 LI TS ERS I ETS OE I US TUCU eR A SPO PO TES PRR SS Northern Lapwing (Lapwing) Vanellus vanellus Area N) O N Ythan Est. NE 1505 3659 3140 4515 Strathbeg NE 1500 524 95] Forth, 1,480 Deerness Ork, Eden Est. F 500 250 1,140 Aberlady Bay L and N.Forth F 651 660 907 L:a’ Phuill, Tiree Arg in Jan; | S.Forth L 376 568 2,300 Strathallan P&K and| Clyde Est. 1567 1060 1660 2487 1850 | 5 999 The Loons Ork in Feb N.Solway 1169 3636 1859 317 4185 | 7. tead B & 56 Aird Meadow Clyde in Jan. Lapwing : Otherwise first inland: Forth 25 Jan; A&D 1 Feb; Forth Howard Towll f 18 Feb; NE 21 Feb; Ork 23 Feb. Shetland Bird Report / Breeding: Shet 4-5prs Noss but only 2prs bred; Fair Is 4prs bred; Ork 63prs The Loons (78), 21 prs N.Hill, Papa Westray (17), 9prs N.Hoy (16) & 32prs at 4 other sites ; OHeb 291 Baleshare (266), 225prs Berneray (119) & 173 prs Sollas (142) also 85prs in parts of Balranald & 40prs Uig; M&N 6lprs Elgin-Forres area; NE 10prs Strathbeg & 10prs Gairnshiel; P&K 136prs Strathallan (178) was worst year for numbers but reasonable pro- ductivity, 30prs Vane Farm (23); Fife 25% drop to 77prs at 17 sites but disastrous success with just 15 young from 26 attempts Eden Est., and total failure from 18prs at «. - Dumbarnie Links, 5prs Longannet (predation) & 6prs #4 Saline (ploughing); Forth 21lprs Devon WBS & 6prs Blackdevonmouth; Loth noted 5 sites, 13prs but low suc- cess Aberlady; Bord 116prs seen at 33 sites with 18prs Hundleshope, 14prs Mailingsland, 12prs Portmore & with 24br56 noted; Arg 174prs L.Gruinart, Islay (169) reared 80 young, 49 nests Oronsay; Clyde 592prs at 81 sites) with 153prs Mouse/Dipool valley, 43prs Camps Res., 41prs Elvan Water and 18prs Biggar Water; Ayr 136 af 13 sites with 100+ Airds Moss; D&G 45prs Mersehead reared 44 young. First young: A&D 29 Apr; Bord 2 May; M&N 4 May; Ayr 5 May; Clyde 17 May. Late young M&N 1 Jul, OHeb 22 Jul & Loth 22 Aug. Autumn/winter: Post-breeding flocks of failed birds noted from late Jun. 1,580 Aberlady, 1,500 Folly L. B & 1,220 Montrose Basin A&D in Sep; 2,820 Forth Est. Forth, 2,100 S.Medwir Clyde, 1,60 Strathallan & 1,000 Sandilands Clyde in Oct; 1,600 S.Ronaldsay Ork & 1,000 Gairsay Ork in Noy; 1,100 E.Ferry Clyde in Dec. Inland Dec flocks noted Lecropt Forth (310), Vane Farm (216), Dalreock P&K (100), Baron’s Haugh (60) & small numbers at 4 sites in Bord & 3 sites in P&K. | | R ed Knot (Knot) Calidris canutus Winter/spring:3,100 Kinneil | Inland wintering widespread in) S/C Scotland with 240 Strathclyde Park Clyde, 180 Liberton L, 150 Newbridge L, 150 Loch Leven P&K,) 118 Bemersyde B, 104 The Meetings Clyde, 100 Baron’s Haugh Clyde, 77 Twechar Marsh Clyde, 75 News-) Area Jan Feb Mar Apr Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Winter/spring ring: 4,300 Kinneil Forth. Nairn Bars M&N 220 : 3,500 Levenmouth F, 2,030 Aberlady Findhon M&N 0 L, 440 Balgove Bay F & 352 Tyning Burghead M&N 123 hame L in Jan; 600 at Bo’ness Fort Lossie Est. M&N 31 ; : vihak Est NEO 56 in Feb; 540 Musselburgh L & 130 Rat Montrose AGD 3000 tray Head NE in Apr; 550 Gosford Bay N.Tay Est. A&D —- Lin May. NEWS counts of Lothian in S.Tay Est F 28 Jan found 247 birds. sane F Da RS Elsewhere max counts: 110 Ork, 55_ LO Forth Est. Forth 4300 i : ‘ OHeb, 43 Ayr, 20 Arg, 15 Clyde, 9 She | S.Forth L 1729 1306 1570 576 and singles Clyde Is & Bord. TyninghameL 352 120 156 5 Last Ork 1 Jun; Shet 11 Jun; M&N N.Solway D&G 7500 5923 560 0 and OHeb 18-20 Jun; Fife 22 Jun. ’dZAa R.D.Murray [Ed.] 53 ae Sa Pe eT Ce N LPNA e e an T ea ee a en NUR Oe Ne ne Oe a EP ET Summer: summering on many of the main estuaries, min numbers mostly in Jun: max counts of 74 Musselburgh, 30 S.Tay Est. F & 18 Tyninghame in Jul. Autumn/winter: First Ork | Jul; Shet, Fair Isle, Forth & Ayr 18-19 Jul; Arg 30 Jul; OHeb, Clyde Is, Clyde, Fife & Is of May 5-20 Aug. 145S passed Machrihanish Arg 12 Aug. Monthly max: 210 Hopeman M&N in Sep; 3,000 Carsethorn D&G, 738 Musselburgh, 130 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg & 125 Girdleness NE in Oct; 4,000 Kinneil, 2,072 Annan D&G, 450 Culross F & 250 Seafield Tower F in Nov; 1,000 Levenmouth, 970 Goosepools F, 680 Aberlady & 300 Blackness L in Dec. Max elsewhere: 65 OHeb, 50 Shet, 44 Ayr, 28 Fair Is, 24 Clyde & 5 Clyde Is. Inland: 1 Folly L. B 3 May. Sanderling Calidris alba j : Area J F M Winter/spring: N Ron Ork : : 94 Balmedie NE, 80 Buddon A&D & | South Ford OH 650 340 80 Leven F in Jan; 45 Donmouth NE in_ | Nairn/Culbin 32 Feb; 70 Scapa Bay Ork in May; 64 ee Crossapol Bay, Coll Arg, 51 L.Gruinart, pe ee Islay Arg in Mar; 94 Ythan Est., 36 Gott |N Forth F Bay, Tiree Arg in Jun. Loth peaksL 109 104 117 OHeb Jan-Mar peaks: 476 S.Uist shores, | Tiree Arg 385 318 300 L.Paible, N.Uist, 163 Stinky Bay, Benbecula. Max 260 Stinky Bay in spring. 250N Aird an Runair, N.Uist 17-25 May. Last Fair Is, Ayr & Forth 25-29 May; M&N, Ork & NE 1-7 Jun. Summer: 2 N.Rona OH 230 May with 1 in display-flight there 8 Jun. Also 5 birds noted Lagan Maskeir, N.Uist OH 23 Jun, 27 Killinallan, Islay Arg & 4 Sandness Shet 23-27 Jun. 26-39 summered N.Ronaldsay. Autumn/winter: First Shet 13 Jul; Fair Is, Ayr & NE 14-17 Jul; A&D & Arg 19-21 Jul. 78S Machrihanish Arg 21 Jul with 37S on 3 Aug & 42S in 12 Aug. 63 Buckhaven F, 55 L.Gruinart in Aug; 160 Leven F, 65 Don-Ythan NE, 33 N.Solway WeBS D&G, 24 Long- haugh Pt. Clyde & 24 Stevenson Pt. Ayr in Sep; 100 Buddon & 40 L.Indaal, Islay Arg in Oct; 500 North Wick, Papa Westray Ork in Nov. OHeb autumn/winter peaks include 400 West Gerinish, S.Uist, 182-200 Stinky Bay, 100-105 Baleshare, N.Uist. Inland: 7 Endrick Mouth Clyde 21 Aug; | Balgray Res. Clyde 31 Aug-1Sep & | on 13 Sep. * Semipalmated Sandpiper (Semi-palmated Sandpiper) Calidris pusilla Juv L.Paible, N.Uist OH 4 Sep; ad & juv Gott Bay, Tiree Arg 9-10 Sep; juv L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 9-11 Sep with ad there 10 Sep; 5 (3ad, 2juv) Balgarva, S.Uist OH 10-11Sep with 1-2 juvs there until 23 Sep; single juvs L.Paible 19 & 21 Sep; 1 Port Logan D&G 18-23 Sep. This extraordinary influx, centred on Western Scotland after NE gales, involved a minimum of eight birds in the Outer Hebrides & four in Argyll with one presumably southwards-travelling bird in Dumfries & Galloway a little later. These were the first records for all three recording areas. For account of the Outer Hebrides birds: see Rabbitts (2000) Outer Hebrides Bird Report 1999:101-103. For photo of S.Uist bird: see Birding World \2:349. Photo of Port Logan bird: see Birding World 12:349, Birding Scotland 2(4) cover & 3:13. Semipalmated Sandpiper Andrew Stevenson Outer Hebrides Bird Report SS SS = SsSSSSSSXRXRG‘ ag nie ie Pr a ree ee 54 Scottish Bird Report 1999 a a a ee a Little Stint Calidris minuta Area May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Winter: 1 Kinneil Forth from Dec 1998 was seen on N_ Isles 29 2 O Heb? : 10 23-24 Jan, 8 & 12-13 Feb. NE Scot* Spring: Poor spring. 2 Valleyfield Lagoons F 8 May; | E/C Scot singles Goosepools F 11, 14 & 25 May; 1 Virkie Shet i SE Scot 15 May; 1 Slains Pool NE 21 May; 2 Aberlady L & 1 | ee N.Ronaldsay Ork 24 May; 2 Ythan Est. NE 29 May; | 1999 ae : 5 N.Ronaldsay 2-3 Jun ; singles L.of Tankerness Ork i 1998 Total 3 Jun, L. a’Phuill, Tiree Arg & Tyninghame L 4 Jun | 1997 foes & Musselburgh L 16-17 Jun. 1996 ae Autumn: Poor autumn. First 2 Kirkton Head NE on | * some numbers are approximate 24 Jul; 1 Kinneil 25 Jul; 3 Longannet F 31 Jul; 1 North | Wick, Papa Westray Ork 2 Aug; | Skinflats Forth 1 Aug; 1 Aberlady 4 Aug & 2 Ardmore Pt. Clyde 9 Aug. | Few new arrivals over the next 2 weeks before more a widespread influx 20 Aug to 6 Sep when 14 Shet, 17 Ork, © 11 NE, 6 Arg & Loth, 4 M&N, 3 Fife & Ayr and singles Fair Is, Bord & Clyde, the best counts being 12 Virkie Shet on 30 Aug & 11 Whitehills NE on 6 Sep. Passage during Sep was very light with a widespread scatter of parties of 1-3 birds, 14 Goosepools 21 Sep being the only large group noted. Last birds Clyde 13 Sep, Bord & A&D 17-22 Sep; NE, OHeb & Fife 24-27 Sep. Late singles lingered into Oct at Papa Westray 2 Oct, Baltasound Shet to 8 Oct, Nairn Bar M&N_10 Oct, | Kilspindie L 17 Oct, Lossie Est. M&N 21 Oct, with the latest at Kinneil to 24 Oct. * Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii Spring: 1 Rashierieve NE 18 May; 1 Slains Pool NE 21 May; 1 Starnafin NE 24-25 May; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork | - 2 Jun; 1 North Croo, Noss Shet 7 Jun. 5th record for Orkney. | Breeding: High 3prs bred at one site, displaying ad at another; P&K | displaying at a Perthshire site. Autumn: | Montrose Basin A&D 5-7 Jul; 1 L. Connell D&G 15th Aug. * White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis 1 Birsay Ork 16 May. 1 ad Eochar, Ardivachar Pt., S.Uist OH 10-23 Sep with 2 ads there 10 Sep; juv St.Kilda OH 11-12 Oct; 1 juv Fleck & Virkie Shet 3 Nov; juv Birsay Bay Ork 15-17 Nov;. Fourth for Shetland, sixth for Outer Hebrides & 10th for Orkney. | * Baird’s Sandpiper Calidris bairdii | ] juv St.Kilda OH 28-30 Aug with 2 other juvs there 3-4 Sep with 1 to 7 Sep; 1 juv at L.Paible, N.Uist OH on | 4-5 Sep; 1 juv L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 5-21 Sep. : Second record for Argyll and seventh to eighth for Outer Hebrides. | * Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos Spring: | Funzie, Fetlar Shet 11-14 May; 1 Ythan Est. NE 16 May. Fourth spring record for North-east. Autumn: | Barry Burn A&D 8-12 Aug; ad Scatness Shet 19-22 Aug; 1 juv Haroldswick Shet 21-22 Aug; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 29 Aug-1 Sep with 3 there 3 Sep; juv St.Kilda OH 3-7 Sep with 2 there 6-7 Sep; juv L.of| _ Strathbeg NE 4 Sep with another there 12 Sep; 1 Fair Is 4-5 Sep with other singles there 7 Sep & 11-14 Sep; singles Scatness 5 & 14 Sep; juv Papil, Burra Shet 10 Sep; juv Barrapoll, Tiree Arg 11 Sep; juv Rosehearty NE 11-14 Sep; juv Fife Ness F 12 Sep; 1 Balgarva, S.Uist OH 12-13 Sep; ad Slains NE 12-23 Sep was joined by a juv 19-23 Sep; juv Belhaven Bay L 14-15 Sep; 1 juv Cullerlie NE 15-20 Sep; 1 Montgrew M&N 16-21 Sep; | Lunna Shet 19 Sep; 2 at L.Bee, S.Uist OH 23 Sep; juv L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 26-28 Sep; juv at Scatness 14-18 Oct. Third for Angus & Dundee and Fife, fifth for Moray & Nairn, ninth for Argyll , 13th for Lothian, 15th-17th for\ Fair Isle; 28th-30th for Orkney. Record annual scores of 8 for Shetland (c.39th-46th records) & 6 for North-east (22nd-27th ). For photos of Scatness bird: see Birding World 12:303 & Birding Scotland 2(4) cover & 3:12. Photos of Slains bird: see British Birds : “ 93: 476 & Birding Scotland 3(1) cover. Photo of Fair Isle bird: see Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report 1999. For account of the Fife bird: see Shaw (2000) Fife Bird Report 1999: 151 R.D.Murray [Ed.] 55 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea Spring: Different singles Edenside F on 26 & 27 Apr were exceptionally early. 3 Gott Bay, Tiree Arg & | L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 8 May; 1 Aird an Runair, N.Uist OH 18/19 May; 2-3 L.Gruinart 20-23 May; 1 Musselburgh L 28 May; | L.a’Phuill, Tiree Arg 29 May; | The Reef, Tiree Arg 1 Jun; 1 Ha- roldswick Shet 3 Jun; 3 at Aird an Runair on 11-13 Jun; | Fair Is 14 Jun. Autumn: First 1 Montrose A&D 27 Jul & 2 Longannet F 31 Jul. Arg 12 Aug; Forth, Shet & NE 14-16 Aug; D&G, Ayr, M&N, Ork, OHeb and Loth 17-22 Aug. Small numbers in early Aug until big arrival on 22-29 Aug when 92 Ythan Est. NE, 52 Edenside F, 32 Stronsay Ork, 26 Kingston M&N, 24 MontroseA&D, 23 Mill Dam of Rango Ork and Findhorn Bay MK&N, 18 Skinflats Forth, 14 Ugie Est. NE, 11 Papa Westray Ork & Longhaugh Pt. Clyde & 8 Virkie Shet. As birds moved onwards, more southerly & westerly sites picked up birds with 33 Edenside 2 Sep; 18 Mussel- burgh L & 13 Longannet 4 Sep; 33 L.Gruinart 6 Sep; 69 Bogside Ayr, 17 Kinneil Forth & 17 Aberlady L on 11 Sep; 9 Tiree Arg 12 Sep; 22 Edenside 13 Sep; 19 L.Gruinart 20 Sep. May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov * numbers very approximate _ Last Bord, Shet, Ayr & NE 15-30 Sep, Fair Is & Clyde 4 Oct; M&N, D&G, Loth 10-14 Oct, Ork 2-0 Oct with the latest noted at Edenside on 28 Oct. Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima Winter/spring: Area NEWS counts in Jan of 41 in | N-Ronaldsay Ork Fair Isle Loth & 11 Bord. 239 N.Wick, S.Ford, S.Uist OH Papa Westray Ork, 141 Evie | Girdieness NE Sands Ork, 130 Marwick Bay | Peterhead NE Ork, 101 at Rosehearty | Banff NE Is of May NE, 88 Portgordon M&N, Lothi ; othian WeBS 80 Boddam NE, 45 Gremista | N Solway WeBS Shet, 30 Scurdie Ness A&D & 25 Burghead Bay M&N in Jan; 205 Newark Bay Ork, 130 Twageos Shet, 104 Cowie NE, 41 Ayr Ayr, 39 St.Andrews F, 35 Fife Ness F, 27 Lossiemouth M&N, 24 Balphetrish Bay Arg & 24 North Berwick L in Feb; 34 Ruddon’s Pt. F in Mar; 105 Houb, Whalsay Shet, 100 Melby Shet, 80 Mousa Shet, 71 Newton Ayr & 31 Arbroath A&D in Apr; 44 Noss Shet in May. In OHeb 302 were counted along the shores of S.Uist, 150 along N.Uist & 100 along Benbecula. Elsewhere area max include: Clyde Is 10 & Bord 7. Last Fife & Arg 2 May; Ayr 19 May, Loth 15 May, Shet 25 May; OHeb 27 May. Breeding: Shet | on 20 Jun, possibly summered; High single seen at usual site. Autumn/winter: First NE 1 Jul; Shet 8 Jul; Fife 31 Jul; Loth 9 Aug, OHeb 10 Sep; Arg 30 Sep; Ayr & Bord on 22-24 Oct. 30 Portobello shore L & 20 Seafield F in Oct; 200 North Wick, 136 E.Egilsay Ork, 100 Birsay Bay Ork, 26 Lossiemouth M&N, 60 Scatness Shet, 42 Ayr, 40 Boddam, 23 Houb & 17 Turnberry Pt. Ayr in Nov; 262 Newark Bay, 35 Scurdie Ness, 33 Fraserburgh NE, 25 Southerness D&G, 23 Portgordon & 17 Hynish, 1 = CO, WWW N © _ Tiree Arg in Dec. Elsewhere area max include: Bord 4 & Clyde Is 1. - Dunlin Calidris alpina _. Winter/spring: NEWS counts in Jan of 391 in Loth. Away from main resorts: 8.150 Forth Est. WeBS Forth, 1,278 Tyninghame L, 810 Howmore, S.Uist OH, 700 | Longhaugh Pt. Clyde, 650 Doonfoot Ayr, 490 Mill Sands Ork, 466 Gott Bay, Tiree Arg in Jan; 2,450 Skinflats Forth & 1,104 Greenock shore Clyde in Feb; 468 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg in Mar; 1,200 S.Ford-Ardivachar Pt., S.Uist OH in May. | Breeding: Shet 7prs Noss; Ork 43prs Birsay Moors, 25prs Hoy, 13prs North Hill, Papa Westray, 10+prs L.of (| Harray & 4prs elsewhere; OHeb 202prs in 3 study areas N.Uist ( 226 in ‘98), 29prs Balranald, N.Uist, 12prs |) South-Dell-Bheinn Dhail, Lewis; NE noted from several hills in White Mounth & Glenshee hills; A&D noted Glas Maol; P&K noted 5 sites; Forth pr Ben Gullipoen in May; Loth 1m sang Musselburgh; Bord sang Fruid ' Res.; Arg noted at 3 sites on Islay & 1 site on Colonsay; Clyde Sprs Tarbrax and singles at 2 other sites. Area S.Ford OH Nairm-Culbin Findhorn M&N Ythan NE Montrose A&D N.Tay A&D S. Tay Est. F Eden Est. F N.Forth F Kinneil Forth S.Forth L Tyninghame L Jan 1500 1330 1220 336 2000 1000 830 89 661 1897 1278 Clyde Est. Clyde 1183 N..Solway D&G 4605 Feb 1055 367 1320 221 1000 650 580 460 473 4000 2319 504 LEZ 3510 Mar 79 Apr 600 Aug 400 Sep Oct 400 297 160 180 600 63 250 306 27 31 747 * Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcipennis 1 Ythan Est. NE 29 May-1 Jun, possibly the same bird there 20-21 Jul; 1 Boddam Voe Shet 6-8 Jun; 1 L.o Tankerness Ork 9 Jun. For photos of Boddam bird: see Birding World 12:2 800 276 1350 806 980 435 1400 784 1000 791 121 1152 3251 * Buff-breasted Sandpiper 7ryngites subruficollis 1 Musselburgh L 28 May-1 Jun. 1 juv L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 5-7 Sep; 1 Butt of Lewis OH 9 Sep. 7th record for Argyll, 13th & 2nd spring record for Lothian and 16th record for Outer Hebrides. Ruff Philomachus pugnax Winter: 1 Musselburgh L Jan-31 May; 1-3 Guardbridge F Jan-24 Mar; 5 L.Leven P&K 8 Jan; 1-6 Braebuster Grind Ork 20-25 Jan & 1-3 also there 3-17 Mar; | Papa Westray Ork 6-7 Feb; . Spring: Max 7 L.of Strathbeg NE 5 Mar-Apr; 4 Edenside F 28 Apr; 1 L.Bhasapol, Tiree Arg 29 Apr; | Rattray NE 30 Apr. A poor spring movement, almost entirely of singles, followed through May with 5 Shet, 1 Ork, 4” NE, 3 OHeb, 3 Arg and singles Fair Is, Fife, Forth, Loth, Bord, Clyde & Ayr. A few stragglers followed in early Jun, the latest being singles at Balgarva, S.Uist OH 18 Jun & The Reef, Tiree Arg 20 Jun. Noy 1692 2000 627 1410 386 920 1426 2000 1380 296 961 Dec 1500 1145 1672 310 276 500 170 670 334 5000 1119 413 853 5120 41165 Autumn/winter: 600 Machrihanish Arg in Aug; 1,620 Skinflats & 1,100 Ersk- ine shore Clyde in Oct; 1,218 Longannet shore F in Nov; 6,808 Forth Est. WeBS, 456 L.Gruinart & 110 Peerie Sea Ork in Dec. % “ v Broad-billed Sandpiper Chris Gibbins Report 18 & Shetland Bird Report 1999. Second record for Orkney, fourth record for North-east Scotland, fifth for Shetland. Photos: see Birding World 12:218 & British Birds 92: 440. Scottish Bird Report 1999 North-east Scotland Bird \ | R.D.Murray [Ed.] 57 a ee ee ST EY eee RE Oe DL RN i EO a) Autumn/winter: Aen The autumn movement was poor by | nN Isles* recent standards with the first passage | O Heb* birds noted L.of Strathbeg, Aberlady | NE Scot L & Musselburgh on 26-27 Jun. | Et Sret Numbers were very low in Jul with | wy gco¢ singles only in Ork, OHeb, Arg & | SWScot_ - Clyde with 5 at Musselburgh and 20 | 1999 18 briefly at Strathbeg on 19 Jul. ae . Movements were only a little stronger | 1 90¢ 20 D 10 in Aug, the best counts being 9 Mus- numbers approximate. Note some duplication between months. selburgh, 8 Virkie Shet, 5 Cullerlie NE & N.Ronaldsay Ork with 4 at Findhorn Bay M&N and L.Connell D&G, mostly in the 20-31 Aug period. The strongest passage was in Sep with 14 Musselburgh, 9 Machrihanish Arg and 6 Blairbowie Ayr 1-4 Sep; 80 Folly L. B, 9 Grutness Shet & 8 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 19-22 Sep; 18 L.of Strathbeg, 11 N.Ronaldsay & Montrose Basin A&D, 10 L.of Heusbreck Shet, 10 Kinneil Forth, 9 Sumburgh Shet & 8 at Fair Is & St.Andrews P. Ork on 24-26 Sep; 31 Ythan Est. NE 30 Sep with 48 there 2 Oct. Numbers quickly petered out into Oct although 7 lingered Eden Est. F 9 Oct-22 Nov. BO, RK NK NHK No ISS) Last D&G, Bord & Ayr 19-26 Sep; Fair Is, Forth, Clyde & OHeb 1-7 Oct; Shet, Arg 21-22 Oct; M&N & Is of May 31 Oct-1 Nov; & NE 8 Nov. Unusually large flocks established Brough Ork in Nov/Dec peaking 18 on 10 Nov & 17 on 25-26 Dec, another flock of 8 noted The Loons Ork 10 Dec may have involved these birds. Elsewhere a late Nov-Dec single was noted at Kilrenny F but the best counts from Eden Est. (max 6) & Musselburgh (max 3). Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus Winter/spring: c. 182 noted Jan-Apr, usually ne 10 2 10 1-2 birds: Shet 13, Fair Is 3, Ork 11, OHeb 3, | O Heb* - 3 M&N 5, NE 8, A&D 7, P&K 2, Fife 21, Forth ee : o 6, Loth 5, Bord 3, Arg 4, Clyde 70, Ayr 10 & | Gog’ | os D&G 3. W Scot 29 43 6 7 Records of 3 or more birds: 6 Gartshore Moss | SW Scot fo 2 2 2 4 6 f= nn Clyde, 3 Belhaven Bay L, Montrose Basin | 1999 66 63 62 A&D, 3 Littlejohn Res. Clyde & 3 Shewalton |_Bumbers approximate Ayr in Jan; 6 Motherwell Clyde, 6 Cleland Clyde, 5 Cocklemill Marsh F & 3 Elliot A&D in Feb; 9 Cathkin Marsh Clyde, 5 Cathkin Braes Clyde, 4 Rerwick Shet, 4 Lochend L. Clyde, 4 East Kames, L.Fyne Arg and 3 birds Inchinnan Clyde, Rogerton Clyde & Curlingmire Clyde in Mar. Last Arg, Ork & Shet 7-31 Mar; Ayr 8 Apr; Fife 13 Apr; M&N 20 Apr; Bord 24 Apr with latest 1 Fair Is 5 May. Autumn/winter: First 6 L.of Lintrathen A&D 29 Jul; 4 Barry Buddon A&D 8 Aug; | Sgeir a’ Chaisteil, Tresh- nish Is. Arg 10 Aug; 1 Quinish Mull Arg 27 Aug. Singles Skerries Shet & Fair Is on 14 Sep; and then an east coast wave at Foula Shet, Cove NE, Collieston NE, St.Fergus NE, Park NE, Is of May, Tyninghame L, Barns Ness L & St.Abbs B on 19-21 Sep; max 10 Fair Is & 3 Foula 21 Sep, 2 Park 24 Sep, 6 N.Ronaldsay Ork & 4 Scatness Shet 24-25 Sep & 12 Fair Is 27 Sep. Small numbers trickled in until mid Oct when there was a more general arrival, mainly to known wintering sites, the best Oct counts being 16 Fair Is 17 Oct, 4 Lein M&N 20 Oct & 4 Cathkin Marsh 21 Oct. Numbers peaked in & early Nov on mainland. ¢e. 136 birds Nov-Dec with Shet c.8, Fair Is 1, Ork 19 , OHeb c.8, High , M&N 7, NE 13, Fife 26, Forth 9, Loth 3, Bord 5, Arg 5, Clyde 23, Ayr 6 and D&G 3. Max counts 7 Motherwell, 6 Cathkin Marsh, 5 Kingsteps M&N, 5 Inchgarth NE, 5 Cocklemill, 5 Kinneil Forth, 4 Rigifa, Cove NE & 4 Seamill Ayr in Nov; 10 Valleyfield Lagoons F, 5 Eden Est. F in Dec. Common Snipe (Snipe) Gallinago gallinago _ Winter/spring: 75 at Moss Water Clyde, 70 Gartshore Moss Clyde, 44 Clickimin Shet, 36 Peerie Sea Ork, ) 35 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 30 Shewalton Ayr, 29 Milton Burn Ayr, 28 Bavelaw L, 22 Aberlady L & 20 Shielswood L. B in Jan; 58 Aird Meadow Clyde, 36 Inverugie NE, 30 Cleland Clyde and 21 L.of Kinnordy A&D in Feb; 100 Munnoch Res. Ayr, 81 Cathkin Marsh Clyde, 53 Walkinshaw Marsh Clyde, 41 Goosepools F, 38 Coll 58 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | (PT SE TET I RS TTI | Arg, 33 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg, 30 Craigmarloch Marsh Clyde , 30 Garnqueen L. Clyde, 26 West Mains P| Forth & 25 Torduff Pt. D&G in Mar; max 31 Fair Is 10 Apr. Breeding: Ork 27prs The Loons, |5prs Papa Westray reserve, 12prs Birsay Moors, 1lprs Hobbister & eon / Mill Dam, Shapinsay; OHeb 21prs in 3 study sites Balranald, N.Uist; M&N c.18prs noted at 9 sites; NE} reported widely with 9-13prs Mill of Coull; P&K 9prs Vane Farm, 6 Little Glen Shee, 6 Carsebeck; Fife| c.13prs noted in 5 areas with 6prs in Lomond Hills survey; Forth 5 sites; Loth single prs at 4 sites; Bord c.54| at 32 sites, max 6 Hule Moss; Arg 33ads Oronsay, 40mm Colonsay (35), 24mm in partial count L.Gruinart, Islay, 4mm Treshnish Is. also noted at 9 sites on Mull; Clyde 132prs at 31 sites with 59prs Mouse-Dipool valley l1lprs Coldstream Burn & 8prs MoD Clyde Estate; Ayr 9mm at 5 sites; D&G 14prs Mersehead. First display OHeb 23 Feb; Bord 18 Mar; Shet 24 Mar; NE 28 Mar; Fife 17 Apr; Clyde 22 Apr. First eggs Arg 21 Apr & Shet 16 May. First young noted Shet 7 Jun & OHeb 9 Jun. Autumn/winter: 56 N.Ronaldsay, 50 L.Connell D&G, 40 Blairbowie Ayr, 36 L.of Ness, Papa Westray Ork, 31 Baron’s Haugh Clyde & 30 Endrick Mouth Clyde in Aug; 212 N.Ronaldsay, 179 Tiree Arg, 104 Carsebeck P&K, 55 Newshot Is. Clyde, 50 Fair Is, 44 Montgrew M&N & 32 Bavelaw L in Sep; 150 Aikerness Ork, 120 L.of Hillwell Shet & Mill Dam, Shapinsay Ork, 80 Fair Is, 70 Denfind P. A&D, 68 Aird Meadows Clyde, 53 Clickimin, 44 Lein M&N & 42 Corsehouse Res. Ayr in Oct; 120 Mersehead D&G, 60 Rigifa P. NE, 54 Kinneil Forth & 53 Inverugie in Nov; 60 The Loons Ork, 58 Hynish, Tiree Arg, 48 Greenhead P. Clyde & 35)" : Grangemouth Forth in Dec. Max elsewhere include: 15 Bord & 16 Fife. * Great Snipe Gallinago media 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 10 May; | Fair Is 13-16 Sep; 1 Herston Head, S.Ronaldsay Ork 16 Sep; 1 Skerries Shet)” 24-26 Sep. 4 birds in total. * Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus 1 Caerlaverock D&G 29 Sep 1998 to 20 Jan. [1998] 1 Pool of Virkie Shet 17 Sep. * Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus 1 Rosehearty NE 11-24 Sep. First record for Britain. Later relocated in Cleveland on 29 Sep. For accounts of the bird see: Pullan (1999) in Birding World 12:364-370 , Pullan (1999) in Birding Scotland: 2:157-161 & Crocke 2 | (2000) North-east Scotland Bird Report: 119-120. Photo: Birding World 12:494 & Birding Scotland:2 (4) cover. Eurasian Woodcock (Woodcock) Scolopax rusticola | Winter/spring: With no cold snap between Jan-Mar in almost all areas, there were very few records during the early year. Jan-Feb records were thin with just 2 in Shet, 8 Fair Is, c. 16 Ork & 7 OHeb, 2 A&D, 5 P&K, 5 Fife)” 6 Bord, 2 Arg, 24 Clyde & 5 Ayr with singles M&N, NE, Loth, Clyde Is and none Is of May & Forth. All 1-47 birds except 3 Shewalton Ayr 6 Jan & 7 Fair Is 2 Feb. ( 3 dead on beaches in Shet 1-2 Apr with spring max on Fair Is 7 on 13 Mar. A few coastal singles in Mo i) OHeb, NE (2), Is of May (2) & Fife. c.5 Ork into Apr/May. Shooting in Aline plantation Lewis OH, with 10 year annual mean Se winter 98/99) of 97 birds gives ¢ more likely picture of the real numbers. Breeding: M&N 7 sites; NE 3+ sites; A&D 3 sites only; P&K noted 6 sites; Fife 5 roding at 4 sites with flusheq birds at another 5 sites; Loth 8 birds at 6 sites, included adult carrying chick at Beecraigs; Bord singles at 1) sites with 4 Ladyurd & Duns Castle; Arg 7 roding Colonsay (9), 4 sites Mull included br2 & | mainland site Clyde Is 4 noted roding Arran, ‘fairly common’ Bute; Clyde birds at 10 sites included ad & young Ardgowan Ayr 4 birds roding at 2 sites; D&G 5-7 Cally Woods (8-10). Roding Clyde from 8 Feb, Bord 13 Mar, Ayr 16 Mar, A&D & Fife 8-9 Apr and M&N 21 Apr. First young Clyde 12 May & Loth 12 May. Autumn/winter: First Tiree Arg 15 Sep; Ork 20 Sep; Fair Is 6 Oct & Shet 17 Oct. . Passage was generally good, mostly mid-Oct & early Nov. Peak counts: 16 Fair Is, 10 St.Kilda OH, 10 Is 0 May, 6 Sanday Ork, 5 Sumburgh Shet 22-26 Oct. c.15 present Cove NE & c.9 Fife Ness area F 15-30 Oc t A Small arrivals continued to late Nov. Nov-Dec records: c.3 Shet, 16 Ork, 4 M&N, 8 NE, 2A&D, 6 P&K, 8 Fife, 5 Loth, 18 Bord, c.10 Arg, 15 Clyde 4 Ayr & | D&G. _ max 245 Fife WeBS & 26 Dun’s Dish A&D | Clyde WeBS 0, @ 0 121 R.D.Murray [Ed.] 59 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa [yea Winter/spring: Very few away from Eden, | y¢han Est. NE Forth & Solway Jan-Mar: 224 Forth Est. | Strathbeg NE Forth 14 Feb. Montrose A&D 8 18 22 : : Eden Est F 141 104 237 245 First Arg 3 Apr; Ayr & Shet 11-18 Apr, ee Fair Is, Bord & OHeb 22-27 Apr. Skinflats Forth 65 71 70 52 Best counts: 12 Mersehead D&G 12 Apr; | Mus’IburghL 1 1 #1. 10 Com OC CO © ¢ ew =) on 14 Apr; 10 Milton Is. Clyde 17 Apr; LN-Solway WeBS 310017 61 Tiree Arg & 29 Balgray Res. Clyde 18 Apr; 15 Linwood P. Clyde 21 Apr; 18 Daybreak, Papa Westray Ork 23 Apr; 50+ Ardmore Clyde 24 Apr; 16 Mid Skail, Egilsay Ork 27 Apr; 9 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg on 4 May; 53 Musselburgh L 9 May; 11 Adzeil House NE 10 May; 10 L.Ken D&G 17 May; 7 Virkie Shet 31 May. Breeding: Shet 4prs held territory, lpr deserted early, lpr failed on eggs and 2prs reared 3 young; Ork 3prs bred W.Mainland & lpr present Stronsay. Autumn/winter: 15 Balgray Res., 14 L.Gruinart & 12 Ardmore in Jul; 28 Papa Westray, 25 Noss Shet, 18 Mill Dam of Rango Ork and Ardivachar area, S.Uist OH, 10 Baron’s Haugh Clyde and 10 Bogside Ayr in Aug; 48 Browhouses D&G, 15 Virkie, 12 L.a’Phuill, Tiree & 11 Findhorn Bay M&N in Sep; 50 Stronsay Ork and 11 Longannet F in Oct. Last Fair Is, Bord 10-23 Sep; Shet & Clyde 5-6 Oct; M&N 15 Oct; OHeb 7 Nov. : In addition to the main sites Dec birds noted at 2 L.Mor, Lewis OH 11-12 Dec; 1 Garnock floods Ayr 17 Dec. Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Winter/spring: 587 Mussel- | Area burgh L in Jan; 582 Aberlady | S-Ford, S.UistOH 456 \ L, 500 North Ford, N.Uist | Nai™-Culbin M&N 93 ' OH, 450 Vallay Strand, Burghead M&N = 268 ; Ythan NE 98 N.Uist OH, 450 Dalmeny L | Montrose A&D —263 & 282 Forth Est. Forth in | N.Tay Est. A&D Feb; 330 Heatherhouse Ork | S-Tay Est. F fa Mar. Eden Est. F _ | N.Forth F Max elsewhere: Shet 4, Fair | s fonh bt 1590 1078 | Isl, Clyde Is 59, Clyde 12 & | Tyninghame L 130 210 Ayr 157. Islay lochs Arg 261 140 Autumn/winter: 711 Musselburgh & 170 Burntisland F in Sep; 370 Dalmeny, 198 Aberlady & 135 Kinneil ) Forth in Nov; 175 Mill Sands Ork in Dec. Max elsewhere: Shet 8, Fair Is 4, Clyde 21 & Ayr 7. Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Winter: 1 overwintered at Scatness Shet until at least 27 Jan; 1 found dead N.Ronaldsay Ork 3 Feb was possible the winterer of the last 2 years. Spring: First | Largiemore, Arran Clyde Is 17 Mar & 2 Endrick Mouth Clyde 19 Mar were well ahead of next birds seen in Ork, Fife, NE & Shet 2-9 Apr; M&N, A&D, Arg, OHeb, Fair Is, Ayr & Loth 18-25 Apr; A&D & D&G 1 May; Forth, Is of May & Bord 6-8 May. Poor passage with max of 7 Endrick Mouth 30 Apr; 28 Kinnaber A&D & 10 Girdleness NE 1 May; 59 Tiree Arg 5 May; 64 Bogside Ayr & 28 Ythan Est. NE 8 May; 77 Fair Is 10 May with a further 62 there 11 May when {| 59 Papa Westray Ork & 34 N.Ronaldsay; 9 Musselburgh L 12 May. Last birds passed through to c.12 Jun. |, Breeding: Ork 12prs West Mainland, 2prs on territory Eday did not breed, also 3 displaying in Jul; OHeb 1 on territory N.Uist. Autumn: First Fife 7 Jul; M&N, Bord & Forth 16-18 Jul; D&G, Shet, Arg & Clyde 21-26 Jul; A&D 29 Jul. | The best counts in a generally poor autumn were 22 Sands of Forvie NE on 28 Jul; 27 Kingston M&N on 3 Aug; |, 18 Barns Ness L & 16 N.Ronaldsay 4 Aug; 29 N.Rendall, Papa Westray, 21 Delnies M&N & 17W Hound Pt. _L5 Aug; 23 Papa Westray 10 Aug; 11 Machrihanish Arg 16 Aug; 12 Eden Est. F 26 Aug; 28 Pap Westray on ' 28 Aug; 29 Noss Shet 29 Aug. Last D&G, Forth, A&D, Fair Is, Ork, Clyde & Clyde Is 21-27 Sep; Is of May, OHeb, Fife & NE 1-11 Oct; Shet 31 Oct; 1 Tyninghame L7 Nov. | Winter: 1 overwintered Stevenson Pt. Ayr from 6 Nov into 2000. 60 Scottish Bird Report 1999) Eurasian Curlew (Curlew) Numenius arquata Area Strathbeg NE 408 Winter/spring: | Ythan NE 1049 5 1,500 L.of Hundland Ork) Montrose A&D 144 15 1,200 Ouse, Shapinsay Ork|) pe foe : 1,000 Skaill Ork, 351 N.Tay, ee ae Est. A&D, 259 Rosehearty, shore NE, 172 Tiree Arg and) 404 2 | aon 120 Uyeasound Shet in Jan) TyninghameL 264 38 ‘ 876 Forth Est. Forth, 369 Dip, Islay lochs Arg 358 ple shore Ayr, 300 Tullibody, Clyde Est. Clyde 524 617 1394 1093 659 1072 1601 1068 1497 Inch Forth. 250 Inverugie NE. : 14 28 367 498 1153 746 7 5 : i N.Solway D&G 13 86 09 36 98) 1153 25121 262 1274 & 900 Forthinch Forth in Feae 1,000 Work Ork in Mar; 1,000+ Torduff D&G & 350 Lochlea Ayr in Mar. NEWS Jan count of 571 in Loth-| Bord (320). ' Inland: Merryton Clyde 242 on 24 Jan, with 265 on 6 Feb but all gone by 27 Mar. 68 Scone P&K in Jan, ros¢ to 110 on 2 Feb with 160 nearby at Almondmouth 21 Feb; 251 Cameron Res. F 8 Jan with 117 there on 12 Feb! 82 Newmains B 31 Jan.; 128 Kinkell Bridge P&K & 88 Polmont Forth in Feb; 176 Glen Arteney P&K in Mar! First return inland: Clyde 1 Feb; Loth, Bord & Forth 24-28 Feb; Fife & NE 3 Mar; Ayr & M&N 14-25 Mar. |) —s Breeding: Ork 98prs Hobbister, 72prs Birsay Moors, 65prs The Loons & 14prs Papa Westray reserve, ; OHek — 21 prs N.Uist (26 in ‘98), 1 terr S.Uist; M&N c.49prs noted at 17 sites with 20prs Tips of Corsemaul; NE 21 pri) Mill of Couall, Braemar & 6prs Gairnsheil, also noted 5 other sites; A&D broods noted 4 sites; P&K 14prj Carsebeck & 9prs Vane Farm (8); Fife 12prs Lomond Hills (8-10), also noted 6 other sites; Bord c.47prs at 1 sites, c.12prs East Loch BBS, broods seen 5 sites; Arg 13prs L.Gruinart, Islay in partial count, none bred Moin( Mhor; Clyde 459prs at 64 sites with 266prs Mouse-Dipool valley, 12prs Normangill; Ayr 34prs at 17 sites) : First chicks A&D 30 May; Shet 4 Jun; Bord 13 Jun; Caith 17 Jun. Autumn/winter: 650 Kinneil Forth, 497 Cardross Bay Clyde & 350 Lochlea in Jul; 800 Mill Dam of Rang¢ Ork, 474 Wigtown Bay D&G, 394 The Meetings Clyde, 300 Ardivot M&N & 165 Tiree in Sep; 625 Merse| head D&G, 370 Findhorn Bay M&N in Oct; 1,050 L.of Harray Ork and 270 Cummingston M&N in Nov | 2,100 Shapinsay, 713 Forth Est., 460 Bosquoy Ork, 350 Scatness Shet, 180 Merryton & 154 Culross F in Dec) 18 Scone in Nov dropped to 1 in late Dec; also 1 Kercock P&K in Dec. Spotted Redshank 7ringa erythropus . SO ND Total Winter/spring: 5 Only | overwintering Kinneil Forth fror) : Jan to May. 1 Skinflats Forth 23 Ma) was probably the Kinneil bird. Very poc) Clyde 18-25 Apr; Findhorn Bay M&I 26 Apr; Montrose Basin A&D 3-10 May Pool of Virkie Shet 12-13 May; San son’s Lane, Stronsay Ork 13 May. WWrnNhe,s NRK, Spotted Redshank Angus Hogg Ayrshire Bird Report | spring with just 3 singles at Newshot Is__| < R.D.Murray [Ed.] 61 Autumn/winter: First 1 Montrose Basin 1-27 Jul; 1 Devaig, Mull Arg 10 Jul & Dunglass B 18 Jul. Next singles North Wick, Papa Westray Ork 8 Aug & 1 Ythan NE 8-11 Aug before a very slight autumn movement with Aug singles at Mill Dam, Shapinsay Ork, L.Connell D&G, Fetlar Shet, Quarff Shet, Fife Ness F, Lossie Est. M&N, Slains NE, Strathbeg NE, Skinflats & Musselburgh L, the only multiple records were 2 Bewan, N.Ronaldsay Ork 10 Aug & max of 5 Vane Farm P&K 19 Aug. The Sep movement was hardly any stronger with singles Shet, Fair Is, Bogside Ayr, Montgrew M&N, Findhorn Bay M&N, Ardnave Pt. Arg, Strathbeg, Eden Est. F, Fife Ness & Aberlady L (3). Oct fared hardly better with singles L.Gruinart, Ythan Est. Eden Est. & Mussel- burgh. The only multiple reports were: 4 Ythan Est. 10-18 Sep, 2 Tullibody Inch Forth 12 Sep & 2 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 20-29 Sep with 3 Kinneil 3 Oct. Latest reports : 1 Kennetpans Forth & | Montrose on 24 Oct, 1 Strathbeg 3 & 13 Nov and | Aberlady 26 Dec. Common Redshank (Redshank) Tringa totanus Winter/spring: 296 in Jan NEWS counts in _ Loth-Bord (378). 332 Auchenharvie Ayr, 302 Area Widewall Ork Nairn-Culbin Findhorn Bay Lossiemouth Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Dee Est. NE Donmouth NE Ythan NE Montrose A&D 1590 N.Tay Est. A&D 400 S.Tay F Eden Est. F N.Forth F S.Forth L Tyninghame L Clyde Est. Clyde 2444 1253 1294 Maidens-Girvan 795 597 556 254 N.Solway D&G 843 998 1542 587 Rosehearty NE, 300 Barassie Ayr, 200 Fair Is, 142 Virkie Shet in Jan; 2,161 Forth Est. Forth in Feb; 750 Carse Bay D&G, 600 Kinneil Forth & 220 Doonfoot Ayr in Mar; 346 N.Uist OH & 162 Tiree Arg in | Apr. Small numbers now win- tering inland in Bord (4 records of 1-4 birds) & Clyde (9 records of 1-12 birds) with singles record P&K, Fife & Loth. First inland: Loth 7 Mar; Clyde & Fife 10 Mar, P&K 13 Mar; Forth & Bord 14 Mar; A&D 16 Mar. Breeding: Shet 1m held first-ever territory on Noss; Ork 153prs noted with 66prs Papa Westray, 47prs The Loons, 13prs Mill Dam, Shapinsay, 12prs L.of Hundland; OHeb 275prs in 3 study areas of N.Uist (216 in ‘98), 94prs Balranald, N.Uist (86) & 8prs west L.Druidibeg, S.Uist; M&N single prs noted 4 sites; NE 5-7prs R.Urie at Oldmeldrum, 4prs Gairnshiel, also 7prs at 6 other sites; A& D note 4 inland sites but widespread; P&K 53prs at 15 sites with 20prs Strathallan & Sprs Vane Farm; Fife 5prs at 3 sites, 2 broods seen; Forth noted at just a single site; Loth 7prs Aberlady where 3 broods were noted; Bord 50prs at 35 sites with Sprs Hule Moss; Arg 26prs Coll reserve, 860prs L.Gruinart, Islay (985), 16prs Colonsay (11), partial count Oronsay found 10prs, 3prs L.Crinan, also bred 2 sites Mull; Clyde 111prs at 44 sites with 5prs Daer Res.; Ayr 10prs at 6 sites with 4prs Knockshinnoch; D&G 6prs reared 16 young Mersehead, prs noted 4 other sites. First young seen: Fife 10 May; A&D 22 May; M&N 2 Aug. Autumn/winter: 1,160 Kinneil, 530 Skinflats Forth in Sep; 2,002 Forth Est., 250 Work Ork, 167 Dunglass B in Oct; 1,352 Seafield shore D&G & 200 Tankerness Ork in Nov; 250 Work, 160 Portgordon shore M&N, 120 Virkie in Dec. Usual scatter of overwintering inland birds in A&D (1 site, max 40), Clyde (8 records, max 19), 2243 1069 - 2500 - 365 10 102 345 1308 457 883 1130 1223 78 150 482 1811 1310 2899 - 350 37h 1254 39) 161 ' P&K (1 record, max 3) & Borders (4 records, max 2) with single records M&N and Loth. * Common Greenshank (Greenshank) Tringa nebularia Winter/spring: c.51 wintered in Jan/Feb (65): 1 Ork, 1 M&N, 2 NE, 1 A&D, 6 Fife, 9 Loth, 11 Arg, 11 Clyde, - 8Ayr & 2 D&G. Best counts: 10 Finlaystone Pt. Clyde, 9 Tyninghame L, 7 Hunterston Ayr, 4 Oronsay Arg & ' 4L.Don, Mull Arg. First passage birds: Loth 3 Apr; M&N 4 Apr; D&G, Clyde 10 Apr; Shet, Ork & Fife 19- 23 Apr; Fair Is, Clyde Is 27-29 Apr; Bord 2 May. Passage was lighter than usual, mostly singles during Apr-May with a few into Jun, max 8 Ythan Est. NE in Apr. . - Breeding: Shet present West Mainland site; OHeb 13 AOTs in N.Uist survey, 3 prs S.Uist, 12 L-nan Geireann, _ N.Uist 12 Jun was unusual; High 11prs at 9 sites; P&K prs & singles noted at 3 sites but no young seen. Autumn/winter: First Loth 13 Jun; P&K, A&D & Forth 19-26 Jun; Shet, M&N, Clyde & Arg 1-8 Jul; Ork & ' Fife 14-16 Jul; Bord 3 Aug. Max counts: 8 Findhorn Bay M&N on 21 Jul; 15 Montrose Basin A&D on 23 Jul; 31 Ythan Est. in Aug; 30 Tyninghame 30 Aug; 9 Machrihanish Arg 12 Aug; 16 Montrose 15 Aug; 12 The eee 62 Scottish Bird Report 1999 Strand, Colonsay Arg 23 Sep & 14 Oct; 15 Browhouses D&G 14 Sep; 12 Finlaystone Pt. 28 Sep; 12 Auchen- | dores Res. Clyde 12 Oct. Other than winter birds: last birds Is of May, Shet, Bord & Fair Is 25-30 Sep; A&D | & Ork 1-8 Oct; M&N, Loth 16-17 Oct; P&K 23 Oct; Ayr 9 Nov. . c.64 Dec birds with: <20 OHeb, 8 Fife, 8 Loth, 10 Arg, 15 Clyde & singles NE, Forth & Bord (38). Max 12 Auchendores Res. & 8 Tyninghame in Dec. i * Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca 1 L.Mor, Benbecula OH 2 Nov to 9 Mar 2000, Third record for Outer Hebrides and sixth record for Scotland. | For an account of this bird: see Rabbitts (2000) in Birding Scotland 3: 35. * Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes | Fair Is 1-4 May; 1 Scatness Shet 3-6 May; 1 Haroldswick Shet 20 May; 1 Monikie A&D 26 Jul-1 Aug; 1 juv Tyninghame L 26 Sep-10 Oct. First for Angus & Dundee, 3rd records for Loth & Fair Isle, 4th for Shetland. Photos: Scatness bird: see Birding World 12:178 & Shetland Bird Report 1999; Haroldswick bird: see Shetland Bird Report 1999.: Monikie bird see Birding Scotland 2(4) cover & of the Fair Isle bird: see Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report 1999. For an account of the Monikie bird: see Carmichael (2000) in Angus & Dundee Bird Report 199: 60. EN JF M as M S O ND Total Winter/spring: Jan-Apr singles Merse- | 11 — head D&G Jan-Apr; Montrose Basin i . A&D & Dumbarton Clyde in Jan:) N Isles NE Scot E/C Scot SE Scot Cloddach Quarry M&N in Mar-Apr | N41 W Scot SW Scot 1999 1998 1997 1996 =" = F in Feb (probably overwintered). ! 