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published by the
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Scottish Birds
sey 24201)
—_
LIBRARIES
194 President's Foreword D. Jardine
PAPERS
195 Raptor persecution on a large Perthshire estate: a historical study R.L. McMillan
206 Local changes in bird numbers and habitat use in Midlothian B.E.H. Sumner
220 An aerial survey of the Bass Rock gannetry in 2009 S. Murray
SHORT NOTES
226 Natural predation of Golden Eagles D.C. Jardine, M.A. Peacock, R.Y. McGowan & C. Maw
OBITURIES
229 Michael Helsdon Murphy (1935-2011) J.H. Murphy
ARTICLES, NEWS & VIEWS
230 Red Grouse and Ptarmigan research in Scotland A. Watson
256 NEWS AND NOTICES
240 Bird research at Glasgow University R.W. Furness, M. Hansell, D. Houston, R. Nager & S. White
247 Return to One Man's Island K. Brockie
250 The South-east Scotland Tetrad Atlas Il update R.D. Murray
253 Scottish Bird Report - a digital archive R.D. Murray
256 Bird Track - bird recording enters the internet age C.R. McKay
260 BOOK REVIEWS
265 RINGERS' ROUNDUP R. Duncan
266 Purple Heron, nr Letham, Fife, April 2011 - the first Fife record N. Elkins & C. Nisbet
269 The White-winged Scoter in Aberdeenshire - a new Scottish bird P. Baxter, H. Maggs
& C. Gibbins
276 Black Scoter at Murcar and Blackdog, June-August 2011 - a first for North-east Scotland
N. Littlewood
279 Hermit Thrushes on Barra and South Uist in October 2010 - the first and second records
for the Outer Hebrides S. Duffield & S.L. Rivers
BIRDGUIDES REVIEW
284 1 April to 30 June 2011 S. Menzie
PHOTOSPOT
BC Pomarine Skua N. Picozzi
Biss) (PAUL) Scottish Birds | 193
194
President's Foreword
President's Foreword
In this 75th anniversary year, it is fitting that the Club should seek ways to celebrate the contri-
butions of individuals to Scottish ornithology. Consequently, Council has been reviewing our
Honorary Membership and will announce a new Honorary Member at the Club’s AGM at
Carnoustie. The post of Honorary President has remained vacant since the death of Donald
Watson in 2005. Council has considered this situation and following further discussion at the
Council meeting in August expect to bring a proposal for Honorary President to the Club AGM in
October for decision by members.
The summer has been busy, as the SOC has also been working to recruit a Membership
Development Officer (MDO) on a fixed term appointment. We received tremendous interest in the
post, with around 60 applications. Interviews took place in August and we hope to have the new
MDO in post shortly. The MDO will be charged with working with staff, branches and members
to increase the membership and profile of the SOC. Please give them all your personal support as
the Club moves forward.
This autumn sees two major events; shortly after this issue of Scottish Birds is mailed, Chris
Packham will be giving the anniversary lecture in the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh. There may just
be time for you to get your tickets! There will certainly still be time to book your place at the
Annual Conference to be held in Carnoustie on 28-30 October. This year we have a special
programme and I am particularly looking forward to hearing Ian Newton’s lecture on bird
migration. We are honoured to have Ian, one of the world authorities on migration, to come and
give this special talk. ;
The Angus coast in late October is an interesting place to be holding the conference and hopefully,
given the correct weather conditions, everybody at the conference will be able to get out and find
a few migrants on the Saturday morning. I hope that you will be able to join us.
This summer David Jenkins retired from the Editorial Panel of Scottish Birds, on which he has
served for 21 years supporting the editor. The SOC is built upon the unstinting support of members
such as David and I’d like to thank him and all those who are responsible for ensuring that our
journal remains of such a high calibre.
I write this foreword as the fieldwork for the latest UK Bird Atlas comes to a close. During the last
four years a huge effort has been put in to ensure that coverage in Scotland has been compre-
hensive. I’d like to thank all the observers for their records and pay tribute to Bob Swann, the
National Organiser for Scotland, for all his efforts and also to all the regional organisers (and in
particular those in large remote areas) to ensure that such good coverage has been achieved. As
we now move towards publication, please can everybody make sure that all those last remaining
records are submitted promptly and any queries are quickly resolved. All this will speed the
publication of the Atlas - I am sure that there will be some fascinating new insights to Scotland’s
birds and it will be great to see them in print.
As | shall be retiring as President at this year’s Annual General Meeting, I’d like to thank
everybody for their support and encouragement during the last two years, and to wish my
successor, Ken Shaw, all the very best during his tenure.
David Jardine, President
31:3 (2011)
Raptor persecution on
large Perthshire estate:
a historical study
R.L. MCMILLAN
The Atholl Game and Vermin Lists provide an almost continuous record from 1867 until 1988
and in many respects are unique for a large estate in Scotland. Large numbers of raptors and owls
were destroyed by gamekeepers during the latter part of the 19th century and into the late 20th
century. The implementation of legislation to protect predatory birds appears to have made little
difference to persecution levels. Gamekeepers on individual beats seemed able to decide whether
they killed predators or not. A few gamekeepers chose not to kill any birds of prey. Some
persecution continued well into the late 20th century and a comparison between estate records
and incidents recorded by the authorities strongly suggests that a substantial amount of illegal
persecution was not recorded.
Introduction
Game and Vermin Lists provide a valuable source of information on the relative abundance of
quarry species shot on sporting estates in Scotland. They also provide important data on the
persecution of species perceived as pests or ‘vermin’, amongst them birds of prey. There are many
historical accounts of this information, and more recently, a number of authors including Smout
(2000), Lovegrove (2007) and Jones (2007) have brought some of the information up to date.
Although an increasing amount of data is now in the public domain through local historical
archives, much remains within private estate records, where there can be a degree of sensitivity
as to its release. The author is currently collating and analysing previously unpublished
31:3 (2011)
IS
information as part of a broad examination of the problems of raptor persecution in Scotland
(McMillan, in prep.). Most vermin records in Scotland are drawn from the 19th and early 20th
centuries. The Atholl Estates records may be unique in that they span a period of 120 years.
Study area and methods
The Atholl Estates in Perthshire extend to 140,000 acres (Figure 1). Now held in trust, this is the
second largest private estate in Scotland after the Buccleuch Estates in the Borders (Cramb 1996).
The estate is divided into a portion north of Dunkeld and the major part north and north-west of
Blair Atholl. Historically, the estate has been managed for sport shooting of Red Grouse Lagopus
lagopus and Red Deer Cervus elaphus and was sub-divided into a number of units, which were let
out to shooting tenants. These had their own dedicated gamekeepers or stalkers, and many had
their own shooting lodges.
— Tv
Badenoch & Strathspey
Atholl Estate (2011) from
www.atholl-estates.co.uk
—— SOC recording areas
K Beats (approximate location)
Ca= Castle (West Hand)
Cl = Clunes
D = Dalnamein
FL = Forest Lodge
GB = Glen Bruar
K = Kindrochet
LV = Loch Valigan
S = Strathord IS
T = Tulliemet
[IOS
Figure 1. Map showing the location of the Atholl Estates, Perthshire.
196 31:3 (2011)
To maintain the estate record of game and vermin killed, the individual shooting beats were
required to complete a card by the end of February each year and this contained details from the
preceding year. The same printed card had been in use for many years and this included hawks,
owls and Ravens. Although the estate factor regularly checked the returns on these cards, it was
only when a member of staff expressed concern that protected birds were included in the returns,
that a new form was introduced for the 1988/89 season which excluded protected species.
Although shooting beats would retain their own game and vermin records, in time these were held
centrally in the estate offices at Blair Castle. All the data in this paper was collated by the late
Roger Hayward from the estate archives. Though the original datasets have not been checked by
the author, from discussions with Roger Hayward when he was alive, and, more recently, with the
archivist on Atholl Estates, there is no reason to doubt their veracity.
An analysis was made of the first dataset which forms an estate-wide record of the killing of
predatory birds for the period 1867/68 to 1910/11. Game and vermin records for this period were
collated centrally from the nine main beats of the estate namely Strathord, Tulliemet, Kindrochet,
Loch Valigan, Forest Lodge, Clunes, Bruar, Dalnamein and the Castle Beat. The Castle Beat was also
known as West Hand, but for the purpose of this paper is referred to as Castle. The recording season
finished at the end of February as the season for shooting Red Deer hinds ends on 15 February. The
lists also included mammals, but these have been excluded from this paper and the columns sub-
divided into Pests/Vermin and Game. The second part of the record commences in 1915/16 and was
divided into individual beats, which contained the name of the specific gamekeeper on that beat. It
was therefore possible to assess the ‘vermin-killing effort’ of the individual gamekeepers. However,
as under-keepers were employed on every beat, any vermin killed by them would be included in the
beat total. The record for some of these beats is incomplete. However, a detailed analysis was
possible for two of the beats. To give some indication of the extent to which official statistics on
persecution under-count the true figures, estate records for the period after the passing of legislation
protecting birds of prey were compared with figures collected by the authorities.
Results
Game and vermin records 1867/68 to 1910/11
The overall totals of hawks, owls and Ravens Corvus corax killed in the period between 1867/68
and 1910/11 are shown in Table 1. In all 14,386 ‘hawks’, 5,495 owls and 1,921 Ravens were killed.
There is no evidence that Atholl Estates had at this time a policy of protecting Golden Eagle
Aquila chrysaetos sites and it is therefore assumed that any in close proximity to grouse moors
may have been systematically destroyed. The term ‘hawks’, is interpreted as including all raptors
including Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falco peregrinus, Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus, Buzzard Buteo
buteo, Kestrel Falco tinnunculus, Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus and Merlin Falco columbarius. It
may also have included species such as White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, Red Kite Milvus
milvus, Goshawk Accipiter gentilis and Osprey Pandion haliaetus which became extinct during
the period. Red Kite at least probably bred on the Atholl Estate (Drummond-Hay 1879, Holloway
1996). Atholl is one of the few vermin lists to include owls. Again, we do not know what species
are involved, but assume Tawny Owl Strix aluco was the most common, with the area also holding
Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus, Long-eared Owl Asio otus, as well as Barn Owls Tyto alba.
The annual cull of hawks remained fairly constant, probably as replacement birds came in from
neighbouring areas to take up vacant territories. The same probably also applies to the owls. The
numbers of Ravens killed declined considerably in the last 15 years of the recording period
suggesting there was no surplus elsewhere to recruit from. Magpie Pica pica, which was virtually
extinct in the area by the 1900s, was part of a systematic eradication policy, which removed it
completely from the Perthshire avifauna. It has yet to re-establish itself as a resident breeding
species in the north Perthshire area.
31:3 (2011)
Soy,
Table 1. Atholl Estate (all beats) persecution records and shooting bags 1867/68-1910/11.
Year Crow Raven ‘Hawk’ Owl Magpie Black Ptarmigan Red _ Capercaillie Pheasant
Grouse Grouse
1867/68 181 92 306 56 26 S25 131 15728 60 214
1869/69 126 54 243 = D 421 78 10949 DE 288
1869/70 148 46 266 - 10 476 26 10687 36 234
1870/71 166 51 273 a) Sy 740 58 16341 63 446
1871/72 225 5g AS] 55 21 912 54 PADS 135 Spiel
1872/73 224 80 268 84 DE 399 89 20962 89 552
1873/74 201 64 265 80 30 S3l|7/ 24 DISS 56 652
1874/75 Di 5) 274 59 20 555 D5 3079 101 626
1875/76 Sy) 38 303 79 21 490 2. 3626 98 517
1876/77 226 6] 276 84 DS 1031 8 8909 OZ 714
1877/78 220 76 278 65 30 559 Dy, 13580 Vis) 4]
1878/79 276 76 Si 78 24 815 61 14367 64 873
1879/80 298 42 225 100 18 530 V5 18633 62 611
1880/81 341] S5/ 240 7) if 757 154 19420 25 1026
1881/82 301 16 243 76 27 628 122 20459 195 1131
1882/83 $55 36 234 83 18 370 83 16487 136 1187
1883/84 LW) SS DES 84 DD) 386 Sy// 9556 187 1148
1884/85 281 $2 2D 78 5) 376 Ss 11184 130 1148
1885/86 311 43 209 58 18 478 100 12482 88 860
1886/87 SIIS) 29 224 56 18 394 130 14770 TS 695
1887/88 SiS DS 207 og 18 495 167 21921 174 1592
1888/89 328 22 206 70 fs) 391 Ns 23965 Ws 725
1889/90 S55 21 226 YD 29 270 120 19160 145 99]
1890/91 B57) 19 230 63 17 225 141 18900 138 1012
1891/92 424 13 262 8] 26 273 189 13660 127 903
1892/93 427 19 236 104 72 133 38 S2TS 65 691
1893/94 446 DS) 271 104 DP. 575 ES 9304 85 2015
1894/95 446 26 247 104 11 BIS 1S 11247 3y2 2275
1895/96 434 7 211 85 is DES) 21 IWS 105 3173
1896/97 458 19 Dp. 2 30 346 Wi, 14904 125 SSS
1897/98 450 5 221 108 24 24] 118 17447 87 2403
1898/99 Oya], 2 289 101] 24 507 V2 16466 75 2806
1899/00 342 g 243 G2 20 463 113 W279 103 2713
1900/01 404 8 270 130 16 563 155 22946 78 3036
1901/02 386 8 344 143 DS 434 130 25136 106 4609
1902/03 365 8 311 hy 12 341] 36 16653 85 4018
1903/04 5S57/ 15 242 90 ] 164 28 11520 204 Esey/
1904/05 279 13 D5?) 124 2 DS 149 IZS25 134 3418
1905/06 273 8 305 145 6 613 120 17838 216 4664
1906/07 SI 7/ Dg S59 98 O SVS 13S 22705 168 3605
1907/08 249 22 eID) 7S g De, ZY) 15730 156 2214
1908/09 194 DY, DS 135 10 506 140 15072 167 4650
1909/10 188 22 301 SY O 381 68 11690 99 2634
1910/11 186 28 216 85 O 639 2 16149 183 4032
TOTALS 13272 §=1434 11428 3731 UT) 19972 2827 659975 4886 78067
Mean 302 55 260 85 18 454 64 14999 110 1774
Taking into account normal population fluctuations, the numbers of Red Grouse shot remained
consistently high throughout the period 1867-1911. There was a similar pattern for Black Grouse
Tetrao tetrix, which probably benefited from the estate’s pioneering tree-planting schemes. If
anything, the number of Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus shot annually was increasing. It is evident
from the game returns at Atholl that Pheasant Phasianus colchicus shooting became increasingly
important from 1893/94. Associated with this would be intensive Pheasant rearing on the estate
and the need for new measures around rearing pens. Over this period there was a 7% increase in
the numbers of hawks killed, an increase of 15% in the number of crows killed, and a 33%
increase in the number of owls killed. Historically, pole traps were used extensively around
198 31:3 (2011)
Scottish Birds
Pheasant pens and this may have accounted for part of this increase. The fact that pole traps were
banned in 1904 probably made little impact on their extensive use at the time.
Beat analysis 1915/16 to 1987/88
The volume of persecution probably declined in the period post 1915/16 when records were kept
for the individual shoots, and these ceased in 1988. The following are ‘snapshots’ from the
records. The Clunes Beat had its own lodge and may well have been sub-let to a tenant for the
duration of the period shown in Figure 2 which shows the annual cull of owls, hawks and Ravens
between 1916/17 and 1976/77 on the Clunes shootings.
The records show considerable variation between individual gamekeeper’s ‘persecution efforts. The
records bridge the period when the Protection of Birds Act 1954 came into force, but this clearly
made no difference to the activities of the gamekeeper on the beat at that time. In fact persecution
increased at the time of the implementation of the Act; in the two years bridging 1954-56, more
owls were killed than in the preceding 40 years. Though Sparrowhawk did not receive legal
protection until 1961, it was not thought that Clunes was a favourable habitat for this species. The
persecution stopped when Phil Cairney assumed responsibility for keepering the Clunes beat in
1961/62. When Caimey left, some culling of Ravens resumed, then small numbers of hawks were
killed from 1972/73. It was evident that a few gamekeepers, such as Caimey, did not follow the norm
for the time, and protected hawks, Ravens and owls. This was also evident on the Castle Beat.
The Castle Beat was traditionally covered by the head keeper. Ravens did not breed on this beat
and only small numbers were recorded as being killed. The annual totals of owls and hawks killed
do not mean the birds were killed by the head keeper personally as he invariably was assisted by
one or two under-keepers. As a contemporary record, the Castle Beat data is unique and covers a
period of 70 years from 1917 to 1988 with four different head gamekeepers. It also covers the
period in which the Protection of Birds Act 1954 was implemented; by 1961 all ‘hawks’ had legal
16 - Sanne - ———~ ——— - 3,000
is}
hawks ij aa
144 | | y
) F owls - 2,000 3
\ Ravens S
' : ©
A ~~~ Red Grouse a
1244 | A S
: . a / 4 5
; 4 iVv™n~ a al
; 4 pias ‘ ; =
f ‘ f —— A =
f % é =
= 10 ——) \ - i. a.
[o} f . %, a
a wf Fp, » ~~
wn j ine He
zy f
maby
sy tS 5
oO 4
= &
= :
Zz
6 4
44 :
24 :
H é. 7% i 4
™~ N ™~ N mm N ™ N ™ N ™ N ™
— N N ino) ine) s+ a fo) Ww K<o} K<e) ™ ™
=> ™~SS = ~~ = ™~ = = ~~ ™~ ~~ => =
i<o} = i<o) _ i<o) — i<o) —_ i<o) _ i<o) _ i<e)
— N N ino) ie) =e a fo) Lo i<o} WO ~ ~
aD [o>) a fo) [o>) [o>) [o>) [o>) fo) [o>) a [o>)
Figure 2. Numbers of owls, hawks and Ravens killed on the Clunes Beat, Atholl Estates, 1916/17 to 1976/77.
The background colours reflect changes in keepers.
5S 2011) Scottish Birds: 195-205
45 —_= ==
40 -
==)
Number of birds killed
1947/48
Figure 3. Numbers of owls, hawks and Ravens killed
The background colours reflect changes in keepers.
200
1953/54
jm
—
1000 oS
z=
500 c
Ey? =
a. a =
——= hawks
owls
=== Ravens /
Red Grouse \
=) © >. co aS ©
ce) © ™ ™ oe) =e)
(o>) Te) _— ™~ mm ~
Te) Te) > > ree) ~D
oo D 2. 7 os Le IOoIw/sio + JOEL Lele,
ne Castile Beat Atholl Estates, 1917/18 to 1987/88.
protection. ‘Fergie’ Ferguson’ was head keeper
from 1951 to 1976. He did not believe it was
necessary to kill birds of prey and owls and this
is evident from the statistics (Figure 3) and
from personal discussions (R. Hayward pers.
comm.). When Ferguson retired, it appears that
the new head keeper gradually implemenied
increasing levels of hawk and owl conirol,
which persisted until 1988 when recording
stopped. It is understood that the new head
keeper was trying to build up a significant
Pheasant shoot at this time.
There were nine keepered beats on the estate
and | have extracted data from the lists to
establish the last years when the persecution of
hawks, owls and Ravens may have ceased, or at
least ceased to be recorded (Table 2). Loch
Valigan shoot is not included as it was sold oft
in 1946. The Sirathord Beat is also excluded, as
records ceased in 1935/36, but it is worth
noting that in the 20 years for which records
exist for that shoot, a total of 400 hawks and
535 owls were killed.
c 1970
(©)
Plate 177. Fergie Ferguson, Atholl Esiaie.
Courtesy of Miss C Ferguson
31:3 (2011)
Table 2. Last recorded dates of persecution of hawks, owls and Ravens.
Beat Hawks Owls Ravens Remarks
Castle 1987/88 1987/88 1936/37 No Raven territories in this beat
Tulliemet 1964/65 1969/70 1981/82
Forest Lodge 1975/76 1942/43 1975/76 This was deer forest so owls were scarce
Kindrochet 1981/82 1981/82 1979/80 All records ceased in 1981/82
Glenbruar 1961/62 1932-33 1967-68 This was deer forest so owls were scarce
Dalnamein 1972/73 1969/70 1975/76
Clunes 1975/76 1972/73 1976/77
The records for game and legally killed vermin such as Red Foxes Vulpes vulpes continued until
1999/2000. This raises the question whether illegal persecution on the various beats stopped at
the times recorded? At Kindrochet, all records ceased in 1981/82 when 11 hawks and five owls
were killed. As annual persecution had been consistent up to that time, there is no reason to
suspect that the persecution effort would not have been sustained. Similarly, at the Castle, a total
of 14 hawks and 16 owls were killed in the 1987/88 season, which does not suggest that the head
keeper was subsequently going to cease persecution. At Tulliemet, Forest Lodge, Glenbruar,
Dalnamein and Clunes, the extent of annual persecution recorded had been in slow decline
suggesting that by the mid-1970s many of the gamekeepers may have stopped persecution
completely. This raises a further question as to whether this was a self-regulatory response, or
alternatively, did gamekeepers simply stop recording persecution? As part of the overall analysis
it is important to examine any other information which was available at this time.
Raptor monitoring
Prior to the 1980s, very little systematic monitoring of raptor populations took place on Atholl
Estates. During the 1970s, a number of Peregrine and Golden Eagle territories were checked by
the author and Mike Marsland. Sandy Payne monitored Golden Eagle, Peregrine and Merlin sites
on behalf of the RSPB between 1982 and 1986. Roger Hayward monitored Golden Eagles and
Peregrines from the mid-1980s until his death in 2008, at various times assisted by Innes Smith.
Ospreys first bred on the estate in the late 1970s and Keith Brockie has been actively monitoring
this and other species on the estate for 30 years. Euan Cameron monitored Hen Harriers,
Peregrines and Merlins on part of the estate from the 1980s until 2002. Wendy Mattingley has
monitored Hen Harriers, Peregrines and Merlins on part of the estate since 2003.
During the mid-1970s and early 1980s there was some evidence that Golden Eagles were being
interfered with and Peregrine breeding success was affected by the activities of falconers
(personal notes, A. Payne & K. Brockie pers. comm.) . Tulliemet developed as a large Pheasant
shoot in the 1980s and there was evidence of poisoned baits, the destruction of young
Peregrines and several other incidents including the removal of a pair of immature Golden
Eagles during the 1980s (K. Brockie & I. Smith pers. comm.). Although the number of Ravens
recorded killed had declined, the estate held some large Raven roosts in winter and there is
some anecdotal evidence that these were targeted in the 1970s (W. Mattingley pers. comm.).
Between 1989 and 1999 a number of incidents were logged by the RSPB on several shooting
beats on the Atholl Estates (RSPB Scotland Investigations pers comm.), not all of which were
confirmed, but which included shootings of raptors, trapping of birds including Golden Eagle
and the deliberate destruction of broods of Hen Harriers and Peregrines. There was little
evidence of persecution on either Dalnamein or Glen Bruar.
Discussion
The period coverage by the Atholl Estates Game and Vermin Lists are unprecedented for a single
estate in Scotland. Details of published vermin lists, such as those contained in Lovegrove (2007),
are for much shorter periods.
31:3 (2011)
201
Plate 178. Fergie
Courtesy of Miss C. Ferguson
202
Raptor persecution on a large Perthshire estate: a historical study
The Atholl record is also
unusual in that it includes
owls. It should be noted that
the Wild Birds Protection
Acts of “1880 to) 4896
provided legal protection for
‘owls’ (the generic term was
used) from 1 March to 1
August. The Wild Birds
Protection (County of
Perthshire) Order was
implemented on 1 December
1898, which ~extended
protection at all times of the
year for all birds of prey,
species of owls, and their
eggs. The only exceptions in
Perthshire were that Merlin
Was protected’ Sine sre
breeding season only, and
that Hen Hanner wand
Sparrowhawk had no
protection whatsoever. There
is no evidence from Table 1
that this legal protection
made any difference to the
number of hawks and owls
killed. Figure 3 covers the period in which the Protection of Birds Act 1954 was implemented,
and provided broad general protection to all species of raptors and owls with the exception
of Sparrowhawk for which full legal protection was implemented in 1961. However, ‘Fergie’
Ferguson, who was a close friend of the naturalist David Stephen, put his views into practice
even before the comprehensive legislation of 1954 was in place. He also influenced others
and trained Phil Cairney, who looked after the Clunes beat as shown in Figure 2.
St Se oe ot"
iw ©
r ¥ } “a $%
vid
Stephen, Atholl Estate. © c 1960
erguson with Da
Smout (2000) has suggested that the returns of vermin killed might be exaggerated especially
where bounty systems were in place. There is no evidence that any systems of paying
bounties was in place on Atholl. From 1915/16, there is considerable variation in the
persecution efforts made by individual gamekeepers which suggests that the head keeper, or,
for that matter the estate, did not implement an overall policy of culling raptors. There is
always a possibility that gamekeepers may have given false returns. However, given the
absence of bounties, the remoteness of some of the shootings, and the difficulties of
communication, it is equally likely that details of vermin killed might have been under-
reported. While head keeper Ferguson implemented a tolerant and legal approach to the
protection of raptors, he was unable to impose this approach on his other gamekeepers,
although some others such as Cairney followed his lead. When a high level of persecution
resumed on the Castle Beat with a new head gamekeeper in the 1970s and 1980s (Figure 3),
the level of persecution on other beats on the estate appeared to be low, suggesting the head
keeper was unable to direct the other gamekeepers to act illegally. However, it could also be
that the other gamekeepers were more circumspect in recording data on activities which
might potentially be incriminating.
195-20! 41:3(@oili)
By the late 20th century, Red Grouse bags did appear to be in slow decline and this is an area
which would benefit from detailed analysis. Watson & Moss (2008) argue that it is possible to have
a successful grouse shoot within the law. Red Grouse shooting was a relatively small component
of the Castle Beat, but Ferguson averaged a bag of 285 Red Grouse over the 25 year period. His
predecessor averaged 274 in 15 years and his successor 309 in 24 years. Red Grouse continued to
be important on all the other shooting beats until the records ceased in 2000. At Forest Lodge, a
bag of 1,032 Red Grouse in 1991/92 was the largest on record.
Measuring the levels of persecution against raptors is extremely challenging. Raptor crime is
committed in an environment which is rarely policed or where cultural and social pressures
mean it will rarely be reported. It is accepted that a large proportion of incidents will never
be uncovered or reported. Monitoring raptor breeding performance can reveal indicators of
persecution and pioneering work by Sandeman (1957) on Golden Eagles in Perthshire, found
that on ground used for sheep and grouse, up to six birds were destroyed each year. Sandeman
showed that field observations such as the presence of immature birds, the turnover of birds,
evidence of nests being destroyed and robbed were valid indicators of persecution. In the
north-east of Scotland, Watson (1957) also found heavy losses of Golden Eagles on
sheep/grouse country, which he attributed to human persecution. Further indicators of
persecution were evident in monitoring work carried out by raptor workers (Scottish Raptor
Study Groups 1997). Etheridge et al. (1997) used data collected during annual monitoring of
breeding Hen Harriers. They found evidence of human interference at nest sites on half of the
Srouse moor estates studied, and this accounted for at least 30% of breeding failures. These
are examples of published studies which provide some validity for the use of ‘persecution
indicator’ data collected by raptor fieldworkers in scientific studies. Some guidance regarding
this is provided in Hardey et al. (2009).
Although the police are responsible for the investigation of crimes against raptors, they are unable
to produce accurate statistics on raptor crime. Consequently, annual persecution reports produced
by the RSPB (e.g. RSPB 2009) are extremely valuable tools, but deal only with known destruction.
However, these known incidents have now been used in population modelling and analyses using
Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and have shown that the most severe constraint on
Scottish Golden Eagles in the central and eastern Highlands is illegal persecution, principally
associated with grouse moors (Whitfield et al. 2008). Similar work on Hen Harriers has shown that
breeding populations away from grouse moors have a higher net productivity and raise more
young per year, because they are not persecuted. There is strong evidence in five Natural Heritage
Zones in Scotland that illegal persecution of Hen Harriers is the most common reason when
breeding attempts fail (Fielding et al. 2011).
Using data recorded by gamekeepers themselves is probably the most accurate way of measuring
the extent of persecution over a period of time. The major drawbacks in the Atholl data are the
lack of identification of individual species, the absence of data on the method of killing, and,
certainly from the 1970s, a decline in recording levels. Watson & Moss (2008) suggest that the
intensive predator killing that was widely practiced in the sporting estates of the 19th century
relaxed somewhat during the latter part of the 20th century. The trends in the gamekeepers’ own
records on Atholl support that view. However, it is apparent that some persecution of raptors,
including key conservation species such as Golden Eagle, Peregrine and Hen Harrier, continued
on Atholl into the late 20th century.
On the premise that data recorded by gamekeepers itself is accurate, it is useful to compare this
information against incidents recorded by the RSPB on the illegal killing of birds of prey in
Scotland. Table 3 shows comparative data from the Blair Castle Beat with data for the whole of
Scotland collated by the RSPB for the eight recording years from 1980/81.
31:3 (2011)
203
Table 3. Comparison of gamekeeper records on one Atholl Estate beat with RSPB Scottish data,
1980/81-87/88.
Blair Castle Beat 80/81 81/82 82/83 83/84 84/85 85/86 86/87 87/88 Mean
Hawks 14 7 DS Da), 13 9 |2 14 16.1
Owls 5 4 IS ) 12 IS 2 16 9.4
Totals 19 2] 46 46 25 22 14 50 25.4
All Scotland, RSPB
Hawks 9 DS; 16 12 10 8 13 2 12.9
Owls O O O ] 2 O O S ONS
Totals 9 DS 16 1S ]2 8 IS 15 13265
The all Scotland data would also include incidents reported to and investigated by the police.
The all Scotland data was collated by date to conform with the annual recording year used at
Atholl. Most of this data related to single incidents and for comparative purposes only
includes details of hawks and owls killed. Only in 1981/82 did the RSPB record more hawks
killed in the whole of Scotland than was recorded on the Blair Castle Beat. Very few owls were
recorded in the RSPB figures. The annual mean for predators killed on one shooting beat on
Atholl Estate was 25.4, whilst the all Scotland mean was 13.7. There was no duplication
between any of the figures, in other words there was no official record held by the RSPB of
any of the gamekeeper recorded persecution incidents on the Blair Castle Beat. The head
keeper’s beat on this single large estate, between 1980 and 1988, therefore accounted for
nearly twice as much illegal raptor and owl mortality as was officially recorded in the whole
of Scotland. Whilst reporting of incidents to the RSPB may have improved, the keeper recorded
figures for the period clearly endorse the RSPB (2009) position that “reported incidents
represent minimum figures”, and are merely the tip of the iceberg.
The purpose of this paper is not to be judgemental on the activities of gamekeepers or sporting
estates. It has long been suspected that legislation and associated penalties had little
preventive impact on overall persecution levels. There is also a tendency to generalise about
the illegal activities of gamekeepers when individuals such as ‘Fergie’ Ferguson and Phil
Cairney showed considerable independence in failing to conform with the behavioural norm
of many of their peers. That Atholl Estates allowed them to operate within legal boundaries
was to their credit. There is no evidence that persecution of raptors was part of an estate-wide
policy to support important sporting interests during the second half of the 20th century.
Conversely, there is no evidence that the estate had any positive policies of protecting Golden
Eagles, Peregrines, or any other raptors. Persecution of raptors was probably driven by the
individual prejudices and perceptions which gamekeepers had of raptors. Levels of persecution
were probably influenced by the amount of effort individual gamekeepers were prepared to
make. As the records show, this allowed the Head Gamekeeper in the 1970/80s to resume
significant levels of persecution. Other evidence and ‘persecution indicators’ certainly suggest
that several other gamekeepers were persecuting raptors at this time. There is no evidence that
the owner or estate factor did anything other than condone these illegal activities. Keith
Brockie had correspondence with the Duke of Atholl in 1982 regarding incidents involving
Golden Eagles (K. Brockie pers. comm.). An incident was also reported to the police in summer
1986 as a result of which the RSPB had what was the first of several meetings with the then
estate factor (T.D. Dick pers. comm.). There were opportunities for the owner or factor to
impose constraints on their staff, but there is no evidence that this was done. Individual
gamekeepers continued to operate with a great deal of autonomy, with little interference or
direction from the head keeper, factor or owner.
Raptor workers have stressed that, certainly since the early 1970s on many parts of the estate, Hen
Harriers and other raptors were allowed to nest in peace, and long-established nest sites for
204 31:3 (2011)
Golden Eagles and Peregrines have been left alone. There is no suggestion that gamekeepers on
the Atholl Estates continue to commit crimes against raptors or other species. Under the direction
of Sarah Troughton the estate is now heavily committed to wildlife tourism and has developed a
dedicated wildlife ranger service part-funded by Scottish Natural Heritage.
Acknowledgements
Roger Hayward, who collated this data, monitored raptors on Atholl for over 20 years and worked
tirelessly to establish good relationships with everyone on the estate. Roger, a member of Tayside
Raptor Study Group, died in June 2008 and this paper is dedicated to his memory.
