Highland Birds The newsletter of the Local Group Issue 87 March 2015

Inverness Castle & River Ness © Steve Austin

Andy(rspbHay In this issue…  Indoor reports: Caribbean Capers • 40yrs of Bird Ringing

 Field trip reports: Firth • Christmas Birding • New Year bird count • North Kessock to Tollie •

- images.com)  Future trips: In search of Divers again • Loch Ruthven & Strathdearn • Assynt • Logie Steading walk & Lochindorb • Banff coast & Troup Head

Keith and Rosie are also leading the walk at Logie Editorial Steading on Thursday 7th May. Hopefully there will be some interesting woodland species to see. In the afternoon we will look for Black-throated Divers and Already it’s time for our last Newsletter moorland species at Lochindorb. Meet at the Retail Park at 09.30, or Nairn Bus Station at 10.00. of the season and, as usual, included Contact: Keith and Rosie on 01997 421193 below is your official notification for our AGM in April. On Saturday 13th June we intend to take a boat trip from MacDuff to Troup Head RSPB reserve. Places are Spring is well on the way now. It’s a lovely time of year limited and will be allocated on a first-come first-served and we look forward to some settled weather for getting basis. The cost of the boat will be approximately £25. out and listening to the dawn chorus again. Contact Keith on 01997 421193, or email [email protected] if you wish to come.

Many thanks again for all the contributions to the Keith Barnes Newsletter, and also to the NSRO for their help in the set-up and printing of it. Note: that the drawings are courtesy of RSPB Publishing Resources. Ed From your group leader

Spring is in the air, the birds are singing Official Notification and all looking very smart in their AGM breeding plumage, but there is

something missing at our house, where RSPB Highland Local Group are all the Rooks? Thursday 23 April 2015 – 19.30 I used to grumble at my daily task of lifting all the twigs Fraser park Bowling Club dropped by over ambitious rooks but, strange to say, l MacEwen Drive, Inverness am missing their daily flight over the house. All the nests have gone from the nearby trees – it must have been the gales in February, and the rooks have chosen to start again further along the road and fly the other way for their nesting materials; traitors! John on the other hand is happy about this, mainly because while l was Field trips collecting twigs his task was to protect the garden feeders with chicken wire. March – June 2015 The feeding station for red kites at Tollie has been up and running since March 2010, but still it is not attracting The trip on Saturday 28th March, led by many kites – generally this year between 4 & 6, plus 4 Keith and Rosie Barnes, will once again buzzard and unfortunately many marauding gulls. The be searching for divers on the west site attracts quite a number of visitors who do enjoy the spectacle of close views of swooping kites but we still coast. live in hope of larger numbers coming regularly to the sight. Meanwhile there has not been a satisfactory One day (with a lot of luck) we will find a White-billed outcome to the poisoning of kites and buzzards in April Diver. The meeting point is the Highland Council car last year; it having been labelled as ‘accidental’. park at 09.30 with a second pick-up at Conon Bridge at However, there is still an ongoing criminal investigation. 09.50. Contact: Keith on 01997 421193 Once again l must make an appeal for new committee

th members. The two new members, Hilary and Liz, have On Thursday 9 April Maureen MacDonald will be the proved their value, but some of us feel we have leader when we visit Loch Ruthven, where the outstayed our welcome – you must all be fed up with me. Slavonian Grebes should have returned for the summer, l have been on the committee in various capacities for in and Strathdearn, where we will be searching for Eagles excess of twenty five years! Time for a change, but once and other raptors. Meet at Inverness Retail Park at again l will take on one more year as group leader in the 09.30. Contact: Maureen on 01463 220013 hope that someone will come forward to take over. I

th think that next year we may be in trouble as the three- The trip to Assynt on Saturday 25 April will now be year term for most committee members comes to an led by Keith and Rosie Barnes, and not Andy Summers end. Please let myself or any other committee member as stated in the Programme. Please note the early know if you are considering joining the committee. We meeting time of 08.30 at the Highland Council car park would welcome you with open arms!! with a second pickup at Conon Bridge at 09.00 Contact: Keith and Rosie on 01997 421193 Doreen Manson

Reminders

Seating at Meetings: The front row of seats is available for those of you who have difficulty with walking, seeing or hearing, so please avail yourselves of this facility.

Stamps: Rosie Barnes is still collecting used postage stamps on behalf of the RSPB, where they are still being collected to fund the ‘save the albatross campaign’.