1 Stranraer D&G 22 Mar & R.Nith at) Kirkton D&G may also have winterea i but were just possibly early migrants. | WOW wyaee ke , ONO RNR. eK oy SI 0 Re , WW LY a (may have wintered) with 2 Angle Park | Apr passage singles Skerries Shet, Fair Is, L.of Strathbeg NE, Angle Park, Leuchars F, Grangemouth Forth, | Skinflats F, Musselburgh L, Aberlady L. & St.Abbs B with 2 noted R.Tweed at Lees B 24 Apr. Further singles in May noted from Whalsay Shet, Fair Is, Girdleness NE ( a & Linwood P. Clyde with 3 max Fair Is on 4 dates, in May & 2 Kingston M&N 23 May. c./0 in winter & c.22 in spring. Breeding: High pr with br4, 2nd-ever breeding for UK (last in 1959); NE single ad, very agitated was seen. alarm-calling incessantly in suitable habitat on 9 Jul. Autumn/winter: First noted at Denfind P. A&D 28 Jun & Grasspoint, Mull Arg | Jul. Then Bord, Fife, Clyde & NE 4-9 Jul; Forth 22 Jul; Ayr & Shet 1-6 Aug; M&N, D&G, Is of May 13-25 Aug. | Mainly singles but 2 Montrose Basin A&D 22 Jul; 2 Carsebeck P&K 10 Aug; 2 Cloddach M&N 13 Aug; 2 Slains NE 13-18 Aug; 4 Fair Is 15 Aug; 2 Cameron Res. F 24 Aug with 4 there 12 Sep; 2 R.Dee at Park NE 24- 31 Aug; 2 Medwyn P. Clyde 25 Aug; 2 Stronsay Ork 26 Aug; 2 Ballochruin Bridge Clyde 30-31 Aug: 2 Auchendores L. Clyde | Sep; 3 Skinflats & 3 Durkadale Burn Ork 4 Sep; 2 Strathbeg 7 Sep. Last M&N, Is of May & Shet 8-9 Sep; A&D, Fair Is & Arg 17-26 Sep; P&K, Fife & NE 2-5 Oct; Forth 10 Oct Bord 30 Oct. Unusually few Nov-Dec singles Castle Semple L. Clyde, Kettletoun Quarry L & Cameron Res. | c.110 in autumn & 3 in winter. Wood Sandpiper 7ringa glareola Area Spring: N Isles - - - - 9 5 0 aa O Heb eis See. cS ay ee oui Sie 2 First 1 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 24 Apr; Loth, ee ee eke heat aes ee Fair Is, Shet & NE.6-8 May; M&N, Bordlje@ segp0 ) = A oe) nl Se eee eee ee 11-13 May; OHeb & Fife 18-20 May; Ork\ShiScot 92.) 6-2 e- e 5 + = ae 23 May; Clyde 31 May & Ayr 10 Jun.) WASe0R = ad 2 : INA DES eet eae : SWaStotieate 2 og “eS << Io =. ie very poor spring, with just 27 birds, all aun eo ee ie ee were singles except 3 at Strathbeg NE] j99¢ OO Uh gas Cee Spdee wse nok 5 ip on 7 & 11 May. 1997 0 <0. 50205 Se se 2. tT OJ 0ns 0 ee 1996 Oh 00 I 43. 22 . F-34340 20 Table does not list breeding birds. ai was Bi - R.D.Murray [Ed.| 63 a aT FS I TO oA RO OEE TS AUD ES gy Ee RW Er ME NR ee Se ES SE SN pS Rg Breeding: High 2prs bred one site, min 6 birds - probably 3prs btred at another & pr probably bred a third site. Autumn: First single Montrose Basin A&D 25 Jul then Ayr 6 Aug; M&N 7 Aug; D&G 15 Aug; Shet & NE 18- 19 Aug; Loth 22 Aug. An early autumn, mostly singles in Aug with max 2 Blairbowie Ayr 6-14 Aug, 2 Cruden Bay NE 22 Aug, 2 Geosetter Shet 27 Aug & 2 Carsebeck P&K 2 Sep. Last D&G & MEN 15-17 Aug; A&D & NE 22 Aug; Loth 30 Aug; P&K 4 Sep; Shet 24 Sep; latest singles N. Ronaldsay Ork & Blairbowie on 26 Sep. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Spring: First 1 Stow B 14 Mar; 1 Black Cart Water Clyde 21 Mar & 2 Lilly L. Clyde 22 Mar; | L.of Strathbeg NE 29 Mar. Then Fife, Is of May, Loth & Ayr 2-8 Apr; M&N, Forth, OHeb, A&D, P&K, D&G, Clyde Is & Arg 15-23 Apr; Ork 30 Apr; Fair Is & Shet 4-8 May. Main influx mid-Apr. 15 Fair Is 13 May was only large count.. Breeding: Shet br2 West Burrafirth & pr summered Skaw, Unst; Ork 6prs L.of Harray & 6prs at 4 other sites; OHeb 6prs Dell.R., Lewis, 10prs noted N.Uist, 13prs L.Druidibeg; High s; M&N 1 1prs R.Avon at Birchfield, Sprs Spey at Tomdow & 13 other prs at 8 sites; NE 3prs Garnshiel, Sprs Mill of Coul area, pr fledged Inchgarth; A&D noted 6 areas; P&K fewer Knaick catchment; Fife 2prs reported at Mountcastle but birds noted 4 other sites; Forth Sprs R.Devon plot & pr noted 2 other sites; Loth 3 sites with br3 noted Glencourse Res.; Bord 86prs at 28 sites, with 19prs at Heriot-Dewar study area rearing 14br86 also 5 of 6prs on Lugate Water were also very successful; Arg Sprs on part of L.Fyne, stable 4prs Taynish, bred 4 sites L.Redine Forest, 10prs L.Spelve area, Mull, 44prs Colonsay (30), 5prs parts of L.na Keal & prs on 4 of the Treshnish Is.; Clyde 119prs at 42 sites with , 19prs Elvan Water, 13prs Camps Res., 12prs Birthwood-Culter Waterhead Res., 7prs Duneaton Water; Ayr ees a oa ny Sf mms yy EI nS ieee Se AP reel ee et BR a ———— — = 34prs at 26 sites. First young Bord 11 Jun; NE 19 Jun. Autumn: 41 Kingston M&N 10 Jul; 12 Eden Est. F 12 Jul; 41 Montrose Basin A&D & 17 Skinflats Forth 18 Jul; 11 Bogside Ayr 21 Jul; 16 Findhorn M&N 21 Jul; 25 Ballantrae Ayr 23 Jul; 18S Machrihanish Arg 31 Jul; 10 Musselburgh L 11 Aug; 39 Machrihanish 12 Aug; 12 Erskine Clyde 14 Aug; 20 Carsethorn D&G 21 Oct. Last OHeb 16 Aug; M&N 3 Sep; A&D, NE, Bord, Ayr, Shet, Ork & Fair Is 16-28 Sep; Forth, Loth, Clyde Is & Fife 2-9 Oct; D&G, Clyde & Is of May 21-23 Oct. Winter: | Helensburgh Res. Clyde on 14 Nov; | on Black Cart Water at Renfrew Bridge Clyde 10 Nov-29 Dec; 2 on R.Tay at Kercock P&K 28 Dec. * Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia Ad L.Spynie M&N 25 Jun. First record for Moray & Nairn. Spotted Sandpiper Dave Pullan Moray & Nairn Bird Report 64 Scottish Bird Report 1999 Ruddy Turnstone (Turnstone) Arenaria interpres Area Jan Feb Mar Apr ae Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Winter/spring: 265 Loth- Bord | ee (262); 692 S.Uist shores and | onaldsay r Fardde 100 300 L.Bee, S.Uist OH in Jan- S.Ford, S.Uist OH 300 5 5 Mar; 244 Rosehearty shore | Burghead M&N 38 NE, 222 Sands of Evie Ork, Portgordon M&N 252 he : 125 Fetlar Shet & 105 Mar-. ee wick Bay Ork in Jan; 450+ Ythan Est. NE 37 Papa Westray Ork & 255 Bal- | Montrose A&D phetrish Bay, Tiree Arg in Apr; | N.Forth F 555 Ardivachar Pt.-W.Gernish, | see S.Uist OH, 100 Lossiemouth .Fo . m| Tyaidehame E MEN, 60 Melby Shet in May; | Islay lochsArg 200 Aird an Runair, N.Uist OH in Jun; 100 Monach Is.|: OH & 60 Papa Westray in Jul. — RT Clyde Est. Clyde 60 Newton Ayr - Doonfoot Ayr 35 N.Solway D&G 114 160 May-24 Jul; Ork 4 Jun-11 Aug; Ayr 20 Jun-22 Jul. Oo, oocococ‘rskoo:.noe9e Bord 6 May-5 Aug; Clyde 10) Autumn/winter: 273 Is of May, 114 Noss Shet in Aug; 300 N.Berwick L, 143 Maesness Ork & 100 Birsay Bay, | Ork in Sep; 152 Balphetrish Bay in Oct; 400 North Wick, Papa Westray, 104 Egilsay Ork & 85 Virkie Shet in| | Nov; 700 W.Gernish Oct-Dec. Inland: | Balgray Res. Clyde 12-17 Aug with 1 there 3 Sep & 3 on 8 Sep; | Endrick Mouth Clyde 2 Sep. Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus Spring: First back Fetlar Shet 14 May & OHeb 16 May; | Mull Head, Papa Westray Ork 22 May; 10N Aird an Runair, N.Uist OH 22-23 May; pr Mill Dam, Shapinsay Ork, | Hundland, Papa Westray & Matpow, Stronsay Ork 23 May; 3 N.Ronaldsay Ork 24 May with 6 there 25 May & | on 26 May; | Port of Ness, Lewis OH 29 May. 1| L.of Strathbeg NE 10 & 19 Jun. Breeding: Shet low numbers continue with just 17mm were located on Fetlar with a min of 23 juvs fledged, very’ good productivity; OHeb noted at 5 sites with 1 male mobbing an Otter at one site and a male with br2 at another) (a photographer was heavily fined at another site for deliberate disturbance); Arg pr returned to old breeding site l | | (last seen there in 1992), their behaviour suggested that eggs had been hatched but no young were actually seen] Last seen OHeb site 12 Jul & Shet site 10 Aug. Autumn: singles Mill Dam of Rango Ork 11 Jul; Fetlar 30 Aug; Barry L. A&D 23 Aug; & L.of Strathbeg onl | 18-19 Sep. 6th for Angus & Dundee. I Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius Singles Tayinloan Arg 8 Jan; 1N Aird an Runair, N.Uist OH 22 May with 2 there 23 May. ! » ! 14 Ardivachar Pt., S.Uist, Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist & Borve Pt. Benbecula, all OH 8-12 Sep; 1 N.Ronaldsay Or 21 Jul; | Mull Head, Papa Westray Ork 22 Jul; 3 Grimnish Pt., N.Uist 11-13 Oct; 1 Frenchman’s Rocks, Islay Arg 2 Nov; | Dunoon Arg 27 Dec. Phalaropus sp. ————— Re eee Eo ae Sg Absent Caith 24 May-31 Jul;|_ | Hannavoe, Yell Shet 5 Sep; 1 Kinghorn F 19 Sep; 1 Union Canal at Linlithgow L 22 Oct; 1 Kinghorn 23 Oct) | Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus | Musselburgh L 19 Jan after a NE gale was the only winter record. Spring: There were no records this spring from the Solway or Inner Hebrides and just a single record from Nort Sea coasts: 1 Girdleness NE 9 May. N.Isles: 5 Scapa Flow Ork 28 Apr; 1 Deer Sound Ork 30 Apr; 2 Papa Westray Ork 5 May with 3 there 9 May & | on 23 May; | Fair Is 9 May with another 15 May and one on the crossing 9 Jun. OHeb: 371N off OHeb 11 Apr-26 May: 314 Aird an Runair, N.Uist, 51 Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist & 6 Ardivacha Pt. S.Uist, all but 20 birds between 21-24 May. R.D.Murray [Ed.] Autumn: First | Machrihanish Arg 21 Jul; Ork, | ayeg Nav “Dee Teak Loth & Is of May 8-10 Aug; Fife 18 Aug; Bord | N Isies 16 27 Aug; OHeb & Ayr 2-3 Sep; Clyde 11 Sep; | OHeb A&D & Shet 15-18 Sep; M&N & NE 18-22 Oct. | NE Scot Mostly 1-2 birds recorded but best daily counts ane were: 2 Is of May 10 Aug; 2 Cloch Pt. Clyde on | w scot 11 Sep; 2 Lunan Bay A&D 15 Sep; 9 Kinghorn | SW Scot F 20 Sep; 15 Kinshaldy F 9 Oct; 4 Peterhead NE _ | 1999 total 18 Oct; 6 Hound Pt. L 20 Oct; 19 Strathlene M&N | 15° 22 Oct; 6 Frenchmen’s Rocks, Islay Arg 28 Oct with 18 there 31 Oct; 5 Pt. of Ayre Ork 30 Oct; 20W Hound Pt. 6 Nov; 11 Kinghorn F 14 Nov. 58 Outer Hebrides, mostly at Grimnish Pt., N.Uist OH 10 Oct- 2 Nov. Last Clyde 11 Sep; A&D 20 Oct; M&N 22 Oct; Loth 6 Nov; Arg 20 Nov. Larger numbers of late birds than usual: 1 Yell Sound at Ulsta Shet 20 Nov- 7 Dec; 1 Peterhead & | Herston, S:Ronaldsay Ork 11 Dec; 1 Anstruther F & 1 Burnmouth B 12 Dec; 1 Grimnish Pt. 17 Dec; 1 Yell Sound at Uynarey Shet 20 Dec; 1 Matpow, Stronsay Ork 21 Dec; 1 Pt. of Ayre 22 Dec. YY BR”, — | Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus Winter: 1 Valleyfield F 4 Jan lingered late into the month. | Society L 9 Jan. Spring: First Aird an Runair, N.Uist OH 10 Apr. Then M&N, Ork & Fair Is 13-15 Apr; Shet, NE, Fife & Ayr 19-24 Apr; Bord 1 May; Arg 8 May; Loth 26 May; A&D 11 Jun. 151N OHeb 10 Apr-24 May, 42 from 10-24 Apr & 73 from 12 -23 May with 113 Aird an Runair, N.Uist & 34 Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist. General arrival Shet 24 Apr & Fair Is 26 Apr. | Arg record in May, 20 in Jun. Slightly more on N.Sea coasts than usual with 3 M&N, 15 NE, 5 Fife & 1 Bord in May/Jun. Breeding: Overall Shetland breeding numbers continued to fall, down by 1.6% on 1998 levels. With little recruitment and low adult survival rates only 106 were counted on Foula, the lowest number for 11 years, although there was a higher proportion of non-breeders on club sites. Fair Isle remained stable at somewhat low levels. Study plots elsewhere on Shetland were generally stable, maintaining the 30% decline since 1990. Plots on Orkney show a larger decline since 1990, at 54%, numbers dropping 3% from the 1998 levels. other AOT Foula’ Shet Fairls Orkney Handa Total 133 69 123 35 466 1998 132 67 127 32 472 1997 111 98 129 30 485 change -7% +1% 43% -3% +9% Shetland AOTs MBP Orkney AOTs 0.46 123 0.15 127 0.56 129 Productivity in Shetland (excluding Foula) was higher than in the terrible 1998 season, although still below the long term average (0.79). Foula managed 0.60 from 106 pairs. Reports indicate that food availability seemed poor with Bonxie predation marked. Good feeding, supplied by Guillemots & Kittiwakes, allows Orkney birds to have a better than average year (long-term mean 0.72). Papa Westray managed to attain really high levels with MBP 1.26 from 35 pairs. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. OHeb 5 birds L.Portain reared min 2 young, noted 7 other sites in N.Uist, one site with 14 birds, 2prs St. Kilda. Autumn: Apparently an early departure, presumably due to breeding failures, with the bulk of the birds passing through in Aug rather than Sep. Jun sightings NE, A&D, Fife & Arg. First Ayr 16 Jul; Loth, Bord & Clyde 20- 28 Jul; Is of May 9 Aug; Forth 3 Sep. 87 Mull Head Ork 14 Jul with 300 there on 22 Jul; 6 Lunga, Mull Arg 29 Jul; 13 Fishtown of Usan A&D 7 Aug; 16 Mains of Usan A&D on 18 Aug; | 11N Fife Ness on 18, 20 & 22 Aug; 24 Kinghorn F 29 Aug; 47 Musselburgh L 1 Sep; 32 Hound Pt. L | 1999 total 34 4 Sep; 15 Balmedie NE 7 Sep; 9 Kinghorn 13 Sep; | 1998 8 28 Hound Pt. 18 & 20 Sep with 102W on 19 Sep; | 1997 10 12 Kirkcaldy F & 10S Fife Ness 19 Sep; 35W King- [1296 __*4 horn 28 Sep; 25N Fife Ness 29 Sep; 34 Hound Pt. & 10 Arbroath A&D 20 Oct; 5S Turnberry Pt. Ayr 1 Nov. Last Shet 21 Sep; D&G, Bord & Fair Is 18-25 Sep; OHeb 13 Oct; M&N, A&D, Ork, Clyde, Loth & Is of May 20-31 Oct; Arg 1 Nov; Ayr 21 Nov. Late birds: 1 Kinghorn 14 Nov & 1 Anstruther F 12 Dec. Inland: | Westruther Burn Clyde 31 Jul & 1 Endrick Mouth Clyde 13 Sep. Nov Dec Total 66 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | | Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus Spring: 1 Saltcoats Ayr 13 May; 225 OHeb 21-24 May with 230 Aird an Runair, N.Uist, 22 Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist, 3 Ardivachar Pt. S.Uist & 1 S.Boisdale, S.Uist;with later singles Fair Is 27-29 May; Cunningsburgh Shet 29 May; Papa Westray Ork 30-May; & N.Ronaldsay Ork 12 Jun. Autumn: the poorest autumn since 1989 (15 birds) and 1992 (35 birds). Nov Dec Total 1 Fair Is 10 Jun.; 1 Lunga Arg 26 Jun; 2 Mull Head, with | Carlingnose F & 1 Hound Pt. 18 Aug; 1 1999 total ; 1 Kinghorn 4 Sep; | Hound Pt. & 1 Kinghorn 11 1998 Sep; | Lunna Shet 18 Sep; 1 Forth Bridge L 19 i tee Sep; 1 Kinghorn 24 Sep; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 28 Kinghorn 20 Oct. Great Skua Catharacta skua Winter: 1S Girvan Ayr 5 Jan; 1 Ardivachar Pt., S.Uist OH 31 Jan-6 Feb; Spring: First Aird an Runair, N.Uist OH 18 Mar: Shet, Fair Is & Ork 25-31 Mar; Clyde, Arg &OHeb 7- ‘icas i. Fife & NE 21-29 Apr; M&N, A&D & Ayr 22-29 May. 247N OHeb 18 Mar-27 May with 204 Aird an ‘Runair, N.Uist & 43 Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist, 63 on 10 Apr and 98 between 21-23 May. 12 L.Indaal, Islay Arg 12 Apr was the only other significant movement reported. Away from breeding areas Jun birds were seen in M&N (3), P&K (1), NE (27), Fife (7) & Arg (2). Inland: 1 Vane Farm P&K 7 Jun. Breeding: The large increase in Fair Isle is thought to be an underestimate despite the decrease in etand which was | mostly due to a decline on Noss. A larger plot at Hermaness was used so some of the figures are not directly comparable. | On Foula the adult survival rate remained high at about 93%. The number recorded on Orkney plots dropped by 20%, | the lowest level for 5 years. This mostly occurred on N.Hoy where numbers dropped from 61 to 35 pairs.. monitored Fair Shetland Isle Orkney Handa Shetland AOTs MBP Orkney AOTs MBP 425 ~— 0.71 1160.51 133 318 ~—-: 0.60 0.24 203 121 387. 0.65 0.85 5% 61% 21% Shetland Bonxies had slightiy less than average success (long-term mean 0.79) in 1999. Foula had its best produce for if | 15 years (MBP 1.1) despite food shortages in July when the sand-eel supply fell. Hermaness was equally successful. Papa Westray Ork 22 Jul; 1 Hound Pt. 17 Aug | Papa Westray 19 & 25 Aug; 1 Hound Pt. 29 Aug; | : Sep; | Fife Ness 4 Oct with another on 16 Oct; 1 |) Orkney Great Skuas were even further off the mean (MBP 0.63) but had a markedly better season than in 1998 with the | exception of the Mainland colony (0.40). The most productive sites were Papa Westray & Westray. (0.82 & 0.80). Poor \/ weather early in the season and reduced food availability and predation by conspecifics were the likely reasons for the | poor success. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Ork 156prs Hoy reserve, 19prs Birsay Moors, 4prs Gairsay & 3prs Eynhallow; OHeb 163prs St.Kilda (242 in |) ‘97), 26prs Shiant Is., 1Sprs North Rona, 3prs South Dell, Lewis; Arg 6 birds Lunga, Treshnish Is. in Jun, pr |_| lingered but no young seen. Autumn: First Fife & Arg 4-9 Jul; Ayr & M&N 16-22 Jul; A&D, Loth & Bord 1-5 Aug; Is of May, Forth & |) | Clyde Is 13-21 Aug; Clyde 11 Sep. 79S OHeb 15 Aug-7 Nov with 67 Rhuba Ardvule, 28 Grimnish Pt. N.Uist. |) Nov Dec Total | Passage birds mostly totals of 1-5: max counts: Sep; 7W Kirkcaldy F 18 Sep; 22 Hound Pt., 16S Fife Ness & 6S Eyemouth B 19 Sep; 33 Hound Pt.on 20 Sep; 6S Cloch Pt. Clyde 2 Oct; 8W Kinghorn F 17 Oct; 6 Arbroath A&D 20 Oct; 6 Frenchmen’s Lo i 3 4 4 2 9 Rocks on 31 Oct. Last Bord & Clyde Is 19-25 Sep; M&N & Clyde 3-11 Oct; Arg, A&D, NE, Fife & Fair Is 20- | 31 Oct; Ayr 2 Nov; OHeb 7 Nov. 1 Queenamidda Ork 10 Nov; 2 at Rumblewick, Noss Shet 13 Nov; 1 ' Aberlady L on 14 Nov; | Herston, S.Ronaldsay Ork 15 Nov; 1 St.Abbs B 12 Dec. - 194} 20S Mull Head, Papa Westray Ork on 22 Jul; 18W | 213! Kinnaird Head NE 10 Aug; 14N Fife Ness F 20 | Aug; 28N/3S Peterhead NE 21 Aug; 22 French- |/ men’s Rocks, Islay Arg 9 Sep; 17 Hound Pt. 11 | R.D.Murray [Ed.] : 67 * Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus Winter: ad Musselburgh L 1998-11 Feb; ad Barassie Ayr 1998-15 Feb; ad Leven F 1998-22 Mar; ads Dundee A&D and Kinross P&K 1 Jan; ad Donmouth NE 24 Jan; ad N.Ronaldsay Ork 7 Feb; ad Burntisland F 9 Feb & Inverkeithing Bay F 26 Feb; 2nd-w Cults NE 18 Feb and Donmouth 28 Feb. Ist-s Musselburgh & 7 Mar; Ist-s Doonfoot Ayr 9 Apr. Breeding: the N.Ronaldsay singleton (from Feb) held territory at Trinly from 2 Apr. Autumn: Ad Arbroath A&D 11 Jul; ad Montrose Basin A&D 26 Jul; 2nd-s Ugie Est. NE 26-30 Aug; ad Kinghorn F 30 Aug; Ist-w Barassie 1-2 Sep & 26 Sep; Ist-w Hound Pt. L 4 Sep; 1st-w Turnberry Pt. Ayr on 11 Sep; ad Rosehearty NE 12 Sep & Peterhead NE 18 Sep. Winter: ad Musselburgh 5 Oct-2000, joined by another 25 & 30 Oct and a third on 4&6 Nov; ad Barassie 2 Nov- 2000; ad E Hound Pt. 6 Nov; ad Oatslie Sandpit L 13 Nov; ad Leven 18 Nov-5 Dec & 28 Dec-2000; 2nd-w Leven & ad Sandhaven NE 5 Dec. A poor year by recent standards. Ad Barassie 2 Nov-2000 was colour-ringed as an adult at Antwerp in Belgium, last seen there 4 Jul. [1998] 2nd-w Mallaig H 28 Mar; 2nd-w Kyle of Durness H 20 Sep.. NU OANNPR We 1 * Laughing Gull Larus atricilla Ad L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 14-21 Apr. Third for Argyll. Little Gull Larus minutus Bird/Dayys J F M AM J J A S ON _ D Total Angus/Fife area: | N Isles Baga: ED ee 3B Another poor year for the main area. ve i : ; ps ; Best Jan-Mar numbers: 4 W. Haven | ric-segt 13 41 114 159 596 674 106 579 A&D 13 Jan and 7 Tayport F 17 Jan, | op scot - 1 3 14 «7 otherwise mostly 1-2 birds. Marchagain | WScot 1 AROS) was particularly quiet. SWScot - - =i 10 Spring build-up at Monikie A&D started 1999 20 44 145 193 605 695 124 586 43 103 2587 th 23 on 24 Apr before 105 there on 1998 50 189 145 41 3511750 731 236 92 105- 3700 21 May & 140 by late Jun. Numbers continued to build at Monikie with 163 on 23 Jul, 280 on 29 Jul and the last 10 there 17 Aug.. Elsewhere in area numbers were smaller with 6 Goosepools F 28 May; 11 Balgove F 27 Jun; 60 Arbroath A&D & 52 Barry Buddon A&D 11 Jul; 98 Goosepools 19 Jul, 21 East Sands 21 Jul; 36 Arbroath 31 Jul before 600 Arbroath Bay 8 Aug where numbers tailed off to 75 on 24 Sep. Thereafter few noted other than 100N Arbroath 11 Dec. Very poor autumn passage at Fife Ness F with monthly max of 28 on 18 Aug, 5 on 11 & 12 Sep, 452S there 16 Oct & 38S on 7 Nov. Only tiny numbers elsewhere in Fife. Elsewhere in Scotland: Above average numbers in N & W Scotland, but still few compared to Angus & Fife. In the Jan-Jul period mostly 1-2 birds other than 8 Browhouses D&G 11 May; 3 Findhorn Bay M&N 10 May; 3 Ardivachar Pt., S.Uist OH 15 May; 15 Musselburgh L 11 Jun; 3 Strathbeg NE in Jun; 3 Musselburgh 20 Aug; 3 Kinneil Forth 5 Sep; 3 Hound Pt. L 11 Sep. Breeding: Loth a pair were noted in a Black-headed Gull colony during mid-Jun. * Sabine’s Gull Larus sabini 1 Mainsriddle D&G 17 Jan; 1 Linklet, N.Ronaldsay Ork 25 May; ad Limekilns F & Blackness Forth 23 Jun; ad Whitehall, Stronsay Ork late Jul-5 Aug; ad Whalsay- Skerries Shet 5 Aug; ad Bogside-Irvine Ayr 16 Aug; ad Traigh Bai-a-mhuilinn, Tiree Arg & juv Turnberry Pt. Ayr 9 Sep; ad Turnberry Pt. 2 Oct. A poor year: 1 winter, 1 in spring, lin summer & 6 autumn birds. Sabine’s Gull Angus Hogg Ayrshire Bird Report 68 Scottish Bird Report 1999 LT NS TS DEE a RS ARNE OCR 1p ORO MLSS TORT OOPS PO OPER EC Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus Winter/spring: 7,000 Donmouth NE, 6,000 Strathclyde L. Clyde, 5,200 Hogganfield L. Clyde, 1,600 Hirsel L. | _ B & 1,000 Ardmore Bay Clyde in Jan; 1,700 Balgray Res. Clyde & 1,300 Carbarns Clyde in Feb; 8,870 Hule | | Moss B, 5,000 Castle L. D&G, 3,300 Carsebeck P&K, 2,000 Musselburgh L & 1,020 Barr L. Clyde in Mar; | _ 6,500 Hule Moss & 1,700 L.of the Lowes P&K in Apr. i | Max elsewhere: 710 Ayr, 528 A&D, 434 Forth, 416 Fife, 400 OHeb, 164 Clyde Is, 114 Arg & 25 Shet. Breeding: Overall numbers in Western Scotland declined by 22%. There was marked contrast between colonies in Argyll | with Mink control (MBP 0.53) and 2 colonies with no control which failed completely. The long-term mean in this area | is only 0.25. In Shetland Great Skua predation reduced success on Fetlar (0.09) and numbers in the Tingwall area | continued to decline. In contrast the Walls colony was successful despite purposeful disturbance. 65prs on Rousay | managed 0.25 while birds in an Aberdeen industrial estate had decline from 1,050prs in 1998 to 450prs due to deliberate | disturbance. The Sands of Forvie site managed MBP 0.51. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Shet mixed success but mostly a poor year; Ork 1,162prs at 7 sites but poor success due to bad weather at | | critical times; OHeb Lewis had 7 sites with 134prs, N.Uist had 6 colonies with 177prs, fledging 114prs; on i S.Uist 6 sites held 258prs - Mink eradication proceeds in Lewis & Harris with MBP 0.92 from 91 prs in Mink- | free areas and MBP 0.11 from 304prs in the Mink-affected area; M&N 6 sites held 242prs, max Easter Lochend i with 170prs; NE breeding noted at 12 sites with c.2,793prs at 10 sites, max 1,000+prs at Dinnet; A&D 1,000+prs | Auchentaple L. but predation caused problems; P&K bred 7,000prs L.Leven; Fife c.138prs at 4 sites, max 120 | nests Mountcastle Quarry; Forth c.230prs at 2 sites, bred at 3rd site, max c.200prs at Ashfield; Loth bred 3 | sites, max numbers at Bavelaw; Bord c.12,497prs bred 21 sites, 3 small sites failed, c.11,000 nests counted at } | the giant Bemersyde colony in May, 46% juvs present there mid-Jul suggests a slightly poorer season than ‘98 | _ (48.5%); Arg 322prs nested at 12 sites (see Upton et al for details of Mink control findings; Clyde Is 20prs | __ L.Quien; Clyde 2,047prs at 15 sites, but a 20% decrease at sites also counted in 1998, , 787 nests Cowgill Res. |_| & 200+prs Garvald Quarry where 160 juvs fledged, 200 juvs fledged from 120+ nests at Harelaw Dam; Ayr | c.280prs bred at 4 sites. max 230prs Clydeport. First chicks fledged Bord 7 Jun; A&D 4 Jul. Autumn/winter: 2,500 Milton Clyde in Jul; 3,148 N.Solway WeBS D&G in Sep; 2,500 Hule Moss in Oct; 4,000 | __ Musselburgh, 2,000 Strathclyde L. in Nov; 4,400 Hogganfield L. Clyde, 2,700 Hule Moss, 2,000 Bogside Ayr ia in Dec. Max elsewhere: 925 A&D, 709 Fife, 300 NE, 288 M&N & 123 Clyde Is. See Rae, S. (2000) in Outer Hebrides Bird Report 1999 105-113 for an account of the Lewis Mink eradication project. ae * Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis | @ Ad Stromness Ork from 11998 to 20 Mar; 2nd-w Strathclyde L. Clyde from 1998 to 21 Mar was joined by an| _ ad between | Jan-7 Feb, 2nd-w Carbarns Haugh Clyde 14 Feb was presumably the Strathclyde L. bird; ad | Ardrossan Ayr 14 Mar; 2nd-w L.Ryan D&G 1 Apr; 3rd-w/ad Sorobaidh Bay, Tiree Arg 15 May was probably ; | the same as the ad at Heylipol Farm, Tiree 19 Jul; 1st-s Barassie Ayr 13 Jun; 2nd-w Ugie Est. NE 21 Aug-2000; | ad Pt. of Ayre Ork 8 Sep; 2nd-2 L-.Ryan 4 Oct-2000. 8th record for North-east Scotland, 8th & 9th for Ayrshire. Photo of Strathclyde Loch bird in Birding World 12:48. Common Gull Larus canus Winter/spring: 15,000 L.Leven P&K, 3,000 Ravenstruther Clyde, 2,000 Strathclyde L. Clyde, 1,300 Hule; — Moss B & 1,200 Gartocharn Clyde in Jan; 2,000 Strathclyde L. & 1,000 Hule Moss in Feb; 22,000 West Water | Res. B & 4,000 Carsebeck P&K in Mar. | # Best elsewhere 750 Fife & Ayr, 714 Arg, 700 D&G & OHeb, 500 Forth & Loth, 441 Clyde Is, 300 NE, 150 Shet. | Breeding: There was little change (-1.7%) amongst 913 pairs in Western Scotland between 1998 & 1999. Mink control efforts were noticeable in enhancing breeding success. In 18 mink-controlled colonies with 282 nests, some 510 young | fledged (MBP 0.62) compared to 18 colonies with Mink which held 482 pairs and managed to fledge just 129 chicks | (MBP 0.27). Five of these colonies failed outright. On Shetland the Tingwall colony continued to decline, probably due to Polecat-Ferret predation. Elsewhere at Dalsetter | & Hildasay success was better. At Nigg 104 pairs (73 in ‘98) had poorer success with MBP 0.67 (1.19 in ‘98). Nearby |_ Alness Pt. increased to 102 pairs (75 in ‘98) and managed MBP 1.08 (1.5 in ‘98). Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Shet very slight decline Wether Holm, 3-4prs Skerries; Fair Is 6prs had MBP 0.67; Ork 1,507prs at 10 sites a | with 351 Birsay Moors, 340prs The Loons, 217prs Papa Westray & 150prs L.of Banks; OHeb 300 nests at 8 | sites on N.Uist & Berneray, 229prs at 24 sites on S.Uist, 40prs Orosay, Benbecula, 32prs Shiant Is, pr bred but) failed St.Kilda; M&N 124prs at 54 sites, max 90prs Forres by-pass; NE c.1,960prs bred at 10 sites with | Wiivites R.D.Murray [Ed.] 69 Se ae De RL BE EE IL Te TED Wn Ne UE Ben a ee 1,500prs Boultenstone; A&D 400 birds nesting Glen Clova with many young, while fox predation was a problem at L.Brandy; Forth 5O0prs Breachlaich Dam; Bord 107 nests Megget Res.; Arg 1,055prs at 30 sites in Mink study area, 1,043 monitored pairs fledged 422 young, mink removal raised productivity x3, elsewhere 8prs Treshnish Is., 44prs Sanda is., 12prs bred Coll reserve, 20 nests Oronsay, 12 nests L.Clachaig, 15 nest L.Don, Mull; Clyde Is 17prs Auchencar, Arran, 140 nests inland loch on Gt.Cumbrae; Clyde 223prs at 24 sites, a 13% increase at colonies counted in 1998, max 95 nests HM Naval Base Clyde; Ayr 19prs bred at 7 sites, max 10prs L.Derclach. First fledged Ayr & Bord 6 Jun. Autumn/winter: 3,094 N.Solway WeBS D&G & 1,200 Hule Moss in Aug; 5,500 Hule Moss, 4,108 West Water in Oct; 4,000 Musselburgh L, 2,700 Strathclyde L., 1,500 Falahill B, 1,400 Bamflatt B & 1,300 Stenness Ork in Nov; 3,000 Work Ork, 3,000 Tayport F & 1,200 Covington Clyde in Dec. Max elsewhere 920 Arg, 850 M&N, 800 OHeb, 586 NE, 500 Shet & A&D, 422 Ayr, 300 Forth &140 Fair Is. Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus Winter/spring: Jan/early Feb birds: Clyde (c.500), Loth (18), Ayr (5), Forth (4), Fife & Bord (3) & Arg (1). Best counts: 55 Waulkmill Res. Clyde, | Jan; 130 Strathclyde L. Clyde & 24 Hogganfield L. Clyde 17 Jan; 255 Balgray Res. Clyde 26 Jan. Best elsewhere: 7 Cramond L 3 Jan. First Ayr 30 Jan; Fife, Ork & NE 15-17 Feb; A&D, M&N, OHeb, Arg, Clyde Is & Shet 5-16 Mar; Fair Is 28 Mar. 1,000 Strathclyde L. & 872W/1 hr Barr L. Clyde in Mar; 511 Elderslie Clyde, 280 Gaddon L. F, 144 Duddingston L. Lin Apr; 537 L.Bhirceapol, Tiree Arg & 200 Strathgyre Clyde in May; 120 Broughton B in Jun. Breeding: In Argyll 9 colonies held c.870prs. While some were stable there were declines in 4 colonies that held c.620prs in 1998 but had dropped to 431 in 1999. Others increased however. Overall the MBP was 0.52 despite 2 Mink- predated colonies failing totally. The Isle of May count was similar to 1998 at 1,519 nests but the success at 0.44 was well below the recent average (0.85). One Shetland colony was totally abandoned while 2 colonies on Papa Westray (35prs) managed MBP 1.05 Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 1999. Shet Hildasay (SOprs) was abandoned in Jul, 11prs at 3 other sites; |} AONs SWScot MBP SEScot MBP OHeb 31 nests Barra islands, 5prs L.Druidibeg, S.Uist, 2prs | 1999 859-879 - 052 © 1519 0.44 N.Rona, 28prs Shiant Is, prs Monach Is., 25prs St.Kilda; M&N | 1998 790-970 oe 1933, 071 : : . : . . 1997 920-1050 - 1540 0.72 single prs at 2 coastal sites, roof prs in Elgin & Lossiemouth, just 120 birds inland over Tips of Carsemaul site; NE 15prs Dyce, de- cline to 4prs Catterline area (16 in 1986); A&D 10prs on roofs Dundee; P&K_ 1,000prs bred L.Leven; Fife c.100prs Moss Morran (20 in *98), also bred Dunfermline roofs for first time; Firth of Forth incomplete count of 7 islands gave 2,667prs (compared to 2,872 in 1994); Forth bred mainly on roofs with pr Camelon, | 5prs Carron & 69prs Menstrie bonds (120); Loth roof nests - 127prs Granton, 32prs New St., Edinburgh, 21 prs Ratho 1-2prs and good numbers of young at many other sites in Edinburgh; Arg 66 nests Sanda Is (96), 40prs Treshnish Is, 100+prs Oronsay, 24prs Scarba: Clyde Is 300prs Scoulag Moor & St.Ninian’s Pt., Bute, 20prs Pladda; Clyde 1,078 nests at 36 colonies, mostly on factory roofs, large Linwood colony destroyed when the building was demolished, killing 250 young, another 350 young were rescued, persecution of Dumbarton colony successful with drop from 200 to 130 nests since 1997; Ayr 1,165 nests Horse Is. & 287 nests at 6 other sites; D&G roof-nesting now at Dumfries. First fledged Clyde 5 Jul; Is of May 7 Jul. Autumn: 1,355 Hule Moss B, 200 Blackness L & 147 Ardrossan Ayr in Sep; 300 Crookboat Clyde, 150 Edenmouth B, 143 Stevenson Ayr & 110 Hogganfield L. Clyde in Oct. Main departure Clyde 3rd-week in Oct. Last birds Shet & P&K 26-28 Sep; Fair Is 10 Oct; NE 17 Oct; Bord 4 Nov; A&D & Fife 12 Nov; OHeb 28 Nov. Dec birds: 4 Cramond L 6 Dec; 2 Hule Moss on 8 Dec; 355 Balgray Res. 9 Dec with 176 still there on 31 Dec; 5 Hogganfield L. 10 Dec; 15 Craigluscar F 23 Dec; 6 Silverknowes L & 2 Carron Valley Forth 27 Dec. with singles Ork, Arg, Ayr (2) with 7 N.Solway WeBS D&G. 1996 850-1256 - 1641 0.88 Lf fuscus (N&C Scandinavia) | Linlithgow L 2 Jan; 7 Cramond 3 Jan; ad Papa Westray Ork 5 Dec. L.fintermedius (S.Scandinavia) | Vidlin Voe Shet on 23 Apr; 2 at Fleck Shet 2 May; 3 Hillwell Shet on 5 May; 1 Ancum, N.Ronaldsay Ork 31 Aug; 2 Virkie Shet 5 Sep; | Howmore, S.Uist OH 15 Sep. Herring Gull Larus argentatus Winter/spring: 5,656 Gullane-English border L/B in Jan (4,852). 12,000 Strathclyde L. Clyde, 6,400 Cambus Forth, 3,500 Donmouth NE, 3,000 Kinneil Forth, 2,700 Balgray Res. Clyde, 1,500 Fair Is, 1,300 Hogganfield L. Clyde, 1,240 Auldcathie L, 1,200 Balinvanich, Benbecula OH, 1,000+ Holy L. Arg & 1,000+ Dunfermline F in Jan; 4,500 Dowlaw B, 1,900 Millichen Clyde & 1,076 N.Solway WeBS D&G in Feb; 4,000 Lendalfoot Ayr 70 Scottish Bird Report 1999 & 1,250 Drainie M&N in Mar; 1,000+ Gaddon L. F in Apr. Breeding: Jn Western Scotland counts at regularly monitored colonies dropped by 14%, included Eigg where just 296prs were present (long-term mean 421). In Argyll 7 colonies with 1,700 nests controlled for Mink managed MBP 0.81 compared with 0.38 in 42 colonies with 6,492 nests where there was no control of Mink. At the 19 sites with 2,815prs, where Mink were known to be active, the MBP was worse at 0.11, some 13 of these colonies failing totally. Production was also poor on Canna with MBP 0.38 from 165 nests. Despite egg-pricking by Shetland Council, the Lerwick birds were still fairly successful, unlike Hildasay where only 2 |. young fledged from 40 pairs. Gulberswick & Cunningsburgh on the other hand fared well. Two colonies on Papa Westray with 60 nests managed MBP 1.44. Decline continued at the Sands of Forvie, dropping to 445prs from 575 in ‘98. Produc- tion was Still good at 1.11 in one Aberdeen rooftop survey, despite being half of the 1998 value, the other Aberdeen roof \ study also had poor results at MBP 0.98. In the Forth Craigleith has lost half of the numbers it had previously while the | St.Abbs colony is just of third of totals in late 1980s. Success was again poor on the Isle of May with MBP 0.57. Basedon | | Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 1999. Ork 417prs at 9 sites; OHeb 204 nests at 6 sites in N.Uist, 123prs L.Druidibeg, S.Uist, 131prs bred on Sislands | near Barra, 68prs Shiant Is. & 6 nests St.Kilda; M&N first roof nests RAF Kinloss (7prs) also 240 birds over | Tips of Corsemaul; NE drop of 50% at Fowlsheugh to 267 nests (528 in 1992) and 53% along Dunnottar cliffs dropping from 2,037 nests to 962, smaller declines along Inverbervie shore (1,917 dropping to 1,701 nests), shores to the S, where numbers far fewer, showed small increases; P&K 100prs L.Leven, 2prs R.Tay at Ker- cock; Fife bred Dunfermline roofs for first time, bred Longannet; Firth of Forth 6,277 nests (6,215 in 1994) in partial count with 3,115prs Is of May (+20%), 1,399 Fidra, 1,146 Inchkeith; Forth 30prs Menstrie roofs (12); | Loth 62 roof nests at 4 sites; Bord 253 nests St.Abbs (+4%); Arg (see JNCC) 225 nests Treshnish Is (181), | 300prs Oronsay, 821 nests Sanda Is., 29prs Coll, 166 nests Scarba; Clyde Is 200prs Pladda; Clyde 140prs at 18 sites, max 58prs L.Thom; Ayr 529prs at 7 sites. Autumn/winter: 1,040 Cambus in Aug; 1,890 N.Solway in Sep; 2,000 Moorhouse B & 1,300 Delnies M&N in Oct; 5,000 Fair Is, 4,310 Gaddon L. F, 1,300 Stottfoot F & 1,200 L.of Strathbeg NE in Nov; 2,500 Craigluscar F, 2,070 Millichen Clyde & 1,200 Auldcathie in Dec. L.a.argentatus 30 Drainie M&N & 20 Williamston M&N on 17 Jan; 1 Elgin M&N on 18 Jan; 1 Musselburgh L 27 Nov; 1 -2 Hogganfield L. Clyde 20-31 Dec. Check of Herring Gulls in Glasgow area produced figure of 1-2% argentatus - 2.3% of 220 Herring Gulls at Balgray Res. Clyde in Nov/Dec were this race, as were 0.9% of 469 gulls at Dalmacoulter Tip, Airdrie Clyde and 1.9% of 269 birds at Millichen Clyde. Herring Gulls with yellow-legs but otherwise typical L.a.argenteus plumage: up to 4 Stornoway OH & Aignish Lewis OH mid-May & mid-Sep; * Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans L.c.michahellis Sub-ad Ythan Est. NE 28 Jun; ad Barassie Ayr 17 Aug; 1 Ancum L., N.Ronaldsay Ork 2 Sep. Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides S O ND Birds Winter/spring: Mostly 1-2 birds but 3 Nisls, 10,24 9 10 4 4 {1 2 A 6. 16° 8 | Haroldswick Shet 1998 to‘5 Jan; 4 Lon O Heb EE Sts an te aE 1 - - 1 ae ot + 63 : : NE Scot 4 16 8 oy ee Skene NE 14 Feb; 10 a owe Shet on EiGScotc 4 90 Ba a es _ 3 34 | 21 Feb; 5 Peterhead NE 28 Feb; 5 Ythan SE'Scot > 2. 249) a ) Est.. NE 4 Apr East birds Bord 4 Ape W Scot 23. 640 3.595226 [ =.= = 2 3 4. 19. |. Ork, Fair Is &NE2Q3-30 Ape Loth, Am ee ee Pile 8May MeN Cl > 1998 Tis S4Oss 6196. 7 a a tomas) 1805i 5-15 Jun. Jun/Jul records: Shet (4), 1997 Ajee S,.68 3) GS. Bis le 90 tO e M10, 09 OHeb, M&N, Forth. 1996 Al“. 30-445 32 G4 4 3S 6 ie, 19 Autumn/winter: First OHeb, Ork & Ayr Note last column now records the numbers of birds estimated to be present, rather than bird/days. 18-25 Sep; Shet 15 Oct; NE 6 Nov; Clyde Is, Arg & Clyde 20-27 Nov; M&N & Fife 1-5 Dec. Mostly singles but up to 6 birds at Lerwick, 5 Peerie Sea Ork & 2 Nairn MK&N in Dec. Kumlien’s Gull Larus g. kumlieni Ad Stornoway OH 11-13 Jan; 4th-w Lerwick Shet 17& 22 Jan. R.D.Murray [Ed.] ; 71 ES ee ee OOO Be ER Re TIE gS Te OR SS WN Or DETR SION HENS See oe Eg RY PSO] Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus Winter/spring: Mostly 1-2 birds with S O ND Birds 4 Burrafirth Shet & 3 Fetlar Shet in Jan/ 5 Feb; 3 Uyeasound Shet in Jan; 4 Dennis Ness, N.Ronaldsay Ork, 3 Boddam NE, Phingask Bay NE & Inchgarth Res. NE in Feb. Last Fair Is 3 Mar; Arg & Ayr 3-4 Apr; Clyde 26 Apr; Loth and Bord 4-9 May; Ork 19 Jun. Jun/Jul records from Shet (2), OHeb, | M&N ( 4), NE & Ayr. Note last column now records the numbers of birds estimated to be present, rather than bird/days. Autumn/winter: First birds Shet 29 Sep; Fair Is & Ork 2-4 Oct; Ayr & Loth 27-29 Oct; Arg 2 Nov. 6 Burrafirth 27 Nov; 3 Lerwick Shet 1-9 Dec; 3 Uyeasound 12 Dec; 6 Dennis Ness, N.Ronaldsay 23 Dec. Presumed hybrid Glaucous x Herring Gulls seen at Strathclyde L. Clyde 2 Feb; N.Ronaldsay 4 Feb; and a probable Dalmacoultyer Clyde 20 Nov. tN i oS 2 a 8 2 Z 3 NBN RP Ks Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus Winter/spring: 500 Donmouth NE, 229 Longannet F and 152 Hirsel L. B in Jan; 220 at L.Gilp Arg in Mar; & 641 Spiggie Shet in Jun. Breeding: At monitored colonies in Western Scotland there was a 17% increase. Clive Craik’s study in Argyll showed an MBP of 0.85 across 61 colonies with 525 nests. These figures include single pairs at 25 sites which averaged MBP 0.28- 0.32. 30 sites failed totally and Mink were known to be responsible at SW NW Sich N Scot 17 of these and had possible involvement at another 6 sites. Canna ! 196 95 5] 134 achieved MBP 1.15 from 34 nests while on the Shiant Is, 31 0prs were 168 108 55 104 located where only 164 prs were found in 1995. 160 109 68 110 In Shetland, Noss had its lowest numbers since 1986 and productivity was low due to poor weather in May and June. There was better success on South Harva & High Holm. In Orkney the Eynhallow colony had very poor success with just 4 chicks fledging. Numbers were of fledged young were down 90% at several other Orkney colonies although the 142prs on Papa Westray fledged MBP 1.73 sites. Nigg reached its highest levels since being founded in 1990 but success was poor at 1.00, pre-fledging mortality being high. