Christmas and New Year

Geese in flight over Redhouse above, where up to 2600 seen daily from 30 December to 4 January, though often flushed and also making use of fields along B1377 all the way from Longniddry to Drem. Views at Harelaw in good light on 29 December allowed us to spot 4 tundra Beans in their midst, with also two European White-fronts, 4 Barnacle Geese and now a dark-bellied Brent also being seen in these same flocks with c. 4k reported to be roosting at Aberlady. My own photos rather poor but record shots below of a Bean and a Whitefront.

Bean Geese of the tundra (rossicus) race were first definitively identified in Lothian in 1996, based on two birds in an influx of 8 to 23 Bean Geese, though all of them likely to have been tundra given a wider invasion along the east coast. Thereafter there were 2 at Skateraw in Jan-Feb 2006, a single at the same place in Feb 2009, a single at Tyninghame and Redhouse in Apr 2010 and zeros every other year with the exception of the huge influx in winter 11/12 with 86+ birds minimum, of which the largest flock (59+) was in the very same field at Harelaw in late December. So overall that is only 5 previous winters and clearly a hugely erratic visitor to us with wild fluctuations in numbers. The way we are heading perhaps this will prove to be the second best year for this species here?

Swans are the other staple of this time of year and after a poor start with only 155 present in early December a fresh influx had arrived by the 28th with 256 at Prora. The latter is a new peak wintering count here, though we have had more during influxes in early November (peak 340 in 2007) they have not stayed to winter. Nevertheless we have dropped back again from the threshold of 270 birds averaged over 5 years that is required to meet the criteria of an internationally important site, having briefly attained that at the lower threshold of 210 birds in 09/10, see graph:

This all assumes that the "western" East Lothian (Drem area) flock is a discrete unit, while we do know from ring reading that there can be some exchange with the other main concentration at Tyninghame just 10km east. This year's flock are now feeding in oilseed rape so ring-reading is a challenge, but we do have back for a fourth year running yellow-46I which formerly had spent 3 winters on the Blackwater in southern Ireland (Co Waterford/Cork), and ringed in Iceland in 2003. Two new birds yellow-G5F and G5J likely from Martin Mere. Juvs ratio is very close to 20%, with 8 broods in 102 birds probably b5, b4, 3xb3, 2xb2.

On owls, recovered a Barn Owl from the A1 at Greendykes in December, but this was just the third of the year, continuing a trend of decline in such as per graph below. 2010 in fact was marginally the worst calendar year (21, versus 20 in 2005 and 2006) with a spate of casualties in cold weather at each end of the year, but I believe this plot commencing post-breeding (i.e. September) is a better picture of annual variation, as most casualties are young(er) birds moving in winter. I do now wonder whether the excessive numbers in 2005 and 2006 were do to ongoing colonisation, whereas more birds in our area are now settled? 20 years ago at the time of the last local atlas there were only a handful of sightings in East Lothian, the only confirmed breeders were at the head of the Tyne valley, the expansion here has occurred since that date.

More positively on owls it was apparently a great year for local breeders - with 12 broods of Long-eared Owl, the most for many a year. Poses many Qs about where they were all hiding last year when we made special efforts to find them as the local atlas concluded! Presumably also due to vole abundance, this summer was also great for local Barn Owls - out looking for Quail by bike I came across one and very fortuitously had it carrying off a rodent within a few seconds; this was followed by pleasant late summer evenings watching this and others hunting local meadows and attending a nest at a natural site, though a presumed second site eluded me. Encouraged by this I returned to another local site where I'd seen prey being delivered in 2012, but had failed to find a nest - as I arrived there and was peddling along a track on the edge of some rough ground a bird immediately appeared and came to investigate me, circled and peered down at me from c. 10 directly above me, perhaps thinking "wot, you again, where've you been all this time?!" Similar questions to LEO though, with two terrible winters 09/10, 10/11, then terrible breeding in 2013, with dire predictions of how many remained in the UK a year ago, how have so many survived to breed this year?

