The Eider is the quarterly newsletter of the Argyll Bird Club Scottish Charity The Eider Number June 2002 SC008782

Editorial Nigel has found it increas- you all to make The Eider these dates, the deadline Editor ingly difficult to find time the voice of the club. for articles, letters, no- to edit The Eider. I have While I am happy to col- tices etc for inclusion in Steve Petty, Craigielea, Kames agreed to take over the late and edit members’ The Eider will be the 1st reins temporally, until contributions, its success day of each publication Tighnabruaich, Argyll PA21 2AE another suitable candi- will depend all of you. month. Needless to say, date makes him or herself contributions before these Phone 01700 811235 known. We are all greatly After this issue I will try my cutoff dates would be very indebted to Nigel for the best to get the Eider pub- much appreciated. E-mail: [email protected] effort and time that he lished as near to the 15th has devoted to the edito- day of the following Ideally, contributions rial role over last few months: should be sent to me by e- years. mail as file attachments Inside this issue: • September (Microsoft Word or rich Black grouse initiative 2 I want The Eider to be the text format files). How- tool by which members • December ever, do not let this put can influence the future you off, as I am willing to Costa Rican magic 2 direction of the Argyll Bird • March have contributions typed - Club, and make it a worth- all you have to do is write while publication for all • June one! Argyll Bird Report 2 who read it. To give me sufficient time Steve Petty Thus, I am encouraging to produce issues on Recent reports 3

Spring Meeting Recent reports (continued) 4

A successful meeting was Dennis about ospreys, colonisation of the area. Mink-seabird project 5 held on the 13th April at including an account of It’s hard to imagine that the Royal Marine Hotel, their recent breeding suc- eiders have not always Hunters Quay, Dunnon. cess in England and re- been part of the birdlife sults tracking birds to of the area. John Mitchell opened the their winter quarters in meeting with a super ac- Africa with satellite radio Tristan gave the final count of Loch Lomond’s talk; an update about the tags. Just before lunch, Diary Date natural history, inter- Tristan ap Rheinallt Birds of Argyll, which spersed with numerous he is editing. This is an kindly stood in for Paul The autumn meeting will interesting bird observa- Daw to give an update of enormous task, but pro- tions. John’s recent book recent bird sitings. gress is encouraging. take place in the also provided a topic of The book will provide a Cairnbaan Hotel, near conversation (Mitchell, J. Brian Little opened the much-needed update of Lochgilphead on Saturday 2001. Loch Lomondside: afternoon session with a the history of birds in gateway to the Western stunning account of a trip Argyll. The last account 2 November Highlands of Scotland. to Antarctica. Chris was published in 1892 A full programme will London: Harper Collins Waltho followed with an by . Harvie-Brown, J. A. – available in softback update of his work on & Buckley, T. E. (A ver- appear in the next Eider and hardback versions). eiders in the Clyde estu- tebrate fauna of Argyll and (September) ary. This included a fasci- the Inner Hebrides. Edin- This was followed by a nating account of their burgh: David Douglas). fascinating talk by Roy The Eider Help for black grouse Sandra Maclean was ap- lekking males from 35leks. and it is hoped a volunteer pointed Black Grouse Offi- This gives an unhealthy group will be trained up to cer for this average of just under two assist with this. If you are Black grouse April in a project funded by birds per lek, but more interested in getting in- RSPB, Scottish Power, positively there seems a volved and fancy a good Officer SNH, and the Forestry good distribution over the view of one of the most Sandra Maclean Commission. area. bizarre British bird specta- cles to be had, then get in Phone The initial task of the pro- If you know of a Black touch. Sandra’s work is ject was to establish the Grouse lek, or have made now focussed on drawing 01566 850355 Black Grouse population spring /summer sightings of up management plans for size and distribution south these birds please contact key Black Grouse sites and E-mail of the Crinan Canal. Count- me (see box for details). securing funding to get this less early mornings by San- management underway. sandra.maclean@forestry. Historical records are also dra, Forest Enterprise Black Grouse workshops gsi.gov.uk wanted to give a clearer Rangers and other insomni- will also be held for farm- picture of the decline in acs gave a total of around ers and foresters to advise Argyll. Next springs survey (a few more records still to on management and fund- work will begin in April be handed in) sixty five ing opportunities. Something more exotic! • Mixed flocks of American Mike Gear visited northern and western • A lek of collared manakins wood warblers. Costa Rica during 2-17 March 2002. doing their incredible wing- The close proximity of many wonderful cracking, electric display • Brightly-coloured tanagers birds and animals had to be top of the list flights around us flitting around fruiting trees for most in the group. Here are a few or feeding stations. highlights from Mike: • An Agami heron secretly fishing in the gloom under • The challenge of identify- • A male resplendent quetzal dense foliage above a ing 33 species of hum- posing only a few feet from us stream. mingbirds or 46 species of while its mate called gently tyrant flycatchers close by. • Several Tamandua anteat- ers snuffling up their food. • Huge kettles of hawks and • A fight of roseate spoonbills vultures migrating to their dropping into a pool to roost. • Or a spider monkey demon- breeding grounds in North strating the use of a prehen- America. • The first pairs of scarlet ma- sile tail in modern gymnas- caws high above us as they tics. And, for everyone the thrill of being flew over the rainforest calling in true rainforest, with water drip- loudly. For others it was a slightly bigger ping from the vast trees after a picture: shower, was almost indescribable. • Black skimmers sitting on a mud bank waiting for the tide to • All six species of toucans Note: extracts from Mike’s diary of drop. seen during the trip. the trip will appear in the next Eider