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Shet increases Skerries; Ork 1,027prs noted 6 sites with 695prs Copinsay, 86prs Birsay Moors & 80prs Papa Westray OHeb 14prs on 5 islands near Barra, 10prs St.Kilda, 310prs Shiant Is., <10prs Monach Is.; High 134prs Nigg (104), ; M&N pr successfully roof-nested in Nairn; NE 4 nested on Aberdeen roofs (3), fledging a very poor 2 young, |2prs Inverbervie cliffs (none in 1986), pr bred Fowlsheugh; P&K 2prs bred St.Serf’s Is, L.Leven; Firth of Forth 33prs (19) with 19prs Is of May (14), 6prs Craigleith, 2prs on Fidra, Inchmickery & Lamb and singles on Inchcolm & Inchgarvie; Bord unsuccessful pr St.Abbs is first confirmed breeding for Borders, another pair noted elsewhere; Arg (see JNCC) 342 nests Treshnish Is, 52 nests Sanda Is., 44+ nests Oronsay & 4 nests each on Eilean Mor, Jura & on Scarba; Clyde Is 6prs Pladda, Arran; Clyde 18 nests L. Thom with 2 roof nests Greenock; Ayr 60prs Horse Is., 12prs Downan Pt. shore & | nests Balcreuchan Port; D&G A4prs Almorness Pt., pr Castle L. First young Is of May 25 May, Clyde 26 May; D&G 5 Jun. Autumn/winter: 2,000 Inverugie NE, 610 Kingston M&N & 700 Kinnaber A&D in Aug; 3,200 Strathbeg NE & 300 Lunan Bay A&D in Sep; 445 Lossie Est. M&N, 420 Goosepools F, 300+ Balkenna Ayr, 300 Spiggie, 195 L.a’Phuill, Tiree Arg, 115 Bridgend Merse Arg & 107 Dunglass B in Oct; 1000 Fair Is in Nov; 800 Peterhead NE & 200 N.Ronaldsay Ork in Dec. * Ross’s Gull Rhodostethia rosea 1 Wick Caith 8-12 Feb. 72 Scottish Bird Report 1999 Black-legged Kittiwake (Kittiwake) Rissa tridactyla Winter/spring: 500/hr Musselburgh L 7 Feb; 300 Meikle Craigs Ayr 15 Feb; 1,700 (4hrs) Kinneil Forth 4 Mar; | 990 Eyemouth B 27 Mar; 190 Kinghorn F 19 Apr; 310N/1,600S Peterhead NE 24 Apr with 2,900N/210S there 23 Jul; 480 Lossiemouth M&N 26 Apr; 300W Barns Ness L 3 May. Breeding: The Shetland population was estimated at 10,481 nests, a 71% decrease since 1981. Fair Isle showed a 2% |, decline since 1998. In NE Scotland counts from Fowlsheugh-Dunnottar showed a 53% decrease to 28,882 nests since | 1992. This is in line with major drops at other colonies in the area. 9,576 nests at St-Abbs Head, an increase since 1998 | confirms that many birds did not attempt to nest in 1998. A complete count at St.Kilda found 3,886 nests, only half the 1987 l total. Handa showed at 5.5% decrease to 7.013 nests since 1995. However Canna had a record 1,252 nests and the Shiant | Is showed an 11.6% increase to 2,006 nests since 1995. SE SW NW Shet Ork N _ NE 0.52 1.21 0.69 0.74 1.04 0.52 0.23 nests SE SW NW _ Shet N NE 1999 14,462 1,225 1,831 3,842 658 1,183 033.083 094 006 085 092 0.19 0.68 074 O78 028 1.05 0.26 0,23 065 086 105 O61 114 056 026 | 1998 13107 Lig? lyse 3790 746 = 1,468 1997 20,745 1,279 1,785 4,343 827 1,622 %change +10.3 +41 42.6 +14 -11.8 -19.4 At 42 colonies across Britain breeding success in 1999 averaged MBP 0.81 compared to the 1986-97 mean of 0.71. In Shetland breeding success at 0.74 was well above the long-term mean of 0.55, probably due to the better availability of | sandeels despite the predation of fledglings by Bonxies. This latter factors was noticeable on Foula where less accessible nests in sea-caves were notably more successful than those on the open cliff. Productivity on Fair Isle at 1.31 was the | highest since 1986 and Orkney also fared well at 1.04, the value at one of the Papa Westray sites at 1.17 being the secon highest ever for Orkney. Success was more mixed on the east coast. North Sutor and some of the NE colonies had below average success, possibly | due to chicks being washed off the cliffs at some sites. Success was also poor on SE Scotland with a late season on the Isle of May, with 17% of pairs not completing nests and others failing during incubation. Things picked up later with | good attendance and survival of chicks that had hatched. Although better than the 0.02 success in 1998, at 0.20 the 1999 season was hardly a success. St.Abbs fared better at 0.60 but still below the levels of recent years. Mink predation of half the chicks on a monitoring plot was thought to have influenced results. Dunbar fared even better at 0.75 but still below | its long-term average. While success rates varied between colonies in Western Scotland, all told a tale of below average results, predation by | Peregrines on Canna being one of the factors that led to poorer than average results. Ailsa Craig on the other hand had | record success at 1.21. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Shet 10,481 nests at 30 sites; Ork 10,299 nests at 6 sites with 4,364 Papa Westray & 3,761prs Marwick; Firth | of Forth 6,819 nests with 4,196 on Is of May, 1,307 Bass Rock, 511 Craigleith, 349 on Inchkeith, 225 on Fidra, | 116 Inchcolm & 115 Lamb; Arg 786 nests Treshnish Is., 1,035 nests Ceann a’Mhara, Tiree; D&G 326 nests i Mull of Galloway. First chick Bord 1 May, Is of May 13 fen First fledged Bord & Is of May 22 Jul. Autumn/winter: 2,100 roosted Kinnaber A&D 11 Aug; 3,220 roosted Girdleness NE 12 Sep; 10,000 roost Lunan Bay A&D 28 Sep. 5,400 estimated around Arran coast Clyde Is in Sep/Oct. 3,920/hr St.Abbs B 10 Aug; | | 3,700N/560S Peterhead 4 Sep; 2,400S Fife Ness F 19 Sep; 2,000S Turnberry Pt. Ayr 1 Nov. Inland: | at Strathclyde L. Clyde 6 Feb with 2 there on 12 Mar; | Vane Farm P&K 12 & 16 Feb; 8 Lochindosl Ss § M&N 12 Mar; 1 Woodhall Clyde 29 Aug with another 24 Dec; 1 Glasgow Airport Clyde 7 Dec. * Caspian Tern Sterna caspia 1 Brough Caith 1 Jun. First-ever record for Caithness. Ti. Ce bibl eee omen Sry Royal @Sdndwich Tena eS x ay 2 oe Soa Shes ponte a say Stuart Rivers Lothian Bird Report R.D.Murray [Ed.] 5 73 ee a OE Ee ET ONE Ah ES EO FS I eee Me) ne SA ap ON TE Fn ea I Me ENS * Royal Tern Sterna maxima 1 Thorntonloch L 9 Aug, the same bird Musselburgh L on 9 Aug. First record for Scotland & sixth for Britain. For accounts of this bird: see Andrews (1999) Birding Scotland: 2: 165-167 & Andrews (2000) Lothian Bird Report 1999: 127-129. Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis Spring: First 3 Fraserburgh NE 17 Mar; A&D, Ork & Ayr 22-24 Mar; M&N 28 Mar; Loth, Clyde, Clyde Is, Fife, Arg and OHeb 3-9 Apr; Bord & Forth 24-25 Apr; Shet & Fair Is 1-4 Jun. Light passage, 13N/103S Peterhead NE 23 Apr; 22 Aberlady L 25 Apr; 21 Campbeltown L. Arg 30 Apr; 30 St.Andrews Bay F & 16 Eyemouth B 1 May; 38 Dipple shore Ayr 3 May; 37 Kinnaber A&D 4 May; 200 Nairn Bar M&N 10 May. Breeding: At the four Scottish colonies monitored in 1998 & 1999, the total increased by 35% to 900 prs, despite numbers at L.Ryan falling to 70prs. A 9.6% decline in numbers at the L.of Strathbeg to 473prs was more than compen- sated by an increase at the Sands of Forvie from 22 to 247prs, the highest level there since 1991. There was also a large increase on the Isle of May to 110prs. Cold weather at the start of the season led to poor success at L.Ryan. Overall productivity was little changed in E. Scotland. However birds at the Sands of Forvie had increased success, with MBP 0.49. Although chicks hatched in the Isle of May for the first time since 1956, all were lost to predation and wave action. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Ork 6 chicks ringed N.Ronaldsay; OHeb pr possibly bred in a Common Tern colony on Orasay, N.Uist; NE 290 young were fledged from 720prs at Strathbeg & Forvie; Is of May first incubation was late at 20 Jun but 11 0prs on nest 3 Jul (perhaps failed elsewhere first ?), 87 large chicks were washed away or predated; Fife 5 young fledged from a site; Ayr 37prs Hunterston (25); D&G 70prs bred L.Ryan but just 28 nests and few fledged. Autumn: mid-Aug influx (mostly to F.of Forth) produced several record counts. 3,000 Musselburgh L, 710 Aberlady, 500 Kinshaldy F, 480 Torry Bay F, 320 N.Solway WeBS D&G, 243 Clyde Est. Clyde & 130 L.Ryan in Aug; 1,100 Musselburgh, 631 Pettycur F, 300 Saltcoats Ayr & 225 Doonfoot Ayr in Sep; 60 Doonfoot & 50 Musselburgh in early Oct. Just 2 birds Shet, 1 Fair Is & 3 OHeb in Aug/Sep. Last A&D 12 Sep; Clyde Is 23 Sep; Ork 2 Oct; Clyde 10 Oct; M&N & Ayr 23 Oct; Arg, NE & Fife 2-9 Nov; 1 Seafield L 13 Nov. 1 overwintered Stronsay Ork. Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii Spring: 2 Eden Est. F 31 May; 6ads Fife colony 11 Jun; 2 Holm of Papay Ork 8 Jun. Breeding: NE pr lingered several days at Sands of Forvie in mid-Jul; Firth of Forth 9prs bred on one of the Firth of Forth islands, rearing 8 young; Is of May 4ads present mid-Jul but made no attempt to breed. Autumn: Movement off Kinghorn F 2 6 Aug-13 Sep with daily observation rates rising from 3 on 26 Aug to 47 (10hrs) on 28 Aug. Most days yielded 3-4 birds in 2-3hrs observation. Elsewhere: 3juvs Methil F 14 Aug; 1 Anstruther F 21 Aug; prtjuv Musselburgh L 22-29 Aug; 1 Fife Ness F on 29 Aug; 3 Kirkcaldy F 31 Aug; 1 Blackdog NE & Girdleness NE | Sep; 2 Ruddon’s Pt. F 3 Sep. Common Tern Sterna hirundo Spring: First 2 Millport Bay, Great Cumbrae Clyde Is 16 Apr; Loth 18 Apr; Clyde, Is of May, Shet & NE 21- 24 Apr; Ork, Clyde Is & Forth 28-29 Apr; A&D, D&G, Fife, Fair Is, Ayr & Arg 1-9 May; P&K 12 May. 25 Kinneil Forth 29 Apr & 34 Skinflats Forth 1 May were only early 2-figure spring counts. Breeding: Numbers showed an overall increase across all of Britain in 1999. In the 5th year of Mink control in Western Scotland there was continued expansion & overall levels in Northern Scotland were at their highest level since 1994, despite a likely underestimate at Nigg. Increases in NE Scotland hid a 41% drop at St.Fergus, the lowest level there for seven years. In SE Scotland the Isle of May expansion brought about a x3 increase (since 1998) in the regional figures. Fledging success in Western Scotland was six times higher | % population change MBP amongst 972 pairs at 9 colonies with Mink control (0.69), 1997 1998 1999 1997 1998 than at 5 sites without control. On Canna 7 pairs fledged +30 +20 0.19 Tia 12 young. Cats caused a complete failure amongst 250 pairs *-8 +26 0.32 #0.24 at McDermotts Yard in Ardeseir. This was balanced by suc- “24 2 Uae ot cesses at Alness and Nigg where the MBP was well above the recent average. In NE Scotland productivity continued -19 +35 0.76 0.24 SW Scot *-4 FR +26 0.91 #0.58 Scotland 0.61 0.57 _to be low with few young at St.Fergus and the lowest pro- | * swyNw combined. #= max value ductivity since 1990 at Strathbeg (0.11). Productivity was poor on the Isle of May at 0.15. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. A ET EE OT NE ED EE SR EP IO Dg 74 Scottish Bird Report 1999 PL LL a ON A a a ‘| Shet 4prs Fetlar & 9prs Migga Ness, Cullivoe; Fair Is 3prs rearing 3 young; Ork singles bred 2 sites; OHeb | 31prs seen at 4 sites N.Uist, 7prs Benbecula, 26prs S.Uist & 2prs Barra; M&N c.20prs at several river sites had |) . no proof of success, only the L.Spynie platform had success, 2prs rearing 2 young; NE 32prs Forvie (15) |) managed MBP 1.0, 75prs Strathbeg (136) had 13 young, 50prs Kirkhill (12) had 50 young 8prs Aboyne also managed MBP 1.0; A&D 29prs bred on rooftop colony Montrose; P&K 8prs at 4 sites along R.Tay; Fife 23 juvs |) fledged at inland site; Forth 109prs Grangemouth (102); Firth of Forth 415prs Is of May (127) managed only | MBP 0.1, 10prs Forth Bridge (10), 518 clutches Leith, pr Port Edgar - also 118prs at a new location; Arg 1,051 prs in study area, 65prs on Treshnish Is., 1 5prs Lochdon, Mull, 16prs Campbeltown L. 2prs on Colonsay; | | Clyde 2prs Bowling; Ayr 12prs Hunterston (12), pr Ballantrae; D&G bred L.Ryan. Autumn: Best numbers in Firth of Forth with 170 Seafield L27 Jun; 54E Kinghorn F 11 Jul; 1,400 Balgove Bay F 16 Aug; 140 Musselburgh 17 Aug; 620 Eden Est. F 18 Aug; 318E (40mins) Kinghorn 6 Sep. Elsewhere assemblies included 80 L.Ryan in Jun; 120 L.of Strathbeg, 102 Montrose Basin A&D & 103 Methil | F in Jul; 37 Bowling in Aug; 350 Outhead F & 97 Pettycur F in Sep. Last birds Clyde & Arg 12-13 Sep; NE & OHeb 17-20 Sep; Shet & Fair Is 28-29 Sep; Ayr 3 Oct. Late birds noted Kinghorn & Musselburgh 30 Oct. Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea Spring: First 2 Rubha nan Ron, N.Uist OH 7 Apr were very early. Then Ork 14 Apr; Clyde Is 16 Apr; Is of | May, NE & Arg 23-25 Apr; Fair Is 28 Apr; Shet 30 Apr; A&D 4 May; Loth & Fife 9 May; Ayr & D&G 16-18 May. Best counts 200 Scatness Shet 3 May increased to 1,000 by 8 May; 280 Ludag, Berneray OH 4 May. Breeding: 2,483prs at 5 colonies counted in Shetland & Fair Isle represented a 24% decline, the drop most marked on | Foula and Fair Isle (50-55%). The Mousa colony however showed a 162% increase. On Orkney c.1,000prs were noted on | Auskerry (drop of 50%) while 1,972prs bred at North Hill, Papa Westray (stable). In Western Scotland large increases were noted with 139prs on Oronsay (11) & 64prs on Coll (20) with 153prs on the Treshnish Isles. Clive Craik’s study showed I75prs at 13 sites (126) where Mink were controlled. While 50prs bred at Ardeseir for the first time since 1992 and numbers were high at 33prs at Alness, numbers fell at Nigg. In NE Scotland numbers fell everywhere but at Kinloss which had a 5-fold increase in numbers. The big increase in SE Scotland was mostly attributable to the record numbers on the Isle of May where 737prs bred. Productivity amongst 5,229prs on Shetland averaged MBP 9% as i 0.29, higher than recent years but below levels in the early © population change seh A ; is 1997 1998 1999 1990s, a similar situation prevailing in NE Scotland. Ar- eas of North Mainland were most successful but poor July were though to be the factors behind poor success in West Mainland and the isles. 4,51] prs on Orkney had the -22 : ; ; lowest productivity since 1990 at MBP 0.11. As food sup- +16 31 plies appeared to be reasonable, poor weather was thought | * SWINW a A " to be the main factor for chick ‘failure, rainfall being 74% higher than usual in May with prolonged gales that con- tinued into June. Mink control in Western Scotland improved fledging success by a factor of 24 with 98prs rearing 72 young at protected colonies compared to just 2 young from 67prs elsewhere. Cats again caused failure at Ardeseir. Pro- ductivity on the Isle of May at 0.15 was poor. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Shet huge variation in success with MBP <0.01 amongst 29prs on Fetlar compared to 0.54 amongst 579prs on central Mainland; Fair Is further drop to 562prs which fledged 150 young (0.27); Ork 4,545prs noted fledged just 436 young (MBP 0.10); OHeb 21 colonies with 1,564prs on Lewis/Harris, 348prs at 11 colonies on Bern- eray & N.Uist, 24prs Benbecula, 169prs at 6 colonies on S.Uist, 5Oprs at 2 sites on Barra, 100prs at 6 sites on Monach Isles & 45 birds on North Rona; M&N 150prs Kinloss, attempted to breed at 7 sites on the Spey but only | chick seen in Jul; NE 75prs at Forvie (136) managed MBP 0.63, also bred Strathbeg; A&D 69prs on Montrose roof; Fife complete failure: with 5prs at NE Fife colony; Firth of Forth 737prs Is of May but poor success; Arg 3prs bred Islay airport, 120prs Oronsay, 64 birds on Coll, 45prs Colonsay; Clyde Is 15prs bred | Pladda, Arran; Clyde 19prs Bowling reared min 3 young; Ayr pr Ballantrae failed; D&G 22prs L.Ryan (25). Autumn: 417 Tiree Arg 12 Jul; 311 Edenmouth F 18 Jul; 1,000 Fair Is 27 Jul; 307 Ythan shore NE 31 Jul; 810 é \ Goosepools F 9 Aug. Last Bord, Clyde & Fair Is 12-15 Sep; Fife, Ork & NE 22-26 Sep; Ayr, OHeb & Loth 9- f 12 Oct; Arg 4 Nov. | very late Ist-w Gullane Bay L 23 Nov. Inland: 1 Carron Valley Res. Clyde 14 Jul. weather early in the season and a scarcity of sandeels in | i SS SE a R.D.Murray [Ed.] 75 ONO eR Le OG ey ARLE AI Pe a ee a a SB I eS EL Little Tern Sterna albifrons Spring: First Tiree Arg 6 Apr; NE 22 Apr; OHeb 24 Apr; Loth 28 Apr; A&D, Fife & Ork 2-7 May. Only parties of 1-2 birds noted away from breeding sites except 8 Elliot A&D 3 May; 17 Kintra, Islay Arg 6 May, 10 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 10 May. Breeding: Monitored Scottish sites showed an improvement in 1999, rising from 78 pairs in 1998 to 140 pairs with Forvie at 67 pairs holding the largest numbers since 1977. Numbers declined at the 3 sites in SE Scotland with just 5 pairs being reported. There was a 45% increase at the 3 sites in W. Scotland, mainly on Coll where number shot up from 3 to 29 pairs. 5prs bred again on Orkney. The Scottish figure of 0.81 was almost double that of 1998 and well above the long-term mean of 0.37. Three pairs on North Ronaldsay were washed out although another pair elsewhere on Orkney fledged 2 young. The 36 pairs on Tiree fledged 21 young, while the 65 pairs at Forvie managed an amazing 65 chicks, the best since 1975. No young were raised in the Forth at the Eden Estuary and at Aberlady however. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Ork 2prs noted on S.Isles with 1-4 birds N.Ronaldsay; OHeb 15prs at 2 sites Lewis/Harris fledged 3 young, 65prs at 7 colonies on Berneray & N.Uist, 2prs Barra & 3 birds Monach Is.; M&N 2prs reared 3 young, the most successful year since breeding resumed in 1994; Fife 6 attempts all failed; Loth late nest was washed out; Arg 59prs Tiree & 12 nests Gunna. Autumn: No double-figure counts in autumn. Last A&D, Ork & Ayr 7-10 Aug; Arg 14 Aug; NE 28 Aug; Forth 2 Sep; Fife 11 Sep; M&N 16 Sep. Latest was 1 South Queensferry L 20 Sep. Black Tern Chlidonias niger Spring: 2 The Strand, Oronsay/Colonsay Arg 23 May & | Kinghorn F 4 Jun were the only spring records. 1-31 1-30 May N&W Isles NE Scot - E/C Scot - Autumn: | Musselburgh L on 9 Jul; 2 St.Ola, Hoy Ork on 25 Jul. First Fife 9 Aug; Loth 28 Aug; Bord & 4-6 Sep; 1-15 16-31 Jul Jul 1-15 16-31 Aug Aug 1-15 16-30 1-31 Bird/Days Sep Sep Oct 1788 M&N 11 Sep; OHeb 18 Sep. Extraordinary numbers were seen in the Firth of Forth off, SE Scot W Scot 2 1999 2 Kinghorn F between 26 Aug- es ; 6 Sep. After a single bird was seen off Kinghorn on 26 Aug, another 14 birds were counted there on the following day in an hour. With vastly expanded effort over the next 3 days, record numbers were seen passing offshore with 473 (Shrs) on 28 Aug, 625 (cl3hrs) on 29 Aug & 791 (c.7hrs) on 30 Aug. Daily totals diminished to 120 by 2 Sep before rising to 396 on 3 Sep, falling away to just 45 (4hrs) on 6 Sep. Considering the numbers seen off Kinghorn few birds were seen elsewhere in the Forth at the time. 1 Musselburgh L 26 Aug; 3 Goosepools F 27 Aug with 2 at Aberlady L 28 Aug; 8S Fife Ness F; 5 Leven F 29 Aug. 5 Musselburgh & 4 Aberlady 30 Aug but the largest count away from Kinghorn was 26+ Aberlady 1 Sep. Other notable counts include 5 at Hound Pt. L 2 Sep & 4 Sep. 6 birds also made it to L.Leven P&K 2-3 Sep with | on 4 Sep. The Black Terns were associated good numbers of Roseate, Sandwich & Common Terns in the Forth. Most Kinghorn were seen moving to thew west, passing up the Forth. Despite watches off Hound Point L only 14 birds were noted there. Some backtracking during feeding was seen at Kinghorn. Some duplication is implicit in the numbers recorded. The extent of double-counting on any single day and between days is unknowable. Weather preceding the influx suggests that birds that move west down the Dutch coast may have been deflected across the North Sea and were seeking a westwards passage across Scotland. The occasional large passages of skuas and other seabirds up the Forth past Hound Point is now well documented as are occasional sightings further up the Forth Estuary and over central Scotland. Some hint of the fate of some of the Black Terns could be seen in the fortnight following when record numbers (c.31) were reported off Moray & Nairn with 14 at Findhorn M&N 12 Sep, 16 there 13 Sep, 7 Delnies M&N on 16 Sep & 6 Tugnet M&N on 19 Sep with smaller numbers seen on several other days at various sites. Prior to this influx there had only ever been c.22 Black Terns reported in Moray & Nairn between 1962 & 1998. This hints that while some birds may well have passed over central Scotland others were forced further north and had to find a different route through to the Atlantic. At least one bird made it to L.Mor, Benbecula OH & Balgarva, S.Uist OH on 18 Sep. Last M& N & Loth 21-23 Sep. Latest singles at Kinghorn & Butto Ness F on 26 Sep. See Dickson D, (2000) Fife Bird Report 1999: 95-98 & Elkins, N. (2000) Fife Bird Report 1999: 98-99 for a detailed account of the Fife passage movement and the possible associated meteorological events. 1997 eee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eee SE aE IS LG aT AAI OS 8 OG NR TP RY A * White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus Ad Balphetrish, Tiree Arg 2-3 Sep. First record for Argyll. [1997] 1 juv Carsethorn D&G 13-14 Nov. Common Guillemot (Guillemot) Uria aalge Winter/spring: No wrecks and only 4% oiled amongst beached corpses in Shet waters Jan-Mar. 1,000 Fair Is on 24 Feb; 500 Whiting Bay, Arran Clyde Is 16 Mar; 300 St.Andrews Bay F 4 Apr; 106 Musselburgh L 24 ei) | max 1,510 Eyemouth B (2hrs) on | May. 23 Blackness Forth 4 Mar was the only 1999 sighting upstream of the Forth Bridges. Breeding: The largest proportional decreases were in SE Scotland with a 19.5% decrease on the Isle of May in the | whole-colony count to 21,694 birds. Monitoring plots there however indicated a non-significant 6% decline. The 12.1% | decrease in monitored plots at St.Abbs Head was significant however. This dichotomy was also seen in NE Scotland at\ Fowlsheugh where the whole-colony count rose 4% to 62,330 birds but where the monitoring plots showed significant 7% | decline. In Shetland there were no significant changesin the monitored plots at Noss rising by 6% but declining at Troswick| Ness (-2%), Eshaness (-3%) &Burravoe (-9%). 16 Scottish Bird Report 1999 “= Hermaness was essentially stable. Again on Fair Isle while % population change MBP the whole-colony count had risen 4.5% since 1994, there 1997. 1998 =~ 1999. 1997 = 1998 -_ 1998 were non-significant drops at sampled plots since 1998. | Shet +10 0.50 0.65 0.67 i In NW Scotland numbers had increased 3% to 23,457 birds | OFK we 0.67 2 : : NScot - 0.65 0.78 on St.Kilda since the last whole-colony count in 1987. NWScot + 0.65 0.66 Similarly the 15,171 birds on the Shiant Isles were an |NEceot +10 : 19% increase since 1995. Plots on Handa had also in- | gp scot +16 0.77 crease a non-significant 4.7% since 1998. It was generally a poor season with average or below-average success at all monitored sites other than Fair Isle. North\ Sutor had a very poor season due to predation by Great Black-backed Gulls. On the Isle of May adults had difficulty\ raising chicks with the poorest fledgling weights ever recorded there and 19% losses during the chick period, well in| excess of the 5-7% norm. The overall MBP of 0.66 was well below the long-term mean of 0.78-0.82. The sheltered\ Sumburgh Head colony at 0.66 was atypical of Shetland this year as on the west coast many thousands of eggs were| | swept off the cliffs during the May gales. While some birds re-laid survival was low due to Great Black-backed Gull) predation. Handa also recorded poor success (0.60), the lowest since 1988. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Fair Is 39,257 birds in census; Ork 26,469 birds Marwick Head & 19,545 Copinsay; NE 2,884 birds Catter- line-Inverbervie, 75 birds Nigg Bay & Cove; Firth of Forth 21,694 birds on Isle of May, 3,760 on The Lamb, 2,422 Bass Rock, 1,708 Craigleith, 376 Fidra & 48 Inchkeith; Arg 9,566 birds Treshnish Is., 2,174 Sanda Is., 119 birds at new site on Uragaig, Colonsay, 92 at new site on Colonsay, 1,947 birds Ceann a M’hara, Tiree; Ayr single bird on mainland site; D&G 2,140 birds Mull of Galloway. i Autumn/winter: 3,000 The Minch near Tarbert Harris OH 7 Aug; 254 Cloch Pt. Clyde 3 Sep; 310 Kincraig Pt. F 23 Oct; 360N (hr) Turnberry Pt. Ayr 23 Oct; 200S Turnberry 2 Nov. 15% found oiled in Shet beached bird surveys in Dec. ara ee a as — Guillemot & Puffin Derick Watson Borders Bird Report R.D.Murray [Ed.] a | Razorbill Alca torda Winter/spring: 500 ashore Fair Is 24 Feb was the only 3-figure count. 70 Musselburgh L 20 Jan, 824 off N.Ronaldsay Ork 5 Mar with 489 there 25 Mar; & 75 Eyemouth B 1 May were the only other large counts. Breeding: In Shetland numbers varied but there were significant increases at Sumburgh Head (+43%), Eshaness (+3%), Hermaness (+83) & Noss (+57) with non-significant increases at Burravoe (+23%). A non-significant decline of 19% occurred at Troswick Ness. In SE Scotland while the Isle of May increased significantly by 13%, St.Abbs Head had a non- significant decrease of 13%. While there was a tiny 3% increase at plots on Fowlsheugh, the whole-colony count had dropped by 7% since 1992 to 6,362 birds. A decline had also occurred on St.Kilda to just 2,545 birds, 33% down since 1987. At 8,046 birds the Shiants had increased slightly (4%) since 1995. Handa showed a 12% drop on monitored plots. Only three colonies were monitored for success. While the small colony at North Sutor had a successful season at MBP 0.79, the larger sites fared less well. The MBP on the Isle of May at 0.52 was the lowest since 1981 while the 0.51 on Fair Isle was significantly lower than the long- term mean of 0.64. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Ork 708 birds Marwick Head & 671 Copinsay; M&N 2 near cliffs at Covesea did not breed; NE 1,962 birds Catterline to Inverbervie 314 in 1986), 56 birds Cove-Nigg Bay; Firth of Forth 3,429 Isle of May, 125 Craigleith, 108 Fidra, 68 The Lamb, 57 Inchkeith, 4 Inchcolm; Arg 1,232 Treshnish Is., 2944 Sanda Is., 10 Eilean Beg & Eilean Mor, Jura, 35 birds Uragaig, Colonsay; Ayr 19 birds S.Ayrshire coast; D&G 358 at Mull of Galloway with 7-10prs Pot o’ Warren. Autumn: 300/hr Corsewall Pt. D&G 18 Sep; 800S Prestwick Ayr 30 Oct; 4,500S/hr Turnberry Pt. Ayr 2 Nov. % population change 1997 1998 1999 Shet +3 -23 +41 NWScot +6 -I HD NEScot +41 -20 2) SE Scot +14 -9 Aly MBP 1998 0.80 1997 0.61 1999 0.51 | Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle Winter/spring: 441 S. Yell Sound Shet, 360 Bluemull Shet & 100 Skelda Voe area Shet in Jan/Feb. 18 Porten- cross Ayr in Jan; 24 Inverkip Clyde & 23 Oban harbour Arg in Apr; 1 Lunan Bay A&D 6 Jun. Breeding: Jn Shetland there was an overall decrease of 12% . While the Fetlar monitoring plots show a 12% decrease, a whole-island count recorded 1,386 birds, a 16% increase since 1987. A similar count on Noss however found 114 adults, a 20% decrease since 1994. Domestic cats are thought to be implicated in part of the decline on Fair Isle, although clearly not at the inaccessible sites. On Orkney 377 birds were found on North Ronaldsay, similar to 1997. A small sample of Fair Isle nests had above average suc- 1997 1998 1999 cess. Reasonable numbers of fledglings were seen on the 254 160 144 Skerries, although otters predated young in the harbour 2796 244 208 area. In Orkney the MBP was 1.35 on Auskerry (range | N&S Foula 154 175 159 1.07-1.43) and 1.49 on North Ronaldsay (range 1.49-1.61). | Braercoast 215 230 219 Mink caused failures at several sites in Argyll. other Shet 544 482 499 Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Fair Is 230 in whole-island census; Ork 727 birds E.Mainland, 681 N.Ronaldsay & 274 Papa Westray; OHeb 94 L.Carnan-L.Eynort, S.Uist, 76 Monach Is. but just 1 Shiant Is.; M&N only single prs at 2 sites; NE pr seen at a site; Arg 112 ads at 26 sites in Mink-study area definitely bred at 6 sites where min of 10 young fledged at 4 sites, 70 birds Treshnish Is., 268 birds Sanda Is., 40+ ads Oronsay, 24 ads Scarba, 4prs Oban Bay of which 2prs nested in the harbour walls;Clyde Is 20prs Pladda & 9 Kings Cave, Arran; Clyde 12prs Greenock with 30 birds Gourock-Wemyss Bay; Ayr c.96 birds along coast including evidence of breeding at Dipple and Ailsa Craig; D&G 4 Meikle Ross, 18 Burrow Head, 10 Mull of Galloway & 2 St.Ninnians Cove. Autumn/winter: 60 Sound of Gigha Arg in Nov; 424 S.Yell Sound & 38 Suliom Voe Shet in Dec. birds E.Fair Isle E.Fetlar % change -10.0 -11.5 -9.1 -4.8 +8.5 Little Auk Alle alle Winter/spring: Quiet winter. Mostly 1-2 birds seen Jan-Feb in Shet, Fair Is, Ork, OHeb, M&N, NE & Loth except for 5-9 southern *approx.nos. Jan Feb Mar Apr Sep Oct Nov _ Dec N Isles 22 121 18 10 TL OHeb* - - 27 E/C Scot 70 Yell Sound Shet on 6-8 Jan ; 3 Fife Ness F on 6 Feb with 6 there 7 Feb; 120 Scapa Flow Ork 9 Mar. Last records were a single Fair Is on 3 Mar; 4 Crinan harbour Arg 2 Apr; 2 N.Ronaldsay Ork 8 Apr; Some Pt., Mull Arg 9 Apr. NE Scot* - 2 3 3 SE Scot W Scot - SW Scot e 1999 Total 23 1998 110 1997 77 1996 13062 78 Scottish Bird Report 1999 Autumn/winter: Remarkable 42 off Mull Head, Papa Westray Ork 22 Jul. First 2 Fair Is & 1 Peterhead NE 19 Oct; 1 Fife Ness 21 Oct with 2 there 22 Oct; 13S Sumburgh Head Shet 23 Oct. Numbers rose into Nov with many 1-2s but 6 Lossiemouth M&N 6 Nov; 3 Kinnaird Head NE 13 Nov; 6 Fair Is 16 Nov; 4 Kinghorn F 30 Nov. Good numbers appeared off OHeb in Nov-Dec with 23 seen off Grimnish Pt. N.Uist OH & 19 off Rhuba Ardvule, N.Uist OH. Dec was more generally disappointing other than off Fife with a minor influx with 10 Kirkcaldy F 19 Dec, 16N I) | Fife Ness 25 Dec; 14 Kinghorn 30 Dec and smaller numbers elsewhere. Atlantic Puffin (Puffin) Fratercula arctica Winter/spring: Very few birds noted in inshore water in Shet/Ork in Jan-Mar, despite surveys; max 13 Scapa | Flow Ork in Jan; the only sizeable winter counts were 25S Fife Ness F 7 Feb & 4N there 16 Feb. First offshore NE 10 Mar, Bord 13 Mar, A&D & Loth 24-26 Mar. First ashore Shet & Fair Is 23-24 Mar. Breeding: A burrow count on Craigleith indicated a population of c.28,000 pairs, compared to just 3,600 in 1985. This | | increase is in line with those seen on the Isle of May. On Handa birds have recolonised part of the island following |_| successful rat-eradication. Despite the absence of flooding this year breeding success on the Isle of May was just 0.58, | below the long-term average of 0.78. A lack of sandeels may have been implicated. On Fair Isle productivity was also below average at 0.63 (mean 0.74). Although productivity on Foula remained low this year no emaciated chicks were |_| found, as was the case in 1998. The lack of sandeels again seemed to be the problem. Based on Upton, Pickerell & Heubeck. JNCC 2000. Shet productivity generally low with many non-breeders attending colonies; Fair Is 77% of colour-ringed adults | survived winter well (80%); Ork 830 birds at 6 sites with 351 birds Copinsay; OHeb 5,962 birds ashore on Car | Mor, Hirta, St.Kilda also on Shiant Is. where the boulder-fields make counting problematical the Puffins out- | numbered the visible 3,735 Razorbills by 15:1 (e.g. c.56,000 birds); NE 50 Fowlsheugh (59 in ‘92), 49 Dunnot- tar Castle (114 in *92), 344 Catterline-Inverbervie (116 in ‘86), 3 Nigg Bay-Cove; Firth of Forth 1,641 birds Inchkeith, 405prs Fidra, 40 birds Inchcolm, 22 birds Inchmickery, 7 birds The Lamb; Berd max 60 ashore | ° St.Abbs Head, max 64 off Fancove Head; Arg 1,232prs Treshnish Is., Mull, 354 birds Sanda Is.; Ayr max 20 birds Ailsa Craig (8); D&G 14 off Mull of Galloway & 2 Meikle Ross. First fish ashore Isle of May 24 May & Shet 23 Jun. Autumn/winter: 555 (4hrs) Eyemouth B 12 Jun; 2,000+ Fife Ness 13 Jun; 500/ (2hrs) Fife Ness 4 Jul; 155 | Rhuba Ardvule, S.Uist OH 17 Jul; 370/hr N.Ronaldsay Ork 22 Jul; 2,500 at sea The Minch off Harris OH 7 Aug. Few birds were reported much after Aug but small numbers seen into Dec in Arg & Fife. Shet waters were deserted with no beached corpses and none noted in survey work. Rock Pigeon (Rock Dove)/Feral Pigeon Columba livia “Pure” birds. Winter/spring: 300-350 roosting Sloc Roe, N.Uist OH in winter; 700 Vasa, Shapinsay Ork, 200 L.of Lythe, S.Ronaldsay Ork, 140 Herston , S.Ronaldsay Ork, 100 Craigens, Islay Arg, 80 Kiloran, Colonsay Arg, 70 Ballygrant, Islay Arg, 55 Heylipol, Tiree, 51 Coalas, Tiree Arg in Jan; 86 Exnaboe Shet and 50 Killinallan, Islay Arg in May; 123 N.Ronaldsay Ork in Jun. Breeding: Shet 3-4prs Noss, max 4 birds Skerries (where | 5prs in 1966); Ork 67prs Westray, 20 birds Copinsay reserve; OHeb 4 birds seen off Monach Is where presumed nesting; Arg single prs in caves Lunga, Treshnish Is., 2prs Glunimore & Ipr Sanda Is.. Autumn/winter: 300 Veensgarth Shet, 90 Baltasound Shet, 64 East Ellister, Islay in Oct; 74 Erisaid, Islay Arg in Nov; 500 Costa Ork, 159 Laphroig, Islay Arg & 55 L.Gruinart, Islay in Dec. 150-200 Trumisgarry, N.Uist OH in winter. “Feral” birds. 700 Crail airfield F, 500 Kinneil Forth, 450 Kelso B, 225 Cairnhill L and 170 Fala Lin Jan; 150 Covesea M&N in Mar; 350 Arkleston Clyde, 340 Eyemouth B, 240 Fowlsheugh NE in Sep; 400 Burntis- land F, 300 Blackstoun Clyde, 300 Renfrew Clyde, 150 Easter Manbeen M&N & 140 Burghead maltings | M&N in Oct; 600 Netherton Clyde, 380 Earlston B and 140 Monkton Ayr in Nov; 400 Inverugie NE, 300 Kincardine F, 200 Elgin M&N & 130 Tarras M&N in Dec. Stock Pigeon (Stock Dove) Columba oenas Poor year N.Isles with none Shet, 2 Fair Is & 1 Ork. Winter/spring: 78 Largo Bay F, 60 Blackness L, 48 Musselburgh L & 36 Pitcox L in Jan; 300 Blackstoun Farm ao = meena Clyde, 120 Middleton L, 52 Lecropt Forth, 40 Larbert Forth & 26 Town of Inchinnan Clyde in Feb; 51 Kinneil Forth in Mar; 42 Gartary F in May; 21 Goosepools F & 19 Skinflats Forth in Jun. { ————— 2 there to 27 Sep; 1 Girdleness NE 17 Sep; R.D.Murray [Ed.] 79 AS AT ean Ee Rae PY CNN DION NR EE A Dy ORD EDI DES BO Tah OYE Ry SE VR Ea a DRE SRS GF SUA ATR PO EL SD EVO TSR) Breeding: M&N noted 6 sites, max 12 Cloddach in Jun; NE 2 sites; Fife c.13prs at 9 sites with 4-Sprs Bandrum; A&D bred 3 sites; P&K 1-2prs bred Vane Farm; Forth noted just | sites; Loth 10prs noted 5 sites with Sprs Roslin Glen (8); Bord 17prs noted at/16 sites; Clyde c.69prs noted at 41 sites with 7prs Linwood Moss, 6+prs Blackstoun Farm, 6prs Cardross & S5prs Newton Farm; Ayr c.22prs noted 15 sites; D&G 4prs Mersehead. Autumn/winter: 13 Kinloss M&N and 10 Bogton NE in Jul; 14 at Moonzie F in Aug; 58 at Gartary in Nov; 230 Blackstoun, 55 Langfields F, 52 Denny Forth & 48 Musselburgh in Dec. Common Wood Pigeon (Woodpigeon) Columba palumbus Winter/spring: 6,400 Redheugh B, 2,000 Hill Wood B, 1,200 Bandrum F, 1,200 Menmuir A&D & 1,000 Grandtully P&K in Jan; 1,077 Clatto Res. F in Feb; 2,000 Castle Menzies P&K in Mar. 400 Gordon Moss B & 1,000 Knock Hill B on 13 Jun was an exceptionally late dates for large flocks. Flocks of 500-999 also reported in Fife (6), Loth (4), Bord (2) & Clyde (2). Good numbers N.Isles: 40 Trumland Ork in Jan & 80 Longhouse Ork in Feb. c.40 Shet, c.25 Fair Is included 20-21 Halligarth Shet 24-31 May & 9 Fair Is 25 May. A few reached St.Kilda OH with singles during period. Breeding: Shet 3prs failed Halligarth, pr reared br2 Baltasound, present Kergord, possible breeders at 4 other sites; OHeb 5 Glen Valtos plantation, Lewis & pr Horgabost, Harris; Fife 15prs Damhead of Torr garden 7prs Eden Est. NNR, 2prs Inchcolm; Forth BBS returns suggest 81prs/10km?; Loth 20+prs Aberlady (24), 17prs Roslin Glen CBC (22), 11+prs Musselburgh; Bord 61 Ettrick Marshes (19), 16prs Pease Dean (29); Clyde Is 14prs Golf Course, Cumbrae; Clyde 18prs Clyde Estate MOD (12), 13prs Merryton (10) & 11prs Midross. Autumn/winter: 1,000 Hirsel B in Sep; 2,000 Lecropt Forth, 1,800 Nether Hailes L, 1,000 Muthill P&K & 1,000 Alford NE in Nov; 3,000 Redden Haugh B, 2,250 Hendersyde B, 1,100 Faucheldean L, 1,000+ Pitrathie F & 1,000 Tough NE in Dec. Flocks of 500-999 also reported in Fife (3), Forth & Clyde (4). N&W Isles: max 34 Shet & c.30 Fair Is in Sep-Nov including 13 Halligarth 13 Sep & 14 Fair Is 20 Oct. Eurasian Collared Dove (Collared Dove) Streptopelia decaocto Winter/spring: 20 Kirkwall Ork in Jan; 64 Finstown Ork, 51 Springside Ayr & 25 West Mains, East Kilbride Clyde in Feb; 20 Whiting Bay, Arran Clyde Is in May. Passage main movement Fair Is 14 May-27 Jun with max 17 on 14 Jun; also some 13 different birds St.Kilda OH 27 Apr-30 Jun. 17N Drimore, S.Uist OH 6 Jun; 1 Lunga, Treshnish Is. Arg 17 Jun. Breeding: Shet noted 4 sites, young seen Lerwick; Ork prs nested Feold, Kirkwall & Tankerness OHeb ‘significant’ population now present in Stornoway, Lewis with many Lewis/Harris townships also supporting 1-2prs, 20 birds Lochmaddy also 4 sites noted in N&S Uist; Fife noted 6 sites; Loth only noted at 2 sites; Bord noted just 3 sites; Arg 5mm Colonsay House; Clyde 30prs at 15 sites including 1 8prs at 7 sites in East Kilbride. First fledged Ork 7 May & Shet 15 May. Autumn/winter: 37 Blairdrummond Forth in Jul; 27 at Newmains B, 22 Broombrae F & 12 Errol P&K in Aug; 72 Boarhills F, 40 Arnprior Forth in Sep; 80 Barnhill Farm Clyde & 17 East Grange M&N in Oct; 92 Newton Mearns Clyde and 42 Forfar L. A&D in Nov; 72 at Monkton Ayr, 30 Kirkwall, 28 at Port Ellen, Islay Arg, 22 Damhead of Torr F in Dec. 20 on passage Whitehouse, Tiree Arg 13 Sep. European Turtle Dove (Turtle Dove) Streptopelia turtur Spring: First singles Holland, Papa Westray Ork 6 May; Barns Ness L, Tigharry, S.Uist OH & Knockintorran, S.Uist OH 7 May. Next | Skerries Shet 14 May, Hillwell Shet 15 May, Fair Is 17 May, N.Ronaldsay Ork & Mannal, Tiree Arg 19 May, Fetlar Shet 20 May, Lerwick Shet & Hallyards L 22 May. A very light scatter of singles thereafter with 2 Baltasound Shet 3 Jun & 2 Papa Westray Ork 8-9 Jun the only multiple records. 