Not much news on gulls, though old friend Mediterranean Gull red-7P8 was still roosting at Seton at the end of the year, and a Black-headed Gull there (white-2ALV) had been ringed as a chick on the Moorfoots in June 2013. The odd Shag ring read at Seton rocks but so many now I tend to make less effort!

The last few months have been very busy, with Christina doing her pharmacy pre-reg year and lots of kids activities also spilling into weekends, plus increasing demands at work, such that my only dedicated birding time tends to be late Sunday afternoons, with anything else as a bonus and often squeezed into required trips to other places. So this blog has as a result rather lapsed and I now tend just to post news snippets on twitter (which have already covered much of above). In addition there is the bird recorder work which is a significant task, e.g. with last year's archive of records reaching nearly 60k, and already nearly 50k for 2014 from BirdTrack alone, an escalating trend (see graph), plus dealing with rarities, enquiries, etc, and the ongoing local atlas write-up.

NB - I still spend a lot of time manually editing records, as any decent database requires things to be sortable on a EURING (or similar) code and thus everything must pass through standard names, plus needs a standard set of fields which in different sources can get lumped and separated in different ways (the BirdTrack download has 30 fields!). I'm happy to supply my latest Excel sheet to anyone still making direct submissions, though for 2013 there were only 13 people supplying more than 100 bird records in this manner, the rest coming via BirdTrack (mainly), WeBS, Atlas, birdinglothian, lothianbirdnews, Aberlady LNR (and other ELCRS), Forth Seabird Group and various local CBC type surveys. In the ideal world there would be one fixed set of common bird names, and formats thereof for races, hybrids etc, and a single fixed taxonomic sequence and the bird recorder's life would be much simpler! On taxonomics I do not dispute the need to update orders but personally I'd like to see a "traditional" sequence established and optional at least in systems like BirdTrack, it is so hard having to keep rearranging the sequence in your brain - and indeed for recorder work I do everything locally in EURING.

Constrained to be even more locally focused I again had a bash at the Patchwork challenge contest, for my "Gosford Bay" patch (3km2 map above) entered in the Coastal Scotland league, achieving 138 species/172 points, which was 1 more species and 2 less points than in 2012 (2013 was dented badly by atlas). These totals were dwarfed by some others in the same league who were heading up towards 200 species/400 points, swamped by great lists of fantastically rare birds, many of which have never been seen here and even with 24hrs/day coverage would surely never have been reached - so it is somewhat a relief that islands will be separated out into their own league this year, which will hopefully make things look slightly less out of balance!

No time for a real "review of the year" but highlights on patch were the November eclipse drake Garganey (8th Nov record in Scotland), lingering female Marsh Harrier in summer, migrant juvenile Yellow Wagtail, winter Black Guillemot, Little Auk and Pom Skua, and patch ticks of Green Woodpecker, Little Tern and Little Egret, the latter also a garden tick. A massive influx of terns, mainly Sandwich but including Roseates, will live long in the memory (ring resightings still coming in) whilst two species missed on patch were also terns, Black and ... Bridled! Other species I'm aware that I missed were Osprey and Wood Sandpiper, the latter at Blindwells particularly galling as it would also have been a patch tick, and I did make several visits around that date - maybe next year? Overall, now at least 155 species seen in this 3km2 patch, so more could certainly be achieved if I could find the time.

Will close this post with a few shots from Aberlady and Gosford early Nov, camera now defunct, Santa hasn't supplied a new one...

Wknd 4-5 October

9 Whoopers, including a family of 4 juvs fresh in from their first trip over the Atlantic, in stubble N of Muirton late Sunday; on floods there 98 Lapwing and 10 Teal.

Earlier in the Forth, in one scan at 16:30hrs: 146 juvs and 24 ads/sub-ads Gannets, 3 ad Little Gulls W, dark skua W (probably Arctic), many auks, mainly Razorbill; on the Seton Burn, ad Med Gull red-7P8, Greenshank, 62+ Wigeon and still 13 Sandwich Tern; Gosford Sands: 96 Grey Plover, 52 Dunlin, 14 Sanderling and the leucistic Bar-tailed Godwit.