Bad weather contacts: If you are in any doubt that a meeting will take place due to bad weather conditions please contact any committee member for up to date information. In the case of field trips contact the leader for the day. Redshank feeding ©Steve Austin

RSPB Sales. Maureen Macdonald will take orders and someone spotted a Slavonian grebe. Undoubtedly throughout the year for goods from the catalogue. my favourite was the pair of entertaining stonechat who Remember that the group funds benefit from your danced from reed to reed in front of us joined briefly by purchases and you do not pay post and package. their male youngster. Maureen also wants it to be known that she can take orders for bird feed and have it delivered directly to En route to the Nigg hide (and lunch) we passed lots of your door (post-free). mallard and oystercatcher probing sand and weed at the tideline. This field trip was particularly well timed as Field Trips. Please note that all Saturday field trips start it followed the indoor talk by Steph Elliot recounting the at 09.30 unless otherwise stated. restoration of the saltmarsh for wildlife at Nigg Bay nature reserve. The excellent visibility all afternoon was much appreciated at the hide where distant birds can be tricky to identify. A huge number of oystercatchers were nestled down on a sandy peninsular and an even larger Saturday 22 November 2014 group of bar-tailed godwit were hunkered down below and alongside them. It was difficult for me to identify them at first, as bills were well tucked out of sight and After two particularly dreary days of low similar coloured knot were also there. Pintail were seen mist and fog I was not anticipating the plus a few curlew. weather transformation that occurred on On our departure towards Nigg Ferry a peregrine flew the 22nd. Even by the time we reached over the hide fast and high causing no disturbance the canal area the visibility was whatsoever to the normally nervous waders beneath. Someone sagely remarked “He’s obviously had his excellent and a really enjoyable day lunch”. ensued with an excellent count of I don’t think I’ve ever been to the Ferry area at buckthorn (approx.) 63 species. berry time. There was a quite astonishing sight of thicket after thicket of bright orange berries. Initially we were The mouth of the canal had the usual wigeon, red- disappointed that there appeared to be few fieldfare, but breasted merganser, black-headed gull and herring on walking up the back I discovered the bushes were gull with goldeneye and shelduck to be seen much heaving with them, far too busy eating than to be wasting further out. There was a lot of activity in the shrubberies, time lifting their heads to ‘chack chack’ at us! Out in the which were sheltering blue tit, great tit, greenfinch, firth long-tailed duck and eider were spotted together chaffinch, goldcrest, carrion crow, starling, some with a cormorant or two. En route to Balintore whooper noisy house sparrows, wood pigeon, dunnock and a swans were in a field and a buzzard flew overhead. very vocal robin! For those with powerful scopes lots of greylag were seen over on the far Dingwall shore. There was not much to see at Balintore, the light was beginning to go and a chilly wind had sprung up, Our next port of call was the Dalmore Distillery. Lots of however there were various gulls on the harbour wall, duck and waders were enjoying the shallows and were pied wagtail, oystercatcher and a couple of turnstone poking around in the weed and submerged grass. among the rocks. Redshank, lapwing and curlew were in the foreground with teal and wigeon beyond. On walking around to the Altogether it was a most enjoyable and rewarding day point meadow pipit, rook, jackdaw and grey heron out. Thank you Doreen and John Manson our were seen and in the far distance by a blue buoy a knowledgeable and conscientious guides. solitary eider was bobbing around. Greylag, pink- Freydis Campbell footed goose and Canada goose were on the far shore

