Wednesday 2 April 2014

Wknd 29-30 March

As expected a significant departure of Whoopers, just 37 remaining (6 juv) munching grass at Muirton, no sign of yellow-UL9.

On the same entrance track within 100m, 3 nests, a beautiful ball of grass lined with some hair and feathers, a Linnet; another with 30m (BWP mentions neighbourhood groups, some nests within a few metres), finally the remains of a Dunnock nest mainly roots remaining also feathers in the cup. Both species are breeding confirms for NT58F, 25 is not bad for nearly all arable farmland. Could probably have found a few more Linnets with systematic searching, tricky now as hawthorn leaves are emerging and laying is typically late April.

Seton roost at dusk - c. 1050 BHG, 600 Common Gull and 1 ad-sum Mediterranean Gull. 51 Wigeon.

During week - Oycs on roof of Engineering labs daily, mating again, also a frentic party of five birds over. Herring Gull also mating on same roof. Will these be happy bedfellows I wonder - Oycs presumably well used to living amongst multitudes of gulls.

Rook nests at Longniddry now 27 Longniddry Farm, 22 Kitchener Cres, 15 Fernyness Wood, 4 railway station c/p - a remarkable redistribution as just two years ago virtually all were in the main wood, and at the farm only 1 of 9 nests survived the winter but 3 on 14/3, 10 on 20/3, 18 on 24/3, 27 on 28/3. Nests first built at station car park last year and initially plundered to build new nests to west now themselves rebuilt and occupied! Possible that the bulk of the sticks used in the nests are recycled from year to year? Does rebuilding provide a benefit in reducing parasites resident in the nest I wonder?

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