In Longniddry - Chiffs calling most days, Grey Wagtail very prominent of late, both owls heard, and mewing Buzzards enjoying the Indian summer weather.

Blog neglected of late - just too busy these days!

Sandwich Terns, Port Seton

A busy summer with a Sandwich Tern influx on the Forth coast, many ringed with 3 character coloured darvic rings - too great an opportunity to miss and I managed to stop off near high tide most days to read rings; the terns also brought a few Roseates with them which attracted skilled observers with high power scopes (mine is just 27x!) which added to the haul. On average c. 1 in 20 birds had darvics and by 19 August we had recorded 144 codes of which 114 were unique, the 30 others were re-reads [162 codes, 125 unique by 4/9]. c. 25% of the birds were juveniles, apparently resulting from a bumper breeding season on the east coast, and many of these had been ringed, just over 50% of darvics being on juvenile birds. Some details here derived from histories returned by the ringers (usually same day!), along with a selection of photos.

First batch here are the general aspect of terns on the rocks at Wrecked Craigs, on the day of the highest count - 1400 on 7 August (following a roost count of 2000 at Aberlady the previous day, by far the biggest count here for 10 years), and ring-readers in action on 8 August (with Andrew Barker, Dave Allan and Billy Barber, who found the Bridled Tern at same spot in July, photo (c) Michael Welch). Best views are on the rising tide which brings them in very close to the prom wall and on the highest tides eventually flushes them all off, whence they often commence fishing; on windy days and with lower tides they tend to remain further east at Long Craigs rocks and spread along the coast.

They flush quite often but usually resettle nearby as there is virtually no other dry ground between Musselburgh and Craigielaw Point at high tide.

Rings come in various colours (red, dark blue, green, white, yellow and light green), in first below is a light-green darvic (NCV, central) on a juvenile ringed this year in the Netherlands:

In fact four Dutch-hatched juvs were seen up to 18 August, when NA7 was present:

One adult bird from Netherlands was also present on several dates, initially causing confusion by its symmetrical dark markings; this turned out to be blue-NFA which had been dyed yellow (picric acid) to facilitate local tracking in its colony:

Overall c. 60% of the birds were originally colour-ringed at Forvie in NE Scotland with rings starting "E", in five colours, though these did include a few which had previous to that been ringed as chicks in Northumbs. Green and blue rings had been used at Forvie for 2014, just 11 of these were seen, e.g. green-ETP:

The quickest arrival of such was in three days, green-EHS present here on 8 August having been on the Ythan on the 5th.

Most juveniles were however from Northumbs colonies, 40 birds with blue or red rings starting "U", for example blue-UAV, blue-UVL, red-UCJ and red-USS below. Photos such as these are being gathered for analysis of progression of moult on birds of known age.

Northwards dispersal is typical from these colonies, as it is in NE Scotland (to the Moray Firth), an example being blue-UZS, ringed Coquet 12 July, here at Seton on 31 August but at Findhorn on 23 September. This year there were 181 and 105 chicks ringed on Farnes and Coquet, so we had here 17.1 and 8.6% of all those ringed, respectively. Calculations based on resighting rates suggest that the minimum number of birds in the area was approximately 5 times the observed totals, thus getting on for half of the Northumbs birds have perhaps come into the Forth this year. Worth comparing with Roseates too, which have also done well on Coquet, 93 juvs ringed, if they behave in a similar manner we're expect to have seen 8 of them in the Forth - birds have indeed been seen on several occasions, including up to 3 together, as per Sandwich Terns it seems likely the total number of birds involved will have been many more than those seen at any one time.

The Forvie-ringed adults have much more complex histories, with 12 (35%) now breeding in Northumbs and two seen this year in the Dutch colonies and another in the German part of the Waddensee. This means that overall 55% of birds have arrived from Northumbs colonies. For example white-EFN and white-EKN, together below, were ringed at Forvie in 2010 and bred this year on Coquet and Inner Farne, respectively:

The oldest few were ringed as chicks 13-14 yrs ago and some have been sighted at many locations over the years. White-EAP below, present on 18 August, was ringed as an adult on the Ythan in 2010, and present there in 2011 and 2012, but in between seen in Namibia on 2 March 2012, 13 March 2013 and 23 February 2014.

