Saturday, 8 August 2009
Late summer, Port Seton
At Wrecked Craigs today, juvenile waders now appearing, e.g. Turnstones and Ringed Plovers, plus several young Sandwich Terns, many of which are ringed. A partial read obtained from one metal ring is unlikely to be sufficient, but may well be from the Farne Islands where many are ringed each year. Also, a record 10 Shags with darvic colour-rings (JNP-red, JSH-blue, LLZ-red, PTH-red, PXI-red, SCD-green, TLN-red, TNC-red, TPJ-red, TSZ-red) - mainly juveniles; all will be from the Isle of May and Forth Islands (where ringing has taken place this year); last pic below shows LLZ, TLN and JSH in a row on the left. This linked spreadsheet lists origins of some of these.
Young gulls, Port Seton
Many juvenile gulls now joined the summering crew at Port Seton. Easy to identify when with parent as in first pic of Lesser Blackback. Second pic shows 2 x 1st-sum and one 2nd-summer Great Blackback, one of the former being more advanced (on left). Third is a juvenile Great Blackback, fourth a 1st-summer Herring and last is 3 of above joined by a dark juvenile Herring Gull:
Monday, 20 July 2009
Lochawe birding
Message to argyllbirding yahoogroup:
Subject: Holiday sightings, wk 11-18 July - Gigha, + 9-10 July - Lochawe
Sent: Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:41 am
En route to Gigha did 4 TTV's in NN12 round Lochawe.
I lack local knowledge on birds, but noted Pied Fly behind the Tight Line pub, Osprey nest on mobile phone mast opposite Ben Cruachan visitor centre (2/3 juv) and fishing past Lochawe, Goosander b8 on loch, 2 BTD in flight over the loch, f Merlin Stronmilchan, plus Golden-ringed Dragonfly there; several families of Wood Warbler, Spot Fly, Tree Pipit, etc.
Pics above from dawn birding during TTV NN12I, with Kilchurn Castle appearing from the mist. Osprey nest and f/imm Pied Fly shown below.
Gigha birds (2009)
Visited Gigha for our hols again this year, just off the Kintyre peninsula in Argyll (map).
A summary of sightings follows, with records of breeding evidence by tetrad in a linked spreadsheet.
Message to argyllbirding yahoogroup:
Subject: Holiday sightings, wk 11-18 July - Gigha, + 9-10 July - Lochawe
Sent: Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:41 am
Back on Gigha again for our holiday and doing more atlassing to supplement last year's records. Completed a further 4 TTV's (NR64I,M; NR65L,S) plus additional RR with a total of 96 "species" now recorded on island, 58 confirmed breeding (NR65 = N Gigha - 78 species, 42 confirmed; NR64 = S Gigha, plus some mainland - 100 species, 58 confirmed (figures updated)). Nothing remarkable recorded but got some useful info from locals, following perhaps of interest:
* Greylag Goose - now confirmed with 5 broods West Tarbert bay, plus Canada Goose b2 there (all new since last atlas)
* Shoveler - pr in spring near Ardlamy (per Keith Helm)
* RBM - b7 (small) Ardminish Bay (no juvs seen last yr)
* Manxie - steady passage off N end, 70/hr on 17/7, mainly up and down off W coast but some throo Sound of Gigha
* Cormorant - confirmed at the Brownie's Chair on Cara, along with many Shag
* Merlin - m glimpsed N end
* Eagle sp., 1/2 presumed Sea Eagle reported N end May 2007*
* Corncrake - bird calling by Keith Helm's cottage near the south Pier, then towards Leim, for 10 days in May; last year around same time in shelisters near Ardminish, and another 20-21 May 2006*; Vie Tulloch's booklet mentions their annual presence till summer 1987, then there was apparently one calling by the village hall c. 10 yrs ago, so this seems to represent a new upsurge
* Peacock - with chicks in Achamore gardens but are fed so don't count for atlas
* Greenshank - amongst a few returning waders (Mill Loch 12/7; Eilean Garbh 13/7), plus a Knot with Dunlins and Redshanks by south Pier 15/7
* Arctic Tern - juvs at Gigalum colony, nearly dispersed though apparently c. 30-40 "terns" present in spring
* Razorbill - steady procession bringing fish in off Eilean Garbh at N end but none seen on cliffs from boat round island, so can't confirm!
