Common Scoter Black Scoter Surf Scoter
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4 " & ! #$ -1 95 % 0 !" &'(v )hyy"rqhh)vv))! r!yq The maximum counted in Britain during were much lower than for 2004/05. As this WeBS Core Counts was higher than in recent species is present in substantial numbers years, though as demonstrated by offshore, annual fluctuations in land-based supplementary counts from offshore aerial counts should be interpreted with caution, as surveys, this vastly underestimates the true they can be strongly influenced by the sea- total numbers present. Dedicated counts made conditions on the day of a count. The in Carmarthen Bay found in excess of 20,000 maximum for Northern Ireland was again very birds for the fifth year running. On the North low with just a handful of birds recorded from Norfolk Coast, the Core Count peak was the the main coastal sites; no counts were received highest since 2001/02 whilst counts on the for the sea off Dundrum Bay which is Moray Firth, Alt Estuary and Forth Estuary traditionally the main site for this species in were also higher than in recent years. Counts the province. in St Andrews Bay and Lavan Sands, however, Aerial surveys employing distance sampling Area Date Counted Estimate (confidence intervals) Ref Liverpool Bay Feb 23,439 60,215 (32,249-99,514) Smith et al. 2007 Carmarthen Bay Feb 14,652 28,456 (18,154-44,736) Banks et al. 2007 Aberdeen Bay May 455 not available S!hle et al. 2006 Luce Bay Feb 265 not available S!hle et al. 2006 Moray Firth Jan 205 not available S!hle et al. 2006 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 Mon Mean Sites of international importance in the UK Carmarthen Bay 20,078 31 23,288 25 20,271 43 24,460 43 20,287 43 Dec 21,677 Sites of national importance in Great Britain Colwyn Bay (5,194) 31 (7,436) 31 (1,737) (252) (2,891) Oct (7,436) Moray Firth (3,072) (8,351) (7,987) 4,265 6,842 Jan 6,861 North Norfolk Coast 8,008 5,051 2,252 4,866 6,830 Jan 5,401 Cardigan Bay 4,045 (4,219) (198) (183) (339) Feb 4,132 Conwy Bay (3,336) 31 (1,424) 31 (3,336) Aberdeen Bay 2,992 56 3,475 56 3,514 56 Jan 3,327 Alt Estuary 1,900 12 1,818 2,169 3,000 4,300 Mar 2,637 Forth Estuary 2,557 28 3,255 1,349 (985) 1,495 Dec 2,164 St Andrews Bay 1,705 584 1,170 2,660 447 Sep 1,313 Dee Estuary (England and 4,000 10 5 26 17 40 Jan 818 Wales) Durham Coast (30) (151) (0) (40) 685 Nov 685 Sites of all-Ireland importance in Northern Ireland Dundrum Bay 828 21 (0) (0) (0) (0) 828 Sites no longer meeting table qualifying levels in WeBS-Year 2005/2006 The Wash 150 452 (15) 372 100 Dec 269 "(" <, ! % *+ ,%# " ' % The long-staying Black Scoter at individual has wintered in the area since 1999 Llanfairfechan Saltings, Lavan Sands was but has only been recognised as a full species recorded during the January WeBS count. This by WeBS since 2005 (Sangster et al. 2005). 8" <, ! % *+ ,%# " !" % Apart from a single bird at Findhorn Bay in singles at this site in November, December, October all other records of Surf Scoter were February and March. Other singles were in from the Forth Estuary, two were recorded at Largo Bay in November and December. Shell Bay to Ruddons Point in October, with 88 <*" ! 1 #$ 6 0&: 95 % &'(v )hyy"rqhh)vv))! r!yq The British maximum was slightly lower than the Forth Estuary was the lowest since the during the previous year and was recorded two 2000/01 winter, whilst counts at St Andrews months later. The majority of birds were noted Bay were also extremely low. At all sites, in Scotland with a scattering throughout however, counts can be heavily influenced by coastal sites in England and just two visibility and sea-conditions on the dates of the individuals recorded in Wales, at the Dysynni counts. Away from Scotland, the North Estuary. The highest site total was typically at Norfolk Coast remains the only site with mean the Moray Firth, although the peak was lower numbers in excess of 30 birds. Unusual inland than average; the majority of the birds there records came from Chew Valley Lake with were found off Culbin Bar. The peak count on three there in November and one in December. 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 Mon Mean Sites of national importance in Great Britain Moray Firth 610 4,398 2,103 1 1,169 1 1,261 Feb 1,908 Forth Estuary 1,923 1,487 1,008 1,007 775 Dec 1,240 St Andrews Bay 800 2 90 1,050 8 Sep 390 Lunan Bay 400 105 (300) 125 120 Sep 210 Aberdeen Bay offshore 17 56 50 56 89 56 Sep 52 North Norfolk Coast 41 55 14 45 25 Feb 36 C = <, " % *+ ,%) %# " % 95 The first-ever records of Barrow's Goldeneye presumably the same bird was also reported during WeBS were from Strangford Lough from the north of the lough in February, during 2005/06. This bird spent most of the leading to the apparent total of two birds for winter at Quoile Pondage, although what was Northern Ireland. = -: #$ & 95 % & 95 Since the peak in the late 1990s, the British Lower Lough Erne and Belfast Lough, though indices have shown a pattern of sustained increased peaks were noted from Strangford decline. In Northern Ireland, the decline has Lough, Larne Lough and the Outer Ards. No been steeper, with a slight drop in the index sites in Great Britain held peaks more than value following two years of relative stability. 