Initial northwards dispersal is typical of many birds from Forvie too, though clearly some come south with their young; more complex patterns can occur too, e.g. blue-EDB at Forvie on 18 June, then here on 8 August but was back round at Findhorn by 17 August; by contrast white-EZH, a 2008 chick which breeds at Forvie was at Findhorn from 27 July to 9 August but appeared here on 19 August.

In addition to the above, three 2014 juveniles from the huge colony at Blakeney Point in Norfolk were seen (blue-KF3, blue-KF4 and blue-K3D), 50 had been ringed in 2013.

What does all of this tell us? Overall there have been over 1500 resightings of the Forvie darvic ringed birds which for low cost will give good insights into the dispersal and migration strategy of this species. Though many travel huge distances over the whole course of the migration they clearly set off in different directions, and an interesting question is whether those initially heading north use a route overland, e.g. Forvie birds which go round to the Moray Firth then proceed down the Great Glen, or eventually return south down the east coast. Here in the Forth we get nocturnal migrant Sandwich Terns annually, e.g. over Longniddry from early August to late September it is common to hear an apparent south/south-west departure, often on generally damp days or during light rain; sometimes single birds but more usually ad+juv calling to each other, or sometimes small flocks. This year there have been far more than normal (11/9: 1 heard 23:10hrs; 10/9: 3+ ad, juv S 21:00hrs; recent showers, last calls well S; 6/9: 4+, at least 2 sets ad+juv SW 22:17hrs, heavy showers earlier, full moon now through clouds; 1/9: c. 10 group ads/juvs SW 21:50hrs roughly over club house; 17/8: 1+ SW 23:10hrs 17/8 some distance W, last call well S; 2/8: 2+ S 00:15hrs probably retreated; 2/7: 2+ heard 23:00hrs over Gosford saw mill). Common Terns occasionally do the same. Overland dispersal of these species has been studied between Teesmouth and Merseyside (paper), it is likely something similar happens from the Forth and probably further north. The results from Namibia show that some at least travel right to the South Atlantic, but small numbers also winter in northern France and Ireland, and indeed this year we had one in the Forth in January, so there is interest there too.

Finally it is worth mentioning the "cohort" colour-ringed birds from Forvie, a study that ran for 53 year until 2013, c/o Alistair Smith. These are simple colour band combinations, e.g. red over blue below, indicating the year of ringing. A bare minimum of 8 of these birds were logged, two just with single bands remaining, but without unique identification (short of capturing them!) no individual histories are available - they do tell us something about longevity (a lime over dark green bird recorded in 2018 was the first resighting here from the 2002 cohort!).

Other darvic birds logged in the period were a Whimbrel (yellow-A39) ringed on passage in Wales (on 24 April 2012, at Llanon between Aberystwyth and Aberaeron, one of very few sightings so far on this scheme), and this immature Great Blackback yellow-T:32E from NE Scotland:

As posted on LBN a couple of Peregrines disturbed the terns but put on a stunning display in pursuit of a Turnstone on 16 August. Many waders use the same rocks giving great views, including this Knot with fading breeding plumage:

Other birds logged for the patch were two Greenshank on the shore and an adult Little Gull W past in stormy weather on 17 August, and earlier on last day of July a patch tick Yellow Wagtail (a juvenile based on paler chest, prominent malar stripe, tips on median coverts faded to white):

First Wheatear, a juv, on Saturday 16 August:

Final shots below of terns feeding over the Forth, a misty Inchkeith in the background, and the Seton shore at dusk:

Wknd 21-22 June

WeBS ponds largely deserted on Sunday but old friend the drake Mandarin showed up again at East Fortune ponds a couple of years absence (previous records 18/7/10, 17/7+16/8/11). Wonder where it's been hanging out since? Seems there have been none in Lothian since late 2011 in Edinburgh, possibly same bird, with one in March 2010 at Haddington also possibly same? Gladhouse birds not reported since a pair in 2008, and female in 2009, perhaps they did not survive there beyond that date?