Half of Belize is covered by dense jungle, and eighty Indoor Meeting percent of its rainforest remains under government protection, with much of it unexplored. Many of the 145 Caribbean Capers – in search mammals in Belize live in the rainforest. Heidi and Laurie visited The Belize Zoo located in central Belize. It of nature in Central America was founded in 1983 as a last ditch effort to provide a 10 December 2014 home for a collection of wild animals which had been used in making documentary films about tropical forests. The zoo keeps animals which were orphaned, rescued, Heidi started the talk introducing the born at the zoo, rehabilitated animals, or sent to The location of her talk; focusing on a trip Belize Zoo as donations from other zoological she and Laurie took in 2012 to Mexico institutions. They were able to stay overnight at the Tropical Education Centre which allowed them to visit and Belize. the zoo at night as well as during the day. Though it would have been nice to see the animals in the wild, the Areas visited were Cancun, Mexico, then 2 weeks in reality of this was slight due to the time and resource Belize where they travelled from Placencia in the South they had available. of Belize up through the central area, and also to Ambergris Caye. The talk was in 2 parts; the first being Baird’s Tapir with its unusual look and 3 toes is the Coastal nature, with the second covering Rainforest and national animal of Belize. There are five species of coral reef. wildcat in Belize with the jaguar being the biggest. Only 6% of jaguars are black. Belize Zoo had a 2 year old Part 1 Coastal nature started with photos of laughing jaguar that had been orphaned and they were able to gulls and magnificent frigratebirds and brown train it to do tricks. We were able to touch its paw while pelicans. Heidi also included some short videos it was feeding. Visitors willing to spend more could through the talk including local fishing techniques which spend time securely within the enclosure for a closer rely on following birds. The talk then moved onto iguana encounter. Belize has four smaller wildcats, all elusive with an introduction to the Mexican iguana which was like the jaguar: (1) the puma (aka mountain lion or grey and drab in comparison to the iguana in Belize, cougar), almost as big as the jaguar but a uniform gray which starts out green before changing colour after 3-4 or brown colour (occasionally black); (2) the ocelot, years. During the breeding season the male iguana also spotted like the jaguar but a lot smaller; (3) the margay, changes to an orange colour and climbs high vantage smaller again and also spotted; (4) the small, brown or points in trees to attract mates. They also came across gray jaguarundi. The zoo’s puma had been a pet that a boa constrictor. had been overfed and the zoo had tried to return her to One boat excursion taken was down Monkey River in the her standard size but she unfortunately carried around southern part of Belize with a local guide. An Anhinga the extra skin. The jaguarundi photographed was brown was photographed with its impressive black and white with small ears making it look a bit odd. The ocelot and feather patterns to rival that of the black throated diver. margay have beautiful coats. Black howler monkeys were also seen with the guides The keel-billed toucan is the national bird of Belize. banging on trees to encourage them to howl. Crocodiles Heidi chose to share a borrowed picture as the ones she were common in coastal areas, as were turtles, and had were through 2 layers of chicken wire as they were some bats were even seen. quite effective at biting the visitors (it is a small toucan). There were a number of heron and egret species, with The jabiru stork was also discussed as there are only the most notable being a juvenile yellow-crowned night 24 remaining in Belize due to habitat loss. heron which technically should not have been spotted Moving on to coral reefs – the entire Caribbean region is during the day, the juvenile rufescent tiger heron with home to only two true barrier reefs. The largest (Belize its stripy feathers and the little blue heron with its Barrier Reef) is about 220km in length and runs from the impressive coloured feathers. Yucatan (southern Mexico) to the Gulf of Honduras. A smaller barrier reef lies north of Providencia Island A number of birds of prey were also photographed (Colombia) in the southwest Caribbean. Most are including an osprey and a great black hawk. Smaller fringing reefs surrounding islands. birds were also captured including a rufous-tailed hummingbird; both in the wild and at a nectar feeder. There were two visits to the barrier reef whilst in the Golden-fronted woodpecker, hooded oriole and north at Ambergris Caye, and one excursion to Laughing orchard oriole were also common at the nectar feeders. Gull Island in the south which had a fringing reef. Over Swallows, tropical kingbirds and great-tailed grackle the last 30 years, Caribbean coral reefs have suffered (similar to our magpies but with black blue feathers) enormous declines both in terms of overall coral reef were also photographed. ecosystem "health" and the productivity of reef fisheries. Photos of the reef, fish, ray, turtles and nurse sharks The first presentation ended with the story of the hunt for were shared, including a video of the sharks being fed manatee. Following manatee through mangroves only before we were to swim with them. In some instances came up with manatee poo. However, a very persistent the reef is less than a metre from the water surface guide finally located them near a local island and a making it difficult to snorkel by without touching, and mother and calf were spotted and photographed as they human contact of the coral results in it dying. Some came up for air. guides made this clearer than others. Sea temperature rise is also having a notable effect. Part 2 – Rainforests and coral reefs As there was still some time remaining, Keith and Rosie Whilst the day had started wet and didn't look promising, shared two of their 5 minute photo presentations to Doreen had worked her magic and whilst we were off the music showing their visit to Russia where they waited bus it was dry. When we started, a low bird count from dusk to dawn in a hide to see bears, and Rosie’s seemed on the cards, but by the end of the trip, those trip to Tanzania with magnificent views of Kilimanjaro with no option but to take higher numbers in the and African wildlife. sweepstake, were beginning to get optimistic. The total Heidi de Haas morning's count was 64, a fair bit higher than in previous years.