1 Haroldswick Shet 19 Jun-5 Jul. May tan Jul Aue Sen ist 2nd ist 2nd Ist 2nd ist 2nd Ist Autumn/winter: 2 Port Wemyss, Islay Arg — ee for 2 weeks in mid-Aug; singles Sand- wick, Hillwell & Fetlar, all Shet on 26- 30 Aug; | Geosetter Shet 4 Sep; | at Whitehouse, Tiree Arg 6 Sep-13 Sep with singles Toab (2), Sandwick & Grutness, all Shet and singles N.Ronaldsay & Fair Is on 20-30 Sep; last 1 Grutness 9-10 Oct. A really miserable year for the species, the decline continues unchecked. RO BE I BG EA NP I OV NBEO RT SU TS ON A OD ST SEL DE EO OS SY ET] 80 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | | ese O ENS A ESOS DAD LO SR aE CE NORCENT, SUNIL UNG Be Pa UI RCE LN nh Se et ACen ass Oni a Ae ORO eal hee 2 os LRN Te in Te * Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura lst-w Carnish, N.Uist OH 13-15 Nov. First for Scotland, second for Britain-and third for West Palearctic. | See Rabbitts, B (2000) Outer Hebrides Bird Report 1999: 104 for an account of this record. Photo: see British Birds 93: 56. Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythrophthalmus At sea, North Sea, sea area Forties, oil platform ‘Maureen’, 58... O&N 01... 42, found exhausted 30 Sep 1989, | taken into care, released 1 October. The first ‘at sea’ record, in addition to 2 Scottish records. Common Cuckoo (Cuckoo) Cuculus canorus Winter/spring: First 1 Lomond Hills F 10 Apr. P&K, Arg & D&G 13-17 Apr; Ayr & Clyde Is 21-23 Apr; A&D, | I Forth, Loth, Bord & OHeb 26-29 Apr; M&N, Shet & NE 1-3 May; Ork & Fair Is 8-19 May. A few in S&W from | c.20 Apr. Main arrival in 28 Apr-6 May, a few days later in N but 20 May for Ork. 10 Shet (6), c.25 Fair Is (4) | & 3 St.Kilda OH (2), mostly 1-2 birds but 10 Fair Is 13 May. 1 rufous-phase L.of Strathbeg NE 15 May. | Breeding: Shet 4mm sang but only 2 lingered; Ork prob 5mm & juv seen Swannay; OHeb 16 juvs seen; | M&N 9 noted at 4 sites, max 4 Dava area; NE 17 records of 20 birds; A&D 2 juvs noted Glen Moy; P&K fewer |, noted but 10 Glen Artney in May & 1 observer heard birds in 17 sites; Fife noted calling at c.31 sites, probably i bred Earlshall and 4 other juvs seen; Forth c.20mm noted at 14 sites with 4mm Achray area; Loth noted 7 sites | with 2 possible locally-bred juvs; Bord mostly single mm noted at 41 sites, no juvs seen; Arg 2prs Taynish (3); | Clyde Is 4 Machrie Moor, Arran (7), 1 juv seen; Clyde 79mm at 53 sites with 8mm MOD Clyde Estate, 4 juvs | seen; Ayr 27mm sang 25 sites. First juvs A&D 21 Jun; Ork 4 Jul; Clyde Is 11 Jul; Fife 30 Jul; Fair Is 6 Aug. | Autumn/winter: 2 Shet, 1 Fair Is. 10 Ork & 3 Is of May in the autumn. 3 Tayvallich Arg 20 Aug. Last M&N 11 Jul; Fair Is, Clyde & Is of May 6 & 4-8 Aug; Loth 16 Aug; NE & Arg 26 & 29 Aug; Forth & Shet 4 & 7 Sep; last singles Thirdpart F 21 Sep & 1 dead juv L.of Hundland Ork 26 Sep. Barn Owl Tyo alba | Breeding: M&N noted 28 sites, 12 during Apr-Jul with bred 3 sites; NE 14 sites,2 probable breeding records: A&D single record in Feb; P&K 3 records but bred N.Perthshire; Fife 14 sites but no confirmed breeding although 1 bird seen all year; Forth 13 sites, possibly bred near Doune, some increase in records W of Stirling; Loth 23 sites (16) with Midlothian pr fledging br4; Bord 85 sites through year but one confirmed breeding; | Arg overall , 26 successful pairs reared 59 young with 21 nests Cowal, 12 on crags & 9 in boxes fledged just 15 | young (MBS 1.67) due to low vole numbers, 9 barrel-nests L.Awe-Kintyre had min 3 failures, in Kintyre 7prs | attempted to nest rearing min 3br11 but in several sites breeding was not attempted, 25 occupied sites Islay had | 17prs with 12br30, the MBS at 2.50 was attributed to cold wet weather during rearing; Clyde Is 1 successful | nest in 14 barrels on Arran due to poor vole numbers; Clyde c.32 sites, during the breeding season 14 territories | were noted with 7br15 reared (MBS 2.1), low vole numbers were blamed for many non-breeders & vacant sites; Ayr 9prs in S Ayrshire study is a drop in numbers due to poor vole numbers, 19 young fledged (MBS 3.8), seen 7 other sites outwith season; D&G 27prs | fledged Stranraer, 59 young (MBS 2.2), poor Snowy Owl Be cn vole numbers gain were blamed. Andr eM Stevenson oan ames Fe Outer Hebrides Bird Report / . ~~ Dark-breasted Barn Owl T.a.guttata 1 Cunningsburgh Shet 24 Sep, probably the same bird seen at Sumburgh Airport Shet on 29-30 Oct. Seventh Shetland record for the species and the third for this form. For an account of this bird: see Osborn (1999) in Birding World 12:454-457; for photo: see Shetland Bird Report 1999 & Birding Scotland 3(1) cover. * Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca 1 Balivanich, Benbecula OH 14-18 May, with presumably the same bird seen St.Kild@aOH / + on 19-22 May. hint [1996] 1 Strathrory H 12 Nov. R.D.Murray [Ed.] ; 81 Ea CLR a er RRC eS OM PA BL ee lee Se WE RI nS Oye TS DS See a EE SE RT Little Owl Athene noctua 1 calling Crowfootbank, Swinton B 3 Jan; 1 Gilmanscleugh B 15 Aug; | Mersehead D&G 20 Nov. The usual thin list of enigmatic records from the usual areas. Tawny Owl Strix aluco M&N 7/12 boxes occupied Lossie & Speymouth Forest, managed just 7br8 (MBS 1.11); NE 1 proved breeding record; A&D breeding at 3 sites; P&K 3 records submitted; Fife noted 27 sites in season with 3prs rearing 6 young (MBS2.0), also noted 5 other sites outwith breeding season; Forth min 10 sites with moderate success MBP (1-2) in study schemes; Loth c.19 sites but just 1 proved breeding; Bord 39 sites in breeding season with 7 calling Hirsel, proved at just 3 sites, noted 20 other sites outwith the season; Arg in Glen Branter 44prs laid but only 25prs fledged 36 young (MBS 1.5), none reared more than 2 young, 8prs Cowal reared 10 young (MBS 1.2), first breeding L.Gruinart, Islay, also bred Tironan, Mull, noted 12 sites outwith breeding season; Clyde Is noted 2 sites Arran, | site Cumbraes; Clyde noted 29 sites in year, 23 during breeding season, 6prs managed 11+ young; Ayr 8prs Culzean laid 16 eggs but reared only 4 young (poor weather), 6prs in S.Ayrshire nestboxes managed MBS of 1.0, noted 14 other sites with 15 birds calling at 11 sites in breeding season. Long-eared Owl Asio otus Winter/spring: Roosts: 2-5 roosted Queenamidda Ork Jan-Mar; 1-4 Musselburgh lagoons L Jan-22 Mar; also 1- 2 birds roosted Linnadale Ork, Scorrabrae Ork, White Glen, Hoy Ork, Scapa Ork, Strathclyde Park Clyde, Paisley Clyde, Coltness East Clyde, Shotts Bing Clyde between Jan-Mar. Elsewhere Jan-early Mar records: 1 NE, 2 Loth, 2 Clyde & 1 Ayr. No winter roost in Shet this winter. First passage birds M&N, Is of May & OHeb 24-25 Mar; Shet 8 Apr; Fife & Bord 21 Apr & Fair Is early May. Breeding: OHeb food calls & br2 at 2 N.Uist sites; M&N 6 sites, food calls Ardivot; NE br2 Ythan & food calls Braeroddach & Drumnafunner; A&D probably bred Barry Buddon; P&K4 sites; Fife 3 sites with brl Limekilns & Reres Wood; Forth present Skinflats; Loth food calls at 2 W.Lothian sites; Bord noted only 2 sites; Arg noted Colonsay & Cowal sites but no proof; Clyde 11 territories, br2 Towerhill, Mugdock, young calling Gryfe Plantation & L.Ardinning; Ayr br3 Darvel. Autumn/winter: First passage birds noted Is of May 18 Sep; Shet 26 Sep; Fair Is 15 Oct; Ork 18 Oct. Coastal birds appeared Loth & Fife 22 Oct, Bord 7 Nov. A poor-to-moderate autumn with c.14 Shet, c.6 Fair Is, 22 Ork & 2 Is of May. Roosts: 5 Twatt Ork & 3 Haroldswick area Shet Nov-Dec. Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus Winter/spring: Moderate to good numbers Jan-Feb birds with 6 Ork, 12 NE, 14 Fife, 1 P&K, 4 Forth, 12 Loth, 2 Bord, 3 Clyde & 16 Ayr but none reported Shet, OHeb, M&N, Arg, Clyde Is & D&G. Best counts: 4 birds Lossiemouth M&N, Kyle Forest Ayr, Limmerhaugh Muir Ayr & Musselburgh L, 3 birds Bow Hill Ayr, Auchenlongford Ayr & St.Fergus NE in Jan; 5 Brora NE, 3 birds Tyninghame L & Lossburn Res. Forth in Feb. With the numbers around in Mar it is not possible to state the arrival dates for territorial birds. Passage Mar-Jun: 7 Is of May with 3 there 16 Mar; 6 singles Shet, c.9 on Fair Is, max 3 on 13 May. Breeding: Ork c.14 sites with 9 ads Birsay moors; OHeb c.8prs N.Uist, |3prs S.Uist, 3prs Benbecula & single Lewis; M&N noted just one moorland; NE no proof of breeding; A&D 4 sites , probably bred unsuccessfully 1 site due to predation; P&K 11 sites but only 1 success; Fife probably bred RAF Leuchars, birds present Cleish, L.Glow, Wester Hill & Lomonds; Forth summer records at 2 sites; Loth singles Pentlands & Lammer- muirs but breeding; Bord noted 28 sites, with pairs at 6 sites but definite breeding at just 1 site; Arg no breeding attempts in Cowal, br4 Aros Moss was only breeding record from Kintyre, 2prs noted Mull with singles at other sites in Mull, Islay & Jura; Clyde Is few records & no breeding Arran, | single Bute; Clyde noted 8 sites but no confirmed Ayr only a single territorial pair noted with a few singles elsewhere; D&G only single summer record. A poor vole year in S&W has had usual impact on breeding numbers and success. Autumn/winter: Early appearance of mobile birds suggests widespread failures: up to 3 Carsebeck P&K in Jun; Jul singles RAF Kinloss M&N 1 Jul; Hoswick Hill Shet 15 Jul, St.Kilda OH 21 Jul & Is of May 30 Jul. First Is of May 27 Aug; Fair Is 20 Sep; Shet 25 Sep. Fewer than usual on isles with totals of 6 Shet, c.20 Fair Is, c.6 Ork, 1 St.Kilda & c.20 Is of May, max 4 Fair Is 26 Sep & 11 roosting there 25 Oct, 7 Is of May 17 Oct. Mostly 1-2 birds noted during Nov/Dec with totals of 4 Ork, 3 M&N, 2 NE, 2 Is of May, 14 Fife, 3 Forth, 5 Loth, 2 Bord & 10 Ayr with single birds Shet, OHeb & Clyde. The best counts being 8 Is of May 21 Nov with 4 Aterlady in Nov then 8 Bogside Ayr, 5 Elie F, 3 Earlshall Muir F & 3 Coble Shore F in Dec. 2 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | European Nightjar (Nightjar) Caprimulgus europaeus | Littlester, Yell Shet 15 May & Im Dunrossness Shet 31 May. Breeding: Forth | churring Duke’s Pass 25 Jun; Clyde Is no records from Arran; D&G 2mm Bennan New Galloway 27 May with 3mm there 2 Aug, 2mm Cairn Edward 27 May. : * Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica ! [1983] 1 Coldingham B 5 Nov. After pending in the files of the BBRC, this becomes the first record for Scotland and third for Britain. The only other Scottish record was 1 St.Andrews F on 8-10 November 1991]. | Common Swiit (Swift) Apus apus Winter/spring: First trickle with 1 Balloch Clyde & 1 Kelso B 18 Apr & | Hirsel B 24 Apr. Then Ayr 27 Apr; D&G, P&K, A&D, NE, Fife & OHeb 1-4 May; M&N, Arg, Forth & Loth 7-8 May; Clyde Is, Ork, Shet & Fair | Is 9-11 May. Best movements: 200 Balgray Res. Clyde 9 May; 30 Galashiels B 10 May; 150 Strathclyde L. | Clyde, 70 Hogganfield L. Clyde & 40 Martnaham L. Ayr 13 May. Once the birds had arrived several large flocks were noted with 150 Kilconquhar F 16 May & 300 there 30 Maye } 600 Balgray Res. 24 May; 1,500 Strathclyde L. 30 May; 700 Kilconquhar 3 Jun; 200 L.Spynie M&N 5 Jun; | 1,300 Hule Moss B (thr) 8 Jun; 1,000 Balgray Res. 22 Jun; 250 L.Gelly F 29 Jun. Breeding: Fife max 22 Kirkcaldy, 16 Dunfermline, 15 Leslie & 8 Kincardine; Loth study in Edinburgh showed |) birds at 60 localities, mostly on fringes of city centre; Bord 20prs bred N.Kirk, Kelso, 2 nests Morebattle, | screaming parties of 31 Tweedbank, 25 Galashiels, 15 Bankhouse Farm, 14 Earlston, 12 Lauder, 11 Peebles, | 10+ Lilliesleaf, 3 Sisterpath & 2 Skirling; Arg 8-10prs Campbeltown, screaming parties of 40+ Dunoon & 8 | Lochgilphead; Clyde Is bred Rothesay-Craigmore; Clyde 16 at 3 sites in Paisley; Ayr 15prs Prestwick, 15prs |) © Ayr Academy, 10prs West Kilbride, 9prs Culzean (4 in boxes), 4-Sprs Catrine, 2-3prs Crosshill, pr Ballantrae. | ] Autumn/winter: Jul-Aug feeding flocks: 2,000 Strathclyde L. 10 Jul; 500 L.Gelly 11 Jul; 750 Helensburgh Res. | Clyde 30 Jul; 220 Balgray Res. 7 Aug; 600 Kilconquhar, 100 Musselburgh & 100 L.of Strathbeg NE 8 Aug; | — Main departure mid-to-early Aug with small numbers to late Aug and a trickle after early Sep. i) Last D&G, A&D & Clyde Is 1-4 Aug; P&K 21 Aug; Forth, Clyde & Ayr 1-3 Sep; NE 8 Sep; M&N, OHeb ce Arg 17-18 Sep; Is of May, Loth, Fair Is & Fife 24-30 Sep; Ork, Bord & Shet 1-2 Oct. | Late party of 10 Balcary D&G 10 Oct with a very late record with 1 Duff House, Banff NE 28 Nov. For an account ofa partial-albino bird in Clyde: see McGuigan (1999) Birding World 12:318. * Pallid Swift Apus pallidus 1 Burnmouth B 25 Oct was killed by a Sparrowhawk. First record for Borders & the second for Scotland. The first for Scotland was a moribund bird found on North Ronaldsay in 1996, one day later on 26 Oct. For accounts of this bird: see Murray, A (2000) in Birding Scotland 3:39 & Murray , R. (2000) in Borders Bird Report 19: 92. * Alpine Swift Apus melba 1 Funzie, Fetlar Shet 13 May. The fifth record for Shetland. Common Kingfisher (Kingfisher) Al/cedo atthis . Shet | Voe 19-22 Sep, probably the same 24 Oct, 12th record for Shetland; Fair Is 19 Sep , first record for |) _ island, probably the same Shet bird; High 8prs; M&N singles at 3 sites in summer & 1 site in winter; NE increase |) | continues with 6 records, apparently resident on Don & Dee; A&D 4 sites in breeding season; P&K 7 sites in |) _— breeding season & 11 sites at other times; Fife br3 seen W Fife, probably bred Eden Est. & Cupar, resident pair |) | R.Ore at Thornton, also seen at c.7 sites on coast in winter and c.7 sites inland outwith breeding season; Forth |) | bred Avon, Grangemouth, also seen 8 other sites in summer & 3 sites in winter; Loth single prs bred Almondell, | Water of Leith (failed), probably bred R.Almond at Turnhouse and on R.Avon, also singles noted 6 other sites in summer and 15 sites outwith breeding season; Bord further increases, bred Hirsel, Innerleithen, Melrose, Kelso, Cornhill & Milne Graden with pr noted Teviotbank and singles 15 other sites in summer and 16 sites outwith breeding season; Arg 4 sites in winter; Clyde Is 2 sites; Clyde 4 territories on R.Clyde, with 4 others White Cart Water, 3 on Black Cart Water, 2 on Kelvin Water & 2 on Endrick Water, also noted 20 other sites in year although decrease noted White Cart Water where observations dropped from 143 in 1197, to 110 in 1998 to just 71 in 1999; Ayr bred L. Ayr at Catrine & R.Lugar at Ochiltree, territories also noted Auchencruive & Irvine, also seen at 9 other sites in year; D&G bred R.Urr & Tarff Water at Ringford, noted 4 other sites outwith breeding season. R.D.Murray [Ed.] F 83 * European Bee-eater (Bee-eater) Merops apiaster 1 St.Boniface, Papa Westray Ork 19 May; | Fladdabister Shet 6 Jul was presumably the same as | Halligarth, Unst 7 Jul. It was then seen intermittently in the Baltasound area to c.20 Jul. It appeared at Valyie, Norwick on 22 Jul where it then stayed until 10 Oct. /3th for Orkney & 15th for Shetland. [1998] 1 Glengorm, Mull Arg 9-11 Jun was possibly the same as the bird at Tynacoille, Islay Arg on 11 Jun. * Hoopoe Upupa epops 8 spring singles at Don Barracks NE 26 Apr; Herston, S.Ronaldsay Ork 28 Apr; Fair Is 4-5 May; North Craig Res. Ayr 9-10 May; Fealar Lodge P&K on 10 May; Tarbet/ Ar- rochar Arg 18 May; Ardmaddy Arg 3-5 Jun & probably the same bird Eskechreggan Farm, Bute Clyde Is 6 Jun; & Enterkinefoot D&G 9 Jun. 6 autumn singles at St.Abbs Head B 12-21 Sep; Sandwick Shet 16 Sep; Kirkabister, Nesting Shet late-Sep; Scouburgh Shet 25 Oct; & Rerwick Shet 4-5 Nov. Hoopoe 14th for Ayrshire, 20th for Argyll, 25th for Borders & 35th for Fair Isle. St.Abbs Head, Sep 1999 Alex Copland Eurasian Wryneck (Wryneck) Jynx torquilla Spring: 19 in spring. | Burrafirth Shet 27 Apr; | on Noss Shet 28 Apr; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 4, 8 & 10 May; 2 St.Abbs B 6-8 May with | there to 10 May; 2 Fair Is & 1 Durris NE 8 May; | Is of May 9-10 May; 1 Papa Westray Ork 9 May; | Fetlar Shet 11 May; 1 Noss 12 May; | Fair Is 13 May; 2 Fetlar 18 May; another Fair Is 19 May; | sang Holmhead Ayr 24 May. Breeding: High pr+br5 at one site, singing m at another; NE | Inverforest & | mid-Deeside in Jun. Autumn/winter: 25 in autumn. First 3 Fair Is, 3 N.Ronaldsay, 1 Gorie, Bressay Shet & 1 Girdleness NE 26 Aug; 1 Fetlar & 1 Stronsay Ork 27 Aug; 1 Noss 28-29 Aug; | Fetlar 11 Sep; 1 Norwick Shet 13 Sep with another 14- 15 Sep; 1 Fair Is 14 Sep; 1 Fair Is 15-17 Sep; 1 N.Ronaldsay 16 Sep with 2 there on 17 Sep; 1 Sumburgh Shet 17-18 Sep; 1 Foula Shet 17 Sep; 1 Stronsay 21 Sep; 2 Cove NE, | dead Harray Ork & | Foula 22 Sep. Third record for Ayrshire. Green Woodpecker Picus viridis M&N heard Banchor, Craigellachie & Pluscarden in summer, hinting at a return; NE 1-2 birds at various sites along the Dee & the Don from Ardhuncart Hill, Mossat & Bennachie, none bred; A&D 7 sites with proved breeding Barry Buddon & Barry Mill; P&K 25 sites but no proof of success; Fife successful nests at Bandrum, Charlestown, St.Margaret’s Marsh & West Wemyss with early nest at Kemback Wood also 13 other sites in the breeding season & 34 localities at other times of the year; Forth noted 13 sites; Loth bred Dalkeith (2 broods), Duddingston, Hermitage of Braid, West Craigie & The Brunt, seen 19 other sites; Bord no confirmed records but noted 33 sites in breeding season & 12 other sites in winter; Arg heard calling L.Eck in Feb & at Blairmore in May; Clyde 10 territories noted, probably bred Kilpatrick Braes, also 10 other sites in winter; Ayr single record from Southwood, Troon in Mar; D&G bred Doach Woods and noted 4 other sites in breeding season. Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus major Migrants: Largest influx in N.Isles since 1994 with 18 Shet (all juvs), 13 Fair Is & 23 Ork. A few noted Shet & Ork from 25 Aug & during Sep but major arrival mid-Oct when record day-count of 12 Fair Is 15 Oct. A few lingered Shet into Nov & Ork into Dec. 1 probable migrant Denburn Wood F on 22 Oct. Several comments about the increase in birds coming to nut-feeders in M&N, Fife, Forth, Bord, Clyde & D&G. NE proved breeding at Banchory & Fintray with drummers at Kinnoir & L.Muick, possibly getting established 84 Scottish Bird Report 1999 RE ENS Me PE EE DS DB I ACR WAP, SAE EER SES LO Strathbeg:; A&D noted just 4 sites; P&K noted min 26 sites but only 2 nests seen; Fife noted 31 sites in| breeding season, definitely bred at min 9 sites with juvs reported at another 4 sites, also seen 16 other sites in ‘winter’; Forth noted 23 sites throughout year including 8 sites in Trossachs; Loth bred 5 sites with 12 territo- rial birds at 11 other sites, also seen 32 other sites outwith breeding season; Bord c.62 territories noted at 52) sites in breeding season, proved at 9 sites, also seen 21 sites in winter; Arg 8prs with at least Sprs confirmed) breeding including 3prs on Mull, noted at 6 other sites in winter; Clyde Is drumming Merkland, Arran in Apr; i Clyde min 48 territories noted at 40 sites, proved at 5 sites, also seen 30 sites in ‘winter’; Ayr 34 territories at 28) sites in breeding season, max 4+ Kilkerran, also 5 other sites in winter. ip Max counts: 5mm Hirsel B & 4 Devilla Forest F in May. First young noted Bord on 3 Jun, Arg 17 Jun & Clyde 21 Jun. * Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra 1 Fair Is 16-17 May. Second for Fair Isle, third for Scotland & ninth for Britain. For an account of this bird: see Turner (1999) Birding Scot- land: 2:185-186. * Greater Short-toed Lark (Short-toed Lark) Calandrella brachydactyla Calandra Lark Spring: 3 Fair Is 5-7 May with 1 there to 8 May then Steve Turner singles Lamba Ness, Unst Shet 7-8 May; Newburgh ir Isle Bird Orbservatory Report | NE 8-10 May; Sumburgh Head Shet 9-12 May; Rose Cottage, Papa Westray Ork 10 May; Fair Is 12-16 May;| _ Hagdale, Unst Shet 14 May; Houbie, Fetlar Shet & Fair Is 19 May; 1 North Rona OH 8 Jun, 1 Breck, N.Ronaldsay Ork 23 Sep was the only autumn record. Second for North-east & fourth for Outer Hebrides. Record spring (with 1992) for Shetland. For an account of the North-east Scotland bird: seee Gibbins (1999) Birding Scotland: 2:133-132 * Wood Lark (Woodlark) Lullula arborea [1997] 1 Is of May 15-21 Oct. Sky Lark (Skylark) Alauda arvensis Winter/spring: Evidently a poor winter with only 2 big Jan/Feb flocks at 530 Mersehead D&G & 400 Blackstoun Clyde in Feb. Smaller flocks of 100-400 were noted OHeb (1, max 200); P&K (1, max 114), Forth (1, max 160), Arg (2, max 103) & Clyde (3, max 200). Elsewhere the max counts were 90 NE, 83 Loth, 60 Fife, 50 Bord. None wintered Shet (due to disappearance of stubbles) & only a handful were present on Fair Is: Movements: 250 Braco P&K 6 Mar; 100 N.Ronaldsay Ork 14 Mar; 600 Fair Is 19 Mar; 300 Baltasound Shed) | 20 Mar; 200 Haroldswick Shet 21 Mar; 170 Fair Is 15 Apr. | # First songs M&N | Feb; Forth 11 Feb; Bord & Shet 2-4 Mar. Late song Netherton M&N 28 Oct. | Breeding: Shet 75prs Noss; M&N 13mm Ardivot; NE 45prs L.of Strathbeg dunes; A&D 10mm Barry Buddon; P&K 3l1prs Vane Farm (27); Fife there was a 33% drop from 78 to 52 AOTs at 7 sites monitored in 98 & 99 andl a also a drop in BBS plots, 30prs Eden Est. (48), 1Sprs Valleyfield/Longannet (20), 16-20prs/km* Lomond Hill (20), 16prs Bowhouse; Forth |lprs Devon WBS (11); Loth 40prs Aberlady (46) & 30 Musselburgh (23); Bord) — 12mm Fogo, 11+prs Newmains, 35 contacts East Loch BBS (34) & 23 Coquet Head BBS; Arg 145+prs The’ — Reef, Tiree, pr Taynish CBC (1), 11prs on 3 of the Treshnish Is. & 8prs Sanda Is.; Clyde 297prs at 62 sites 7a . 30 Glen Fruin, 25 MoD Clyde Estate #2, 25 Hardridge High Dam, 20 Allanton, stable 4prs Merryton; Ayr 47prs, at 9 sites with 12+ Pundeavon Res. & 12prs Enoch Hill range; D&G 235prs Mersehead. is First fledged Clyde 25 May & Shet 14 Jul. | Autumn/winter: 125 Cairnsapple L 1 Jul; max 305 Mersehead in Oct; max 180 Fair Is 5 Oct; 400 Blacksto Clyde 9 Oct; 160 Kirkintilloch Clyde 15 Oct; 200 St.Abbs B 17 Oct; 120 Newmains B 18 Oct; 150 Mid dlesquarter, N.Uist OH early Nov. Dec flocks 100-400 from P&K 1 (max 200), Fife 2 (max 300), Forth 3 (max 380), Loth 1( max 185), Clyde (max 400), Ayr 3 (max 400) & D&G 1 (max 215), the largest flocks being 400 Blackstoun 16 Dec & 400 Land. of Turnberry Ayr 17 Dec. R.D.Murray [Ed.] | 85 aE Ee eR EOS BRE en Oc EE RR OR Se I, A Le Horned Lark (Shore Lark) Eremophila alpestris Winter/spring: | Fair Is 11-14 Apr; 5 Fair Is 18 Apr with 1-4 there to 30 Apr; 1 Lamphoga, Fetlar Shet 26 Apr; 29 Tyninghame L 27 Apr with 15 there 28 Apr with last 1 on 1 May; 4 Noss Shet 29 Apr-15 May; 1-2 Goosepools F 5-10 May; 3-8 Lamba Ness, Skaw Shet 4-10 May; | Fair Is 12 & 14 May; 1 Lein M&N 14-17 May; 2 Morven House, Papa Westray Ork 18-24 May; | Fair Is 20 May; 2 Lamba Ness 21 May Breeding: High 1 seen in suitable habitat and strongly suspected of breeding ( not far from 1977 site). Autumn/winter: 1 Outhead F 10 Sep; 1 Fair Is 22 Sep; 1 Fair Is 21 Oct-3 Nov; 1 Aberlady L 21 Nov-10 Dec; 2 Tyninghame 31 Dec. Sand Martin Riparia riparia Winter/spring: First 1 Endrick Mouth Clyde 13 Mar; | Aird Meadow Clyde 15 Mar. Then D&G & Fife 16-17 Mar; Forth, Loth & Bord 22-27 Mar; NE, A&D, P&K, Ayr & Arg 39 Mar-1 Apr; Is of May 10 Apr; Shet, Clyde Is, Ork & Fair Is 21-26 Apr; OHeb 5 May. 120 Strathclyde L. Clyde 27 Mar; 500 Musselburgh L & 150 Birnie L. F 3 Apr; 800 Strathclyde L. 4 Apr; 100 Baron’s Haugh Clyde 5 Apr; 150 Forfar L. A&D 8 Apr; 1,000 Strathclyde L. 10 Apr; 300 L.of the Lowes P&K 13 Apr; 500 Killin Forth & 200 Monikie A&D 14 Apr; 300 Martnaham L. Ayr 16 Apr; 100+ Trabboch Ayr 21 Apr; 716W Hule Moss B (1.5hrs) 17 May; 400 Linlithgow L 21 May. Feeding flocks included 500 Carsebeck P&K & 400 Forfar L. in Jun. Better spring N&W Isles with c.22 Shet, c.15 Fair Is, 56 Ork & 6 OHeb Apr-May. Breeding: M&N 176 burrows at 13 sites, | Breeding Bird Survey % of plots mean counts also 2 duneland colonies at Kinloss & Loss- 1997 1998 1999 | 1997 1998 1999 | iemouth; NE only noted on 2 sites; A&D Aeiiaud! N&W Isles O08 1 000 O67 colonies noted 4 sites; P&K 650 holes {NE Scotland 6.00 2.17 10.59 4 S.Orchil Sandpit & 8 others sites; Fife noted HC Scotland mer 50__ 22.0 __3.20 5 sites with 428 burrows, one site showing a sudden increase from 188 nests in early May to 356 by late May, 6prs Shell Bay fledged 28+ young (MBS 4.6); Forth 415 nests Cambusmore; Loth 102 nests at 4 sites; Bord 1,655 nests noted at 25 sites with a small increase at 15 sites counted in 1998 (1,215) & 1999 (1,258), spread continues into upper tributaries of Tweed basin; Arg 80 Kilmichael Glen (110 in *98) & 340 N.Connel (314 in *98) with 148 nests noted at 9 other sites; Clyde 1,074 nests at 23 sites with 313 Merryton (390), 300 White Loch Quarry, 60 Powbrone Burn (72); Ayr 162 burrows at 7 sites with 15+ Ballantrae (17); D&G noted breeding at 2 sites. Poor breeding season in Clyde where few large autumn roosts and ad:juv ratio of 8:1. Autumn/winter: 8 Shet, 1 Fair Is, 40 Ork & 2 OHeb (both St.Kilda) in autumn. Poor autumn numbers with largest area flocks of 105 Barr L. Clyde 5 Jul; 400 Waulkmill NE 11 Jul; 150 Kalemouth B 1 Aug; & 100 Endrick Mouth 7 Aug. The only exception to this was in E/C areas with 350 L.Gelly F 15 Jul; 400 Kilconquhar L. F 24 Jul; 500 Carsebeck 10 Aug; 1,000 L.Leven P&K 14 Aug; max 1,600 L.Gelly roost 30 Aug; 1,000 St.Margaret’s Marsh roost F late Aug; 120 Kinghorn L. F 1 Sep. Most left mid-Aug other than in Fife with last Bord 21 Aug; Clyde 7 Sep; Loth, Clyde Is Ayr 12-21 Sep; Shet, Fair Is, Ork, Fife, Is of May & OHeb 26-30 Sep; Forth 10 Oct; with the latest single Cruden Bay NE 18 Oct. ae 50 * Eurasian Crag Martin (Crag Martin) Ptyonoprogne rupestris 1 Davey’s Brig, Finstown Ork 3 May. First for Orkney & Scotland & only the sixth for Britain. For an account of this bird: see Williams (1999) Birding Scotland: 2:137-138. Barn Swallow (Swallow) Hirundo rustica Spring: Early arrival with first 1 Musselburgh L on 25 Mar. Then D&G, P&K, Arg, Ayr, Bord & Fife 27-30 Mar; NE, M&N, A&D, Clyde Is, Clyde & Fair Is 1-3 Apr; OHeb, Ork, Shet & Forth 7-11 Apr. Although widespread in early Apr, numbers were very low over next 2 weeks with larger numbers arriving in late Apr. The best counts were mostly rather low with the only early summer 3-figure counts being: 100 L.of the Lowes P&K 13 Apr; 250 Kilconquhar F on 6 May; 175W/hr Aberlady L 9 May; 453 (1.5hrs) Hule Moss B on 17 May; 150 N.Ronaldsay Ork 27 May & 150 Balgray Res. Clyde 29 May. Breeding: Shet br3 Weisdale & br4 Tresta, Fetlar; OHeb 8+ prs noted with party 40 summering Ormiclate, S.Uist; M&N Sprs Lhanbryde barn had MBS 4.8; NE in Maryculter study breeding success was up to 83% compared to 74% in ‘98; P&K better year Blairgowrie with many sites reoccupied; Fife 30% decline in BBS 86 Scottish Bird Report 1999 numbers but 10prs bred Longannet power | Breeding Bird Survey % of plots | mean counts station & 60 chicks ringed Leuchars, pr bred Swallow 1997. 1998: 2 1999) 1997, A998 = 1999 Inchcolm; Forth less common in BBS than |Highland, N&W Isles| _ 16 25 22 | 3.73 3.92 __3.00 : _ | NE Scotland 60 60 58 G712i 26103), 25202 usual, 12 nests Ashfield; Loth 3br16 noted; Aaye-scodana 70 76 7017130 8700 7 91 Bord fewer second broods than usual, 70% |S Scotland 71 67 62 |MS DOMES IR aTIAS juvs amongst 28 birds St.Abbs in Sep; Clyde | SW Scotland Sif 62 6.36 6.82 Is 8prs Ballochmartin, Cumbrae, several late broods Arran; Clyde 51prs at 17 sites with 8prs MoD Clyde Estate #2; Ayr 14prs Culzean, 11prs Auchencruive | reared 72 juvs, 2prs Tarfessock predated by Pine Martin. First fledged A&D 20 Jun; Arg & Bord 27 Jun. Late broods fledging M&N & Arg 18-21 Sep: Bord 2 Oct. Autumn/winter: Large parties; 800S (mostly juvs) Machrihanish Arg 23 Jul; 150 Graemeshall L. Ork 3 Aug; 300 L.Gelly F 10 Aug; 600 Carsebeck P&K 20 Aug; 170 Banchory NE 23 Aug; 450W Fife Ness F 26 Aug; 175 Peterhead NE 27 Aug; 407SW(hr) Kinghorn F 29 Aug; 250 Brownrig L 1 Sep; 200 Trabboch Ayr 2 Sep; 363 Kinghorn 4 Sep; 3,000 Ythan Est. NE 10 Sep; 400 Goosepools F & 100 Newstead B 11 Sep; 200 Kinnordy A&D 17 Sep; 369 Is of May 24 Sep. Large roosts: 2.400 Newshot Is. Clyde 12 Aug, peaked at 4,500 on 21 Aug; 6,000 Martnaham L. Ayr 22 Aug with 5,000 there 21 Sep; 15,000 St.Margaret’s Marsh 25 Aug, peaked at 23,750 on 5 Sep dropping to 15,000 by 10 Sep & 300 on 28 Sep; 2,000 Shotts Clyde 5 Sep; 3,500 Aird Meadow Clyde 5 Sep with 1,100 there 11 Sep. Most gone by late Sep but many stragglers to mid-Oct. Last Fair Is 24 Sep; Shet 4 Oct; Clyde Is, P&K, Clyde & OHeb 10-25 Oct; Bord, D&G, Ayr & NE 1-8 Nov; Arg 11 Nov. Latest singles Cramond L 17 Nov & Musselburgh L 20 Nov. *Red-rumped Swaliow Hirundo daurica 1 Papa Westray Ork 17-18 May. Fourth for Orkney. House Martin Delichon urbica Spring: First 35 Stranraer D&G 31 Mar; Bord & Forth 3 Apr; Shet, NE, Fife, Arg & Loth 7-10 Apr; P&K, A&D, Clyde Is, Clyde & Ayr 12-18 Apr; Ork 26 Apr; OHeb, Fair Is, Is of May & M&N 1-11 May. Few during first half of Apr, more widespread latter half but no great numbers until early May. Few large counts but visible movement seen in late May: 20 L.of Clickimin Shet 10 May; 180 Kilconquhar L. F 16 May; 190 (1.5hrs) Hule Moss B 17 May; 50+ Blackwaterfoot, Arran Clyde Is 28 May; 500 L.Gelly F & | 110 Musselburgh L 29 May; 40 Fair Is 30 May; 280 Kilconquhar 3 Jun; 130 Musselburgh 6 Jun. Breeding: Shet pr bred Foula; Ork 3prs bred Stromness; M&N 45 nests Buckie High School (24), 29prs RAF Kinloss, 6 building Inchory Lodge, Glen Avon in Cairngorms; NE 17 cliff nests Pennan with 9 at Muchalls; A&D 26 nests Roundyhill area; P&K 24 nests Chapelton; ; Fife stable 30prs Longannet Power Station 12prs Valleyfield, noted 6 others sites; Loth cliff nests - 98 Canty Bay (101) with 50 nests noted at 3 other sites; Bord 33 nests Eddleston (24), 79 cliff nests Cove-Dunglass (76), 18 nests Ettrick valley had 2nd broods, of 10 nests Ettrickbridge 6 had 2nd broods; Clyde 773 nests at 109 sites with 556 nests at 84 sites on L.Lomondside and 62 nests at 3 sites at Newton Mearns; Ayr 12 nests West Kilbride, 10 nests Crosshill & 31 nests at 5 other sites. Autumn: 125 Enochdhu P&K 2 Aug; 220 Kilconquhar 8 Aug; 160 Clochan M&N 16 Aug; 450 Tullibody Inch Forth 19 Aug; 100 Ballinluig P&K 21 Aug; 120 Bandrum F 22 Aug; 100 Newton Mearns 23 Aug; 220 RAF | Kinloss M&N 24 Aug; 150 Doonfoot Ayr 3 Sep; 100 Coldstream B 9 Sep; 300 Kilmundy NE 10 Sep; 150 Clackmannan Forth 12 Sep; 160 Tullibody Inch 14 Sep; 100 Kirkcowan D&G 9 Oct; 100 Newstead B 11 Oct Last P&K, Forth & Fife 6-10 Oct; Bord & Loth 25 Oct; M&N 30 Oct. Very few seen thereafter with singles Boddam NE 7 Nov, Whalsay Shet 9 Nov & Maidens Ayr 13 Nov & an exceptionally late bird Dumbarton Clyde 3 Dec. Richard’s Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae Spring: 1 Is of May 22 Apr. Autumn: | Baltasound Shet 22-25 Sep with 2 there 25 Sep.; 4 Foula Shet 24 Sep with | to 27 Sep; 2 Skerries Shet with | there to 1 Oct; 1 Brig o’ Fitch Shet 24 Sep; 1 Brough, S.Nesting Shet 25 Sep; 1 Skaw, Unst Shet 3 Oct; 1 Fair Is 6 Oct with 1-2 there 15-18 Oct; 1 Nether Linnay, N.Ronaldsay Ork 21 Oct. I in spring & 16 in autumn. R.D.Murray [Ed.] | 87 * Olive-backed Pipit Anthus gustavi 1 Noss Shet 11-12 May. 35th for Shetland. [1998] 1 Is of May 6 Oct. Third for the island. Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis Spring: First 4 Glen Fruin Clyde 3 Apr; Loth 4 Apr; Arg & Forth 15-17 Apr; Ork, Ayr & Bord 18-21 Apr; D&G, P&K, A&D, Clyde Is, Fife, Fair Is & Shet 23-25 Apr; OHeb, NE & Is of May 26-30 Apr; M&N 3 May. Best early count was 10mm Inversnaid Clyde 25 Apr. Better passage than usual, especially on mainland: 20 Musselburgh L 18 Apr; 6 Is of May 7 May; 4 St.Abbs B 8 May; 7W Prestongrange L 9 May; 8 N.Ronaldsay Ork 10 & 13 May; 15 Sumburgh Shet 12 May; 100 Fair Is 13 May with 65 there 14 May; 14 Skerries Shet 14 May; 13 Sumburgh 15 May; 10 Kergord Shet 16 May. Breeding: M&N 10mm at 6 sites; A&D 6 sites; P&K average year Tummel/Rannoch; ; Fife 24mm at 12 sites, with 11mm Devilla Forest, proved to breed at 3 sites; Loth 10mm at 5 sites; Bord 23mm at 13 sites, with 4mm Ettrick Marshes; Arg 12 Taynish CBC (12) & 2mm Claggain, Islay; Clyde Is 3 sites; Clyde 124mm at 36 sites with 38 MoD Clyde Estate #2, 13mm Glen Luss & 10mm Glen Douglas; Ayr 32mm at 18 sites with Smm Kilkerran & 5mm Kilgrammie. Autumn: Movements noted from mid-Jul with 1 Noss Shet 10 Jul; first Is of May 11 Aug; Fair Is 18 Aug. Smaller numbers later, mostly 1-2 birds except: 60 Fair Is, 40 Skerries Shet, 36 N.Ronaldsay, 16 Is of May, 15 Whalsay Shet, 4 St.Abbs B, 2 St.Kilda OH 21-25 Sep. Last Clyde & Ayr 16-28 Aug; D&G, OHeb, Fife, Loth, Bord 21-25 Sep; Is of May 30 Sep; Arg, Ork & Shet 15-17 Oct; Fair Is 20 Oct. Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis Winter/spring: Fewer Jan records than usual from areas where scarce or absent continue with just occasional birds Fair Is, 2 records Bord, P&K & Clyde with none, M&N, NE, Forth & D&G. In coastal areas & low-lying ground the best early counts were 15 Forth, 12 NE & OHeb with good numbers only present in west where 13 Merryton Clyde 3 Jan, 42 W.Hynish, Tiree Arg 10 Jan, 30 East Kilbride Clyde 27 Jan, 85 Aird Meadow Clyde | Feb, 25 Carsebeck P&K 6 Feb & 50 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 8 Feb. First inland movements Bord 18 Feb, Forth 24 Feb. Poor inland passage P&K mostly mid-Mar. First passage Shet & Fair Is 17-18 Mar. 110 Priesthope Hill B 14 Mar; 200+ Is of May 4 Apr; 400 Cornalees Clyde 10 Apr; 222 Musselburgh L & 220 Tweedbank B 13 Apr; 400 St.Kilda OH 17-19 Apr with 1,000 there 28-30 Apr; 750+ Cowstrandburn F 19 Apr. Breeding: Shet 8prs Skerries; Ork 36prs Rousay & 33prs Papa Westray reserve; OHeb 26prs in 5km transect N.Uist, 23prs in 3km transect, N.Uist; Fife 4-8prs/km? on Lomond Hills, 24prs Eden Est. (11), 20prs Longannet/ Valleyfield (12); Loth 40prs Aberlady (30), 20-25prs Musselburgh; Bord 17prs Ettrick Marshes (17), 12prs Lindean Res., BBS contacts 45 East Loch (35) & 35 Philhope (27); Arg 8prs Taynish CBC (6), 20prs Sanda Is. (20); Clyde 227prs at 31 ‘sites’ with 42mm MoD Clyde Estate #2, 30prs L.Ardinning, 25prs Corse Hill. First fledged Fife 30 May; Shet 3 Jun. Autumn/winter: First signs of passage from mid Jul: 30 Hule Moss B 26 Jul; 130 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 5 Aug; 120 Blackford P&K 21 Aug; 600 Fair Is & 130 L.Etive Arg 25 Aug; 130 St.Kilda 30 Aug; 100 Morenish P&K 1 Sep; 200 Is of May 3&4 Sep; 300 Kilmacolm Clyde, 200 Longannet, 200 Rattray NE & 100+ Turnberry Ayr 4 Sep; 400/hr Elie Ness F 4 Sep with 203/hr there 14 Sep; 200 Grutness Shet & 200 Millichen Clyde & 130 L.Casaig Forth 6-7 Sep; 260 Heylipol, Tiree Arg 11 Sep; 700 Fair Is 13 Sep; 200 Skaw Shet, 200 Endrick Mouth Clyde & 100 St.Abbs B 18 Sep; 300 Mull of Galloway D&G, 200 Quendale Shet , 100+ Newshot Is. Clyde, 100 Leadburn B 25-27 Sep; 263 N.Ronaldsay Ork 28 Sep; 400 St.Kilda 28-30 Sep. Still 100-300 Fair Is to mid-Oct but generally few noteworthy parties until hard-weather movements in mid-Dec when 40 Kinneil Forth 5 Dec; 131 Glen Fruin Clyde 11 Dec; 26 Culbin Bars M&N 12 Dec; 100+ Balgove Bay F & 30 Knockbentier Ayr 18 Dec; 25 Blairlogie Forth 19 Dec; 70 Darleith Clyde 29-30 Dec. * Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus Spring: 1 N.Rona OH 30 May; | Foula Shet 31 May; | Fair Is 2-4 Jun. Autumn: | N.Ronaldsay Ork 20 Sep; 1 Fair Is 22 Sep. (8th record for Outer Hebrides, 17th for Orkney & 26th record for Shetland. 88 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | Ca a PD Ts OL RR Es ORR CARSON Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus Winter/spring: 111 along East Lothian & Borders coast L/B in Jan during NEWS count. 14 Turnberry-Dipple Ayr 6 Jan; 24 Rosehearty-Sandhaven NE 13 Jan; 37 Portgordon-Strathlene shore M&N 17 Jan; 36 Cocklemill Burn F 25 Jan with 14 there 26 Feb; 21 Girdleness NE 15 Feb with 16 there 1 Mar; 11 | Tyninghame L 19 Feb. Breeding: Shet 36prs Noss (24) & 8prs Skerries; Ork 40prs Copinsay reserve, 18prs Holm of Papay, 1Sprs | Papa Westray reserve, 10prs Marwick, 7prs Brough of Birsay & 4prs Gairsay; OHeb 13prs Weaver’s Pt. shore | (15), N.Uist, 23prs Monach Is.; Is of May 18-20 seen May-Jul; Fife 11prs at 6 sites with also 5 Inchkeith; Loth | 5 Craigleith in Jun; Bord 12prs St.Abbs CBC (11); Arg 24prs Sanda Is. (24); Clyde Is 4prs Doughend Hole, Cumbraes; Clyde 6 single territories Clyde Est. plus 3prs Clyde MoD Estate #2; Ayr 34prs Downan Pr-Finnarts Pt. (30), 3prs Horse Is. (3) & 17prs at 4 other sites. First fledged OHeb 18 May; Is of May 28 May; Shet & St.Kilda OH 9 Jun; Fife 21 Jun. Autumn/winter: 40 Marwick Head Ork 28 Sep; 37 Turnberry shore 7 Oct; 47 Portgordon shore 11 Oct with 15 | there 12 Dec; 11 Ardmore Pt. Clyde 22 Oct; 12 Kilrenny F 13 Nov; 19 Hynish shore, Tiree Arg 5 Dec; 15 I Burnmouth B 21 Dec. :. Inland: 10 blown inland by gales West Portfergus Arg 20 Jan. Several records came from fairly far up the Firth | of Forth this year including 1 Airth shore Forth 3 Jan; 1 Valleyfield Lagoons F 1 Jul; 3 Blackness L 18 Sep. Scandinavian Rock Pipit 4.s./ittoralis Max 5 Doonfoot Ayr 27 Feb-28 Mar; 1 Hagdale, Unst Shet 17 Mar; 1 Skateraw L 24 Mar. Singles Fair Is 31 Mar, 11& 18 Apr, 14 & 24 May, 1&2 Jun probably related to just 3 individuals, one of which was paired to a nominate petrosus although breeding was not proved. Singles N.Ronaldsay Ork 11 Apr, 8 & 13 May & 19 Aug. * Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta 1 Burnhervie NE 12-30 Jan; 1 Doonfoot Ayr 27 Feb-13 Apr. For an account of the North-east Scotland bird: see Stalker. (2000) North-east Scotland Bird Report: 115-116. Also see Reeves & Schofield (1999) in Birding Scotland: 2: 68-72 for a review of Water Pipit records in Scotland. Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava flavissima Spring: First Springhall B 18 Apr; Loth 20 Apr; D&G 27 Apr; Ork 28 Apr; Shet 4 May; NE 15 May. Very poor passage with almost daily sightings Fair Is (50% of birds raced as flavissima) 6 May-3 Jun, max 9 on 12 May & 5 N.Ronaldsay Ork 1-7 Jun. Elsewhere very little evidence of passage other than 8 Loth & singles | Shet, Ork, Bord & D&G. Breeding: Loth not proven but 5 Skateraw in Jul probably bred and juv Aberlady in Jul may have fledged locally; Bord 3-4prs Lees Haugh where 2 juvs in Aug, 7mm Springhall with 4mm+2ff there 8 May; 1 Todhill & 1 Newmains in May-Jun, several Springhall birds have flava-type features. - Autumn: (note most autumn passage birds are of indeterminate race) A poor autumn with just 6 Shet, 5 Fife, 3 Loth & Is of May, 2 Arg & singles Ork & Bord. Regular Fair Is 25 Aug-26 Sep, max 4 on 13 Sep. Last Arg 2 Sep; Fife & Bord 13 Sep; Is of May & Loth 21-23 Sep; Fair Is & Ork 26-27 Sep; last Quendale Mill Shet 1 Oct. = — | { | ( i Blue-headed Wagtail Mf flava ll Spring: 1 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 28 Apr; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 5-6 May; | Noss Shet 6-8 May; 1 Graemeshall I Ork 12 May; 1 Musselburgh L 24-25 May. Autumn: | N.Ronaldsay 23 Sep. tj Grey-headed Wagtail Mf thunbergi i Almost daily sightings Fair Is (50% of birds raced as thunbergi) 6 May-3 Jun, max 9 on 12 May. 1 Backaskaill fF L., Papa Westray Ork 1 Jun. 1 The Reef, Tiree Arg 2 Jun. 2 N.Ronaldsay Ork 20 Sep. \ 1 Fair Is 9-12 May was considered a flava x thunbergi hybrid. | lf Haroldswick Shet 20 Jun-23 Aug showed features of M.ffeldegg but had a trace of a supercilium and a 4 normal flava-like call. It was assigned to thunbergi. ‘ z | - pantiiietn iinet ee Sa R.D.Murray [Ed.] ; 89 * Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola Juv/1st-w Fair Is 21-24 Sep. “37th record for Fair Isle. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Winter/spring: Jan-Feb reports from Shet 1, M&N 2, P&K 4, Fife ‘singles’, Forth 11, Bord 10 & Clyde 4. 4 Shet, 2 Fair Is, 4 Ork & 1 St.Kilda OH in spring. Breeding: Shet a recently fledged juv seen Haroldswick 22 Jul was almost certainly an undetected breeding attempt; Ork 1 Mill Burn, Hoy in Jun but | Breeding Bird Survey % of plots Grey Wagtail roof; OHeb ad feeding young R.Creed, —— nop ;O &Y & Creed Highland, N&W Isles Be : 133, 1.50 1.00 Stornoway Woods, Lewis; M&N 2 Iprs at 9 NE Scoiland OH TNAG TsO ‘sites’; NE nest behind shop in Union Street, 2 8 15 14 Es ae 200 Aberdeen; A&D breeding noted 2 sites; Fife DOO LIDS DOO noted 20 sites, confirmed at 9 sites, suspected 7 Ul at a further 9 sites; Forth noted at 11 ‘sites’; Loth single prs at 7 sites; Bord 47prs at 33 sites with Sbr14 seen, Oprs at 2 WBS sites (8), 7prs Melrose WBS & Sprs Ettrick Marshes; Arg confirmed breeding at 7 sites; Clyde 60prs at 48 sites mostly 1-2 prs but 4prs Clyde MoD Estate #2 & 3prs Calderglen; Ayr 33prs at 31 sites with Abr10 noted. First broods Forth 18 May; Clyde 20 May; Bord 31 May. Autumn/winter: 6 Shet, 3 Fair Is, 4 Ork & 1 St.Kilda in autumn/winter. Widespread on passage in parties of 1-4, with strong passage noted Fife, best counts were 12 St.Margaret’s Marsh F 24 Aug; 6 Milngavie Clyde 6 Sep; 5 Castle Semple L. Clyde 5 Sep; 12 overhead Tweedbank B 12 Sep; 8 Is of May 22 Sep; 5 Dumfries D&G 16 Oct. Dec records: 1 Ork, 6 P&K, 12 Forth, 3 Bord and single Clyde. mean counts 1997 1998 1999 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii Winter/spring: Away from roosts noted at a limited number of sites in Jan: Forth & Bord 4 sites, P&K & Arg 3 sites. Best Jan/Feb counts were at roosts with 250 Melrose B, 200+ Guardbridge F but also 128 Linwood Clyde, 44 Kittyfield B, 40 L.of Strathbeg NE, 35 Glenrothes F, 28 Longannet F in Jan. First passage Tiree Arg 26 Feb; OHeb 27 Feb; Ork 8 Mar; Shet 10 Mar; Fair Is 14 Mar, max 12 Bayhead, N.Uist OH 4 Mar & 6 Fair Is 23-24 Apr. Numbers increased in Feb/Mar as migrants started to arrive with 50 Hallyards L, 40 Innerwick L, 27 Auchen- carroch Clyde &17 Stirling Forth in Feb; 115 Glenrothes Town Park F, 60 Craigurd B, 40 Swansfield B, 36 Blairbowie Ayr & 28 Chapeldonan Ayr in Mar; 75 L.an Daime P&K & 50 Erskine Clyde in Apr. Roosts with 95 in reeds at R.Fleet D&G and 50-200 Balmaclellan D&G in mid-late May. Breeding: Shet noted breeding at 4 sites, one paired with an alba; Ork bred 13 sites; Is of May 2prs bred; Fife 28prs bred in 10 areas with 6br20, 10prs Longannet & 6prs Eden Est.; Loth confirmed breeding at just 4 sites; Bord noted 14 sites with 4br13 seen, 13prs Ettrick Marshes & 6prs Broughton area; Arg 4prs Sanda Is., br2 Lunga Is. and young noted 3 mainland sites; Clyde 55prs noted at 32 sites with 7prs Culter Glen, 7prs MoD Clyde Estate#2; Ayr only noted at 3 sites. First fledged Bord 15 May; OHeb early Jun; Ork 26 Jun. Autumn/winter: Movement of 208W (40 mins) Kinghorn F 26 Sep; 70+ Campbeltown Arg in Jul; 250 Kildo- nan, Arran Clyde Is, 171 Inverugie NE, 123 Fisherrow L, 78 Forres M&N & 57 Musselburgh L in Aug; 328 Castle Semple L. Clyde, 95 St.Boswells B, 65 Kinloss M&N, 60 Norwick Shet, 57 Eddleston B, 54 St.Monance F & 51 Oronsay Arg in Sep. Giant roost Strathclyde Park Clyde Aug-Oct with 50 there 20 Aug, max 600 on 14- 17 Sep, 400 on 28 Sep, 150 on 6 Oct & 30 on 23 Oct. Best counts from isles was 30 Evie Sands Ork 27 Sep. Few winter records: 120+ Kirkcaldy F, 48 Seamill Ayr, 16 Cauldshiels L. B in Nov; 10 Lecropt Forth in Dec. 6 winter territories at 4 sites Ork. See Pied Wagtail roost study in Clyde: see Livingstone (2000) Clyde Birds 13:127-129. White Wagtail Motacilla a.alba Winter/spring: Exceptional singles Fife Ness F & Outhead F 24 Jan. First Fair Is 14 Mar; Bord 17 Mar; Ork 23 Mar; Loth 27 Mar; Arg & Ayr 2-3 Apr; M&N, A&D, Clyde Is & Clyde 8-14 Apr; P&K, OHeb & Shet 19-24 Apr; Forth 29 Apr. Generally low numbers this spring with the best counts at the end of Apr: 25 Irvine Ayr 10 Apr; 16 Dipple Ayr 17 Apr; 40 Mersehead D&G & 9 Netherton M&N 27 Apr; 50 St.Kilda OH 28 Apr; 24 Aberlady L & 14 Skinflats Forth 29 Apr; 9 Birsay Ork on 2 May; 13 Fair Is 5 & 12 May; 35 St.Kilda 13 &16 May. Elsewhere the best counts were: Shet 4, P&K 1, Is of May 1, Bord 4, Arg 7, Clyde Is 5 & Clyde 6. Breeding: Pr noted Gloup, Yell Shet but the outcome not known, also a mixed pairs bred at Quendale Shet & on N.Ronaldsay Ork, where m seen carrying food. 90 Scottish Bird Report 1999 a a a, Se ND Autumn: sustained passage down W coast with maxima of 12 St.Kilda 25/26 Aug; 11 Machrihanish Arg 30 Aug; 60 West Grenish, S.Uist OH early Sep; 8 Kilcoman Arg 16 Sep with estimated presence in the giant wagtail roost at Strathclyde Park Clyde of 168 on 28 Sep (based on actual count of 46, calculated by ratio of Pied/White). On N. Isles 75 Fair Is on 3 dates late Aug to mid-Sep ratios with max 81 on 7 Sep; ratio in ringing Vaylie Shet suggests 85% Whites amongst up to 60 birds early-mid Sep. On E coast much smaller numbers with 5 Harperrig Res. L 12 Sep; 3 Tweedbank B 9 Oct & 5 Kilmany Station F 11 Oct. Last Arg, A&D, Is of May & OHeb 16-30 Sep; Clyde, Bord & Fife 9-11 Oct; Shet 15 Oct; Ayr 24 Oct; Fair Is 29 Oct; 1 Lerwick Shet 25 Nov. Bohemian Waxwing (Waxwing) Bombycilla garrulus Winter/spring: 1998/99: After a very poor autumn, a poor winter with just a few very small parties: 4 Lerwick Shet, 4 Musselburgh L & 3 Peterhead NE in Jan; 5 Coldstream B, 3 Lochside D&G & 3 Lossiemouth M&N in Feb; 6 Tweedbank B in Mar. Otherwise just 1-2 birds elsewhere. Last records were M&N on 11 Mar, Bord 14 Mar and D&G 4 Apr. | extraordinarily late (or early) bird on Evie Ork 4 Jul. Ree | Autumn/winter: 1999/2000: First singles S.Ronaldsay Ork 4 Sep was very early. Then after a gap birds were seen | at Norwick Shet 19 Oct; St.Abbs B 20 Oct; Fair | Is, Queenamidda Ork, & Achmore, Lewis OH 25 & 26 Oct. Then Loth 3 Nov; A&D, M&N, P&K, Clyde & NE 8-12 Nov; Fife, Ayr, Arg & Is of May 16-22 Nov. Mostly 1-2 birds in early Noy, including a stream through Shet & Ork, ex- cept for 6 Dundee A&D 8 Nov, 8 Pitlochry P&K 9 Nov, 9 Hirsel B 11 Nov & 8 Earlston B 13 Nov. Widespread influx 21-22 Nov with 145 at 2 sites Aberdeen NE, 62W Tyninghame L, 35 Aberlady L & 15 Blindwells L. Some on-going passage with 4 Helensburgh Clyde 24 Nov & 12 Lochside D&G 27 Nov. Build-up in Edinburgh L with 80 Bruntsfield on 28 Nov, 58 Sighthill on 4 Dec, 88 Joppa 4 Dec building to 134 on 7 Dec when 300 noted over Vane Farm P&K. Otherwise the highlights were 33 Montrose A&D 6 Dec; 6 Aberfeldy P&K 10 Dec, 20 Inverkeillor A&D 11 Dec; 11 Aberdeen 13 Dec; 6 Glasgow Clyde 26 Dec; 8 Lossiemouth M&N 31 Dec. 5221 5227-4073 10255475 41552 2942 White-throated Dipper (Dipper) Cinclus cinclus Breeding: OHeb noted at 5 sites Lewis/Harris and 4 sites on S.Uist; M&N 14prs at 11 sites; Fife confirmed breeding at Dura Den & Bluther Burn, Valleyfield but prs or singles noted at another 11 sites; Forth very good year in W.Stirling with 2 successful clutches; Loth 22prs noted in 11 areas with 9prs Water of Leith; Bord noted 33 sites with 13br53 ringed MBS 4.08 (4.0 in °98); Arg confirmed breeding at 2 mainland sites & | site on Mull; Clyde Is noted 1| site on Bute in breeding season; Clyde 52prs noted from 36 sites with 4prs Calder Glen & 4prs R.Clyde at Elvanfoot area; Ayr 31 prs noted at 25 sites with 4prs Brig 0’ Doon. First nest-building: Bord 21 Mar; M&N 25 Mar, Forth 28 Mar. First fledged 16 May; Clyde 26 May. Winter: 12 on R.Devon, Tillicoutry to Dollar Forth with 21 there in Nov; 15 around the shores of L.Earn P&K 12 Nov; 7 roosting Faseny bridge L in Dec. Black-bellied Dipper C.c.cinclus 1 Mill Burn, Voe Shet 18-20 Mar. 1m Dreel Burn, Anstruther F 15-17 Oct & 16 Nov; 1m sang Cove NE 17 Oct. First record for North-east & second for Fife, but the 17th for Shetland. Winter Wren (Wren) Zroglodytes troglodytes Winter/Spring: Roost Elie Estate F had 21 birds crammed into a hole in a wall. Passage: 10 Is of May 2 Apr, max 21 N.Ronaldsay Ork 6 Apr. Breeding: Shet 24prs Noss; Fair Is further decline to 26prs; Ork 12prs bred Hobbister reserve; OHeb 48prs at 4 areas N.Uist; M&N good numbers reported hint at good season; A&D max count 44 Kinnordy in Apr; Fife stable numbers St.Margaret’s Marsh CES with good overwinter adult survival and excellent productivity with a SR LL LL ' R.D.Murray [Ed.] 91 Breeding Bird Survey Wren 200% increase in numbers of juveniles caught, 141prs noted at 19 sites with 52prs mean counts 1997 1998 1999 % of plots 1997 1998 1999 Valleyfield Woods, 21 prs Eden Est. & 20prs 40 48 SOE ABU SO SD : A NE Scotland 69 ap) 439 569 5.49 Cameron Res. with 2br11 noted Elie Estate, 70 We a a aaa a many good autumn counts hint at excellent 79 85 79 | 507..493..7.87 season; Forth 20prs on 5km of Lower Devon; 59 76 Loth 129prs noted at 8 sites with 37prs at Roslin Glen CBC, 30prs Duddingston, 23prs Aberlady; Bord 156prs noted at 8 sites with 43prs Ladyurd, 40prs Ettrick Marshes (33) & 30prs Pease Dean (29); Arg record 78prs Taynish CBC (53 in ’98 & just 26 in ’96), 18prs Sanda Is. (13) & 11prs on N.Lunga, Treshnish Is.; Clyde 499prs noted at 53 sites with 62 at Midross, L.Lomond, 61prs Calderglen, 35prs Ravenscraig, 24prs MoD Clyde Estate#2 & 23prs Chatelherault. First fledged Ork 22 May; Shet 8 Jun. Autumn/Winter: First Is of May 27 Aug with peaks of 20 there 27 Sep & 30 on 6 Oct; peaks at St.Abbs Head B were 25 on 17 Oct & 22 on7 Nov. Hedge Accentor (Dunnock) Prunella modularis Winter/spring: 2 wintered Lerwick Shet. First Fair Is 16 Mar; Shet 17 Mar; Ork 31 Mar. Peak passage N.Isles mid-late Apr with max 8 Fair Is & 11 N.Ronaldsay Ork 6 May. First song: Clyde 6 Jan; M&N 13 Feb; Ork 5 Mar; OHeb 14 Mar. Breeding: Ork possibly bred 6 sites; OHeb % of plots Dunnock 1997 1998 1999] 1997 1998 1999 24 Le Sy ie2 05). al 8 singers noted 3 areas of N.Uist; Fife 18prs Highland, N&W Isles; 11 16 2.09 2.44 1.83 Eden Est & 65% decline in adult numbers at St.Margaret’s Marsh CES but very pro- ductive season, increase also seen Dogton 53 60 48 E/C Scotland DDD OSH sil i SE Scotland 44 36 59 233 SOOM 288 Farm CBC where S5prs/km2 (2prs/kms in | SW Scotland 3 44 284 3.29 98), 38prs noted at 19 other sites; Forth Sprs along 5kms of lower Devon (7); Loth 26prs Aberlady, 1 8prs noted at 6 other sites; Bord only 16prs noted at 10 sites; Arg record 6prs Taynish CBC (3), lpr Sanda Is., lpr bred Coll reserve; Clyde 107prs were noted at 28 sites with 64prs Ravenscraig, 51prs Midross, 46prs Clyde MoD Estate#2 & 25prs Calderglen. First fledged noted M&N | May; Ork 18 Jul. Autumn/winter: Early bird Shet 26 Aug, otherwise first Shet 17 Sep; Fair Is 19 Sep; Is of May 20 Sep. Passage peaks: 10 Sumburgh Shet 25 Sep; 40 East Kinghorn shore F 26 Sep; 10 Quendale Shet 27 Sep; 6 Is of May on 8 Oct; 12 Nairn Bar M&N 10 Oct; 25 St.Abbs B 17 Oct; 20 Muchalls NE & 15 Ardmore Pt. Clyde on 22 Oct; 20 Skateraw L 23 Oct. European Robin (Robin) Erithacus rubecula Winter/spring: 11 at 8 sites Shet with 2-3 wintering Fair Is, 48 Elie Estate F, 22 Hirsel B & 20 Earlston B in Jan. Spring passage 10 Fife Ness F 10 Apr; 30 St.Abbs B 11 Apr. Best passage movement 21-25 Apr when 70 Fair Is, 47 Skerries Shet, 27 Whalsay Shet 23 Apr, 19 Noss Shet , 14 N.Ronaldsay Ork & 1 St.Kilda OH. Breeding: Ork 6 sites with 8prs Binscarth, 4prs Hoy reserve; OHeb breeding noted c.7 sites; A&D 18-20 Kinnordy; Fife 133prs at 15 sites with 27prs Ricodine Bind sSurvey % of plots are ayeaEr a Valleyfield Woods, 15prs Eden Est., 14prs 1997 1998 1999! 1997 1998 1999 Keir L., ad numbers doubled at St.Margaret’s 32 36 38 | 3.76 446 4.00 Marsh CES but poor productivity & juvs well 62 58 62 | 3.39 5.28 4.06 down; Forth 4mm on 5kms of lower Devon |E/C Scotland Sol) OU : : ! SE Scotland 65 55 62 3.41 4.00 4.00 (6); Loth 96prs at 15 sites, 26prs Roslin Glen SW Scotland 7 71 CBC, 10prs Vogrie CBC; Bord 123prs at 12 sites, 26prs Ettrick Marshes (29), 18prs Ladyurd (16) & 18prs Duns Castle; Arg 22prs Taynish CBC (16) with lpr Sanda Is.; Clyde 41 6prs noted at 45 sites with 64prs Ravenscraig, 5lprs Midross, 46prs Clyde MoD Estate#2 & 25prs Calderglen. First fledged Bord 29 May; Forth 11 Jun, Ork 19 Jun. Autumn/winter: 30 Is of May 31 Aug; 200 Fair Is , 100 Stronsay Ork, 50 Sumburgh Shet, 30 N.Ronaldsay, 30 Is of May, 25 Skerries Shet & 20 St.Abbs 21-24 Sep; 40 Mull of Galloway D&G 26 Sep; 20 Nairn Bar M&N 10 Oct; 30 St.Abbs, 30 Skateraw L, & 22 Barns Ness L, 17 Cameron Res. F 16-17 Oct; 30 Is of May 19 Oct; 20 Muchalls NE 22 Oct; 28 St.Abbs, 25 Dowlaw B & 22 Torness L 23 Oct. 3 wintered Shet & 5 on Ork. 92 Scottish Bird Report 1999 SL a an WN DNTP PP NPN S| HEPA YSIS RIP DR ER TOTES NR EOS RR) * Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia 1 Is of May 18-21 May. Fourth record for the island. Nightingale Sp. Luscinia sp. 1 Fair Is 21 & 27 May was very elusive and assigned to Nightingale sp.; 1 Girdleness NE 18 Oct was also impossible to specifically identify. * Common Nightingale (Nightingale) Luscinia megarhynchos 1 Fair Is 9-11 May; 1 Corn Holm, Copinsay Ork 29 May. 10th record for Orkney. 1 Sumburgh Head Shet 23-24 Oct. Bluethroat Luscinia svecica Spring: 1/8 in spring, 23 in autumn. . 1 Fair Is 8-22 May with other singles there 19 May, 30-31 May, | Jun & 2 Jun; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 12 May; | Papa Westray Ork 13 May; 1 Stronsay Ork 18 May; | Papa Westray 24 May; 1 Deerness Ork 29 May; 3 N.Ronaldsay 30 May; 1m Boddam Shet 31 May-1 Jun; 1f Skaw, Unst Shet 31 May; 1 Stronsay 1 Jun; | Is of May 3 Jun; 1 N.Ronaldsay 14 Jun. | 1-15 16-31 1-15 1-15 16-30 1-15 16-31 1-15 Total | Autumn: Singles Norwick Shet 14-16 Sep; May May Jun Sep Sep Oct Oct Nov Fair Is 17 Sep, 30 Sep-14 Oct, 15 Oct and a ic : 5 : Be 29 Oct; influx to Shet late Sep with single Ork 1; | daily Grutness Shet 19-26 Sep with 3 there NE 25 Sep; singles Sumburgh Head Shet on Is of May - {19-25 Sep, Catfirth Shet 20-23 Sep, 1999 N.Ronaldsay Ork & Noness Shet 22 Sep, 1998 2 Sandwick Shet 23 Sep, Baltasound Shet on 24 Sep, Scatness Shet 27 Sep, then 2 Haroldswick Shet 29 Sep; 1 Scatness 2 Oct; 1 Rattray NE 8 Oct; 1 Skerries Shet 15-17 Oct. 1 very late bird Virkie Shet 6 Nov. Photos: Boddam Birding World 12:219, Fair Is in Birding World 12:398 & Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report: 1999. * Red-flanked Bluetail Zarsiger cyanarus 1 ad m Scatness Shet 16-17 Oct; Ist-w St.Abbs Head B 16-19 Oct. Part of record influx of five birds to Britain. First for Borders, third for Shetland & 9th-10th for Scotland. For account of Bord bird: see Graham (2000) in Borders Bird Report 19:90 & Graham (2000) in Birding Scotland 3:16. Photos: see Birding World 12:392, British Birds 93:548 & Borders Bird Report 19:55. For account of Shetland bird: see Harvey (2000) in Shetland Bird Report 1999 & Birding Scotland 3:14. Photos: see Birding World 12:391 & Shetland Bird Report 1999. ; & Red-flanked Bluetail, Mire Loch, St.Abbs Head, October 1999 - Frank Golding R.D.Murray [Ed.] 93 Ee eee SRT SPREE LP ERE NE De TT DL SE NU OD ares EN Pe SE Se Pa pe ed Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros Winter: 1 Netherburn Clyde from 18 Dec was last seen 11 Jan. Spring: First 1 Sumburgh Shet 14 Mar. Then gap until further singles Clyde 29 Mar; Is of May & Fair Is 2 Apr; Shet 3 Apr; Fife 7 Apr; NE 14 Apr; Ork 21 Apr; OHeb 8 May. Scarcer than in recent years with 12 Shet, c.8 Fair Is, c.16 Ork, 2 OHeb, 4 NE, 6 Is of May & 2 Fife. Mostly singles other than 3 Papa Westray Ork 21 Apr; 2 Fair Is, Skerries Shet & Fetlar Shet on 23 Apr, 4 N.Ronaldsay Ork 25 Apr; 2 Girdleness NE 9-11 May & 2 Is of May 21 & 22 May. Autumn: Another poor season with relatively few birds noted. | Torness L & 1 Is of May 31 Jul; 1-2 on 4 dates Fair Is & 1 Moorfoot Valley L 24 Aug; singles Stillgarry, S.Uist OH, N.Ronaldsay, Girdleness, St.Abbs B, Kinnaird Head NE, Rattray NE, Collieston NE & Fair Is 20-23 Sep. A few scattered singles followed before an influx 16-25 Oct with 2 N.Ronaldsay & singles Skerries Shet, Whalsay Shet, Quendale Shet, Fair Is, Stronsay Ork, Torness, East Barns L, St.Abbs, Is of May, Balcomie Castle F & Fife Ness F. Winter: 1 Kirkwall Ork 9-11 Nov; Newtown St.Boswells B 13 Nov; Sumburgh Shet & Girdleness 17 Nov. Common Redstart (Redstart) Phoenicurus phoenicurus Spring: First Bogside Ayr 15 Apr; Forth 17 Apr; P&K, Clyde, Bord & Arg 18-21 Apr; D&G, A&D, Ork, Is of May, Shet, Fair Is & Loth 22-28 Apr; M&N, NE, Fife & Clyde Is 8-16 May. Light passage on E coast with max 4 Is of May, 3 St.Abbs B & 3 Eyemouth B on 8 May; but heavier further north with 7 Quendale Shet 9 May, 25 Fair Is, 12 N.Ronaldsay Ork & 12 Whalsay Shet on 13 May; 14 Skerries Shet & 11 Noss Shet on 14 May. Breeding: M&N noted 9 sites; A& D fewer boxes occupied Glenesk but MBS 5.6 from 3 nests there; Fife single m only noted one site; Forth 23% fewer Trossachs colony with 36br158 in nest-boxes; Loth noted 7 sites; Bord 62mm noted at 41 sites with 7 Stobo & 6 Plora; Arg 7prs Taynish CBC, also noted 2 other areas; Clyde Is noted 4 sites Arran and 1| area Bute; Clyde 41prs at 15 sites. Autumn: Inland passage to 22 Aug in Clyde & 27 Aug in Fife. Still on breeding areas Bord to 5 Sep. First coastal passage birds Shet, Fair Is, Ork & Bord 25-27 Aug but light passage most areas until 17-25 Sep when 90 Is of May, 60 Fair Is, 31 Barns Ness L, 30 N.Ronaldsay, 20 Skerries, 20 Yell Shet, 20 Girdleness NE, 18 Whalsay, 17 Foula Shet, 17 Fife Ness F, 12 Windwick Ork, 10 St.Abbs, ‘dozens’ Stronsay Ork & 3 St.Kilda OH. Passage was light into Oct with last Loth 7 Oct; Bord & NE 16-17 Oct; A&D & Fife 22-23 Oct; Ork, Fair Is & Shet 24-26 Oct with latest 1 Fetlar Shet 5 Nov. 1 Tankerness Ork 19 Sep, 3 Stronsay 21 Sep & 1 Geosetter Shet 22 Sep showed features of the eastern race Pp.samamisicus. This form has not currently been officially recorded in Britain. Whinchat Saxicola rubetra Spring: First Bonaly L 14 Apr was early. Then Ork 22 Apr; Bord & Clyde 25 Apr; Arg & Is of May 26-27 Apr; D&G, Forth & Clyde Is 28-30 Apr; P&K, Fife, Ayr & OHeb 1-2 May; A&D, NE, Shet & Fair Is 5-9 May. Most first records were direct to territory where many territories were occupied by 1-5 May but coastal passage continued with 4 Is of May & St.Abbs B 7 May; 19 Fair Is 11 May; 10 Fetlar Shet, 8 Stronsay Ork, 7 Whalsay Shet & 5 Eswick Shet 12-13 May. 3 singles also appeared on St.Kilda OH in May. Breeding: OHeb noted 5 sites; M&N 6prs & 3 singles noted at 7 sites; A&D noted 5 sites; P&K c.40prs at 8 sites with 10mm Glen Artney, also seen 19 areas L.Ordie; Fife Sprs noted Lomond Hills also 4 Craigluscar; Forth summer records from 6 sites; Loth 1 3prs at 4 sites with 8prs Green Cleugh; Bord 76prs noted at 35 sites with I1lprs Rankle Burn, 1lprs Mountbenger & 6prs Berrybush, 4br11 noted; Arg 8prs Colonsay (6), 4prs Grasspoint area, Mull, also noted 2 sites Cowal, 4 sites Islay 14 sites mid-Argyll, 3 sites Tiree & 13 sites Mull; Clyde 98prs at 43 sites with 13prs Glen Fruin, 9prs Clyde MoD Estate#2 & 8prs Culter Waterhead; Ayr 55prs at 33 sites with 6prs Kilkerran & Meath Hill; D&G 20prs Cairnsmore of Fleet. First young: P&K 30 Jun; Loth 8 Jul; Forth 11 Jul; Bord 26 Jul; Clyde 28 Jul. Autumn: Last inland records from mid-Aug in P&K, M&N & Loth with lingering birds Bord to 13 Sep. 7 Is of May 19 Aug then a light movement N.Isles 27-29 Aug with 8 Sumburgh Shet & 7 Skerries Shet. Light move- ments continued through mid-Sep before main passage event 17-23 Sep when 30 Fair Is, 27 St.Abbs B, 23 Is of May, 18.Foula, 18 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 17 Sumburgh Shet, 17 Deerness Ork, 16 Stronsay, 15 Skerries, 14 Barns Ness L, 13 Cruden Bay NE, 12 Girdleness NE, 11 Donmouth NE & 6 Fife Ness F with singles St.Kilda OH. Last records from M&N, NE, A&D & Loth 21-23 Sep; Shet & OHeb 28 Sep; Clyde 9 Oct; Fife 16 Oct; Is of May 18 Oct; Fair Is 19 Oct. Last Leadburn B 2 Oct & Touch Forth 9 Oct were from well inland. The latest were singles at Furrowend, Shapinsay Ork 28-Oct 1 Nov & Work Farm, St.Ola Ork 24 Nov. RRA LE I EN OTT WE PORN RN TS SS NO eT ES TT 94 Scottish Bird Report 1999 (AL A NT DU cP) Stonechat Saxicola torquata Winter/spring: Jan inland records from Ork (2), P&K, Forth, Loth (5), Bord (4) & Clyde (5). More widespread in Feb with arrival of migrants. First Ork 13 Mar; Is of May & Fair Is 17 Mar. Breeding: Ork stable overall with 84prs despite slight drop Hoy to 32prs (43 in *98) with 40prs W.Mainland, 32prs Hoy, 6prs N.Isles, Sprs E.Mainland & lpr S.Isles; OHeb noted 3 sites Lewis, 15prs at 7 sites N.Uist, 6prs |/ at | area S.Uist, bred 4 sites Barra; M&N further increase to 33prs with I5prs on coast and most of the rise involving inland areas which rose to 18prs, mm also seen 3 other sites; NE bred at least 8 sites; P&K pr bred | Vane Farm (2); Fife 11prs Lomond Hills, lpr Goosepools also noted 4-5 other sites; Forth bred 11 sites in Gargunnocks, Balquhidder & L.Arklet; Loth c.28prs noted at 18 sites; Bord prs noted at 47 sites, 11br32 seen, signs of spread into new areas of hills; Arg 26prs Colonsay, 4prs Sanda Is., 5prs Balemartine area, Tiree, fledged young noted Coll reserve, juv noted Lunga, Treshnish Is., also noted 12 sites Mull, 8 sites on mainland & 2 sites | Islay; Clyde Is 6prs on west side Cumbrae; Clyde 77prs noted at 49 sites with 8prs Glen Fruin & 5prs Culter Glen; Ayr 51prs noted at 44 sites with 12br29+ seen; D&G bred Grey Mare’s Tail in NE of area. First ringed Fife 26 Mar; first fledged OHeb 12 May; Bord 16 May; Ork 19 May. Autumn/winter: Single St. Kilda OH 22 Sep. 12 Corbie Hill D&G & 11 Peterhead NE in pep: LOW: Gruinart, | Islay Arg in Oct; 12 L.Doon Ayr in Nov. Northern Wheatear (Wheatear) Oenanathe oenanthe Spring: First Beinn Ghuilean Arg 7 Mar; D&G 10 Mar; Loth 13 Mar; Bord, Clyde, Clyde Is, Is of May on 16- | 18 Mar; A&D, OHeb & Ayr 20-26 Mar; Forth, P&K, Is of May, Shet, Ork, NE, & Fife 27-30 Mar; M&N 1 Apr. First main influx at end of Mar in S: 5 Louden Hill Ayr 1 Apr; 25 Fair Is & 9 Barns Ness L 2 Apr. Passage along E coast was mostly light with no falls but max 10 Is of May 26-28 Apr. Better movements N.Isles with 100 most | days Fair Is during early-mid May with max 200 on 24 May; 30 N.Ronaldsay Ork 23 Apr; 50-70 Papa Westray | Ork 26-30 Apr & 61 N.Ronaldsay 12 May. c.50 during several influxes St.Kilda OH 17-22 Apr. 30 inland around Caplaw Dam Clyde 8 May. Breeding: Shet 30prs Skerries; Ork 27prs Papa Westray reserve, 17prs Hoy, with 19prs at 10 other sites; | OHeb 17prs Udal/Valley Strand, N.Uist; M&N bred at 6 sites with 9prs Glen Loin; NE 8 Garnshiel; A&D| 30 Glen Lethnot in Jun; P&K 11prs L.Ordie; Is of May 4prs bred Fife 2prs Lomond Hills was only definite | report; Forth noted 6 sites; Loth noted 3 sites with 26 nests Moorfoot Valley & 22 nests Swanston; Bord 68prs | noted at 38 sites with 7prs Talla-Megget, 6prs Hundleshope & 6prs Rankle Burn; Arg 8prs Lunga, Treshnish Is., | 13prs Sanda Is., 40+prs Tiree, also 15 other sites on Mull & one on the mainland; Clyde Is 10 Machrie Moor; Clyde 62prs noted at 24 sites with 10prs L.Thom-Dunrod & 7prs Glen Douglas; Ayr 40prs noted at 22 sites. First young Bord | Jun; Is of May 5 Jun; OHeb mid-Jun; P&K 20 Jun; Shet & NE 21 Jun; Ork 22 Jun. Autumn: Most territories deserted West Renfrewshire Clyde by 30 May. First juvs on coast in M&N & NE by! 8-9 Jul. First sustained passage from early Aug, peaks of 12 Valleyfield F 7 Aug; 30 Is of May & 11 Girdleness NE 30 Aug; 65 N.Ronaldsay 6 Sep. Main movement on 19-22 Sep when 150 Is of May, 90+ St.Abbs Head B, | 80 Barns Ness-Torness L, 67 N.Ronaldsay, 30 Cove NE, 25 Fife Ness F, 20 Girdleness, 30 emote L,| 17 Whinnyfold NE &16 Cruden Bay NE. Last D&G, P&K & Ayr 22-25 Sep; M&N, A&D, Clyde, Clyde Is & Fife 3-110Oct; NE, Loth & Arg 16-23 Oct: | Fair Is 26 Oct; OHeb 28 Oct; Ork & Bord 6 Nov. Latest 1 Skerries Shet 15 Nov. Greenland Wheatear O.0.leucorhoa Spring: First 1 Aberlady L & Rutherford B 25 Apr. Then Clyde 30 Apr; Ayr & Fife 2-3 May; Ork 5 May. | East Kilbride Clyde 30 Apr, with 3 there 6 May & 30 May; ’several’ Tiree Arg 1-10 May; 2 Fife Ness F on 2 May; 2 Endrick Mouth Clyde 6 May; 20 N.Hill, Papa Westray Ork 5 May; 5 Rackwick, Hoy Ork 15 May,) 2 Musselburgh L 17 May with | on 31 May; 3 North Rona OH 30 May. Autumn: 20 St.Kilda OH 23-29 Sep; 2 Turnberry Pt. Ayr 28 Sep; 1 Rascarrel Moss D&G 7 Oct; 1 Musselburgh 8 Oct; 1 Uig Lodge, Lewis OH 28 Oct; 1 Kilnaughton Bay, Islay Arg 24 Nov. * Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka Ist-w m N.Ronaldsay Ork 21-24 Oct; 1st-w m Slains NE 28 Oct-1 Nov. Third for North-East Scotland, 5th for Orkney & 12th & 13th for Scotland. Fora review of Pied Wheater in Scotland: see Gray (2000) in Birding Scotland 3: 33-34. R.D.Murray [Ed.] 95 A TLE A iol OOF SE BO 2 COONS SOO OBEN WO PEN NED TS POURED TR SU Og OS LE SD OY Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus Winter/spring: | Cruachan Res. Arg from Dec 1998 was still present 5 Jan. 1 Whiteside Law B 25 Mar; Loth 27 Mar; Forth 28 Mar; P&K, Clyde & Is of May 1-4 Apr; M&N, NE, Ork & Fair Is 9-13 Apr; A&D, Shet & Fife 17-18 Apr; Arg & OHeb 24-25 Apr. No large numbers on passage with 1-3 only Shet & Ork and 1-5 noted Fair Is. Best counts: 3 Fetlar Shet 17 Apr; 3 Whalsay Shet 22 Apr; 3 Noss Shet 11-12 May; 5 Cove NE 14 May. Elsewhere mostly 1-2 birds but most directly to territory. Totals noted on passage 38 Shet, c.20 Ork, 4 St.Kilda OH & 7 Is of May, with coastal records from Fife (4), OHeb (2) & singles Arg & A&D. Breeding: Ork 1m sang Hoy for a week in May; M&N noted from 6 sites, mostly Glen Avon; NE relatively stable population Glen Clunie with c.40prs with 49 nests & 153 chicks ringed, of 20 adults trapped in ‘99, 6 had been ringed as chicks in ‘98; A&D 44 nests in Glen Esk had MCS of 3.6 & MBS of 3.1 & fledgling success of 2.8; P&K reported from 37 sites; Forth 10mm sang at 6 sites; Loth & Bord 50 historical territories were searched and 35 were found to be occupied, breeding was confirmed at 30 sites, 19 first & 18 second brood nests were found, 127 chicks & 20 adults were ringed with 4 of the adults being 1998 chicks; Arg 5mm at 5 sites, 2 on Mull; Clyde Is 1 site Arran; Clyde c.11 territories noted at 9 sites; Ayr singing mm at 2 sites; D&G singing mm at 5 sites. Autumn/winter: Latest regular inland birds include: 5 Glen Shee P&K 1 Sep & 2 Culter Waterhead Clyde 9 Sep before late passage singles at Craig D&G 22 Oct & Cocklawfoot B 24 Oct; Passage was typically poorly observed with just 17 Shet, c.10 Fair Is, 7 Ork, 3 NE, 9 Is of May, 3 Fife, 7 Bord, 1 Arg, 1 Clyde & 5 D&G. Coastal passage from mid-Sep with 2 Sumburgh Shet 16 Sep; 2 Skerries Shet 17 Sep; 5 Is of May, 2 Balcomie F & 2 St.Abbs B 19 Sep; 2 N.Ronaldsay Ork & 2 Foula Shet 23 Sep; 2 Cairnsmore of Fleet D&G on 25 Sep; 6 Fair Is 17 Oct; 3 West Side, Eday Ork 17 Oct. Last M&N & Loth 24-28 Aug; P&K 1 Sep; Is of May 27 Sep; Shet, Fair Is & Fife 16-17 Oct; D&G, Clyde & Bord 23-24 Oct; Arg 27 Oct; with latest 1 N.Ronaldsay 1 Nov. See Sim, I., et al. (2000) for account of Glen Clunie study in NE Scotland Bird Report 1999: 108-109. Common Blackbird (Blackbird) Turdus merula Winter/Spring: 42 Tweedbank B, 30 Elie Estate F, 30 Binscarth Ork, 30 Grimeston Ork, 26 Earlston B and 22 Lochwinnoch Clyde in Jan; 20 Sultigeo Ork in Feb. Passage birds: only tiny numbers noted mainland sites but poor passage Shet, Is of May although 66 N.Ronaldsay Ork & 60 Fair Is 13-14 Mar; 60 North Hill, Papa Westray Ork 24 Mar. 2 St.Kilda OH 15-18 Apr. Breeding: Shet 3prs Noss (4), pr Gungstie managed 3 broods, probably bred Skerries; Ork 7prs Birsay Moors, 6prs Hobbister; Fife ad number up 65% St.Margaret’s Marsh CES and numbers of juvs stable but reduction in productivity, 14prs Valleyfield Woods , 1Oprs Eden Est. (8-9), 10prs Peppermill Dam (8), 9prs Dogton CBC (5); Forth stable 13prs lower Devon (8); Loth 34prs Roslin Glen CBC (32), 20mm Philipstoun, 1O0prs Bawsinch (16), 13prs Aberlady (12), 10prs Vogrie (7); Bord 17mm Southpark, 17 Tweedbank, 14prs Ettrick Marshes (10), 11mm Pease Dean, 5prs St.Abbs CBC (4); Arg 8prs Taynish CBC (4); Clyde 359prs at 45 sites with 5lprs Ravenscraig, 38prs MoD Clyde Estate#2, 32prs Midross, 9prs Merryton (10), nest-building Paisley 7 Jan. First fledged Bord 23 Apr; OHeb & Shet 5 May; Ork 13 May. Second broods Bord 9 Jul, Fife 18 Jul. Autumn/winter: 30 Kergord Shet 27 Sep. Protracted major influx mid-Oct with 800 Is of May, 500 Fair Is, 300 Whinnyfold NE, 200 Fife Ness F, 188 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 140 Redheugh B, 135 St.Abbs B, 110 Dowlaw B, 100 Skateraw L, 100+ Cove NE, 100+ Cruden Bay NE on 15-17 Oct. This was followed by 150 Sumburgh Shet, 150 at Balmedie NE, 100 on Sanday Ork, 80 Whalsay Shet, 60 Skateraw, 50 Is of May, 40 Dowlaw, 40 Kilminning F over 22-24 Oct with some penetrating to SW with 25 Wood of Cree D&G 26 Oct. This influx led to elevated numbers of this species across the country for the remainder of the winter. Best Nov counts include: 55 Tiree Arg, 20 Baron’s Haugh Clyde. Best Dec counts: 43 Tweedbank & 37 Levengrove Park, Dumbarton Clyde. * Black-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis ist-w m atrogularis Haroldswick Shet 20 Oct. 10th record for Shetland, makes it 2 records in the ‘70s, 3 in the ‘80s and 5 for the ‘90s. 96 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | Ce a RY SO TER ROE SR SR OT RTD OO ECE PRE PEP Fieldfare Zurdus pilaris Winter/spring: After a miserable autumn there were almost no large Jan/Feb counts, just 400 wintering Bemer- || syde B & 650 Wester Deans B 9 Feb. Flocks in the 300-499 range were also scarce with just 2 flocks of this size | in Clyde & single flocks Fife, Bord & Ayr. Even smaller flocks of 100-299 were scarce with just 7 in Clyde, 3 in | M&N, P&K & Bord, 2 in Ayr & Clyde Is and single flocks in D&G & Arg. The max elsewhere were 70 NE, 40 | Fair Is, 26 Ork & 17 OHeb & Shet. | This poor showing did not influence the northwards passage in Mar/Apr when there was the usual strong passage | across southern Scotland: 500 Craigluscar F 6 Mar; 200 Gladhouse L 20 Mar; 200 Castle L. D&G 23 Mar; | 3,300 Wester Deans 24 Mar; 280 Hamiltonhall B & 170 Thornybank Clyde 25 Mar; 300 Thornylee B 29 Mar; | 390 Mount Lothian L 4 Apr; 800 Lauder Common B and 330 Chirnside B 5 Apr; 153 Tarfessock Ayr 6 Apr; | 360 Netherton L 12 Apr; 380 Greenside Clyde 18 Apr; 260 Ashfield Forth 18 Apr; 200 Glen Esk A&D 19 Apr; | 220 Fair Is & 123 N.Ronaldsay Ork 25 Apr. ; Spring max elsewhere: 60 NE, 50 Clyde Is, 47 M&N, 32 Shet, 16 Is of May, 4 Arg & 2 OHeb. Last M&N, D&G, Loth & A&D 19-28 Apr; P&K, Ayr & Bord 4-9 May; Ork, Arg, Is of May & Fair Is on 16- |) 20 May; NE 25 May; Shet 30 May; OHeb 2 Jun. Autumn/winter: In recent years there has been a persistent but very small-scale passage of this species in early | Aug with the first noted on the Is of May 6 Aug, followed by Shet & Fair Is 9 Aug with the NE 11 Aug & Bord |) 18 Aug. The next birds were seen on Ork on 3 Sep and Arg on 14 Sep with the bulk of the country later : M&N, i P&K, Loth & Clyde 22-26 Sep; A&D, Fife, Forth & OHeb 2-7 Oct; Clyde Is & Ayr 15-16 Oct. The source of | these early birds has never been determined, although early failed breeders in Scandinavia are likely candidates. | Early birds are rare with 18 Shet, ‘occasional’ Fair Is, 4 Is of May & singles NE &Bord in Aug. Early-mid Sep birds were hardly more common but Fieldfare were noted daily on Fair Is from 13 Sep before | numbers picked up in the last week of Sep. 20+ Kilmartin Arg 14 Sep; 12 Burrafirth Shet 25 Sep, 40 Annieston Farm Clyde 26 Sep & 21 Queenamidda Ork 28 Sep were the best totals. The first real wave occurred in early Oct when 150 Kilmany F 2 Oct; 200 East Kilrenny F 3 Oct; 250 Queena- midda & 70 Craigurd B 6 Oct; 150 Blackford P&K 10 Oct; 150 Tulloch A&D 12 Oct. The main movement of the autumn occurred on 15-26 Oct with 300W (30 mins) Turnberry Pt. Ayr 15 Oct; |) 2,000 Fair Is & 1,049 N.Ronaldsay Ork 16 Oct; 1,000 Oatridge L & 1,000 Whitfield B 19 Oct; 600 Lum- i phanan NE 20 Oct; 200 Lochspkipport, S.Uist OH 21 Sep; 1,600 Bishop L. Clyde & 600 Barnsford Bridge Clyde 22 Oct; 1,000 Longannet F, 800 Isle of Whithorn D&G & 550 Red Smiddy Clyde 23 Oct; 1,500 | Kinneddar F, 900 Kinbuck Forth, 700 Lecropt Forth, 650 Enochdhu P&K, 600 Ballinluig P&K, 600 Lum- iV phanan, 400 Lomond Hills F & 320 Sumburgh Shet on 24 Oct; 500 Stronsay Ork 26 Oct. There were several | reports of large numbers birds passing directly over the mainland coast, presumably only coming to ground some | distance inland. Further arrivals occurred into mid-Nov with 2,200 Tertowie NE & 300 Kilburnie Ayr 5 Nov; 2,000 Thornhill | Forth 6 Nov; 300 Harden B 20 Nov; 450 Cousland L 21 Nov; 1,000+ Strathtay P&K 24 Nov; 500 Whitelaw ii Farm Clyde 29 Nov. f With this reasonable arrival numbers were buoyant in Nov Dec with the best Dec counts being mostly in S| Scotland where there were 800 Threave D&G & 500 Blairdrummond Forth on 5 Dec with the largest parties i elsewhere of 210 Loth, 200 Bord & Clyde, 160 Ayr & 100 Fife. Further N& W, there were very few Dec flocks | in excess of 50 birds. | Song Thrush Turdus philomelos | Winter/spring: Jan records: Shet 4, Ork 1, M&N 5, NE 1, P&K 3, Fife 7, Forth 3, Bord 5 & Clyde 8. First song | Ork 22 Jan, M&N 24 Jan, Bord 5 Feb, Forth 15 Feb. Main return to inland areas late Jan to mid-Feb, completed by early Mar. ) Light passage: 10 Buchlyvie Forth 21 Feb; 15 Chateauherault Clyde 23 Feb; 25 Tombuie area P&K on 4 Mar; b ' 36 Camghouran, Tummel P&K 7 Mar; 20 Fair Is on 13 Mar; 7 Rumbleton B on 15 Mar; 31 Fair Is 13 Apr; 40 Skerries Shet, 23 Whalsay Shet & 6 N.Ronaldsay Ork 22-23 Apr; 7 St.Kilda OH 22 Apr-7 May. \ Breeding: Ork noted 12sites; OHeb 4prs each Clachan farm & Langass, N.Uist & Castlebay, Benbecula; Fife i 108prs noted at 33 sites with sites monitored in ‘98 &’99 showing a 25% increase, |Sprs Valleyfield (12) but | with at least 10 sites predated, 11prs Eden Est. (7), 10prs Auchdirniemuir, good season St.Margaret’s oe CES with many young ; Forth 3prs lower Devon WBS (3); Loth 11prs Roslin Glen CBC (11), 8mm Hirsel, 2prs | Aberlady (3-5), 3prs Vogrie (4); Bord 16prs Ettrick Marshes (10), 10mm Ladyurd (7), 3mm Dawyck Gardens’ (6), 6mm Tweedbank; Arg 59mm Mull, 15prs Tiree, 7prs Taynish CBC (6), 2+prs Sanda Is. (2+); Clyde 266prs ES a a I TS PT ST R.D.Murray [Ed.] 97 at 76 sites with 34prs Ravenscraig, 34prs Midross, 17prs MoD Clyde Estate#2, 9prs Chateauherault (12), Sprs Merryton (6), 10prs Lochwinnoch (5); Ayr 5prs Knockbentier (6); D&G 4prs Mersehead. First fledged Bord 3 May, Ork 26 May, Fife 6 Jun. Autumn/winter: 55 Fair Is, 25 Is of May, 20 Stronsay Ork, 20 Skerries, 15 St.Abbs B, 12 Whalsay & 8 Rhu Clyde 21-27 Sep; 150 Tulloch A&D 12 Oct; 100 Fair Is, 75 Is of May, 50 Skateraw L, 20 Craiglockhartdell, Edinburgh L, 20 Cove NE, 20 St.Abbs, 12 N.Ronaldsay, 12 Skerries, 10 Sumburgh Shet, 10 Kilminning F on 16-17 Oct; 20 Merryton Clyde 24 Oct. Good numbers of greyish birds of the continental nominate subspecies were noted in late Oct-Dec in Uist & Benbecula OH, E.Fife, Edinburgh & Balgray Res. Clyde. 