On owls it seems this is a bumper year for breeding locally and Long-eareds in particular seem to have produced lots of young. With thanks to various correspondents who have made efforts to look we've had birds at 10 sites in Lothian within last couple of weeks, of which now all 10 have had hunger-calling chicks with brood size up to 5! On Friday, after detecting 3 young birds in pines in hills near Edinburgh, Harry Dott and I were fortunate to watch a couple of young hunting over heather at c. 22:30hrs, remarkably still persistently hunger-calling while doing so. Also a Cuckoo dashing round the same site. Locally I've also had a couple of Barn Owls taking prey to young, and young Tawnys this week at Gosford north wood and Redcoll. However despite it apparently being a good Quail year, with lots of reports particularly in Scotland, some further north than usual, I have failed to find any in the hinterland behind Longniddry, locations I found them in both 2009 and 2011, still time yet though.

On the coast, not many gulls around but the black darvic young Danish GBB was again at Port Seton on Saturday. A ringed Kittiwake stood by the Seton Burn. Many auks feeding out in the Forth, 140+ Guillemot in Gosford Bay Sunday, with Razorbills and 2 Puffins, a Puffin setting off with fish offshore from Prestonpans last week, a long journey to the colonies from there. Also 70 Velvet Scoter and 100+ Common Scoter well out in Gosford Bay Sunday. Nice also to see first returning Goosander, 8 f/imm along the shore, fishing in shallows as they do in characteristic "head in the water" fashion. Also at Seton, 4 Turnstone at dusk on the longest day, which are either very early returning or young birds which never went north. Possibly the latter as none were in bright adult breeding plumage and post-breeding moult is supposed to start late June, and also per BWP "Age of first breeding, Finland, 2 years (Bergman 1946), but (circumstantially) 4 years, USSR (Bianki 1967)". Lots of Common Tern along the coast feeding, courtship feeding and heading west with fish, also 4 Sandwich Tern at Aberlady during the week. [Monday - 130 Common Scoter in bay and 2 Great Crested Grebe at Ferny Ness, also first juvenile Guillemot with parent].

Was also up at Pishwanton on Saturday where pleasing sight of a Spotted Flycatcher FF with large insect prey. Blindwells Mute Swans have 4 smallish cygnets. Finally, not a bird, but my first rabbit in Longniddry, a juvenile behind the play group hut outside the church, a long way - 300+m each way - from safety.

Not current, but of note, Shag red-TSZ here as a juvenile in 2009 subsequently seen in Norfolk (map).

Wknd 14-15 June

Eider duckling at Port Seton, Wrecked Craigs, my first ever (small one) there though I don't look that often in summer. Aberlady would be the nearest possible source, but breeding is now erratic there. Inchkeith is another possible source, since ducklings are often seen at Musselburgh but have not nested there for many years it is believed that those birds have crossed the sea - approx distances for closest crossings are 3 miles to Leith shore, but 6 miles direct to Musselburgh and 8 miles to Port Seton - quite a journey for a duckling! Presumably the sole survivor from a larger brood and looking pretty vulnerable with large gulls all around, protective mum saw off a second female Eider which was showing an interest, though "aunties" often have a role in caring for creches in this species.

Otherwise - just 137 Eider there, 7 females; sea duck well down overall, a real summer lull with just 35 Common Scoter, 14 Velvet Scoter and 10 Red-breasted Merganser in Gosford Bay/shore, a mere 22 Barwits along the sands.

This might be the answer - 5 Eider ducklings at Kilspindie, Aberlady, Wednesday evening, so looks like they have indeed had success there this year, though no ducklings apparent (yet?) amongst 85+ Shelduck on the salt marsh. I've also been sent a photo of juvenile Woodcocks hiding on the edge of the salt marsh, but from where?! [Postscript - ID error, they were Lapwing!]

