*SCOTTISH BIRDS (29) TXT AW - The Scottish Ornithologists' Club

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NotesNotesTable 1.Year Date Common/Arctic Terns Sandwich Terns Total Comments1954 19 August c.3500 c.1500 c.500025 August c.7500 c.2500 c.1000029 August 5047 187 5234 Counts started5 September 10418 155 105731955 6 September 6422 0 642211 September 3019 68 30871956 30 August 2282 57 23394 September 4922 29 4951 Counts started at Kilspindie Point.1957 9 August 3588 585 417310 September 5782 1321 7103AcknowledgementsSeveral people helped with these counts whichwere usually cold and uncomfortable sittingimmobile for over two hours. The mainobservers were Keith Macgregor and KathleenHamilton. Others also helped occasionally suchas Guy MacCaskie, the late Bill Birrell and a MrHay: there were others but their names werenot recorded in my notes.Frank Hamilton, 23 Campbell Road,Longniddry, East Lothian EH32 0NPRevised ms accepted December 2008The decline of the Whinchat as a breeding bird in mainland FifeSince the 1960s and 1970s the Whinchat hasdeclined as a breeding species throughoutScotland, particularly in the east (Shaw K.D.2007 in The Birds of Scotland, Forrester et al.,SOC Aberlady) Over the last 15 years manyobservers have commented that this specieshas disappeared from its former breedinggrounds in Fife. The Fife Bird Atlas (Elkins, N,Reid, J.B., Brown, A.W., Robertson, D.G. &Smout, A.-M. 2003. The Fife Bird Atlas,Woodland Studios, Dunfermline) estimatedonly five to ten pairs for the whole ofmainland Fife although Whinchats were seenin 29 tetrads, two-thirds of these being notedas probable or possible breeding.This work was tied in with the first year of theBTO/SOC/IWRC Breeding Bird Atlas so that therewas good coverage of all potential Whinchatbreeding sites. Using Fife Bird Reports, SmoutA.-M. 1986 (The Birds of Fife: an outline of theirstatus and distribution. John Donald, Edinburgh)and the Fife Bird Atlas I mapped all knownWhinchat sites from the last 20 years. I alsoarranged with both the county recorder andAtlas coordinator to be informed of all breedingWhinchats as they were reported during thebreeding season of 2008 so I could follow upevery sighting. Key observers visited all historicWhinchat sites in their local areas.In the early 1980s Smout (1986) described theWhinchat as a local breeder in the west of thecounty. She went on to say there had beenreports of breeding, all from central and westFife and quoted 30+ pairs from the LomondHills in 1984 and 20 pairs from Glen Vale in1983. She mentioned Loch Ore Meadows,Pitcairn, Kirkforthar and Loch Glow asbreeding areas. All these areas were checkedduring the breeding season of 2008 but nobirds were found.So why is Glen Vale still suitable for Whinchatsto some extent and other sites unsuitable? TheWhinchat is a bird of open habitats breeding ingrassland, bracken, mixed low vegetation,gorse, heather and young conifer plantations.Suitable perches for singing and hunting areessential and young conifer plantations particularlyin the upland are significant (Gray D.B.1973, Whinchats on a disused railway, BirdStudy 20: 81–82).Glen Vale provides the open habitat Whinchatsrequire to breed. It is a mixture of heather,bracken and young trees. Fence posts and thetaller young trees provide the essential singingand hunting posts.In the 1990s Whinchats utilized young forestryplantations as breeding habitat in upland Fife.However, when the trees reached the thicketstage the Whinchats were lost. Thus Whinchatswere lost from other sites in the Lomond Hills in2005 and from breeding sites in the Cleish Hillsaround the turn of the century. Ironically the lastCleish birds were recorded on exactly the samesite as the last Fife Black Grouse in 1996.In conclusion there has been a severe decline inbreeding Whinchats in mainland Fife since1980. Young conifer plantations helped thespecies survive into this century but as theplantations reached