A number of individuals have provided valuable information and helpful comments on early
drafts of this paper. These include K. Brockie, E.D. Cameron, W. Mattingley, A. Payne, I. Smith and
T.D. Dick. I am grateful to RSPB Scotland for the use of historical data. I am also grateful to
several retired gamekeepers, and their families, for sharing their knowledge and memories.
References
Cramb, A. 1996. Who Owns Scotland Now? The use and abuse of private land. Mainstream
Publishing, Edinburgh and London.
Drummond-Hay, H.M. 1879. Notes on the birds of the basin of the Tay and its tributaries.
Scottish Naturalist 5: 56-62.
Etheridge, B., Summers, R.W. & Green, R.E. 1997. The effects of illegal killing and destruction
of nests by humans on the population dynamics of the hen harrier Circus cyaneus in Scotland.
Journal of Applied Ecology 34: 1081-1105.
Fielding, A., Haworth, P., Whitfield, P., McLeod, D. & Riley, H. 2011. A Conservation Framework
for Hen Harrier in the United Kingdom. JNCC Report No. 441. Joint Nature Conservation
Committee, Peterborough.
Hardey, J., Crick, H., Wernham, C., Riley, H., Etheridge, B. & Thompson, D. 2009. Raptors. A
field guide for surveys and monitoring. 2nd edition. The Stationery Office, Edinburgh.
Holloway, S. 1996. The Historical Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland 1875-1900.
(cea. royser Lid.
Jones, D.S.D. 2007. Game on Lewis & Harris: past and present. The Islands Book Trust, Isle of Lewis.
Lovegrove, R. 2007. Silent Fields: the long decline of a nation’s wildlife. Oxford University Press.
RSPB. 2009. The illegal killing of birds of prey in Scotland in 2008.
Sandeman, P.W. 1957. The breeding success of Golden Eagles in the southern Grampians.
Scottish Naturalist 69: 148-152.
Scottish Raptor Study Groups 1997. The illegal persecution of raptors in Scotland. Scottish Birds
19: 65-85.
Smout, T, C. 2000. Nature Contested: environmental history in Scotland and northern England
since 1600. Edinburgh University Press.
Watson, A. 1957. The breeding success of Golden Eagles in the north-east Highlands. Scottish
Naturalist 69: 153-169.
Watson, A. & Moss, R. 2008. Grouse. HarperCollins, London.
Whitfield, D.P., Fielding, A.H., McLeod, D.R.A. & Haworth, P.F. 2008. A Conservation
Framework for Golden Eagles: implications for their conservation and management in Scotland.
Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No. 193 (ROAME No. FO5AC306)
Revised ms accepted April 2011
R.L.McMillan, Askival, 11 Elgol, Broadford, Isle of Skye IV49 9BL.
Email: bob@skye-birds.com
31:3 (2011) cottish Birds: 19: 205
a aeeilt os cin Aird ny) lot, ry } J | iI / Talia)
LOCG! CNaNGes IN Dird NUMDEIS ANG NADITAL USE If) MICIOT)!
y
L f L Fi . h | I
imbere and Aabhitat 1ice sn MAidlothy
CAANTA
Local changes in bird numbers
and habitat use in Midlothian
B.E.H. SUMNER
To investigate changes in numbers of birds and their use of habitats in and around Penicuik,
Midlothian, all the birds using 12 habitats in a 750 ha study area were counted on a series of
four morning walks, repeated each month all the year round from October 2007 to September
2010, and compared with a similar study performed from October 1981 to September 1984 by the
same observer. Overall, 77 species were recorded in the present study, one more than in 1981-84,
but 18.7% fewer birds were recorded. Despite the overall decrease, 30 species recorded in
1981-84 had increased in numbers by 2007-10, e.g. Buzzard and Magpie. Monthly totals of all
species and all individuals showed seasonal and annual variations. The seasonal average peak
values for all species were similar in the two studies, but for all individuals these averages were
reduced by 23.0% in the second study. Habitat use by species in 2007-10 was increased by 28.0%
in hedgerows but only slightly increased on town greens and moors and was unchanged or
decreased in all other habitats. Use by individuals (measured by densities) was increased by 11.2%
in hedgerows, with much smaller increases in woodland habitats and burns and decreases in all
other habitats. Decreases were greatest on fields and moors (56.9% and 49.2%, respectively).
Some species, e.g. Rook and Dunnock, showed some changes in habitat preferences.
Introduction
Sumner (1987) gave details of the year-round numbers and habitat use by birds recorded between
October 1981 and September 1984 in a study area in and around Penicuik, Midlothian. Since then
bird numbers, nationally, have shown marked changes (Forrester et al. 2007, Risely et al. 2010).
The aim of the present study (from October 2007 to September 2010) was to repeat the previous
study in exactly the same way with the same observer, to find out if there had been any local
changes in habitats, usage or users in the 23 years since the end of the first study.
Methods
The total study, aream(e750
hectares), habitats and
methods employed for the
baseline study (1981-84) have
been described previously
(Sumner 1987) and Figure 1
shows the routes of the four
walks. The same study area,
habitats, routes and methods
were employed in this repeat
study by the same observer.
Timing
Fieldwork for the present
study was carried out from
October 2007 to September
Figure 1. Location of the Penicuik study area, with details of the four walks. 2010, inclusive. As for the
Contains Ordnance Survey data. © Crown copyright and database right 2010 previous study the four walks
206
31:3 (2011)
were carried out in the same order each month and at the same time of day, i.e. mornings after
08:00 hrs and before 12:00 hrs. The aim was to space the walks evenly through each month, but
fickle weather necessitated some irregularity of spacing, as it had done for the previous study. The
observer kept a note of the exact time taken by each walk, in case the times turned out to be
markedly different from the times taken in 1981-84, which might affect the results. Times and
bird counts were tested for correlation by the Spearman Rank test (Fowler et al. 1998).
Birds and habitats
All the birds seen or heard using each habitat were counted and identified to species as far as
possible. The criteria for habitat use were the same as those used in fieldwork for the Winter Atlas
project (Lack 1986), but applied all the year round instead of only during the winter months.
Changes in the habitats between this and the previous study were noted and adjustments made to
areas or lengths as necessary. As for the baseline study, nine area habitats, measured in hectares
(ha) and three linear habitats, measured in kilometres (km), were recognised. The area habitats
were broad-leaved and coniferous woods, scrub, fields, moors, town and country buildings, town
greens and still water. The linear habitats were hedgerows, the River North Esk and burns.
Comparisons
In order to compare usage between different habitats, the bird counts per habitat were converted
to densities, i.e. numbers per hectare (ha) for area habitats and numbers per kilometre (km) for
linear habitats, as for the previous study. To detect and measure changes from the previous study
(1981-84) to the present study (2007-10), data from the two studies were compared in tables and
graphs. For certain data statistical comparisons were made by Student’s t-test, two-tailed, to
assess the significance of differences, having first checked the datasets for similarity of variance
using the F-test (Fowler et al. 1998).
Results
Times
During 2007-10 the total time spent on bird-counting walks in the whole three years was 346 h
15 min, 2.7% more time than in 1981-84 (337 h 7 min). Average monthly times were 9 h 22 min
and 9 h 37 min in the first and second studies, respectively. Times and bird counts were found to
be significantly correlated in the second study (r = 0.6; 2-tailed p <0.0001).
Birds
The total number of bird species identified throughout the study area during the whole of the
present study was 77, one more species than for the previous study. However, seven of these
species were new in 2007-10. These were Teal Anas crecca, Tawny Owl Strix aluco, Kingfisher
Alcedo atthis, Raven Corvus corax, Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia, Stonechat Saxicola
torquatus and Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus. Six different species, which had been recorded
in 1981-84, were not recorded during 2007-10. These were Canada Goose Branta canadensis,
Goosander Mergus merganser, Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus, Coot Fulica atra, Redshank Tringa
totanus, and Cuckoo Cuculus canorus. None of the foregoing species involved many individuals,
i.e. fewer than 10 for all except Redshank (50) and Red Grouse (27).
Thirty-nine species showed decreases in the number of records of individuals in the present study
compared with the first study (Table 1). Of species which had been abundant in 1981-84 the greatest
decreases were shown by Lapwing, House Sparrow, Starling, Willow Warbler and Rook. Considerable
decreases were also shown by less abundant, but still common, species, e.g. Yellowhammer, Curlew,
Oystercatcher and Meadow Pipit. Uncommon species included Wood Warbler, which was recorded
regularly through the summer months of the first study, but only singly in May and June of 2008,
in May of 2009 and not at all in 2010. Thirty species listed in Table 1 showed increases in the number
of records of individuals in the second study compared with the first and some of these increases
31:3 (2011)
207
were considerable (over 1000% of the numbers recorded in 1981-84). The largest increases were
shown by Buzzard, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Collared Dove, Lesser Black-
backed Gull and Magpie. Smaller increases (between 100% and 1000%) were shown by Brambling,
Mute Swan, Goldfinch, Redwing, Mallard, Long-tailed Tit, Wren, Great Tit, Swallow and Robin.
Omitted from Table 1 are the following species, for which there were fewer than 10 records of
individuals in each study: Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus,
Green Woodpecker Picus viridis, hybrid crow Corvus cornix x corone, Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa
striata, Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea and Siskin Carduelis spinus.
Table 1 shows differing trend between some closely related species. For instance, records of Lesser
Black-backed Gull increased, but records of Herring Gull decreased. Chiffchaffs increased, but
Willow Warblers decreased. Overall, the grand total of individual birds of all species recorded in
the second study was lower by 18.7% than in the first study (63,241 compared with 77,759).
Table 1. Total numbers of individual birds of each species recorded in both studies, % changes, and total
numbers of habitats used by each species, in the whole study area (750 ha). Omitted from this table are
species which were only recorded in one of the two studies and species for which there were less than 10
records of individuals in each study (see text for these species).
Total numbers of Total numbers of
Species Species birds recorded habitats used
(common name) (scientific name) 1981-84 2007-10 Change (%) 1981-84 2007-10
Mute Swan Cygnus olor 2 12 +500 1 1
Greylag Goose (feral) Anser anser 62 68 s9).7/ - Z.
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 20 51 +155 4 2
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula 12 13 +8.3 1 1
Grey Partridge Perdix perdix 93 27 -7| 3 1
Pheasant Phasianus colchicus 369 23] -37.4 6 8
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 32 [5 DoH 5 6
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 15 DS +66.7 1 1
Buzzard Buteo buteo D 19] +9450 1 6
Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 17 9 -47.] 5 4
Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 36 34 -5.6 1 1
Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus 147 56 SOlles - -
Lapwing Vanellus vanellus 1199 90 D5) 7, 2
Snipe Gallinago gallinago 12 11 -8.3 S 2
Curlew Numenius arquata 348 116 -66.7 5) 2
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 2243 2318 +55) 8 7
Common Gull Larus canus 5440 2609 =o) 8 4
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus 35 419 +1097.1 6 4
Herring Gull Larus argentatus 130 33 -74.6 8 eS)
Feral Pigeon Columba livia 2022 3048 +50.7 8 7
Woodpigeon Columba palumbus 6096 4506 26.1 9 9
Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 1S 162 +1146 4 6
Swift Apus apus 294 122 =O. 6 6
Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major 4 73 +1725 1 6
Magpie Pica pica 1 1096 +1095 1 9
Jackdaw Corvus monedula 6746 5977 -11.4 9 9
Rook Corvus frugilegus 6781 3004 -55.7 9 9
Carrion Crow Corvus corone 3488 4026 +15.4 9 9
Goldcrest Regulus regulus NS 326 -54.3 6 6
Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus 3996 3942 -1.4 8 8
Great Tit Parus major 1126 2389 +112.2 8 8
Coal Tit Periparus ater 1731 3391 +95.9 8 9
Skylark Alauda arvensis 549 304 -44.6 = 2
Swallow Hirundo rustica SSD) 1110 +108.7 8 9
House Martin Delichon urbicum 330 227 -S3|2 7 -
Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus 5y/ 134 135.1 = 5)
Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix 11 % 72.7 1 1
Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita 5 264 +5180 2 7
208 31:3: 20}
Willow Warbler
Blackcap
Whitethroat
Treecreeper
Wren
Starling
Dipper
Blackbird
Fieldfare
Song Thrush
Redwing
Mistle Thrush
Robin
Dunnock
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Pied Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Chaffinch
Brambling
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Bullfinch
Yellowhammer
Phylloscopus trochilus
Sylvia atricapilla
Sylvia communis
Certhia familiaris
Troglodytes troglodytes
Sturnus vulgaris
Cinclus cinclus
Turdus merula
Turdus pilaris
Turdus philomelos
Turdus iliacus
Turdus viscivorus
Erithacus rubecula
Prunella modularis
Passer domesticus
Passer montanus
Motacilla alba
Anthus pratensis
Fringilla coelebs
Fringilla montifringilla
Carduelis chloris
Carduelis carduelis
Carduelis cannabina
Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Emberiza citrinella
632 =(6)) IAS) 8
11 +3600 2
84 =|V5 6
10 sPllvel 2
2458 TF IZS 8
2607 {SiS he, 10
78 =|[5.72 22
1627 55:0 9
583 +92.4 6
207 =35 72.) 9
68 +300 4
5g =I7/ 6
SINS Ole g
687 2] 72 S
978 -70.2 9
20 -52.4 5
345 +87.5 8
265 -60.3 8
5815 =O) g
28 Heo: 2
1346 +40.9 g
505 +376.4 9g
31 -18.9 5)
292 +24.3 8
48 -81.8 9
In both studies the monthly totals of species and individuals recorded displayed an annual and
seasonal pattern (Figure 2). For species the peaks occurred between April and June, but for
individuals the peaks recorded were between November and April. For numbers of species the
three annual peak values gave the same average (48.7) in the two studies, but for records of
2a - Species
Number of species
ONDJF MAM J
2b - Individuals
4000
3000
2000
Number of individuals
1000
ONDJF MAM J
en To OLN Ds kr, MEA MM J
JASONODJNF MAM J
TAS OUND IE MAM IAS
{AVS © ON Dye MeA (MJ) 3A. *S
Figure 2. Total numbers of (a) species and (b) individual birds of all species recorded in the Penicuik study
area in each month in 1981-84 and 2007-10. Months are indicated by their initial letters.
31:3 (2011)
DMDOWNOONON®D WO ONN ON ON O ON OD OD OO
209
individual birds the average annual peak values decreased by 23.0% (3049 to 2348) from the first
to the second study, which was statistically significant (t = 2.99; p = 0.04). The three annual lower
values showed no significant changes in either numbers of species or records of individuals.
For many largely resident species the monthly totals of individuals recorded showed a pattern
which was repeated each year (examples in Figure 3). In the first study there was often a peak of
monthly totals in spring and, for some species, e.g. Dunnock and Robin, in autumn too. For many
of these species the pattern was retained from the first study to the second, but showed signifi-
cantly lower peak totals in the second study in species which decreased, e.g. House Sparrow
(66.8% decrease; t = 6.48, p <0.0001), and significantly higher peak totals in species which
increased, e.g. Robin (115.9% increase; t = -6.70, p <0.0001). However, for Dunnock, which
decreased overall, the spring peaks were not significantly changed, but the autumn peaks were
absent. For Great Tit, the spring peaks were significantly higher (by 66.8%; t = -4.79; p = 0.0087)
in the second study and an autumn peak was more apparent.
For seasonal visitors their monthly totals obviously peaked at the time of their visit and were
absent at other times of year (examples in Figure 4). Decreases in individual records from the first
to the second study were expressed as lower peak totals, e.g. Curlew and Willow Warbler.
Conversely, increases in individuals were expressed as higher peak totals, e.g. Chiffchaff and
Lesser Black-backed Gull. Some visitor species which increased were not only recorded in higher
numbers, but also for more months of the year, e.g. Chiffchaff and Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Habitats
Habitat changes are summarised in Table 2. Since the first study young coniferous plantations had
matured and others had been felled. The net result was a 25.2% increase in the area covered by
coniferous woods. Some of the area occupied by scrub in the previous study had become mature
coniferous wood by 2007, but other, smaller areas, previously covered by conifers or broad-leaved
tree species, were now scrub. The net result was an 18% decrease in scrub. Still water decreased
by 29.4% from the first to the second study. All other habitats remained relatively unchanged in
dimensions. As mentioned in the previous paper the area of fields (354 ha) is mostly pasture for
sheep and cattle, with some fields occasionally ploughed to grow root crops or cereals for a season
and then returned to pasture. In 1981-84, the maximum extent of fields used for these crops in
any one season was 37% of the 354 ha, but in 2007-10 the maximum was much lower (4%).
Pasture fields were occasionally left ungrazed and the grass harvested for silage.
Table 2. Changes in habitat dimensions from the first to the second study.
1981-84 2007-10
Total ha for area habitats Total ha for area habitats Change (%)
Coniferous woods 40.4 50.6 +25.2
Broad-leaved woods 93.4 91.5 2.0
Scrub 46.0 SV; -18.0
Fields 354.0 354.0 0.0
Moors 148.2 148.2 0.0
Country buildings 125 13.0 +4.0
Town buildings 535 585 0.0
Town greens 52 152 0.0
Still water lev 1.2 -29.4
Total area: 749.9 749.9 0.0
Total km for linear habitats Total km for linear habitats Change (%)
Hedgerow 4.5 48 +6.7
River Su/. BI 0.0
Burns S10) 3.0 0.0
Total length: eZ eS +2.7
210 3123320)
3a - Dunnock
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@ 2007-10
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a
5
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Oo
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eon MOA Me! JA S'O ND IF MAMI JA SON DJ) F MAM J J A'S
180 3c - House Sparrow
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ORNE Da Ea MeAM i ISAs SOF NEDA IE MAM a ITASS O OND Jor M AOM Jc J AS
Figure 3. Total numbers of individual birds of (a) Dunnock, (b) Robin, (c) House Sparrow and (d) Great Tit
recorded in the Penicuik study area in each month in 1981-84 and 2007-10.
31:3 (2011) Scottish Birds: 211
22
4a - Curlew
40
@ 1981-84
@ 2007-10
n 0
Ww
5
920
oO
ta)
E
=
10
0
ONDIJF MAMJYVA SONDYF MAMI JA SOND J EAs
4b - Willow Warbler
300
@ 1981-84
@ 2007-10
(2)
Z 200
=
re)
oO
=
5 100
za
0
ONDJF MAMJ) JASOND JF MAM SJ JA S ON DFO
Ac - Chiffchaff
@ 1981-84
@ 2007-10
i°2)
i
5
6
oO
Sa)
E
=!
za
ONDJEFEMAMJ) JA SOND JF MAMI JA SON D JF ACs
Ad - Lesser Black-backed Gull
160
Wi 1981-84
@ 2007-10
, 120
v
5
Sango
<)
a)
=
=
z
40
ON DJF MAMI) JA SOND JF MAMI JA SO NOD J°F MAR oes
Figure 4. Total numbers of individual birds of (a) Curlew, (b) Willow Warbler, (c) Chiffchaff and (d) Lesser
Black-backed Gull recorded in the Penicuik study area in each month in 1981-84 and 2007-10.
31:3 (2011)
Habitat use by birds
The total number of habitats used by each bird species during each of the two studies is listed in
Table 1. During the present study the greatest number of habitats used by any one species was
nine; 15 species came into this category, including Starling, which had been the only species to
use 10 habitats in the first study. In general the more abundant species used more habitats, e.g.
Woodpigeon, four corvid species and three finch species, which all used nine habitats. However,
this was not always the case because Common Gull which, in spite of a decrease, was still
common in 2007-10, and Kestrel, which was rare, both used four habitats. As in the first study,
aquatic species used few habitats. Overall, from the first study to the second, there was a 6.4%
decrease in the total number of habitats used by the total number of species.
The total number of species and the overall densities of individuals of all species recorded using
each habitat throughout both studies are illustrated in Figure 5. Scrub had been used by the
highest number of species during the first study (56), but was the habitat showing the greatest
change by 2007-10 (28.6% decrease to 40 species). Decreases were also found in species totals
using still water (15.4%), country buildings (11.6%), coniferous woods (11.1%), broad-leaved
woods (6.5%), fields (5.6%) and the river (2.0%). However, in hedgerows, town greens and
moors increases in species totals were recorded (28.0%, 3.2% and 2.9%, respectively). No
changes were recorded in species totals using town buildings or burns. Regarding the overall
densities of individual birds of all species recorded using each habitat, the greatest changes
were found on moors and in fields, where 56.9% and 49.2% decreases, respectively, were
recorded from the first to the second study. Smaller decreases were observed on the river
5a - Species
60
@ 1981-84
@ 2007-10
wn
o
U
[oD]
Cs
Wn
Re)
ro
a
E
=)
z
CB TB TG BW Cw Sc Fi Mo SW Hr Ri Bu
5b - Individuals
600
1981-84
@ 2007-10
8 400
=
i)
=
Ww
5S 200
(an)
0
CB TB TG BW CW Sc Fi Mo SW Hr Ri Bu
Figure 5. (g) Total numbers of species and (b) overall densities of individual birds of all species recorded using
each habitat in the Penicuik study area in 1981-84 and 2007-10. CB, country buildings; TB, town buildings;
TG, town greens; BW, broad-leaved woods; CW, coniferous woods; Sc, scrub; Fi, fields; Mo, moors; SW, still
water; Hr, hedgerows; Ri, river; Bu, burns. Densities are numbers per hectare (ha) for area habitats and
numbers per kilometre (km) for linear habitats.
31:3 (2011)
US
214
ay Lat a ut fy ee piste vik rg a! ~ Ah / Hie E on
ERE Ee ye eA ta MWe heat
umbers and habitat use in Micglott MCT)
(23.1%) and in urban habitats (11.9% and 10.0% for town greens and town buildings, respec-
tively). Country buildings, scrub and still water showed the least decrease in densities between
the first and second studies (4.5%, 5.8% and 0.9%, respectively). In contrast, in hedgerows the
densities increased by 11.2%. Much lower increases were recorded in broad-leaved and
coniferous woods and burns (3.4%, 2.7% and 0.9%, respectively).
The most marked seasonal variations in habitat use were found around town buildings, in fields
and in broad-leaved and coniferous woods. Around town buildings (Figure 6) winter peak
densities alternated with summer troughs and the mean peak densities were significantly
reduced by 25.9% from the first to the second study, from 16.1 to 11.9 birds per hectare (t =
6.9, p = 0.023). In fields (Figure 6) twin winter peak densities alternated with summer troughs
and both mean peak and mean trough densities were significantly reduced in the second study
6a - Town Buildings
12)
Zz
wa)
©
=
2)
[=
o)
a
ON DJF MAM YS JAYS (OUND CE MeA My SA SO) ING Die Agey eee ees
6b - Fields
i")
=f
oO
=
wn
[=
o
Q
ONDJIF MAMI) JA SOND JF MAMY J A S ON DD ESMPARN ee oes
6c - Hedgerows
80
2)
ZZ
a)
oS
=
7)
Cc
0)
fa
ONDJFE MAM) JA SO N.D J FO MAM JAS. ON] D) OE MpAGIN ees
Figure 6. Monthly densities of individual birds of all species recorded using (a) town buildings, (b) fields and
(c) hedgerows in the Penicutk study area in 1981-84 and 2007-10. Densities are numbers per hectare (ha)
for area habitats and numbers per kilometre (km) for linear habitats.
31:3 (2011)
7a - Rook
16
@ 1981-84
@ 2007-10
12
wn
=
3
re)
Ee
Ww)
=
cB)
ja)
4
(0) m_ = — _ = =
CB TB kG BW CW Sc Fi Mo SW Ri Bu
7b - Dunnock
16
Wi 1981-84
2007-10
12
Ww
2
ray
Sg
=
Ww
(=
co)
ey
0
CB TB TG BW CW Sc Fi Mo Sw Ri Bu
7c - Robin
45
40 @ 1981-84
@ 2007-10
Density of birds
N
°
|
)
10
(0)
CB TB mG BW CW Sc Fi Mo SW Ri Bu
7d - Goldfinch
@ 1981-84
@ 2007-10
Ww
4
=
ro)
=
C
Q 2
Qa
0
CB TB TG BW CW Sc Fi Mo SW Hr Ri Bu
Figure 7. Overall densities of (a) Rook, (b) Dunnock, (c) Robin and (d) Goldfinch recorded using each habitat
in the Penicuik study area in 1981-84 and 2007-10. Abbreviations for habitats as for Figure 5. Densities are
numbers per hectare (ha) for area habitats and numbers per kilometre (km) for linear habitats.
31:3 (2011) Scottish Birds: 206-219 | 215
Local changes in bird numbers and habitat use in Midlothian
Tu
<
Re a
phe
faa
ad s a
Ciba g = Raat ee j 5 SB 7 GA ROS NS oh rie : oe =a ae Pes ; '
Plate 179. Coniferous woodland, Penicuik Estate, May Plate 180. Broad-leaved woodland, Lowrie’s Den,
2011. © Barbara Sumner Penicuik, May 2011. © Barbara Sumner
(eS A tee | es a
k Estate, May 2011. © Barbara Plate 182. Fields between Lawhead and Coates Farms,
we
Plate 181. Scrub, Penicul
Sumner Penicuik, May 2011. © Barbara Sumner
Is: 206 31:3 (2011)
¢
Scottish Birc
alee Sete neta on
RECO ios
Ame os ae Ne LD Rail ge:
Plate 184. Still water, Low Pond, Penicuik Estate May Plate 185. Hedgerow, Pomathorn Road, Penicuik, May
2011. © Barbara Sumner 2011. © Barbara Sumner
31:3 (2011)
218
(by 46.6% and 56.6%, respectively; t = 5.49, p = 0.0003; t = 6.36, p <0.0001). No significant
changes in densities were found in the woodland habitats. In hedgerows there were sharp
annual autumn peaks in densities in the first study, separated by low troughs, but in the second
study the densities were more uniform all the year round (Figure 6).
In many species for which records of individuals decreased from the first to the second study, the
decrease was observed in all or most of the habitats they used. In a few other species which
decreased some change in habitat use was noted, e.g. Rook and Dunnock (Figure 7). Rooks showed
an increase in densities in coniferous woods and hedgerows (191.1% and 307.6% increases,
respectively), but their densities decreased in all the other habitats they used and reached a 91.3%
decrease around town buildings. In contrast, Dunnocks became more urban, showing 31.7% and
31.6% increases in densities around town buildings and on town greens, respectively, but
decreases in all the other habitats they used except hedgerows, where a very slight increase of
2.9% was noted. Some declining species, e.g. Lapwing, House Sparrow and Starling, used fewer
habitats in the second study (Table 1).
In most species for which records of individuals increased from the first to the second study the
increase was observed in all the habitats they used, e.g. Robin and Goldfinch (Figure 7). Some of
the increasing species also exploited extra habitats, e.g. Blackcap (Table 1).
Discussion
The limitations of the methods were discussed by Sumner (1987). The transect method samples
the wider population (Bibby et al. 2000). The numbers of bird species and individuals counted
were necessarily only those which were visible or audible, and detectability might vary with, for
instance, the weather, the season (vegetation cover) or bird behaviour. These limitations apply to
both the previous study and the present study, so comparisons are considered valid, even though
the relation between the transect counts and the actual population is not known.
One more species was recorded in the second study, but records of individual birds showed an
overall decrease. However, this decrease masked considerable variation between species. For
many species, the changes in bird numbers between the first and the second study were in line
with Scottish national trends (Forrester et al. 2007, Risely et al. 2010). The difficulty lies in
discovering the causes of the trends in this area, which are likely to be different for each species,
and may be multifactorial.
Species showing remarkable increases in records of individuals included Buzzard and Magpie.
This is probably because their persecution is now illegal, but removal of persecution did not result
in an increase in Kestrel records in this area. It has been suggested that Kestrels may now be
facing competition from Buzzards for food, since both prey on small mammals and these are said
to be in short supply (Holden & Cleeves 2002, Forrester et al. 2007).
Predators which have been observed taking birds in the study area include birds of prey, Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes, American Mink Neovison vison and domestic cats. Ground-nesting and water birds
are vulnerable to Foxes and Mink (Newton 1998), but the effects of predators on overall numbers
of most bird species in this area were not established.
Loss of arable land and increased intensification in farming practice nationally are thought to
have contributed to the decline of some species, e.g. Grey Partridge, Lapwing, Linnet and
Yellowhammer (Newton 1998, Forrester et al. 2007). In this study area the small amount of arable
farmland decreased between the first and second studies, which might have contributed to the
decrease in numbers of these species. However, the predominant land use in this district is as
06-219 3133 @om)
pasture for rearing stock. Rooks are users of grassland, yet their numbers declined in the study
area while the grassland did not. Their invertebrate food supply is said to have declined nationally
in the past owing to the use of pesticides (Parkin & Knox 2010), but recovery may now be taking
place. Rooks are known to be weather-sensitive owing to the high and exposed positions of their
nests; their nesting success is greater in evergreen trees (Elkins 2004). Their increased use of
evergreen coniferous woods in the study area bodes well for the future.
The decrease in overall bird numbers between the first and second studies led to lower monthly
densities in many of the habitats studied and a loss of the former pattern of use in some habitats.
Patterns were best maintained in woodland habitats and, at reduced density levels, around town
buildings, where shelter and food supply may be more obtainable in winter than in some other
habitats. Dunnocks, which decreased overall, increased in urban habitats, which suggests that they
may have been seeking food and shelter there. They decreased in woodland in this study and have
declined in woodland generally in Britain (Fuller et al. 2005). Several causes have been suggested,
including changes in woodland understorey with grazing pressure from deer (Fuller et al. 2005).
Roe Deer are quite frequently seen in this district.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Jean Torrance for IT advice and to Wendy Hicks for expediting the processing of
the manuscript. Both are thanked for their friendly helpfulness.
References
Bibby, C.J., Burgess, N.D., Hill, D-A. & Mustoe, S.H. 2000. Bird Census Techniques. 2nd edition.
Academic Press, London.
Elkins, N. 2004. Weather and Bird Behaviour. 3rd edition. T. & A.D. Poyser, London.
Forrester, R.W., Andrews, I.J., McInerny, C.J., Murray, R.D., McGowan, R.Y., Zonfrillo, B., Betts,
M.W., Jardine, D.C. & Grundy, D.S. (eds) 2007. The Birds of Scotland. The Scottish
Ornithologists’ Club, Aberlady.
Fowler, J., Cohen, L. & Jarvis, P. 1998. Practical Statistics for Field Biology. 2nd edition. Wiley,
Chichester.
Fuller, R.J., Noble, D.G., Smith, K.W. & Vanhinsbergh, D. 2005. Recent declines in populations
of woodland birds in Britain: a review of possible causes. British Birds 98: 116-143.
Holden, P. & Cleeves, T. 2002. RSPB Handbook of British Birds. Helm, London.
Lack, P. 1986. The Atlas of Wintering Birds in Britain and Ireland. T. & A.D. Poyser, Calton.
Newton, I. 1998. Population Limitation in Birds. Academic Press, London.
Parkin, D.T. & Knox, A.G. 2010. The Status of Birds in Britain and Ireland. Helm, London.
Risely, K., Baillie, S.R., Eaton, M.A., Joys, A.C., Musgrove, A.J., Noble, D.G., Renwick, A.R. &
Wright, L.J. 2010. The Breeding Bird Survey 2009. BTO Research Report 559. BTO, Thetford.
Sumner, B.E.H. 1987. A comparative study of bird numbers in different habitats at Penicuik,
Midlothian. Scottish Birds 14: 157-167.
Revised ms accepted May 2011
Dr Barbara E.H. Sumner, 32 Bridge Street, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 8LN.
Email: b.sumner@btinternet.com
31:3 (2011)
219
Plate 186. Gannets, Boreray, St Kilda, July 2010. © Stuart Murray
220
‘ eS
S. Murray
An aerial survey of the Bass Rock gannetry was made using digital photography on 29 May 2009.
The mean of two complete counts was 55,482 apparently occupied sites (AOS), an overall increase
of 14.3% (average rate of 2.9% pa) since the last count in 2004. If this increase is maintained,
the population on the Bass Rock will reach c.60,000 AOS around 2012, which will make it the
largest colony of Gannets in the east Atlantic.
me OE
The Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth is renowned for its spectacular colony of Gannets Morus
bassanus. The number of apparently occupied sites (AOS) here has been increasing for over 100
years (Nelson 2005) (Plates 187 €& 188), and Wanless et al. (2005) speculated that if the colony
continued to increase at the same rate as between 1994 and 2004, it could potentially overtake
St Kilda and become the largest colony of Gannets in the east Atlantic by 2014. However, this
prediction was dependent on (a) there being enough suitable nesting habitat on the Bass Rock to
accommodate the additional 11,524 AOS required to surpass the 59,622 AOS present on St Kilda
in 2004, and (b) numbers on St Kilda continuing to remain more or less stable. An aerial survey
of the Bass Rock in 2009 and a short visit to St Kilda in 2010 provided the opportunity to check
both of these assumptions.