Some other birds apart from those mentioned were pink- Christmas Birding and footed geese, greylag, eider, long-tailed duck, goldeneye, red-breasted merganser, little grebe, bar- Lunch tailed godwit, shag, turnstone, knot, wren, meadow pipit, rock pipit, goldfinch, sparrowhawk, house 14 December 2014 sparrow, tree sparrow and of course no trip to the would be complete without a sighting of red Despite the previous week's wintry kite. weather, the forecast for the Sunday of Red kite ©Steve Austin the trip was for rain showers, lessening through the day. Doreen, our co-leader, assured us that she had arranged for the weather to be kind to us.

The group of 23 assembled at Avoch at 9 am and boarded the Fraser's bus ably piloted by Davy. We headed along to Chanonry Point and walked from the car park around the corner to shelter from the wind in the lee of the wall round the lighthouse. Species seen here were red-throated diver, great northern diver, cormorant and ringed plover and, on the way back to the bus, a hungry robin hopped around our feet and was The trip was finished off with soup and a prodigious duly noted. Sadly, today no dolphins were in evidence. quantity of sandwiches at the Station Hotel back in Avoch. Thanks go to Maureen, Doreen, John, Davy, our The next stop was the seafront at Rosemarkie where the driver, the Station Hotel and all those who turned out in sun was shining across the water and the wind had none too promising weather to be rewarded with a great subsided. Most conspicuous were a pied wagtail and a morning's trip. grey wagtail bobbing their way around the bus. As well Pete Collin as adding more sea and shore birds including redshank and curlew the party walked through the woodland near the ice-cream kiosk to add to the list, amongst others, redwing, coal tit, blue tit, great tit, long-tailed tit and New Year Bird Count treecreeper. 03 January 2015 Our next stop was Cromarty where Davy dropped us off at the old salmon fisher’s bothies to rejoin the coach Fifteen members in six teams faced a around the headland near the Royal Hotel for a coffee break. This was also a comfort break as it is one of the cold but sunny day for this annual starter few places with public conveniences open at this time of outing. Again, the roll call took place at year. A scaup was spotted along from the bus parking the Station Hotel, Avoch with good place. refreshments – not for weight watchers! After our break we drove along the south side of the Cromarty Firth to the small car park at Ivy Cottage just The total number of species seen was 93, four short of before Jemimaville, and then onwards, to be dropped off last year’s total but still a very creditable effort. There at Newhall Point, to walk through to the waiting bus at were no new species seen to add to the running total of the ruined Kirkmichael. The fields to our right provided 140 since the count started almost twenty years ago. sightings of fieldfare and yellowhammer, luminous in For the fifth year running the winners were Rosie and the bright low winter sun. Keith Barnes with 74 species seen; three more than their winning total last year. They were again re-presented The final stop of the day was the hide at Udale Bay with the glass trophy by Group Leader Doreen. where the tide was still fairly far out, but 'scopes allowed spotting of a few more species. Although mentioned in We should look forward to greater participation in this fun the hide log book, American wigeon was not to be seen event – striving to push the running total towards 150 this year. species. David Galloway North Kessock to Tollie 31 January 2015