Argyll Bird Report

Argyll Bird Report vol. 16 [with System- late, so I won’t repeat them here. One this, we expected the Bird Report in atic List of records for year 2000] has been of the main reasons was the lateness May, but further delays at the printers severely delayed but it is now expected in with which some bird records for (beyond our control) perhaps make mid-June. Corrected proofs were sent to 2000 were sent to Paul Daw (County this unrealistic now. Please, therefore, the printers at the start of May. I apologise Recorder). In that Editorial I also make sure that all 2001 records reach to members for its late appearance. In the make suggestions for overcoming this Paul as soon as possible – and cer- Editorial of the volume that is about to problem, mainly a request that all tainly by the end of July! appear, I give fuller details of why it is so 2001 records should be sent to Paul “by midsummer 2002”. When I wrote Clive Craik Page 2 June 2002 Species Locality Date

Recent Reports from Paul Daw Corn Crake Friesland, Co11 18th April February—April 2002 Corn Crake Tiree Airport 22nd April Corn Crake , Mull 28th April

Common Sandpiper Lochdon, Mull 29th March As this is the edition of the Eider in which arri- Common Sandpiper Hynish, Tiree 20th April val dates of spring migrants are reported I th have produced a table (opposite) of first re- Common Tern Hynish Bay, Tiree 25 April cords received so that you can see at a glance Sound of Mull 5th May Common Tern the earliest dates submitted so far. I have th Arctic Tern Mull 9 May given, where available, the first dates for each th Little Tern The Reef, Tiree 19 April of the recording areas. If any of you have fur- Little Tern Crossapol Bay, Coll 30th April ther information please let me know. It is good Cuckoo Ledmore, Mull 7th April to have an overall picture of the main arrival Cuckoo Strone & Tayvallich, Mid-Argyll 19th April periods for each species as well as unusually Swift Gigha, Kintyre 15th May early individuals. Once again apologies for th anything of note that has been omitted. Swift , Mull 19 May th Sand Martin Ardyne Point, nr. Dunoon 26 March Rare or unusual birds during this period have th Sand Martin Gorten, Mull 29 March included a Gyr Falcon (I hope someone sends Sand Martin Gruinart, Islay 1st April in a description this time!), a Green-winged Swallow Balephetrish, Tiree 27th March Teal and a Hoopoe on Islay and a King eider Swallow Baugh, Tiree 28th March on Mull and in the Oban area. The Snowy Swallow Lochdon, Mull 3rd April Egret made surprise re-appearance in Argyll. rd After a spell on Arran it was reported at Lower Swallow Loch Gorm, Islay 3 April th th Auchalick (S. of Otter Ferry) on 29 Mar, at the Swallow Appin, North Argyll 8 April head of Loch Shira (near Inveraray) on 30th nd House Martin Kilchurn Castle (L. Awe) 2 April Mar, in Lachlan Bay (opposite Minard) on 1st House Martin Kilninver, Mid-Argyll 6th April Apr, in Loch Gair where it was seen standing opposite wooden figure of a White Stork and House Martin Killiechronan, Mull 22nd April th roosted overnight in garden of club member Tree pipit Lochdon, Mull 19 April Alan