The count of the Bass Rock was made entirely from aerial photographs taken between 11:29 and
11:35 hrs BST on 29 May 2009. Flying conditions were excellent, with clear sunny skies and no
turbulence, allowing several circuits to be made of the rock. Photographs were taken with a digital
camera, a Canon EOS1000D equipped with a 70-300 mm lens. More than 200 images were recorded,
of which 21 were selected to give 100% coverage of the colony. These images were made into A3-
31:3 (2011)
sized colour prints and formed Rock Face
the basis of the count. The 5
count unit was the apparently
occupied site (AOS), which was Summit (107 m) __ - 4 Foghorn
defined as a site occupied by = :
one or two Gannets irrespective
of whether nest material was
present. The status of single
birds can be difficult to assess
from photographs, particularly
those at the edge of dense
breeding areas, where many are Oe JK Footpath from
likely to be ‘club’ birds, of 10 a lighthouse to
which some will be immature. 1 foghorn
Where possible other indicators
were used to discount these \ . Node
non-site holders, such as the ent Ne Pqmneuse
loose dispersion of birds at the {
periphery of — established
breeding areas (Plate 189). Sites
a ta. were Figure 1. The main features of the Bass Rock and the boundaries of count
marked off on a transparent <edtions in 2009
sheet laid over each colour
print. Additional digital images were used to check difficult areas, particularly those in cliff Sections
5 and 6, which were in deep shade at the time of the survey. Such images were viewed on the
computer screen and manipulated to clarify the point of interest. Although time consuming, this
combination of methods made counting a fairly straightforward exercise and greatly improved the
level of individual AOS interpretation that could be achieved, compared to previous counts made
with a camera using slide or print film (Murray & Wanless 1986, 1997).
Garden (13)
100 m
As in counts made since 1985, the colony was counted in sections, the boundaries of which
correspond to the natural lines of the cliffs and slopes, or man-made features (Figure 1, Table 1).
One of the most obvious of the latter is a ruined wall enclosing a long-defunct garden (Plate 189).
In surveys up to 2004 this was included in Section 9. However, since it is the only area yet to be
colonised by Gannets and thus of particular interest, it was separated off as a new section
designated Section 13.
Plate 187. Bass Rock, 5June 1969. © RAF/Operation Seafarer
31:3 (2011) Scottish Birds: 220-225 | 221
Table 1. Counts of apparently occupied sites of Gannets per section, Bass Rock, 2009.
Section Section Difference between
number orientation and type Ist count 2nd count Mean count counts (%)
1 east slope 4648 4578 4613 =i-5)
D east cliff 368 388 378 +5.4
Sg east cliff & slope 7014 7006 7010 -0.1
4 north east cliff 376 362 369 -3.7
5 north cliff 464 455 460 -1.9
6 north west to west cliffs 1181 1223 1202 +3.6
W/ north slope TSS 8068 TSS +1.7
8 north slope 4164 3781 3973 9,2
9 north west to south slope 20087 19893 19990 -1.0
10 west cliff & south slope 3079 3022 3050 -1.9
1] south cliff SS) 326 320 +4.2
12 east slope 6128 6108 6118 -0.3
13 south summit ‘garden’ 0) ) 0 0.0
Total SSDS 55210 55482 -1.0
Table 2. Counts of apparently occupied sites of Gannets on Bass Rock 1985 (Murray & Wanless 1986), 1994
(Murray & Wanless 1997), 2004 (Murray et a/. 2006) & 2009.
Section number 1985 1994 2004 2009 Change between 2004 and 2009 (%)
1 W227 DY SH 4087 4613 =P
2 320 645 240 378 =75)/-5
3 3436 6867 7226 7010 210)
- 505 613 349 369 =-5),//
5 1909 1026 442 460 +4.)
6 1560 2119 1066 1203 =F || 228)
W 4185 7885 8191 7gGSS 2S
8 2/07 S650 3530 SOTS ae es)
9 Se | 265i 18885 I9Ssg ar)
10 S69 1578 DES) 3050 +4.3
11 O O Sy 320 +103.8
12 O O 1000 6118 srayll ils)
13 O O O O 0.0
Total 21589 ASI/S)| 48098 55482 +14.3
J1717!
In July 2010, a ten-day visit was made to Boreray, St Kilda. Although no comprehensive survey
of the gannetry was carried out, monitoring plots defined on the island in 1980 (Wanless & Wood
1982) were recounted, for the first time since a previous land visit in 2003 (S. Murray pers. obs.).
Results
Bass Rock
Two complete counts of the Bass Rock gannetry were made, giving totals of 55,753 AOS and
55,210 AOS respectively (mean 55,482 AOS, Table 1). The difference between the two totals was
only 1.0%. Counts of the individual sections also showed a consistently low rate of variation with
all except one being within 5% or less of each other.
Comparison of the 2009 total with that for 2004 indicated that overall numbers had increased by
14.3% (Table 2), equivalent to an annual rate of increase of 2.9%. A growth rate of between 3%
and 5% per annum (pa) was predicted from earlier work by Nelson (1978), based on rates of
productivity, pre-breeding mortality and annual adult mortality. Since 1985, the growth rate has
fluctuated between 1.9 and 5.3% pa (Murray €& Wanless 1986, Wanless et al. 2005), which is
sufficient to account for the colony increase to be due to intrinsic growth alone, rather than as a
result of net immigration.
31:3 (2011)
Comparisons of the sectional (7S) GRRE a er Soe Pa Aa Sar nie
totals showed that over the (¥ Teer Ma. Ae Ma
period six were largely
unchanged (3, 4, 5, 7, 9 & 10;
Figure 1) with differences
between counts of 6% or less
(Table 2). In accord with this,
detailed inspection of images
of these sections did not reveal
any obvious changes in the
area occupied, or the density
of AOS, either on cliff face or
slope sections. The exception
was the upper slopes of
Section 9, where a small area
of increase shows clearly in
comparison with _ similar
photographs taken in 2004,
with birds now nesting up to
the lower wall of Section 13
(Plate 189). The other six
secmons) (1, 2,6, 8,11 €& 12;
Figure 1) have all increased by
more than 10% since 2004.
The most spectacular increase
being in Section 12 on the
summit slope, where numbers
rie .
‘
woos aire --
i e: sn ie mae Sow be-
+6
os ALS
3°
s ; ve 5 7 via ee
’ o? “. 4 ‘ - 5 a > : ‘ mn
SEMA ee eg RI ee
a __
=
Plate 189. Section 13 is located within the walls of the abandoned garden and
of AOS increased by 512%, jg the last uncolonised section on the summit of the Bass Rock, apart from small
from 1,000 in 2004 to 6,118 in — areas in Section 9 (left) and Section 12 (right), 29 May 2009. © S. Murray
2009 and accounted for 69%
of the overall increase. In 2004, most were single birds without obvious nest material, with pockets
of site-holding pairs and birds on nests distributed haphazardly throughout the section. It is
possible that the count then, of 1,000 AOS, was slightly too cautious but comparison of images in
2004 and 2009 indicates that a major increase has undoubtedly occurred. In recent years, as
opposed to the early 1960s (Nelson 1978), some areas are initially not very dense and later become
“filled-in” (i.e. become denser) this seems to be particularly the case with Section 12 (Table 2).
The other large increases were in the cliff Sections 2 and 11. In the former the increases were
within compact groups, on small, sea level promontories, rather than on the steep open face
that makes up most of the section. In Section 11, where numbers had doubled between 2004
and 2009, the expansion shows clearly in overhead photographs of the wide, flat terraces that
comprise this low lying cliff (Plate 190). Section 1 showed a small increase in area, visible in
the photographs, on and near the concrete path that forms the boundary with Section 9. Section
6, the largest area of steep cliff on the rock, held considerably higher numbers in 1994 than
2004 (Table 2). AOS here now appear to be edging upwards again, but the definite areas of
change are difficult to pinpoint in the photographs.
In 2004, Section 8 was thought to be full, as there was almost no change in numbers since 1994
and the section is completely hemmed in by the equally densely occupied Sections 7 and 9,
leaving no obvious unoccupied areas. The 12.5% increase in 2009 was thus unexpected, and
can only be attributed to an overall increase in the density of AOS since 2004. It seems unlikely
that numbers can increase further.
31:3 (2011) Scottish Birds: 220-22!
223
Plate 190. Bass Rock Sections 1, 9, 10 &11 showing the uncolonised ground
In 2004, a small number of
non-breeders were present
within the ruined walls in
Section 13) ))) biieionemaate
approach of the aircraft all
flew off and in the subsequent
photographs the area was
totally bird free. Since then,
use Of) the Wsecthiouteiaas
intensified, and the ‘garden’
has been nearly denuded of
remaining vegetation, but in
contrast to 2004, none of the
birds within the walls left the
ground as the aircraft passed
overhead. This suggests they
are strongly attached to the
area, although no obvious
within each, 29 May 2009. © S. Murray signs of nesting were seen.
Clearly, it is being used for
prospecting, with some 400 birds present, almost all in full adult plumage (Plate 189). Whether
these should be classed as AOS holders or prospectors is debatable, but it seems likely they will
soon move into the AOS category. For 2009, however, the section is given as empty.
St Kilda
On St Kilda in 2010, four monitoring plots on Boreray and one on Stac an Armin were counted
from the land for the first time since 2003. On Boreray, only one plot showed a small increase,
rising from 103 to 116 AOS (Plate 191), the other three were unchanged. The Stac an Armin plot
increased slightly, from 1,500 AOS in 2003 to 1,591 AOS in 2010. Additional, subjective, but
extensive checks of the colony from both land and sea also indicated that apart from small
increases in two of the peripheral sub-colonies on Boreray, there appears to be little change
since the last full survey in 2004. Thus it is unlikely that the current rate of increase is substan-
tially higher than the 0.9% pa estimated between 1994 and 2004 (Wanless et al. 2005).
Therefore the total for St Kilda in 2010 was estimated to be around 59,800 AOS, 4,318 AOS
more than on the Bass Rock in 2009.
Plate 191. Gannet monitoring plot on the east face of the Clagan na Rosgachan tower (on the open face above the
broad horizontal ledge), Boreray, St Kilda, 12 July 2010. © S. Murray
31:3 (2011)
Scottish Birds
Discussion
The 2009 aerial survey of the Bass Rock was the
first made using digital photography. The
quality, speed and flexibility of the method was
clearly superior to film photography and further
counts using this approach should enable
subsequent changes in colony extent and/or site
density to be documented in great detail.
Although only a qualitative assessment of the py = Wipe
gannetry on St Kilda was possible in 2010, there © i ite aN pe:
was no evidence of any substantial changes since 47044) TaN,
2003/04. The best estimate of the current ! :
population is c.59,800 AOS with numbers ih
increasing very slowly, probably at the same rate (ha Wi aBI AU i Se he ipo al eae
as 1994-2004. The total for the Bass Rock in Plate 192. Detail of Section 7 showing the high breeding
2009 was still 4,318 AOS short of the estimated density typical of open slope sections on the Bass Rock, 29
St Kilda total. However, between 2004 and 2009 MY LOE, Oo. WATE
numbers on the Bass Rock increased at 2.9% pa, with much of the increase due to colonization of
the unoccupied areas around the summit of the island. If this rate of increase is maintained, numbers
on the Bass Rock are projected to reach c.62,200 AOS in 2013 and thus could potentially overtake
those on St Kilda (projected population of c.61,400 AOS in 2013). However, this is dependent on
there being sufficient, suitable uncolonised ground to accommodate an additional 4,000+ AOS. The
density of sites in most sections of the colony appears to be at the maximum attainable (Plate 192).
Whether the remaining areas of open ground will provide sufficient habitat is hard to judge (Plates
188, 189 & 190) but the next UK-wide census planned for 2015 should clarify whether the Bass Rock
has become the largest gannetry in the east Atlantic.
/, eA
AYA
£
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to the Forth Seabird Group, who sponsored an aerial survey of the gull
populations of the Forth islands, and especially to John Davies who organised it and invited me
to include the Bass and its gannets. Alec Hastings was our pilot who made it possible. Sarah
Wanless, Mike Harris and Bryan Nelson made improving comments to the manuscript, and Ian
Andrews did likewise by drawing Figure 1.
References
Murray, S. & Wanless, S. 1986. The status of the Gannet in Scotland 1984-85. Scottish Birds 14:
74-85.
Murray, S. & Wanless, S. 1997. The status of the Gannet in Scotland in 1994-95. Scottish Birds
19: 10-27.
Murray, S. Wanless, S. & Harris, M.P. 2006. The status of the Northern Gannet in Scotland in
2003-04. Scottish Birds 26: 17-29.
Nelson, J.B. 1978. The Gannet. T. & A.D. Poyser, Berkhamsted.
Nelson, J.B. 2005. Pelicans, Cormorants and their Relatives: Pelecanidae, Sulidae,
Phalacrocoracidae, Anhingidae, Fregatidae, Phaethontidae. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Wanless, S. & Wood, V.E. 1982. St Kilda Gannets in 1980. Scottish Birds 12: 120-121.
Wanless, S. Murray, S. & Harris, M.P. 2005. The status of the Northern Gannet in Britain and
Ireland in 2003-04. British Birds 98: 280-294.
S. Murray, Easter Craigie Dhu, Butterstone, Dunkeld, Perthshire PH8 OEY.
Revised ms accepted May 2011
31:3 (2011) Scottish Birds: 220-225 | 225
226
Short Notes
Natural predation of Golden Eagles
On 22 October 2008, an immature Golden Eagle
Aquila chrysaetos was watched at close range
on Oronsay, Argyll, by MAP and CM. When
viewed through a telescope, an injury (blood
evident) to its head around the right eye was
noted. At the time, MAP thought that this bird
was the youngster from the adjoining territory
on Colonsay, which had been seen regularly on
Oronsay since it fledged in 2007. The injured
bird was seen again on 27 and 30 October in
the company of the two adult Golden Eagles
from the adjoining territory and another
juvenile bird (presumed to be the 2008 chick
from this territory). It was not seen again.
Plate 195. Female Golden Eagle 223496, at ringing
on Colonsay, Argyll, 9 June 2007. © David C. Jardine
On 8 May 2009, the decayed remains of an
immature Golden Eagle were found on Oronsay
by CM. It was ringed ZZ3496. Skeletal and feather
remains indicated that it had been long dead,
probably from the late autumn or early winter.
Examination of the skull showed two small holes,
one on the frontal bone above the right orbit
(Plate 193, black circle) and the other on the
parietal bone (Plate 194, blue circle). The size of
the hole in the parietal bone was consistent with
the partial insertion of an eagle talon (checked
with one of the bird’s own talons). The skull has
been deposited in National Museums Scotland
(NMS) (accession number NMS.Z 2010.89).
ZZ3496 was a young female, sexed on DNA from
a feather sample (per Ruth Tingay), which was
raised (and ringed) on Colonsay in spring 2007
(Plate 195). Recent satellite-tracking studies of the
dispersal of immature Golden Eagles from their
natal territories suggest that young eagles leave at
around 3-10 months and can travel up to 200 km
(Watson 2010, and see www.raptor
track.org/golden-eagle). Observations of this
young bird suggest that it may not have left the
territory of its parents even after 18 months.
However, as this bird was not tagged, we cannot
be we cannot be sure of this.
Plates 193-194 (left). Skull of Golden Eagle 223496
(NMS.Z 2010.89), Oronsay, Argyll, May 2009,
showing holes above right orbit (black circle) and on
parietal bone (blue circle). © Clive McKay
31:3 (2011)
ZZ3496 apparently died as a result of a talon
strike by another raptor, most likely another
Golden Eagle, but possibly other species such
as Peregrine Falco peregrinus, which does occur
on Colonsay and Oronsay, or White-tailed
Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, which is not regular
Plates 196-197. Skull of Golden Eagle NMS.Z 2011.35 showing presumed small natural holes around orbit.
© Clive McKay
Plates 198-199. Skull of Golden Eagle, Loch Nant, Argyll, December 1994 (NMSZ.1997.28.4) showing large
depression injuries. © Clive McKay
31:3 (2011)
Short Notes
on these islands, but breeds on adjoining
islands. It is interesting to note that the injury
might have been caused by one of the parent
birds, or the juvenile hatched from its natal
territory a year later (and a year younger)
although this cannot be stated with certainty.
228
Short Notes
Natural predation of Golden Eagles in Britain
is reported as uncommon (Watson 2010), but
comparison of the skull of this individual
with similar material in NMS helps to put
Watson’s observation in perspective. We
compared the Oronsay eagle’s skull with
others held by the NMS. In the sample
examined, the small supra-orbital holes in the
frontal bones appear natural, rather than as a
result of trauma. As the skull of one 1-year
old bird has no supra-orbital holes, these
would seem to be unconnected to any age-
related degree of ossification (Plates
196-197); in other words the holes are
evident in skulls of juvenile and adult birds.
Regarding the parietal bone injury in the
Oronsay skull, only two other skulls from a
sample of 19 showed a puncture injury or a
hole of any sort. One skull was from a bird
that had died from shooting and another
which also exhibited damage to skeletal
elements. The second skull clearly shows a
puncture injury in the left frontal bone (Plate
198: red circle) and another large hole in the
occipital bone (Plate 199, red circle). This
skeleton, found at Loch Nant, Argyll, in
December 1994 was donated by Mike
McGradye s(NMS:Z" 199/7-27:3)4)5 a (Plates
198-199, black circles). At the time, the
finders of this corpse considered that injuries
to the skull and sternum were the result of
fights with a sub-adult Golden Eagle, which
was entering the local territory.
Mick Marquiss (in litt.) possesses a sternum
from a Golden Eagle found dead in Upper
Forth in 1992 provided to him by Roger
Broad. The sternum has two _ punctures,
consistent with piercing by a single hind
claw, which MM thinks resulted from a fight
between eagles, though again this cannot be
proven. The punctures probably occurred
some time prior to the bird’s death as there is
evidence of recalcification around the wound.
In his long term studies of Golden Eagles in
the Swiss Alps, Heinrich Haller (1996)
documents frequent fights, some of which led
to the death of eagles. The main source of
mortality for eagles was human persecution
prior to 1950, but aggressive interaction
between eagles thereafter. In an analysis of
the post mortem data for 49 eagles in
1970-94, he notes evidence that 39 died as a
result of fights, and of these, 19 had talon
puncture wounds to the head and neck.
Many people watching eagles closely observe
interactions, which may appear playful,
passive or aggressive depending on circum-
stance (Watson 2010). It would be helpful to
have these recorded in more detail in order
that we can build up a better picture of the
nature of interactions; Haller’s (1996) work
provides an important context for these, and
where densities are high and/or territories are
constrained one might observe more
aggressive interactions between adults, and in
particular between adults and juveniles
(which may be trying to move into a territory,
or are being moved on by one or more
parents or natal residents).
In conclusion, the small supra-orbital hole on
the skull of the Oronsay bird appears to be a
natural artefact unlike the puncture injury to
the parietal bone which probably contributed
to the bird’s death, particularly in light of the
observations made in October 2008.
References
Haller, H. 1996. Der Steinadler in Graubtinden.
Der Ornithologische Beobachter. Supplement
OG s pp:
Watson, J. 2010. The Golden Eagle. T. & A.D.
Poyser, London.
David C. Jardine, 49 Bellfield Road, North
Kessock, Inverness IV1 3XX.
Mike A. Peacock, RSPB Oronsay Reserve,
Isle of Oronsay, Colonsay, Argyll PA61 7YS.
Robert Y. McGowan, Department of Natural
Sciences, National Museums Scotland,
Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF.
Crystal Maw, RSPB Oronsay Reserve, Isle
of Oronsay, Colonsay, Argyll PA61 7YS.
Revised ms accepted May 2011
31:3 (2011)
Plate 200. Michael Murphy, 2011. © J.H. Murphy
Michael Helsdon Murphy
(1935-2011)
Michael Murphy died from inoperable lung
cancer on 9 April 2011 at Borders General
Hospital, Melrose.
Born in England in 1935, but raised in Scotland,
Michael was the first former pupil of Dollar
Academy to be accepted at Cambridge, receiving
a Bursary Scholarship at Downing College,
where he read languages and political sciences.
Michael could read and/or speak French, Latin,
German, Finnish, Norwegian and Arabic and
could read foreign newspapers in almost any
language. His crossword prowess was such that
he could do a Times puzzle in his head.
A birder, though not a twitcher, he remembered
every bird he ever identified and could describe
the exact location of sightings, a trick much
admired by colleagues, family and friends at
the SOC. In the last week of his illness, while
listening to a journal he kept while on a trip
more than ten years ago to the Galapagos, he
remembered every island and added still more
birds to those noted in the journal.
Poor eyesight kept him from becoming a pilot.
He was recruited by the Foreign Office to learn
Finnish; Finland at the time was an important
Cold War listening post. Michael then joined the
31:3 (2011)
Obituries
British Army Educational Corps, retiring as a
Lieutenant Colonel. Posted primarily in the UK
and able to settle on Salisbury Plain, he and his
first wife Primrose, had two children, Brigid,
Seamus, and a grandson, Magnus, who survive
him. Michael worked as an administrator for the
SOC in Regent Terrace from 1990 to 1994. The
annual reports thank him for bringing stability
at a difficult time and for his quiet efficiency.
An inveterate walker, in retirement he climbed
more than 100 Munros and, more recently, trod
more than 1000 miles along the Borders’ many
by-ways. He celebrated his 65th birthday by
cycling the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway in
the Shenandoah Mountains. He _ taught
languages occasionally, including a stint in
Saudi Arabia and another at an American
university where he taught Latin, relying
entirely on his recollection of boarding school
Latin. During the American phase of his life,
with his second wife, Jane, they circled the globe
aboard a container ship. They also twice sailed
round America’s Great Loop, an 8000-mile,
year-long passage in a 42-foot trawler around
the waterways of the eastern United States.
Michael will be missed and remembered by his
friends and family on both sides of the
Atlantic. His collection of birding magazines
and many books is now at Waterston House.
Jane Hubben Murphy
229
Nays & Views
, IVEWS & VIEWS
Plate 201. Gordon Miller measuring Ptarmigan food-plants on the Cairnwell, April 1964. © Adam Watson
230
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A. WATSON
In this, the second of our 75th anniversary
reviews, Adam Watson gives a_ personal
perspective on how research on grouse in
Scotland over the past few decades has been
of importance not only for learning about their
ecology but also in investigating wider
biological principles.
The north-east of Scotland has been important
for a better understanding of Red Grouse and
Ptarmigan in these islands, but also Willow
Grouse and Ptarmigan globally. This may seem
surprising, aS Our ranges are tiny compared with
the ranges of Ptarmigan and Willow Grouse
across vast tracts of America and Eurasia.
Reasons for the north-east's importance are
several. One Is our mild oceanic climate. Moors
are largely snow-free in winter, and likewise
even Ptarmigan ground on many winter days.
Red Grouse and Ptarmigan flock when deep
Snow covers their food-plants, searching for
places where wind has blown snow off
vegetation. On mild calm days, however, they
often pair, sing, and show territorial behaviour.
So, one can study populations and individuals
of both species on local study areas in winter,
something largely impossible in the snowier
winters elsewhere in their world ranges.
Also, eastern moors are a man-induced treeless
habitat. Prehistoric farmers destroyed forest, and
moorland has been kept open since by burning
and grazing of unnaturally many sheep or red
deer. Hence it is easier to see the ground and
use dogs to count all Red Grouse present, or
land-rovers as mobile hides to do likewise. Our
Ptarmigan land has shorter vegetation than in
the Alps and elsewhere, partly from grazing by
unnaturally many sheep and deer. So, one can
count all birds in winter by watching territorial
behaviour or seeing them in white dress against
snow-free ground.
31:3 Com)
Seton Gordon wrote that Ptarmigan on
Lochnagar and the Cairngorms fluctuated, with
highs in the early 1920, early 1930s, and early
1940s, scarcity in the mid-1940s and then a rise
in the late 1940s. They were scarce in summer
1943 when | saw my first one during a lone
climb on Derry Cairngorm aged 13. | decided to
note how many Ptarmigan and Red Grouse |
saw on walks, and my routes. Years later, |
calculated numbers per 10 km.
Lauri Siivonen in Finland used game bags to show
a low ebb in the mid-1940s across northern
Europe as well as Scotland, affecting many
species. A wider influence, probably climatic, over-
rode local or national influences. Evidence across
northern parts of our hemisphere since then
strengthens this conclusion.
In 1952, | studied the winter ecology of
Ptarmigan on Derry Cairngorm for the research
part of the Honours year in Zoology. My thesis
formed a basis for later scientific papers. |
followed it with museum studies in North
America and fieldwork on Willow Grouse in
Newfoundland and Ptarmigan in Baffin Island,
then back to study on Derry Cairngorm for a
PhD thesis in 1956. Both theses contained
much on Red and Willow Grouse as well as
Ptarmigan. My fieldwork at Derry Cairngorm
showed that Ptarmigan can limit their spring
density (number per unit area) and sex ratio
by territorial behaviour. Winter loss by
emigration accounted for more losses than
predation mortality. Birds bred more poorly in
population declines than in increases. During
a decline in the 1950s, bachelor cocks
Occupied much ground, an_ effective
population control.
During 1956, the Scottish Landowners’
Federation (SLF), concerned about declining
grouse and shooting incomes, decided to fund
research, and asked the Nature Conservancy
(NC) in Edinburgh to do the study. They could
not, but suggested Aberdeen University, where
V.C. Wynne-Edwards was Professor of Natural
History. Had the NC done the work, it would
have been outside the north-east and would not
have involved Ptarmigan as a closely related
species in a more natural environment. The SLF
formed a Grouse Liaison Committee of moor-
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
owners, with NC Chairman Arthur Duncan, NC
Scottish Director John Berry and Wynne-
Edwards as members.
David Jenkins started in autumn 1956 and! a
year later, as Senior Research Fellows in
Wynne-Edwards’ department, but living in Glen
Esk where the Earl of Dalhousie offered his
moor for study, just outside the north-east's
boundary. David and | were very keen on
fieldwork, as well as competitive, and argued
about grouse wherever we went. We increased
the number of study areas, several in the north-
east and others outside. Landowners on the
committee suggested various ideas for the
decline and hoped we would study these.
However, they respected Duncan, Berry and
Wynne-Edwards, who said we should pursue
our hypotheses sink or swim. The landowners
would agree, and in the event, none of their
ideas proved to be a cause of general decline.
Later the NC decided that the research had
become so relevant to wider issues that they
would fund it. In April 1960 they formed a Unit
of Grouse and Moorland Ecology in Wynne-
Edwards’ department, and enlarged the field
team from two to four.
In 1958, | noticed that Red Grouse became
scarcer as | crossed from ground over schist
bedrock to acidic granite, though if anything the
main food-plant heather abounded more on
granite. Later | found that base-rich bedrock
supports higher densities and better breeding of
Red Grouse and Ptarmigan.
| began to measure heather, and later with
botanist Gordon Miller we discovered that
average grouse densities were related negatively
to heather age and height, eg. fewer where
heather was old and tall. Many moors in the late
1950s had much tall heather from infrequent
muirburn, or too little from wide fires leaving
inadequate physical cover. This is still so in 2011!
An outbreak of disease from parasitic thread-
worms in two years at Glen Esk killed many
territorial grouse and cut their breeding success,
but the survivors reared more than enough
young to replace losses. Parasites reduced the
number of independent young available for
recruitment, but territorial behaviour still limited
Articles, News & Views
subsequent spring numbers because it
controlled the number of young successfully
recruited into the autumn territorial population.
| kept grouse in captivity to study behaviour. A
few clutches taken in the wild were hatched in
captivity and the chicks had plenty of food,
water, warmth. | was surprised during August
counts to find that when my captive chicks had
done well, wild chicks had survived well on
the moor where clutches had been taken, and
vice versa. This pointed to some inherent
quality in the eggs.
By spring 1961, | had much evidence that wild
Red Grouse could limit their spring density and
the spring sex ratio by territorial behaviour in the
previous autumn, and that most deaths from
predation fell on non-territorial birds. Previously,
it was generally believed, for instance by David
Lack, that winter food shortage and deaths from
predators limited numbers surviving till spring,
with territorial behaviour in spring merely
determining which of the survivors got the best
sites for breeding. After visiting me in the mid-
1960s, Lack changed his mind and stated this
in a new book.
1d Ns fy f
© Adam Watson
252
Plate 202. Prolific heather bloom at Garrol Hill, Kerloch, fertilised on left c
At Glen Esk, we could observe but not do big
experiments. In autumn 1961, we moved to
Kerloch near Banchory, where NC _ had
negotiated a lease for the Unit. | did experiments
where | removed territorial grouse, showing that
territorial behaviour limited spring density and
sex ratio. In other experiments, Miller and |
burned sections of moor to a new pattern, and
treated heather on other parts with fertiliser to
boost its nutritive value. Both methods
increased grouse density. Fertilising also raised
breeding success.
A cock grouse given testosterone became more
aggressive and took a bigger territory with an
extra hen, while a nearby control cock showed
no change. | repeated this on a few occasions,
one cock at a time. So, a change in behaviour
could alter a cock’s use of space and ability to
attract hens.
Biochemist Robert Moss had been appointed to
the team, and soon opened a fruitful exploration
of grouse nutrition. He found that Red Grouse
and Ptarmigan selectively chose to eat the small
proportion of heather shoot-tips rich in the
chemical elements nitrogen and phosphorus,
> ww w WW:
ontrol on right, August 1965.
31:3 (2011)
ignoring most of the large amounts of heather
available, a plant with much fibre and little
protein. Following my early experiments with
captive chicks, we enlarged them. We
discovered that chick survival in Red Grouse and
Ptarmigan is predetermined by egg quality and
maternal nutrition. Robert Moss found that Red
Grouse and Ptarmigan increase their gut size
and length in autumn, in readiness for a poorer
diet of woodier winter plants of heather and
other heath species.
Scientific papers and conference talks led to
frequent visiting scientists who studied grouse
species in many countries. This induced new
grouse research abroad, with us cooperating or
advising, notably in Iceland, Ireland, Canada,
Alaska, Norway, Svalbard, Russia. Scientists
studying other birds, insects and mammals
came from five continents to see our work.
At Kerloch we began to study population cycles
(fluctuations with a more regular period than
random). On the basis of grouse bags, Kerloch
showed a 7-—8-year cycle, Rickarton 10-1],
Invercauld 7, Glen Tanar no cycle. During the
early 1970s, densities of Red Grouse soared
higher than we had ever experienced, at
Kerloch and the Cairnwell. This applied to
Ptarmigan and Mountain Hares also,
Suggesting a wider climatic influence.
High peaks in Red Grouse and Ptarmigan were
followed by drastic falls to lower troughs than we
had ever seen at these study areas. At Kerloch,
Red Grouse bred more poorly and cocks were
more aggressive in declines than in increases,
even at the same population density. During
summers of peak and early decline, numerous
parents emigrated with chicks when these could
fly. In later years of steep decline, many
astonished us by walking away on the day that
their chicks hatched, and soon out of the study
area. They returned in early autumn, in time for
the annual contest for territory on their home
ground, but without their young. By the time of
the peak and early decline, an increasingly small
proportion of young cocks were getting territories
on our main study area. We think parents were
somehow aware of this, and decided to take
their young uphill to a less dense population
where their young would have a better chance of
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
getting territories. The parents’ time of return to
their home ground fitted the time needed to rear
young to independence.
By marking chicks and adults at Kerloch we
discovered changes in kin selection during the
cycle. Young cocks got territories near close
relatives during early years of increase. Relatives
showed fewer aggressive territorial interactions
with one another than with strangers. This
family landownership broke down at high
density and in the decline, as strangers more
often took territories and caused strife.
At Rickarton near Stonehaven, Robert Moss and |
found that increases in grouse parasites did not
cause a grouse cycle. Also we did a big
experiment in the 1980s. By removing small
numbers of territorial cocks from part of the moor
in later years of increase, we maintained fairly
steady high numbers there. On a nearby control
area, a cyclic decline cut density to a low trough.
This result supported the shooting management
of a few outstanding gamekeepers. Kenny
Wilson at Leadhills found that hard shooting
when numbers rose towards a peak smoothed
out peaks and troughs, producing a bigger
average bag. Though missing peak bags, this also
missed troughs when shooting is not
worthwhile. Wilson did grouse counts in late
Plate 203. Traps baited with oat sheaves to catch Red
Grouse for back-tabbing at Glen Esk, February 1961.
© Adam Watson
234
Articles, News & Views
St
S os ae: ‘ be “a. Me sarc é
Plate 204. A cock Red Grouse fitted with a blue back-
tab, about to be released at Glen Esk, February 1961.
© Adam Watson
summer to know his population. Then he geared
shooting to ensure that he did not leave too
many birds, for he knew they would trigger a
decline. Already in a 1970 management booklet
| wrote that shooting a rising percentage of
August numbers towards the peak and a yet
higher percentage in decline years should lead
to smaller declines and bigger troughs. This
rested on my observations with back-tabbed
grouse. The percentage of birds failing to get
territories in autumn rose as density built to a
peak, and rose further in declines. Our Rickarton
experiment fine-tuned this.
ae
&
© Adam Watson
Plate 205. English setter Ruaraidh rests during a Ptarmigan count
Since 1943 | had noted how many Ptarmigan |
saw per 10 km, and from 1951 began a
population study at Derry Cairngorm and from
1963 on the Cairnwell hills, with shorter studies
elsewhere. Stuart Rae did a PhD study of
Ptarmigan on the Cairnwell in the late 1980s
and early 1990s, emphasising foraging
behaviour and use of cover by broods and
adults, as well as breeding and diet. In 1998, we
combined with Robert Moss to document
population fluctuations and breeding success
over many decades, using my long run of data.