It was difficult to decide to go ahead with this field trip as the weather forecast was dismal, but nevertheless l decided to give it a go. As John and l set off for North Kessock it was blowing a blizzard, but lo and behold by the time we Braving the elements during the trip! ©Bob Shannon reached the meeting place the sky was blue and all set fair. The birch trees looked beautiful in the sunlight with the snow gleaming on them and l was glad that we had We were joined by thirteen other intrepid bird watchers made this last stop. and set off to the life boat station in order to overlook the Altogether, despite the weather, it was a good day with Firth at the base of the bridge. The pattern for the day good company and beautiful birds. The total bird count was set as we all debated over the species of a bird in was 45 species. the far distance. It was agreed it was black and white Doreen Manson and one camp thought it a male goldeneye (without its diagnostic white cheek patch) the other a scaup. Eventually (maybe because it was beginning to blow a Indoor Meeting blizzard again) it was agreed to be the former, and after consulting the bird books we labelled it as a first year 40 Years of Bird Ringing in the goldeneye (which have no cheek patch!) Highlands – what have we learnt? On now to the car park beyond Charleston, where we 26 February 2015 drank coffee and waited for the weather to clear up. The field across from the Firth was busy with lapwing, Doreen welcomed our speaker for this evening, Simon curlew and geese. One goose was noted to be different Foster from the Highland Bird Ringing Group, which had – was it a bean goose, all the indications were that it was recently celebrated their 40th anniversary. Simon ...until you came to the legs, which were pink not orange. explained that most of their work involved waders and We spent a lot of time on this bird, eventually concluding wildfowl covering the area from Brora to Buckie. it was probably a pink-footed goose. Once again we were saved by the weather and returned to our cars to The Moray Firth, being the most northerly estuary, is shelter from the incoming shower! One member of the fantastic for waders. Their aims are to try and find out group thought she had glimpsed a kingfisher as we where certain species have come from and where they drove beside the Firth. We stopped at Redcastle, where go. They catch the birds by canon netting; they have the tide was going out fast and there were a lot of found this to be the best and safest method for the oystercatcher, curlew and redshank all feeding at the Moray Firth. After the birds are removed from the tideline. netting, they are kept warm in boxes – the welfare of the birds is more important than the people. The next On now to the car park at Killearnan Church, where it picture Simon showed certainly endorsed this, as the was fine again. We walked down to the Firth where we weather was atrocious! The birds are then transferred to spotted several species of small birds (no disagreements cages whilst ringing, measuring and ageing is done. We here)! We drove down to Tarradale House and once must also remember the birds have to be weighed; for again the weather closed in. We parked and ate lunch this, especially when weighing black-tailed godwits, while we waited for the weather to break. The sun came part of on an Iron Bru bottle proved to be very effective: out again so we walked along the footpath. Here l had the bird is popped into the bottle then onto the scales hoped to see several small flocks of birds but the and before it knows what is happening, it is all over. weather was against us and there was little to be seen. Some of the group spotted a sparrowhawk and a bit Over the past forty years, 75,000 birds have been further on there was a hovering kestrel. The bay was ringed. Redshanks from Iceland, wintering in the Moray filled with wigeon. Firth, are one of their main ringers, as well as dunlin from the high Arctic and Baltic areas. With We returned to the cars and another blizzard. Half the oystercatchers & ringed plover, although some are group decided to go home and the rest of us repaired to local breeders, not a lot is known about the winter the toilet facilities in Dingwall! We decided to make one visitors. Some knot, turnstone and purple sandpipers last port of call: as three more of our group headed for from the high Arctic are also included in this number. home the remaining 6 enthusiasts headed for Loch Ussie. Again we were driving through a blizzard but by Simon referred the Moray Firth Brent geese. During the the time we reached Loch Ussie the sun was out and we 1930s there were several thousand in the Nairn area, but trudged through the snow to the loch side. Here we saw then they suffered a population crash. According to the tufted duck, goldeneye, goosander and little grebe. Irish bird ringers, Brents are very easy to catch. However, the Nairn lot had a different idea, as it took such an intelligent creature and Thoth recorded the several ringers two years and 60/70 man hours netting verdict – pass or fail – on a papyrus scroll. Sadly, the some. sacred ibis is now rarely seen in Egypt.

Approaching the end of his presentation, Simon outlined some of their future work, i.e. more information on ageing and sex of different species, their feeding areas, and the reason for population changes using survival rates, as well as the long term effect of climate change. With the help of satellite transmitters, etc. and modern technology this should be possible.

The meeting was very well attended and enjoyed by everyone. Maureen MacDonald Peregrine The stoop of a peregrine or lanner falcon was the Egypt’s first speediest event in nature that the Egyptians knew of. Therefore the falcon in the form of the god Horos had the task of acting as a courier, delivering information Ornithologists between this world and the afterlife.