1,000 birds recorded, with the peak for the Due to a major increase in the international 1% Inner Moray and Inverness Firths peak being threshold (from 4,000 to 11,500), the UK no extremely low. At the Humber Estuary, the longer has any sites that support internationally low total was largely due to no count being important numbers, though Loughs Neagh and received from the key section of Goxhill to Beg continue to hold far greater numbers than New Holland. However, the Firth of Clyde and any other site. Numbers there were slightly Abberton Reservoir peaks were notably higher down on the previous year, as were peaks at than in previous years. 89 Avt r( h 6hyvqvpr rqs Byqrr"r Avt r( i H!y"vqvprs Byqrr"rs B7 s B7hirI iry hirI iry 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 Mon Mean Sites of national importance in Great Britain Forth Estuary 1,113 1,241 (753) 879 (365) Jan 1,078 Inner Moray and Inverness Firth 993 1,352 10 709 1 1,165 1 186 Feb 881 Abberton Reservoir (619) 469 431 394 588 Mar 500 Rutland Water 450 428 511 420 521 Jan 466 Humber Estuary 208 618 296 595 (24) Jan 429 Inner Firth of Clyde 321 264 (514) 159 636 Feb 379 Hornsea Mere 294 (480) 12 235 325 280 Apr 323 Loch of Skene 270 (192) 298 207 334 Jan 277 Tweed Estuary 312 240 390 273 140 Mar 271 Solway Estuary (122) (254) (188) (126) (76) Mar (254) Morecambe Bay 221 280 204 (297) (247) Jan 250 Sites of all-Ireland importance in Northern Ireland Loughs Neagh and Beg 6,454 3,661 4,497 5,787 5,688 Feb 5,217 Lower Lough Erne 218 (337) 319 254 Feb 282 Strangford Lough 256 295 253 161 187 Feb 230 Belfast Lough 140 12 249 242 10 164 10 103 Feb 180 Larne Lough 189 130 95 73 155 Feb 128 Other sites surpassing table qualifying levels in WeBS-Year 2005/2006 in Great Britain Loch Leven 249 153 86 385 289 Nov 232 Other sites surpassing table qualifying levels in WeBS-Year 2005/2006 in Northern Ireland Outer Ards Shoreline 63 65 2 181 Jan 78 > , )" " % *+ ,%# " 2" % The only record was from Chilham & natural vagrancy cannot be ruled out), are only Chartham Gravel Pits in December. Hooded very rarely recorded during WeBS counts, this Mergansers, which generally are assumed to being the eighth location to host the species. relate to escapes from captivity (although 90 - ! -1 #$ 6 - ' % 95 &'(v )hyy"rqhh)vv))! r!yq Following the extremely low British total in Smew such as Lee Valley Gravel Pits, Rye 2004/05, the maximum rose somewhat this Harbour and Pett Level, Abberton Reservoir year, but was still low in comparison to other and Fen Drayton Gravel Pits were also lower recent years. The peak count at the key site, than in recent years. Conversely, Cotswold Wraysbury Gravel Pits, was much lower than Water Park (West), Thorpe Water Park, in recent years, as was the case with many Pitsford Reservoir and Rutland Water all other wildfowl species at this site, potentially supported higher than average counts. The due to increased disturbance there. Counts at maximum count of three in Northern Ireland several of the other regular sites for wintering was not unusually low. 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 Mon Mean Sites of national importance in Great Britain Wraysbury Gravel Pits 66 63 55 68 38 Jan 58 Cotswold Water Park (West) 31 (32) 20 18 33 Feb 27 Dungeness Gravel Pits 32 18 33 14 17 Mar 23 Lee Valley Gravel Pits 23 29 23 8 9 Dec 18 Rye Harbour and Pett Level 20 28 19 10 8 Feb 17 Thorpe Water Park 6 11 18 10 20 Dec 13 Seaton Gravel Pits and River 11 7 12 14 8 11 Jan 10 Twyford Gravel Pits 7 12 10 Fen Drayton Gravel Pits 15 11 16 4 5 Dec 10 Sonning Eye & Henley Rd GPs (3) (9) (0) 9 9 Rutland Water 12 8 8 4 14 Jan 9 Middle Tame Valley Gravel Pits (8) (5) (1) (0) (8) Abberton Reservoir (9) 4 5 9 (1) Nov 7 Thrapston Gravel Pits (2) 2 11 7 Ouse Fen & Pits (Hanson/RSPB) (0) 2 10 10 Jan 7 Little Paxton Gravel Pits 4 8 4 12 5 Jan 7 Marsh Lane GPs Hemingford Grey 6 9 5 Jan 7 Bedfont and Ashford Gravel Pits 6 (6) 6 Pitsford Reservoir 9 2 3 3 11 Jan 6 Belhus Woods Country Park 0 7 10 6 0 5 Grange Waters Complex 2 11 0 5 5 Dec 5 Colne Valley Gravel Pits 0 6 (8) 7 6 Jan 5 Cassington & Yarnton GPs (0) (0) 10 1 5 Feb 5 Tophill