Ptarmigan cycles had about a 10-year period in
the Cairngorms. In contrast, fluctuations of
Ptarmigan and Red Grouse were irregular and
shorter on the Cairnwell hills. These hills
supported higher average densities and
breeding success, in association with richer
bedrock and soils, and more nutritious food-
plants. In both species, a rise in spring numbers
usually followed good breeding, \.e. breeding
success in year 1 was related to change in
number from spring 1 to spring 2. This was not
necessarily so, however. At the Cairnwell, for
instance, breeding success in Red Grouse was
not related to change in number.
My notes on Red Grouse seen on walks in the
Cairngorms led to an analysis showing 10-year
cycles. Numbers of Ptarmigan and Red Grouse
in the Cairngorms rose a year or two after a high
en
on ‘Derry Cairngorm, 14 April 1967.
31:3 (2011)
June temperature at Braemar, which appeared
to induce good breeding by Ptarmigan in the
first summer. The relationships with June
temperature did not apply to populations on the
richer soils at the Cairnwell. These cycles occur
for inherent reasons within populations,
irrespective of weather, but June temperature
appeared to ‘entrain’ them, Le. influence their
timing. This resembled Yukon Snowshoe Hares,
where the 10—11-year sunspot cycle may
entrain a 10—11-year hare cycle.
After | retired in 1990, Robert Moss expanded
on my preliminary Kerloch experiments with
cocks given extra testosterone, by treating a local
population at Glen Tanar. Cocks aggressively
took bigger territories, which cut the number of
territorial cocks and hens. Territory size and
numbers did not change on a control area.
Hence increased aggressive behaviour limited
population density.
On kin selection, a new method using DNA in
feathers allowed a better assembly of kin
information at Glen Gairn by a team including
Xavier Lambin, Steve Redpath, Robert Moss and
Stuart Piertney of the Molecular Biology Unit at
Aberdeen University. This confirmed the Kerloch
work, now on a more robust genetic basis. An
interesting extra finding was that although
territorial behaviour in autumn limited spring
numbers, some territorial birds were killed in
winter and replaced, hence more of a turn-over
than at Glen Esk and Kerloch.
Plate 206. English setter Ruaraidh points at a hen
Ptarmigan in her nest amongst Crowberry plants on
Lochnagar, June 1964. © Adam Watson
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
Plate 207. AW rings a Red Grouse chick that English
pointer Solitaire had pointed on Hill of Kirny, Glen Esk,
June 1958. © the late Tom Weir
Peter Hudson of the Game Conservancy, who
had studied Red Grouse in England and
Badenoch, had claimed that territorial behaviour
does not limit spring numbers. For the latest
grouse research in the north-east, he received a
big grant aimed at a replicated test of the
hypothesis on population limitation by territorial
behaviour. Francois Mougeot and Steve
Redpath led the new team. Although two
moors studied lay outside the north-east, two
were inside, at Glen Dye and Edinglassie. The
results rejected Hudson's claims, and showed
conclusively that territorial behaviour limited
spring numbers.
The book Grouse (2008) by AW and Robert
Moss, published by Collins, summarises
modern international understanding of Red
and Willow Grouse, Ptarmigan, Black Grouse
and Capercaillie, with chapters on_ their
nutrition, management and other aspects
across the world.
Adam Watson
Email: adamwatson @uwclub.net
236
Articles, News & Views
NEWS AND NOTICES
New SOC members
We welcome the following new members to
the Club: Ayrshire: MrJ. Drummond, Borders:
Mr & Mrs J. Paxton, Central Scotland: Mr & Mrs
P. Griffin, Mr G.W. Mitchell, Clyde: Mr G. Wilson,
England, Wales & NI: Mrs A. McCormick, Mr J.
Tylor, Fife: Mr K RJ. Ballantyne, Dr J.D. Kinloch,
Grampian: Mr L. Bell, Highland: Mr C. Kail, Mr
M. Werndly, Lothian: Mr G.H. Bettison, Ms J.
Burns, Mr & Mrs S. Cunningham, Mr A. Fiddes,
Ms L. Mostyn, Mr R. Munro, Ms J. Noble, Mr &
Mrs D. Reid, Mr A. Stirrat, Orkney: Mr A.
Forsyth, Overseas: Ms F. Johnstone, West
Galloway: Mr A. Dinsmore.
200 Club
The latest prizewinners are: May: 1st £30 Mrs
Crowther, 2nd £20 W.G. Paterson, 3rd £10 B.
Etheridge. June: 1st £30 Tom Brewis, 2nd £20
M. Nicoll, 3rd €10 J.H. Ballantyne. July: 1st £30
Mr S. Jackson, 2nd £20 Mrs E. Forrester, 3rd
£10 George Rodger.
New members are always welcome. They must
be over 18 and SOC members. Please contact:
Daphne Peirse-Duncombe, Rosebank,
Gattonside, Melrose TD6 9NH.
AGM and Conferences
SOC Annual Conference: 28-30 October,
Carnoustie Golf Hotel. There is still time to book
your place at this year's special 75th anniversary
conference, with keynote lecture by migration
expert, lan Newton. Full programme details and
booking form are available on the SOC website.
SOC 75th AGM: Saturday 29 October 2011,
Carnoustie Golf Hotel at 17:00 hrs.
Agenda
1) Apologies for absence
2) Minutes of the 74th AGM held on 30 October 2010
3) Annual Report 2010/11
4) Annual Accounts 2010/11
5) Election of Honorary President/s & Office Bearers
6) Appointment of Honorary Member
7) Election of Council Member
8) Appointment of Independent Examiner
9) AOB
Upcoming Events at Waterston House
Art Exhibitions
Keith Brockie, 17 September—16 November
Darren Woodhead, 19 November—January 2012
Aberlady Goose Watch
Tuesday 4 October, 4.30 pm
Thursday 6 October, 4.30 pm
An illustrated talk by a local expert followed by the
opportunity to watch the spectacle of thousands
of Pink-footed Geese come in to roost on the
nearby nature reserve. Price: £4.00 (£6.00 non-
members). Places limited. Advance booking
essential to book, call the office on 01875 871330.
Optics Demo Day
Sunday 16 October, 10 am—4 pm
Chris Packham talk
Saturday 24 September, 7 pm, Queen's Hall,
Edinburgh. See Scottish Birds 31: 147 for full details.
Branch Updates
Central Branch, indoor meetings (The Allan
Centre, Fountain Road, Bridge of Allan, 7.30 pm)
™@ 12 Jan lain Livingstone ‘Ringing abroad’
m™ 5 Apr John Calladine ‘The Scone Palace
Hawfinch Project’
Recorder Update
Fair Isle bird recorder: new email address
fibo@btconnect.com (David Parnaby).
Solar panels at Waterston House
In early June 2011, an array of photovoltaic
panels was installed on the roof of Waterston
House. The 29 panels could generate up to
5,800 kWh of electricity per year and the Club
estimates that it will use most of that; what it
doesn't consume will be exported to the grid.
"This kind of microgeneration allows the Club to
make a long-term contribution to reducing the
effects of climate change,” said Alan Fox, the Club
treasurer and the driving force behind the
scheme. “We're obviously concerned about
climate change impacts, such as habitat loss, on
Scotland's birds. Generating some of our own
electricity reduces the Club's carbon footprint and
31:3 (2011)
Plate 208. /nstalling the solar panels, Waterston
House, June 2011. © Alan Fox
contributes to Scotland's renewable electricity
generation. We want to do what we can. We will
spend less on electricity and get some income
from the feed-in tariff, so we'll also generate
funds to support our continuing work on
monitoring Scotland's wild bird populations."
The PV array was installed by Tom Morley of
Solar Technology Ltd from Edinburgh, and its
installation was made possible in part by an
interest-free loan from the Energy Saving Trust
Scotland. Visitors to Waterston House can see a
State-of-the-art digital display that explains how
the panels work and shows exactly how much
electricity is being generated.
Plate 209. The 29 solar panels in place, June 2011.
© Alan Fox
Two unique items donated to the George
Waterston Library and Archives
During the past year, Sinclair Manson an SOC
member living in Caithness has donated a superb
typescript work of his Birds of Western China. It
consists of three A4-size black binders each
running into several hundred pages. Chapters
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
include an Introduction, a Geographical
description of the region, a History of ornitho-
logical exploration, Migration, Gazetteer, an
extensive Bibliography and the main Species
accounts taking up most of the books. It is
illustrated with excellent colour photographs and
maps. It is a monumental piece of work which
must have taken him years to gather and
research. It can be consulted in the Library.
The second item is a beautifully produced set of
typescript diaries by the late WJ. Leishman, a
Stirling lawyer. It consists of five foolscap Twinlock
binders and covers bird and animal observations
during the period May 1936 to the end of
December 1952. His records are noted in chrono-
logical order followed by a series of more detailed
notes. Most of the records are from central
Scotland, particularly his home town of Stirling. Of
particular note are detailed annual counts of Rook
colonies within Stirling (1947-53). There are also
accounts of visits to Aberlady, Linlithgow Loch,
Carron Valley Reservoir, Lake of Menteith and one
concerning the singing Nightingale which occurred
at Stirling Castle in late May 1952. The diaries are
illustrated throughout by watercolours of birds and
views by both the diarist and M.V.K. Common. In
addition, there are dozens of black-and-white
photographs, mounted postcards and colour
prints. We are grateful to Henry Robb, another
long-standing member from Stirling, for passing
this collection over to the Club for safe keeping. It
can be accessed in our archives by appointment.
David Clugston
SOC Research Grants
The following projects have been awarded a
grant from the SOC Endowment Fund
(September 2010—April 2011):
™ Seabird monitoring on the Forth Islands -
Lothian Ringing Group (£232)
™@ Post-breeding dispersal of Short-eared Owls,
Sma Glen-Glen Quaich - Tay Ringing Group
(£600)
™ Breeding ecology and diet of Great and Arctic
Skuas on Handa Island - Handa Island Skua
Project (£600)
®™ Monitoring wader numbers and the ecology
of Sanderling on the Sanday - Orkney Ringing
Group (£300)
238
Articles, News & Views
Plate 210. Keith Macgregor and Karen Bidgood having
a tea break, Waterston House. © Wendy Hicks
Donations
Local Gullane SOC member, Lillian Dishington,
has donated a pack of specially designed
Crested Tit cards that she has produced for our
75th anniversary, for us to sell at Waterston
House - and she brought in a large tin of
homemade shortbread! We would also like to
acknowledge several very kind monetary gifts
received towards the anniversary. We plan to
allocate some of this money to helping towards
the costs of subsidising student places at this
year's SOC Conference.
SBRC Announcement: Lesser Spotted
Woodpecker Upper Forth 1968-70
The Scottish Birds Records Committee (SBRC),
as part of its remit to examine older records, has
recently reviewed the only accepted record of
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos
minor on the Scottish List. This record described
up to three birds seen near Aberfoyle (Upper
Forth) in consecutive winters during the period
1968-70, as described in Scottish Birds 6:
IN O22,
This review resulted in the rejection of this
record, and as this was the only accepted record
for this species for Scotland, the species is now
removed from the Scottish List.
Chris McInerny, on behalf on SBRC
Isle of May prints
Two of Scotland's most distinguished bird artists
are very kindly offering for sale limited edition
prints in aid of the Isle of May Bird Observatory
Appeal. Keith Brockie and Derek Robertson both
have a long association with the Isle of May and
much of their work has been inspired by the
island. Keith will shortly be publishing a new book
on the May (Return to One Man's Island see
page 247) and his print will appear as the
frontispiece to this book. Derek will also shortly be
publishing a book on Puffins, drawing on the May.
The Isle of May prints offer will allow you to buy
first class limited edition prints reflecting the
island and Its birds and at the same time make
a contribution to the Isle of May Development
Appeal. Each print will provide you with a vivid
reminder of life on the May.
Reproductions of the two prints appear below.
Both are printed on A3 (16.5 x 11.7 inch/420 x
297 mm) sheets of conservation quality
watercolour paper with fine art, lightfast inks. Each
print costs £50 plus £5 postage and packing.
The original watercolour, 32 x 41 cm, for Keith
Brockie’s print will be for sale with all proceeds
going to the IOMBO Appeal. The painting will be
on view at his exhibition in Waterston House
from 17 September 2011.
ies
naa SES rs mies ma Ps
Plate 211. Keith Brockie’s Isle of May print.
31:3 (2011)
&
If you would like a print, please write to the
Treasurer of the Isle of May Bird Observatory
(Niall Campbell, 15 Warriston Crescent,
Edinburgh EH3 5LA) with a cheque for the
appropriate amount made out to the Isle of May
Bird Observatory Development Appeal and
saying how many and which prints you would
like. If you are buying two or more prints It is
only necessary to include £5 to cover the
postage and packing for all the prints.
Art on the Wing
RSPB Central Ayrshire Local Group is holding a
wildlife art exhibition from 28 August to 25
September at the Maclaurin Galleries in Rozelle
Park, Ayr. Thirty-six artists will be participating
including many nationally-known figures. The
range of work will include paintings, drawings,
tapestry, jewellery, ceramics and wood
coy
ne i tli ; é
We » , , oo aie eee
Sn
Zit. Licelep
Plate 213. Gannet by Fran Knowles.
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
sculptures and metal work. Proceeds will go
towards RSPB Scotland's conservation projects.
Opening times will be 10:00—17:00 hrs Monday
to Saturday (gallery closed Tuesdays, but other
events will be organised on some Tuesdays), and
the gallery is open on Sundays 12:00—6:00 hrs.
Admission is free. Throughout the period, the
group is presenting a range of talks and events
related to the wildlife theme of the displays.
Tickets for these events will be available for a
small charge at the gallery. See www.ayrshire-
birding.org.uk for further information.
Fair Isle Bird Observatory official opening
On 2 July 2011, the new observatory on Fair Isle
was Official opened by Roy Dennis. An article
will be published in the Observatories’ Roundup
section of the December issue of Scottish Birds.
From the last issue
Page 137, Plate 106: John Love has emailed to
say that the boy at the door of the Loch Garten
hide is Norman MacGeoch, son of Jimmy
MacGeoch. Page 153 under the Honorary
Treasurers heading ‘Tony Fox’ should be ‘Alan
Fox’. Page 163, Plate 135: thanks to Deryk Shaw
and Roger Riddington for pointing out that
Jimmy. is the second from the right, with his son
to the right of him, and that the boat is the
Good Shepherd Il.
259
Articles, News & Views
Plate 214. Ste
o> Vos
ve Votier and Jon Crane trapping Great Skuas on Foula. © Bob Furness
Bird research at Glasgow
University
R.W. FURNESS, M. HANSELL, D. HOUSTON, R. NAGER & S. WHITE
The most famous ornithologist, possibly the
only ornithologist at Glasgow University before
the 1970s, was the Stevenson Professor of
Italian. Professor M.F.M. Meiklejohn held the
chair of Italian for 25 years up to his death in
1974. He also served terms as President of the
SOC, first editor of Scottish Birds, and a stalwart
member of the British Birds Rarities Committee.
His obituary, written by a somewhat bemused
senior academic, said “he seemed to be always
dressed as for birdwatching, and | assumed this
to be a harmless affectation. The truth was that
except on very rare ceremonial occasions, he
was always dressed for birdwatching”. As well
as being an influential amateur birdwatcher and
a precursor of the modern-day “twitcher”, Maury
Meiklejohn was author of a few scientific papers
on birds, including “The breeding of African
seabirds” and “Wild birds as human food".
However, his most famous work was probably
penned one autumn on his beloved Isle of May
during a period of annoyingly persistent westerly
winds. “The Isle of May Field Guide to the Birds
of the World" was planned to contain a very large
number of avian categories enabling the
beginner to identify any bird in any part of the
world, but sadly never got beyond the drafting of
a publicity leaflet. “Let us suppose that one day
you observe a large brown bird doing nothing in
particular: it runs towards you, clucking, as if
expecting food. At the same time your Aunt Fifi
exclaims ‘look - a Capercaillie’ With this
information to hand you should consult three
paragraphs: 1. Birds that do nothing in
particular, 2. Birds that are habitually fed by
humans (Blue Tit, Grey Parrot, domestic
chicken), 3. Birds liable to be confused by
amateurs with the Capercaillie. In each of these
31:3 (2011)
lists you will find the domestic chicken, which is
therefore your bird. NB it is important to stop
here. On no account should you consult para
508 ‘Birds likely to be confused with domestic
chickens, or you will never stop searching, since
para 508 includes Pallas’ Sandgrouse,
Capercaillie. and Mrs Hamilton Strathbungo
MBOU". Those of us who started birdwatching in
the 1960s or 1970s may recognise this as a
parody of a then new and ground-breaking book
published by Collins which grouped birds into
plates based on colour, size and shape rather
than taxonomic affinities. That new approach
never caught on, perhaps for reasons alluded to
in Meiklejohn’s musings.
Glasgow University Zoology Department
showed little interest in birds or scientific
ornithology before the 1970s, but ornithological
research was started by David Newth, Regius
Professor of Zoology from 1965 to 1981. At that
time in the Scottish universities, the Regius
Professors had considerable influence over the
way in which their academic department would
develop, and David Newth was ambitious to
develop Glasgow as one of the leading zoology
departments in Europe. His policy was to
establish new research groupings by appointing
three young staff members to each of the new
research areas he wished to encourage. He
recognised field ornithology as a subject that
was of growing academic and applied
importance, and he established the first
research grouping by initially appointing David
Houston, shortly to be joined by Pat Monaghan
and Bob Furness. The team formed themselves
into an Applied Ornithology Unit, largely
because each then had research interests
which were mainly concerned with conser-
vation and management of species
considered ‘pests’ by some. But the research
interests at Glasgow soon developed to
include many more academic lines of
research, both with the appointment of new
staff including Neil Metcalfe, Ruedi Nager,
Graeme Ruxton, and the encouragement of
other colleagues to move some of their
research interests into ‘Ornithology’, and so the
‘Applied Ornithology’ label was rather short-
lived, but ornithology continued to form one of
the research strengths of the biological sciences
at the University of Glasgow.
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
David Houston, who took early retirement in
2008, had particular interest in the ecology of
scavenging birds, such as crows and especially
tropical vultures. As well as continuing with his
own field work when he moved to Glasgow,
field projects were conducted by a number of
research students such as David Kirk in South
America, Ofer Bahat in Israel and Mohammed
Shobrak in Saudi Arabia. But his later work
included more experimental studies on the
nutritional factors influencing egg quality, some
of this done jointly with Pat Monaghan and
Ruedi Nager. David had always been mainly
interested in conservation projects, and realised
that in many endangered species programmes
it was poor breeding performance that limited
population growth. He established the first
captive breeding colony of Zebra Finches in
Glasgow, which was soon to develop into rather
a growth industry in the Department. The
finches proved to be ideal experimental species,
and with the help of David Donnan, Richard
Selman, Matt Cotham and others the factors
which determined egg quality were investigated.
These findings were then tested in a series of
field studies on gulls and Blue Tits (with Scott
Ramsay), and later applied to some endangered
species programmes, such as the Kakapo in
New Zealand.
By the 1990s, Glasgow University had one of
the largest groups of research ornithologists at
any university in the world, and staff with very
diverse research interests. Birds were then
particularly used to study various theories in
behavioural ecology. Birds are particularly useful
in investigating this area because they are easy
to observe and are common and the different
parts of the reproductive cycle: egg laying,
incubation, and chick rearing can be separated
experimentally by swapping eggs or broods
between nests. These techniques have been
used to good effect for example to look at the
costs of reproduction. Studies carried out at
Glasgow by Pat Monaghan, David Houston and
Ruedi Nager have shown that egg production in
birds can be costly; when Lesser Black-backed
Gulls were manipulated to lay more eggs than
they usually would, they were in poorer body
condition, produced poorer quality eggs, had a
reduced rearing success in the current breeding
attempt and also were less likely to breed in the
241
242
Articles, News & Views
following breeding season. The studies on
Lesser Black-backed Gulls also showed that egg
quality can affect the growth and survival of
nestlings, and that poor egg quality was more
detrimental for male, the larger sex in this
species, than female offspring. Sex allocation
theory predicts that when only able to lay poor
quality eggs the mother should bias the sex-
ratio of her offspring towards the offspring sex
that is less affected by poor developmental
conditions. In Lesser Black-backed Gulls female
offspring were less affected by poor conditions,
and under poor conditions mothers biased
offspring sex ratio towards females. Rather
neatly, Ellen Kalmbach did equivalent manipu-
lations with Great Skuas, a species showing
reversed sexual size dimorphism, with the
female being the larger sex. With skuas, when
the females are in poor body condition they
skewed their egg sex ratio towards males, so do
the opposite of the gulls, but in their case also
favour the gender which is smaller in size when
conditions were poor.
A considerable amount of work in the last few
years in Glasgow has looked at the long-term
effects of early conditions in development on
offspring phenotype. Tackling such questions of
long-term effects of early condition on
individual birds in the wild is very challenging,
particularly in long-lived species such as
seabirds, and for this reason the Zebra Finch
colony at Glasgow that had been established by
David Houston had been increasingly be used
to answer those questions. At present, Pat
Monaghan's group has a particular interest in
growth, reproductive performance and
senescence, and associated life history trade-
offs. These projects involve collaborations with
molecular biologists, endocrinologists and
physiologists, and study mechanisms such as
hormonal factors, telomere loss and oxidative
stress. Current work on this topic is carried out
both on wild birds (Shags) and captive birds
(Zebra Finches). Pat has also been involved in
a long term study of the Red-billed Chough,
from both fundamental and conservation
related perspectives. Ruedi Nager started
studies on the Zebra Finch colony and focused
on the causes and consequences of variation in
incubation behaviour. Studies by Helen Gorman
showed that incubation by parents in poor body
38S
x
Bs. fe . x TSS | oS NE een | ;
Plate 215. Eider duck incubating a clutch with a “smart
egg” added to monitor heart rate. © Ruedi Nager
wt
condition can have long-term detrimental
effects on the offspring’s fecundity. Further
studies by Helen Gorman and Davina Hill also
found that the body condition of the female,
attractiveness of the partner, how certain the
father is of his paternity and extra-pair
copulation opportunities influenced the division
of labour in incubation between the parents.
Work in the groups of Pat Monaghan and Ruedi
Nager also lead to the development of new
equipment to measure heart rate of incubating
birds non-invasively and was successfully used
in Eiders nesting in Iceland (Plate 215).
Inbreeding in birds is another topic studied in
Glasgow by Lukas Keller and Ruedi Nager. Thirty
years ago the population of Mauritius Kestrels
dropped to between two and four individuals.
With the world population now over 600, all
derived from this remnant population, the
population was expected to suffer the ill effects
of inbreeding, known as inbreeding depression.
Analysis of the family tree of the kestrels by
Steven Ewing showed that this population has
one of the highest levels of inbreeding
encountered in the wild and yet suffers only
31:3 (2011)
from moderate inbreeding depression. One of
the traits showing inbreeding depression Is the
production of viable embryos by inbred mothers
paired to unrelated males. This same effect has
been widely documented in a large range of
bird and other species, yet we don't yet
understand the processes underlying It. Current
research in Glasgow by Emma Lowe on the
captive Zebra Finch population, where brothers
and sister were paired is investigating whether
inbred females produce eggs of different
composition and/or are less effective incubators
compared to outbred females. Either of these
effects could explain the low hatching success
observed in inbred mothers.
A significant amount of the ornithological
research in Glasgow takes advantages of the
opportunities offered by the captive Zebra Finch
population. In order for such results to be
meaningful, one needs to be confident that the
birds’ behaviour and physiology is not
compromised by being in captivity. It is therefore
important to strive to optimise husbandry
conditions for the study species. Although Zebra
Finches are very commonly used laboratory
birds around the world, there is very little
published material on effective enrichment of
their captive environment. Work in Glasgow by
Graham Law and Ruedi Nager has shown that
enrichment can have a significant effect on the
weight and the physical and mental fitness of
these birds and work is ongoing to optimise the
husbandry regime for this species. In addition to
high standards for good husbandry with
controlled levels of lighting that ramp up and
down rather than switching abruptly on and off,
this also includes the colony having a rather fine
stereo music system that seems to make them
less susceptible to disturbance. And yes, they do
seem to prefer classical music!
Glasgow University also has access to a large
population of Blue Tits at an extensive nest box
site at the University’s field station (SCENE) by
the banks of Loch Lomond, initiated in the
1990s by David Houston and most recently
intensively used by Kate Arnold, who held a
Royal Society Fellowship at Glasgow. The study
site is in oak woodland, giving a very simple
food chain from oak leaves to caterpillars, which
are the main prey of breeding Blue Tits. During
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
the last few years, research has looked at the
effects of early nutrition on _ offspring
development and cognitive functions of Blue Tit
nestlings. An important focus has been the
antioxidants that neutralise the free radicals that
are produced by normal metabolic processes.
Where a bird does not have enough antiox-
idants to neutralise the free radicals, this leads to
oxidative damage to proteins, lipids and DNA.
The ecology of antioxidants is a rapidly growing
field of general interest and this is central for
understanding the proximate mechanisms
underlying the evolution of life-history strategies.
A new project on the Blue Tits by Shona Leslie
alms to use experimental tests on Blue Tit
nestlings to better understand the relationships
between environmental quality, oxidative stress
and fitness. Ross McLeod has also just started a
new project using Blue Tits as well as other
insectivorous bird species occurring at SCENE to
develop behavioural indicators of impacts of
environmental change on bird populations.
In 1998, Mike Hansell and Maggie Reilly set up
‘The National Nest Reference Collection’ in the
Hunterian Museum of Glasgow University. This
is a collection of the nests specifically of British
breeding birds. It now consists of over 1,500
nests representing more than 90 species, with
an additional collection of images of the nests of
Plate 216. Nest of a Garden Warbler. Simple composition
and simple technique make a regular structure. The
material in this case is grass stems that must be buckled
at intervals rather than bent. © Mike Hansell
243
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Articles, News & Views
builders of very large or minimal nests. With the
exception of the bird nest collection of the
Natural History Museum at Tring, this is probably
the largest collection of bird nests in Europe. Its
concentration on the nests of native species
makes it particularly important and it now
represents a significant resource for ornitho-
logical research. One project deriving from this
has been on the cognitive basis of nest building
in two African weaver bird species in collabo-
ration with Sue Healy (University of St Andrews)
and Patrick Walsh (University of Edinburgh). The
intention of this work has been to challenge the
assumption that nest building in birds is
inflexible in its execution and unaffected by
experience. The study, carried out mostly in
Botswana, has shown both variation in building
behaviour between individuals and changes in
behaviour by individuals with repeated
experience of nest building.
Bob Furness followed David Houston into early
retirement in 2011. However, in his 33 years at
Glasgow University, Bob managed to maintain
. Nor
an unbroken long-term study of skuas and other
seabirds in Foula, Shetland, and supervised 55
PhD students, mostly on projects with birds. Juan
Meraz, a Mexican postgraduate student, has
been working with Bob and Stefan Garthe to
investigate how and why Gannet migrations have
changed in recent years. North Sea Gannets now
increasingly winter off west Africa rather than in
the North Sea. This seems to relate to changes in
amounts of fishery discards being generated in
these two regions rather than to any effect of
climate change. Eliza Leat, a bird ringer before
starting her PhD, has been trapping Great Skuas,
known locally as Bonxies, to investigate how
levels of persistent organic pollutants vary
between colonies in Shetland, Iceland and Bear
Island, and in relation to where individuals spent
the winter and what they eat. This also involves
the use of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen
as dietary markers, a method that is well
supported by the facilities provided by the
Scottish Universities Environmental Research
Centre (SUERC) at East Kilbride. Working with
Eliza, Ellen Magnusdottir has been analysing the
Plate 217. Sarah Davis and Jon Crane measuring an adult Arctic Skua. © Bob Furness
31:3 (2011)
migration routes and wintering areas used by our
study skuas by attaching geolocation data
loggers onto leg rings. These small loggers store
data on ambient light intensity onto a memory
chip and when the birds are retrapped on the
nest a year later the logger is retrieved and the
data downloaded. Light intensity data allow the
latitude and longitude of the bird's position to be
estimated twice each day throughout the period
from deployment to recovery of the logger. We
now know that while Shetland Bonxies all winter
either off southern Europe or West Africa, many
Bonxies trom Iceland and Bear Island winter near
Newfoundland. And birds wintering in a
particular area return to the same area in
successive winters so seem to have consistent
and quite small winter home ranges. We are
now working on what this means in terms of
their pollutant burdens.
At the Vet School there is also work being done
on birds and pollutants, as Professor Neil Evans
works on impacts of pollutants on bird physiology
and behaviour. Although some aspects of seabird
research involve new “high tech” loggers and
molecular techniques, there can be novel
developments at a more simple level. By
adapting the Brazilian local fishermen’s cast net,
Leandro Bugoni developed a method of catching
seabirds from longline fishing boats off Brazil and,
also using stable isotopes as dietary markers,
showed that almost all of the seabirds wintering
off Brazil, from Wilson’s Storm-petrels to
Wandering Albatrosses, feed very extensively on
discards, offal and baits from that fishery.
Recently, Liz Masden completed her PhD on
Ways of assessing the cumulative impact of wind
farms on birds, and Liz is now employed at the
Environmental Research Institute (ERI) to study
marine renewables and seabirds. Bob and Liz are
currently working together with the BTO, to
deploy GPS loggers on Bonxies to find out
whether birds from Special Protection Areas
(SPAs) such as Foula and Hoy are using locations
for feeding where they might interact with
renewables, and how much they follow fishing
boats (since fishing boat positions are now
monitored using the same GPS technology).
Meanwhile, Alex Robbins, who completed an
MRes degree with us last year working on the
impact of Bald Eagles and other predators on
Black-legged Kittiwake breeding success at a
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
colony in Alaska, is now doing a PhD on seabirds
and marine renewables at Glasgow. Her project
involves work with.SNH and the European Marine
Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney where a wide
range of designs of tidal turbines and wave
devices are being tested, and fieldwork assessing
how different seabirds use areas of high tidal flow
and how they respond to the devices in the water.
Of the many student societies at Glasgow
University, the largest and arguably most active
is the Exploration Society. The Society helps
students to organise research expeditions to
various parts of the world and has been active
since the 1930s. Over the years it has run one-
off ornithological expeditions of staff and
students to the Azores, Iceland, Trinidad and
elsewhere. The Iceland expeditions have now
become a regular event with students working
on the eco-tourism potential of a biodiversity
hotspot in eastern Iceland. But the Ecuador
Expeditions have been especially successful.
These started in 2000 with one member of staff
and five students visiting a private cloudforest
reserve in the Andes and, importantly, a
previously un-surveyed area of primary Amazon
basin rainforest belonging to the indigenous
Payamino community. In collaboration with
Aalborg Zoo in Denmark and latterly the
University of Manchester, this has grown into the
Payamino Project, a thriving community conser-
vation and development project. Groups of up
to 20 Glasgow students now visit Payamino
every year, giving the students the opportunity
to live, work and study in tropical rainforest and
to conduct original research. Central to the
project has been the accumulation of
information on the flora and fauna of the area.
The most advanced aspect of this is the bird
species list. Since 2000 a combination of mist-
netting, visual observation and sound recording
have built up a list of 320 species, with the
accumulation curve not yet approaching an
asymptote. This list includes many rare and very
rare species, such as the Gray Tinamou and the
Rufous Potoo as well as a large number of
charismatic species, including four species of
macaw, 15 species of hummingbird and six
species of toucans and relatives and some
species of particular scientific interest, such as
the Oilbird and the Hoatzin.
245
Articles, News & Views
Se
4
Plate 219. Amazonian Royal Flycatcher. © Stewart White
Plate 218. Studying Sooty Terns on Bird Island in the Seychelles. © Bob Furness
a
Our undergraduate degree courses include a
research project, and it has become particularly
common for students to combine contributing
to the Payamino project with collecting data for
their honours project, thus killing two birds with
one stone, though only in a metaphorical sense.
Following this model set by undergraduate
students, many members of our growing MRes
class also take the opportunity to work on birds,
sometimes in exotic locations; recent MRes
summer projects have included work on
seabirds of Tasmania, Roseate Terns in the
Azores, Sooty Terns in the Seychelles, albatross
behaviour at sea in the Southern Ocean, Eider
breeding in Iceland, the genetics of Eiders in
Shetland and the Faeroes, survival rates and
colony fidelity of Kittiwakes in Prince William
Sound Alaska, the impacts of gulls on Common
Tern breeding success in Leith Docks, and the
potential impact of a wind farm at Grangemouth
on waders wintering in the Firth of Forth SPA.
Further information on our work can be found at
www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/bahcm
Bob Furness, Mike Hansell, David Houston,
Ruedi Nager and Stewart White.
