Scottish Birds Total of £4 Million, Much of Which Has Already Fair Isle Bird Observatory, June 2009 Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9JU
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*FINAL SB 29(1) COV AW 10/7/09 13:03 Page 1 Fair Isle Bird Observatory SCOTTISH SCOTTISH New Observatory Appeal Incorporating Birding Scotland BIRDS Scottish Bird News and Volume 29 (1) 29 (1) Volume Building for the future... For sixty years, the Fair Isle Bird Observatory has welcomed visitors. Many come for the birdlife, but all leave with lasting memories of island life. The Observatory is the lynchpin of Fair Isle’s fragile economy. The welcome, the work and the way of life are closely linked, and unique to Fair Isle. Let’s not lose them. We need to build a new Observatory, to open Please buy a share in Fair Isle’s future in 2010. It will be a modern, eco-friendly place by donating to for you to stay and for scientists and students the FIBOT New to continue their long-term research on Fair Observatory Appeal. Isle’s migratory and resident birds, including Contact us for details the island’s precious seabirds. It will cost a of how you can help. Scottish Birds total of £4 million, much of which has already Fair Isle Bird Observatory, June 2009 been secured but Fair Isle Bird Observatory Fair Isle, Shetland ZE2 9JU. Tel:01595 760258 published by the Trust still needs to raise the last £262,000 Fax:01595 760258 through individual donations. The Trust is an Email:[email protected] SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Web:www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk independent charity, which is totally self- Warden:Deryk Shaw funded and reliant on revenue from visitors. Administrator:Hollie Shaw Registered Charity No. SCO 11160 We’re appealing for your help. VAT No. GB270187071 V OLUME 29(1) JUNE 2009 *FINAL SB 29(1) COV AW 10/7/09 13:03 Page 2 The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club (SOC) was formed in 1936 to Advice to contributors of main papers Scottish encourage all aspects of ornithology in Scotland. It has local branches which meet in Aberdeen, Ayr, the Borders, Dumfries, Authors should bear in mind that only a small proportion of the Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, New Galloway, Orkney, Scottish Birds readership are scientists and should aim to present Birds St Andrews, Stirling, Stranraer and Thurso, each with its own their material concisely, interestingly and clearly. Unfamiliar Originally established in 1958, programme of field meetings and winter lectures. The George technical terms and symbols should be avoided wherever possible incorporating Scottish Bird News and, if deemed essential, should be explained. Supporting statistics and Birding Scotland Waterston Library at the Club’s headquarters is the most comprehensive ornithological library in Scotland and is should be kept to a minimum. All papers and short notes are available for reference seven days a week. A selection of accepted on the understanding that they have not been offered for Published quarterly by: Scottish local bird reports is held at headquarters and may be publication elsewhere and that they will be subject to editing. Papers will be acknowledged on receipt and are normally reviewed The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, purchased by mail order. The Donald Watson Gallery holds by at least two members of the editorial panel and, in most cases Waterston House, Aberlady, exhibitions of artwork for sale. Check out our website for more East Lothian EH32 0PY. also by an independent referee. They will normally be published in information about the SOC: www.the-soc.org.uk Email: [email protected] order of acceptance of fully revised manuscripts. The editor will be Phone: 01875 871330 happy to advise authors on the preparation of papers. www.the-soc.org.uk Scottish Birds, the official publication of the SOC, comprises four sections: original papers relating to ornithology in Papers should be typed on one side of the paper only, double spaced Scotland, short notes on bird observations, topical articles and and with wide margins and of good quality; two copies are required Editors: Club-related news (Scottish Bird News) and reports of rare and and the author should also retain one. We are also happy to accept Coordinating editor scarce bird sightings and birding sites (Birding in Scotland). papers on disk or by email at: [email protected], stating the type Ian Andrews of word processing package used. If at all possible please use Peer-reviewed papers Four issues of Scottish Birds are published each year, in Microsoft Word or a generic ‘rich text format’. Contact the SOC Dr Stan da Prato March, June, September and December. The SOC also Office Manager on [email protected] or telephone 01875 