50 Barry Buddon A&D 14 Dec. Other Dec records: 1 Shet, 5 Ork, 1 P&K, | Fife, 3 Bord, 15 Fife. Redwing Turdus iliacus Winter/spring: After a poor autumn very flew large flocks overwintered: 236 Pollok Clyde, 200 Auchencarroch Clyde, 200 Craigmuir Clyde, 150 South Queensferry L, 86 Torr Farm Clyde & 60 Dumbarton Clyde in Jan; 100 Dalkeith L, 76 Pirniehill Clyde, 70 Lossiemouth M&N & 50 Kirkpatrick Durham D&G in Feb. Best elsewhere were 46 Ayr, 35 Forth, 30 Ork, 27 Bord, 20 A&D, Arg & P&K, 15 OHeb, 12 Fife. Passage was generally rather light: 100 Baron’s Haugh Clyde 2 Mar; 100 Greenbank Gardens Clyde, 50 Cam- bus Forth and 45 Bridgend Woods, Islay Arg 7 Mar; 180 Peppermill Dam F 14 Mar; 150 St.Kilda OH and 95 Enochdhu P&K 18 Mar; 60 Forter A&D 20 Mar; 80 Moss Side B, 60 Symington Mains B 28 Mar; Few on isles with max 25 Shet, 35 Fair Is, 5 Ork & 17 Is of May. Last P&K 2 Apr; Loth 12 Apr; Clyde 17 Apr; M&N 23 Apr; Fife & Is of May 27 Apr; Arg 1 May; A&D 5 May; Bord 16 May; Ork 17 May; Shet 24 May & 13 Jun. | possibly injured bird lingered on St.Kilda to mid-Jun. Breeding: OHeb pr with m occasionally singing S.Uist early May to mid-Jun; High 17 sites prs bred at 2 sites, one site had 4mm, 6 sites had 2 mm & 8 sites had lm; P&K singing birds at 2 sites. Autumn/winter: First 1 Queenamidda Ork 12 Sep; Shet & Fair Is 13-15 Sep; NE 17 Sep; OHeb, Arg, A&D, Bord, Fife & Is of May 19-22 Sep; M&N, Ayr & Loth 27-30 Sep; P&K, Clyde & Forth 2-3 Oct. 210 Fair Is, 150 Is of May, 100 Skerries Shet 24-27 Sep; 125 Channerwick Shet 2 Oct; 100 Tweedbank B on 8 Oct; 3,000 Fair Is, 1,500 Is of May, 1,000 Mains of Usan A&D, 902 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 200 Blackford P&K, 200 Enochdhu P&K, 200 Fife Ness F, 150 Dowlaw B, 100 Queenamidda 15-16 Oct; 750 Kilmichael Glen Arg, 500 Slockavullin Arg, 400 Cullaloe F, 240 Blairnamarrow M&N 19-21 Oct; 650 Fair Is, 5|00 Quendale Shet, 500 Kinnedar F, 300 Sanday Ork, 200 Cruden Bay NE, 200 Kinbuck Forth, 150 Whalsay Shet on 23-24 Oct; 500 Easter Ellister, Islay Arg, 226 N.Ronaldsay and 126 Tertowie NE on 3-5 Nov; 835 Tiree Arg on 17 Nov; 200 Endrick Mouth Clyde 18 Novy. A rather poor Dec with 100 Oatridge L, 86 Croftamie Clyde & 80 Hirsel B. Mistle Thrush Turdus viscovorus Winter/spring: Jan-Apr records on isles: nil Shet, 7 Fair Is, 8 Ork & singles OHeb & | Is of May. Elsewhere: 20 Dalkeith L 17 Jan; 20 Hughenden, Glasgow Clyde 19 Jan; 16 Duneaves P&K 2 Feb; 30 Tombuie P&K 10 Feb; 40 L. Scammadale Arg 19 Feb; 41 Forter A&D 6 Mar; 24 Crandart A&D 11 Mar. Breeding: NE noted breeding at 4 sites; Fife noted 24 sites, proved to breed at 3 sites; Forth lpr noted; Loth noted 5 sites; Bord 35prs noted at 15 sites with Sprs Demainholm; Arg 2prs Taynish CBC (1), 3prs Colonsay; Clyde 57prs noted at 40 sites. First fledged Fife 2 May; Bord 11 Jun. Autumn/winter: Post-breeding flocks: 35 Paisley Clyde 17 Jul; 40 Tomloan M&N 4 Aug; 60 Carbrach NE on 18 Aug; 100 Banchory NE 20 Aug; 30+ Hirsel B 22 Aug; 35 Hartwoodmyres B 25 Aug; 45 Kirkton D&G and 40 Dolphinton Clyde 31 Aug; 119 Braco P&K 12 Sep; max 40 Craigurd roost B 16 Sep; 35 Enochdhu 21 Sep; 30 Baron’s Haugh Clyde 30 Sep; 40 Haughmuir A&D 1 Oct; 38 Merryton Clyde 6 Oct; 30+ Bailemarghaigh, Arran Clyde Is 16 Oct; 30 Auchencruive Ayr 19 Oct; 40 Torness L 24 Oct; 30 Craigielaw L 6 Nov. Flocks of 20-29 birds seen M&N, Bord & Fife 3, Clyde & Loth 2 witha single P&K. 18 flocks >30 birds, mean 45.4 (15 in ‘97, mean 60.3, 16 in “98, mean 38.3) is a slight improvement over 1998. On the islands only 1 Shet, 3 Fair Is, 1 Ork, 4 OHeb & 1 Is of May in the whole autumn/winter. Few Nov-Dec records of significance. * Lanceolated Warbler Locustella lanceolata 1 Northdale, Unst Shet (killed by a cat) 15 Oct; 1 Fair Is 16 Oct, another there 18 Oct. 12th for Shetland & 57-58th for Fair Isle. The skin of Unst bird is now in National Museum of Scotland. 98 Scottish Bird Report 1999 SS ER * Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler Locustella certhiola 1 Foula Shet 23 Sep. Fourth record for Shetland. Common Grasshopper Warbler (Grasshopper Warbler) Locustella naevia Spring: First Aird Meadow Clyde !1 Apr & 1 Strathclyde Park Clyde 21 Apr; M&N, Forth, Arg & Ork 23-25 Apr; Loth, Bord, D&G, Shet, Ayr, A&D, Fife & NE 26-30 Apr; P&K 2 May; OHeb 4 May; Is of May & Fair Is 7-8 May. Passage almost entirely singles but 2 Coulport Clyde 28 Apr; 2 Cove NE 29 Apr; 4 East L. B 2 May; 1-3 daily Fair Is 7-16 May. Passage total of 11 Shet, c.6 Fair Is, 2 Ork, 2 OHeb & 1 Is of May. Breeding: Best sites include: 7 Lochwinnoch Clyde, Sprs MoD Clyde Estate#2 Clyde & Strathclyde L. Clyde, Aprs Balgray Res. Clyde, Blawaery Ayr & Eglinton Ayr. Proved breeding Tugnet M&N, Cove NE & Ordiquhill NE. First fledged seen M&N 21 Jun; NE 24 Jun. Autumn: Last in breeding areas: Forth, A&D & Fife in Jul; P&K, Arg & Loth 7-17 Aug but passage birds later with last Clyde 4 Sep; Bord 12 Sep; M&N 21 Sep; Ork 24 Sep; Fair Is 29 Sep; Shet 1 Oct. Poor passage with 6 Shet, c.7 Fair Is, 4 Ork, 1 Bord but none Fife, NE, A&D. 3 Skerries Shet 24 Sep was the only multiple record with latest 1 also there on 1 Oct. * Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola Juv S.Tronda Shet | Aug; | Kirbist Links/Twingness, N.Ronaldsay Ork 21-22 Sep. First record for Orkney & sixth for Shetland. Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus Spring: First | Garelochhead Clyde 13 Apr. Then Ayr 15 Apr; A&D, D&G, Bord, Fife & Arg 23-24 Apr; M&N, Ork & Loth 25-26 Apr; NE 29 Apr; Forth, OHeb, P&K, Fair Is & Shet 1-9 May. Best early counts: 14 Cameron Res. F & 10 L.Spynie M&N 3 May; 20 St.Abbs B & 11 Cullaloe F 8 May; 10 Fair Is 13 May. Breeding: Ork 99prs with 24prs The Loons (16), 12+prs L.of Banks & 8prs Birsay Moors (25); OHeb 18 N.Uist, 14 Benbecula & 9 S.Uist; M&N 12mm Spynie Palace marsh; NE 9 Inchgarth Res.; P&K 43-45mm Carsebeck (33), noted 10 other sites; A&D 30prs Kinnordy; Fife 34prs Cameron Res., 30prs Eden Est. (29), 18 Breeding Bird Survey % of plots mean counts L.Ore, comparison of sites show a slight in- Sedge Warbler 298 ies 1999 | 1997 1998 1999 | Crease in numbers over 1998, poor weather Highland, N&W Isles £00 |) 3.00) 1:33 St.Margaret’s Marsh CES meant a 33% drop NE Scotland G 30 22_| 2.00 in adult & 72% drop in juv numbers, 34mm Galeton Ree Cetin Detonn an SE Scotland 1. 90 2. 75 See SW Scotland 307. 2.76 8mm Gaddon/Birnie L. (11); Forth 44prs lower Devon WBS (50), 6prs Blairdrummond; Loth 31 Aberlady (29), 5 Duddingston, 19% imms from 21 birds ringed at Turnhouse CES; Bord large count boosted by Water Rail census with 41 Linton Bog, 22mm Ettrick Marshes (22) , 19mm Biggar Water (15), 9+ Bemersyde & 9 Mire L. (9); Arg 47mm Colonsay (29), 35-45mm Tiree, 14mm Taynish CBC (13), 2prs Sanda Is. (2), also noted 10 sites on Mull & 5 on mainland; Clyde Is c.8prs Fintry Bay; Clyde 215mm Lochwinnoch, 59 Mouse/Dipool valley, 54 Twechar Marsh, 54 Gateside Marsh, 50 Kilsyth Marsh & 46 Drumbreck ; Ayr 15+mm Bogton L.(10), 13 Knockbentier, |2prs Turnberry; D&G 26prs Mersehead. First fledged M&N 16 Jun; NE 30 Jun; Ork 11 Jul. Late juvs still being fed Clyde 13 Aug & Arg on 23 Aug. Gitce ina Ares ie eee Autumn: Passage again very light with just c.10 Ork 99 60 & Fair Is, 4 Shet & Is of May, 3 NE, Loth &Bord & >53 singles Fife & A&D. Max: 6 Fife Ness F on 29 Aug; 7 239 Graemeshall L. Ork in Sep; 4 Fair Is 25 Sep. oh Last Ayr 28 Aug; P&K, M&N, Is of May & Arg 1-6 160 Sep; D&G, Bord & OHeb 9-13 Sep; A&D & Loth 20- 30 21 Sep; Shet, Fair Is & Ork 24-26 Sep. | Denburn Wood. F 23 Oct was late but nothing compared to the exceptionally late bird at L.of Strathbeg NE . 5-24 Nov was heard singing on the first date. R.D.Murray [Ed.] 99 * Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola Ist-w Fair Is 22-23 Sep. 15th Fair Is record. * Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum 1m sang Fair Is 2-3 Jun; Ist-w there on 26-29 Sep, another there 28 Sep. 14/15 records for Fair Isle. For an account of these birds: see Shaw (1999) Birding World 12:238. Photos: of the Jun bird in British Birds: 93:555, and for one of the Sep birds: see Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report: 1999. * Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris Spring: 1 Whalsay Shet 20 May; 3-4 on Fair Is on 2-7 Jun with singles there 25 Jun & 11 Jul; 1 Stron- say Ork 8 & 13 Jun. Autumn: 1 Fair Is 25 Aug-2 Sep; | Is of May on 25-27 Aug. Eurasian Reed Warbler (Reed Warbler) Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus Peter Donnelly Spring: First 1 Deerness Ork 9 May; 1 Cove NE Orkney Bird Report 10 May; 2 Fair Is 20 May with singles 2 & 4 Jun; | Is of May on 28-31 May with 2 birds 2-5 Jun. Extremely light passage with just 4 Fair Is, 3 Is of May & singles Ork & NE with none Shet. Breeding: Fife 1 seen carrying food Cullaloe 25 Jun was not seen again but a flattened nest later located in autumn; Bord none present at Mire L. breeding site; D&G breeds E. Stewartry site but also 2 mm Woodhall Loch, Imm Gelston Burn Bridge, Carlingwark L.& 1m Castle Loch, Lochmaben . Autumn: First Fair Is 3 Aug; P&K, Shet Jul Aug Aug’ Sep Sep Oct Oct & Bord 11-14 Aug; NE, Ork & Is of May 1-31 1-15 16-31 1-15 15-30 1-15 16-31 i N.Isles - 5 21 13 55 on 21-26 Aug. Mostly 1-2 birds except | 9 pep N.Isles where max 7 Fair Is 26 Aug with | NE Scot 11 there on 21 Sep; 3 Noss Shet 28-30 | E/C Scot Aug; 1-4 at 4 sites Ork 17-24 Sep; 6 SE Scot Skerries, 4 Foula & 4 W.Quendale, all ee aad Shet 25-26 Sep. Total of 45 on Shet, c.30 | 1997 Fair Is, 15 Ork, 6 NE, 5 Bord, 3 on Is of 1996 8 Sf 31 2 115 May, 2 OHeb, A&D & P&K with single Fife & none Loth. Last birds Fife 7 Mie OHeb 4 Sep; Is of May & Bord 22 Sep; Fair Is & A&D 26-27 Sep; Shet 29 Sep; latest 1 Girdleness NE 2 Oct. See Shuttleworth, A. (2000) in Fife Bird Report 1999: 154 for account of the first probable breeding in Fife. 1 wei * Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus 1 Geosetter Shet 30 May. /2th record for Shetland. * Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina Spring: | Fair Is 13-14 May; 2 Fair Is & 1 Noss Shet 19 May with another Fair Is 20 May; 1 Gulberwick Shet 26 May; singles Copinsay Ork, Hillwell Shet, Skaw, Unst Shet 29-31 May; 2 Skerries, | Fair Is, 1 Hillwell & 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 4-6 Jun. Breeding: High singing m ain suitable habitat, well away from probable breeding record of 1998. Autumn: 2 Is of May 5-9 Aug, Ito 16 Aug; | Gulberwick 6 Aug; singles Rattray NE, Skerries & St.Abbs B 25-29 Aug. 14 in spring, 6 in autumn. Photo of Gulberwick bird: seeBirding World 12:306. [1998] 1 Snishival Plantation, S.Uist OH on 1 Jun. 10th record for Outer Hebrides. 100 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | PR Be FPS TE USD SRE PE WDE SET OED FOO RNS SORES SE OEE NE JI HS MED OREN ESE > SOMMER SEE NEO 0 PROSE MRT * Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta Singles Whitehall, Stronsay Ork in Sep & Lower Millfield, Stronsay Ork 16-19 Oct; 1 Grogarry, S.Uist OH i 17-18 Oct. Third record for Outer Hebrides & I1th-12th records for Orkney. * Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans Ist-s Seafield, Lerwick Shet 11 May; prob Ist-s m Is of May 13 May; Ist-s m Skerries Shet 2 Jun; 1m Rendall | Ork 20 Jun, before it moved to Queenamidda Ork where it summered until 16 Aug. | 14th for Orkney, 48th-49th for Shetland. Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria Autumn: First 1 Fair Is 1 Aug; 1 Fetlar Shet on | Jul Aug Aug Sep Sep Oct Oct 3-5 Aug; 1 Norwick Shet 15 Aug; 1-3 daily (¢.25 |) P3t PIS toot tS ts E> 16-31 total! birds) Fair Is:from 15 Aug-20.Sep,max6thereion f | ’ | | = : : 7 29 Aug; | Burrafirth Shet 16 Aug; 1 Is of May on | E/C Scot : 18 Aug with 2 there 25 Aug; 1 Sandwick Shet on SE Scot - 21 Aug; influx Shet 25-31 Aug when 19 birds, all | Total 1999 singles except 2 Cunningsburgh Shet 31 Aug; ne : 1-2 N.Ronaldsay Ork 26 Aug; | Rattray NE on i 1996 27 Aug; 1 St.Abbs B 26-29 Aug; steady passage I Shet through Sep with 27 birds, all singles except | 2 Veensgarth Shet 17 Sep & 2 Voe Shet 25 Sep; 1 Foveran NE 13 Sep; influx to Ork 16 Sep with 1-2 birds | Deerness, Egilsay, Sanday, Rendall, Stronsay & N.Ronaldsay; 1 Auchmithie A&D 22 Sep with another there 23 | Sep; | Barns Ness L 21 Sep; last 2 N.Ronaldsay 26 Sep; Fair Is 28 Sep; 1 Norwick Shet 3 Oct; 1 Lerwick Shet | 19 Oct; 1 Northdale, Unst Shet 19-21 Oct; but latest birds was | Crail Airfield F 24 Oct. 54 Shet, 27 Fair Is, 9 Ork, 3 Is of May, 2 NE, singles Loth & Bord. 1 Average autumn. Only 7th-8th record for Angus & Dundee. [1998] | North Lochynort, S.Uist OH 4 Oct. ——SS— Barred Warbler Steve Votier Shetland Bird Report ; } ; Winter: 1 attended, and was videoed, at a bird table in Perth P&K regularly trom 22 Feb-4 Apr. This may be the first record of overwintering in Scotland. Spring: First Is of May & Fife 26 Apr; Clyde 29 Apr; Loth 30 Apr; D&G, A&D, Clyde Is & Bord 1-3 May; | Shet, Fair Is, Ayr, Ork & NE 5-9 May. Passage mostly light with 1-2 birds but 5 Is of May, 3 St-Abbs B & 3 | Carrick D&G 3-6 May; 7 Collieston NE, 5 Sumburgh Shet, 5 Deerness Ork & 4 Skerries Shet 8-10 May; 14 | N.Ronaldsay Ork 13 May; 10 Fair Is 19 May; Breeding: NE 4mm at 3 sites but no proof of success; P&K | Powgavie in Jun; Fife 2m trapped St.Margaret’s | Marsh in May, followed by locally-bred juv: Loth 9mm at 4 sites with 3-4 Aberlady, 3 Ormiston, & 2 Longnid- | dry; Bord 5mm noted at 4 sites; Clyde Is sang 4 sites Arran; Clyde 7mm sang with 2mm Baron’s Haugh & 2mm Brownside Braes, bred unsuccessfully Strathclyde Park; Ayr 5mm sang with broods seen Ladykirk; D&G 11mm at 6 sites with 3mm Carrick, 2mm Ardwall Is. & 1 Kirkdale. First fledged brood noted Ayr 22 Jun. | i Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca lf b R.D.Murray [Ed.] 101 a a a ee AE Pe le RD ae oe CO ET PETE ae er ER Se ea ie Lp TE se a ee EE Autumn: Passage from early Aug. 8 Fair Is & 6 N.Ronaldsay 26 Aug; 8 Fair Is on 15-16 Oct; 3 Eswick Shet on 23 Sep. Passage was again light with just 9 NE, 4 Fife, 3 Loth & Bord, 2 A&D with singles Is of May. Last in D&G & Clyde 2-12 Sep; Is of May 19 Sep; Fife 25 Sep; Ork 16 Oct; Bord 18 Oct; Fair Is 21 Oct; Loth 23 Oct; Shet 25 Oct; A&D 26 Oct, the latest being Rattray NE 27 Oct . None M&N this year. Winter: Exceptionally 1 Askernish OH 17 Nov-29 Dec. It was in poor condition and had lost tail feathers. Several birds in Shet in autumn showed feature of the S.c. blythii end of the cline. Desert Lesser Whitethroat S.c.margelanica/minula 1 Fair Is 25 Jun had characteristics of this eastern form, a potential first for Britain. For an account : see Holt & Turner (1999) Birding World 12:281283. For photo: see Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report: 1999. Whitethroat Sylvia communis Spring: First L.Gruinart, Islay Arg 22 Apr; Clyde, Forth & Loth 24 Apr; Fair Is, D&G, Ayr & Bord 26-27 Apr; P&K, M&N, NE, Clyde Is, Ork & Fife 1-2 May; Shet 5 May. Mostly singles in N.Isles with best counts: 4 Gillingsgill Res. F 7 May; 5 Noss Shet & 4 Fetlar Shet 11 May; 15 N.Ronaldsay Ork & 6 Skerries Shet 13-14 May. Breeding: Ork 1m held territory to Jul at Russadale, with 1m Binscarth Wood; OHeb M&N noted 5 sites with 7prs Covesea (12 in 97) & 6prs Lein (4); noted 4 sites; P&K noted 11 sites; Fife 80mm noted at 31 sites with - 10prs Longannet where 6prs reared a record 26 young, 8prs Valleyfield where 6 nests were successful, a further 8prs Valleyfield Woods & 6prs Eden Est., however comparisons with 1996 at several sites show 33% drop in numbers of singing mm; Forth 6prs lower Devon WBS (9), Sprs Doune CBC (4) & 4prs Dunblane; Leth min 58mm noted 35 sites with 6mm Musselburgh, 5mm Aberlady, 4mm Almondell (6) & 4 Linlithgow (6), 4ad & 6juv ringed Turnhouse CES (7 & 13 in ‘98); Bord 42mm at 40 sites with 6prs Newmains; Arg noted 28 sites with 17prs Colonsay (10), 7prs Taynish CBC (4), 2prs Sanda Is. (3) with 11 sites on Mull (19); Clyde Is 4m at 2 sites Arran and broods seen Bute; Clyde 256mm at 100 sites with 14mm MoD Clyde Estate#2, 14mm Lambhill, 10mm Strathclyde Park, 5mm Merryton (12) & 8mm Ardmore Pt. (9); Ayr 131mm at 58 sites with 16mm Kilgrammie, 12mm Knockbentier (14), 9mm Kilkerran, 7mm Turnberry & 5mm Dreghorn (7); D&G noted 4 sites with 18prs Mersehead. First fledged Bord 13 Jun. Late brood fledged Bord 14 Aug. 6 Hogganfield Park Clyde 20 Aug was probably a family party. Autumn: Very light & curtailed passage from late Aug in N.Isles & mid-late Sep elsewhere. Mostly 1-3 birds with the best counts of 5 Is of May 21 Sep & 10 Fair Is 22 & 24 Sep. Last P&K 28 Aug; D&G, Ayr, Clyde & Arg 2-12 Sep; M&N 21 Sep; Loth 23 Sep; Bord & Is of May 24 Sep; NE & Ork 25 Sep; Shet & Fife 26 Sep. Garden Warbler Sylvia borin Spring: First 1 Cameron Res. F 18 Apr. Then NE & Bord 22-24 Apr; Ayr, Clyde & Loth 27-29 Apr; P&K, D&G, A&D, Forth & Clyde Is 1-4 May; M&N, Shet, Fair Is, Is of May, OHeb, Ork & Arg 9-15 May. Passage very light, almost entirely 1-2 birds except for 3 Helendale Shet 11 May; 4 N.Ronaldsay Ork 13 May; 3 Stronsay Ork 17 May; 6 Fair Is 19 May. | St.Kilda OH 15 May. Breeding: OHeb | sang Achmore, Lewis in Jun; M&N 11mm at 10 sites; A&D 2 sites; Fife 41mm at 25 sites with reductions to 4prs Longannet (10), 4mm Peppermill Dam (7), ad & juv numbers were stable however at St.Margaret’s Marsh CES; Forth 6prs lower Devon WBS (8), 4prs Ashfield; Loth c.19mm at 13+ sites; Bord 67mm at 48 sites with 5mm Ettrick Marshes (6); Arg 7mm at 3 sites with Sprs Taynish CBC (3), Clyde Is 3 sites Arran; Clyde 104mm at 37 sites with 22 Midross, 8 Mugdock, 7 Rowardennan & 7mm MoD Clyde Estate#2, 15 Mugdock & 13 Endrick Mouth; Ayr 88prs at 44 sites with 10 Kilgrammie, 9+ Kilkerran (10) & 5 Culzean (7); D&G just 3 sites noted. First juvs Bord 11 Jun. Autumn: First birds from late Jul/early Aug, mostly 1-2 birds until influxes in mid-late Aug & mid-Sep. The first movement from 18-28 Aug, mostly in N.Isles, had peak counts of 65 on Fair Is, 30 Is of May, 25 on Noss Shet, 10 Sumburgh Shet, 10 Skerries, 10 N.Ronaldsay & 9 Whalsay Shet. The next strong passage was 16-26 Sep with daily max of 80-Is of May, 28 N.Ronaldsay, 18 Barns Ness L, 18 St.Abbs B, 16 Whalsay, 12 Seafield Shet, 12 Skerries, 10 Quendale Shet, 9 Queenamidda Ork, 8 S.Ronaldsay Ork, 7 Girdleness NE, 6 Cruden Bay NE, 4 Cove NE & 4 Donmouth NE. Trickle in Oct, mostly 1-2 birds, max 3 N.Ronaldsay 13 Oct with very few after mid-Oct. Last Ayr 12 Sep; Is of May, M&N, Loth & Bord 21-27 Sep; OHeb, A&D, D&G, Fair Is, Fife, Ork & Shet 18-25 Oct 1 late bird Aitens NE 4 Nov. 102 Scottish Bird Report 1999 OS a OR NT OB Oe LD Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla Winter: c.110 birds noted during Jan to early Mar period (60) with 37 Clyde, 22 Loth, 10 P&K, 9 Fife, 5 Forth & M&N, Ayr & Bord, 4 Clyde Is, 3 A&D, & ‘several? NE & singles D&G, Shet & Arg and none Ork. Max site count: 4 Stockbridge, Edinburgh L. Spring: First definite migrants Clyde & Bord 3-4 Apr; A&D, Clyde Is & Ayr 5-7 Apr; Fife, D&G, Forth, Is of May & Loth 11-16 Apr; P&K, NE, Fair Is, Shet & Ork 21-26 Apr; Arg & OHeb 3-4 May. Best spring counts: 5 Inveresk L, 4 Auchencruive Ayr & 3 Cardross Clyde 17-19 Apr; 6 N.Ronaldsay Ork on 26 Apr; 7 St.Abbs B 8 May; 14 N.Ronaldsay & 10 Fair Is 14 May; 4 Kergord Shet 24 May. Breeding: OHeb lf N.& S. Lee, N.Uist in Jun; M&N record 73mm at 40 sites, max 11 R.Findhorn at Lime- kilns; P&K 6 sites with 6 Methven Wood & 5 Paddockmuir, Errol; A&D Sprs Kinnordy; Fife 63mm at 32 sites with 4mm Peppermill Dam (8), 6mm Elie Estate (8) & 8prs Valleyfield (7) which reared 3juvs, juvs were up 60% at St.Margaret’s Marsh CES; Forth 6 sites Falkirk; Loth min 109mm at 67 sites with 16 Roslin Glen CBC (14), 10 Bawsinch, 7+ Aberlady (6) & 6 Hermitage; Bord 107mm at 62 sites with 11 Duns Castle & 10 Hirsel; Arg none Taynish CBC (3) & singing mm at 13 sites; Clyde 192prs at 64 sites with 24 Midross, 18 Ravenscraig, 13 North Haugh (11), 12 Calderglen, 8 Lochwinnoch, 6 Baron’s Haugh (7); Ayr 152prs at 50 sites with 27 Culzean (16), 17 Kilkerran (14+), 8 Auchincruve & 7 Brig 0’ Doon; D&G noted 5 sites. Autumn: Passage from late Aug but only a trickle in early Sep, main movements 20-27 Sep with 300 Fair Is, on 100 Stronsay Ork, 65 Is of May, 61 N.Ronaldsay, 50 Quendale Shet, 50 Whalsay Shet, 35 Unst Shet, 31 Fetlar _ Shet, 30 Seafield Shet & 30 Skerries Shet but max 20 Barns Ness L, 10 St.Abbs B & 9 Kinghorn F in SE. Next widespread influx 17-28 Oct with daily max of 100 Fair Is, 40 Unst, 40 Sumburgh Shet, 38 on Whalsay, 37 N.Ronaldsay, 33 Sanday, 30 Denburn Wood F, 25 Is of May, 24 Whinnyfold NE, 22 St.Abbs & 20 Cruden Bay NE with many smaller totals elsewhere on N.Isles & E.Coast. This movement even reached the W coast with 23 birds Arg 17-25 Oct at c.12 sites including 6 Tiree & 4 Islay but all gone by 15 Nov. Last M&N, Loth, Fair Is & Ayr 23-26 Oct; D&G, Arg & Is of May 15-17 Nov; A&D & Shet 26-27 Nov. | Winter: c.45 Dec birds (52) with 13 Clyde, 6 Loth, Ayr & Bord, 5 P&K, 3 M&N, 2 Ork, ‘several’ NE with | singles Forth & Fife but none Shet, Arg, D&G, OHeb & Clyde Is. * Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides 1 Sumburgh Shet 21 Aug; 1 St.Abbs Head B 26-29 Aug; Ist-w Fair Is 29-30 Aug. 7th record for Borders, 30th for Fair Isle & 41st for Shetland. For photo of Fair Is bird: see Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report: 1999. * Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis 1 Swining Shet 29-30 Aug; Ist-w Fair Ison 5 Sep; | 1 Hillcrest, Voe Shet 19-20 Sep; 1 Haroldswick, Unst | @ Shet 28 Sep. © 43rd-45th records for Shetland & 67th for Fair Isle. * Pallas’s Leaf Warbler (Pallas’s Warbler) | Phylloscopus proregulus — | 3 Fair Is 15 Oct. Then singles Is of May, Stronsay Ork & Whinnyfold NE 16-18 Oct. Singles 21 Oct at Whalsay Shet, Denburn Wood F, Ethie Mains | | A&D & St.Abbs B, some remaining for for 2-3 days. 1 Stronsay 23 Oct.2 Cruden Bay NE & 1 St AbbsB | 25 Oct; 1 Helendale Shet 12-13 Nov. 14 birds for the autumn. Sixth for Angus & Dundee, 19th-20th for Borders, 23rd-24th for Orkney, 24th-26th records for Fair Is, | 41st-44th birds for North-east Scotland & 58th for | Shetland. First Is of May since 1989 Pallas’ Leaf Warbler Isle of May, Oct 1999 Photo: Kevin Harris R.D.Murray [Ed.] 103 a a I INTE Ae SY Re PAL DRONE Os TO MOE ONS ee NAR Po GND MOO nay ge PRE eR TE) * Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus Initial arrival N.Isles 17-19 Sep when 1 Fair 3-9 10-16 17-23 24-30 1-7 8-14 15-22 23-30 31-6 Is & 3 at Copengeo, Tankerness & Windwick, Sep Sep Sep Sep Oct Oct Oct Oct Nov Total S.Ronaldsay, all on Ork. Scattered singles on cee, 2 . 0 4 : 5 8 21-23 Sep at St.Abbs B, Fetlar Shet, North- | pic scot dale Shet, N.Ronaldsay Ork, Barns Ness L & Noness Shet with 2 Fair Is. Build-up 24-25 Sep with 6 Shet, 2, Fair Is & singles Ork. An- other wave 26-28 Sep with 14 Shet, 8 Fair Is, 3 Is of May with singles N.Ronaldsay Ork, 48 4 Ethie Mains A&D, E.Muchalls NE & Rattray NE. Further influx 1-5 oe with 11 Shet, : Fair Is and singles Queenamidda Ork, St.Abbs & Foveran NE. Thin scatter of records mid-Oct with singles Shet, Fair Is, Glenna- gaoidh, Islay Arg & Cove NE, possibly birds moving onwards from the earlier arrivals. New influx 16-23 Oct with a further 7 to Shet, 3 Fair Is, 2-3 St.Abbs, 2 Cruden Bay NE & singles Denburn Wood F & Is of May. The last was a Cruden Bay bird on 26 Oct. The fourth record for Argyll . [1998] 1 Smerclate, S.Uist OH 15 Oct. i Roe ee 1 4 7 1 Sop ohi HRN: Los) * Radde’s Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi 1 Skaw, Unst Shet 24 Oct. 13th record for Shetland. * Dusky Warbler Acrocephalus fuscatus 1 Rattray NE 27 Sep & | Herston, S.Ronaldsay Ork 24-25 Oct. 2nd record for NE Scotland & 6th for Orkney. Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix | Spring: First 1 St Abbs B 14 Apr. Then D&G, Arg & Clyde 25-26 Apr; Loth, Clyde Is, P&K, Ayr & Fife 29 Apr-2 May; OHeb, Ork, Fair Is & NE 4-8 May; Shet & M&N 11-13 May. As usual most of the first records were of territorial birds. Migrants appeared in relatively higher numbers than usual with 8 Shet, 3 Fair Is, 6 Ork, 3 OHeb, 2 Fife & 3 Bord, typically 1-2 birds in mid-May. Breeding: M&N 5mm Cawdor Wood; NE at least lpr bred Dinnet with 6 birds singing there 4 May; NE 12 sang at 4 sites with 7mm Ballater; A&D bred Glen Esk where pai r fledged br6; P&K just 3 sites; Forth noted at just 3 sites ; Loth very poor year, this species may have died out as a Loth breeder; Bord 14mm at 13 sites; Arg 7prs Taynish CBC (11), 11 sites Mull & birds noted 11 other sites; Clyde Is 7 sites Arran with a few Bute; Clyde 74mm noted at 22 sites with 20prs Rowardennan, 10prs MoD Clyde Estate#2 & 6prs Creagan Sithe; Ayr 9+mm at 6 sites with 2+mm; D&G 3 birds at 3 sites. Autumn: Usual disappearing act from the mainland with the latest non-coastal record of 1 Gryfe No.1 Res. Clyde 12 Aug a probable passage migrant. Passage was initially very light with first birds Fair Is 4 Aug, Halligarth Shet 8 Aug & N.Ronaldsay Ork 12 Aug. Excellent autumn N.Isles with 30 on Shet, c.16 Fair Is and 10 Ork. Steady trickle of singles 10-24 Aug before a definite movement around 25-28 Aug when a record 12 Fair Is 25 Aug & 12 at 7 sites Shet including 3 Noss Shet on 27 Aug. The only birds away from the N. Isles, 2 Is of May & | St.Abbs, arrived with this influx on 25 Aug. Further arrivals continued N.Isles with 3 Lerwick Shet on 30 Aug with odd arrivals in early Sep. A slight wave occurred again in third week of Sep with another 5 Shet & 2 Ork, the latest birds being 1 Sandwick Shet 29 Sep. Photo of Fair Is bird: see Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report: 1999. Common Chiffchaff (Chiffchaff) Phylloscopus collybita Wintering Jan Winter: Poor numbers despite late influx in 1998. | N.Isles 1 : 9 Ork, 2 D&G, Forth & Loth with singles Shet, M&N, | OHeb 1 D&G, Fife & Bord in Jan. 2 NE & singles Ork, OHeb, Fife, | NE Scot 1 2 Bord & Ayr in Feb. near : Max 3 Tankerness Ork & Stronsay Ork in Jan W Scot 1 : Spring: Arrival from mid-Mar: 1 Coldstream B 16 Mar. Most | SW Scot 2 1 birds direct to territory. Then Shet & Fife 17 Mar; P&K, |1999Total 8 6 Forth & Clyde 20-21 Mar; A&D, Arg, Clyde Is, Fair Is 25- me . : 30 Mar; NE, Is of May, Ork & OHeb 2-3 Apr. 1996 3 0 104 Scottish Bird Report 1999 Light passage, mostly N.Isles, early-Apr to mid-May: main passage 21-25 Apr with 21 Skerries Shet, 12 Noss Shet, 11 Fair Is, 10 Sumburgh Shet, 9 N.Ronaldsay Ork & 6 Fife Ness F. Another wave on 8-15 May when | 38 N.Ronaldsay, 16 Fair Is, 10 Collieston NE, 6 Sumburgh, 5 Fetlar & 5 Whalsay Shet. Late surge with 20 Fair Is, 20 Is of May & 10 Copinsay Ork 28 May-2 Jun. Breeding: Shet singles summered Helendale, Lerwick, Eswick, Norwick, Fetlar & Halligarth; Fair Is 2 ‘scruffy’ birds summered; Ork 3-5 summered but no hint of breeding; OHeb 1 Aird a’Mhorain, N.Uist in Jun; M&N | numbers halved with just 39mm (74) singing at 38 sites, max 5 Lein; NE usual numbers Bucksburn but first | Craigievar for many years; P&K noted 17 sites; Fife 20% drop to 36mm (45) at 26 sites with 4mm Valleyfield Woods & L.Ore Meadows; Forth noted 6 sites with 5mm Polmont Woods; Loth large decline to just 39 sites (62) | with 3prs Duddingston (8), 2prs Roslin Glen CBC (4) & 2prs Vogrie CBC (4); Bord large decline to 147mm at 67 sites (95 at51) with 6mm Monteviot (15), 3mm Pease Dean (9) & 9mm Hirsel (7); Arg noted 22 sites; Clyde drop in numbers with 89mm at 47 sites (125 at 76) with 7 Helensburgh, 6 Chateauherault (4) & 5 Bothwell Castle; Ayr 120mm _ noted at 35 sites (134 at 37) with 26mm Culzean (25), 6 Bargany (19), 12 Kilkerran | (14+)& 7 Auchencruive; D&G 5S sites. Autumn: First movements from mid-Aug but passage pretty thin. Numbers were low everywhere with few counts of >4 birds: indeed the only significant movement was 12 St.Abbs B, 10 Pitcox L & 9 Is of May 18-21 Sep. Further movements in Oct mainly involved eastern tristis /abietinus birds (see below). Last regular birds P&K & | Ayr 12-25 Sep; Arg 17 Oct; M&N, A&D 20-22 Oct; D&G 29 Oct; NE 12 Nov. Winter: With so few birds during autumn passage, a reduction in wintering numbers was to be expected with just 5 Shet, 3 Ork, Bord & Fife, 2 Clyde & singles OHeb in Nov; & 2 Shet with singles OHeb, M&N & Bord in Dec. | Moderate arrival of tristis/abietinus birds late-Sep/late Oct, mostly in N.Isles: best counts were 6 Skerries Shet, 5 Helendale Shet & 4 Unst Shet 15-26 Oct. On Fair Is 12 abietinus & 3 tristis peaked on 15 Oct. Several of the late birds in Nov in the N.Isles were of these races. Possible hybrid x Willow Warbler (with mixed song) Barcraigs Res. Clyde in Apr. (with pale legs) & at Drumpellier Park Clyde May-Jun. Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus Spring: First Kildonan & Brodick, Arran Clyde Is 27 Mar; Ayr, Bord, Clyde, D&G, OHeb & Forth 2-3 Apr; | Fair Is, Loth, Ork & NE 4-7 Apr; A&D & Fife 11 Apr; M&N 17 Apr; Is of May & Shet 21-22 Apr. Widespread on territory mid-Apr in S/C Scotland but build-up continued into early May. Passage birds moved | on well into May with 6 on N.Ronaldsay Ork 22 Apr; 15 Is of May and 12 St.Abbs B on 25-26 Apr; 15 Fife | Ness F 2 May; 40 Fair Is, 16 Is of May, 15 Burnmouth B & 12 N.Ronaldsay 5-9 May. Influx 12-13 May with | 90 Fair Is, 52 N.Ronaldsay, 50 Fetlar Shet, 50 Sumburgh Head Shet, 28 Noss Shet and 25 Whalsay Shet. Breeding: Ork 1 6prs at 8 sites with first breeding Papa Westray; OHeb noted 25 sites with 20mm Stornoway |} Woods, Lewis; NE numbers down Bucksburn; A&D 28prs Kinnordy; Fife 348prs noted at 35 sites but probably | a slight decrease in numbers, best counts were 57prs Dunfermline/Bogside, 42 Cameron Res. (48), 30 L.Ore || Meadows (32), 28 Eden Est. (23), 28 Valleyfield Woods where 6prs fledged 20 young, similar to the 20+ young | fledged by 6prs at Longannet, productivity at St.Margaret’s Marsh CES was very high with juvs up by 72% despite a 35% drop in ad numbers; Forth 15prs in 5kms of lower Devon WBS (17 in ‘97); Loth noted 31 sites with 31 prs Aberlady (35), 18prs Musselburgh & 13 Roslin Glen CBC (12); Bord 417mm noted at 38 sites with | 70 Ettrick Marshes (80), 44 Ladyurd (54), 21 Castlecraig (34) & 23 Whithaugh Park; Arg 97prs Taynish CBC (89), 8-10prs Sanda Is. (8), & S5prs Moss, Tiree; Clyde Is 10prs W.Cumbrae; Clyde 1,237prs at 105 sites with | 90prs Ravenscraig, 85 Clyde MoD Estate#2, 61 Midross, 44 Killoeter & 40 Lochwinnoch (34); Ayr 159mm at ! 14 sites with 32mm Knockbentier (29) & 25 Culzean (17); D&G 60 Wood of Cree. First fledged Ork 13 Jun; Bord 29 Jun. Autumn: Post-breeding flocks: 50+ Keir L. F & 16 Tweedbank B in Jul; 50+ Peppermill Dam F & 20 Balgray Res. Clyde in Aug. Passage movement of 70+ in 5 hrs Bennan Head, Arran Clyde Is 25 Jul. Passage from early Aug . Then 70 Fair Is, 541s of May & 15 N.Ronaldsay 18-21 Aug before influx 25-30 Aug |) when 120 Fair Is, 40 Is of May, 40 Coldingham L. B, 30 Skerries Shet, 28 N.Ronaldsay, 20 St.Abbs, 20 Noss, 20 Sumburgh. 40 Newshot Is. Clyde, 40 Is of May & 30 St.Abbs 4-7 Sep. Next wave 17-24 Sep with 60 Fair Is, |) 35 Is of May, 30 Waird Ork, 25 St.Abbs, 21 N.Ronaldsay, 20 Whalsay, 20 Skerries Shet, 18 Foula Shet and . 14 Barns Ness L but only 5 Girdleness NE and very few Fife. Last M&N & Clyde 21-26 Sep; Is of May & Fair Is 6-8 Oct; Ork & Shet 17-19 Oct; A&D, Bord, Loth, NE & : OHeb 20-27 Oct; latest 2 Sandbraes, Arran Clyde Is 9 Nov. ! | | R.D.Murray [Ed.] 105 SS a OD es EE EC OEE PD en TL NID On aN Re a NR ES Goldcrest Regulus regulus Winter/Spring: In N.Isles 3-4 birds wintered Kergord Shet & 5 sites on Ork, max 22 Binscarth Wood in Jan. First migrants N.Isles 18-26 Mar. Very light passage N.Isles with max 15 Fair Is 21 Mar, 5 Fetlar Shet 4 Apr & 5 Whalsay Shet 7-10 Apr & 38 N.Ronaldsay Ork 11 May. 15 Cove NE 31 Mar & 13 Is of May 1 Apr. Only 2 migrants Tiree, Arg 19 Mar & just 7 noted OHeb. Breeding: Shet bred Kergord; Ork noted just 2 sites; OHeb bred 10 sites, mostly singles but 6mm Ben Langass; A&D 2prs Kinnordy; Fife c.21prs noted 13 sites; Loth just 4prs noted at 3 sites; Bord noted at 10 sites with 18mm Ladyurd (12), 7 Castlecraig & 6mm Pease Dean (6); Arg 3prs Taynish CBC (6); Clyde 183prs at 52 sites with 17 MoD Clyde Estate#2, 15 Chatelherault, 15 Auchengaich Hill & 11 Burncrooks Plantation. First fledglings seen Ork 6 Jun; Shet 13 Jun; Bord & Fife 26 Jun. Autumn/Winter: Post-breeding flocks: 70 Beecraigs L, 60 Goosepools F, 33 Keir L. F & 30 Drumpellier Park Clyde in Sep. Fewer than usual Craigurd B in autumn but 177 ringed West Craigie L Sep-Nov (92 in *98). Passage from mid-Aug with 30 St.Abbs B 7 Sep; 100 Mull of Galloway D&G 26 Sep; 30 Coldingham L. B 17 Oct. 70 Fair Is, 15 N.Ronaldsay & 11 Sker- ries Shet 15-19 Oct was N.Isles peak. The largest movement occurred 22-23 Oct with 103 St.Abbs, 40 Dowlaw B, 40 Is of May, 30 Denburn Wood F, 30 May Rock F, 25 Cruden Bay NE and 20 Cove. 1-8 at 4 sites Ork & 1-2 Scalloway Shet in Dec. For an account of changes in Goldcrest numbers in Moray & Nairn: see Cook (2000) Moray & Nairn Bird Report 1999: 92-96. * Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus 1 Forfar L. A&D 15-16 Mar; 1 Cruden Bay NE on 17 Sep; 1 Stronsay Ork 23 Sep; 1 N.Harrier, Foula Shet 27 Sep; 1 St.Abbs B 23-29 Oct with another 1-3 Nov; 1 Laganbuidhe Arg 30 Dec. 8th for Orkney, 9th for Angus & Dundee, 14th for Shetland & 30th-31st for Borders. Firecrest,St.Abbs Head, Oct 1999 - Mark Smith Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata Spring: First Changue Ayr | May; D&G, Bord & Shet 5-6 May; Loth, Fife, Ork, Arg & Is of May 7-8 May; NE, M&N, Clyde & Clyde Is 10-11 May; P&K, Fair I & OHeb 12-13 May; Forth 17 May. Most arrivals on territory by mid-month. Light passage, mostly of 1-2 birds on mainland with several small falls: 5 N.Ronaldsay Ork 10 May; 22 Fair Is 22 May. 20 Fair Is, 14 Copinsay Ork, 10 Sumburgh Shet, 7 N.Ronaldsay & 6 Is of May 29-30 May; 40 Fair Is 2 Jun. Breeding: OHeb 3prs Stornoway Woods, Lewis; NE mostly Dee & Don valleys; A&D noted at least 3 sites with 7prs Invermark had MCS 4.7 & MBS 3 .2; P&K noted 51 sites; Fife resurgence in numbers, noted at 21 sites with 6br16; Forth noted 8 sites; Loth 20 sites, mostly single prs with 5mm Hermand Wood; Bord 103prs noted at 79 sites with 5mm Hirsel & 3prs Traquair House, Harryburn, Newhall & Dod, confirmed breeding 10 sites; Arg noted 23 sites with 7prs Taynish CBC (3), 4prs L.Gruinart, Islay; Clyde 72prs at 50 sites with 4prs Linn Park & 3prs Lochwinnoch, Endrick Mouth, Muirshiel & Midross; Ayr 125prs at 62 sites with 14prs Kilkerran (9+) & 7prs Knockytoul, Dalleagles & Brig O’Doon with 4br8 seen. First fledged: Bord 11 Jul; NE 15 Aug; Clyde 23 Aug. Autumn: Movements noted from mid-Jul. Typical low-key passage, mostly 1-2 birds, with few distinct waves, just 5 Skerries Shet & 3 Foula Shet 17-19 Sep; 10 Fair Is, 9 Rattray/Balmedie NE, 4 St.Abbs B, 4 Whalsay Shet, 3 Fife Ness F & 3 Torness L 19-23 Sep. Last Arg & Ayr 5-10 Sep; Bord, NE, A&D, Loth & Is of May 21-24 Sep; Shet & Fair Is 28 Sep. 1 Kippo Wood F 29 Oct was extremely late. 106 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | SSS a a Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva TRE Spring: | Fair Is 20-21 May. Autumn: Poor autumn with 16 birds. 1 Collieston NE 17 Sep; 1 Maywick, Fetlar Shet on 18 Sep; 1 Skateraw L 21 Sep; 2 Fair Is & 1 Rattray NE 22 Sep; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 24 Sep; 3 Fair Is on 26 Sep; then singles at Feold Ork 28 Sep; Fair Is on 30 Sep. Gap until singles Is of May 16 Oct; Kilrenny Common F 21-22 Oct; Craigmill Den A&D 25 Oct; & Fair Is 26 Oct. 1/th record for Angus & Dundee, 16th for Lothian & 30th for Fife. 16-31 1-15 16-30 1-15 16-31 Aug Sep Sep Oct Oct Total 1 10 Photo of a Fair Is bird: _ Red-breasted Flycatcher, Isle of May Oct 1999 see Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report: 1999. Photo: Kevin Harris * Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis Im Cove NE 30 Apr-1 May; If Holland House, N.Ronaldsay Ork 31 May; Ist-s m Skaw, Unst Shet 13 Jun. lst-w f Fair Is 23 Sep showed features that suggested an abnormal Collared or a second generation PiedxCollared. | First record for North-east Scotland, third for Orkney & sixth for Shetland. For an account of the North Ronaldsay bird: see Hatton & Brown (1999) Birding World 12:231-233, for the North-east scotland bird: see Baxter (1999) Birding Scotiand: 2:. 138-139 & Baxter (2000) North-east Scotland Bird Report: 116-118. For an account of the abnormal bird: see Holt (1999) Birding World 13:33-35. Photos: Cove in Birding World 12:141 & 13:35, & British Birds 92:383 & 93:560: North Ronaldsay in British Birds 92: 439 and the Skaw bird in Shetland Bird Report 1999. Abnormal bird: see Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report: 1999. Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca Spring: First 1 Hensol, L.Ken D&G 15 Apr; Loth & Bord 19-21 Apr; P&K, Clyde & Fair Is 23-30 Apr; Ayr & | Is of May 1-5 May; Forth, NE, Fife, Ork & Shet 7-8 May; OHeb & Forth 23 May. Poor passage SE/C Scotland with just 6 Is of May, 2 Fife & Bord & singles Loth. Better NE & N.Isles with | 3 Collieston NE & 1 Strathbeg NE 8 May; 70 Fair Is, 23 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 10 SEIS Shet, 7 Stronsay Ork | & 3 singles NE on 13-14 May. 1 Grimsay, N.Uist OH 23 May. Breeding: M&N Im failed to find a mate; NE 2mm Braemar & br5 Ballater; A&D pr Glenesk failed: P&K | noted 8 sites; Forth 20% drop Trossachs poor success, starvation of chicks & predation; Bord 5mm at 4 sites; | Arg noted 5 other sites; Clyde 23prs & 1m at 3 sites (49 at 6 in 98); Ayr 14prs at 5 sites with 8mm Scoretulloch; D&G only noted from 2 sites. Nest-box schemes MBS MBS pairs nests broods juvs 1998 1999 Trossachs Forth 51 51 - 121 3.69 2.38 Bonawe Arg 5 5 3 9 6.00 3.00 Ardgenaven Arg 3 3 1 2 6.50 2.00 Kenmore Clyde ? s 1 S371 5.00 Sallochy Clyde 22 21 21 107 3.10 5.10 Autumn: Passage from early Aug in S with best counts 4 St.Abbs B & 3 Is of May 26-28 Aug & late Aug in N.Isles. Mainly singles during early Sep. Main influx 13-21 Sep when 50 Fair Is, 20 Sumburgh Shet, 15 Foula | Shet, 15 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 12 St.Abbs, 10 Collieston NE, 10 Fife Ness F, 8 Dowlaw B and 6 Kergord Shet & 6 Skerries Shet. Last Loth 23 Sep; Ork, D&G, Is of May, Fife, NE & OHeb 25-27 Sep; Shet & Fair Is 7-10 Oct; last 1 St.Abbs 16 Oct. R.D.Murray [Ed.] 107 PETE ESRI RE TS Oa ame OES ces en 2 Se mee ie DR ee ee PLY SSSI MPD ERM Da, Poe ES a a Bearded Tit Panurus biamarcus Breeding: M&N following their arrival in 1998 this species remained undetected at L.Spynie until 1 seen 16 Jul, thereafter 2m+4f/imm were noted 2 Oct and seen & heard into Dec, although breeding has not been proved it is strongly suspected; NE at least 1f seen L.of Strathbeg throughout the year, 1m seen Jan & Aug, no evidence of breeding; P&K no data from the Tay reedbeds population. 