When things return to normal in the The barn owl is shown in Egyptian art as having region, I would expect bird watchers to enormous eyes. This keen vision could be put to good use. When the sun god Ra, sank blood red below the again visit Egypt in some numbers. hazy horizon of the Western Desert, he entered the Here you have both winter sunshine, world of darkness where dangers lurked. Creatures acting as guardians accompanied Ra on this journey, and the Nile Valley. including a barn owl, whose keen sight would spot such dangers before they were able to approach the sun. This is a green corridor along which millions of birds Therefore Ra was able to be reborn at dawn, and rise pass annually on their journeys between breeding golden over the Eastern Desert. grounds in Eurasia, and their African winter quarters. It is also a wintering area in its own right, and has some Turning to art, paintings of birds, animals and plants interesting resident species such as the black- needed to accurate. Vague likenesses would have shouldered kite, Kittlitz’s plover and the local Nile shown a lack of respect. A beautiful mural ‘The Geese Valley sunbird. of Meydem’, has white-fronted geese, bean geese and red-breasted geese grazing a meadow. This was Egypt can also offer something else of interest, namely painted 4000 years ago, showing that these birds were its mythology and art where birds feature prominently. familiar visitors to the Delta area. Now the first species During the time of the Pharaohs it was accepted that is uncommon, the bean goose an ‘accidental’ visitor and man was a part of the nature around him, so birds, the red-breasted goose has not been recorded in ‘bird animals and plants were treated appropriately. As such, historical’ times. they could be given roles to play in the perceived order of things. Another fine mural shows Nebanum, a civil servant of his day, enjoying his afterlife. He is catching birds from his First consider the sacred ibis. As the Nile receded after reed boat. A tethered hunting cat leaps to snatch a duck the annual flood, crops were planted in the soil enriched from the air. Birds shown in this mural include little by silty deposits carried downstream. Then the crane egret, wheatear and white wagtail. There is also an flies arrived to lay eggs which hatched into unidentified warbler, showing that the LBJ was around ‘leatherjackets’ and attacked the roots of the crop. A even in those days. An Egyptian goose risks its life little later, flocks of sacred ibis appeared in order to feed perched on the bow of the boat. Behind Nabanum on these grubs, before they could do too much damage stands his beautiful wife, and having died an old man, he to the plants. The birds judged the right time to strike, is now and for all eternity young again. It cannot get that is, when the grubs were big enough to eat, but not much better than that! so large as to threaten the harvest. This bird was therefore credited with both wisdom and judgement, and Other paintings include ones of a woodchat shrike, a became the ibis-headed god Thoth, a scribe and scholar, plunging pied kingfisher and a hoopoe, so accurate who ‘kept the record’. they could almost be illustrations from a modern field guide. Yes, these early Egyptians certainly knew the You will find him in tomb paintings beside Anubis the birds. So, if you should visit Egypt and see Horos streak jackal, who is weighing the heart of the recently departed across the azure sky, think of those who thousands of against a feather. If the scales balance, this individual years before, gazed on such scenes with keen eyes and can commence his/her journey into the afterlife; if not questioning minds. They were Egypt’s first then it is ‘curtains’ for that cadaver! The cunning jackal ornithologists. came by night and stole. It would be difficult to deceive Mike Strickland person or the land. Such licences may be issued on an Raptor Persecution annual basis to kill or take certain birds for the conservation of wild birds or where serious damage is being done to livestock. Offences would relate We are all familiar with the extent of the specifically to wild birds that have been killed illegally problem, especially with the extensive being found on the land in question as well as applying raptor poisoning last year on the Black to the illegal use of poisoned bait. This provision of ‘reasonable belief’ moves way from the criminal standard Isle – as yet unresolved. of beyond reasonable doubt and if satisfied with the information received, SNH may revoke the General Over the years the Scottish Government has shown a Licence. gradual and determined approach to the problem. Legislation has been introduced and amended so as to However the recent footage released by the RSPB of tighten the legal provisions. Offences under the Wildlife masked men making a determined attempt to destroy and Countryside Act 1981 can be difficult to prove for a the nest of a goshawk shows there is still much to be variety of reasons as the standard of proof for criminal done. cases is ‘beyond reasonable doubt’. Richard Prentice