thicket stage the Whinchatswere lost. The Whinchat’s future in Fife as abreeding species is on a knife edge and for it tosurvive the mixed open areas where the last fewpairs breed must be maintained.I thank Norman Elkins, Dougie Dickson andJeremy Squire who helped at all stages of theproject. Rab Shand was, as always, very helpfulin providing information. Dougie Dickson, TerryMann, Tom and Bryan Moodie and John Nadinassisted with fieldwork. Norman Elkins kindlycommented on the draft. Thanks also to the FifeAtlas fund who assisted with travel.Ken D. Shaw, 42 Lathro Park, KinrossKY13 8 RURevised ms accepted January 2009During the period 2002 to 2007 I and otherobservers checked traditional Whinchat sitesannually, recording presence or absence,breeding success and any significant habitatchange.In the winter of 2007/08 we received a smallgrant from the Fife Atlas fund to help monitorall potential Whinchat sites in Fife during the2008 breeding season to establish the totalbreeding population for the county.A total of six territories were found at two sites.The two breeding areas were Glen Vale wherethree pairs bred, and a site near Rathillet wheretwo singing males were recorded during Atlaswork. In 2008, four male Whinchats took upterritory in Glen Vale and three pairs bred butno birds were seen at any other site in theLomond hills. At the Rathillet site two singingmales were recorded early on 12 June 2008.This is an area of extensive gorse and it ispossible that further pairs were present.Plate 10. Whinchat © John Anderson.38Scottish Birds 29:1 (2009) 29:1 (2009)Scottish Birds 39
NotesArctic Skuas breeding in Wester RossThe Birds of Scotland (Forrester et al. 2007, SOCAberlady) does not record Arctic SkuasStercorarius parasiticus breeding in WesterRoss. I personally confirmed breeding in WesterRoss in the years 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1994.The general locality was the large peninsula ofRubha Mòr lying between Ullapool andLochinver, the specific sites being immediatelynorth-west of Loch na Totaig and, secondly,close to Loch na Ploytach at the north end ofthe promontory. Breeding records were:13 June 1989 at the Loch na Totaig site. A singlepair, dark and light phases, with two eggs.9 June 1991 single pair, light and dark phases,with two eggs at Loch na Totaig 10 June 1991single pair light and dark phases, with twoeggs at Loch na Ploytach.25 May 1993 a single pair, again dark and lightphases, with one egg at Loch na Totaig. Loch naPloytach not visited in 1993.First breeding of Eurasian Spoonbills in ScotlandEurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, hasbecome an almost annual visitor to Dumfriesand Galloway since 1995. Most records involvesingle birds with three immatures together atCaelarverock Wildfowl and Wetland Trust on10 May 1998 being the largest group seen.Colonisation of the UK by spoonbills has longbeen expected. East Anglia would have been theobvious location, where groups of multiple birdsare now frequent. It was therefore intriguingthat in 2000 a single bird was present from21–25 June at Mersehead RSPB reserve and wasfollowed by a pair which arrived on 4 July(Fairlamb, D. 2000 Spoonbills create a stir SBN59: 1). Shortly after arriving they begandisplaying and built four nesting platforms inrushy grassland. Grey Herons Ardea cinereabecame rather aggressive towards the spoonbillsand there was no evidence of egg laying. Bothbirds were absent from 15–17 July and left thearea by 16 August. One of the adults wore aDutch leg ring.23 May 1994 single eggs found at both Lochna Totaig and Loch na Ploytach sites, withsingle pairs of birds (dark and light phases) ateach site.A reliable colleague following my directionsinformed me that two pairs of Arctic Skuaswere breeding at the Loch na Totaig site inMay 2002. Loch na Ploytach was not visited onthat occasion.W.M. Trobe, 26 Swinhoe Gardens,Wideopen, Newcastle upon Tyne,NE13 6AFRevised ms accepted