* Barn Owl(s) - again easy to find hunting N end, but no other owls detected in 3 nocturnal visits to woods
* Rock Pipit - one in farm yard at Tarbert, 300m from shore; also, in confirming breeding in NR65, observing small passerines on a skerry nearly a mile off N end, one started flying towards me and landed just yards in front of me, ad Ropit bearing a single crustacean prey, like an elongated woodlouse, for its young - very pleasing!
* Stonechat - decline, seen at 8 sites last June, not all covered again but just a single juv seen this time - casualties of a harder winter?
* Yellowhammer - one singing by Keith's cottage late April, but apparently no longer resident on island (in general)
Negative for Water Rail at bogs (used tape) - also former resident per Tulloch guide, and no sign of Magpie and Tree Sparrow submitted for NR64P (Ardminish) via BirdTrack since my last visit. The Pintail mentioned in the Tulloch guide are clearly LTD. May prepare an updated status doc for breeding birds based on above visits, unless there is such in existence?
Non-bird:
* Deer bark heard in Achamore gardens, confirmed as deer by stamping following night, presumed Roe Deer. Various deer sightings discussed on Gigha forum*, mentioning Red, Roe and Fallow, since 2004; whichever, it must have swum over from the mainland, a good couple of miles at least.
* Dolphin sp. Sound of Gigha 15/7
* Common Blue butterfly, plus plenty Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Small Tort, abundant Meadow Brown
* Lots of sheep ticks! First one that bit me was large, thereafter on the alert and e.g. collected 20 on trousers in 10m of bracken.
En route did 4 TTV's in NN12 round Lochawe, see Lochawe birding post
Hope there's something of interest to someone there!
Regards
Stephen
* http://www.gigha.org.uk/forum/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=5
Addendum:
* Gropper - this year reeling by fish farm near South Druimachro; also at North Ardminish 2007, plus recently at another couple of sites in NR64
* Sand Martin - 2 in-off at Queen's beach, N end, 15/7, presumably from Jura
* Gannet - couple fishing in Loch Fyne off Furnace 18/7, guess regular here?
* Water Rail - reported winter 08/09 by farmer at Ardlamey (per Katie Pendreigh)
* Feral cat - confirmed breeding!
A few pics (ad Snipe - spotted by my wife right by road at Kinererach, ad Common Sand at Eilean a' Chuil, and worn ad Mipit):
Friday, 26 June 2009
Gulls at Seton
Since moving to East Lothian in 2004 I've had an interest in the local gulls. My nearest roost is in Gosford Bay off Seton Sands. The roost is usually gathered on the sea off the Seton Burn, or at pre-roost by the burn on Seton Sands, map). I began approximately weekly visits in winter 05-06, concentrating mainly on getting a general idea of the composition of the roost, finding that this was highly variable, see linked doc (Seton gulls roost study, East Lothian, 2005).
In the 06-07 winter I made more effort to locate Mediterranean Gulls in the roost, finding up to 5 birds together (13/11/06), and a minimum of 9 different individuals in both the first and second halves of the "autumn", with an unknown overlap.
One regular bird, shown here, is the red colour-ringed 7P8, now known locally as "Cherry Blossom", which was ringed as an adult on 14 May 2004 by the Vistula at Zwirownia, Skoki Duze, west of Warsaw, Poland (52 36N 19 24E), distance 1505km, direction WNW; first seen (at least with its ring on!) in our area on 7 August 2004. A summary of the resightings is available on Johan Bos's page on colour-ringed Mediterranean Gulls in Scotland.
Nearby Port Seton used to be a regular haunt for white-winged gulls in days gone by, including a long-staying Glaucous Gull in the 1980's. But these are very hard to find now, and I've only seen a single each of Glaucous and Iceland in recent years, plus another distant bird which was likely the latter species.
