ARGYLL BIRD REPORT with Systematic List for the year 1998 Volume 15 (1999) PUBLISHED BY THE ARGYLL BIRD CLUB Cover picture: Barnacle Geese by Margaret Staley The Fifteenth ARGYLL BIRD REPORT with Systematic List for the year 1998 Edited by J.C.A. Craik Assisted by P.C. Daw Systematic List by P.C. Daw Published by the Argyll Bird Club (Scottish Charity Number SC008782) October 1999 Copyright: Argyll Bird Club Printed by Printworks Oban - ABOUT THE ARGYLL BIRD CLUB The Argyll Bird Club was formed in 19x5. Its main purpose is to play an active part in the promotion of ornithology in Argyll. It is recognised by the Inland Revenue as a charity in Scotland. The Club holds two one-day meetings each year, in spring and autumn. The venue of the spring meeting is rotated between different towns, including Dunoon, Oban. LochgilpheadandTarbert.Thc autumn meeting and AGM are usually held in Invenny or another conveniently central location. The Club organises field trips for members. It also publishes the annual Argyll Bird Report and a quarterly members’ newsletter, The Eider, which includes details of club activities, reports from meetings and field trips, and feature articles by members and others, Each year the subscription entitles you to the ArgyZl Bird Report, four issues of The Eider, and free admission to the two annual meetings. There are four kinds of membership: current rates (at 1 October 1999) are: Ordinary E10; Junior (under 17) E3; Family €15; Corporate E25 Subscriptions (by cheque or standing order) are due on 1 January. Anyonejoining after 1 Octoberis covered until the end of the following year. Further information can be obtained from the Membership Secretary: Mrs Pam Staley, 16 Glengilp, Ardrishaig, Argyll PA30 8HT. Argyll Bird Club Officials and Committee as at 1 November 1999 Chairman: Nigel Scriven, 2 Allt na Blathaich, Loch Eck, Dunoon PA23 8SG. Secretary: Roger Broad, 6 Birch Road, Killearn, Glasgow G63 9SQ. Treasurer: Prof. Bob Furness, The Cnoc, Tarbet, Loch Lomondside G83 7DG. Membership Secretary: Mrs Pam Staley, 16 Glengilp, Ardrishaig PA30 8HT. Committee: David Anderson, Roger Broad, Paul Daw, Helen Doherty, Arthur French, Prof. Bob Fumess, Peter Kirk, Dr Steve Petty, Nigel Scriven, Bill Staley, David Wood. Argyll Bird Records Committee: Dr Tristan ap Rheinallt, Roger Broad, Paul Daw, David Jardine, Dr Malcolm Ogilvie. Editor ofArgyll Bird Report: Dr Clive Craik, ScottishAssociation for Marine Science, P.O. Box 3, Oban PA34 4AD. Editor of Newsletter (The Eider): Nigel Scriven, 2 Allt na Blathaich, Loch Eck, Dunoon PA23 8SG. Other useful addresses S.O.C. Recorder for Argyll: Paul Daw, Tigh-na-Tulloch, Tullochgorm, Minard, Inveraray PA32 SYQ. Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) Organiser for Argyll: Dr Malcolm Ogilvie, Glencaim, Bruichladdich, Isle of Islay PA49 7UN. B.T.O. Representatives for Argyll: North Argyll iiiclrtdirig Mull, Col1 and Tiree: (Acting B.T.O. Rep.) Richard Evans, East Croft, Lochdon, Isle of Mull PA64 6AP. Islay, Jtcra and Colonsay: Dr Malcolm Ogilvie (address above). R.S.P.B. Conservation Officer, Argyll & Bute: Roger Broad (address above). Further copies of this report can be obtained from Bill Staley, 16 Glengilp, Ardrishaig PA30 8HT. Price E5 including postage. Most previous annual Argyll Bird Reports are also available at E4 including postage. 3 Contents Editorial 5 J.C.A. Craik Systematic List for 1998 6 Paul Daw A Checklist of the Birds of Argyll 100 Tristan ap Rheinallt Occurrence of Leach's and Stom Petrel off western Scotland 111 Eddie Maguire Some examples of individual specialists among predators 120 J.C.A. Craik Editorial As usual, the Systematic List for the last calendar year is the longest and most informative article in this Argyll Bird Report, and we all owe a very large debt of gratitude to the County Recorder, Paul Daw, for his expertise and effort in compiling it. Please continue to send records to Paul, as requested in the introductory part of his report. On behalf of the club, I would also like to thank those who have contributed the other articles and reports. In his new, carefully researched Checklist of the Birds of Argyll, Tristan ap Rheinallt points out that the last attempt at such a compilation was in 1892. Tristan’s meticulous work identifies the fascinating changes that have occurred in the interim, both among common species and among rarities. Eddie Maguire’s account of an elusive and mysterious species, Leach’s Petrel, is the result of many years of dedicated recording and observation by a specialist. For the very attractive drawings, I would like to thank Margaret Staley (Barnacle Geese on the cover, and Wigeon, Wren and Stonechat) and Eddie Maguire (Storm and Leach’s Petrel, Eiders and Great Northern Diver). May I repeat my request for more people to submit articles or notes to the Argyll