In an effort to emphasise the gravity of such offences being committed against our raptors the Government also introduced a provision to withhold single farm Down in the glen payments as a result of wildlife crime. It’s the 4th March when I write this and During my time as group leader I was asked to serve on the RSPB Scottish Advisory Committee at a time when we have just recovered from around five the RSPB was invited to a Working Party on Wildlife inches of snow that is rapidly thawing. Crime set up by the Government with the Crown Office All through this cold spell since the and the Scottish Police Service. During the meetings of the Advisory Committee and the Working Party the middle of February we have been concept of vicarious liability being applied to landowners treated to the early morning song of a received much support. In due course this came into being, so that the person who has shooting rights over blackbird – even through the frostiest of land or controls the exercise of these rights can be found mornings. guilty of crimes committed by an employee acting as their agent. He must have strained his vocal chords in those cold mornings! He was joined on occasions by a chaffinch In the recent edition of British Birds there are two items or two, so the first chords of a dawn chorus have been st under News and Comment that gladden the heart in struck. A trip down to Fort Augustus on the 1 March relation to raptor protection. The first is about the first showed a mistle thrush sitting at the top of fir tree conviction under vicarious liability being recorded against singing brightly in spite of the squally weather. a landowner. The case arose in the south of in December 2014 where a gamekeeper was convicted of However I am getting ahead of myself so back a few laying poison bait that killed a common buzzard as well weeks to January when a spell of cold weather had me as other charges and was duly fined. The landowner put out the nyjer seed. This produced a regular flock of subsequently pled guilty to being vicariously liable for the goldfinches numbering up to 20 on a couple of criminal actions of his gamekeeper and was also fined. Expulsion from the Scottish Gamekeeper’s Association and the estate from the organisation Scottish Land and Estates followed. The shoot was closed down so the consequences extended far beyond a court appearance and conviction.

The second item relates to the recent well publicised prison sentence for a gamekeeper at Aberdeen Sheriff Court who was caught on camera killing a goshawk. Both these cases serve to emphasise the determination Goldfinch of all the authorities north of the border to tackle the problem. It should be noted that offence of vicarious occasions, but usually around 10-15 birds. This was liability does not exist in England and Wales! certainly something not experienced before in the twenty years we have been here. Others in the village also Furthermore, SNH have been empowered to receive reported numbers of the same species at nyjer feeders. from one or more pieces of evidence They are untidy feeders and fed as much on the ground that fall under the provisions of the Wildlife and spillage as they did from the feeder. By March they had Countryside Act 1981.from which they may have ‘reason gone to whence they came. They are found around the to believe’ that wild birds have been taken or killed by Glen at other times of the year but not in such numbers. persons and/or on certain areas of land not in They brought much delight to the regular ‘bird feeders’ in accordance with the General Licence applicable to the the area. In spite of the cold snowy spells the numbers of chaffinches were in short supply and this year not a Stevie’s Snippets brambling was to be seen in the area. Word form the BTO indicates that there has been a sharp decline in the number of wintering brambling this year. I did have a 20 Dec: I cycled up from Loch visit on a couple of occasions from a male blackcap, the Duntelchaig up the track over the hill to first for the garden, but certainly not for the village as Loch a’ Choire. On the top was a lovely they have been seen regularly at this time of the year. The first siskins appeared in the garden on the feeders flock of about 30 bullfinches feeding by on the 31st January and have been hanging about ever the side of the track. since. The residential dunnock pair has unfortunately become the ‘dunnock one’. I don’t know whether it was They flew up into some birch trees; giving us some great old age, one of the dozen cats that frequent the garden, views before they flew off. Later, while sat by the loch, a or the sparrowhawk that was seen paying a couple of golden eagle drifted across the far side by ‘the crag’. visits to the garden that was responsible. However, the survivor has been singing the past mornings, so love 22 Dec: Some good news! ‘Our’ robin suddenly may yet blossom! appeared when I was down in the garden. There was a A walk down through Urquhart Bay woods in mid- flash and it sat on a branch right in front of me. I went February after the great gale meant a circuitous route and got the mealworms and some seed and took them under, over or around the fallen trees. But nevertheless back to him. What excitement as I was trying to get the the dipper was singing in the river Enrick although his lid off – flying round me and even between my legs! mate flew past quickly – almost a you-will-have-to-better- Then he settled down and took them from my fingers; that moment! finishing off with a little seed from the top of a mossy log. So pleased! One of the presents given to me by our son recently is an ‘owl hoot’ which allows you to imitate the hoot of an 06 Feb: Along the Wade’s Old Military Road between owl by simply blowing in the mouth piece. The female Daviot and Leys (Daviot Woods) was a nice flock of tawny owl was in the trees at the foot of the garden towards dusk one January evening. I couldn’t resist the opportunity so I stood by the garden shed and blew as directed. Firstly, the female responded and in no time she was joined by the male. He and I had an interesting duet for about ten minutes until he got fed up and flew off. I have heard both since so they look like setting up somewhere not to far away. So my ten minutes as a male ‘tawny’ has not put them off! Crossbill I have continued the visits to Nairn and have been crossbills, together with some siskins and surprised at the paucity of sea-going birds. I would like to goldfinches, feeding high up in the larch trees. emphasise that if you are in the Nairn area and see anything of note please send the information to Martin 21 Feb: Cycling up the hill from the River Nairn to Cook, the Moray recorder. He is always ready to receive Castletown (NH7543) I spotted 2 magpies in a field, information from the Nairn area as it seems to be under then another 2 further up in some trees, and then reported; hence my monthly visits. He can be contacted another 2 on the house at the top (unusual, as I’ve never at [email protected] seen any around Inverness before)!