1m+3ffIs of May 5 Oct. First record for Isle of May. Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Winter: Best flocks: 40 L.Spynie M&N, 29 Balloch Clyde, 24 Baron’s Haugh Clyde & 18 Valleyfield F in Jan; 40+ Endrick Mouth Clyde, 22 Kilkerran Ayr & 18 Hirsel B in Feb; 17 Castle L. D&G in Mar. Breeding: OHeb 2br6 Stornoway Woods; NE 1 breeding confirmed at 2 sites; Fife 6br20 Valleyfield, 4 nests Longannet were predated, with 12prs noted at 10 other sites; Forth decrease suspected; Loth c.17prs at 13 sites; Bord c.23prs at 20 sites with 9prs Floors Castle, 6br60 noted, including br20 at Dunglass; Arg 4 sites; Clyde 57prs at 30 sites with 7prs Ravenscraig, 4prs Midross & Clyde MoD Estate#2. First fledged Fife 16 May; Bord 19 May; P&K 27 May; Clyde 11 Jun. Autumn/winter: evidently a poor season with just medium-sized autumn/winter flocks with max 15-25 noted in NE, P&K, Bord, Ayr & Clyde and 26-40 in M&N, Fife, Forth, Loth & Arg. There were no very large flocks with the largest parties being just 30 Strone Glen Arg in Jul; 30 Keir L. F, 30 Tyninghame L, 29 at Lendrick Forth, 28 Lochloy M&N in Sep; 31 Kinnordy A&D in Oct; & 28 Delnapot M&N in Nov. Average of the 10 largest flocks in 1999 was rather low at 28.1 (42.0 in ‘98 & 47.0 in ‘96). Records in the N.Isles were back to the usual low levels with just 2 reports in Ork & none from Shet & Fair Is. Comments on increasing use of nut-feeders in M&N, NE and P&K. Marsh Tit Parus palustris Bord noted 7 sites during the breeding season & 5 sites outwith the breeding season, br1 Coldstream 17 Jun & 3br10 Hirsel 19 Jul, a record from Hawick in Jun is the furthest up the Teviot valley for many years & | seen Innerleithen Jan-Mar a rare record from Peeblesshire; Clyde | photographed in a garden at Dolphinton 10-12 Jan & 16 Mar is the first record for the Clyde area. The coincidence of three records from the extreme western edge of the range in the same year is striking. Willow Tit Parus montanus Bord; 1 Whithaugh Park, Newcastleton in Jul hints at nearby breeding population; Clyde breeding season survey found birds at 7 sites with 1 Baron’s Haugh in Jun, single singing mm Millburn Glen & Coltness West, prs nest-building at Coltness East & Jock’s Gill, pr with br3 Eastmuir Plantation, 4mm and brood reared Green- head Wood; Ayr | Bogton Moss 23 Feb was only report; D&G small concentration around Lochmaben lochs, several Moneypool Burn & Clints of Dromore. Photo of Newcastleton bird: see Borders Bird Report 19: 66. Crested Tit Parus cristatus MEN 13prs Culbin Forest with MCS 4.0 but just MBS 1.3 fledged per nest due to predation at egg stage, record 8prs Lossie Forest with MCS 5.4 & MBS 5.1 also seen in summer at Scootmore, Dava & a juv was trapped at Clochan in Jul, also 1 L.Spynie in Jan; NE 1 Linn o’ Dee in Apr/May. Coal Tit Parus ater Largest flocks: 24 Elie Estate F & 22 Broomlees F in Jan; 50 Montreathmont Forest A&D in Feb. Breeding: OHeb only 2 Stornoway Woods, confirming a massive decline from 22prs in “96 also noted nest- building Achmore, Lewis; M&N Ipr Lossie Forest (3) had br8 ; Fife 7prs Valleyfield Woods, noted breeding at 13 other sites Loth 8prs Roslin Glen (7), lpr Vogrie CBC (2) & 2prs Aberlady (2); Bord 7mm Whithaugh, 9mm Castlecraig (8), 3mm Ladyurd (4); Arg 7prs Taynish CBC (8); Clyde 106prs at 29 sites with 19prs Calderglen, 12prs Chatelherault, 7prs Clyde Mod Estate#2 & Kilcreggan, 6prs Ravenscraig. First fledged Bord 5 Jun. 1 nest Hattonknowes B was in the base of an old Buzzard nest. Autumn/winter flocks: 52 Morton L. F , 20+ Keir L. F, 20 Beecraigs L & 20 Almondell L in Sep; 30 Dunoon garden Arg in Oct; 12 Abbotsford B in Nov; 50 Montreathmont Forest & 20 Lossie Forest M&N in Dec. Passage: 1-3 birds noted in Oct at Lochmaddy, N.Uist OH & N.Locheynort, S.Uist. 2 singles Kirkwall Ork & 2 Papdale Ork in Nov. Several continental nominate ater form seen Cove NE 26 Sep, Longside NE in Oct & Strathbeg NE in Nov. 108 Scottish Bird Report 1999 SSR Sic eS NA Sie ORO IAeNSsd S wae STS ABEL 2S Make We SR ee EN Se Ta ee ies WN Ra) Blue Tit Parus caeruleus Islands: | Inchcolm F in Apr.; 1 Twageos, Lerwick Shet 18-19 Oct, first since 1997, but none Ork or Fair Is this year; singles Kenovay & Crossapol, Tiree Arg in Nov Flocks & counts: 47 Tweedbank B, 24 Almondell L & 23 Earlston B in Jan; 17 East Kilbride Clyde in Feb; 30 | Dolphinton garden Clyde & 25 Calderwood L in Mar; 20 St.Abbs B in Jul; 30 Almondell & 15 Cullaloe F in Aug; 30 Calderwood L & 20 Dougalston Clyde in Oct; 30 Linlithgow Lin Nov. Ringing day totals: 451 Craigurd B 13 Feb; 75 Pitcox L 10 Mar. Breeding: Poor season, fewer adults & poor success with losses at egg stage. Nest-box schemes MBS MBS OHeb probably no significant change Stornoway Woods; | nests juvs 1998 M&N 9br52 (MBS 5.8) noted at 4 other sites; NE good num- | L.Spynie M&N - 5.8 Fe MEN bers fledged and many second broods; Fife 1 5prs Valleyfield Culbin Forest M&N : (20) & 12prs Eden Est. (6), 7prs Damhead of Torr, despite a | invererme M&N : 60% drop in ad numbers St.Margaret’s Marsh CES site had | Invermark A&D excellent productivity with a 300% increase in juv numbers | Braetoot F compared to the poor year of ‘98; Forth Sprs lower Devon | eee WBS (7); Loth 32prs Roslin Glen CBC (26), 5prs Vogrie CBC (7), 7prs Aberlady (7-9), poor season Turnhouse CES with 75% drop in numbers of juvs caught; Bord 12mm Whithaugh & 9mm Pease Dean; Arg 24prs Taynish CBC (24); Clyde 191prs at 37 sites with 25prs Calderglen, | 24prs Lochwinnoch, 22prs Ravenscraig, |Sprs MoD Clyde Estate#2, 9prs Kilpatrick Braes, 10prs Merryton | (9); Ayr poor season with some mortality in nest-boxes. First fledged seen Clyde 31 May; Bord 4 Jun. Great Tit Parus major Islands: 1 Evie Ork 18-19 Mar; 5 singles on Shet Oct-Dec at Fetlar, Baltasound, Skerries, Whalsay & Norwick; | 1-3 Fair Is 19-21 Oct were the first there since 1994; 2 single Is of May in Oct; 1 Crossapol, Tiree Arg in Dec. | Flocks & large counts: 23 Hirsel B in Jan; 17 Calderwood L in Mar; Nou laa MBS MBS Breeding: M&N the weather adversely affected chick rear- | nests juvs 1998 1999 | ing in Lossie while predation was the greatest problem in Lossie Forest M&N 36 6.5 Culbin; NE a good season after two poor years boosted num- Culbin Forest M&N bers of young by 40% caught at Bridge of Don in autumn; ESpac ey A&D 16+prs Kinnordy; Fife 10prs Valleyfield Woods, (6- | Invererne M&N : ivcanaik ASD 29 2 | 7), 7prs Eden Est. (4), record occupancy rate by adults at Braefoot F 55 : Braefoot but with poorest productivity on record, ad num- Glen Finglas Forth 6 33 - bers down another 30% St.Margaret’s Marsh CES with adults Most of the nest-box schemes had lowered occupancy | in poor condition (suspended moult); Forth low occupancy | rates in 1999 compared to 1998. & low success Trossachs, 4prs Devon WBS (5), 3prs/km? | Doune CBC (4); Loth 13prs Roslin Glen CBC (19), Sprs Vogrie CBC (5) & 3-4 Aberlady (3); Bord 10mm Whithaugh & 7mm Pease Dean (6); Arg 16prs Taynish CBC (9), 8prs in Pied Fly boxes in Ardgevan; Clyde 76prs at 30 sites with 10prs Calderglen, 9prs MoD Clyde Estate#2, 7prs Merryton (8) & 7prs Lochwinnoch. Wood Nuthatch (Nuthatch) Sitta europaea The expansion continues with further expansion in Borders and Dumfries & Galloway & the first record for Forth, 2nd records for Fife & Ayr, 3rd record for Argyll (last was 23 years ago) & the 6th record for Lothian. Bord now 29 sites in 23 areas (16 areas in 1998). (* = new sites for 1999). Breeding season birds noted Abbotsford (2 birds), Ashkirk House (1), Coldstream Hospital (1m), Craigurd (where 2 have now been ringed, including a returning bird from 1998), Dryburgh Abbey *(1m), Duns Castle* (1), Floors (only single record from this important site), Hirsel (8prs, max 15 birds seen 5 Sep), Langlee Woods (2m), Mellerstain (1m), Monteviot (2m), Mossburnford (2), Peniel Heugh *(2m), Ploughlands P. (1), St.Abbs (1), Wells (1m) & Whithaugh Park (2-3m). Br2 seen Hirsel 19 Jul. Also single birds have been seen coming to feeders outwith the breeding season at Ancrum (2 birds), Cavers* (2), Coldstream Hospital (2), Dawyck Gardens (2), Gattonside, Lowood and seen or heard at Bridgeheugh (1), Cavers* (2), Dryburgh Abbey* (1), Earlston (2), Mertoun*, Minto House, Riddell *(2) & Sunderland *(2). c.35prs in 1999 (35 in 1998) making a probable Borders population of c.60prs. Elsewhere: Fife 1 Newburgh 9 May; Forth 1 Alva 27 Aug; Loth | Balerno 18 Dec; Arg | at feeder Glen- branter 6 Apr; Ayr still present Kilkerran Feb-Apr and 1 Southside Farm, Loans 19 Aug, a new site that had an unconfirmed record in 1994; D&G a few pairs now breed in part of L.Ken valley, also 1 Skipper’s Bridge, Langholm 2 Apr, | Lochwood Oaks, Beattock & 1 at feeder at Goldielea, Dumfries. SS LL LL SL LT LL A a SS IN NT on 6 Jun. Total 11 Fair Is 19 May- Bird Report 19: 8, 68 & 90 R.D.Murray [Ed.] : 109 SE ee TS OE Ee ee ee EE he ae hee a Te ee en eS ES Treecreeper Certhia familiaris Winter counts: 6 Elie Estate F, 5 Hirsel B, 5 Balloch Castle Clyde in Jan; 7 Tentsmuir F in Feb; 6 Cardross Clyde in Mar; 5 Cathkin Braes Clyde in Jul; 5 Baron’s Haugh Clyde in Nov. Breeding: OHeb 1-2 Stornoway Woods through the year; M&N 9prs Culbin Forest (5) nest-boxes had MCS 4.2 & MBS 2.6, only 5prs managed to raise chicks due to predation, I pr in Lossie boxes fledged 4 young; A&D 7prs Kinnordy; Fife bred or probably bred 10 sites; Loth population dropped to 3prs Roslin Glen CBC (5) noted another 7 sites; Bord noted 11 sites with 2mm Dawyck Gardens (3); Arg 4prs Taynish CBC (5); Clyde 36prs at 19 sites with 7prs Clyde MoD Estate#2, Sprs Baron’s Haugh & 3prs at Lochwinnoch & Calderglen. First fledged young noted Fife 27 Jun. 1 of continental race familiaris Binscarth Wood Ork Jan & Feb. Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus Spring: 1m Dale Ork 8 May; 1m Sumburgh Head Shet 11 May; If S.Collafirth Ork 13 May (possibly same N.Collafirth 20 May); 1f Evie Ork 15 May; | Catfirth Shet 256 May; 1 Crantit House Ork 29 May; 1f Sullom Shet 30 May; 1f Levenwick Shet & 1m Glen Usinish, S.Uist OH 31 May; 1f Graemeshall Ork, 1m Sower Ork & 1 Quoyloo Ork 2 Jun; 1m Ollaberry Shet 17 Jun; 1f Busta Shet 4 Jul. Autumn: | Fair Is 13 Sep. -Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio Spring: First 1 Whalsay Shet on 13 May. Singles Quanterness Ork 15 May; Fair Is, N.Ronaldsay Ork & Skaw, Unst Shet 19 May; 4 Papa Westray Ork, 1 Channerwick Shet & 1 Voehad Shet 21 May; further singles at Virkie Shet on 23 May; Shet 23 May; Whalsay Shet & Hillwell Shet 24 May; Cunningsburgh Shet 25 May; N-Ronaldsay ad ay, UG BS 1-15 16-31 1-15 16-30 1-15 16-31 1-15 16-311-15 16-30 1-15 16-31 2 Copinsay Ork & 1 St.Abbs B May May Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep Sep Oct Oct Total on 29 May; | Spurdagrove Ork |N. 4 1 1 14 Jun. Breeding: 3 sites: with f seen feed- ing single young and adult mm at in suitable habitat at 2 sites in Jun. Autumn: First Carrick, Eday Ork 3 Aug; | Girdleness NE 5-6 Aug; 1 Noss Shet 18-19 Aug; singles at Norwick Shet and Geosetter Shet 22 Aug; 2 Stronsay ork & singles Fair Is, Noss Shet and Sumburgh Head Shet 26-28 Aug. Then a gap until | Grutness Shet 12-13 Sep; 1 Durigarth Shet 17 Sep; 1 Sumburgh on 17-19 Sep; 1 Fetlar Shet 18 Sep; 1 Norwick Shet 20-26 Sep; Stronsay 21-24 Sep; | Kilminning F 25-26 Sep; 1 Whalsay 26-27 Sep; 1 Fair Is 27 Sep; 1 Kilminning 17 Oct; 1 Bur- rafirth Shet 28 Oct. 1 1 2 1 * Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus Ist-w Burnmouth B 24-31 Oct. Second record for the Borders & 13th record for Scotland. Photos: Birding World 12:397 & Borders Tsabelline Shrike, Burnmouth,Borders Oct 1999 - Frank Golding 110 Scottish Bird Report 1999 LS Ta I Me SR DT SD * Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor Ist-w Fetlar Shet 16-19 Sep; Ist-w Wormiston F 17-18 Oct. Fourth record for Fife & 17th for Shetland. Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor Winter/spring: Singles Commondyke Ayr 8 Jan; Kercock P&K 17 Jan; Glen Cochill P&K 21 Feb; Sheeans, | Arran Clyde Is 7 Mar; Queen Elizabeth Forest Forth 27 Mar; Stronsay Ork 26-29 Apr; Fetlar Shet & Evie | Ork | May; N.Ronaldsay Ork 12 May. Autumn/winter: Singles Slains NE 28 Sep; Fair Is 16 Oct with another on 17 Oct; N.Ronaldsay 17 & 24 Oct; Cove NE 21 Oct; Stronsay 23 Oct; Peterculter NE 28 Oct; Dunfermline F 5 Nov; Geosetter Shet 16 Nov. 4 in winter, 5 in spring, § in autumn & 2 in winter. Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator 1 Dale, Stronsay Ork 26 Sep. Eight record for Orkney Eurasian Jay (Jay) Garrulus glandarius | M&N noted 4 sites in breeding season, 12 others in winter, no confirmed breeding; Fife noted 18 sites in | breeding season, confirmed at 2 sites; Forth noted 14 sites in breeding season with confirmed breeding Fevilla, | Camps & Kinnedar, seen at c.10 other sites in winter; Forth noted 20 sites; Loth noted from 21 sites with family seen Westfield; Bord 9 breeding season sites & 22 sites in winter; Arg 4 sites in breeding season, another 21 | sites in winter, influx to mid-Argyll Oct-Nov with birds seen 10 sites; Clyde possible 26prs at 19 sites Apr-Jul but numerous records at other times of year, max 7prs Clyde MoD Estate, proved breeding at L.Ardinning on 31 | Jul; Ayr noted 7 sites with br4 Bargany. Best counts: 7 Montreathmont Forest A&D, 6 Hirsel B & 5 Blackhall Forest NE in Apr; 17 Fincastle P&K in Aug; 6 Auchentaple L. A&D in Sep; 5 Crathes NE in Dec. Black-billed Magpie (Magpie) Pica pica M&N noted 3 sites upcountry but very thinly spread along coastal plain being seen at c.30 sites in breeding season; NE odd nest Cove just 2ft. off the ground in gorse; A&D increase in records & possible spread into Glen Clova; P&K 9 sites, still rare in Highland area; Fife Sprs Longannet, 3prs Pitcorthie expansion continuing; | Forth population stable; Loth 9prs Musselburgh lagoons (9), 4-Sprs Aberlady (9); Bord noted 55 sites through | year, expansion continues unabated; Arg increase in sightings in Cowal; Clyde Is 2 records from Arran and possible resident birds Bute; Clyde 44prs at 24 sites; Ayr spread into Ayr with singles noted 3 sites; D&G noted | 17 sites through year. Roosts: 53 Westfield Clyde & 23 Deerdykes Clyde in Jan; 124 Hogganfield L. Clyde & 71 Knockbentier Ayr in Feb; 60 Kilmarnock Ayr in Oct; 33 Knockbentier in Dec. Elsewhere: 46 Musselburgh Lagoons L, 24 Warriston L, 20 Newhailes L in Jan; 22 Bo’ness Forth in Feb; 18 Stirling Forth in Mar; 24 Musselburgh in Nov. Max counts elsewhere 11 NE, 10 Arg, 9 A&D, 8 Bord, 7 M&N & Fife, 2 P&K. Red-billed Chough (Chough) Pyrrhocorax phyrrocorax Breeding: Arg 44prs bred on Islay with an MBP of 1.98. breeding prs 10-14 prs were present on Colonsay of which 2prs were 1998 1999 prospecting new sites, 2 prs failed, 6 fledged young, the Islay Arg 46 44 fate of 2prs was not known and the status of the remain- ee ! ing 2 prs not known; pr on Mull laid eggs but were unsuc- cessful. No data from Jura; D&G pr occupied usual site Colonsay Arg 10-14 Mull Arg ] ; é j WigtownD&G 1 but did not rear any young, disturbance of the site by climb- ers in Apr may have been implicated. Eurasian Jackdaw (Jackdaw) Corvus monedula Ork c.160prs scattered on the islands at c.18 sites; M&N 16prs Covesea cliffs & 12prs Ardivot sandbank; Fife 15prs Bandrum, 7prs Eden Est., noted 6 other sites: Forth Sprs/km? Doune CBC; Loth 4prs Roslin Glen CBC (6); Bord 21prs Abbotsford, 20+prs in sand-cliff Mossburnford, 7prs Whithaugh; Arg noted breeding Iona & . Ross of Mull; Clyde 51prs noted in 6 sites with 30prs Pilmuir Quarry. First young fledged Bord 7 Jun. R.D.Murray [Ed.] : 111 Roosts: 800 Balloch Castle Clyde in Aug; 5,500 Castle Semple L. Clyde in Sep; several thousand in 6,000 Rook/Jackdaw roost Cameron Res. F in Nov; 2,000 Meiklemoss, Alford NE, 700 Hogganfield L. Clyde & 500 Peebles B in Dec. Elsewhere best counts were: 500 Bord, 300 A&D, 250 Forth, 200 Ork & Loth, 124 Arg & 110 Clyde Is. Isles: 5 singles on Shet & 2 on Fair Is Jan-Jun with 2 records of 1-2 birds Shet in Sep-Nov period. 2 autumn singles Is of May. | Tiree Arg in Jan. C.m. monedula - | Elgin M&N 18 Jan & 20 Mar; 1 Stromness Ork 21-22 Feb showed features of nominate Scandinavian race. C.m.sommerringii - | Torry NE in the early year; 1 Tingwall Shet 26 Sep; 2 Gott Shet 6-10 Nov showed features of the Finnish/Russian population. The BOURC has examined the evidence for the occurrence of eastern races of the Jackdaw and concluded that although they have almost certainly turned up in Britain that plumage variability issues means that ringing evidence would be required to formally admit the subspecies to the British List. Rook Corvus frugilegus Shet bred Kergord but no counts; Ork 13 nests at 3 sites Kirkwall were quickly removed, 39 nests at 2 sites Harray, 6 nests Tankerness; OHeb 85 nests Stornoway Woods may have halted the recent decline; NE further 10% decline Udny to 243 nests; Fife 1,048 nests at 21 sites, 7 colonies counted in the last 2 years show some stability (0.7% drop from ‘98); Forth 456 at 4 sites (378); Loth count from NT37 Musselburgh showed 117 nests at 8 sites (116 at 6 sites in 98); Bord counts from 9 scattered colonies; Arg 326 nests at 10 sites on Islay (353 at 11 sites in 98), 12prs Iona Abbey; Clyde Is 30 nests Millport, Great Cumbrae; Clyde 1,820 nests at 63 rookeries, largest was 110 nest in Milngavie, of 15 colonies also counted in ‘98 there had been a 10% in numbers; Ayr 3 colony counts; D&G 155prs Mersehead. First fledged young noted 13 May in Bord. Best flocks/roosts: 6,000 Alford NE, 650 Blairdrummond Forth, 644 N.Craig Res. Ayr & 550 Fala L in Jan; 600 Pitkerie F in Jun; 2,354 Balloch Castle Clyde in Aug; 400 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg in Sep; 2,000 Cameron Res. F in Oct; 3,500 Peebles B & 1,200 Hogganfield L. Clyde in Dec. Mixed Jackdaw/Rook flocks of 14,800 roosting Aberfeldy P&K in Jan. Elsewhere: A&D 450, Ork 200, Clyde Is 153, Shet 34, OHeb 30. Isles: Fair Is 1-5 in winter/spring, none in autumn; OHeb 1-7 S.Uist/Benbecula Feb-May, 30 N.Uist in Nov, singles Benbecula in Nov/Dec; Is of May 1-3 Mar-Apr; Arg 1 Oronsay in Mar, max 26 Tiree in Dec. A seasonally-confused Rook was seen sitting on a fully-formed nest at Cupar F in Nov. 2 W.Fife F colonies have recently been ‘moved on’ by Buzzard predation, a phenomenon also seen in the Borders as Buzzards spread. For an account of Easter Ross survey : seeMcGhie (2000) Scottish Birds 21:36-42. Carrion Crow Corvus corone Carrion Crow C.c.corone Breeding: Forth Sprs/km’ Doune CBC, 4prs lower Devon WBS; Loth 6-7prs Aberlady, 6prs Roslin Glen CBC , oprs Braid Hermitage; Bord 9prs Ettrick Marshes, 7prs St.Abbs. Mixed pairs Papa Westray Ork & Eigg H. Fair Is mixed pr bred; Ork mixed pr bred Holm; OHeb mixed pr bred; Is of May pr in residence but no proved breeding; Fife 13prs Longannet, breeding noted 7 other sites; Forth 5prs lower Devon WBS; Loth 30 nests Livingston village, 7-8prs Aberlady (6-7) & 4prs Roslin (6); Bord 12prs St.Abbs CBC (7) & 4prs Pease Dean; Clyde Is bred 1 site Arran; Clyde 49prs noted at 21 sites with 10prs Langlands, East Kilbride & 9prs Clyde MoD Estate#2. First fledged Bord 1 Jun. Max roosts/flocks: 220 Greenock Clyde & 120 Kinneil Forth in Jan; 280 Kinnordy A&D, 175 Auldcathie L & 102 Millichen Clyde in Feb; 200 Easter Inch Moss L in Mar; 100+ Auchencarroch Clyde in Jul; 200 Almond Pools L & 130 Millichen in Sep; 202 Musselburgh L in Oct. Out of range Carrions - Shet 8 records Jan-May, then 33 Haroldswick in May, some of which lingered into the summer, 6 records Sep-Dec; Fair Is occasional singles before spring passage peak of 19 birds in mid-May; Ork 8 records Jan-May before spring peak of 16 Papa Westray & 10 N.Ronaldsay in mid-May; OHeb just 1 noted in May; Arg just 3 singles Feb-Jun on the islands. Hooded Crow C.c. cornix Breeding: Shet pr bred Skerries; Fair Is 2-3prs resident; Ork Sprs The Loons, 2prs Copinsay; OHeb only Sprs located N.Uist where 4prs bred successfully, pr bred Monach Is.; M&N pr bred Findhorn Bay; Arg 5prs bred 112 Scottish Bird Report 1999 | Colonsay, 3-4prs bred Sanda Is. but only I pr successful, pr with young on Lunga, Treshnish Is.. Flocks - 200 Durkadale Ork Jan-Mar & Oct-Dec, also 60 Queenamidda Ork in Mar-Apr; 33 Haroldswick | Shet in May was considered unusual; 45 Glen Douglas Clyde in Oct. Out of range Hooded & hybrids: M&N small numbers Lossie Est. with hybrids peaking at 9 birds in Aug, at Findhorn Bay counts of mixed Crows found 2% Hoodies & 17% hybrids amongst the Carrions Apr-Jul. | Elsewhere records of pure birds & hybrids were as follows: A&D 2 Hooded + 0 hybrids; Forth 7+0, Loth 3+6, Bord 3+4, Clyde 20+31, Ayr 9+9 and D&G 0+6. | Common Raven (Raven) Corvus corax i, Occupied Sites Successful Young Breeding: Shet single prs Noss & Skerries; Fair Is 3prs | nests failed nests fledged MBS bred; Ork record numbers attempted to breed on Main- | land; OHeb 3prs reared 4 young Lewis, 6 families | N.Uist plus another shot in nest, 20prs fledged 18+ | young S.Uist, 2prs Eriskay, 4 birds St.Kilda; P&K at- | tempted at a min of 9 sites, including 2 sites reoccu- | pied after long absence; Loth pr+brS in Pentlands & | prt+br3 Moorfoots; Bord noted from c.27 areas in | breeding season but just 3 confirmed breeding reports; | Arg 5 additional prs reared 11 young, also 7prs Tiree, | 5 with clutches of eggs, also present Lunga & Fladda in the Treshnish Is. although there was no evidence of | breeding; Clyde Is | prospecting cliffs on Cumbrae; Ayr 37prs on territory; D&G 2br7 Grey Mare’s Tail. | Max counts: Shet 60 Skaw, Unst in Sep; Fair Is 22 in Oct; Ork 91 Hurtiso, Holm in Jul, 104 roost St.Ola in | Nov; OHeb 100 Langass, N.Uist in Apr, 200 Langass in Oct; P&K max 259 N.Perthshire roosts in Mar with | 202 & 230 at two other roosts at the end of the year; Arg 42 Bienn Gott, Tiree in Jul; Clyde 30 Ladymuir in “el D&G 75 Arecleoch in Oct & 80+ Garlick Hill. Best counts elsewhere 8 M&N, 5, NE, 4 A&D, 2 Fife, 2 Loth, 5 Bord & 6 Ayr. Fetlar Shet Mainland Ork 2 Elsewhere Ork Forth Colonsay Arg Cowal Arg Mull Arg Bute Clyde Is Clyde area BeNOR PLO * Daurian Starling Sturnus sturninus [1998] 1 Durness H 24-27 Sep. First-ever record for Britain. See Vittery (1999) in Birding Scotland 2: 31-33 for a brief account and photos of this bird. Photo in Birding World 11:376. Common Starling (Starling) Sturnus vulgaris ) Winter/Spring: 1,000 Kingsbarns & 1,000 Balranald, N.Uist OH in Jan; 25,000+ Gretna D&G & 10, 000+ | Peterhead NE in Feb; 5,000 Netherdale B & 1,000 Cathkin Braes Clyde in Mar; 800 Fair Is in Apr. Breeding: Shet 35-40prs bred Noss, 15prs Skerries, 104 Houll, N.Roe in Apr is believed to indicate the local breeding population; Fair Is 77 nests with MCS 3.9 & MBP 2.56; Ork 100prs bred Copinsay, 42prs N.Hill, | Papa Westray, 39prs Holm of Papay, 19prs Hobbister; NE 37 boxes Culterty produced 33 broods with MBS | 4.85 (4.36 in 98); A&D 20prs Barry Mill; Fife 8prs Eden Est. (2); Loth 20+prs Winchburgh & 7prs Roslin | CBC (9); Bord 57 nests Eddleston (63) & 8prs Whithaugh; Clyde 54prs at 13 sites with 10prs Pilmuir Quarry. | First fledged Clyde 14 May, Fife-18 May, Bord 19 May, Is of May 4 Jun, Shet 7 Jun. | Autumn/Winter: 2,000 Papa Westray Ork in Aug; 30,000 Muirtack NE, 3,000 L.Sandary, N.Uist OH, 2,800 L.Heart Ayr, 2,000 Kinnordy A&D & 1,000 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg in Sep; 1,000-2,000 Kirkwall Ork Sep- Dec; | 30,000 Auchencrow B, 1,800 Bent Field Clyde, 1,000 L.Spynie M&N & 1,000 Westruther B in Oct; 6,000 Lochmaben D&G, 5,000 Ardivachar Pt. S.Uist OH, 3,000 St.Ola Ork, 1,050 Whitfield B, 1,000 Peel Hill Clyde & 1,000 Marlee P&K in Nov; 5,000 Pitrathie F in Dec. Rosy Starling (Rose-coloured Starling) Sturnus roseus Ad Twynholm D&G 12-17 Jun; ad Burghead M&N 25-28 Jun; ad Baltasound Shet 29 Jun-4 Jul; ad South L.Eynort, S.Uist OH 7 Aug; juv Grutness Shet 4 Sep; juv Fair Is 23 Sep-1 Oct. The dates hint that just one adult may have been present in spring, gradually moving north (and then west ?). | Photo of Fair Is bird: see Birding World 12:399 House Sparrow Passer domesticus Breeding: Shet c.15prs Skerries, poor breeding season in Trondra nest-boxes with 3prs managing MBS of 1.0; Ork Sprs bred Quoyberstane, St.Ola but population thought to be in decline generally; M&N 6prs managed R.D.Murray [Ed.] 113 IR PE aS DE EC OST TE eS a PE OL a es A RE 5br17 (MBS 3.2) for the 1st broods; NE increase in numbers over last 2 years due to good breeding season weather; Loth 5 broods Tippets Knowe, noted at 2 other sites; Bord counts of 50-80 birds during May-Jun in 5 farms & 20-50 in another 6 farms in Berwickshire; Clyde 88prs at 13 sites with 59prs at 7 sites in East Kilbride. First chicks fledged Fife 9 May, Ork 29 May, Bord 4 Jun. Last chicks in nest Shet 6 Sep. Largest flocks: 169 N.Ronaldsay Ork in Apr; 100 Middleton Farm Clyde & 100 Cruden Bay NE in Jul; 300 King Henry’s Knowe Clyde, 130 Sandyford Ayr, 120 Girdleness NE, & 105 Winchburgh L in Aug; 300 Black- stone Mains Clyde, 230 Auchans Clyde, 117 N.Ronaldsay, 100 Ardestie A& D & 100 Anstruther F in Sep; 120 Loig P&K in Oct. Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Tree Sparrow) Passer montanus Breeding: Ork hybrid sparrows noted again on N.Ronaldsay with 2 in Jan & a juv in Sep; M&N Sprs Longmorn where 4prs managed 7 broods, at Invererne another Sprs had MCS 5.0 & MBS 4.0, noted breeding 3 other sites; NE bred at least 8 sites with 15/17 boxes occupied at Potterton with 69 young fledging from 25 attempts; P&K slight decline Blairgowrie; Fife 16prs Damhead of Torr, 7prs Burnturk reared 17 young, noted at 10 other sites with confirmed breeding at 4 sites; Loth confirmed breeding at 4 sites with 6prs Glendevon Farm; Bord noted at 20 sites in survey with confirmed breeding at 4 sites including 7prs in boxes Newmains; Clyde 1 4prs at 8 sites with 6prs Newton Farm; 41prs noted at 16 sites in survey including 9prs Warwickhill & Sprs Milton Farm; D&G noted 3 sites in breeding season. First broods fledged 31 May M&N, 9 Jun Bord & Clyde 17 Jun; 2nd broods fledged, 5 Jul M&N, mid-Aug NE; 3rd brood on 13 Aug M&N. Max flocks seen: 140 Lecropt Forth, 80 Potterton NE, 80 Newmains B, 60 Whiteford NE, 54 Thornhill Carse Forth, 48 Stenton L, 41 Springside Ayr, 36 Lunan Bay A&D & 32 Faucheldean L in Jan; 36 Kedlock F in Feb; 45 Piairlie M&N, 40 Cairneyhill F & 35 Summerston Clyde in Mar; 40 Blackstoun Clyde & 40 Cairn Farm F in Apr; 44 Walkinshaw Gardens Clyde in Jul; 40 Ludquharn NE in Sep; 50 Inverurie NE in Oct; 120 Lecropt, 100+ Saline F & 50 Netherton Clyde in Nov; 120 Newmains, 45 Newton Farm Clyde, 40+ Craigluscar F, 40 Bankfoot P&K and 40 Cairneyhill in Dec. 1 Norwick Shet 2-3 Jun was first there since 1997. Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Winter/Spring: After a poor autumn for passage birds there were only 5 large flocks noted Jan-Mar & just 3 medium-sized flocks: 2,700 Kinbuck Forth, 1,800 Purgavie Farm A&D & 400 Chapel of Garloch NE in Jan; 1,700 Saline F, 1,200 Benhervie NE, 1,100 Blackstoun Clyde, 500 Longannet F & 500 Cairneyhill F in Feb. Flocks of 200-399 at M&N (5), NE (1), Fife (1), Forth (1), Bord (6), and single flocks NE, Fife, Clyde Is, Clyde. Ayr and D&G. Max elsewhere: 15 Shet, 1 Fair Is, 10 Ork, 15 OHeb &150 Arg. Breeding: Ork 8prs on Mainland, 1-2mm sang Hoy & 1m sang Rousay; OHeb singing birds at 5 sites; Fife 29prs Valleyfield Woods (19), 20prs Eden Est. (14), 14prs Cameron Res., 9prs Kinshaldy & c.24prs at 10 other sites; Forth 9prs lower Devon WBS; Loth 34prs Roslin Glen CBC (39), 29prs Aberlady (33) & 24prs Vogrie CBC (20), 1 nest located Victoria Terrace, central Edinburgh; Bord 28mm Ladyurd (31), 25mm Southpark Wood, 24mm Pease Dean, 17mm Whithaugh & 14mm Castlecraig (32); Arg 27prs Taynish CBC (28); Clyde 391 prs at 45 sites included 55prs Clyde MoD Estate#2, 53prs Midross, 41 prs Ravenscraig, 18prs Lochwinnoch & 17prs Merryton. Autumn/winter: Passage was slight and includes 80 Whalsay Shet, 60 Sumburgh Shet, 40-50 daily Fair Is, max 35 Is of May 21-26 Sep. While the passage numbers were low, the winter numbers were a little higher than the poor year of 1998 with large flocks of 2,000 The Laggan Arg & 600 Kinbuck Forth in Sep; 1,000 Shieldbank F, 1,000 Tayinloan Arg & 800 Craigluscar F in Nov; 1,000 Tertowie NE, 1,000 Peppermill Dam F, 800 Lecropt Forth & 600 Mulindry, Islay Arg in Dec. Medium-sized flocks of 400-500 were scarce with singles in M&N, Fife & Bord. Flocks of 200-399 were noted in Arg (4) & Forth (2) and in M&N, NE, A&D, Fife & Bord. Brambling Fringilla montifringilla Winter/Spring: After a terrible autumn for passage birds almost no Brambling were to be found in Scotland in winter of 1998/99. The largest flocks were: 80 Hamiltonhall B 26 Feb-25 Mar; 120 Piersknowe B 21 Mar with 21 there 11 Apr; 700 Cambushinnie Forth 3 Apr with last 5 there 17 Apr. _ The max area counts elsewhere were truly miserable with: Ayr 25, D&G 20, Fife 15, Loth 14, Clyde 9, OHeb 8, Arg 6, NE & Ork 2 with none M&N, Fair Is & Shet. EMA DED ME OY DME ER SS TES OTN eS SY SS a a SN 114 Scottish Bird Report 1999 CL TTI RN RP OS SE With such poor numbers it is hardly surprising that the spring passage was also poor or non-existent. Passage peaks only came from the isles with movement 21-26 Apr when 30 Skaw, Unst Shet, 14 Skerries Shet, 45 Fair Is but only a max of 5 in Ork. Last D&G & Clyde 1-8 Apr; Forth, A&D, Loth, Ayr, Is of May & Bord 17-29 Apr; Fife 1 May; NE 13 May; Arg 15 May; Shet 25 May. Breeding: High pr in suitable habitat 9 May, also 3 mm sang at 2 other sites; Arg 1m Lochgilphead in late Jun. Autumn/Winter: First NE 18 Sep; Bord 19 Sep; Is of May 30 Sep; Clyde Is, Loth & Fife 15-16 Oct. Passage was very low key with max counts of 30 Fair Is & 12 Whalsay Shet 22-24 Sep; 60 Fair Is, 40 N.Unst Shet, 35 Swining Shet, 27 Whalsay, 20 Is of May, 17 North Ronaldsay Ork, 16 Crantit Ork, 10 Kergord Shet, 10 Balcomie Castle F & 10 St.Abbs B on 15-25 Oct; 7 Stormfirth Shet 1 Nov. With passage numbers so low it is hardly surprising that the 1999/2000 winter could only scrape up best counts of 24 Stantling Craig Res. B 5 Nov; 30W Craigurd B 10 Nov; 500 Lochurd B 16-21 Nov; 50 Lintrathen A&D & 30 Castle Menzies P&K on 21-22 Nov; 50 Kilbucho B on 28 Nov; 150 Whiteadder L, 50 Kilbucho B and 50 Blackford P&K 27-29 Nov; 30 Lauder B 13 Dec; 30 Braco P&K 19 Dec; 20 Cambushinnie, 18+ Rhynie NE & 10 Gallowhill NE 27-30 Dec. Max Nov/Dec counts elsewhere were perhaps the worst for many years with just 6 D&G, 4 Clyde, 2 M&N, Ork & Arg and just singles Shet, Fife & Ayr and with none Fair Is, OHeb & Clyde Is. _ European Greenfinch (Greenfinch) Carduelis chloris Winter/Spring: The largest flocks noted were 200 Finnieston Clyde and 185 Dalmoak Farm Clyde in Jan; 400 Saline F, 150 Bridge of Dun A&D and 130 Highlandman Loan P&K in Feb. Max elsewhere were 90 Bord, 70 Ayr, 60 Ayr, 55 Loth, 20 D&G, 16 OHeb, 15+ Arg N.Isles - max flocks of 40 Heddle Road Ork & 10 Herston Ork in Jan, otherwise low numbers with poor spring N.Isles with 2 singles Fair Is in Mar/Apr, 4 singles Shet in Apr/May. Breeding: Ork 10mm Kirkwall, 5mm Finstown, 3mm Rousay & Im Queenamidda; OHeb mm Clachan- Lochmaddy area N.Uist, small numbers noted 8 other areas; Fife 4prs Eden Est. (7) with 19prs noted at 9 other sites; Loth noted 6 sites; Bord noted just 7 sites; Arg 2mm Colonsay Ho., Colonsay, fledged young Airidh, Tiree; Clyde Is pr Millport, Gt.Cumbrae; Clyde 11 8prs at 54 sites with 55mm at several sites in East Kilbride & 8prs Clyde MoD Estate#2. First fledged young Ork 17 May. Autumn/Winter: a better autumn with more large flocks evident: 250 Blackford P&K in Oct; 500 Shieldbank F in Nov; 900 Braco P&K, 800 Lecropt Forth, 400 Kirkoswald Ayr, 300 Torrance Clyde & 300 Roseisle M&N in Dec. Medium-sized flocks were rather scarce with just a few in the 100-300 size range in M&N (5), NE (1), Fife (1) & Bord (2). Elsewhere just 40 Loth & Arg, 35 Ork & 20 Clyde Is and none Ork. European Goldfinch (Goldfinch) Carduelis carduelis Winter/Spring: 240 Tarras M&N, 1,200 Fortingall P&K, 150 Whitburgh L, 100 Monifieth A&D & 100 Potterton NE in Jan; 800 at Langfaulds F, 334 Den of Lindores F, 100 Aberfeldy P&K & 100 Blackford P&K in Feb; 200 Torry F & 110 Loiriston L. NE in Mar. Flocks 50-99 Fife (3), Loth (4) & Bord (1). Max elsewhere: 40 Ayr & 30 Clyde & <10 OHeb & Arg. Breeding: Fife 1 1prs Eden Est. (6-7), noted 13 other sites; Forth 4prs lower Devon WBS; Loth noted 8 sites; Bord noted 21 sites with 4prs Burnmouth; Arg 2prs Taynish CBC, noted 17 other sites; Clyde Is 2prs Gt.Cumbrae; Clyde 87prs at 46 sites with 9prs Ravenscraig & Sprs Calderglen; Ayr noted 3 sites with Sprs Dreghorn. First fledged young Fife 10 Jul & Bord 11 Jul. Autumn/Winter: 150 Kilspindie L, 110 Ruddon’s Pt. F & 100 each at Merk- land Moss D&G, Threave D&G & Aberlady L in Sep; 160 Blackford P&K & 100 Knockshinnoch Ayr in Oct; 250 Oldmeldrum NE in Nov; 300+ New- machar NE, 300 Purgavie A&D, 200 Scraesburgh B, 160 Roseisle M&N & 100+ Slains Lodge NE in Dec. 50-99 noted M&N (3), A&D (1), P&K (1), Fife (5), Forth (1), Loth (2), Bord (4) & Clyde (12). Max elsewhere D&G 45, Clyde Is 40 & Arg 28. Goldfinch N.Isles - 12 records of 1-3 birds Fair Is & 6 records of 1-4 Ork in Apr/May Sieve Thifney & 6 records of 1-3 birds Shet in May. 3 parties Fair Is Oct-Nov, max 1l on — Faj+- Isle Bird Observatory 16 Oct, also 2 singles Shet in Nov & 2 Ork in Dec. Report R.D.Murray |[Ed.] 115 AEE ED GEL ED FT IRD OEDEMA, UA EO ERS PEE a PPO | RN NN LO Eurasian Siskin (Siskin) Carduelis spinus Winter/spring: 200 Valleyfield F & Logieriat P&K, 180 Aberfeldy P&K, 150 Baberton L, 80 Shewalton Ayr, 70 Endrick Mouth Clyde & 60 Baron’s Haugh Clyde, Cordon, Arran Clyde Is, Jedburgh B & Kilconguhar F in Jan; 50 Carron Valley Clyde in Feb; 77 Ugie Est. NE, 70 Tentsmuir F & 40-60 birds Balquidder Forth, Castle L. D&G, Mundole M&N & Hazelhead NE in Mar; 100+ Banchory NE, 70 Ballater NE & Dinnet NE in Apr. N. Isles: First Fair Is 17 Mar, Shet 18 Mar & Ork 26 Mar. Peak counts were 26 Fair Is, 18 Voe Shet & 11 Sanday Ork 23-24 Apr with scattered sightings into Jun. Breeding: Fife 5prs Bath & singles prs at 2 other sites; Forth just single pr noted displaying; Loth reports at just 2 sites; Bord 52prs noted from 20 sites with 10prs Ettrick Marshes 7mm Ladyurd & Duns Castle and 6mm Whithaugh; Arg none Taynish CBC (3) but widespread reports elsewhere; Clyde SOprs at 21 sites with 15prs Clyde MoD Estate#2; Ayr noted 3 sites. First fledglings Bord 13 May & Loth 15 May. Autumn/winter: Passage: small numbers from early Aug with 30 Is of May 23 Aug; 95 Fair Is, 80 Quendale Shet, 50 Norwick Shet & 50 Whalsay Shet 13-16 Sep; 60 Foula Shet 19 Sep; 120 Fair Is, 60 Quendale and 49 N.Ronaldsay Ork 22-25 Sep. Flocks: 60 Forfar A&D in Aug; 40 Shierglas P&K in Sep; 70 Old Dee NE, 70 Pitcox L & 40 Netherton Braes Clyde in Oct; 100 Glen Finglas Forth, 90 L.Lubnaig Forth, 70 Nairn M&N, 50 Carron M&N & 40 Robroys- ton Clyde in Nov; 200 Longannet, 80 L.of Craiglush P&K, 60 Innerleithen B, 60 south L.Tummel P&K and 50 south L.Tay P&K in Dec. Common Linnet (Linnet) Carduelis cannabina Winter/Spring: 900 Kinneil Forth & 600 Purgavie A&D in Jan; 1,000 Langfaulds F, 950 Muthill P&K and 400 Gartary F in Feb; 1,000+ Cardyke Farm Clyde & 900 Auchterarder P&K in Mar; 500 Gilston Marsh F in Apr. Flocks 200-300 M&N (1), A&D (1), P&K (2), Fife (2), Forth (2), Loth (2), Bord (1), Arg 24, Ayr 100 & D&G 120. Max elsewhere Shet 4, Fair Is 3, Ork 20, 5 Is of May. Breeding: Ork noted at least 9 sites; OHeb bred at least 4 sites; Fife 18prs Saline Golf Course, 9prs Eden Est. (6), Sprs Longannet, bred at 10 other sites; Loth 17prs Aberlady & 15prs Musselburgh; Bord 9prs St. Abbs CBC, bred 9 other sites; Arg 10prs Treshnish Is., 3prs Taynish CBC, 2prs Coll reserve; Clyde 42prs at 27 sites; Ayr bred 7 sites with Sprs Knockbentier. Autumn/Winter: 450 Eyemouth B in Sep; 650 Blackford P&K in Oct; 800 Lochurd B, 600 Clatto F, 400 Bank of Roseisle M&N & 400 Clarilaw B in Nov; 800 Drainie M&N, 600 College of Roseisle M&N, 500 Lochty Farm F & 382 Lecropt Forth in Dec. Flocks of 200-300 M&N (2), NE (2), A&D (1), P&K (1), Fife (5), Bord (2) & D&G (2). Max elsewhere nil Shet, 3 Fair Is, Ork 174, Is of May 50, Loth (100), Arg 105, Clyde Is 40 & Ayr 115. Unusual visible passage Fife Ness F with 148W/lhr on 10 Aug & 377SW/lhr on 12 Aug. Twite Carduelis flavirostris Winter/Spring: 560 Blackford P&K, 340 Bornish, S.Uist OH, 300 Sunnybank Ork, 250 Bigging Ork & 130 Bale- martine, Tiree Arg in Jan; 800 Fortingall P&K & 400 Braco P&K in Feb; 650 Bardhill P&K & 600 Cambushinnie P&K in Mar. Breeding: Shet 7prs Noss, present Skerries but no proof of breeding; Ork survey of 25 random lkm squares found at 11 occupied squares with 27prs (mostly near the coast), max 6prs in one square, 25mm noted at other sites; OHeb 2 St.Kilda in Jul; NE 4 Strathdon in Jul, 2 Ballater in Aug; A&D 8 Glen Isla in Apr; Forth 3 sites Glen Finglas, also Glen Ogle, & Braeleny; Loth pr carrying food Moorfoot Valley in Jun; Arg survey of Colonsay found 1|3prs, c.7prs Treshnish Is., with 4-Sprs Lunga, 2prs Fladda & c.2prs with young Bac Mor, 8-10prs Sanda Is., 2prs with young Coll reserve, 3prs with 13 young Clachan on mainland, wide- spread Tiree with 28 in lkm/’, several prs Iona & known from 8 sites on Kintyre, 5 sites on Mull & Scarba on the ‘mainland; Clyde Is 2-4 birds noted Arran & Bute; Clyde pr upper Glen Fruin in Jul; Ayr 4 Currarie Port during Twite, N.Ronaldsay Jun, 1988 - A.Hogg EST IR IE EI UIE ONE oP E SPOT SL AO STD NO OD SET RE EE 116 Scottish Bird Report 1999 CS I a a a a Se RT SY TID Apr, 4 birds Portandea in Jun; D&G 4 Mull of Galloway, pr Laggantallach Head, 2prs Breddoch Bay & 1 Burrow Head. First young fledged Arg 22 May; D&G 20 Jun; Shet 4 Jul. Autumn/Winter: 700 Blackford P&K, 600 Borve, Benbecula OH, 212 The Reef, Tiree Arg & 200 Quendale Shet in Oct; 400 Middlesquarter, N.Uist OH & 250 Lyking, Holm Ork in Nov; 400 Costa Ork, 300 Bigging, 300 Balranald, N.Uist OH, 280 Newark Bay Ork, 260 Braco & 200 Quoys Ork in Dec. S of Highlands: 250 W.Cambushinnie Forth & 120 Meigle Hill B in Jan; 100 Whiteadder Lin Feb; 120 Dipple shore Ayr in Mar; 230 Cambushinnie, 200 Lintrathen A&D, 200 Auchinderran M&N, 100 Collieston NE & 70 Kingsbarns F in Nov; 200 Wig Bay D&G, 100+ Girvan Ayr, 100 Balyett D&G, 100 Gladhouse L, 100 Toxside | Moss L & 80 Skinflats Forth in Dec. Lesser Redpoll (Redpoll) Carduelis cabaret Winter/Spring: 60 Cluny P&K & 50 L.Ore F in Jan; 80 Valleyfield F, 50 Mhoine Mhor Arg, 40 Milton L. D&G & 30 Burnhervie NE in Feb; 45 L.Glow F & 34 Star Moss F in Mar; 30 Netherby B in Apr. Breeding: Ork bred 8 sites Mainland, 70prs Stronsay, increasing Eday & many prs N.Ronaldsay; OHeb singing | mm at 4 sites; NE 2prs bred Strathbeg; P&K noted from 12 sites; Fife birds noted 11 sites, the first evidence of | breeding in recent years; Forth noted at 3 sites Cromlix; Loth noted 5 sites; Bord 32prs noted 13 sites with 6prs Ladyurd & Sprs Ettrick Marshes & Whithaugh; Arg 7prs Taynish CBC (5), 5-10prs Colonsay, 12+ Cam L., 10+ | L.Romain, also noted 3 sites Islay, 7 sites Mull & 4 sites mainland - apparently a very good breeding season; Clyde 96prs noted at 36 sites with 11prs Midross, 7prs Clyde MoD Estate#2 & Corse Hill & Sprs Kilpatrick | Braes; Ayr 35mm noted at 22 sites with 4mm L.Nahine; D&G noted 2 sites in breeding season. First fledged young seen Clyde 27 Jun; Bord 20 Aug. Autumn/Winter: 132 N.Ronaldsay & 70 Keils, Islay Arg in Aug; 130 Herston Ork, 80 Blackhill Plantation | Clyde & 65 Pressmennan L in Sep; 174 N.Ronaldsay, 60 Bogsbank B, 50 Ballinluig P&K & 50 Mersehead D&G in Oct; 60 Delnapot M&N, 45 Tough NE, 45 Cardowan Woods Clyde, 40 Calderwood L & 35 euneleae Forth in Nov; 200 Forter A&D, 46 S.Esk L & 30 L.Voil Forth in Dec. N.Isles: 2 Fair Is 10 Apr with 1 there 9 Aug; 1 Sandwick Shet 29 Aug. Common Redpoll (Mealy Redpoll) Carduelis flammea Winter/Spring: | Baltasound Shet 4 Jan; 4 Bigton Shet 27 Jan; 1 Ben Risary, N.Uist OH 29 Jan; 1 Lerwick iL Shet 8 Feb; 1 Coltness Clyde 1 Mar, 10 Apr & 14 May; 28 Drummy Wood F 13 Mar; 1 Sumburgh 26 Apr; 2 Fair Is 12-14 May; 1 Haroldswick Shet 19 May; | Voe Shet 29 May; 1 Quendale Shet 2 Jun; 2 FairIs 2-12 | | Jun; 2 Gloup, Yell Shet 4 Jul. Breeding: pr Tresta Shet with br1 in Jul. Autumn/Winter: 70 Achmore, Lewis OH late Aug; 2 Fair Is 23 Aug; | Fetlar Shet 13 Sep; 3 Quendale Shet 25 Sep; 20 Horgabost, Harris OH early Oct; 3 Skaw, Unst Shet 19 Oct; 1 Drums NE 24 Oct; 3 Baltasound 25 Oct; 1-3 Whalsay Shet 11-15 Nov; 2 Forter A&D & | Montreathmont A&D | Dec; 2 Lerwick Shet 20 Dec. For account of Common Redpoll identification in North-east: see Gibbins & Baxter (2000) Birding Scotland 3: 9-11. Greenland Redpoll C.f rostrata 2 islandica/rostrata Quendale Shet 9 Oct; 1 rostrata Fair Is 16-20 Oct. * Arctic Redpoll Carduelis hornemanni 1 Barrock Caith 7 Feb. 