McCulloch, on 2nd April and at Port Anne th Tree Pipit Keils, Mid-Argyll 24 April on 3rd Apr. It was back at Balvicar on 5th Apr. Wheatear Kilchoman, Islay 16th March Wheatear Gribun, Mull 17th March If there are any 2001 Argyll bird records still Wheatear Tiree (50+) 1st April out there that have not been submitted please Whinchat Croig, Mull 4th April let me have them as soon as possible. It helps enormously if you follow the guidance on sub- Common Redstart Taynish NNR, Mid-Argyll 9th April mitting records that appeared in the recent Common Redstart Mull 11th May th issue of the Eider - briefly; species, number of Fieldfare Kilberry, Mid-Argyll 29 Mar individuals, specific place and date. Redwing Loch Buie, Mull 9th May Grasshopper Warbler Appin, North Argyll 26th April Divers to Herons Grasshopper Warbler , Mull 28th April th 19 Black-throated Divers were counted in Loch Sedge Warbler Loch Bhasapol, Tiree 30 April th th Caolisport on 27 Feb while 15 Great Northern Sedge Warbler Glen Forsa & Lochdon, Mull 4 May Divers were off Pennycross, Mull on 17th Feb th Common Whitethroat Ford, Mid-Argyll 6 May with 12 in , Mull on 8th April. Common Whitethroat , Mull 6th May Eight Slavonian Grebe were counted at the Garden Warbler Cairnbaan, Mid-Argyll 27th April head of Loch na Keal, Mull on 12th March. Blackcap Kilmory, Mid-Argyll 10th April Blackcap Mull 6th May Wildfowl th Wood Warbler Loch Ba, Mull 30 April On Mull 25 Whooper Swans were noted flying th Common Chiffchaff Kilmory, Lochgilphead, M/A 27 March north at Loch Don on 5th April and a flock of 47 Common Chiffchaff Grasspoint, Mull 30th March Greenland White-fronted Geese were counted Common Chiffchaff Kiloran, Colonsay 30th March at Fidden on 17th February with 71 at th Willow Warbler Taynish NNR, Mid-Argyll 4th April on 14 March. The introduced resident flock of Willow Warbler Gruinart, Islay 6th April Snow Geese numbered 24 at Crossapol, Coll on 30th April. A Green-winged Teal was still Willow Warbler Craignish, Mid-Argyll 6th April present at Gruinart on 31st March. Unusually Willow Warbler Lochdon, Mull 9th April th there have been two records of pairs of Gar- Spotted Flycatcher Torloisk House, Mull 13 May gany; at St Mary's Loch, Loch Awe on 10th Pied Flycatcher Ardura, Mull 25th May th Snow Bunting Gribun, Mull 15 March Page 3 The Eider Recent reports (continued) and at Canal Loch on Coll on 16th May. At Loch nan Stop Press Gad (nr Clachan, Kintyre) 6 Common Pochard were present on 9th Feb. Ten Long-tailed Ducks in Hynish Greater Yellowlegs and Little Egret seen Bay, Tiree on 1st Mar included 5 displaying drakes and on Islay in early May, Great White Egret 8 were in the Sound of Gigha on 9th Feb together with 6 and Green-winged Teal on Tiree and the Velvet Scoters. The large congregation of Common Snowy Egret still doing the rounds with Goldeneyes in Loch Caolisport totalled 165 on 5th Feb. A King Eider drake seen in Tobermory Bay on 27th Mar sightings at Loch Ruel, Loch Fyne and was probably the same individual as was later seen at back at Balvicar in May and early June. Dunstaffnage Bay Mid-Argyll on 3rd April and subse- quently in the Oban Bay area.