This summer the BTO are conducting a house martin survey and I have been allocated the village of Drumnadrochit, so it will make a pleasant change to stroll round the village of a spring/summer evening.

It is seventeen years since I started this column when I became your group leader and it is time to retire gracefully. My thanks for the kind comments received over the years and I close with wishing you a good ‘birding’ summer. May you see all there is to see! Richard Prentice Magpie How does it go now? – one for sorrow, 2 for joy, 3 for a girl, 4 for a boy... 6 for a pest; surely?

08 Mar: We disturbed a pair of harlequin ducks on the Allt Dearg in Cawdor Wood, but they were very shy: we never saw the female again, but the male flew past several times. Mistle thrushes were singing nicely and bullfinches were feeding in the birches. Ed House martin & nest

A nice camping spot by the burn mouth ©Steve Austin The sandy beach in the N part of the bay ©Steve Austin

My Favourite Places forwards. Then, when I stop moving, they disappear again into the stones. But I have a couple pinpointed and see several fluffy chicks clambering over the stones to One of my favourite places is a small bay near get back under the wings of their mother’. Craig, Applecross. It has a large rocky shore and a beautiful secluded coral beach tucked Several times I have seen a fox patrolling round the west into the north part. It is only 5 min from the road headland, and just once I spotted a mink scampering over the stones there. Then, at dusk, the otter suddenly (at NG700582) but is not marked on the map appears in the bay as it makes its way to the headland to (as a beach) and so it is not often visited. the north for a spot of fishing.

I mentioned this place in my Snippets last September, but Another of my favourite places is near Coignafearn; an I just wanted to point out an observation I have made i.e. area some 5ml past the road end at Dalbeg (NH655132). that when you visit a place regularly you begin to realise Dalbeg is a small stalkers bothy and a burn comes down that the local wildlife is just that – local; and that it goes through a gorge to join the River Findhorn. The burn through a daily routine that can become predictable makes a great gorge walking experience (full wetsuit gear through the seasons e.g. required) – but that’s another storey! There is a small ‘island’ area in the river opposite the ‘As I sit outside the tent at dawn the wrens and other bothy where a colony of black-headed gulls nest and birds are in full swing, singing from various vantage mountain hares can be seen nearby in their summer points all around me. The pair of red-breasted coats. This is peregrine territory and a golden eagle mergansers are preening at the edge of the water below usually puts in an appearance; quartering the hillside me. Soon the greenshank will fly in noisily and disturb across the river, looking for a meal. When the resident the peace, before flying to protest at the oystercatchers ravens get too close to ‘certain areas’ the peregrines see and dunlin a little further round. Then, as if suddenly them off with some steep dive –bombing. This makes for disturbed, it will fly off again to the north. Then it’s time an impressive aerial display with the ravens flipping again for one of the many visits from the white wagtail, upside down to fend them off. which lands where the water from the burn filters into the cobbled beach. It darts here and there and works its way There is a circular track form here that goes up past the up to the mouth of the burn, jumping up for flies as it gorge and climbs steeply up onto the top of the moor goes, before flying off on its rounds. Then the sand where golden plover and red grouse breed, but this will martins do a fly-past on their way to the feed round the add another 7mls onto your return trip. headland. Well, that’s a couple of mine. What are yours? If I move, several ringed plover materialise out of the Steve Austin stones and ‘peep’ at me as they take a few steps Further information

Doreen Manson The RSPB is the country’s largest nature Muirton Lodge conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Urray MUIR OF ORD IV6 7UR The RSPB is a member of Telephone: 01997 433283 BirdLife International, a partnership of conservation organisations working to give nature a home E-mail: [email protected] around the world.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England & Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654