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 6-29 Oct; 1 Sandsound, Tresta Shet 7 Oct; 1 Fair Is 18-21 Oct with another there on 20- | 26 Oct (probably exlipes). Photos: Tresta in Birding World 12:399 & Birding Scotland 3(1) cover & Fair Is in Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report: 1999. [1986] Ist-w Fair Is 20-25 Oct. * Two-barred Crossbill Loxia leucoptera 1 juv Symbister, Whalsay Shet 25-26 Sep. The eleventh record for Shetland, the last one there was in 1990. For an account of this bird: see Gordon & Crockett (2000) Birding Scotland 3:38. R.D.Murray [Ed.] 117 Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra Records were generally quite few in number in the early part of the year with little indication of breeding activity. Numbers generally picked up in the west from late Apr/early May, from early Jun in the east & from late Jun on the islands. The handful of confirmed breeding records in Jun & Jul were mostly considered to be immigrants from elsewhere in Scotland or from abroad. A poor cone year meant that birds were mostly rather scarce later in the year. Breeding: NE records from 6 sites Jan-Jun; A&D just | site Jan-Jun; Fife noted just | site Jan-Jun & so single families noted at Ceres, Moor L. & Craigmead in Jul were probably immigrants; Forth noted just 2 sites in the early year although families noted Skinflats 2-3 Jul; Leth noted from 5 sites in the early year, pr+br4 noted Harlaw 20 Jun could have been locally bred; Bord noted 12 sites Jan-Apr but no confirmed breeding then more widespread from early Jun suggesting immigration/dispersal; Arg some hint of influx into area in Feb and suggestions of breeding activity, 20 Dalvish included fledged juveniles on 30 Apr; Clyde Is may have bred Arran where 15+ Brodick 15 May; Clyde noted 16 areas Jan-Apr with pr building nest Gryfe 24 Jan, 4 (2 juvs) Maol Meadhonach 4 Jul could have been immigrants; Ayr noted 5 sites Jan-Apr before wandering flocks in late May but no confirmed breeding; D&G few reports. Flocks: 30 Bennan D&G & 20 Drummond Hill P&K in Jan; 47 Carron Valley Forth & 40+ Glenbranter Arg in Apr; 25 on Shennas Ayr & 20 at Screel D&G in May; 80 Tyninghame L, 20 West Loch B, 12 on L.Ordie P&K, 10 Ballinluig P&K & 10 Inverary NE in Jun; 15 Ballinluig, 13 Edinburgh L, 12 Broughty Ferry A&D and 10 Kinnoir Wood NE in Jul; 11 Bachnagairn A&D &10 at Barry Buddon A&D in Aug; 9 at Dunblane Forth and 8 Cascade B in Sep; 10 Spartleton L & 10 Whiteadder L in Oct; 12 Blair Atholl P&K & 11 Carsebeck P&K in Dec. Passage: Small numbers Jun-Oct with peaks late Jun, late Jul & late Sep. First Ork 6 Jun; Shet 17 Jun, Fair Is 22 Jun; Is of May 3 Jul. Max passage: 10 Queenamidda Ork 20 Jun; 8 White Glen, Hoy Ork 4 Jul; 7 Scalloway Shet 11 Jul; 30 Kergord Shet 25-31 Jul; 23 Fair Is on 15 Aug; 7 Fetlar Shet 18 Aug; 30 Fair Is 28 Aug-5 Sep; 6 Queenamidda 7 Sep; 9 Berriesdale, Hoy Ork | Oct. Scottish Crossbill Loxia scotica M&N 1 L.Bo in Apr, 2 Culbin Forest in Jul were the only definite records although 15 other records of indeter- minate birds; NE just 3 records due to the poor cone crop, 10 Aboyne in May, 10 Linn 0’Dee in Aug & 3 Invercauld in Nov. Parrot Crossbill Loxia pytopsittacus NE no reports, low numbers are thought likely with the poor cone crop. The situation with the BBRC of these large-billed birds remains unresolved. Common Rosefinch Passer montanus Spring: First 1 Fetlar Shet 24 May; Ork 27 May; Is of May 28 May; Fair Is 31 May; Arg 10 Jun. Small influx 27 May- 3 Jun when 2 Skerries Shet, 2 Fair Is, 2 Papa Westray Ork & 2 Is of May with singles Gord Shet, Noss Shet, Baltasound Shet, Fair Is, St.Kilda OH. Further singles Fair Is 7 & 27 Jun. Breeding: Arg ad m sang Arduaine Forest 10 Jun & Ist-s min song Seafield Farm, Bowmore, Islay 23 & 27 Jun. Autumn: | Norwick Shet May May Jun Jun Jul Jul Aug Aug Sep Sep Oct Oct Total 27-28 Jul. First of autumn 115 1641 115 1630 1-15 1631 1-15 1631 1-15 1630 1-15 16-31 Ork 20 Aug; Shet 23 Aug; | N-Isles - 9 2.59 Fair Is 24 Aug; Is of May ee 3 ; 25 Aug; NE 27 Aug; A&D W Scot : 5 Sep; OHeb 13 Sep. 1999 aT Late Aug arrival: 7 Shet, {1998 i 2 3 c.3 Fair Is, 3 Ork & singles Is of May . Cove NE. Singles Fishtown of Usan A&D 6-7 Sep and a steady trickle of birds 7-17 Sep through Shet (6), Fair Is, Ork (3) with singles Is of May & Carnish, N.Uist OH. This was followed by an influx 20-29 Sep when 12 Shet, several Fair Is and a single Girdleness NE. Few thereafter but singles Norwick 16 Oct, Haroldswick Shet 17 Oct and a juv High Kildonan, Arran Clyde Is 24 Oct. 17 in spring , 2 in summer & 42 in autumn. First record for Arran & Clyde Islands, third record for Angus & Dundee and 7th & 8th for Argyll. [1998] Ist-s m Flannan Is OH 6 &11 Jun. 118 Scottish Bird Report 1999 Common Bullfinch (Bullfinch) Pyrrhula pyrrhula Breeding: Fife 21prs noted 18 sites, mostly single prs but 3prs Glassarts, 3 broods noted but 5 predated nests found Valleyfield Woods; Loth 6 sites with 5prs Aberlady (5), 3prs Roslin Glen. 4 broods seen; Bord noted 18 sites with broods noted at 3 sites; Arg noted at least 6 sites with lpr Taynish CBC (1); Clyde S8prs at 44 sites with 4prs noted Ravenscraig & 3prs Calderglen, Douglas Estate & R.Calder. First broods noted Ayr 11 Jul, Bord 22 Aug. Largest counts: 20 Falls of Cruachan Arg, 19 Newbattle Abbey L, 18 Keir L. F, 17 Scone P&K & 16 Fannyside Muir Clyde in Jan; 18 Cairn Mon Ern NE & 16 L. Venachar Forth in Feb; 43 Derculich P&K & 28 L.na Craige P&K in Mar; 22 Inverkeithny NE in Aug; 16 Kinnordy A&D in Oct; 30 Calderwood L in Nov; 20 Glen Muick NE & 15 Minch Moor B in Dec. Largest elsewhere 10 M&N, 5 Clyde Is. Passage: Just a single record N.Isles in spring: 1 Voe Shet 25 Apr. Good autumn passage of bright birds of the nominate race Pp. pyrrhula with 100 Shet, 100+ Fair Is, 70 Ork, 3 OHeb, 4 Is of May, 5 NE coast, 6 Fife coast. First Shet 7 Oct, Fair Is 15 Oct & Ork 17 Oct with the main influx 20-31 Oct. Best counts were 15 Fair Is 20 Oct, 7 Geosetter Shet & 5+ Balcomie Castle F 21 Oct, 9 Whalsay Shet 25 Oct & 20 Fair Is 26 Oct. Some of the birds lingered into Nov. Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes : Passage: Spring singles Bigton Shet 6 Apr; Sandwick Shet 9 Apr; N.Ronaldsay Ork 29 Apr; Stornoway _ Woods, Lewis OH 3 May; St.KildaOH 7 & 10 May; Helendale Shet 13 May; W.Sandwick; Gisla, Lewis OH 13-28 May; Yell Shet 14 May; Busta Shet 15-15 May; N.Locheynort, S.Uist OH 18 May; Woodwick House, Evie Ork 6 Jun. Autumn singles Geosetter Shet 10 Aug; Fair Is 16-18 Sep; Whalsay Shet 23 Sep; Skerries Shet 24 Sep; Northdale, Unst Shet 25 Sep; Brae Shet 26 Sep. | Breeding: Birds from potential & known breeding sites (some could be migrants): Shet pr Kergord 21 May to 13 Jun were seen carrying nest material; NE 1 Banchory in Feb & 1 Strichen in Apr; P&K 5 Scone Palace in Feb with 2 there in Apr, also 1 Grandtully in Mar; Loth | Faucheldean in Apr; Bord singles seen Monteviot in Jan & Nov. Photo of Kergord bird: see Birding World 12:219 * Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata lst-s m Fair Is 3-5 Jun; Ist-w m Grogarry, S.Uist OH 17 Oct. The second records for both Fair Isle & the Outer Hebrides and the 4th & 5th records for Scotland . Previous records For an account of the Fair Is bird: see Holt (1999) Birding 1977 18 May Fair Isle 18 May World 12:39 & Holt (1999) Birding Scotland: 2:185. For an 1982 22-23 Oct Newton, N.Uist Outer Hebrides| count of the S.Uist bird: see Birding World 12:437. 1995 13 Oct North Ronaldsay Orkney Photos: Birding World 12:491 & Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report: 1999. Lapland Longspur ae Stuart Rivers Vs Fife Bird Report R.D.Murray [Ed.] : 119 Lapland Longspur (Lapland Bunting) Calcarius lapponicus Winter/spring: 1 Musselburgh L 3 Jan; max 15 Cruden Bay NE 13 Mar, then smaller numbers until last 3 there 10 Apr; 1 Papa Westray Ork 16 Apr with another there 17 Apr; 1 Balranald, N.Uist OH 18 Apr; 1 Boreray, St.Kilda OH 26 May; 4 Fair Is 5-27 May. 1 Mull Head, Papa Westray Ork 22 Jul was an odd date. Autumn/winter: present Fair Is 31 Aug-26 Oct, with 1-5 daily & max 10 on 6 Oct; 7 records OHeb of 1-3 birds 4 Sep-28 Nov. 2 Skaw, Unst Shet 12 Sep; 1 Scatness Shet 13-14 Sep; 1 The Reef, Tiree Arg 16 Sep; 1 Lumma Shet 18 Sep; various singles daily N.Ronaldsay Ork 19 Sep-2 Nov; 2 Foula Shet 20 Sep; 1 Sumburgh Shet & 1 Ardnave, Islay Arg 21 Sep; 2 Colonsay Arg & 1 Geosetter Shet 23 Sep; 1 Eswick Shet 24 Sep; 1 Sandwick Shet 26 Sep; 3 Whalsay Shet 30 Sep; 2 Skerries Shet & 1 Goosepools F 1 Oct; 1 Baltasound Shet 4 Oct. 3 Kilminning F 20 Nov with 2 there 22 Nov; | Tyninghame L 21 Nov; 1 Culbin Bar M&N 12 Dec into 2000. Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis Winter/spring: max flocks: 250 Methlick NE, 200 Balranald, N.Uist OH, 150 Montgrew M&N, 70 Leslie F, 70 Tayinloan Arg, 60 Finstown Ork, 60 N.Ronaldsay Ork, 55 The Loons Ork, 50+ Kinnaber A&D, 50 The Lecht NE, 50 Lossiemouth M&N in Jan; a massive 1,100 Alford NE, 170 Dowlaw B, 150 Culla, Benbecula OH, 150 Kirriemuir A&D, 140 Faseny Bridge L, 100+ Corgraff NE, 100 Tibbermore P&K, 80 Memus A&D & 50 Gloup Ork in Feb. Max elsewhere: 34 Clyde, 14 Shet & 10 Ayr in Jan; 26 Fair Is, 20+ D&G & 1 Clyde Is in Mar. Last M&N, D&G, Clyde, Forth & NE 1-6 Mar; P&K, Clyde Is, Ayr, Bord & Is of May 14-25 Mar; Fife 8 Apr; Arg & OHeb 15-17 Apr; Fair Is & Ork 20-21 May; last 1 Whalsay Shet 30 May. Breeding: NE small numbers on several high tops with a singing male & a fledged chick in Jul; P&K 2 juvs on a northern summit in Jul. First fledged noted NE 12 Jul and P&K 25 Jul. Autumn/winter: First Fair Is 12 Sep; Ork, Shet & NE 17-20 Sep; Arg 30 Sep; M&N, Bord & Is of May 6-14 Oct; Loth, Ayr & Clyde Is 23-29 Oct; Fife, Forth & Clyde 3-14 Nov; P&K 21 Nov; A&D 6 Dec. Largest flocks in N & isles: 230 Fair Is, 60 Newark Ork, 60 Furrowend, Shapinsay Ork, 60 Papa Westray Ork & 40 Eswick Shet in Oct; 260 Fair Is, 200 Hurray L. Ork, 200 Gloup Ork, 180 N.Ronaldsay, 150 Back, Lewis OH, 150 Tankerness L. Ork, 120 Fetlar Shet, 100+ Balranald, 100 Rennibister Ork, 100 Biggings Ork, 100 Findhorn Bay M&N, 80 Haroldswick Shet & 50 Ronas Voe Shet in Nov; 150 Ythan Est. NE, 100 Gardens- town NE, 70 Rattray NE, 52 Windygates F & 50 Hatton NE in Dec. In S/C Scotland max 33 Ben Lomond Forth in Nov; 36 Glen Fruin Clyde, 30 Black Law B & 30 Balinoe, Tiree Arg in Dec. Max elsewhere: Loth 17, D&G 3, P&K 2 & Clyde Is 1 in Nov; 5 A&D in Dec. * Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalus 1 Fair Is 8-11 Oct. Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella Winter/ Spring: 300 Greenlawdean B in Jan; 350 Cairneyhill F & 100 Ormiston L in Feb. Flocks of 40-99 reported from NE (2), P&K (2), Loth (2), Bord (3) & Clyde (3) with single flocks of this size in Fife & Forth. Passage: 3 Shet, 3 Fair Is & none Ork in Apr/May. Breeding: Fife c.80prs at 29 sites with 10prs Oakley, 8prs Dogton, 7prs Eden Est. (8), Sprs reared 6 young Longannet & 5prs Lomond Hills; Forth llprs lower Devon WBS (10); Loth 11mm noted at 6 sites; Bord c.99mm noted 33 sites with 15mm Fogo, 1lprs Newmains (10), 7mm _ each at Charterhall, The Mound & Loanknowe; Arg 14mm at 12 sites around Rhuba Bholsa, Islay, 6 singles Jura, 6 sites Mull & 4 sites on mainland; Clyde Is noted 2 sites Bute; Clyde 157prs at 54 sites with 29prs in 6km? Torrance area & Sprs each at Merryton, Flenders Farm & Barrance Farm; Ayr 21prs noted at 5 sites with 12 prs Knockbentier (16); D&G noted 5 sites. Autumn/winter: 200 Shieldbank F & 150 Craigluscar F in Nov; 300 Earlston B, 200+ Peppermill Dam F & 100+ Inch Farm F in Dec; with single flocks of 40-99 in NE, P&K, Fife, Bord , Clyde & Ayr . Passage: | Shet, 3 Fair Is & 3 Ork mostly Oct. There has been a notable scarcity of this species lately with large parties becoming increasingly confined to areas around the Firth of Forth. More records are needed to help detect such changes. 120 Scottish Bird Report 1999 Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana Spring: Singles Fair Is & Whalsay Shet 13 May; Fair Is 16-19 May & 18-19 May; Spiggie Shet 23 May. Autumn: | Cleat, Stronsay Ork 7-9 Sep; | Fair Is on 12 Sep with singles on 6 days in Sep & 2 there on 24 Sep; 1 Girdleness NE 21-22 Sep; 1 Bu, Stronsay Ork on 21 Sep; 1 Auchmithie A&D 22 Sep; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork on 23-29 Sep with another there 30 Sep; 1 Is on 3 dates in Oct, the last on 15 Oct; 1 Grutness Shet 10-13 Oct. Just 3-4 for Fair Is in autumn. 5 in spring and I1 in autumn: 4th for Angus & Dundee. * Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica Spring: Im Fair Is 19-26 May; 1m Norwick, Unst Shet 20 May; | Fair Is 29 May-1 Jun, with a If there 5-6 Jun | & Im on 9-11 Jun. Autumn: 2 Is of May 21 Sep; 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork | Oct. 5 in spring & 3 in the autumn. [1998] 1 Kirkabister Shet & 1 Is of May 27 Sep; 1 Stronsay Ork 29-30 Sep. 26 birds now for1998. * Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla 1 Ham, Foula Shet 29-30 Sep; 1 Dale, Costa Ork 17-19 Nov. * Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola 1f/1st-w Fair Is 25-30 Aug with another there 30 Sep-1 Oct. Photos: British Birds 93:563 & Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report: 1999. [1998] 1 N.Ronaldsay Ork 1 Oct. This makes a total of 5 birds for the island that autumn. * Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala Juv N.Ronaldsay Ork 21-23 Sep. Photos: seeBirding World 12:397 & Birding Scotland 3(1) cover. [1998] 1m North Rona OH 16 Jun. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniculus Winter/spring: 40 Lochmaben D&G, 36 Easter Feddal P&K, 25 on Drumgrew Clyde, 23 Langlands Clyde and 20 Langfaulds F in Jan; 100 Cairneyhill F , 30+ Costa Ork & 21 Carnish, N.Uist OH in Feb; 20 Mersehead D&G in Mar. Max elsewhere: 15 Arg & 14 Bord. Isles: 2 singles Scalloway Shet in Jan/Feb. First Fair Is 1 Apr; Shet & Is of May 22 Apr. Best passage counts: 45 Fair Is, 17 Virkie Shet & max 3 Is of May 8 May; 12 Skerries Shet 9 May; 65 Fair Is 13 May. Breeding: Shet just 1m Haroldswick suggest near-extinction on islands; Ork 22prs Birsay Moors, 15+prs The Loons, 17 other prs noted Mainland with 7+prs N.Ronaldsay & 3prs Papa Westray; OHeb noted 11 sites; M&N 12prs Spynie Palace marsh; A&D 23prs Kinnordy; P&K 21prs Carsebeck, 15prs Vane Farm, noted 14 other sites; Fife 67prs noted at 27 sites with 19-21prs Eden Est. & 10prs Cameron Res., ad numbers increased 60% St.Margaret’s Marsh CES with juvs up 200%; Forth 13prs lower Devon WBS; Loth 43-44prs Aberlady & 10prs Musselburgh; Bord 233prs noted at 97 sites with 22prs Ettrick Marshes, 19prs Linton Bog, 12prs Biggar Water & 9prs Murder Moss; Arg 10prs Tiree, 8prs Colonsay, 3prs Taynish CBC (2), 2prs Sanda Is., 2prs Coll reserve, noted 10 other sites; Clyde 533prs at 120 sites with 82prs Mouse/Dipool valleys, 29prs Kenmure Marsh, 28prs Twechar Marsh, 20prs Inchterf, 19prs Drumbreck & 18prs Dullatar Marsh; Ayr 54prs were noted at 28 sites with Sprs Knockbentier; D&G 19prs Mersehead. First fledged Fife 10 Jun; Bord 13 Jun. Autumn/winter: N.Isles: poor autumn with max 3 Haroldswick Shet 25 Sep & 5 Fair Is in Oct. 100 Shieldbank F, 80+ Craigluscar F, 60 Toddle Muir Clyde, 40 Kirkhills P&K & 39 Strathbeg NE in Nov; 200+ Dale Ork, 73 Easter Inch Moss L, 50 Kilchoman, Islay Arg, 45 Tayinloan Arg, 37 Fannyside L. Clyde, 37 L.Gruinart, Islay Arg, 35 Kincardine F, 25 Skinflats Forth & 22 Lecropt Forth in Dec. The map opposite shows the extent to which casual records can reflect the real distribution of a species in an area. The map pf the Scottish Borders shown here depicts about 60% of the squares in which Reed Buntings were found during systematic suvrey work during the 1988-94 South-east Scotland Breeding Bird Atlas. There there appears to be at least 25 1km squares where birds were not reported during the atlas survey. ———— = a a a aS a I a See R.D.Murray [Ed.] ; 121 Reed Bunting 5 year 1km square map 1996-1999 The map shows all of the sites where Reed Bunting were recorded in the Scottish Borders between 1996 & 1999. | i ate Ls = rm & | : al - F | Ey a ! Bs | GB <8 = T i “HH ioe a ot irc ose ie oan teed Mates aunepestines ain a @ large squares indicate 1999 records m small squares 1996-1998 records Corn Bunting Milaria calandra Winter/Spring: 24 Anstruther F & 12 Lower Auchenreath M&N in Jan; 230 St.Fergus NE & 40 Clachan Sands, N.Uist OH in Feb; 24 roosting Askernish, S.Uist OH in Mar; 50 Kilrenny F in Apr. Breeding: OHeb 9mm Vallay Strand area, N.Uist, 5mm Aird area Benbecula, 3mm Eoligarry, Barra, 2mm Vatersay; M&N 3prs Bank of Roseisle, 1 pr Clarkly Hill and noted 7 other sites including 10 Llanbryde in May; NE | Westhill in May, several S of Stonehaven but otherwise mostly E of Portsoy/Aberchirder/Inverurie- in study area where 12 areas held 92 singing mm in 1998, only 8 areas held 57mm in 1999, in the ongoing SOC survey an additional 47mm were located making the total 223 singing mm in the area; A&D mostly noted (c.20 records) along coast between Barry Buddon & Usan except | Friockheim in May; Fife a 6% increase to 91 singing mm in the SOC survey with most being found within 4km of the coast between Boarhills & Elie as well as a cluster around the Eden Est. & Pickeltillum, while the relict population hangs on around Dunshalt, no birds sang around Dumbarnie links for the first time suggesting the decline continues; Loth only 4 records, just 2 in breeding season from East Fortune & Muirend; Bord the sole record was | singing m at Lamberton; Arg the sole record was 1m singing Ruaig/Salum crossroads, Tiree; D&G 2mm near Mull of Galloway & small numbers breeding around Ruthwell were the only reports. Autumn/Winter: 42 Drimsdale, S.Uist OH in Oct; 40 Kilrenny, 26 N.Boisdale, S.Uist OH, 17 Anstruther F, 11 Auchmithie Church A&D & 8 Bank of Roseisle M&N in Nov; 300 Pittenweem F in Dec. No records from Shet, Fair Is, P&K, Forth, Clyde Is, Clyde & Ayr and just single records from Ork (1 Dale, Stronsay in the early year), Bord & Arg. For accounts of Aberdeen survey: see Rae & Duthie (2000) . (2000) North-east Scotland Bird Report: 110 and for a review of current North-east Scotland population: see Rae . (2000) North-east Scotland Bird Report: 111-114 122 Scottish Bird Report 1999 Escapes Fulvous Whistling Duck Dendrocygna bicolor 1 Mugdock area Clyde 14 Mar-24 Apr. Black Swan Cygnus atratus Bird first seen S.Ronaldsay Ork in 1995 present L.of Stenness & L. Harray Ork all year. | all year at Carling- wark D&G Threave & L.Ken. Pr union Canal, Ratho L again bred successfully, having laid 3 times & robbed twice, br3 were reared. 1 Strowan L. P&K 17 Jan; 1 Cowden L. P&K 17 Jan, also seen 16 Feb, 21 Nov & 18 Dec; | Lowbank P&K on 2 Feb; 1 Bute Clyde Is 17-21 Feb; 1 Portencross Ayr on 13 Mar; 2 L.of Strathbeg NE 1 Apr-30 Aug; 1 Saltcoats Ayr 11 Apr; 1 Aberlady L 16-17 May, then Musselburgh L 17 May-10 Jul; 1 L-Lomond Clyde 27 Apr; 2 Lurgies A&D 5 Jul, same 2 Forfar L. A&D 28 Sep; 1 Lochend L. Clyde 6 Jul & 24 Aug; 1 Eden Est. F 18 Jul-14 Aug, visited Tayport F 4-10 Oct, Pittarthie Farm F 17-21 Oct, - Anstruther F 14 Dec & Carnbeee Res. F 28 Dec; 1 Drum- mond P. P&K 15 Aug & 12 Sep; 2 St.Fergus NE & 1 R.Tweed at Paxton House B 12 Dec. Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus Singles Theipmuir Res. L 11 Jan; Vane Farm P&K 14 Feb; Inverugie NE 28 Mar;L.Finlaggan, Islay Arg 23 Jun; Mill Dam, Shapinsay Ork 17 Sep, same Head of Work, St.Ola Ork 28 Sep & 12 Oct; Monk Muir P&K 11 Oct. Ross’s Goose Anser rossi 1 Irvine Ayr throughout the year visited Bogside Ayr on 1-16 Jan & Seamill Ayr 23 Oct. Emperor Goose Anser canagicus 1 Rubhanam Frangach, L.Fyne Arg 16 Apr; 1 juv Cowden L. P&K 29 Sep. Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis 1 Aberlady L 20 May bore a green leg-ring. Ruddy Shelduck Zadorna ferruginea 1 Caerlaverock D&G 30-31 Jan. Egyptian Goose Alopchen aegypticus 1 Kercock, L.of Craiglush & Monk Myre, all P&K Jan to Dec. 1 Montrose A&D Jan-17 Mar perhaps the same. Magellan Goose Cloephaga picta 1 Baron’s Haugh, Carbarns Haugh & Strathclyde L., all Clyde 1 Jan-12 Dec. Muscovy Duck Cairina moschatus Pr reared br3 Pittencrief Par, Dunfermline F; 9 Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy F in Jan peaked at 27 in Oct; 1 Riverside Park, Glenrothes F in Mar & Apr. Wood Duck Aix sponsa Im St.Andrews F 12 Apr - 8 Oct. Falcated Teal Anas falcata 1m Baron’s Haugh Clyde 1-24 Jan. Ringed Teal Callonetta leucophrys 1m Lochend L., Edinburgh L 13 Mar & 19 Apr later moved to Duddingston L 28 Apr. Rosybill Pochard Netta peposaca Im Aberlady L 10 Jul, same seen Musselburgh L on 1- 13 Jui & 28 Jul-14 Aug then Aberlady 13-31 Aug. Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis 1 Mossat NE from 1998 on 16 Jan, 27 Mar & 24 Jun; 1 Kessock Mill, Bridge of Don NE 7 Nov. Possible (perhaps B.auguralis) Beecraigs L 16 Nov. Harris’ Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus 1 with jesses Calderglen Park Clyde 22 Apr-23 May. Saker Falco cherrug 1 Sleet Moss, Birsay Ork 19 Apr. Reeve’s Pheasant Symaticus reevesii Im St.Andrews F 9 May. Guineafowl sp. Numida sp. Pr Airdit Hill F 27 May; 4 Otterston L. F 11 Jul. Common Peafowl Pavo cristatus 1f Mid Calder L 3 May & 1m Ingliston L 15 Oct. Cockateil Nymphicus hollandicus 1 Dalkeith L 17 Apr; 1 Havoc, Dumbarton Clyde 18 Apr; 1 Turnhouse L 10 Jul. Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus 1 Helensburgh Clyde 22 Jul; 1 Musselburgh L on 10 Sep; 1 Cloch Pt. Clyde 18-19 Sep. Ring-necked Parakeet Psittacula krameri 1 Bearsden Clyde 1-11 Jan and presumed the same there mid-Nov & 3 Dec; 1 Inverkip Clyde 5 Mar; 1 Greenock Clyde 26 Mar. Eagle Owl Bubo bubo 1 Newburgh Quarry F from Feb through to Nov. Canary Serinus canaria 1 Castle L., Lochmaben D&G 8 Sep. Silverbill Lonchura malabarica or L. cantans 2E Musselburgh L 5 Sep. Whydah Sp. Vidua sp. (possibly Fisher’s Whydah) 1 Morenish, L.Tay P&K 26 Apr & at Ardeonig P&K on 29 Apr. R.D.Murray [Ed.] ; 123 Black-headed Gull Andrew Stevenson Outer Hebrides Bird Report Breeding Bird Survey This survey is the main population monitoring tool for breeding birds in Britain adopted by the BTO, JNCC & RSPB. Started in 1994 it is intended to totally replace the Common Bird Census. For details of the survey see the annual report (Noble, D.G, et al. 2000. The Breeding Bird Survey 1999. BTO, JNCC & RSPB). This report includes a section specifically on Scotland which is repeated below. “Of the 57 species detected in Scotland in at least 30 squares, nine species showed significant declines and 12 showed significant increases over the period 1994-1999. Four of the declining species are waders (Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Curlew & Golden Plover), Redshank also declined but the trend is based on only 21 squares. Reasons for these declines are unclear. Numbers of two open-country species, Meadow Pipit & Skylark, and one farmland species, Kestrel, dropped over the past year, and counts of all three species are significantly lower than in 1994. Pheasant continue to show a decline, but patterns in this species are strongly influenced by stocking. Wood Pigeons appear to have recovered from the low numbers reported last year. Among species showing significant improvement, the increases for small-bodies residents (Robin, Wren, Goldcrest & Great Tit) and several migrant species (Blackcap & Willow Warbler) are similar to trends for the UK. In the uplands Buzzard & Red Grouse numbers continue to improve, and counts of Grey Heron, Mallard and Feral Pigeon have also increased since 1994. The most dramatic increases are exhibited by Grey Wagtail & House Martin, both of whose counts doubled since last year, although the sample size is small in the wagtail. Wales is the only other region in which House Martins are increasing, whereas Grey Wagtail appears to have increased through- out its range over the period. Tree Pipits have also increased significantly since 1994 but, again, the sample size should ideally be larger for us to be confident with this result. In 1998 we reported significant increases for Bullfinch & Linnet, but numbers of both species dropped between 1998 & 1999 and the five-year trends are no longer significant.” Reproduced with permission from the BTO (Richard Bashford). Population changes in widespread species in Scotland 1998-99 & 1994-99 No. Change No. Change No. Change of plots 98-99 94-99 of plots 98-99 94-99 of plots 98-99 94-99 Grey Heron 40 10 *83 Golden Plover 49 -35 *-33 LBB Gull 58 -22 3 Mallard 85 53 *73, Lapwing 87 -8 *-34 Herring Gull 98 -14 6 Buzzard 89 5 *44 ‘Snipe 55 18 39 Feral Pigeon 4] 19 *44 Kestrel 42 -55 *-61 Curlew 125 -6 *-18 Woodpigeon 156 13 -7 Red Grouse 61 -7 *46 (Redshank) 21 -36 *-61 Collared Dove 35 -25 -16 Pheasant 99 -16 *-27 Com.Sandpiper 38 -34 -30 Cuckoo 68 -27 -10 Oystercatcher 118 -1 *-22 Black-h Gull WD 5 *-59 Swift 40 -3 -28 124 Scottish Bird Report 1999 No. Change No. Change No. Change of plots 98-99 94-99 of plots 98-99 94-99 of plots 98-99 94-99 Skylark 194 -19 *-13 Song Thrush 128 21 20 Raven 40 -16 19 Swallow 128 i 1 Mistle Thrush Si -9 29 ~ Starling 117 8 22 House Martin 41 112. *375 Sedge Warbler 49 34 *39 House Sparrow 72 9 9 (Tree Pipit) 27 -1 *86 Whitethroat 53 -20 35 ~Chaffinch 192 -1 1 Meadow Pipit 205 = *-24 =*-17 Willow Warbler 176 -16 *43 Greenfinch 79 11 30 (Grey Wagtail) 24 109. *107 Goldcrest 69 -10 *87 Goldfinch 55 -6 1 Pied Wagtail 116 1 23. Coal Tit 97 -34 -10 ~~ Siskin 58 -2 -6 Wren WS) l *60 Blue Tit 118 6 9 Linnet 75 -35 ! Dunnock 97 -19 9 Great Tit 102 -12 *31 ~~ Lesser Redpoll 38 -16 -9 Robin 150 -6 *-17 Magpie 31 -29 19 = (Bullfinch) 29 -15 73 Whinchat 33 -11 2 Jackdaw 90 -3 4 Yellowhammer 86 -7 -13 Wheatear 78 = =*-41 -2. Rook 98 -6 -6 Reed Bunting 27 23 -3 Blackbird 142 if 4 Carrion Crow 147 0 2 * The asterisk indicates statistically significant changes in counts. Figures for birds that occur in less than 100 squares have large confidence limits and hence the reported changes should be treated as preliminary estimates. Species in parentheses have small sample size and data should be treated with caution. For the purposes of the Scottish Bird Report I have obtained the Scottish results and manipulated the dataset to present in as simple Highland, N&W Isles 107 a form as possible. Statisticians will probably throw up their hands NE Scotland in horror but the data is presented by Scottish regions. These are E/C Scotland extremely broad areas but I hope that the BBS data will bring out SE Scotland facets of the numbers & densities of species in Scotland that have SW Scotland not been readily discernable hitherto. While we were unable to get precise matches of data due to the differences in defining local re- cording areas and the areas across which the BTO collects data, the approximate areas used should be readily understand- able. The table to the left shows the number of plots worked in each year in the arbitrary regions into which the data has been handled. While there is a clear imbalance between the Highlands & Islands and the others, that may be altered in future SBRs to give a more even spread of recording plots across the country. Breeding Bird Survey | No. of plots The 1997-1999 data for Willow Warbler is shown here. The first section in the table records the percentage of plots in which Willow Warblers were recorded in each year for each area of Scotland. The adjacent column shows the average number of contacts made by observers in each plot. Unfortunately no data was available for SW Scotland in 1999. While the following observations may not be mean counts statistically sound, this table could be interpreted Willow Warbler 1997 1998 1999 | 1997 1998 1999 | as showing a north-south variation in the ubiq- 8:90 34s uity of Willow Warblers in Scotland, there be- weeorand OE MET ASS ing a greater possibility of encountering them 2 daliuess SiO, 25) in the south than in the Highlands & Islands. SE Scotland 85 82 72 539 6 22er6sl4 This j ly t ted t f aw Sisdnad a a RG MIOOE is 18 only to expected as percentage cover o different habitat types will vary across the coun- try. Presumably woodlands are more frequent further south than in the north. The variation in the percentage of plots between the years in each area is mostly quite small and is unlikely to be significant if just a few percentage points are involved. Some of this variation may be due to the variation numbers of plots done each year. : The count data must reflect the differences in population densities across Scotland. In the case of the Willow Warbler, the small data set hints that this species may be more numerous in the west of the country. It also suggests that the limited habitat available to them in the Highlands & Islands supports as many, if not more, as the more widespread habitats further south. Therre seems to have been some changes in the southern half of Scotland in 1999 with drops in both ubiquity and numbers in that year compared to 1997 & 1998. This fits with adata for the UK which showed quite drastic decline for Willow Warbler in that year. If this method of showing the BBS dataset proves useful, more tables such as that for Willow Warbler will appear in future editions of the Scottish Bird Report. The best way to make the data more reliable of course is to take part in the survey. Your local BTO Regional representative is your avenue to helping out with this groundbreaking survey. Ray Murray R.D.Murray [Ed.] 125 Local Recorder Network 1 SHETLAND Kevin Osborn Shetland Bird Report (except Fair Isle) Inkleholm, Swinister, Sandwick, Shetland from Martin Heubeck, Sumburgh ZE2 9HH (01950) 431286 Lighthouse, Virkie, Shetland. k.o@virgin.net ZE3 9JN. Tel -01950 460 760 2 Fair Isie Deryk Shaw Fair Isle Bird Observatory Report Bird Observatory, Fair Isle. ZE2 9JU from Recorder 01595 760 258 fairisle.birdobs@zetnet.co.uk 3 ORKNEY Tim Dean Orkney Bird Report Echa View, Burray, Orkney. KW17 2SX From Mildred Cuthbert, 01856 731 204 Vishnabrack, Evie,Orkney. 4 OvTER HEBRIDES Andrew Stevenson Outer Hebrides Bird Report Mill House, Snishival, S.Uist HS8 5SG from Brian Rabbitts, 6 Carnish, 01870 620317.andrew.stevenson@SNH.gov.uk Lochmaddy, N.Uist. HS6 5HL 5 CAITHNESS Stan Laybourne (former Caithness district Old Schoolhouse, Harpsdale, Halkirk, Caithness KW12 6UN of Highland) KW12 6UN 01955 290 501 None at present stanlaybourne@talk21.com 6 HIGHLAND Colin Crooke Highland Bird Report excluding former districts 6 George Street, Avoch, Ross-shire. [V9 8PU _ from Recorder of Caithness & Nairn) 01381 620 566 7 Moray & Nairn Martin Cook Moray & Nairn Bird Report Rowanbrae, Clochan, Buckie, Banffshire. from Recorder AB56 5EQ 01542 850 296 martin.cook9@virgin.net 8 NorTH-EAst SCOTLAND Andy Thorpe North-east Scotland Bird Report (Aberdeenshire & 30 Monearn Gardens, Milltimber, Dave Gill, Drakemyre Croft, City of Aberdeen) Aberdeen. AB13 0OEA 01224 312 484 Cairnorrie, Methlick, andrewtthorpe@tinyworld.co.uk Aberdeenshire. 9 Ancus & DUNDEE Dan Charmichael Angus & Dundee Bird Report (Angus & City of Dundee) 2A Reres Road, Broughty Ferry, from Recorder Dundee. DD5 2QA 01382 779 981 dan_a_carmichael@email.msn.com 10 Perto & Kinross Ron Youngman Blaircroisk Cottage, Ballinluig report available on request by Pitlcohry, Perthshire PH9 ONE e-mail from Recorder 01796 482 324 blairchroisk@aol.com 11 Fire Dougie Dickson Fife Bird Report (with Inchkeith, Inchcolm 2 Burrelton Court, Glenrothes, Fife KY7 4UN from Recorder & small islands but Fife KY7 4UN 01592 774 066 not the Isle of May) douglas.dickson@excite.co.uk 12 IsLE or May Iain English Isle of May Bird Observatory Report 21 Grant Court, Avon Grove, Hamilton, from Recorder S.Lanarkshire. ML3 7UT 1.english@talk21.com 13 ForTH Dr. Cliff Henty In “Forth Naturalist & Historian” (Clackmannanshire, 7 Coneyhill Broad, Bridge of Allan L.Corbett, University Library, Falkirk & Stirling) Stirling FK9 4EL Univ. of Stirling, Stirling. FK9 4LA 126 Scottish Bird Report 1999 14 ARGYLL Paul Daw Argyll Bird Report (Argyll & Bute-notIsle Tign-na-Tulloch, Tullochgorm, Minard, from Bill Staley, 16 Glengilp, of Bute & former West Inverary, Argyll PA32 8YQ 01546 886260 Ardishaig, Argyll PA31 Dunbartonshire) monedula@globalnet.co.uk 15 CLypE ISLANDS Bernard Zonfrillo In Clyde Birds (Arran, the Cumbraes 28 Brodie Road, Glasgow. G21 3SB & Bute) 0141 5570791 8804751 b.zonfrillo@bio.gla.ac.uk 16 CLYDE Jain Gibson Clyde Birds (Inverclyde, Glasgow, 8 Kenmure Drive, Howwood, Johnstone, from Jim & Val Wilson E.&W. Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire PAO 1DR 76 Laigh Road, Newton Mearns N.&S. Lanarkshire, 01505 705874 Glasgow G77 5EQ E.& W.Dunbartonshire, c/o jim.val@btinternet.com 0141 635 2516 old Dunbartonshire area of Argyll and the Clyde drainage of Stirling) 17 AYRSHIRE Angus Hogg Ayrshire Bird Report 11 Kirkmichael Road, Crosshill, Maybole, from Recorder Ayrshire. KA19 7RJ 01655 740 317 dcgos@globalnet.co.uk 18 LoTHIAN David Kelly Lothian Bird Report (Edinburgh, E. & W. 149 High Street, Prestonpans from Recorder Lothian, Midlothian, East Lothian. EH32 9AX Bass Rock, Inchmickery, 01875 810827 dj_kelly@lineone.net Craigleith, etc. 19 BorDERS Ray Murray Borders Bird Report Scottish Borders 4 Bellfield Crescent, Eddleston, Peebles from Malcolm Ross, The Tubs Borders EH45 8RQ. Dingleton Road, Melrose 01721 730 677 ray.d.murray@ukgateway.net 20 Dumrrizs & GaLLoway Paul Collin Dumfries & Galloway Bird Report former Nithsdale, Gairland, Old Edinburgh Road, Minnigaff, from Recorder, also Joan Howie, Annandale & Eskdale, Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire DG8 6PL 60 Main Street, St.John’s Town of Stewartry & Wigtown 01671 402 861 Dairy, Castle Douglas Abbreviations used for the recording areas in the text Shet Shetland Is. High Highland F-Fife Fife Arg Argyll Fair Is Fair Isle M&N Moray & Nairn Is of May isle of May Clyde Is Clyde Islands Ork Orkney Is. 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