Raptors to Gamebirds Passerines

An Osprey flying up Mull 22nd April. Two Merlins at An Passage White Wagtails were at Bowmore, Islay on 27th Fhaodhail, Tiree on 2nd Mar combined forces to catch a March and Strathcoil, Mull on 7th May. Passage of Field- Skylark, while a third bird at Heylipol on the same day fares and Redwings was noted in early Mar on Tiree had it's prey snatched by a Peregrine! A Gyr Falcon and 350 Fieldfares and 400 Redwings were counted in appeared on Islay on 22nd Feb and was present until the Kilmichael Glen, Mid-Argyll on 4th March. A male Ring first few days in April. Ouzel was seen at , Mull on 3rd April. A Firecrest th th was present near Keills, Loch Sween from at least 6 to A Water Rail caught by a cat at The Glebe, Tiree on 4 14th Mar and was seen by several observers as well as Mar died subsequently. Rails and Crakes on Tiree (and being photographed. A Black-billed Magpie was re- possibly elsewhere) seem particularly prone to being ported from Pottie, Mull the second record for the island prey to cats. Loch Nell (nr. Oban) Mid-Argyll was an th in recent months and one was at Baravullin, N Argyll on unusual location for 3 Common Coots 4 Feb. 7th April. Common Linnets were still flocking in late April when 35 were counted together at Ardpatrick (West Waders Loch Tarbert) Mid-Argyll on 27th. There have been two A flock of 76 migrating European Golden Plover were at reports of unusually plumaged Chaffinches in Cowal Totronald, Coll on 18th April with 350+ at Fidden, Mull recently. Firstly a largely white bird but with mostly black on 13th April and a single Eurasian Dotterel was seen wings and tail at Kilfinan during the winter and secondly on , Mull on 29th April. 8th April was an early an almost totally pink bird but which had dark wing date for two Ruffs seen at Loch Gruinart. A flock of 130 feathers with pink centres. The tail was also dark with Sanderling were counted at Balephetrish Bay, Tiree on pink centres. It was seen at bird feeders at Otter Ferry 1st Mar and the wintering Black-tailed Godwit on Tiree (per Tom Callan). Must be something they are putting in re-appeared at Sorobaidh Bay on 3rd Mar. Passage the bird feed there?! Black-tailed Godwits were recorded at Loch na Keal, rd Paul Daw Mull (8 on 23 April). Jack Snipe were reported from Moine Mhor, Mid-Argyll on 19th March and Garvard, Colonsay on 31st Mar. The first passage Whimbrel was seen over the Reef Tiree on 18th April and at Loch na Cille, Mid-Argyll 6 were noted on 27th April. Skuas to Woodpeckers Urgent Great Skuas were noted at Loch Spelve, Mull on 5th April and off Hynish Tiree on 20th April. A 1st winter Ice- land Gull was at Knockvologan, Mull on 17th Feb and 2 2001 Bird Records were seen together at Gruline on the following day. Other records of this species included 3 (included an Please ensure that all your adult) at Oban on 23rd Feb and single 2nd winters at Loch Gilp on 24th Feb, Fidden, Mull on 2nd April and 2001 bird record reach Paul Loch Caolisport on 29th April, a smart adult bird at Loch Daw before 31st July a' Phuill Tiree on 8th April and at least 6 individuals on Islay. A 2nd winter Glaucous Gull was found at Rhuna- haorine Point on 9th Feb and two individuals were re- ported on Islay during the period. Passage Sandwich Terns were reported at Loch a' Phuill, Tiree on 24th Apri- land in Sound of Gigha and West Loch Tarbert on 27th April. Our usual annual Hoopoe was seen this year near the River Laggan on Islay on 12th April. Page 4 Mink-seabird project 2001 June 2002

