Of twitchers and ringers

Late June saw me squeeze in a couple of quality twitches- first up was a splendid 1st summer male Ortolan in Morar, followed the next day by good views of a Blyth's reed warbler near Inverurie- at one point it even started to sing! Unfortunately the Ortolan was trapped and ringed and never seen again which was a shame as a number of birders were enroute to see what is a very rare bird for mainland Scotland. I was grateful to have been invited to see the bird before the ringers intervened as I would have been very miffed to have dipped under such circumstances. I can appreciate the scientific value of some ringing methodologies but the seemingly growing trend of targeting a scarcity in order to obtain a 'ringing tick' appears to be a worrying development within some sections of the ringing fraternity. Each to their own of course, but with so much 'guidance' given to birders and photographers concerning birds' welfare I wonder if, when and how it will/may become necessary to mitigate for ringing activities that have questionable scientific objectives in a similar way? 

1st summer male Ortolan.

As anticipated July has seen a major slump in terms of quality birds to be seen in the North of Scotland- largely a function of continuing challenging weather conditions, coupled with the usual interlude to migration. In consequence I have concentrated on gathering breeding evidence from my local patches in order to put the information onto the BTO bird track system that gets forwarded to the highland recorder for inclusion in the Highland bird report. I've managed some good records for the area including recently fledged chicks of redstart, winchat, grey wagtail and ring ouzel in addition to the commoner species such as spotted flycatcher, lesser redpoll, siskin, ringed plover and oystercatcher. Two barn owls visiting a probable nest site was an unexpected bonus as these birds have been slow to recover from  a couple of  back to back harsh winters a number of years ago. I have also seen two Black-throated diver chicks and enjoyed marvellous scope views of an adult in its magnificent summer plumage. 

common sandpiper

Barn owl

Ringed plover chick

Oystercatcher chick

Courting couples & sad singles

Well I think it is official - spring has been dire for birds (and birders) in the NW Highlands- it has rained almost every day in May (and late April) and temperatures have rarely got up to 12 degrees celsius. Strong NW and W airflow has just compounded the misery for all concerned. My considerable time on local patches indicates that some migrants have been almost two weeks late in arriving, compared to 'typical' spring movements for up here, with densities of returning birds still remaining low. Following extensive field time I have however had small successes- in the form of a single pair of redstarts displaying and holding territory. Similarly, a single pair of winchats are now also on territory. In consideration of the expansive and suitable habit for these species, only a single pair of each causes me some concern and I wonder how long it will be before these species become locally extinct? A few pairs of spotted flycatchers are also nest building, although obviously struggling to find airborne insects. Swallows and martin numbers are just reaching what I would consider 'normal' for the area. Perhaps just as worrying is the number of unpaired birds that remain, with single male wood warbler and just two lone, male, whitethroats still bursting their lungs as they continue to struggle to find suitable mates- low densities are obviously making it difficult to find a date! Hopefully some keen and willing ladies may yet show up for the unpaired males although time is running short. Hmm- perhaps I sense a horrible analogy to my own situation! ;). Wheatear numbers are also low and a small number of males have also failed to find partners and can still be heard singing in a last ditch attempt to find a partner- I have watched these sad singles repeatedly chased off the territories of the paired birds. On a brighter note I saw a single, recently fledged grey wagtail yesterday- begging for food, so at least one of the three pairs that I am aware of have had a modicum of success. Hopefully June will see better conditions and increased breeding success. 

where are the ladies?

I'm alright- she was hard to find but my girlfriend seems impressed!

me too- but she still makes me sing every day!

well I'm still single and well in the brown stuff!

Easterlies bring on the migrants.

A few days of light easterly winds in the southern North sea have brought a steady, albeit light passage of passerines. Yesterday I recorded between 50 and 60 individual birds on and around the main deck. Species composition was varied and interesting although no scarcities have turned up- yet! Below is a cross section of snap shots of the more appealing individuals. Fortunately there is also a substantial population of flying insects around and on the vessel, allowing most individuals to refuel before continuing their push south. 

Wheatear

Pied flycatcher

Redstart

Spotted flycatcher

Tree pipit

Whinchat

Highland spring?

It has been a fairly poor run of weather this 'spring' in the Highland region- a few days of sun here and there but generally much of April and May has been chilly and damp. Migrants have been slow to arrive and with pink- footed geese and white-winged gulls hanging about, it still seems like late March! I have managed to twitch a couple of good birds further south including a subalpine warbler and collared flycatcher at St. Abbs- unfortunately I did not manage any photos. of those beauties! Redstarts and spotted flycatchers are just back on local territories and hirundines remain scarce. Hopefully things will improve soon!!

pinkies- Achnahaird

Iceland gull with common gull- Achnahaird

twite- Mellon Udrigle

Highland coo- Mellon Udrigle

Bluebells- Loch Broom

Black sea- vis. mig. portraits

Wow!- busy, busy!, with lots of migrants on the move over the last few days and with the following species recorded on the deck (not in any particular order) :- pied wagtail(12+), black redstart (1), blackcap (1), redstart (20+), willow warbler (20+), chiffchaff (30+), red-breasted flycatcher (10+), spotted flycatcher (3), robin (8+), wren (1), blackbird (2), song thrush (6), chaffinch (12+), meadow pipit (1), lesser whitethroat (2), red-backed shrike (1) and flying past- lots more of the same and scores of swallows and a dozen or so skylarks! Also had visits from sparrow hawk and two red-footed falcons.

Here's a selection of some portrait shots:-

red-breasted flycatcher

red-breasted flycatcher

black redstart

lesser whitethroat

redstart (male)

red-backed shrike

spotted flycatcher

Redstart sortie

Had a couple of hours in a local glen this afternoon, with the target species being redstart- a species that is showing a very noticeable decline in the NW highlands. Everything was generally quiet although eventually I did locate a pair of these wonderful woodland birds. Getting a photograph was very difficult however, as I could not get too close, with the birds obviously carrying food to a nest site in one of the old alder trees. Eventually the male popped up briefly (and distantly) and I managed a poor record shot through heavy vegetation.

male redstart

I recorded 24 species in my two hour stint with only a wheatear and a meadow pipit offering any photo opportunities- if only the redstart had been this obliging!

meadow pipit

wheatear

I decided to take a short-cut across an open expanse of marsh on my return walk but quickly reverted to the woodland when I became the focus of a very vocal lapwing- oops!

lapwing

A cracking male reed bunting and a snipe were the only birds of note on the walk back to my mountain bike and the 5 mile ride home.