871330 Assisted by: publishes an annual Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme Dr I. Bainbridge for further information. Professor D. Jenkins Report, which is produced on behalf of the Scottish Raptor Dr M. Marquiss Monitoring Group with grant aid from Scottish Natural Reference should be made to The Birds of Scotland (Forrester et Dr J.B. Nelson Heritage. It is sent to all members. al. 2007) for guidance on style of presentation, use of capitals, R. Swann form of references, etc. Scottish Bird News Copies of these reports may be purchased by non-members Jimmy Maxwell on application to the SOC. Membership details as well as Headings should not be underlined, nor typed entirely in capitals. Ian Francis news and information can be found on the Club’s website Scientific names in italics should normally follow the first text Birding in Scotland reference to each species unless all can be incorporated into a table. Harry Scott www.the-soc.org.uk. Names of birds should follow the official Scottish List (Scottish Dr Stuart L. Rivers Birds 22: 33–49 and www.the-soc.org.uk/scottish-list.htm). Only SOC annual membership subscription rates Editorial correspondence: single quotation marks should be used throughout. Numbers should c/o SOC, Waterston House, Adult £ 28.00 be written as numerals except for one to nine and at the start of Aberlady, East Lothian EH32 0PY. sentences. Dates should be written: ... on 5 August 1991 ... but ... on Family (2 adults and any juniors living at the same address) £ 39.00 Email: [email protected] the 5th ... (if the name of the month does not follow). Please do not Junior (aged 17 or under) £ 12.00 Photographic consultant: use headers, footers and page numbers. Please note that papers Hugh Harrop Student (aged 18 to 24 and in full-time education) £ 12.00 shorter than c. 700 words will normally be treated as short notes, where all references should be incorporated into the text, and not Concession (pensioner) £ 21.00 listed at the end, as in full papers. Designed and typeset by: Concession (unwaged/unemployed) £ 12.00 Pica Design, 51 Charlton Crescent, Tables, maps and diagrams should be designed to fit either a single Joint Concession £ 27.00 Aboyne, Aberdeenshire AB34 5GN. column or the full page width. Tables should be self explanatory Email: [email protected] Life £ 600.00 and headings should be kept as simple as possible, with footnotes Life Family £ 900.00 used to provide extra details where necessary. Please insert all Printed by: tables, graphs and maps with their captions after the text or supply Crowes, 50 Hurricane Way, Overseas supplement £ 10.00 as separate documents. Maps and other graphics should preferably Norwich, Norfolk NR6 6JB be provided in eps (Encapsulated PostScript) format, or as a high All subscriptions may be paid by Direct Debit and Gift Aided. resolution jpg/tiff file, good quality computer print out or drawn in Front Cover: Long-eared Owl, Fair Isle, April Subscriptions paid by Direct Debit greatly assist the Club. Please black ink, but suitable for reduction from their original size. Contact 2004 © Rebecca Nason ask for an application form by telephoning 01875 871330 or the SOC Office Manager on 01875 871330 for further details of how visiting the club’s website at: www.the-soc.org.uk best to lay out tables, graphs, maps etc. Code Words: hedge & accentor Scottish Charity Reg. No. SC 009859 *FINAL SB 29(1) TXT AW 18/8/10 10:25 Page 1 Scottish Birds Scottish Birds 29:1 (2009) 02 Editorial PAPERS 03 Amendments to the Scottish List: species and subspecies The Scottish Birds Records Committee 16 Long-eared Owls on Colonsay, Argyll D.C. Jardine, E.M. McNab, M. Davison & S.T. Holliday 22 Numbers of coastal birds on the Orkney Islands during winter 2006/07 C.J. Corse & R.W. Summers NOTES 33 Grey Heron attracted to injured Rabbit T. Dougall 33 Some observations on the behaviour of a male Icelandic Merlin in Galloway R.C. Dickson 34 Whether a hen Snow Bunting pairs with the same cock for a second nest R.D. Smith, M. Marquiss & A. Watson 35 Unusual Common Tern colony B. Bates & K. Duncan 36 Red Kites hunting moths K. Duffy 37 Roosting terns in the 1950s in East Lothian F. Hamilton 38 The decline of the Whinchat as a breeding bird in mainland Fife K.D. Shaw 40 Arctic Skuas breeding in Wester Ross W.M. Trobe 40 First breeding of Eurasian Spoonbills in Scotland P.N. Collin OBITUARIES 42 The Earl of Wemyss and March SCOTTISH BIRD NEWS 43 Television and Mr Trump S. da Prato 46 News and Notices 50 Scottish Birdwatchers’ Conference J. Maxwell et al. 55 The decline of the Scottish Ospreys - who was to blame? B. McGowan 59 Tales from the United Arab Emirates (8th–16th November 2008) K. Martin 62 Fish-Hawk (David Wolfe Murray) M. Wolfe Murray 65 Notes and Comment 67 Reviews 70 BirdSpot - Oh no, it’s a Commic Tern! C.