Email: (bob.furness @glasgow.ac.uk)
31:3 (2011)
Plate 220. Sketching a Great Grey Shrike. © H. Brockie
Return to One
Man’s Island
K. BROCKIE
Ever since my first visit to the Isle of May in
September 1973, the island has held a special
place in my heart. During 1983, | spent most of
the year on the May working on my second
book, ‘One Man’‘s Island’ which was published
back in 1984 to great success along with a film
on the BBC series World About Us. On a visit to
the May in June 2009, the highlight of which
was my discovery and capture of a White's
Thrush, | began to consider doing a new book
on the island. Hence, in mid-April 2010, | started
fieldwork for ‘Return to One Man’'s Island’. My
accommodation was again mostly the Low
Light, little changed since 1983, managed by
the Isle of May Bird Observatory Trust - a basic
but comfortable base.
The island is paradise for an artist, especially
between May and early July when the breeding
seabirds are at their most numerous. On leaving
the Low Light, Eiders are literally nesting on the
doorstep, screaming Herring and Lesser Black-
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
backed Gulls would dive bomb me as | walk
past their nests and young. One of the latter
woke me up on many occasions at 04.00 hrs
pecking at the newly replaced windows, busily
removing the fresh putty (and on one occasion
a live Pollack, which | was about to paint from a
bucket just outside the door)! A Great Black-
backed Gull often stood sentinel on the top of
the lighthouse tower, waiting to predate any
unwary Rabbit, Puffin or Feral Pigeon passing
by. Large numbers of Puffins sit on rocks all
around, wheeling adults with beaks full of fish
try to avoid gulls attempting to waylay their hard
won catch as they return to their burrows.
Plate 221. Juvenile Great Grey Shrike.
Cackling Fulmars display on the grassy ledges
facing the Low Light. The incessant, evocative
cries of delicate Kittiwakes perched on their
guano-encrusted cliff nests below. Bottle-green
Shags with gorgeous emerald eyes and yellow
gapes, jump around on their large spatulate
webbed feet, trying to steal seaweed from their
neighbours’ nests. The murmuring calls of
numerous Guillemots and Razorbills rise up
from the narrow ledges below the lighthouse.
Quite an assault on the senses, sight, sound
and smell, and all within 100 metres of the Low
Light, so much choice - where do | start?
247
248
Articles, News & Views
Sitting overlooking Bishop's Cove or Cornerstone
on the West Cliffs, | scan the serried rows of
Guillemots on the ledges and the Razorbills
tucked away in more isolated fissures. A special
grouping, an unusual pose, a chick peering out
from under a wing or strong shadow will
suddenly grab my attention and | quickly focus in
with my powerful telescope. The play of light
particularly fascinates me, shadows giving more
form to a two-dimensional painting. Reflected
light, even in shadow, helps tie in the bird with tts
surrounds. Eyes give much life to a painting, not
just a white spot of sunlight, but reflections of the
sky and landscape even on an eye in shadow.
Textures are important to me as well, downy or
adult plumage contrasting with the rock and
vegetation all around. The high magnification
makes me feel like | am sitting beside my subject
which remains calm and relaxed some distance
away and often quite unaware of my presence.
Oblivious to all around, | concentrate on sketching
as much information down before the bird
moves too much. | am totally imbued in my
subject, if the bird stretches or yawns | find myself
subconsciously copying their movement. This is
what | am striving for, at one with my subject,
doing what | love to do - drawing from life.
w,
Plate 222. Razorbill with Chick
Plate 223. Female Lobster.
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
Plate 224. Seal swimming at Pilgrim's Haven.
The spring and autumn migration seasons bring
another avian dimension to the island. The
exciting expectation of discovering a_ rarity
amongst the commoner migrants keeps one
constantly alert. The spring was very poor in
2010, with a female Red-backed Shrike the only
semi-rarity recorded. The autumn made up for
that in terms of numbers and quality but no real
rarities. Sadly, | missed a good week in early
September with Greenish and Icterine Warbler,
Wryneck and Bluethroat recorded. However |
was fortunate to witness two large falls, the first
on 27-30 September and the second during
9-13 October. Huge numbers of thrushes
(especially Song Thrush), warblers, flycatchers
(three species), Robins and Dunnocks formed
the bulk of the migrants passing through.
Ringing migrants allows me to draw birds such
as Great Grey Shrikes in the hand (whilst trying
to avoid it taking chunks out of my fingers) - a
useful activity aligned with field sketches.
| had great fun painting some of the crustaceans,
exploring their complicated structure with little
preconception of what they should look like. A
female Lobster, heavily berried under her tail, the
intricate patterning of a Velvet Crab and the
31:3 (2011)
camouflaged garden on the Dog Whelk home of
a Hermit Crab. Other subjects ranged from Minke
Whales feeding offshore, including one
breaching, to butterflies and moths. | think a
childlike enquiring wonder of the natural world is
a prerequisite for painting wildlife.
Last, but not least, the seals. The May hosts the
largest breeding colony of Grey Seals on the east
coast of Britain. Some 2000 pups are born each
year, mainly between October and November.
They are great fun to sketch whether lying
crocodilian mostly submerged, lying partly
underwater with flipper in the air or sound asleep
amongst the rocks with their pups. | love playing
with the textures of their pelage, comparing dry
furry coats with the sleek wet look.
All going well, the book ‘Return to One Man's
Island’ will be published by Edinburgh publishers,
Birlinn, in September 2011, with an exhibition of
some of the work at Waterston House, 17
September to 16 November 2011. | have a
gallery/studio at the Fearnan Gallery, by Aberfeldy,
Perthshire PH15 2QW, 01887 830609.
Keith Brockie (www.keithbrockie.co.uk)
249
250
Articles, News & Views
The South-east Scotland
Tetrad Atlas II update
R.D. MURRAY
Summer 2011 marks an important milestone in
atlasing activities in south-east Scotland. It is the
start of the last breeding season for the BIO UK
Breeding Atlas, and the probable halfway point
for the local tetrad atlas. While the national atlas
requires just a 33% sample of tetrads in any area
to fulfil its requirements, the local SOC branches
decided on surveying 100% of Lothian &
Borders, repeating the survey done between
1988 and 1994.
At the finish of the third breeding season in 2010,
we had managed to do visits to more than 1,200
of the 1,779 tetrads, some 68% of the area.
Projecting ahead, tt seems likely that almost 90%
of the area will have been covered by the end of
2011 and that by 2012, at the end of the fifth
season, 100% coverage will have been reached,
including some remedial work on poorly covered
tetrads. During the last tetrad atlas we took seven
seasons to complete our survey.
colonised the area, while others are much more
widespread, such as Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Jay,
Magpie and Greylag Goose.
The amount of green on the Chiffchaff map
(Figure 1) indicates newly colonised areas with
apparent spread into the central Tweed basin
and in the hill fringes. The infilling of the valley
woodlands of the Pentland, Lammermutr,
Moorfoot and Cheviot Hills is readily apparent.
There are a number of orange dots too, which
indicate range contraction, but it seems likely
that further work in these tetrads would prove
their presence. This change has also had an
impact on Chiffchaff numbers.
Every singing Chiffchatf reported is recorded in
the Borders Bird Report, and numbers have
increased from a mean of 48 birds at 31 sites for
the seven years during the 1988-94 atlas to
and astounding 518 territories at almost 200
So, despite being just halfway °
through our project with just esseoe ee
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Figure 1. Breeding season y > a
change map for Chiffchaff in
south-east Scotland between
1988—94 and 2008-10.
31:3 (2011)
sites in 2008 and 289 males at 78 sites in
2009 (Figure 2). So, the two strands of the story
tie together, the range expansion matched by a
potential 6—7 times increase in the sites where
birds have been found. The BTO's Breeding Bird
Survey data also document a 289% in Scottish
numbers between 1995 and 2008. It seems
very likely that the 2,000 pairs estimated to
breed in south-east Scotland in the last atlas will
be much greater this time round.
Another species that has shown considerable
spread since the last atlas is Stonechat. In the
1988-94 atlas Stonechat had just started the
recovery from a series of severe winters in the
early 1980s that had virtually wiped out the
population in south-east Scotland. The
increase was slow and by the 1988-94 atlas,
it had just about reached the take-off stage. It
was not really until 2000 that there was a
substantial increase. The dataset from the
Borders Bird Report shows the progress of the
recovery between 1978 and 2009 (Figure 3).
The spread in both Lothian and Borders is
plainly evident on the map. The few red/orange
dots on Figure 4 show the status in 1988-94
with the striking colonisation of the hill areas
and along the coast shown in green. So again
both map and local data agree on the change
that has occurred.
However, aS many will be aware the cold
winters in 2009/10 and 2010/11 have matched
those of the early 1980s in their impact on the
population. While we don't yet have the full
picture, the number of Stonechat records since
autumn 2009 has fallen away dramatically and
so the map displayed is effectively the work of
just the first two breeding seasons. Clearly, a
<== Sites
500 <== Singing males
S
Number of males/sites
N WwW
8 8
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1980 1985 "7990 1995. “2000 2005 2009
Figure 2. Numbers of singing male Chiffchaffs (red)
and sites where they were recorded (blue) in Borders,
1980-2009.
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
Plate 225. Stonechat, St Abbs, Borders, May 20171.
© Ray Murray
map of ‘before and after’ will be very instructive.
One could speculate on the actual distribution
in the early years of the project, but now we will
never know.
We can also trace the opposite situation,
confirming what we think we know about some
populations having fallen recently. Species like
Marsh Tit seem to be vanishing and this has
been seen in the raw atlas data, with birds
recorded from just 12 tetrads in both seasons
since winter 2007/08. This compares to 65
tetrads in the last atlas (breeding only). Similarly
Wood Warblers have only been found in 25
tetrads between 2008 and 2010, compared to
150 between 1988 and 1994.
Number of sites
0 ——— ——
1978 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2009
Figure 3. Numbers of sites where Stonechats were
recorded in Borders, 1978-2009.
74372
Articles, News & Views
While these were uncommon species, Spotted Flycatcher was
common and widespread and has suffered a large drop both
nationally and locally, the BTO calculate a 32% drop since the
early 1990s. The ‘change’ map (Figure 5) reflects these
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Scotland between 1988-94 and 2008-10.
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east Scotland between 1988-94 and 2008-10.
widespread losses, especially
at lower altitudes, confirming
that the hill country
woodlands populations are
holding up better than those
of the lowlands. For some,
Spotted Flycatcher is now a
very rarely seen species.
Other patterns will
undoubtedly manifest
themselves as more data are
added. Our main problem is a
lack of confirmed breeding
records, aS many observers
have not been attaching
breeding status to their
records, and even when they
do, many have been very
conservative. | really do
question how someone can
get 10 Willow Warblers during
a TTV count and just enter S,
for song, or H, for habitat.
Surely some of the birds were
mutually audible, in which
case the status should have
been T, for territory. Likewise a
few minutes extra watching an
adult bird between mid-May
and late July might have
revealed it carrying food for
young, which would be
breeding confirmation. We will
have to work hard to achieve a
higher rating of breeding
confirmation generally
between now and 2013, but
one thing is sure, it will be fun!
Ray Murray
www.the-soc.org.uk/se-atlas
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
Scottish Bird Report
- a digital archive
R.D. MURRAY
The Scottish Bird Report first appeared in the
summer 1969 as part of volume 5 of Scottish
Birds. This was a real breakthrough for bird
recording in Britain; a comprehensive annual
account of birds across a large part of the British
Isles. Prior to that, there was only a single annual
bird report in Scotland, that of the Fair Isle Bird
Observatory. Bird records did appear in Scottish
Birds, as quarterly ‘Current Notes’, supple-
mented by important records being expanded
on in the ‘Short Notes’ section. These records
were ad hoc and relied on observers sending
reports to the editor, with no comprehensive
coverage of either Scotland or the systematic list.
The SOC was groundbreaking in establishing the
Local Recorders’ network in 1968. Their main
task was to prepare an annual account of the
most interesting observations from their areas.
This would then be sent to the SBR editor, who
would collate an account for each species and
so, for the first time, provide a national
perspective for local records.
The SBR then appeared annually, although
sometimes delayed, through to the report
covering 2001. The process of Local Recorders
having to prepare an annual account of the birds
in their areas in many senses sowed the seeds of
the demise of the SBR. As the decades passed,
the Local Recorders, while still passing on their
accounts to the SBR editor, started publishing their
own local bird reports. This has real advantages, as
the presence of a local bird report provided a focus
for observers to contribute records. As local bird
reports developed, increasing numbers of records
would be submitted and local reports became
fuller, more comprehensive and eventually
allowed for publication of photographs as well as
articles of local interest. This had an effect on the
SBR, as some local reports took longer to publish
and this caused some delays in receiving the
accounts from the whole of Scotland.
31:3 (2011)
Another issue, however, had an impact on the
publication of the SBR - money! During the
1980s and 1990s, in particular, the SOC
suffered from financial constraints that
increasingly restricted the number of pages
available for the editor. Thus, while the 1974
SBR ran to 72 pages, most volumes were
restricted to c 48-54 pages in the 1980s and
early 1990s. This clearly had an impact on
what records could appear, and the species
accounts became increasingly terse, to the
extent that many common species were
restricted to just one or two lines. This
shortening occurred at a time when local bird
reports were providing details on more records
than ever. | took over with the 1990 SBR on the
understanding that more pages would be
available, so to be able to give a more coherent
account of each species. Indeed, during the
1990s, the SBR gradually expanded until the
final editions in 2000 and 2001 were over 120
pages. | would like to think that the species
accounts were more interesting and readable
during that period.
However in the early 2000s the SOC once
more had financial difficulties and | was asked
to reduce the size of the publication and asked
to make it more ‘readable’. This proved difficult
and while a draft 2002 report was written, |
was unhappy with the loss of what | considered
to be the most important element of the SBR,
the actual bird records. My other problem was
the sheer number of records to be
incorporated. By the 2000s | was being asked
to summarise accounts from over 18 local bird
reports, many of which ran to more than
50-60 pages. The scale of the editing process
was becoming increasingly difficult. | felt
another strategy was required and while | had
an idea of what was needed, the technical
issues proved somewhat beyond me. The
arrival of The Birds of Scotland project, also
2595
254
Articles, News & Views
meant that my attention was increasingly
focused on that, and as the SOC could save
£2,000 annually | was not being pressed to
provide more issues and so the SBR as an
annual publication came to an end.
It was only in 2009, once The Birds of Scotland
was completed, that | returned to the SBR
project. With the technical assistance of lan
Andrews and Stephen Hunter, a format for a
digital SBR was progressed. The basic idea is to
enable ‘readers’ to access all the species
accounts for all the recording areas of Scotland,
for any year, on the SOC website. Rather than
trying to compress a huge number of records
into a 1OO—200 word account for each species,
the readers will be able to see all the ‘raw’
species accounts that were previously edited
down for the old-style SBR.
The new website is extremely simple to operate.
Go to www.the-soc.org.uk/sbr.php.
On this main page (Figure 1) you can select
your species, select your year(s), and then
choose whether to look at one or more local
recording areas, or all of them at the same time,
that Is, all of Scotland.
on
e
Click ‘Display Report’ and scroll down to a list
of species/year entries (Figure 2).
This website is still ‘work in progress’ and
coverage so far Is limited to about 40% of the
600-odd local reports that exist (up to 2008).
To the left of the page (Figure 1), the link
‘Online Coverage’ allows you to see what is
already posted on the site. Another 10% of local
reports are in some stage of processing, but it
will take a year or two to fully populate the
website. Some areas are fully, or almost fully,
covered already: Borders, Lothian, the Isle of
May, Clyde and Argyll, and some others have
more than half of their reports added: Orkney,
Moray & Nairn, and Dumfries & Galloway.
After that reports will be added annually. We
have undertaken not to upload new local
reports to the site until we have permission
from the local branch/club that publishes the
report. In many cases this will be a year or two
after the publication date of the local report.
This should ensure that the site does not have
any impact on report sales. This does mean
that there will be a time-lag before reports
appear on-line, but there always has been a
time-lag for the SBR. Just now we are using a
cut-off of 2007, unless permission has already
been granted to upload files.
& 12> Scottish Bird Report
: . Species: | z|
Recording areas: T all T Angus & Dundee T Arayil
T Ayrshire T Borders Tl Caithness T Clyde
: T Clyde Islands Tl Dumfries & Galloway T Fair Isle T Fife
home page T Highland T Isle of May T Lothian T Moray & Naim
about the SOC T” North-east Scotland T Orkney T Outer Hebrides T Perth & Kinross
Ji contact us T Shetland T Upper Forth
& Years: T all T 1978 T 1979 T 1980 T 1981 T 1982 T 1983 T 1984 F 1985
_@plme coverage T 1986 T 1987 T 1988 T 1989 T 1990 T 1991 T 4992 T 4993 T 1904 T 1995
, # T 1996 T 1997 T 1998 T 1909 T™ 2000 T 2001 T™ 2002 ™ 2003 T™ 2004 FT 2005
é a T2006 F 2007 F 2008 TF 2009
Display Report |
Instructions
year(s), and click on the Display Report button.
&
{
mh
‘
&
Welcome to the online Scottish Bird Report. Please choose a species from the drop-down list, select the recording area(s) and
Click the link on the left to view a list of the report years available online for each recording area.
A large part of this online resource has been generated by scanning paper copies of reports, and the imprecision of automatic
character recognition makes occasional errors inevitable. Always check with an onginal if quoting from a local bird report.
Figure 1. The starting point for any enquiry on www.the-soc.org.uk/sbr.php
31:3 (2011)
Water Rail Rallus aquaticus
Borders, 2008
Articles, News & Views
Scarce & secretive resident of basin mir es Survey in 1999-2000 suggests around 150 pairs probably present. Scarce passage migrant April & September-November
Winter/Spring
: 2 Hirsel Lake & singles Hen Poo, St Abb’s Head & Whitmuirhall Loch in Jan; 1 Haremossz in Feb: singles Bemersyde Moss & Yetholm Loch in Mar. 1
Mire Loch in May may have been a migrant. as they are not thought to breed there.
ing: 1 Hsremoss 2ist & 25th Apr: pair Whinnington Moss & 3 territories (pair & 2 singles) St Leonards Mossist May: 2 heard Bermersyde Moss 4th May with 1
there on ist Jun & 2ist Jun: 1 Green Diamonds & 2 territories St Leonard's Moss (pair & single) on 12th Jun: 1 Yetholm Loch 29th Aug. Nil response st Nether
Stewarton Pond on 8th Apr.
Autumn/Winter: First migrant st Mire Loch on 14th Sep with singles there ist Nov, 7th Nov, 17th Dec & 26th Dec.
1 Hirsel Lake 2nd Nov: S Groundistone Moss & 2 Drinkstone-Tandlaw Moss 6th Nov; 4 at 3 sites on S side of Ettrick Marshes 28th Nov: 1 Linton Bog 30th Nov: nil
response Hawick Moss 24th Dec.
Borders, 2007
Winter/Spring: 1-2 birds calling Hirsel Lake, Yetholm Loch. Bemersyde Mozs Jan-Mar. 1 Mire Loch 2ist Mar was 3 probable migrant.
ing: 1 calling Hirsel Lake 4th Apr is at @ site vhere there is usually no response to tape-luring in summer. Regularly heard calling at Haremoss Apr-Jul vith
br2 seen 12th May. 1 Yetholm Loch ith Apr: 1 Green Diamonds 25th & 29th Apr: 2 singles tape-lured Whitmuirhall Loch 14th May; 1 Bemersyde Moss 11th Jun: 1
pr tape-lured Nevdands Moss (Hassendean) & Z2prs at Stendhill Pond 19th Jun: 5 (2prs +1) Ladywoodsedge Moss 2ist Jun; 2prs tape-lured Cooksmoss Moss 22nd
Jun: 11 (Sprs+1) Dry Moss 27th Jun; 5 (2prs+i) Nether Steverton Moss 4th Jul: 1 Catslawhill Moss Sth Jul; 2 Stobie Slack Pond & 1 Akermoor Loch 23rd Jul: 2
Yethoim Loch 18th Aua. Found in around 5 new sites this vear.
Figure 2. The first few entries from an enquiry about Water Rails in Borders.
Beyond that it is my aspiration to provide
analyses of species occurrences in Scotland,
just as | did when | edited the SBR. Using the
on-line accounts on the website, it should be
relatively easy to create datasets similar to
those that produced the graphical content that
was such a success in The Birds of Scotland.
Subjects may be arrival and departure dates for
migrants, influxes of species such as Waxwing
or Long-tailed Skuas, or the variable migration
of waders, such as Little Stints and Curlew
Sandpipers. Datasets that already exist for rare
migrants might also become part of the
website, updated annually by the SBRC.
While the website is called the Scottish Bird
Report, it really is a digital archive that will grow
to become a powerful tool for Scottish
ornithology. | have already started using it as a
tool for species analysis for the Lothian and
Borders tetrad atlas for which we are still
gathering data. In creating templates for
species authors, | found it much simpler to
collate data to investigate, in this case, Water
Rail records in south-east Scotland (Figure 2).
One very instructive lesson from looking at some
of the much older reports is not just how much
local reports have changed over the decades, but
to what extent birding occurred in what seems
another world 30-40 years ago. Some of the old
Clyde Area Reports from the early 1970s, which |
had to disaggregate to conform with the current
bird recording areas, are fascinating reading when
it comes to species such as Yellow Wagtail and
Corncrake. Similarly what was considered a
significant bird then and now (for example Yellow-
browed Warbler, Sooty Shearwater or Pomarine
Skua), have changed dramatically.
31:3 (2011)
As far as | know, no other comparable resource
covering such a large geographical area exists
anywhere else and it is my hope that such
developments help the SOC to keep at the
forefront of innovation in this area of ornithology.
The development of this website would not have
been possible without all of the effort that local
recorders and bird report editors have made over
the years in getting out their bird reports annually.
In addition, when requesting permission to use
the material in local reports, a number of people
have been particularly helpful in negotiating with
branch committees and bird club officials.
Considerable assistance comes from people
actually getting hold of old and well out-of-print
reports for scanning and obtaining more modern
computer files that do away with the need to scan
old reports. An acknowledgments page does
appear on the website but my particular thanks to
Neil Beilby, David Clugston, Paul Collin, Jon Cook,
Martin Cook, Paul Daw, Murray Dickie, David
Jardine, Bob McCurley, Al McNee, Mark Oksien,
Fraser Simpson, Margaret Thorne, Val Wilson, Ron
Youngman and Bernie Zonfrillo. Others will
undoubtedly follow as | tackle other parts of
Scotland.
lan Andrews and Stephen Hunter were paramount
in the development of the database behind the
website and website design, freeing me from all of
these technical aspects and letting me get on with
the grind of dealing with the actual bird reports
excerpts. Finally The Birds of Scotland Fund has
been of great help in funding this project.
Ray Murray
255
256
Articles, News & Views
BirdTrack..
RE CDR
‘Recording birds across |
- bird recaetie enters
the internet age
C.R. McKAY
Since bird watching became popular during the
latter half of the 20th century, a key part of the
hobby has always been recording what you see
in a field notebook and then writing up the
records to send off to your Local Recorder for use
in the local bird report. In Scotland, we have until
recently also been blessed with an annual
national bird report - the Scottish Bird Report
(SBR). For many years this was edited by Ray
Murray and tt provided an overview of the
contents of all the Scottish local bird reports. For
someone like me before | moved north of the
border, SBR was a mouth-watering bird-fest -
from breeding raptors and arctic specialities in
the Highlands, to Red-necked, Black-necked and
Slavonian Grebes seemingly everywhere and to
all the migrants you could ever wish for from
Shetland, Fair Isle and Orkney in the north all the
way along the east coast to the Isle of May and
St Abbs in the south. No wonder then that
Aberdeen was my first choice university - a
decision made by many others before and since.
But the art and science of bird recording has
moved on in ways we could never have
imagined when | first arrived in Aberdeen in
1979 (to see my first Isabelline Wheatear at
Girdleness, and Capercaillies in Ballochbuie).
Thanks to the internet, birdwatchers are now
better informed than ever before, and the
quality of our optics, the use of tripods, and the
magnificent Collins Bird Guide have taken our
hobby to an altogether different plane. It is now
also possible to make digital recordings of calling
crossbills, and take digital photographs, which
can even reveal such details as the numbers on
metal-ringed birds and key identification
features for difficult species such as the wing-tip
pattern of rare gull species and sub-species.
The basic tools of recording in the field haven't
changed much over the years. Second only to
your optics on the ‘worst thing to forget to take
out on a day’s birding’ list must surely still be
your notebook and pencil (though for some,
digital voice recorders and new smart phone
applications that enable you to record your
sightings in the field are starting to challenge
even the much-loved notebook). And, whatever
the medium, the information recorded remains
much the same - Date, Location, Species,
Number, Age/sex, Breeding status, Comments.
For the last ten years or so, gathering this
information has been greatly aided by the use of
spreadsheets which can store information in a
standard format, greatly easing the task of bird
report compilation and data extraction.
Spreadsheets are essentially a digital card index
system, but with the great advantage that the
‘cards’ (your records) can be sorted in a
multitude of ways with a few simple keystrokes
- by date, species, location or any combination
of these. The old card index system was based
Plate 226. ie Wheatear Cine North-
East Scotland, October 1979. © Sam Alexander
31:3 (2011)
on a card per species, which was fine for writing
an annual bird report species by species, but a
nightmare if you're trying to retrieve all the
information for a particular site threatened by
development as the information is potentially
scattered across all the species cards. So the
spreadsheet was a big leap forward, but little did
we know how quickly it would be superseded.
Into the 21st century with BirdTrack
The internet has had a massive impact on the
way that most of us conduct our day-to-day
communications and how we store and retrieve
information. Luckily for bird watchers, it's almost
as if it were developed solely to make bird
recording easier! Anyone who has entered their
Atlas or WeBS counts online will know exactly
what | mean. One of the great by-products of the
2007-11 Atlas is the wonderful atlas website
designed by the IT team led by lain Downie at the
BIO. This has shown just how easy on-line
recording can be. Not only do our records get sent
immediately and safely to the atlas database, but
the records can then be looked at by the atlas
validation teams in each area (on a daily basis if
they wish) and up-to-the-minute maps produced
showing the state of play for each 10-km square
- all at the touch of a few buttons. And when the
BTO comes to produce the final maps, thousands
of man hours will be saved.
But, by the end of this summer there will be no
more atlas recording to be done (except in those
areas carrying out local tetrad atlases). Does this
mark the end of our on-line Rolls Royce bird
recording adventure? Not at all - for waiting in the
wings we have a worthy successor in the newly
revamped BirdTrack. The IT team at the BTO has
been working hard to fine-tune BirdTrack, this
time in a joint project with the SOC, funded by
Scottish Natural Heritage. The SOC signed up to
the BirdTrack partnership early in 2010, and since
then the Scottish Bird Recording Network (i.e.
your local recorders) has been providing feedback
to the BTO on the on-going developments.
The result is a greatly enhanced version of
BirdTrack, which we hope will meet the needs
of observers, Local Recorders and bird report
compilers alike, as well as making your
records immediately available to national
surveys and projects.
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
Using BirdTrack www.birdtrack.net
A key aim throughout the design of BirdTrack has
been to make it as simple as possible to use. The
only thing required is a reasonable internet
connection, which may exclude a few folk on the
islands; but broadband coverage is improving all
the time. If you don't have a good internet
connection, you can still enter your records on a
spreadsheet and upload them to BirdTrack using
the new upload facility. Having all our records in
one place in one format greatly enhances their
value as it means that a single system such as
BirdTrack can be used by all of us to analyse and
map our own records, compile bird reports,
contribute to national surveys etc. A good
example of this Is that all the records entered on
BirdTrack during the atlas survey periods have
been automatically forwarded to the atlas
database, avoiding duplication of effort by
observers and atlas teams alike.
There are many new features on BirdTrack. Here
are a few examples:
m You can enter today’s or yesterday's date by
simply entering T or Y in the date field - saves
typing out the full date
™ Once you have defined a ‘site’ on BirdTrack
(i.e. a place where you regularly birdwatch) it
is added to your own personal site list, and
thereafter can be selected from a simple
dropdown list, rather than having to type in
the full name. | have found this feature
invaluable for some Gaelic place names,
such as Lochan na Nigheadaireachd on Islay.
™ You can click on the Remarkable button to
identify a record as particularly noteworthy in
some way - e.g. your first Swallow of the
spring, a high count of Lesser Redpolls for
your garden, or to identify an unusual date or
location. This brings the record to the
attention of your Local Recorder, for example
when compiling the annual bird report.
m And on the right hand side of the screen is a
discrete little + button. This is the Additional
details button, which opens up a treasure
trove of options for providing more
information about your sighting. These are
OPTIONAL details, there's no obligation to fill
them in, but there may be occasions when
you find them useful, - perhaps for your own
Dor
258
Articles, News & Views
personal records or because you want the
local recorder to know more about your
sighting for a bird report.
® Options include Age/sex details, Activity, and
Sensitivity, but perhaps the most valuable is
Pinpoint sighting. Clicking on this takes you
to a Google map for the site you have
selected; if you then point the cursor at the
exact location of your sighting and then press
SHIFT-CLICK, BirdTrack will automatically fill
in a six-figure grid reference for you. For many
sightings there is no need for such a precise
reference - the site name will be sufficient,
and this is usually appropriate for migrant
birds or birds flying over. But, for breeding
records of any species, the more precise the
location you provide, the more valuable your
record becomes. With increasing
development pressure on the environment,
there is a great need for precise biodiversity
information that can be directly linked to a
grid-referenced site, rather than to a general
area. In this respect, a 6-figure grid reference
is 100x more valuable than a 1-km reference,
and a staggering 10,000x more valuable than
a 10-km square reference!
Kirriemuir
Sa
Figure 1. BirdTrack distribution map of all Angus Corn Bunting records, Clive McKay.
On a more personal note, if your records are
plotted to a high resolution then the distribution
maps that you can produce on BirdTrack of your
own sightings become all the more detailed and
interesting. Plotting your records couldn't be
easier - simply click on the All my species
option, and select a species. When | did this to
produce the Corn Bunting map below, an error
was Immediately highlighted - the sighting to
the west of Kirriemuir is clearly a data entry error
on my part. By hovering my mouse over the dot
| was given the site name, and was able to
quickly locate the record and correct it.
Your records: onwards and upwards
Once you have submitted your BirdTrack
records, your Local Recorder can look at them
and check them for errors using new validation
rules. These pick out unusually high counts,
unusual dates and so on. He/she may get in
touch with you to query such records - but
please bear in mind that most of the time this
validation process Is aimed at trying to weed out
any data input errors - such as the Corn Bunting
example above. If you report a local or national
rarity, BirdTrack will automatically alert you to
[Map| satelite [_Hyorid_|
[trish Grid_}
Brechin
31:3 (2011)
Figure 2. Distribution of a seed-eating bird
assemblage (see text for species) in Scotland,
2005-09: Key: red dots = 5—6 species, orange
dots = 4 species, yellow dots = 3 species, blue dots
= 2 species.
this fact, and provide a description form for you
to fill in and forward to the Local Recorder.
As mentioned above, BirdTrack records automat-
ically contribute to the Atlas, but they are also
used in other ways. Records from across
Scotland and the rest of the UK are currently
automatically feeding into the RSPB's Bird
Conservation Targeting Project
(www.rspb.org.uk/targeting), which is helping
the government to target agri-environment
funding into the appropriate areas for protected
species. One group of species is the arable bird
assemblage - Skylark, Tree Sparrow, Linnet, Twite,
Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer (Figure 2).
Imagine the workload that would have been
involved in collating this geographical
information for six species in the days before
digital recording. Moreover, with the new system,
the maps can be easily updated annually to
incorporate newly entered information.
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
Another shop window for your information is the
National Biodiversity Network www.nbn.org.uk.
This is the first port of call for planning
departments when they are looking for
biodiversity information. As they are not
biodiversity experts, It is crucial that they have a
one-stop-shop for all biodiversity information. By
the end of this year, BirdTrack records will be fed
into the NBN Gateway automatically, to act as a
shop window for the data that your Local Recorder
holds. The final decision on whether these data
can be used will always lie with your Local
Recorder, but now the whole task of preparing
datasets for loading onto the NBN Gateway will
not have to be shouldered by him or her.
And finally
You can submit your records as ‘casual records’
or as a ‘complete list’. The latter represents a
record of everything that you have seen on your
visit to that site. A ‘complete list’ is of great value,
as It enables inferences to be made about what
wasn't there (Swallows in winter) as well as
what was there. Prior to ‘complete lists’, there
was no way of knowing whether the absence of
Swallows from your records from November to
March was because you didn’t bother to write
them down (unlikely, | know!) rather than the
fact that they were genuinely absent. If you
haven't already, why not try a bit of ‘complete
list’ birding - it's great fun - similar to atlassing,
and of immense value.
If you haven't already registered for BirdTrack, |
encourage you to give it a try, to maximise the
value of your records and to open up new
ways of storing and looking at your own
records. All you have to do to get started is to
register at www.birdtrack.net, add your first
sites, and then start adding your records. Good
luck and good birding.
