Forvie's tern

A colour-ringed Sandwich Tern on the rocks at Wrecked Craigs today, right leg lime over red; this is one of 300 birds randomly marked in this way out of 725 pulli ringed at the Sands of Forvie colony in NE Scotland in June 2008, where c.667 pairs had bred - hence a 1st-summer and an interesting example of a bird which has returned from its wintering grounds at this age (e.g. the BTO Migration Atlas plots 21 locations for 1st-yrs in May-July (Fig. 7b, p. 383) of which 20 are in Africa and one in NW Spain).

Also, another new Shag darvic (photo shows LBF-blue on the left, SCD-green in foreground). Updated summary of records, with histories.


A Whimbrel also flew over and 12 Mute Swans have now arrived back at the Seton Burn where they gathered late summer last year.

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:

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):

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.

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:

* a juvenile ringed in 2003 found at Glencarse, Tayside, just 2 weeks after the Beltonford bird - both perhaps displaced from further N by hard weather?

* a juvenile ringed the same day as the Beltonford female, recorded at St Ishmaels in Wales in the December of that year (at 624km, a considerable distance from natal site)

* a juvenile ringed in July 2008 recorded in October that year further north at Berriedale in Sutherland.

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.