A characteristic group of seabird In 2001, the seventh successive year Subscription Reminder species breed on islets in the of this project, mink were removed sealochs and sounds of the West from 27 sites in 14 sealochs and Please send any out- Highlands. It consists of cormo- sounds. Seabirds bred normally at 25 rant, shag, black-headed gull, of these sites. At the other two, gulls standing subscriptions herring gull, great black-backed and terns failed to raise young be- for 2002 to Pam Staley gull, lesser black-backed gull, cause of severe predation. At one site common tern, arctic tern, black in Loch Ailort this was definitely by (address below) guillemot, oystercatcher, eider, mink and possibly by mink at the red-breasted merganser and other site in West Loch Tarbert. Thus, Individual £10 mute swan. Since 1985, many the work achieved its aims at 25 of such islets within a kilometre or the 27 sites, but mink removal was Family £15 two of the mainland have lost all inadequate at one or two sites. In or most of their breeding sea- 2001, breeding numbers of common Please makes cheques birds birds. In most cases these terns at Loch Melfort were at a record payable to “Argyll Bird losses have taken place after level, as were number of common whole-colony breeding failures gulls at Kilmaronag in Loch Etive and Club” caused by annual mink predation at Loch Ailort. All three sites have now of eggs and chicks. Some adult been protected from mink for several birds have moved to other is- years. Comparisons of productivity lands, but overall numbers of (number of young raised to flying per Please send several gull and tern species breeding pair) between protected and have decreased. More obviously, unprotected colonies showed that contribution for several entire sealochs or sounds mink removal doubled average pro- are now empty of seabirds every ductivity for several species. the next Eider to summer. This is a serious loss of the editor before biodiversity. Some important Clive Craik tern colonies have been affected, 1st September including the largest colony of Note: this is the summary from a more common terns in the British Isles. detailed report about this important work by Clive—editor Eventually it is hoped to restore breeding seabirds to sites of for- mer colonies, but the main pur- pose of the mink-seabird project is to encourage normal breeding in the most important surviving colonies, so preventing them Officials and Committee of the Argyll Bird Club from disappearing. This is being Chairman: Nigel Scriven, 2 Allt na Blathaich, Lock Eck, Dunoon PA23 8SG achieved by removing mink from the immediate area of each col- Vice Chairman: David Wood, Drover’s House, Bellanoch, Lochgilphead ony early in the year, before the PA31 8SN birds return to breed. As de- scribed in previous reports, this Secretary: John Anderson, Ard Beag, Connel, Oban PA37 1PT has been successful every year since work began in 1995. Sev- Treasurer: Bob Furness, The Cnoc, Tarbet, Loch Lomand G83 7DG eral important tern colonies, in- Membership Secretary: Pam Staley, 16 Glengilp, Ardrishaig PA30 8HT cluding the largest, have been prevented from declining and Editor of the Argyll Bird Report: Clive Craik, Grendon, Barcaldine, Oban disappearing after earlier attacks PA37 1EC by mink, and most of the pro- tected sites have now been kept Committee: Roger Broad (Killearn), , Michael Gear (Appin), Arthur French free of mink for several years. (Dunoon), Peter Kirk (Lochgilphead), Jane Mitchell (Tighnabruaich), John Protecting islands in this way Simpson (Cardross), Bill Staley (Ardrishaig), allows the full range of sealoch Argyll Bird Recorder: Paul Daw, Tigh-na-Tulloch, Tullochgorm, species to breed normally and to maintain their presence. Thus, Minard PA32 8YQ area biodiversity is restored and maintained. Page 5