Checking historical records it seems that 80-85 Eider nests were typical early 1980's with up to 600 pairs at Aberlady, but significant declines since with many years of poor breeding producing just a handful of young and evidence of failures, e.g. 14 young but 47 eggs predated in 1996, though some years bucking the trend with still 57 young in 1997 and 40 young as recently as 2006. I expect crow predation is a big factor as their numbers can be very high in the area.

Thursday - just two Eider ducklings diving round towards Greencraigs bay; later at dusk hunger calls of a juvenile Tawny Owl in Gosford Estate wood audible from the A198.

Wknd 7-8 June

Local birding again this weekend, close to home juvenile Tree Sparrows found along the Braid Burn past the community centre, first young I have seen in the village following first breeding season records this spring of birds flying over garden. Less positive in Fernyness Wood where negative again on Spotted Flycatcher, but 4 singing Chiffchaff there. A nocturnal visit produced a wavering hoot Tawny Owl but no young heard.

10 years ago today - the 8th of June was my first proper day birding here in Lothian, visiting to view a house; started at Longniddry station from the last train doing a night walk to Aberlady - first birds logged were juv Tawny Owls calling from the Tollbar Strip along the coast road past Gosford, then nocturnal song of Grasshopper Warbler on Aberlady salt marsh; on return via Craigielaw a Lesser Whitethroat was singing from the buckthorn at Harestanes Wood, and a Sedge Warbler at the Old Coast road bridge in Longniddry; then on to Seton where Grey Partridges at 3 locations and a Spotted Flycatcher in the Dean, followed by Sedge Warblers again at Blindwells. A great place to live I thought! Looking back that was not a bad haul for early June in places I'm now very familiar with, the owls are still here fledging young in Fernyness Wood most years [PS - juv calling Gosford, near ponds, 18/6], Grey Partridge still cling on at Seton though three prs in a morning would be good now, whilst I've only twice since seen Spotted Flycatchers (Fernyness Wood 23/5/10 and Seton Chapel 3/6/10).

I may post some other reflections analysing my general records here in due course - c. 35k bird records logged for Lothian totalling c. 2.5 million individual birds, probably several times that actually seen when including gull roosts done weekly or daily at times but not counted, and of course the Bass Rock! A total of 196 (self-found) species recorded locally (98 from the garden), plus a few more hybrids, escapes, etc, these confined to places I've been by bike in northern East Lothian, with a couple more elsewhere in Lothian and another handful of species "twitched". 1000+ colour rings read, and a massive atlas project completed. Some happy memories, as well as a few that got away!

Dusk at Gosford Sands below, 22:30hrs, in fact pale blue can still be discerned in the northern sky even at the darkest part of the night at this time of the year, weather permitting.

Wknd 31 May - 1 June

Into June and onset of summer birding - cycling round the area as far as Macmerry produced a few of those increasingly valued rural species, Grey Partridge, Kestrel, Stock Dove, 2 Oycs, Swift and stacks of Tree Sparrow, also Barn Owl; but negative on Quail and Spotted Flycatcher and also blank at Penston where territorial Yellow Wagtail in 2012, brief look only last year. One find was an occupied GSW nest in a tree full of holes between Chester Hall and Greendykes, a species I failed to nail for NT47H in Longniddry Dean last year, so a late atlas confirmation (increase from 6 to 23 confirmed in East Lothian north of the Tyne).

A crepuscular trip on Monday via Redcoll, Cottyburn and Spittal again yielded no Quail, in places occupied in previous years, but one Sedge Warbler, two hooting Tawny Owls and two more Barn Owls, one of which first spotted on a road sign c. 23:15hrs, then hunting over cereal, plunged to make a kill then flew over my head with prey in one foot, a strong clue to breeding.

May patchwork total now 115 species (137 points) which is already 94% of last year, mainly because last year I was elsewhere a lot of the time for atlas. No comparison with the amazing achievements of John on Tiree!

Down at the beach very little on Gosford Bay or Sands, 10 Greylags roosted, but report of 2k Common Scoter off Musselburgh so it seems many of our remaining sea duck have moved down there - leaving me to wonder how the Queen Eider got past here!