Clive McKay,
SOC Scottish Bird Records Co-ordinator
@siI0
BirdWatchireland
145
=eeD
259
$
Wildlife Around
Glasgow —
Richard Sutcliffe
50 Sey +71
sites to explore
260
Articles, News & Views
BOOK REVIEWS
Wildlife Around Glasgow.
Richard Sutcliffe, 2010.
Culture and Sport Glasgow
(Glasgow Museums), ISBN
97 S3=Os9O2Z7dS2-9 6-2,
paperback, £9.99.
=m When we think of
Glasgow words like
industry, ship-building
and more recently
Commonwealth
Games all spring to
mind. To the
inhabitants of the
city “Glesga” is the
dear, green place and with one
fifth of the total area being classed
as greenspace with an incredibly
rich biodiversity this is certainly
proven to be the case in this new
guide to the wildlife of Glasgow.
The introduction covers how the
landscape in and around Glasgow
was formed, going into enough
detail about geology, climate and
land-use in an easily
understandable and _ interesting
manner. Once past the
introduction this book concen-
trates on 50 sites in and around
Glasgow and it is here that we can
see that this part of the book has
benefited greatly by being written
by local experts. Each expert has
highlighted for them what makes
their particular site special,
whether that would be fossil
hunting at Blairskaith Quarry, the
discovery of Purple Hairstreak
Butterflies at Dawsholm Park or
the chance of watching Hen
Harriers sky dancing in the
Renfrewshire hills. Each
description is packed with
information on the wildlife in the
area as well as advising the best
times to visit. Detailed information
Is provided on various ways to
travel and access the sites with
information also provided on
activities such as guided walks.
All in all this a colourful guide that
is fantastic for everyone whether
you want to go looking for
Toothwort or take the kids to
Bingham’s Pond to see if they can
spot more than 6/7 Tufted
ducklings this year.
Hayley Douglas
Obair gun duais? Alasdair
MacGilleMhicheil a’ tional
ainmean Gaidhlig eun
A Thankless Task?
Alexander Carmichael as a
collector of Gaelic bird
names. Tristan ap Rheinallt,
2010. The Islands Book Trust,
ISBN 978-1-907443-10-7,
paperback, £9.99.
Ol asediean lien
Carmichael was
born on_ the
island of Lismore
in 1832 and as
anyone with an
interest in
Gaelic culture or sco
tradition may
know, he was a_ folklore
collector with a passion for natural
history. Amongst his various
manuscripts, and particularly his
greatest folklore collection
Carmina Gadelica, there are a
great number of Gaelic bird names
collected from across the
Highlands and Islands. In Obair
gun duais, the author, a bird
enthusiast himself, explores the
reliability of Carmichael’s
collection from the perspective of
a naturalist. He considers
Carmichael as a naturalist and the
value of his work before reviewing
his working methods. The author
concludes by stating that although
not all the bird names Carmichael
collected are absolutely correct
from an ornithological point of
view, they are an _ extremely
valuable resource, some of which
would certainly have been lost
te
had Carmichael not recorded
them. The book also contains
some fascinating references to
bird names in Gaelic proverbs,
charms, prayers, songs and tales.
There is an extremely useful
appendix of Carmichael’s Gaelic
bird names with a literal English
translation of their meaning,
which often tells us something
about a bird's appearance or
behaviour. For example Dunlin, or
pollaran in Gaelic, is a particularly
appropriate name for a bird that
often seeks its food in the mud
(poll meaning mud in Gaelic).
The striking colour photographs
and informative descriptions add
some colour to the book.
— This bi-lingual yet compact book is
an excellent and easy read for
anyone with an ornithological or
Gaelic interest.
Emily Edwards, Oifigear
Gaidhlig/Gaelic Officer,
Dualchas Nadair na h-
Alba/Scottish Natural Heritage
Parrots of the World.
Joseph M. Foreshaw,
illustrated by Frank Knight,
2010. Helm, ISBN 978-1-
4081-3-34-6, paperback,
£24.99.
Cy
| don't know Parrots
about you, but | of the World
have never got
used to seeing
parrots in the
wild, especially
the Macaws!
This guide
covers all 356 species of
parrots. There are 146 plates with
all species and well differentiated
subspecies illustrated.
hM. Fontow
Md by Fault Kart
ram
As with all Helm guides, the
layout is good and the maps are
detailed. In fact some of the
31:3 (2011)
maps for species that occur in the
Far East are incrediblely detailed.
The illustrations are also good to
very good, although | found the
plates with the larger species
both more detailed and more
pleasing to the eye than the
plates of the smaller species.
This book would make a_ nice
addition to any birdwatchers
library and a flick through the
plates dreamily with a nice glass of
red in your hand is more than
pleasant. | am not sure, however,
if | would ever travel with it. Any
guide specific to one family is by
definition of limited use and these
days as we travel more and more
lightly a small regional guide will
always win the day.
Having said that | enjoyed tt a lot; it
is very well researched, very well
organised, well illustrated and has
an interesting introduction. If there
is room in said library, and you see
parrots at least once a year - buy it.
Ken Shaw
Barn Owl. David Chandler,
2011. New Holland, ISBN
978 1 84773 524 9, £12.99.
| liked this book
a lot. The Barn
Owl iS @
familiar and
popular bird
We Se in
experienced
ornithologists
and with
those with a
passing interest in natural
history. The ‘Barn Owl family’ also
has an impressive global range
and so travelling birdwatchers
COME aCOSS i in Sone
unexpected situations.
Tne style of the book ts
interesting; it Is not scientific or
academic, in fact it is rather
matter-of-fact, but it is crammed
with interesting information which
31:3 (2011
is easy to access. What are partic-
ularly impressive are the
references to studies all over the
world. This book is not about the
‘English Barn Owl’. It is well
illustrated with some superb
images; we have all seen the
classic Barn Owl at nest site shots
- and there are some of these -
but there are also some different
shots too. | particularly like the
Barn Owl and Kestrel competing in
flight for prey.
We know a lot about the Barn
Owl's prey, of course, but this is
changing! Brown Rats are less
important than they once were
and that gap appears to be filled
by Field Voles.
| recommend this book to anyone
even with a passing interest In one
of our most interesting, familiar
and popular birds.
Ken Shaw
Bill Oddie’s Birding Map of
Britain & Ireland (7th
Edition). Bill Oddie, 2011.
New Holland, ISBN 978-1-
84773-981-0, large, two-
sided, fold-out map, £4.99.
A bright, colourful map of Britain
and Ireland with 346 numbered
sites (89 in Scotland, 41 in Ireland,
35 in Wales, 5 on Isle of Man, 176
in England) keyed to regional
tables with brief descriptions of
the respective site regarding
habitats present, best times to
visit, and some entries include
specialities. The spread of sites
chosen is obviously subjective, but
the biggest surprise for me was
the inclusion of St Kilda and the
Monach Isles (both relatively
inaccessible), as two of only three
sites in the Outer Hebrides, at the
expense of anything on
Lewis/Harris or south of
Benbecula on North Uist.
The reverse side features 15 sites
in greater details, three of these in
Articles, News & Views
Scotland - Hermaness, Sands of
Forvie & Ythan Estuary, and
Abernethy & Loch Garten. Two
others are in Ireland, and the rest
in England. In addition,
information is given on top
locations for watching seabirds
and wildfowl, and there is a table
listing details of our bird observa-
tories (minus Filey, Flamborough
and Hilbre), though some details
here are now out of date.
One might dispute
some of the sites /a™mamnem
chosen, _ including
the 15 highlighted
locations (great
topic for discussion
over a pint?), and
es
there Is insufficient === aim
detail to replace |
the need for the relevant “Where
to Watch Birds in...” volume when
on your travels, but this is an
inexpensive item for anyone
wanting to get a flavour of birding
outside their local area and might
be a Suitable gift for less
experienced birders.
Stuart L. Rivers
Bird Songs and Calls.
Hannu Jannes & Owen
Roberts, 2011. New Holland
Publishers, ISBN 978 1
SAI ISTIS) 8, (o4 Dalees,
hardback and CD set, £9.99.
The main focus of this book ts
identification through the sounds
the bird makes, not just song and
calls but the sounds made when
taking flight, etc. These sounds are
described in the text and recorded
on the CD. The CD has one fault:
there is no spoken word, the
sounds made by each bird run
into the next with little pause.
Though CD players usually show
the track number it would have
helped if each bird also had a
short spoken introduction.
The text describes the birds and
their food, nests and_ status.
261
Articles, News & Views
Photographs aid identification; the
photographs are very skilled but
not always typical of the bird; that
of the Wren doesn’t show its
typical stance with the cocked tail.
The index gives common and
scientific names, page and track
number. The contents page says
96 birds ‘featured in full colour
with text and distribution
maps’. The copy | was reviewing
had no distribution maps. The
choice of birds to include must
have been difficult, 96 out of so
many fairly common in Britain and
this choice begs some questions;
for example, why Redshank rather
than the Greenshank.
| chose to review
this book, hoping
that | would find
identification of
birds from their
calls easier. But
the fault must be
in me, as by the
end of listening
and looking |
found It no easier out of context.
For anyone with a more musical
ear this book should be of help.
Bird
~. Songs
& Calls
Harriet Trevelyan
The Jewel Hunter. Chris
Gooddie, 2010. Wildguides
Ltd, ISBN 978-1-903657-16-4,
paperback, 424 pages, 137
photographs, 19 maps,
1, | ES)S)-
Bird books fall into two categories
- those that inform and those, like
this book, that entertain. The
jewel(S) in question are pittas,
and Chris Gooddie, a_ self-
acknowledged twitcher, throws up
his job in High Wycombe and sets
out to see all 32 species in a year.
Pittas are those impossibly
colourful ground-dwelling jungle
birds that every birdwatcher drools
over in the field guide prior to a
trip to some tropical jungle - and
usually returns without having
seen any of them. So Mr Gooddie
has set himself a task somewhat
more difficult than, say, seeing all
the world's hoopoes in a year, and
thrills and spills are to be
expected. These certainly occur -
gashing open his arm on a remote
Philippines trail, nearly dying of
dysentery in Bali, encounters with
lethal snakes and dodgy bears, not
to mention being constantly eaten
alive by leeches and mosquitoes.
All this is recounted in an easy-
going, highly readable _ style,
enlivened with colour photos of
birds, people and places, and a
‘treasure chest’ of his pictures of
(nearly) all the world's pittas. For
the benefit of non-twitcher
readers, he even provides a handy
Twitcherese-English dictionary. He
IS Wey Oosanel Oi ins
Surroundings, and at the end of
each chapter one Is left knowing at
least a little of what these remote
countries are like. He is nearly as
unpredictable as his avian
quarries; when it looks like he’s in
the Asian jungle for the long haul,
we find him back in’ High
Wycombe to get his car Mol'd.
And the Twitcherese dictionary
suddenly veers off into the
niceties of Mancunian football.
Nevertheless, this is a_ highly
entertaining read, and if you are
stuck somewhere boring like an
airport departure lounge (or High
Wycombe), forget Jeffrey Archer
and buy this instead.
Jeremy Brock
Reed and Bush Warblers.
Peter Kennerley & David
Pearson, illustrated by Brian
Small, 2010. Helm, ISBN 978-
0-7136-6022-7, 712 pages,
hardback, £65.00.
This is a volume for the book
collector and the warbler buff. It
will provide an excellent reference
work for the serious birder with
information on: Identification,
Similar Species, Moult, Voice,
Habitat, Behaviour, Distribution,
Description, Geographic Variation,
and Systematics. The ringer will
appreciate the concise In Hand
Character information, with
outline sketches of wing, tail and
bill detail (for those species for
which these are critical identifying
features). Not a book for use in
the field so much as for reading in
the comfort of home.
It covers three families, 13
genera and 112 species, with
species accounts each covering
two to eight pages. Each is
supported by a colour plate
illustration, typically with adult
and juvenile plumages, with
different races and for some
seasonal comparisons. The
plates follow on from the
introductory sections, with the
main species accounts typically
supported by one or more
photographs, many in the hand.
Maps of breeding range and
non-breeding distribution, with
indication of subspecies, are well
produced, with the scale varying
appropriately to suit the
particular species and | partic-
ularly appreciate the muted
colours used.
This work does REED AND py
seem to have WARBLERS
been researched eae
and produced to
a very high
standard. | have
enjoyed
dipping in on a
periodic basis,
and have tested it against species
familiar to me and those that have
challenged.
A volume worthy of shelf-room for
all keen birding folk, and a
welcome addition to the range of
species group texts.
Mike Martin
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
RINGERS’ ROUND-UP
If you have any interesting ringing recoveries, articles, project updates or requests for
information which you would like to be included in the next issue, please email to Raymond
Duncan at Raymond @waxwing.fsnet.co.uk Thank you very much to the British Trust for
Ornithology (BTO) and the many ringers, ringing groups and birders who provided the
information for this latest round-up. Thanks also to the many birdwatchers who take the
time and trouble to read rings in the field or find dead ringed birds and report them.
Leg-flagged Sanderling
A recent collaborative study involving the
colour-ringing/leg-flagging and resighting of
Sanderlings along its African/Eurasian flyways is
helping to reveal a lot of fascinating information
about this species as it passes through and
winters around the coastlines of Scotland.
Tiree - John Bowler
John Bowler has recorded 44 different colour
marked Sanderling on the west coast island of
Tiree; since 2007. Four had wintered on Tiree.
Birds that wintered close by in Ireland and
England tended to pass through first in the
spring followed by Portuguese, French and
Spanish-wintering birds, then Ghanian birds
and finally Mauritanian birds (a pattern seen
in previous springs). Birds seems to show
high site fidelity, with individuals returning to
the same beaches around the same date
each spring (and with a similar set of results
in the autumn and winter). A Polish-ringed
bird in May 2011 was a complete surprise and
was the first to be recorded on the west coast
flyway of presumed Greenland-breeding
birds. The high rate of turnover re-emphasises
the international importance of Tiree’s
beaches for this species.
Orkney - C.J. Corse
Orkney Ringing Group are leg flagging Sanderling
on Sanday, Orkney. Sanday is one of the most
northerly wintering areas on the East Atlantic
Flyway for the species holding a wintering flock of
up to 500 birds. The first successful catch was at
Hine Greenie, Sanday on 6 November 2010,
when 160 birds were fitted with a unique
combination of colour rings and leg flags.
In addition, four birds have been marked at
Newark Bay, Deerness.
31:3 (2011)
The main aims of the project are to compare
survival rates of birds which winter in Africa,
where there is a good food supply and much
warmer conditions, with those which winter
further north where feeding can be interrupted
by bad weather. The downside of wintering in
Africa is that the birds have to undergo a much
longer migration. Another aim of the project Is
to see if birds which winter on Sanday are site
faithful from year to year.
Even at this early stage of the study, we are
starting to get interesting results. By early
February, we received sightings of four birds from
across the North Sea in Norway and Denmark.
W =colour-ring sighting, 3 = juvenile, 4 = adult.
NS99798 3 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VW
19/02/11 Blavandshuk, Jylland, Denmark, 764km
NS99692 4 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VW
19/02/11 Retvangen, Klepp, Rogaland, Norway, 481km
NS99715 4 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday WV
04/02/11 Akrehamn, Norway, 432km
NS99751 3 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VW
01/02/11 Kjul, Hirtshals, Nordjylland, Denmark, 734km
This was unexpected, as we had thought that
the birds ringed in November would have been
site faithful throughout the winter. The Dutch
researcher, Jeroen Reneerkens, who Is leading
the East Atlantic Flyway Project is unaware of any
mid-winter movements such as those above. It
will be interesting to see if it Is repeated in
subsequent years of the study or whether it was
a result of the hard winter we experienced. Will
any of these birds return to Sanday or have they
changed their wintering area?
A first-year bird had moved south to Lothian by
March, only to be seen on North Ronaldsay in
May, presumably on it northward migration.
263
264
Articles, News & Views
NS99704 3 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VV
09/03/11 nr Dirleton, East Lothian
NS99704 3 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VV
20/03/11 North Berwick, Lothian
NS99704. 3 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VW
14/05/11 North Links, North Ronaldsay
In May, visits to North Ronaldsay on 14/15 and
Sanday on 19th produced seven sightings of our
flagged birds and of these, the five that had been
sexed by DNA analyses, all were females. The sex
ratio of the birds analysed by DNA gave a 50:50
ratio. Although the sample size is small, this would
tend to indicate that males had moved by mid-
May and only females remained.
In May, birds started to be seen in south-west
Iceland by a team led by the above-mentioned
Jeroen and an Icelandic cannon netter Gunnar
Thor Hallgrimsson and in north-east Iceland by
Gudmundur Orn Benediktsson. In total, six birds
were seen in south-west Iceland at or near
Sangerdi and four were seen at Asmundarstadir,
Melrakkasletta, north-east Iceland.
NS99673 4M 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday WV
17/05/11 Sangerdi, Iceland, 1188km
NS99756 4M 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VV
20/05/11 Sangerdi, Iceland, 1188km
26/05/11 Sangerdi, Iceland, 1188km
NS99774 3 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VV
21/05/11 Sangerdi, Iceland, 1188km
29/05/11 Sangerdi, Iceland, 1188km
NS99776 4M 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VV
09/05/11 Sangerdi, Iceland, 1188km
25/05/11 Sangerdi, Iceland, 1188km
NS99814 4M 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VV
08/05/11 Sangerdi, Iceland, 1188km
16/05/11 Sangerdi, Iceland, 1188km
NS99835 6 23/01/11 Newark Bay, Orkney VV
17/05/11 Sangerdi, Iceland, 1207km
NS99710 4M 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VW
08/05/11 Asmundarstadir, Melrakkaslétta, 1051km
25/05/11 Asmundarstadir, Melrakkaslétta, 1051km
NS99724 4 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VW
23/05/11 Asmundarstadir, Melrakkaslétta, 1051km
25/05/11 Asmundarstadir, Melrakkaslétta, 1051km
NS99734 4F 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday VW
12/05/11 Asmundarstadir, Melrakkaslétta, 1051km
NS99817 4F 06/11/10 Hine Greenie, Sanday WV
12/05/11 Asmundarstadir, Melrakkaslétta, 1051km
25/05/11 Asmundarstadir, Melrakkaslétta, 1051km
It is interesting to note that in the birds seen in
Iceland, five out of the six birds which had been
sexed were male birds. These sightings also
gave an indication of the length of time the
birds were stopping over in Iceland before
moving further north to their breeding grounds.
This project is part funded by a grant from the
SOC Endowment Fund, for which we are most
grateful. We would also like to thank the Marine
Services Department at the Orkney Islands
Council for assistance with transport costs to
Sanday. Without the above support it would be
very difficult to undertake this study.
Blackdog, Aberdeen - Nick Littlewood
Birder Nick Littlewood has a few regular
Sanderling visitors to his patch at Blackdog beach
near Aberdeen on the north-east coast. Similar to
Tiree on the west coast, birds show a high site
and date fidelity. One regular wintering bird for the
past three years Is first seen around late August
until early April and is then observed every spring
from mid- to late May at a stopover site at
Sangerdi in south-west Iceland. Another passage
bird is seen briefly in September or late
March/early April before also passing through
Leven beach in Fife a bit later in autumn and a bit
earlier in spring.
Please check all Sanderling flocks you see for
colour-marked birds and report any sightings
to chief project co-ordinator Jeroen
Reneerkens J.W.H.Reneerkens @rug.nl. Jeroen
is extremely diligent in responding to
resightings with life history details and is doing
great pioneering work through this project.
Plate 227. Colour-ringed and flagged Sanderling,
Blackdog Beach, North-east Scotland, 29 November
2008. © Nick Littlewood
31:3 (2011)
tele ouend, a
Stour in Essex, 31 August 2010. © John Keep
Scottish-breeding Greenshank
A colour-ringing study of Greenshank has been
running on the Ythan Estuary and Montrose
Basin in north-east Scotland since 2005,
revealing onwards wintering sites as far ranging
as Ireland, south-west England, Spain, Cape
Verde islands and Morocco. The origins of
these passage birds still remains largely
unknown and very little is known about the
movements and wintering areas of our Scottish
breeding Greenshank.
In May 2010, Robert and Stuart Rae and
Raymond Duncan from the Grampian Ringing
Group were joined by Pete Potts and Ruth
Croger from Hampshire in a trip to Sutherland
in northern Scotland to try to catch and colour-
ring some breeding adult Greenshanks and
chicks. Ornithologists Ed Duthie and Nick
Christian have been visiting this area for 25
years to study and photograph Greenshanks,
whilst Des Thompson and son John. still
continue their famous family study started
nearly 50 years ago by the legendary
Desmond Nethersole-Thompson. All were very
kind and helpful with their hard-earned
knowledge, taking us to several Greenshank
nests and showing us many breeding
territories in wonderful habitat.
31:3 (2011
Articles, News & Views
a
J
'
>
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cies outa, S acceue
.
Plate 228. Colour-ringed and flagged Greenshank ringed on the nest in Sutherland in 2010, wintered on the River
During the visit two breeding adults were
caught and 18 chicks were ringed. Amazingly
one of the two adults already had colour rings
as a result of being caught as a juvenile on
passage in August 2010 at Montrose Basin,
Angus. Even more amazingly, the second adult
colour-ringed on the trip was resighted by John
Keep at Mistley on the River Stour in Essex on
3 August 2010 and subsequently wintered
there, with sightings from many observers until
its last reported date of 2 April 2011. Ed Duthie
then had the bird back breeding close to its
original nest in May 2011 and, to complete the
story, at the time of writing, John Keep had just
seen it back on the Stour on 19 July 2011.
So, in one short ringing trip, we managed to
confirm that at least some of the birds passing
through east coast estuaries in autumn are indeed
of Scottish origin, whilst at least one Scottish-
breeding bird winters in south-east England.
To further confirm the Scottish origins of some of
these Greenshank, a 4-5-day-old chick ringed in
Easter Ross in June 2010 (Highland Ringing Group's
first chick ringed for 25 years) was retrapped at the
Montrose Basin on 18 August 2010. Please do check
any Greenshanks you see for colour rings and send
details to: greenshankproject @googlemail.com.
Robert Rae & Raymond Duncan
265
266
N. ELKINS & C. NISBET
On 10 April 2011, at 10:00, | (NE) paid my bI-
monthly visit to the flooded gravel pits at
Mountcastle Quarry, near Letham, Fife, where |
normally census all species for BirdTrack as well
as contributing the count of waterfowl to the
Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS).
While scanning the shore of the main loch
(Edensmuir Loch) for waterbirds, | found a
heron fishing that | immediately recognised as a
Purple Heron. It was clearly smaller than the
Grey Heron (two of which were on site) and
with a slimmer neck. As it fished, it walked very
slowly with neck stretched at a 45° angle, and
crouched before stabbing at prey items. The bill
was tilted upwards slightly when not fishing. In
flight, when disturbed, the bird was in
silhouette, and no colour seen, and the neck
was withdrawn. At no time did | observe the
characteristic neck kink. The bird was too far
away (300 m) to pick out the fine detail of the
plumage, despite the bright conditions. | was
unable to approach more closely and the bird
eventually flew off.
The following details were discernible through
my 60x telescope lens at 300m: the throat and
chin were white, extending down to the breast,
where fine vertical dark streaks were visible on
the lower neck and breast. The sides of the
long, thin neck were reddish-buff with a fine
dark stripe running down to the breast. The
crown was grey-black apparently extending on
to the nape. A narrow supercilium was present,
whitish-buff, with a thin dark line running across
from chin to nape below the eye. The mantle
and wings were grey, with buff plumes
drooping over the wings. The bill was long, thin
and yellow. The long legs were yellowish brown.
| am very familiar with the species during 40
years of visiting Mediterranean countries. This
bird seemed rather paler than most others |
have seen and it could have been a first-
summer (second-calendar-year) bird, not fully
in adult breeding plumage.
As this was a potential ‘first’ for Fife, | informed
the County Bird Recorder and submitted the
31:3 (2011)
record to BirdGuides, stressing that the bird had
departed and that the site was not accessible to
the public. | hoped that the bird might be found
elsewhere locally so that others could watch tt.
As the bird had left, | did not inform the quarry
staff, but as it transpired tt had returned about a
week later.
Colin Nisbet takes up the story...
On 18 April 2011, | had decided to take the day
off work to enjoy the sunny weather and
indulge in a spot of Fife birding.
After visiting Rossie Bog and Angle Park, |
moved on to Mountcastle Quarry. Rab Shand
stopped in on his way to Fife Ness, and we
talked briefly about the Purple Heron that had
been found at the quarry a weeks or so earlier
by Norman Elkins, but not seen since. After
Rab left, | remained for a while, clocking up my
first Sedge Warbler of the year, but | had not
had much else and not even a further thought
of the Purple Heron. | was about to leave
when | met Jacqui Herrington, | showed her
the lagoon | had been looking at, to the right
of the main entrance, and at that point an
immature heron took flight from the western
bank. It was clearly a Purple Heron, and | kept
my binoculars fixed on the bird which duly
landed at the southern end of the lagoon. It
*,
31:3 (2011
Plate 230. Purple Heron, nr Letham, Fife, April 2011. © John Nadin
Articles, News & Views
showed well from the reeds, affording great
views from my scope and the opportunity for
Jacqui to take some photographs. This species
Is generally much more elusive than our native
Grey Heron, but fortunately this individual was
showing very well.
The bird had chestnut-red colouring on its neck,
which was quite sharply striped and it had
developed much of the blue-grey tone on its
wings. However, in flight the bird still showed
some ochre on the edges of the secondary and
tertial feathers on its upper wings, indicating it
had not yet moulted into adult plumage, rather
that it was a first-summer bird, consistent with
the age-class of the bird seen by Norman a
week or so previously. In any case, given the
fact Purple Heron had not been recorded in the
county to date, tt would have been extremely
unlikely that two would have turned up at the
same location within 10 days of each other. The
bird remained at the site until early evening,
allowing a number of birders to see it, after
which it took flight and was not recorded again.
A few days later a Purple Heron was recorded in
Moray; perhaps it was the same individual?
Norman Elkins, 15 Scotstarvit View,
Cupar, Fife KY15 5DX
Colin Nisbet, Doune Cottage, Muckhart,
Dollar, Clacks. FK14 7JN
Plate 231. Purple Heron, nr Letham, Fife, April 2011.
Articles, News & Views
¢
© John Nadin
268
It should be noted that as Mountcastle is an
operational quarry, access is restricted, and,
even though there may be no obvious activity
at the lagoons adjacent to the entrance, they
are still located within the restricted zone of the
active quarry.
As Norman pointed out when sending in his
account, we are very fortunate in Scotland in
having the Scottish Outdoor Access Code
(www.outdooraccess-scotland.com) — which
allows responsible access to most of Scotland's
countryside. There are exceptions, however, of
which one Is access to working quarries (code
section 2.11). There were some access issues
on 18th, when several birders looking for the
heron were spoken to by the site manager.
Fortunately, discussions with him following the
initial situation led to a better understanding of
respective positions and all who saw the bird
that day are grateful for his accommodating
attitude. Should anyone wish to visit the area in
future, would they please ensure they have
obtained permission directly from the
Mountcastle site manager.
Purple Heron
- its status in Scotland
This is a predominantly Palearctic breeding
species, with isolated populations as close as
Holland, Germany and central France, with the
main Western Palearctic range extending
patchily from Iberia and coastal north-west
Africa eastwards through the Mediterranean
and south central Europe into Turkey, with
greater numbers through south-east Europe
the Ukraine and SW Russia. There are also
populations in Egypt, South and East Africa,
Israel, Iraq and Iran, and from Afghanistan and
Pakistan across South Asia to Indonesia, and
East Asia to north-east China, Korea and south-
east Russia. The European population is almost
entirely migratory with the great majority
wintering in Africa south of the Sahara.
This species favours wetlands with extensive
stands of tall and dense vegetation such as
reedbeds, but vagrants have also been found
in ditches, drainage channels and more open
freshwater habitats.
Purple Heron has always been a rare visitor to
Scotland, with just 22 individuals found to the
end of 2010 (last accepted record in 2002).
Elsewhere in Britain it occurs annually in small
numbers, particularly in southern England, and
about 950 birds have occurred in Britain to the
end of 2010, though exact numbers are
unclear due to wandering of individuals. It was
removed as a BBRC description species at the
end of 1982. Following the Mountcastle bird
sightings, a first-summer bird was found dead
at Mires of Funzie, Fetlar, Shetland on 20 April,
and one was seen at Loch Spynie, Moray &
Nairn, on 22—23 April.
Annual numbers in Britain have declined
somewhat since the peaks of the 1980s (35 in
1987) and 1990s (28 in 1994, 32 in 1999),
but have been fairly consistent at 12-15 birds in
the last decade. This downturn in records
reflects reduction in numbers and range
contraction in north-west Europe, which makes
it all the more surprising that Purple Heron
successfully bred in Britain for the first time in
2010. A pair at Denge Marsh, Dungeness, Kent,
present from late April, managed to raise two
young which fledged in late June.
The majority of British records occur in the
spring, and Scottish records also mirror this, with
two-thirds found between 6 April and 28 June
and the remainder from 2 August to 21 October.
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
The White-winged Scoter in
Aberdeenshire - a new Scottish bird
P. BAXTER, H. MAGGS & C. GIBBINS
The weekend of 10-11 June 2011 Is one that
will live long in our memories. It started
uneventfully, with a trip to the Ythan estuary
early on the Saturday morning (10 June). The
tide was not ideal for checking the estuary, so
we decided to travel the short distance down
the coast to the Blackdog/Murcar area. The
weather and sea conditions were perfect for
checking through the scoter flock that spends
the summer here, and our hopes were high as
we arrived on site. We motivated ourselves by
discussing how ideal the viewing conditions
were and with the fact that the Black Scoter
seen previously in Northumberland had to be
somewhere; perhaps it was amongst the scoter
at Murcar? We didn't find a Black Scoter
(although see the accompanying article), but
something altogether more exciting and
challenging. By the time Sunday lunchtime
came around, we were able sit back and enjoy
the feeling that comes with adding a new bird to
the British List - White-winged Scoter. But it
wasn't quite that simple...
This article tells the story of the find, details the
identification and taxonomy of the white-winged
scoter taxa and discusses their status and
occurrence in British and European waters
Finding the bird
It was mid-morning when we started checking
the scoter at Murcar, and the sun was above our
heads. The flat sea and neutral light meant that,
despite the distances involved, we could see the
necessary detail on the birds. After changing our
viewing position on the dunes once or twice, we
settled down to start a fresh scan. The bird on the
very edge of flock was arresting, and suddenly
concentrated our minds. Its jizz was distinctive,
due to a double-bumped head profile, thick neck
and habit of holding its head forward while
swimming. All of this was accentuated by the
limited extent of the pale area on the bill, relative
31:3 (2011
to Velvet Scoter. Unlike Velvet Scoter, in which the
pale area extends under and behind the nostril as
a rounded lobe, it was confined to the middle
portion of the bill on this bird and extended along
the cutting edge only as far as the nostril.
Moreover, rather than being the yellow of Velvet
Scoter, the pale on our bird was dirty flesh
coloured. In the same few moments that these
features were registering themselves in our
minds, the solution to the puzzle began to
present itself - the bird was one of the two
vagrant ‘white-winged’ scoters (Melanitta
deglandi or stejnegerl), taxa previously
considered to be races of Velvet Scoter /. fusca.
The problem we were presented with was that
this bird was an immature male (a first-summmer
bird in fact) and virtually all of the accessible
literature on the identification of these taxa dealt
with adults. Thus, over the course of the following
hour or so, we watched the bird and discussed
the extent to which the features used to separate
adult males might be useful for the identification
of first-summer birds.
The distinctive bill horns and vibrant bill colours
shown by adult males were missing, so we
reasoned that head shape most likely provided
the best clues. We focused on critical examination
of head shape, while also noting other potentially
relevant clues, including flank colouration relative
to the rest of the body, the pattern of any white
around the eye, and the precise extent of the pale
area on the bill. We came to the conclusion that
it best fitted deglandi (White-winged Scoter), but
because of the paucity of information in the
published literature on immature birds, we
decided to leave the site and go to check the
internet, specifically to search for photos of first-
summer males. The rest of the day was spent on
return trips to the bird and various internet
searches. Everything we could see matched
White-winged Scoter, although because of the
viewing distances involved (300-400 metres) it
269
Articles, News & Views
was not possible to see one or two critical details.
That evening we discussed what to do. We were
very confident about the bird, but also aware of
three things: (1) that we were dealing with a first
for Britain in a plumage for which very little was
known, (ii) that the distance prevented us from
being sure about some fine details, and (ii) that
we had no good photographs of the bird. It was
a tricky decision. We wanted to identity the bird
ourselves beyond doubt and to have some
convincing photos before putting out news. News
of ‘probables’ and ‘possibles’ is always met with
unanswerable questions from birders trying to
decide whether to make the journey or not: “How
sure are you? Is the ID 90%, 95%, 99% certain?