A returning Lesser Blackback, christened Lucy, depicted below, has now spent 6 winters accompanying the other large gulls in the harbour - a little unusual for immatures of this species which typically winter further south than adults. No adult Lesser Blackbacks overwinter on this stretch of coast, though they can be found on the other side of Edinburgh, roosting at Barnbougle Bay.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Ringed Barn Owl
As per LBN post 10618, recovered a ringed Barn Owl off the A1 near Beltonford on 7 February 2009, metal ring GF81584 (photo above). Subsequently heard from Bob Swann of the Highland Ringing Group that this bird was an adult female which had been ringed in Glen Urquart, near Drumnadrochit by Loch Ness, in July 2007. Amazingly, other recoveries from the same nest included:
Of interest, the last 2 were involved in road collisions, but were still alive, confirming they'd travelled there naturally (as opposed to fallen off a lorry).
Full details in linked doc. Overall, an amazing set of records!
Sadly, this was the 74th Barn Owl casualty we've recorded in Lothian since I commenced a local study in October 2004 (5 more since to July). More positively, lessons are also being learnt from post mortem analyses of these birds. The Beltonford female was the 30th casualty examined for the study c/o vet Jason Waine in Redditch (now 33). The results showed her to be in good condition (4/5 body score), with a reasonable weight of 299g, and containing "well-digested remains of 2 shrews and a field mouse, intestines well filled". So apparently faring very well off our trunk road verge even in quite hard weather in February, and perhaps having travelled a fair distance to get here following onset of hard weather earlier in the winter?
In the picture below the spotting typical of an adult female is apparent on the underparts; bottom image shows her together with a juvenile female collected off the A1 a few days later.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Garden bird listing
Garden bird listing is a remarkably rewarding hobby and can even contribute to scientific research, e.g. through the BTO's "Garden Birdwatch" scheme and "Birdtrack" or the RSPB's "Big Garden Birdwatch". The results of systematic bird observation are often fascinating, revealing trends and occurrences one tends not to be aware of through casual observation. For example, some species which you may assume are common in your garden may disappear during the breeding season when they go elsewhere to breed, e.g. the Robin. This sort of observation can pass unnoticed unless you do make systematic records.
The following section describes the birds of the three UK gardens - a couple of "landlocked" suburban gardens, one in NE Scotland and one in SE England and our current garden in a housing estate near the coast in East Lothian. They include a total of over 100 species.
There are also two novelty entries - a "compound" list for my wife's family home in Festac Town, Lagos, Nigeria and a "yard" list for my brother-in-law's home in San Jose, California.
A Kincardineshire garden Annotated species list Log (map) 
I have kept a garden bird list for species seen in or from my parent's garden in Banchory, Royal Deeside, Scotland, since about 1984, with most observations between 1985 and 1990. The list stands at 63 species and includes 4 migrant geese and duck species, 4 migrant waders and 9 finches/buntings (including Brambling, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting). A stray Pheasant was a long way from adjacent farmland, as was a Cuckoo. Other interesting passerines included Common Whitethroat, Blackcap, Spotted Flycatcher and breeding Goldcrest, whilst Waxwing was a regular winter visitor and we even watched a flock perched outside our kitchen window drinking from the roof gutter.
A Hertfordshire garden Annotated species list Log (map)
I kept a garden list for our house in Garston, Watford, England from January 2000 until we moved out in August 2004, with the final total the final list being 65 species. Here many of the common birds in the Scottish garden were scarce or absent, e.g. no breeding Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush or Coal Tit. But this was compensated for by an abundance of House Sparrows and Starlings, and by a number of other species absent or rare in the Scottish garden. These included Skylark, which could be heard singing over the airfield to the north in spring, together with Lapwings there in winter, regular Linnets, Jays and woodpeckers. Other less frequent visitors have included Hobbys, Little Owl, Common Redstart, Brambling and Nuthatch, with overhead Cormorant, Canada and Greylag Goose, Mallard, Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Grey Wagtail and a small flock of Common Crossbills. Finally, there's Common Redshank and Sandwich Terns which were heard passing overhead at night.
The best record was a Serin, seen and heard flying over at 9.30am on Sunday 26 August 2001. This small continental finch species had only been recorded in Hertfordshire on three previous occasions. A male of the species, most likely the same bird, was seen in Watford town centre three days later.