Bird Report. A lot of impressive and interesting work on a variety of species is going on in Argyll, but little finds its way into these pages. Perhaps you can contribute something to next year’s report. Finally, very many thanks to all others who have contributed to this year’s Report, particularly to the many observers who send their records to the Recorder, to various committee members for useful comments, and to Printworks Oban for their speedy and helpful co-operation in printing the final product. J C A Craik Editor of Argyll Bird Report November 1999 5 Argyll Bird Report (1999) 15 :6 - 99 Systematic List for 1998 Paul Daw ligh-na-Tulloch, Minard, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 SYQ Tel. 01546 SS6260 e-mail: monedula @globalnet.co.uk INTRODUCTION The systematic list below includes envies for 217 species, not including escapes or races. WOof these species (Cory's Shearwater and Little Egret) were recorded in 1997 but not in 1998. This leaves a total of 215 species recorded in Argyll during 1998 (cfrevised totals of 207 in 1997,213 in 1996,204 in 1995,213 in 1994 and 213 in 1993). with claimed sightings of two other species currently under consideration by the BBRC. Three of the 217 species, namely Pied-billed Grebe, Lesser Scaup and Booted Warbler, are additions to the Argyll list, which now contains 311 species. Perhaps surprisingly, the following were not recorded in Argyll in 1998 and so have been omitted from the list below: Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus, Spotted Crake Porzana porzana, Sabine's Gull Larus sabin;, Stock Dove Columba oenas, Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus, Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus and Tree Sparrow Passerrnontanus. Some of these may simply have been overlooked, but there have been no records of Nightjar since 1993 and it is the second successive blank year for Tree Sparrow. Ornithological Review of 1998 January to March The year began with gales and heavy rain. and much of the first half of January was wet. Towardsthe end of the month there was a dry cold spell when grebes were much in evidence. As well as single Great Crested Grebes at West Loch 'kbert Kintyre on 19" and Blainnore Cowal on 2W, Loch Indaal Islay had a peak count of 25 Slavonian Grebes on 22"5together with a Red-necked Grebe on 23*, there were 20 Slavonian Grebes at Loch na Kea1 Mull on 25*, and Outer Loch Etive NArgyll had a peak count of ISLittle Grebes on 179 Among the wildfowl a 'Green-winged' Teal from North America, in Loch Indaal Islay on 2@ and 26* Jan, continued a recent run of records of this species there. At thesamesite,Pintailnumberspeakedat45 on22"q while 1,110Scaupon 18*wasthe highest count there since 1993. There have been very few reports of Ptarmigan in recent years so it was good to hear of 'several' in the vicinity of the BT masts above CraignureMull during Jan and 2 on Beinn Fhionnlaidh NArgyZl on 25* Jan. Good news too for'lkrnstones. Analysis of 6 SYSTEMATIC LIST 1998 NEWS count data shows a marked decline in numbers on the west coasts of Britain over the last 10 years but, after a poor year in 1997, numbers on Islay were back to normal levels with a total of 139 at Lochs Gruinart and Indaal in Jan. Apart from some heavy rain in the middle of the month, Feb was niostly relatively fine and quite mild. However, right at the end of Feb and into early Mar, we had a cold snap with some snow, even on low ground. The usual concentration of Great Northern Divers north of Gigha was recorded as 67 birds on 16IhFeb. Notable counts of waders at this time included 48 Grey Plovers at Loch Gruinart Islay on 16'" Feb, and an impressive 73 Snipe at Loch Bhasapol Tiree on lSh.In Gunna Sound off Tiree, on 20thFeb, 8 Little Auks was the highest number seen at any one location during the year. The whole question of how to treat the various races of the Herring Gull is still very much under discussion, with many textbooks now treating the Yellow-legged Gull as a separate species (Lunts caclzbmans).Be that as it may, the individual seen at Soa Point Tiree on 23"' Feb was the first Argyll record to be accepted by SBRC. After the early cold spell, the second half of Mar was mainly fairly mild with reasonable amounts of dry weather. It is always difficult to be certain of numbers of the 'white-winged' gulls because of wandering individuals, but it seems likely that during Mar at least 10 Iceland Gulls and 7 Glaucous Gulls were present in Argyll. On 71h Mar an impressive gathering of Black-throated Divers was present in Loch Caolisport and 44 were counted there. Good numbers of Whooper Swan were recorded passing through from the middle of Mar onwards, with flocks of 66 over High Barnakill Mid-Argyll and 80 over Croggan Midl on 21", and a total of 263 on the freshwater lochs on Tiree on 24'h.