Is tt worth coming?” Our conclusion was that tt
would be much better to double-check
everything the next morning, get some good
photographs and then put the news out once we
were 100% sure of the identification.
its
The next morning it all fell perfectly into place
and by lunchtime we had the requisite photos
(Plate 232). These were e-mailed to Martin
Garner. Martin called us back, with his opinion
that he could not see anything wrong with our
bird, and that he felt that the identification was
solid enough to go public. The news was
released. This was the point where we began to
relax, and enjoy the moment. It was a beautiful
Sunday afternoon and all those who arrived in
the coming hours enjoyed good views of the
bird in ideal conditions. Conditions over the
remaining period of the bird's stay varied consid-
erably, and some poor weather along with the
distance of the bird and the subtlety of its
features meant that there were fun and games;
many visitors saw It and went off happy; others
didn't see it (even though the bird was present)
and went off disappointed and frustrated; and
some didn't see it, but went off happy that they
Plate 232. White-winged Scoter Melanitta deglandi, Blackdog, Aberdeen, June 2011 (upper two Matthew Deans, lower
four Nick Littlewood). The bird is a first-summer and so lacks the gaudy bill ornamentation and colours of a full adult
drake. Nonetheless, it is readily identifiable using primarily structural traits. Note the double-bumped profile formed by
the bulging forehead and step on the bill. Its head is rather square and its neck solid. The pale area on the distal portion
of the bill is restricted (critically, it extends only to the nostril) and is fleshy toned. On first-summer Velvet, the pale area
on the bill is distinctly yellow toned and extends to the rear of the nostril as a round lobe (see Figure 1).
270 31:3 (2011)
had. The bird stayed around until 24 June and
was enjoyed by several hundred birders over
this period. Those who made the journey also
enjoyed the Surf Scoters present at the site and
some made the return journey the following
week to see the Black Scoter that appeared. It
was a purple patch for Murcar/Blackdog.
Taxonomic status and identification of
the white-winged scoter taxa (fusca,
deglandi and stejnegeri)
Based upon Collinson et a/. (2006), BOURC
currently recognises White-winged Scoter /.
deglandi as one of the five species within the
Melanitta group (the others being Common
Scoter MV. nigra, Black Scoter VM. americana, Velvet
Scoter V/. fusca, and Surf Scoter MV. perspicillata).
BOURC currently recognises two races of White-
winged Scoter - deglandi and stejneger'.
Previously White-winged Scoter had been
considered a subspecies of MV. fusca. However,
Collinson et a/. (2006) argued that sufficient
evidence exists for splitting fusca from the other
two, and also provided convincing arguments for
Double-bumped profile, created
by bill and forehead bulges Ss
Pale on bill dirty pink and ;
extends to just below nostril ok, de
Bill slender distally
Hedd profile like Surf Scoter
Pale on bill dirty pink and
extends to just below nostril [eae
f
Bill thick-looking
throughout its length
Smooth, concave profile
to head and bill
Bill shape and patterning can
give upturned appearance
Pale on bill dirty yellow, and extends oa ae
as rounded lobe well to rear of nostril
Ko EARS
Ce eS a
_ = ee
i
Articles, News & Views
splitting all three. For males, differences in bill
shape, bill colour and facial feathering around the
bill are near 100% diagnostic, with nostril shape
and eye crescents differing between fusca and
deglandi (but not diagnostically between
deglandi and stejnegeri). With regard to female
bill shape, they state that ‘there are differences,
at the population level, among fusca, deglandi
and stejnegeri possibly approaching a stepped
discontinuity’. Earlier, Garner (1999) and Garner
et al. (2004) had established that immatures are
also diagnosable. Thus, on the basis of available
evidence, Collinson et al. (2006) concluded that
‘'deglandi and fusca should be treated as
separate species under criterion 4.1 of Helbig et
al (2002), as allopatric taxa that are fully
diagnosable in each of several discrete or
continuously varying characters, related to
different functional contexts’. However, because
of the lack of comparable data for stejnegeri
(including genetics, voice and tracheal structure,
traits which may prove diagnostic once
examined) they conclude that this taxon is best
retained as a subspecies of VM. deglandi until
further research is conducted.
White-winged Scoter
Stejneger’s Scoter
Velvet Scoter
Figure. Head profiles of first-summer male White-winged Scoter M. deglandi, Stejneger’s Scoter M. stejnegeri and
Velvet Scoter M. fusca. © Chris Gibbins
31:3 (2011
271
Articles, News & Views
The conclusions of Collinson et al. (2006) did not
affect the British List since, at the time of writing,
neither deglandi nor stejnegeri had occurred in
Britain. However, for the purpose of the current
article we follow the approach of others (eg.
Garner et al 2004) and treat deglandi and
stejneger! as full species - White-winged Scoter
and Stejneger’s Scoter respectively. This approach
is defensible, given that individuals of all ages and
sexes are readily identifiable in the field.
The Murcar/Blackdog bird provided the first
opportunity for birders anywhere in Europe to
appreciate just how distinctive first-summmer
White-winged Scoters can be. Many first-
i Sicnsseneeed
anit i
SNOT A > tera
ecierctame
%
Plate 233 a—b. First-summer male White-winged Scoter M
summer Velvet Scoter were present in the flock,
providing a direct comparison. Key features for
the separation of first-summer birds are
summarised in Figure 1 and in the captions to
Plates 233-235. Structural features are critical,
and observers faced with a putative deglandi or
steyneger’ should concentrate on head shape
and then the shape and precise coloration of
any pale areas present on the bill. The
contrasting brown flanks of adult deglandi are
diagnostic, but immature birds of all three
species are extensively brown, rendering this
less critical (though of course a bird with black
flanks should not prove to be degland)). First-
summer birds lack the gaudy bill ornamentation
aed
elanitta deglandi, Point Pelee, Ontario, May 2011. © David
Cooper. This bird is a very good match for the Blackdog bird, and sports a double-bumped profile and a limited fleshy
area on the bill. The head is rather square, very unlike the gently rounded shape shown by Velvet Scoter. Note that the
development of white under the eye varies individually - this bird shows rather more than the Blackdog bird. As the
bird matures, its bill will develop the strong square nostril bulge shown by adults and the arching eye crescent.
See
Plate 234. First-summer female White-winged Scoter Melanitta deglandi, Point Pelee, Ontario, May 2011 © David
Cooper. Adult and immature females are challenging, but identifiable. Identification of adult females was covered by
Garner (1999) and Garner et al. (2004). This bird can be aged as a first-summer due to the retained worn brown and
pale-fringed juvenile scapulars. If it wing flapped, worn brown first-generation primaries would also be visible. Adult
females also tend to have a more distinct pale lower, rear ear covert spot than this first-summer bird, similar in tone
(and hence distinctiveness) to the pale area at the base of the bill. First-summer females share the same structural traits
as the adults and so can be separated from Velvet and Stejneger’s based on the head and bill profile.
272 31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
Plate 235, White- ned Scoters Melabitte cecal ‘janes State August 2010. © ninee Maher A range er
ages and plumages are present in this flock. Unlike the close-up images in Plates 233 and 234, these birds are at
the distance more akin to Blackdog and so arguably the photograph Is a more useful learning tool. The bill pattern,
head shape and eye crescent of the adult male is striking, as is its rather long and slender looking bill. The first-
summer drake to the right is a very good match for the Blackdog bird, in terms of the overall impression when seen
at this distance; note however that this bird is facing away and so its true head shape is rather masked.
and colouration of adults, but second-summer limit lying to the east of the River Yenisey. It
birds are much more adult-like (with some best winters on the coasts of the West Pacific south
being aged as such; Pyle 2008, Dwight 1914). to China (Collinson et a/. 2006).
The ee ding A eiiputone of the three white-
winged scoter taxa, along with extralimital |
European records, are shown in Figure 2. Velvet
Scoter breeds in Northern Europe and Asia, from
Scandinavia to the River Yenisey (at least). It is
common in the extreme northern taiga zone
and it, along with Common Scoter M. nigra
make up the bulk of duck populations inhabiting
the lakes of Central Siberian open woodlands. It
winters from the neck of the Baltic Sea, into the e
North Sea and Atlantic Ocean, with smaller [m
numbers wintering in the Black, Mediterranean ° F
and Caspian Seas. White-winged Scoter breeds - £3
fia Nort; America, trom North-West Alaska to ss CS i
Hudson Bay, south to Southern Manitoba. It Fig 2. Distribution of the white-winged scoter taxa, based
winters on both coasts of North America as far 27 Collinson et al, 2006. Breeding ranges of Velvet Scoter
He eee M. fusca (blue), Stejneger’s Scoter M. stejnegeri (green)
south as California _in the west and South and White-winged Scoter M. deglandi (purple) are shown,
Carolina on the east. Stejneger’s Scoter breeds in glong with Western Palearctic records of vagrant deglandi
East Asia, Altai to Kamchatka, with the western — and stejnegeri.
31:3 (2011) Scottish Birds | 273
274
Articles, News & Views
Table 1 gives the individual sightings of vagrant
deglandi and stejnegeri in the Western
Palearctic. Prior to 2011, only Iceland had hosted
deglandi. However, their monopoly on records
was finally broken with the discovery of the
Aberdeen bird, a bird which was quickly
followed by another first-summmer male on the
Faeroe Islands. These were clearly different
individuals, evident from bill colours and
structure. Stejneger's Scoter has occurred in the
Western Palearctic on seven occasions, with the
most recent record being in Ireland in 2011. All
have been adults. A Scottish Stejneger’s would
be widely appreciated, whether it is an eye-
catching adult male or a more challenging
female or immature.
Table 1. Vagrant deglandi and stejnegeri in the
Western Palearctic.
Stejneger’s Scoter M. stejnegeri
Denmark; one record of returning individual
Blavandshuk, adult male, 12-18 October 2009,
(with returning bird seen again at this location on 19
March 2010 and 5 March 2011).
Finland; one record
Kemio, southwest Finland, adult male, May to June
1996 (Lindroos 1997).
France; one record
Baie de Somme, northern France, adult male, 4
December 1886 (recently re-identified specimen;
Jiquet 2007).
Iceland; one record
Valbjofsstadir, NUupasveit (N-Pingeyjarsysla county),
adult male, 6 April-2 May 2003.
Ireland; one record of returning individual
Rossbeigh Strand, Co. Kerry, adult male, 7 March
2011 (first seen in November 2009, and again in
January 2010, December 2010 and January to
March 2011, but not positively identified until 7
March 2011).
Poland; one record
Ptasi Raj, Bay of Gdansk, adult male, 10 March 2007.
Norway; one record
Persfjordena, Varanger, first-summer female, 21-22
June 2011.
White-winged Scoter M. deglandi
Faeroe Islands; one record.
Vestmanna/Streymoy, first-summer male, 1 July 2011.
Iceland; up to eight individuals.
Foss, Fossfj6rdur (V-Bardastrandasysla county), adult
male, in eider colony, 3 June 1993.
byottarskridur (S-Mulasysla county), two adult males
on 4June 1998, one adult male 6 June 1998, two
adult males on 2 July 1998.
Reykjarfjordur, Sudurfirdir (V-Bardastrandasysla
county), adult male, 23 June 2000.
Pvottarskridur (S-Mulasysla county), adult male,
12-17 July 2001, then presumed same _ at
Reykjarfjordur, Sudurfirdi (V-Bardastrandasysla
county) on 17—27 June 2003, Foss, Fossfj6rdur (V-
Bardastrandasysla county) on 27 May—30 June 2005,
Reykjarfjordur, Sudurfirdir (V-Bardastrandasysla
county) on 17 July 2005, Hvalnesskridur (S-Mulasysla
county) on 23-24 April 2005.
Kirkjubol, Skutulsfjérdur (N-lsafjardarsysla county),
adult male 20 May 2006, presumed same
Pvottarskridur (S-Mulasysla) 30 April-9 May 2007
and 2-7 July 2007.
BakkatjOrn, Seltjarnarnes (Gullbringusysla county),
adult male, 26 May—12 June 2008.
Pyottarskridur (S-Mulasysla county), adult male,
5-10 May 2008.*
Njarévik (Gullbringusysla county), adult male,
20-25 February and 27—29 March 2010.*
*records not yet reviewed by the Icelandic Rarities Committee.
Scotland; one record.
Murcar/Blackdog, Aberdeen, first-summer male,
16—24 June 2011
Concluding remarks
The Aberdeen bird was noteworthy not just for
being a British and Scottish first, but for going
a long way to demystifying the identification of
immature white-winged scoters. As is often the
case with supposedly ‘tricky’ birds, much of the
difficulty with identification was actually bound
up in the species’ rarity, and the fact that no
immatures had previously been identified in
Europe; leave aside the rarity and all the
baggage that goes with identifying a first in a
previously unrecorded plumage, and what you
are left with left with was, in truth, a rather
distinctive bird.
The White-winged Scoter, and the Black Scoter
which arrived shortly afterwards, illustrate
perfectly the hitherto untapped potential of
Blackdog. There is no reason why we can't look
forward with optimism to more records of
vagrant scoter at this clearly superb site.
Perhaps ‘our’ deglandi will return in future
years to give us the pleasure of enjoying him
in adult plumage (as in Plate 236), or maybe
the next vagrant will be a Stejneger's? Which of
these comes to pass is uncertain of course, but
what /s certain is that birders in future will be
looking for more than ‘merely’ Surf Scoters
when they visit Blackdog.
31:3 (2011)
ne oe
Plate 236. Male White-winged Scoter M. deglandi, Bakkatjorn, Seltjarnarnes, Iceland, May 2008. © Yann
Kolbeinsson. Prior to the Murcur bird, Iceland was the only country in the Western Palearctic to have hosted deglandi
- on at least eight occasions. It is difficult to assess exactly how many individuals are involved in the Icelandic records,
due to several annual returning individuals being involved. With returning individuals also featuring in the records
from Denmark and Ireland, it does add hope that the Scottish individual might return next summer.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Zbigniew Kajzer
(Poland), Yann Kolbeinsson (Iceland) for help
tracing records and supplying photographs. Nick
Littlewood, Micky Maher, Martin Scott, David
Cooper and Matthew Deans kindly provided
photographs for reference and use in this article.
Martin Garner provided invaluable insights that
proved key to identifying the bird. We also thank
local birders Phil Bloor, lan Broadbent, Phil
Crockett, lan Gordon and Nick Littlewood for
discussions in the field about the bird.
References
Collinson, M., Parkin, D.T., Knox, A.G.,
Sangster, G. & Helbig, A. J. 2006. Species
limits within the genus Me/anitta, the scoters.
British Birds 99: 183-201.
Dwight, J. 1914. The moults and plumages of
the scoters: Genus Oidemia. Auk 3: 293-308.
Farrar, D. & Jones, J. 2011. The Stejneger's Scoter
in County Kerry. Birding World 24: 105-112.
Garner, M. 1999. Identification of White-winged
and Velvet Scoters - males, females and
immatures. Birding World 12: 319-324.
Garner, M, Lewington, I., & Rosenberg, G.
2004. Stejneger's Scoter in the Western
Palearctic and North America. Birding World
Ws SST SA.
31:3 (2011
Articles, News & Views
Gibbins, C., Baxter, P. & Maggs, H. 2011. The
White-winged Scoter in Aberdeenshire - a new
British bird. Birding World 24: 239-245.
Helbig, A. J., Knox, A. G., Parkin, D.T., Sangster,
G., & Collinson, M. 2002. Guidelines for
assigning species rank. /bis 144: 518-525.
Jiquet, F. 2007. Siberian White-winged Scoter,
new to France. Ornithos 14: 38—42
Lindroos, T. 1997. Rare birds in Finland 1996.
Alula 3: 160-169.
Malczyk, P & Lukasik, D. 2008. The fourth
Western Palearctic record of the Stejneger's
Scoter Melanitta deglandi stejnegeri. Notatki
ornitologiczne 49: 245-257
Proctor, R., & Pullan, D. 1997. Identification of
Velvet and White-winged Scoters. Birding
World 10: 56-61.
Pyle, P. 2008. /dentification Guide to North
American Birds. Part 2. Point Reyes, California.
Paul Baxter, Loch-head Croft, Raemoir Road,
Banchory, Aberdeenshire AB31 4ET.
Hywel Maggs, Merlin Terrace,
Newburgh, Aberdeenshire.
Chris Gibbins, The Steadings, Drums,
Newburgh, Aberdeenshire.
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N. LITTLEWOOD
Following the rather unexpected disappearance
of the White-winged Scoter, things started to
return to normal along the Blackdog/Murcar
coastline. There were a few frustrated twitchers
over the weekend of 25/26 June, but when |
visited Blackdog after work on Monday 27th
there were no other birders to be seen. The
White-winged Scoter had really opened our
eyes to the possibilities of what we should be
looking for (Gibbins et a/. 2011 and see
preceding article) and, the previous evening, |
had carefully read a Birding World article about
a Black Scoter off Northumberland some two
months earlier (Bradbury 2011). | already knew
the basics of bill differences between Black and
Common Scoter, but the article also drew my
attention to subtle structural differences as well
as the existence of birds showing apparently
intermediate characteristics between the two
taxa. Little did | realise that the newly-learnt
features would be put to such immediate use.
The day had been wet but with the end of the
rain coinciding with my arrival, | first went down
276 |
ee 2
to look out to sea from the dunes. A few
hundred scoter here held a couple of Surf
Scoters (up to five had been present through
June) but no reappearance of the White-winged.
Distantly to the south, off Murcar Golf Course, |
could just make out another raft of Scoters, at
around the same place where the White-winged
had been for much of its stay. | decided to go
round and check these “one last time”. On my
arrival, a small flock of 20 or so scoter were very
close in, just beyond the surf line, and it was
these that | ‘scoped first. Most were Common
Scoters, but one bird immediately stood out on
account of extensive yellow-orange across the
bill. Instantly, | suspected it to be a drake Black
Scoter and, as the birds were so close in, |
Plate 237 (above). Black Scoter (drake, third from left)
and Common Scoters, Murcar, North-east Scotland, July
2011. © Nick Littlewood. The bird was always detected
initially on Bill colour which, as seen here, extended
right back to the bill base and down the sides to a thin
black line along the lower edge. The profile of the
coloured area was difficult to judge though did show a
slightly convex shape along the culmen.
31:3 (2011)
le ial :
reached straight for the compact camera and
tried digiscoping. The flock was active, diving
repeatedly, and after about a minute they took
off and moved out to join a larger group of
scoter a few hundred metres offshore.
Although the bird was arresting in appearance, |
was well aware of possible pitfalls in Black Scoter
identification, thanks to that Birding World paper.
| knew that some Common Scoters could show
more extensive than usual yellow on the bill (e.g.
Garner 1989). | had indeed seen one or two
such birds previously at Blackdog, where closer
inspection had revealed a typical Common
Scoter in all other respects. More critically, Birding
World had described and illustrated a bird in
Sweden that showed a much closer
resemblance to Black Scoter, except that the
yellow along the top of the bill extended to the
tip and there was a small upward extension of
black into the yellow from the lower border.
Over the following hour and 20 minutes | period-
ically detected the bird within the main flock.
Based on these and the initial views | was
Satisfied that the colour on the bill covered the
entire basal two-thirds except for a black border
along the lower edge and that this continued
over the distal third of the bill. Within the
coloured area, the yellow was confined to the top
of the bill whilst the sides were a rich fiery
orange. Furthermore | noted some of the
structural features that | had read about the
previous day, in particular the rather stockier
appearance around the head (though | wonder if
this is at least partly accentuated by the bill
colouration reaching back to the bill base). Whilst
watching the flock, | spoke on the phone to the
finders of the White-winged Scoter and
confirmed that they had not seen any Black
Scoter lookalikes during their scanning at the site.
My main lingering concern was that | wondered
if the yellow/orange across the bill should bulge
more than | had noted on this bird.
On arriving home, | reached straight for the
Birding World article and was fairly satisfied that
the bill shape fell within the range of those
illustrated. After double-checking a few more
references | put the news out late that evening
as a presumed Black Scoter along with the
single, fuzzy digi-scoped image that | had
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
obtained when | first clocked the bird. Paul
Baxter and lan Broadbent were first on site early
the next morning and confirmed the identifi-
cation. The bird was then seen periodically off
Blackdog and Murcar over following weeks and
although often rather distant it remained
Satistyingly distinctive even at range.
Black Scoter is the North American and east
Asian counterpart of Common Scoter. It was
formerly considered as a race of that species,
but is now generally regarded as a full species
(Sangster et a/. 2005, Collinson et a/. 2006).
Prior to 2011 there were seven accepted records
in Britain. Two of these were in Wales, including
a returning bird that visited Llanfairfechan from
1999 to 2007 (with perhaps the same bird
picked up exhausted and released in north
Lancashire shortly after the final sighting in
Wales). The remainder have been in Scotland
with long-staying birds seen intermittently in
Plate 238. Black Scoter (drake lower left) with Common
Scoters, Murcar, North-east Scotland, July 2011. © Nick
Littlewood. Although drake Common Scoters can show a
significant area of yellow or orange across the top of the bill,
the extent of this area rarely approaches that shown by
Black Scoter. The thicker head and neck is also apparent in
this picture.
ner :
Plate 239. Black Scoter (drake), Choshi, Honshu, Japan, January 2010. © Chris Gibbins
Lothian from 1987 to 1989 and at various sites
around the Moray Firth from 1989 to 1993 and
further birds in Dumfries & Galloway in 1989,
and in Moray in 2001 and 2005 (Forrester et al.
2007). The Northumberland bird in spring 2011
was seen from 14 to 27 April and again on
12—16 June and could well be the same bird as
at Blackdog/Murcar.
Plate 240. Black Scoter (pair), Vancouver, Canada,
December 2009. © Steve Gantlett/www.birdingworld.co.uk
278
June 2011 proved what rich rewards there are
among our seaduck flocks for those with patience
and persistence. | wonder if recording five of the
world's six scoter taxa at Blackdog and Murcar
during a single month can be matched by any
other site in the world. And how long will it be
until a Stejneger's completes the set?
References
Bradbury, G. 2011. The Black Scoter in
Northumberland. Birding World 24: 154-159.
Collinson, M., Parkin, D.T., Knox, A.G.,
Sangster, G. & Helbig, AJ. 2006. Species
limits within the genus Melanitta, the scoters.
British Birds 99: 183-201.
Forrester, R.W., Andrews, IJ., Mclinerny, CJ.,
Murray, R.D., McGowan, R.Y., Zonfrillo, B.,
Betts, M.W., Jardine, D.C. & Grundy, D.S. (eds)
2007. The Birds of Scotland. The Scottish
Ornithologists’ Club, Aberlady.
Gibbins, C., Baxter, P. & Maggs, H. 2011. The
White-winged Scoter in Aberdeenshire - a new
British bird. Birding World 24: 239-245.
Garner, M. 1989. Common Scoter of the
nominate race with extensive yellow on Dill.
British Birds 82: 616-618.
Sangster, G., Collinson, J.M., Helbig, A.J.,
Knox, A.G. & Parkin, D.T. 2005. Taxonomic
recommendations for British birds: third report.
Ibis 147: 821-826.
Nick Littlewood, Aberdeen
Email: nick.littlewood @hutton.ac.uk
31:3;520n)
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S. DUFFIELD & S.L. RIVERS
In 2010, 25 September saw several of our usual
Barra crew heading out of Oban on the ferry to
Castlebay. One of our number, Mark Oksien,
had already been on the island for a week, and
had gripped us off by finding a Little Gull - a
bird new for our overall ‘Barra List’, He had also
seen enough scarce migrants to make us feel
our timing was good and that the weather was
favourable. About an hour-and-a-half into the
sailing the last member of the regular team,
Stuart Green, who was unable to join us until
later in the trip, texted the devastating news -
“Parula on Tiree”. A Scottish first we had hoped
to find on Barra snatched from us, and to
deliver another swift kick to the delicates we
could actually see Coll and Tiree on the horizon!
Though, as one of us remarked: “If there is one
Yank, there could be others”, but it was still a
bitter pill to swallow, and put a cloud over
proceedings. Little did we know then that it
would be Stuart who would also deliver the
31:3 (2011)
fil ae
—
ee
ak
_ ss
necessary late appearance of the cavalry to
come to our rescue and sweep away that cloud.
As with previous years there was little similarity
between the birds we saw on our visit
compared to previous trips. Stuart arrived to join
us about 10 days later, by which time we had
added several other new birds to our
cumulative ‘Barra List’: Firecrest, Wood Warbler,
Mediterranean Gull and Hobby - all brought in
on southerly winds. Good as this was, it had
been the usual hard slog and we were still
lacking the hoped for ‘biggie’. Back in the
cottage on the evening of 8 October we knew
we had just one day left before the Lothian lads
(Keith Gillon, Tony O'Connor, Calum Scott) and
new recruit, lain English, would be heading back
to the mainland. We had struggled in recent
years to produce a top-drawer rarity and not
even the most half-full of us believed we could
dig out another last minute reprieve to match
Keith's Rose-breasted Grosbeak of 2005.
29
Articles, News & Views
Early on the Saturday morning lain headed south
to climb Heaval - the highest peak on Barra - to
take photos and enjoy the sunrise. Stuart was
next away and also headed south, checking
various patches of cover along the way. Shortly
after 08:00 a small group of birds flew past his
car into a patch of cover beside the road near
Breibhig. This isolated fenced-in patch of willows,
brambles and thick ground cover had been
looked at occasionally in previous visits, but was
generally passed-by in favour of the nearby
gardens at Breibhig or plantation at Creachan.
Fortunately, Stuart had the good sense to stop
and check this patch and almost immediately
was looking at a small well-marked thrush. It was
clearly one of the North American species, and
the features pointed to Hermit Thrush!
Finding a Nearctic passerine in Scotland fulfilled
a long-held ambition, but after a few minutes
trying to get further views to confirm the identi-
fication, and enjoy the moment, It was crucial to
get the news out to the rest of the crew.
Unfortunately, this part of Barra is one of many
mobile phone blackspots on the island, so it
was necessary to leave the bird to find a
reception area. Luckily, lain had come back
down from his climb and was just round the
corner at Creachan when Stuart drove along. A
rapid conversation later and both were back at
the bird, and Stuart headed north to gather the
troops. By 09:30 all seven of the team had
enjoyed good views of the thrush - temporarily
Plate 243. Hermit Thrush, Castlebay, arra, October 2010.
© Mark Oksien
280
elevated to best bird on the planet by the
elated, if somewhat stunned group. Having
phoned the news out to Birdline Scotland and
friends on the Hebrides and mainland, we
continued to study and enjoy the bird over the
next couple of hours. Keith, Calum and Tony
then went off to check the gardens at Breibhig
and promptly turned up an Olive-backed Pipit -
only the second record for the Outer Hebrides,
and while we were searching for the pipit the
second Firecrest of the trip was found. The day
certainly exceeded all hopes and expectations,
and all before lunchtime!
The bird remained faithful to its small patch of
cover for the next two days, during which it was
twitched by well over a dozen birders from the
mainland, but was not present on 12 October.
Bird 2: Druidibeg, South Uist, 10 October
Living in South Uist has allowed me (SD) to
enjoy some excellent birds in the Outer
Hebrides over the last few years although |
must say | don't have the best track record of
catching up with things on Barra. So when news
broke on 9 October of a Hermit Thrush at
Breibhig, during one of our regular family crises
| knew some serious questions needed asking;
and quickly. What was | going to do, the car was
required for a trip to the parents-in-law, two kids
needed looking after and a mega was on Barra?
Well, | took the only acceptable course of
action: | got my bike and was on the next
available ferry from Eriskay. I’m glad to say the
ferry was on time which would allow me
around four hours to get to the site, find the
thrush and get back for the last boat home. We
began our stately chug across the Sound of
Barra and were not far out from the island of
Eriksay when for the first time, after many trips
across this stretch of water for me, a small pod
of Bottle-nosed Dolphins decided to pick this
very day to bow-ride. The skipper, obviously
thinking of his delighted passengers, slowed
right down almost to a stand-still and pulled the
ferry along-side so that we could all get
excellent views. This would have been fantastic
any normal day and | did manage to reel off a
couple of shots although with every minute
crucial | must admit | didn’t enjoy the show
quite as much as | should. Once on Barra not
much went through my mind during the furious
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
|
Plates 244-245. Hermit Thrush, South Uist. October 2010. © Steve Duffield
pedal around the east side of the island apart
from “Oww, my legs are stiff’ That feels sore”
“Am | nearly there yet?” Luckily Stuart Rivers had
returned to the site to give pointers as to where
the bird was, although it hadn't been spotted for
over an hour, and the sweating from the
exercise now turned into the cold sweat of fear
as | contemplated whether this had been such
a good idea after all. Thankfully after sitting
silently under a bush for around 40 minutes |
got great views of this superb American thrush
and even managed to pop across to see the
bonus Olive-backed Pipit before heading back
to the ferry after a happy, if somewhat leg-
pumping, twitch.
The following day the weather was still settled
and calm so | headed for Druidibeg Plantation in
South Uist to enjoy some more-relaxed birding.
The plantation was quiet as usual with the odd
Willow Warbler and finch flock, whilst a few
parties of geese passed over along with the odd
Lapland Bunting. | had more or less finished at
the site when out of the corner of my eye | saw
a bird fly up from the ground under a tight
canopy of young birch trees. As it vanished
through the trees | thought | caught a glimpse of
a rufous tail and a quick surge of excitement was
shortly followed by more sobering thoughts that
31:3 (2011)
it probably wasn’t much and perhaps | should
head off somewhere else; but then again maybe
| had better check around the other side first. As
| moved into the open behind the trees a small
thrush flew up from the ground and perched not
more than 30 feet away in the open, on the
lower branches of a willow tree.
It's quite difficult to portray the mix of emotions
as | realised that the bird in front of me was a
Hermit Thrush! It perched in full view for around
40 seconds before flying back through the thick
mass of birch saplings leaving me bewildered.
Could | really have seen a Hermit Thrush? It
certainly looked just like the bird I'd seen the
day before on Barra but surely there couldn't be
two! Over the next couple of minutes | checked
through all the features so fresh in my mind
after the Breibhig bird: small, compact thrush
with heavy markings on the breast; prominent
white eye-ring and rusty tail. Everything fitted
yet | still questioned (as others have
occasionally) my sanity and whether | had
actually imagined it. | flushed the bird from the
ground once more and it flew up giving a low
“tuc, tuc” call similar to a Blackbird. That was it,
how. could there be any doubt, it even sounded
different to the other Catharus thrushes.
281
Articles, News & Views
| made a number of phone calls and before
long a small crowd had gathered in search of
the Hermit. It was seen well by a tour group that
later went on to locate a Red-eyed Vireo a few
miles south (but that's another story), but
remained elusive for many. | returned to the
plantation in the evening with Brian Rabbitts
and Terry Fountain where we discovered lan
Thompson and Yvonne Benting had set up a
number of mist nets. We told them of all the
excitement, and how elusive the Hermit Thrush
had been, when from out of the blue, as the
sun started to fall it showed: silhouetted, but
actually on the road that splits the plantation in
two. It hopped along the tarmac with its tail
cocked like a Nightingale, and in a similar
fashion to the latter species suddenly vanished
into cover before revealing any fine detail. There
was a frantic search, brief glimpses of fleeting
birds and as the last rays of sunshine sent their
warming glow over the island there came the
shout that it was in the net and now in the bag!
Interestingly the fat score was apparently very
good and not that of a bird that had just
crossed the Atlantic.
Plate 246. Hermit Thrush, Barra, October 2010. © Stuart
Rivers. The second innermost left tertial has a missing
section which showed the same individual was involved in
the sightings at Breibhig and Castlebay. Eastern subspecies
of Hermit Thrush exhibit pale tips to the greater coverts in
first-winter and adult plumages, but differences in wear to
the tips of outermost and innermost coverts on this bird
indicate it is a first-winter.
282
From willow patch to football pitch
In the days following the departure of the four
other lads, Mark concentrated on ringing
activities, while Stuart Green and | had
‘buddied-up’ to do a lot of our birding together.
We had adopted a routine of visiting the new
Co-op supermarket at Castlebay at lunchtime,
coupling this with a check of the trees and cover
around the football pitch, immediately adjacent
to the Co-op car park. As luck had it, Stuart
would typically start by checking the trees on
the west side, while | would head for the two
small clumps of trees on the east side. On
Thursday 14 October | was just approaching the
end of the small tarmac path which splits the
two clumps when a small well-marked thrush
popped-up on to a nearby fence post.
Recognition was instant, after all | had been
watching one at length only a few days earlier,
but it was still a total surprise to find myself
looking at a Hermit Thrush. | called out to Stuart,
which promptly led to a close-by couple with a
buggie and young child to change direction and
give the area a wide berth - the locals on Barra
are quite familiar with our strange behaviour
and are very accommodating! Stuart queried
why | couldn't have found one of the other
Nearctic thrushes, but was soon enjoying
exceptional views of the bird, and Mark joined
us a short while later. It was unringed, which
ruled out the possibility of it being the
Druidibeg individual, but was it a third one or
the Breibhig bird?
For the rest of the day, and the next, the bird
showed regularly on the small tarmac path and
the edges of the two clumps of trees. We were
able to get some good photographs, some of
which revealed that the bird had a missing tip to
the central tertial on its left side (see plate 246).