A Lothian garden Annotated species list Log (Regional map)
In 2004 we moved to Longniddry, Lothian, and started yet another garden list! This garden should have good potential for interesting species, being within a mile of the coast (Gosford Bay), but the view out is unfortunately very limited. The best birds so far have been Whooper Swan, regular Peregrines, 13 species of wader including Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Sanderling, Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel and Common Sandpiper, 2 terns (Common & Sandwich), Waxwing, Grasshopper Warbler, Common Redpolls and regular migrant Common Crossbills. The total number of species recorded reached 85 in September 2008.
Bird records
Detailed records of the birds seen in each of these gardens can be found in some of the following linked documents.
Weekly records for all gardens
These spreadsheets contain the following information:
Garden log
Logs of more interesting records for each garden are:
BTO Garden Birdwatch
Birds recorded in the Hertfordshire garden according to the rules of the BTO's "Garden Birdwatch" scheme:
Whippendell Wood survey
Information on species present in local woods can be found in the following survey sheets from Spring 2002:
A comparison of garden lists
A comparison of the two garden lists makes interesting reading, and some comparisons are set out in the linked spreadsheet (requires Microsoft Excel).
The weekly record total plots show that in an average week during the breeding season more species are recorded in the Scottish garden than the English one. This difference is due mainly to the regular observation of Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull , Song Thrush, Coal Tit and Siskin in the Scottish garden, with none of these being regular in the English garden. However, during the late autumn migration period, the situation is reversed, with the Scottish local breeders, Black-headed Gull, Song Thrush and Greenfinch significantly decreasing as birds disperse south, but the average weekly count in the English garden being boosted to around 25 species (over 30 at the peak) by the influx of thrush and finch species, together with acorn-gathering Jays, roving Great Spotted Woodpeckers and other migrants including hirundines.
In winter, similar numbers of species occur in both gardens. The Coal Tit and Siskin which are regular in the Scottish garden are compensated for by the Lesser Blackback which is normally absent in winter in Scotland and the more abundant Wood Pigeons, Pied Wagtails, Wrens and Redwings in the milder southern garden.
There are also interesting differences between the overall species lists for each garden, though these mainly relate to species which are rarely recorded and thus have little impact on weekly totals, though Oystercatcher is an exception in that respect. Including the new garden, those species which have so far only been recorded in the Scottish gardens are as follows:
Pinkfoot, Goosander, Peregrine, Pheasant, Oystercatcher, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Curlew, Great Blackback, Cuckoo, Tawny Owl, Waxwing, Common Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher, Treecreeper, Redpoll, Bullfinch, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting
and those only recorded from the English garden being:
Canada Goose, Red Kite, Hobby, Stock Dove, Little Owl, Green Woodpecker, Sand Martin, Common Redstart, Jay, Serin, Common Crossbill
Most of these differences reflect differences in national distributions and abundance. In fact, none of the observed differences in occurrence or abundance are particularly surprising, and all would surely be borne out by the more detailed BTO records (c.f. the "Garden Birdwatch" scheme and the full Breeding and Winter Atlases) but it is fascinating to uncover these trends from one's own simple observations.
The "changes" worksheets in the Excel spreadsheet effectively illustrate the year-on-year variation in species recorded. Thus it can quickly be seen that the reason for the higher average weekly totals in 2002 in the Watford garden is due to the presence of Wrens, Robin and Song Thrush during the breeding season (all substantially absent during 2001). These more than compensated for the reduction in Skylark records as the song flight of this species became even more remote (could only be heard in still conditions) in response to redevelopment of the nearby airfield!
Some other interesting garden bird pages (= "Yard" bird pages in American) are listed here. On the Swedish link, several yard lists of over 200 species are given, the highest being 266 from Oland. One American list from Cape May stands at 300 species. I'm not aware of a UK equivalent of the Swedish Club 100, but I've heard of a high total for a residence in Cley, Norfolk, where some 325 species have been recorded within the parish boundaries.
Surfbirds include garden/yard lists in the "Rankings" section of their site. The highest UK total listed, from Hoylake, Merseyside, stands at 168 species. Some incredible sightings are given for other yards, of which Yellow-nosed albatross (a southern hemisphere species) seen from a yard in New Jersey will really take some beating!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