March 2009The maps and tables in The Birds of Scotlandused data from JNCC and there were no recordsfrom Wester Ross. Confirmed breeding wasrecorded in grid square NB91 [Rubha Mòr]during the 1988–91 Breeding Atlas - EditorRecords of spoonbills in Dumfries andGalloway since 2000 are as follows:2000 Single adult Mersehead 21–25 June, thena pair from 4 July–16 Aug2001 Two Mersehead on 4, 6 and 10 June. SingleCaerlaverock WWT 23–27 July2002 Single at Caerlaverock WWT 29 May andreported from Kippford in June2003 Single River Luce 11 Sept2004 no records2005 Single Kirkconnell merse (Nith estuary)20–27 August2006 No records2007 Two Mersehead 18 May, then single, 25,31 May, with another single at Loch Ryan 2June. Two again Mersehead 18–19 June anda single again on the 25 June.In 2008 two spoonbills first arrived atMersehead on the 26 May and were not seenat that site subsequently. Presumably the samepair was then recorded at Balcary some 12.5km to the west on 8 June. A single bird wasreported three weeks later in KirkcudbrightBay on 27 June and no further reports werereceived until 24 July. There then continued anumber of sightings in the area, all of singlebirds, until two were again reported on 18August. I began to wonder if something hadindeed been going on. Remarkably on 23August Keith Kirk reported a family group oftwo adults and three young, feeding out onthe mudflats of Kirkcudbright Bay. The youngwere begging and being fed by the adults, andhad obviously fledged from not far away.Keith was alerted to their presence by GaryMcKie, who takes boat trips out intoKirkcudbright Bay on wildlife watching tours.Gary had seen a single bird in the immediatearea throughout June and July, but thesesighting went unreported. The family groupstayed together throughout September andwere regularly reported from a number oflocations in the vicinity, via Birdguides and alocal birding web site. The family party waslast seen on 20 September. The last reportedsighting in the region was of three on 1October. The birds spent a large part of theirtime feeding out on the intertidal creeks of theSolway. The nest location was not known buta wide variety of habitats from dense scrubbywoodland, Phalaris and Phragmites standsand rank grassland was available in theimmediate area.NotesThis is only the third known (or reported)breeding of Eurasian Spoonbills in the UK inrecent times, the first successful attempt beingon the Ribble Estuary, Lancashire, in 1999,which was the first successful breeding in 330years. In 1998 a clutch of two eggs was laid butpredated in Suffolk.Breeding in 2008 went undetected during theearly stages in a rather remote and inaccessiblelocation. It is remarkable how such large whitebirds were not seen for much of the summer. Ipersonally made three trips to the area andfailed to see the birds. No attempt was made tolook for the nest in case of disturbance.AcknowledgementI thank Keith Kirk for commenting on the draft.Paul N. Collin, Gairland, Old EdinburghRoad, Newton Stewart, DG8 6PLRevised ms accepted April 2009Plate 11. Spoonbill feeding young in Kirkcudbright Bay, August 2008 © B. & D. Henderson.40Scottish Birds 29:1 (2009) 29:1 (2009)Scottish Birds 41
Page 4: Scottish BirdsEditorialThis issue o
Page 9: PapersAmerican Herring Gull Larus s
Page 15 and 16: PapersFigure 1. The Orkney Islands
Page 17 and 18: 28PapersPapersScottish Birds 29:1 (
Page 19 and 20: PapersAcknowledgementsThe following
Page 21: NotesPlate 9. Common Tern © John A
Page 25 and 26: Scottish Bird NewsScottish Bird New
Page 29 and 30: Scottish Bird Newsby the usual cons
Page 39 and 40: Birding in ScotlandScottish BirdsPl
Page 41 and 42: Birding in ScotlandSurely I must be
Page 43 and 44: Birding in ScotlandBirding in Scotl
Page 51 and 52: Birding in ScotlandFive birds were
Page 53: Fair Isle Bird ObservatoryNew Obser

*SCOTTISH BIRDS (29) TXT AW - The Scottish Ornithologists' Club

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