Comparison with images obtained of the bird at
Breibhig showed this same damage to be
present, and so it was possible to unequivocally
determine that the same bird was involved. On
the third day of its stay at the football pitch area
the bird roamed much more widely, and spent
a lot of Its time in the trees and cover on the
west side of the pitch. It was not seen the next
day or subsequently, but about 20 persons had
managed to twitch it the second time around.
31:3 (2011)
YT ee Ye ah
ERB eA SS
Plate 247. Hermit Thrush, Castlebay, Barra, October
2010. © Mark Oksien
It is interesting to speculate why the bird chose
to move to its new location rather than fly further
on its journey, or choose somewhere different.
Though the willow patch and the football pitch
are only a straight-line distance of just over two
miles apart, Heaval sits in the middle, and the
bird presumably would have taken a lower route
around the side. This would have taken it over
the plantation at Creachan and the cover of the
gardens at Gleann, both affording thicker and
more extensive cover than the clumps of trees at
the football pitch. Maybe tt had touched down in
one or both of these areas - we had checked the
football pitch area on the 12th and there was no
sign of the thrush then. Either way, had it not
been refound we would certainly have assumed
the bird had left Barra on the night of 11th/12th
and flown on considerably further on the next
stage of its journey.
Steve Duffield, Drimsdale,
Isle of South Uist, Western Isles, HS8 5RT
Stuart L. Rivers, Flat 8,
10 Waverley Park, Edinburgh, EH8 8EU
Hermit Thrush
- its status in Scotland
This species breeds in the sub-Arctic taiga zone
from Alaska to SE Labrador and Newfoundland
and south along the Pacific Coast and Rocky
31:3 (2011)
Articles, News & Views
Mountains to the SW states of the USA, across
central Canada and eastwards through the
Great Lakes to the Appalachian Mountains.
Apart from some Pacific Coast and SW
populations all are migratory, though _ this
species winters further north than other
Nearctic Catharus thrushes, from central and
southern USA south to Mexico, Guatemala and
El Salvador and the Bahamas.
There have been six accepted records in Britain
prior to October 2010, with three of these in
Scotland. The first British record was one near
Field on Fair Isle on 2 June 1975, followed by
three birds on the Isles of Scilly: St. Mary's on 28
October 1984, St. Agnes on 15-16 October
1987 and Tresco on 11th and 15-18 October
1993, and then one near the observatory on Fair
Isle on 19 October 1995 and one at the Teal
Burn on Fetlar, Shetland, from 30 April to 1 May
1998 [A previously accepted record of one at
Chipping Ongar, Essex in October/November
1994 was revealed as a hoax and withdrawn].
The double occurrence on the Outer Hebrides
mirrors the arrival of two Veeries on Shetland in
2009 (one Foula 1-8 October; one Whalsay
2-5 October). The vast majority of Catharus
thrush (Swainson’s, Grey-cheeked and Hermit
Thrushes plus Veery) records in Britain relate to
birds found in the last week of September
through to end of October, with a peak in mid-
October. These birds are brought to our shores
by fast-moving trans-Atlantic weather systems
generated on the east coast of the USA/Canada.
Hermit Thrush and Veery (Lundy, Devon, 14 May
1997) are the only Catharus thrush species to
have occurred in Britain in spring, while there is
a single spring record of Swainson’s Thrush in
Ireland (Co. Mayo on 26 May 1956). These are
presumably overshooting birds moving north
along the eastern seaboard of the USA as seen
with certain Nearctic sparrows.
There have been two Hermit Thrushes found in
Ireland, both in County Cork - one at Galley
Head on 25-26 October 1998 and one on
Cape Clear on 19-20 October 2006. Elsewhere
in Europe there are also four historical records
from Germany (1825, C1828, 1836 and 1851),
one from Sweden (27 April 1978) and 10 from
Iceland (all autumn/early winter).
283
BirdGuides Review
BIRDGUIDES4 REVIEW
1 April to 30 June 2011
284
S. MENZIE
All records refer to the period 1
April to 30 June 2011 unless
otherwise stated.
Records in BirdGuides Reviews
are published for interest only.
All records are subject to
acceptance by the relevant
records committee.
To submit your sightings, use
the following web link
www.birdguides.com/birdnew
s/submit.asp, telephone on
0333 5772473, email
sightings@birdguides.com (no
large attachments please), or
text BIRDS RPT (followed by
your message) to 07786
200505. Sightings are also
picked up from selected local
news groups and various other
sources.
Recent bird news can be
viewed at www.birdguides.com
(free registration is required),
with a valued-added service
available on subscription.
The following abbreviations for
the respective recording areas are
used within the text: Ang - Angus
& Dundee; Arg - Argyll; Ayrs -
Ayrshire; Bord - Borders; Caith -
Caithness; D&G - Dumfries &
Galloway; High - Highland; Loth -
Lothian; M&N - Moray & Nairn;
NES - North-east Scotland; Ork -
Orkney; OH - Outer Hebrides;
P&K - Perth & Kinross; Shet -
Shetland; UF - Upper Forth.
Rarities
March's Ross’s Goose at Dowlaw
(Bord) lingered until 16 April. At
least one bird toured several sites
in Highland, including Eathie
Mains, Udale Bay, and Loch Fleet,
from 20th to 26 April. An
unseasonable adult was at Loch
Leven (P&K) from 15 May to 8
June. A Red-breasted Goose was
at Vane Farm RSPB (P&K) from
mid-March to 16 April
A drake White-winged Scoter
(ssp. deglandi) was _ off
Blackdog/Murcar (NES) from 12th
to 24 June. At the same location, a
drake Black Scoter was offshore
from 27 June onwards, possibly
present since 13th. A Black Scoter
was also off Burghead (M&N) on
2-3 June. A drake Black Duck was
at Garbh Eilean (High) from 12th
to 26 June. The drake King Eider
on the Ythan Estuary (NES)
remained until 26 June. A drake
was off Rattray Head (NES) from
10th to 21April.
White-billed Divers included birds
off Kirkabister (Shet), Evie (Ork),
Naast (High) and up to two off
Burghead (M&N). Birds seen from
Lewis (OH) including four birds off
Cellar Head on 9 April; the highest
count came from Portsoy (NES)
with five birds offshore on 25 April.
Purple Herons were at
Mountcastle Quarry (Fife) on 10th
& 18 April and at Loch Spynie
(M&N) on 22—23 April. One was
picked up dead on Fetlar (Shet) on
20 April. A Great White Egret was
at Loch of Kinnordy RSPB (Ang) on
5-8 June, one was at Inveraray
(Arg) on 21 May, and another at
Tain/Loch Eye (High) from 21st to
25 May. A Night Heron was on
Hirta, St Kilda (OH) on 4 May.
A Pied-billed Grebe was at Salen,
Mull (Arg) on 3-6 April. A Black-
browed Albatross was reported
flying south past Saltcoats harbour
on 21 May. Shetland's first Squacco
Heron was present at Urafirth,
Mainland (Shet) on 6—7 June, with
what could have been the same
bird reported flying over Girlsta,
Mainland (Shet) on 17th.
A Black Kite was on North
Ronaldsay (Ork) on 2 May with
perhaps the same bird at
Outertown, Mainland (Ork) on 4
May. What could also have been
the same bird was then seen at
several sites on Shetland
between 7th and 10 May at least.
Single birds were also seen at
Loch Avich (Arg) on 7 May and at
Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (NES) on
8th & 9 May.
A possible Montagu’s Harrier was
at Tingwall (Ork) on 10 June, and a
small ringtail harrier sp., thought
most likely to be a Montagu’s, was
near Wormiston (Fife) on 20 May.
A Rough-legged Buzzard at Toft,
Mainland (Shet) remained until 27
April; others were reported from
Stronsay (Ork) on 18 April and
Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (NES) on
27 April & 2 May. There was a single
report of a possible male Red-
footed Falcon at Loch Shin (High)
on 8 April. A Short-toed Eagle was
reported from Rousay (Ork) on 14
May. A white-morph Gyr Falcon
toured several locations on Lewis
and North Uist (OH) between 12
April and 8 May. A possible white-
morph bird was reported from
Muirshield Country Park (Clyde).
A female Kentish Plover was at
Tyninghame Bay from 18th to 19
April. A summer-plumaged Greater
Sand Plover was on Dornoch
31:3 (2011)
beach from 15th to 24 June. A
White-rumped Sandpiper was on
Fetlar on 31 May. A possible Marsh
Sandpiper was at Loch Stiapavat,
Lewis (OH) on 3 May. A Lesser
Yellowlegs was at _ Baile
Gharbhaidh, South Uist (OH) on
19-20 May. A Great Snipe was on
Fair Isle (Shet) on 2 May, with
another flushed from Pool of Virkie,
Mainland (Shet) on 3 May.
A possible juvenile Thayer’s Gull
was on Fair Isle (Shet) on 22nd &
25 April. Less of an identification
problem, an adult Laughing Gull
was at Garrabost, Lewish (OH) on
1 June; another adult was reported
from Loanhead (Loth) on 28 May.
A first-summer Franklin's Gull was
at Clashnessie (High) on 18 May.
Bonaparte’s Gulls were reported
from several localities with an
adult at Castletown (High)
remaining on site until 6 April, a
first-winter on Tiree (Arg) from 4th
to 21 April, a first-winter on the
Ythan Estuary (NES) from 8 April
to 20 May, a first-winter at Borve,
Lewis (OH) from 20 April to 8
June, and a first-summer on
Berneray (OH) on 9 June. A
Kumlien’s Gull was at Balranald
RSPB (OH) on 11 April. Yellow-
legged Gulls were seen on Harris
(OH), and at two sites in Clyde.
An adult Whiskered Tern was at
Loch Fada, Benbecula (OH) from
5th to 8 April - the first record for
the islands.
© Jim Dickson
31:3 (2011
Plate 248. First-winter Bonaparte’s Gull, Tiree, Argyll, April 2011.
A male Snowy Owl remained on
North Uist (OH) until at least 12
May, with what was likely the same
bird at Uig, Lewis (OH) on 24 May.
A female was at Mull Head (Ork)
on 17 May. A Roller was at Glen
Aros, Mull (Arg) on 16 June.
Woodchat Shrikes were recorded
at Port Nis, Lewis (OH) from 6 May
to 7 May, on North Uist (OH) from
10 June to 11 June and again on 28
June, and on Fair Isle (Shet) on
15th & 16 June.
A Short-toed Lark was on Unst
(Shet) from 22nd to 26 June. A
possible Crested Lark was seen
briefly in flight at Grindigar,
Mainland (Ork) on 21 May. . A
Woodlark was on Whalsay (Shet)
on 26 April with perhaps the same
bird seen on 28 April at Wester
Quarff (Shet). A Red-rumped
Swallow was on Fair isle on 3 May,
another on Lewis (OH) from 9th to
14 May and one was on Skye
(High) on 29 June.
A Greenish Warbler was on Fair
Isle on 10 June. A possible Iberian
Chiffchaff was reported singing at
Haddington (Loth) on 8 April.
Records of Subalpine Warbler
came from Loch of Swannay (Ork),
North Ronaldsay (Ork), Foula
(Shet). Four were on Fair Isle
(Shet): a female, a Western male
(ssp. cantillans), and two Eastern
males (ssp. al/bistriata), one from
end of April to 3 June and another
on 6 June. Other male albistriata
BirdGuides Review
birds included a male at Kergord
(Shet), Papa Stour (Shet) and one
found dead on Unst on 17 May.
A Savi's Warbler was on Out
Skerries (Shet) on 27 May. Two
Blyth’s Reed Warblers were
ringed on North Ronaldsay (Ork)
with one on 7 June and a second
on 23 June; another was seen on
Fair Isle (Shet) on 7 June. Marsh
Warblers included one on the Isle
of May on 7 June, with others on
Unst (Shet) and North Ronaldsay
(Ork), and two birds on Fair Isle
(Shet) in the latter half of June. A
Great Reed Warbler was singing at
Vidlin, Mainland (Shet) on 7 June
with another singing at Maywick,
Mainland (Shet) on 12 June.
A Thrush Nightingale was on Fair
Isle on 28 May. Common
Nightingales were seen on Foula
(Shet), North Ronaldsay (Ork) and
South Uist (OH). A male Collared
Flycatcher was on Fair Isle (Shet)
from 30 April to 5 May; a second
male was on Foula (Shet) from 14
May. A probable female was seen
in fading light on North Ronaldsay
(Ork) on 20 June, but there was
no further sign of the bird the
following day.
There were two sightings of
Tawny Pipits from Shetland with
birds at Sumburgh and _ at
Gungstie, Noss. Additionally, a
probably flew over Fair Isle. Water
Pipits included two at Ardmore
Point (Clyde) until 3 April and one
at Barns Ness until 5 April.
All Rustic Bunting sightings were
confined to Shetland with a female
on Unst, a male at Esha Ness,
Mainland, and a bird on Fair Isle
from 21st to 26 May. A Little
Bunting was on Whalsay (Shet) on
7 May. A male Black-headed
Bunting visited feeders at Mallaig
(High) from 31 May to 3 June.
A possible male Baltimore Oriole
was reported at Gairloch (High) on
27 June.
285
Plate 249.
BirdGuides Review
Scarce
An adult Bewick’s Swan was with
Whooper Swans at Tyninghame
Bay (Loth) until 3 April.
An adult Taiga Bean Goose was
on North Ronaldsay (Ork) from
2nd to 11 June. Twenty-nine
Greenland White-fronted Geese
were at Loch Ken (D&G) on 1 April;
singletons were art Angle Park GP
(Fife) with Pink-footed Geese on
30 April and another at Vane Farm
RSPB (P&K) on 9 April. A Dark-
bellied Brent Goose was at
Ardrossan (Ayrs) on12 June.
A white-morph Snow Goose
lingered at Laxfirth, Mainland (Shet)
from March to 16 April; others were
seen at Dowlaw (Bord) on 6 April,
Craobh Haven (Arg) on 8th to 11
April, and Golspie (High) on 19
April. A bird flying south over
Quendale, Mainland (Shet) on 27
May was presumably the same bird
that was later seen arriving in off
the sea at North Ronaldsay on the
same day. A blue-morph Snow
Goose of unknown origin was at
Fountainhall (Bord) on 30 June.
Wis
A drake Mandarin was on the River
Eden at Cupar from 24 April to 25
May, a pair were on Foula (Shet) on
21 April, and a drake was at
Burrafirth, Unst (Shet) on 8 April. A
drake American Wigeon was at
Loch of Strathbeg RSPB (NES) from
2nd to 18 June. Other drakes seen
included one at StJohn’s Loch (High)
on 15 April, one on the Steinis
Estuary, Lewis (OH) on 14-16 May,
and one on Foula on 28-31 May.
North-bound Garganey included
four at Lochwinnoch RSPB (Clyde),
four off Ruddon’s Point (Fife), three
on North Ronaldsay (Ork), with
four more drakes at other sites
across Orkney, two drakes at Loch
of Strathbeg RSPB (NES) and a pair
at Caerlaverock WWT (D&G). One
seen from the Isle of May on 23
May was only the second island
record - the last was in 1953. Drake
Green-winged Teals were on the
Eden Estuary (Fife) from 11 April to
23 May, Loch of Trondavoe (Shet)
on 20 April, Kildrochat (D&G) from
March to 12 April, North Ronaldsay
(Ork) from 23 April to 6 May, and
Newshot Island (Clyde) on 27 April.
White Stork, Banchory, North-East Scotland, April 2011. © Harry Scott
There were two drake Ring-
necked Ducks at Loch of Bosquoy,
Mainland (Ork) from 15th to 28
June, with a single drake at Vane
Farm RSPB (P&K) from Ist to 25
June. Another drake was reported
from Islay on 23 June.
Northern Eiders (ssp. borealis)
included birds at Garths Ness and
Sumburgh (Shet), Golspie and
Loch Fleet (High), and Benbecula
(OH). A high-count of Long-tailed
Ducks came from Lairo Water
(Ork) where 1,030 were present
on 25 April, with a further 100
more on the sea nearby.
Surf Scoters were seen off
Blackdog/Murcar from 30 April to at
least the end of June with a count
of five recorded on 26 June. Others
seen included a drake off
Musselburgh (Loth) with
presumably the same bird also
seen off nearby Portobello, a drake
in Gruinard Bay (High), a first-
summer drake off Drumbeg
(High), a drake off Ruddon’s Point
(Fife), and two drakes off Rerwick
Head, Mainland (Ork). Smew
included a first-winter drake at
Lochwinnoch RSPB (Clyde) until 13
April and a female on Lindores
Loch (Fife) until 16 April.
Quails were widespread; a report
of 10 singing males around Reston
(Bord) on 8 June was the highest
number reported from one site.
Away from regular sites in SW
Scotland, Little Egret sightings
included two at Aberlady Bay
(Loth) and one on the Ythan
Estuary (NES) on 17 April. White
Storks included birds at Loch Ken
(D&G) on 23rd & 24 April and one
flying south-west over Dalleagles
(Ayrs) on 30 May; presumed
escaped birds were at Banchory
(NES) in April and around
Edinburgh (Loth) in May. Reports
of unidentified storks came from
Livingston (Lothian) on 4 April and
Aberdeen (NES) on 12 May.
Spoonbills reports consisted of
31:3 (2011)
one at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB
(NES) from 2nd to 12 April, two
adults at Dunbar (Loth) on 31 May,
one to three birds at Montrose
Basin (Ang) from 26 June onwards,
and a first-summer on Kinnell
Lagoon (Forth) on 4 June.
A Honey-buzzard flew over Fara
(Ork) on 9 June. Out-of-range Red
Kites were seen at Outertown,
Mainland (Ork) on 10 June and at
Bigton, Mainland (Shet) on 12 May.
A White-tailed Eagle was on
North Ronaldsay (Ork) on 24—25
April, with presumably the same
bird then seen at Outertown on
30th, Birsay on 2 May, and
Stenness and Stromness on 3 May.
Notable Goshawk - sightings
included one on North Ronaldsay
(Ork) on 28 April and one at
Baltasound, Unst (Shet) from 1st to
2 May. A Hobby flew over the M90
near Halbeath (Fife) on 29 May,
with another reported near
Leuchars (Fife) on 4 June, one at
Rackwick (Ork) on 14th and 17
June, and singles at Baltasound
(Shet) on 9 June and Lund (Shet)
on 27 June.
Up to three Common Cranes
were at Loch of Strathbeg RSPB
(NES) from 30 April to 3 May; three
flew over Strichen (NES) on 23
June; two were at Loch of Kinnordy
(Ang) on 3 May. Two were on at
Scalloway, Mainland (Shet) on 24
April with perhaps the same two
seen at Boddam, Mainland, on the
same day. A single bird was at
Redcastle (High) on 3 April.
A Corncrake was on Fair Isle (Shet)
on 14 May. A Spotted Crake was
on Tiree (Arg) on 25 April with
another bird reported from. Islay
(Arg) on 3 June.
Avocet sightings included a bird at
Rigifa Pool (NES) from 26 May to 2
June, two at Loch of Strathbeg
RSPB (NES) on 21st May, two birds
at Skinflats Lagoon (UF) on 24 April
with one bird remaining until 9
June, and six birds in Invergowrie
31:3 (207
>
BirdGuides Review
es
Plate 250. Wood Sandpiper, Rossieé Bog, Fife, May 2011. © John Nadin
Bay (P&K) on 21st May. Two which
flew past Kirkhaven on the Isle of
May on 2 June were the first
records for the island. Passage
Dotterels included counts of 16 at
Sandwick, Lewis (OH), 14 on Tiree
(Arg), 12 at Balranald RSPB, North
Uist (OH), seven at Collieston
(NES), six on North Ronaldsay
(Ork) and five at Broad Law (Bord).
Single Little Stints were seen at a
number of locations with two birds
together at both Musselburgh
(Loth) and North Ronaldsay (Ork).
A Temminck’s Stint was at Loch of
Strathbeg RSPB (NES) on 15th &
16 May, with further singletons at
Murton GPs (Ang) on 18 May, at
Scatness (Shet) on 2 June, at The
Shunan, Mainland (Ork) on 26th &
27 June, in Spey Bay (M&N) on 15
June, and at Musselburgh Lagoons
on 3 June. Pectoral Sandpipers
were seen on Unst (Shet), Lewis
(OH), at Loch of Tankerness,
Mainland (Ork), and at Loch of
Strathbeg RSPB and Rigifa Pool
(NES) on 30 May. A count of 100
Purple Sandpipers was recorded
from Fleet Bay (D&G) on 6 April.
There were a dozen reports of
Curlew Sandpipers including birds
at Boddam (Shet), South Uist (OH)
and Musselburgh Lagoons (Loth).
A Buff-breasted Sandpiper was at
Berneray (OH) on 7—10 May, with
another at Butt of Lewis (OH) on
14 June. One was at Fionnphort,
Mull (Arg) on 27 May.
Spotted Redshanks were at
Blackness (Forth), Loch of
Strathbeg RSPB (NES), Belhaven
Bay (Loth), Auchinleck (Ayrs), and
Pool of Virkie and Scatness (Shet).
Wood Sandpipers included eight
birds at Rossie Bog (Fife), three at
Murton GPs (Ang), two birds at
Meikle Loch (NES) and two birds at
Loch Gruinart RSPB (Arg). A
summer-plumaged Grey
Phalarope was on the Ythan
Estuary from 17th to 20 June, and
the first Red-necked Phalarope
for Mull on 23 May.
Skua passage included counts of
238 Pomarine Skuas past Tarbat
Ness (High) on 18 May, with 152
past Aird an Runair, North Uist
(OH) on 12 May and 102 past Aird
Mor Mangurtadh, Lewis (OH) on
14 May. Smaller counts were
recorded at many coastal locations
including seven past Saltcoats
harbour on 22 May. Peak counts of
Long-tailed Skua came from
Saltcoats harbour (Ayrs) on 23 May
when 398 birds passed by in the
space of eight hours, and from Aird
an Runair, North Uist (OH) where
at least 296 passed on 24 May.
There were four Ring-billed Gull
reported, with an adult at Dingwall
(High) on 5 April and first-summers
on North Uist (OH) on 29 May, on
Unst (Shet) from 21 May to Ist
June, and at Achmelvich (High) on
7 June. The latest reports of
287
Plate 251.
BirdGuides Review
Glaucous Gull were at Forfar Loch
(Ang) on 7 June and South Uist
(OH) on 4 June. Iceland Gulls
were seen on the Yihan Estuary
(NES), Islay (Arg), Bishopburn
(D&G), Barns Ness (Loth) and Fair
Isle in April, with up to seven on
Orkney. Several were still around in
May and early June, with late birds
on 22 June at both Aberdeen
(NES) and Easter Quarff (Shet).
Two adult Mediterranean Gulls
were at Belhaven Bay (Loth) on 17
April, with an adult and second-
summer at Blackdog (NES) on 3
April, a first-winter at Bishopburn
(D&G) from 5th—22 April, a first-
winter at Carron Bridge (UF) on 22
May and a first-summer at Toab,
Mainland (Shet) on 22 April.
Sabine’s Gulls were reported from
several sites along the west coast.
Two Roseate Terns were at
Musselburgh on 18 June, with a
single bird there on 23rd, and one
on the Isle of May on 19th. The only
report of Little Auk was of a single
bird in the Moray Firth on 24 April.
4
ae 3 a .
- . : =
4 - ~ es . —
ne —— or
— — hh,
Law 3 — =s
Turtle Dove, Kilrenny, Fife
-
May 2011. © John Nadin
288
Turtle Doves were seen at Reston
(Bord), Gullane (Loth) on 20 May,
Kilrenny (Fife) on 23—28 May, Loch
of Strathbeg RPSB (NES), and Yell
(Shet). Two Bee-eaters were at
Cults (NES) on 4 June, with singles
at Breascleit, Lewis (second record
for OH), Skye (High), South
Ronaldsay (Ork) and _ over
Loanhead (Loth) on 4 May.
Hoopoes_ included birds at
Balranald RSPB, North Uist (OH),
Reay (High), Wester Quarff (Shet)
and Papa Westray (Ork). Wryneck
sightings were largely confined to
Shetland, with the exception of one
on North Ronaldsay on 12 May and
on in Upper Forth on 6 June.
Golden Orioles were seen on
North Uist, South Uist and Lewis
(OH) and Foula, Unst and
Mainland (Shet). A male was at
Loch Spynie (M&N) on 19 May.
Red-backed Shrikes were largely
confined to Shetland and Orkney,
with two on Fair Isle on 27 May and
a male and female on North
Ronaldsay on 17 June, though one
was at Fife Ness (Fife) on 28 May,
and a fine male on the Isle of May
on 8 June. Great Grey Shrikes
were recorded from Drumguish
(High), _Montreathmont Forest
(Ang), Forest of Ae (Ayrs), and
Grutness (Shet). The latest bird
was one reported from Stromness
(Ork) on 26 April.
Shore Larks included five at John
Muir Country Park lingering from
the winter to 2 April. Singles were at
Barns Ness (Loth) on 30 April and
North Ronaldsay (Ork) on 17 June.
Icterine Warblers were seen on
North Ronaldsay (Ork) between
26 May and 11 June, on Isle of
May (trapped) on 26 May, and on
Fair Isle (Shet) where three were
seen on 27 May.
Waxwings were still evident from
Borders to Moray in April, with a
notable count of 37 from
Blairdrummond (UF) on 21st,
Rose-coloured Starlings were
recorded from Hunterston Sands
(Ayrs) on 5 June, Lochearnhead
(Forth) on 9 June, Jura (Arg) on 10
June, and Noss (Shet) on 18 June.
A Black-bellied Dipper was on Fair
Isle (Shet) on 26 April. At least two
Bluethroats were reported from
Fair Isle (Shet),including a bird of
the ‘White-spotted’ race trapped on
17 April, with single birds on North
Ronaldsay and Papa Westray (Ork).
A Red-breasted Flycatcher was on
Whalsay on 7 May.
Single male Grey-headed
Wagtails were at Barns Ness
(Lothian), Fetlar (Shet) and two on
Fair Isle (Shet).
At least 25 Common Rosefinches
were recorded during May and
June, with four on Fair Isle (Shet)
on 29-31 May, singles on the Isle
of May on 29 May and 22 June, a
first-summer male at Ledcharrie
(UF), and two males in Argyll - one
on Mull and one at Balephuil, Tiree
on 8-9 May. Migrant Hawfinches
included birds in Shetland, Orkney,
and on North & South Uist (OH).
Numbers of Lapland Buntings
remained into early May with the
highest count being 60 on North
Ronaldsay (Ork) on 10th and 11
April, with an impressive 200
Wheatears also present on the
latter date. Up to 54 Lapland
Buntings were present at Balranald
RSPB, North Uist (OH); the latest
reports consisted of singles at
Siadar, Lewis (OH) on 4 May, on
Fair Isle on 8 May, and on Unst
(Shet) on 9 May.
Common migrants in notable
locations included two Pied
Flycatchers on Foula (Shet), and
Wood Warblers on South Uist
(OH) and at Cunningsburgh
(Shet), while other unusual
sightings included a Crested Tit
on bird feeders at Ord, Skye
(High) on 16 April, and a
Kingfisher at Toft (Shet) on 9
April. Nuthatches continue their
northward exploration with
singles seen at Finavon and
Marywell (both Ang) in April, one
at Portsoy (NES) on 13 April, and
Dollar Glen (UF) on 2 May and
Doune Ponds (UF) on 8 May.
31:3 (2011)
SOC Branch Secretaries
Ayrshire: Anne Dick
Rowanmyle House, Tarbolton, Mauchline KA5 5LU.
Tel: 01292 541981
Email: Anne.Dick@sac.ac.uk
Borders: Graham Pyatt
The Schoolhouse, Manor, Peebles EH45 9JN.
Tel: 01721 740319
Email: d.g.pyatt@btinternet.com
Caithness: Stan Laybourne
Old Schoolhouse, Harpsdale, Halkirk KW12 6UN.
Tel: 01847 841 244
Email: stanlaybourne@talk21.com
Central: Roger Gooch
The Red House, Dollarfield, Dollar FK14 7LX.
Tel: 01259 742 426
Email: roger@dollar11.plus.com
Clyde: Hayley Douglas
Top Right, 35 Church Street, Lochwinnoch PA12 4AE.
Tel: 07715 634079
Email: h.a.douglas@hotmail.co.uk
Dumfries: Pat Abery
East Daylesford, Colvend, Dalbeattie DG5 4QA.
Tel: 01556 630483
Email: eastdaylesford@onetel.com
Fife: Karen Dick
South Lodge, St Michaels, St Andrews KY 16 ODU.
Grampian: Graham Cooper
Westbank, 72 Beltie Road, Torphins, Banchory
AB31 AJT. Tel: 01339 882706
Email: grm.cooper@Dtinternet.com
Highland: Kathy Bonniface
Alt Dubh, North End, Tomatin,
Inverness-shire IV13 7YP.
Tel: 01808 511740
Email: kathybonniface@aol.com
Lothian: Doreen Main
Seatoller, Broadgait, Gullane EH31 2DH.
Tel: 01620 844532
Email: doreen.main@yahoo.com
Orkney: Colin Corse
Garrisdale, Lynn Park, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1SL.
Tel: 01856 874 484
Email: ccorse@btinternet.com
Stewartry: Joan Howie
60 Main Street, Dalry, Castle Douglas DG7 3UW.
Tel: 01644 430 226
Tayside: Brian Boag
Birch Brae, Knapp, Inchture PH14 9SW.
Tel: 01828 686 669
West Galloway: Geoff Sheppard
The Roddens, Leswalt, Stranraer DG9 OQR.
Tel: 01776 870 685
Tel: 01334 848278
Email: fifesoc@sky.com
SOC Local Recorders
Angus & Dundee: Jon Cook
01382 738495
1301 midget@tiscali.co.uk
Argyll: Paul Daw
01546 886260
monedula@globalnet.co.uk
Ayrshire: Fraser Simpson
recorder@ayrshire-birding.org.uk
Borders: Ray Murray
01721 730677
raymurray | @tiscali.co.uk
Caithness: Stan Laybourne
01847 841244
stanlaybourne@talk21.com
Clyde: lain Gibson
01505 705874
c/o wilsonval@btinternet.com
Clyde Islands: Bernard Zonfrillo
0141 557 0791
b.zonfrillo@bio.gla.ac.uk
Dumfries & Galloway:
Paul N. Collin
01671 402861
pncollin@live.co.uk
Email: geoff.roddens@btinternet.com
Fair Isle: David Parnaby
01595 760258
fibo@btconnect.com
Fife: Malcolm Ware
07735 991040
mw 160598 @hotmail.co.uk
Forth (Upper): Chris Pendlebury
07798 711134
chris@upperforthbirds.co.uk
Highland: Hugh Insley
07831 479804
hugh.insley@btinternet.com
Isle of May: lain English
01698 891788
.english@talk21.com
Lothian: Stephen Welch
01875 852802
lothianrecorder@the-soc.org.uk
Moray & Nairn: Martin Cook
01542 850296
martin.cook99@btinternet.com
NE Scotland: Hywel Maggs
OTS SISTSE
hywelmaggs@hotmail.com
Orkney: Jim Williams
01856 761317
jim @geniefea.freeserve.co.uk
Outer Hebrides: Brian Rabbitts
01876 580328
rabbitts@hebrides.net
Perth & Kinross: Scott Paterson
01577 864248
scottpaterson 12@yahoo.co.uk
Shetland: Mark Chapman
01806 242401
msc.1 @btinternet.com
Lore TRUST™
www.carbonbalancedpaper.com
CBP0003590202 112146
PhotoSP©OT
Plate 252. | was surprised to see a Pomarine Skua ©
flying west along Loch Ness in the Great Glen,
Highland, on 20 May 2007; it did not stop and later
on 23 & 24 May | saw several, together with Arctic
-Skuas, further west around the salmon cages at
Ardgour in Loch Linnhe. | had no such sightings on
a trip at the same time of year in 2009, and noted
that the cages were then so covered in netting they
—— inaccessible to skuas and gulls.
On 24 May 2011, after exceptionally stormy
weather with severe south-westerly gales the
previous day, the Pomarine Skua shown here
appeared from the east and followed the barge
westwards for a couple of hours along Loch Lochy,
another of the chain of lochs which form part of
the Caledonian Canal along the Great Glen. It
frequently circled and occasionally landed and
rested on the barge before continuing westwards.
It is well known that in late summer and autumn,
skuas pass Chanonry Point on the Black Isle and
continue westwards presumably down the Great
Glen, but a spring passage in this direction seems
less usual. | assume that most or all the skuas seen
at Ardgour in 2007 had also flown down the Glen
rather than turned eastwards a considerable
distance from their more usual spring passage
north up the west coast. A small passage of skuas
along the Glen itself would be difficult to observe
from the shore, so could easily be overlooked,
especially in spring when few birds are likely to
take this route.
Camera: Nikon D90, shutter priority 1/1250 sec,
Nikon 70/300mm at 135mm f4.8.
MITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRA
WNUK
Nick Picozzi
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