Bute Bird Report 2012 Doug Menzies, Ron Forrester, Ian Hopkins This report is a record of bird sightings on the Isle of Bute, including Inchmarnock and the Burnt Islands, for the period 1 January to 31 December 2012. It is produced principally from records submitted to the Bute Bird Group web site and logged on its recent sightings pages. It updates The Birds of Bute (2012), which detailed all bird records on Bute to the end of 2011. Thanks are given to all contributors of records for this report. 2012 was another good year for birding on Bute. Bute Bird Group continues to provide a focus for local birders and through organizing a regular program of field trips and indoor meetings promotes birding on the island. 148 species were recorded during the year, which is slightly up on 2011 when 147 species were recorded. The Bute bird list now stands at 214 species with the inclusion of two new species during 2012. The new additions to the Bute list are Lesser Yellowlegs and Goshawk. Perhaps the highlight of the year was the presence of an adult, non-breeding Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes, a vagrant American wader, which was found in a flooded field south of Little Kilmory Farm on 30 September. It stayed at this location for four days and during this period was observed by a good number of local birders, feeding in the shallow floodwater in the field adjacent to the road. This species is on the British Birds Rarities Committee list of reportable species and a report has been submitted to them for consideration. There have been a number of anecdotal reports of possible Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis, sightings on Bute in recent years and due to the difficulties involved in identifying this species they have remained unconfirmed. However in 2012 there were two separate sightings by credible independent observers that would appear to substantiate the presence of this species, at least as an occasional visitor, to Bute. The pair of Ospreys returned to the nest site at Barnauld on 11 April for their second summer on the artificial nest constructed in 2011 and on 9 July Ian Hopkins ringed two chicks at the nest. This year coloured rings were used (Blue 71 and 72) and with luck we may get updates on the movements of these birds from observers able to Figure 1: Pied Flycatcher (female), Balnakailly record details of the leg rings. Wood, 4 June, © Doug Menzies. In March of this year 30 bird nest boxes, provided by The Argyll Bird Club, were located in Balnakailly Wood. This project was a success as 11 of these boxes were used by three species, including one box that attracted a pair of Pied Flycatchers. (See appendix A) Other noteworthy records from 2012 are the multiple sightings of Nuthatch, over an extended period, in the Mount Stuart area indicating the possibility that Bute may have a new resident species, a fourth record of Little Gull for Bute and the first record of Tree Sparrow on Bute since 2000 and only the second in 100 years. Mute Swan - Cygnus olor - Resident breeding species. The Rothesay Castle pair laid 10 eggs and raised 9 cygnets after one was found dead in John Street, Rothesay on 23 August (IH). Breeding also confirmed at Kirk Dam where 2 chicks hatched but signets did not survive (IH). Pairs present on Greenan Loch, Loch Quien and Loch Fad although no breeding recorded. Maximum of 18 on the Kirk Dam on 11 March (IH). Whooper Swan - Cygnus Cygnus - Winter visitor with numbers increasing. Last date for spring: 4 at the Kirk Dam on 16 April (DM) – Arrival date for autumn: 2 at Loch Quien on 30 September (IH). Frequently observed at the Kirk Dam and Greenan Loch with a high count of 62 including immature birds, at the Kirk Dam on 6 February (IH). 40 at Kirk Dam on 15 March (IH), 32 at Greenan Loch on 18 March (IH), 12 at Greenan Loch on 1 October (IH), 25 over Straad on 21 October (IG) and 48 (including 11 immatures) at the airstrip Plan Road on 22 October (DM). A summering bird was recorded frequently at Ettrick Bay between 4 July (CG) and 30 August (IH, NM, DM). This bird is believed to have been predated by a fox as a headless corpse was found at Ettrick Bay on 1 September (IH). Pink-footed Goose - Anser brachyrhynchus – Passage migrant in small numbers, usually in mixed flocks with migrant Greylag Geese. 1 in flock, with Greylag Geese, at Ballianlay on 17 January (DM), 9 at Meikle Kilmory on 25 January (IH), 5 at Largizean on 23 October (IH) and 2, again with Greylags, on 11 November in fields at Kilmory. White-fronted Goose (Greenland sub-species) - Anser albifrons - Winter visitor. Small flock winters on Bute each year. 110 in fields at Ballianlay on 17 January (DM) and c.190 at Ballycaul on 18 March (IH). First date in autumn 18 at Upper Ardroscadale Farm on 9 October (IH), 33 at Ballycaul Farm on 12 October (DM) and c.160 in flight from Loch Dhu on 18 November. Greylag Goose - Anser anser – Resident breeder and winter migrant, with resident birds increasing rapidly in number during recent years. Hybridization with Canada Geese recorded. Large counts include c.1200 at Ballianlay on 17 January (DM), total of c.1750 on 10 March (IH), c.300 Ettrick Bay on 29 August (resident flock) (DM), and 990 recorded on Bute at various locations during national goose count on 11 November (DM). Canada Goose - Branta canadensis – Resident breeder which has increased rapidly in numbers during recent years. Hybridization with Graylag Geese recorded, 3 hybrid Geese at Loch Quien on 2 October (DM), 103 at Greenan Loch on 13 February (DM), 6 adults with 11 half-grown young at Ettrick Bay on 11 June (IH), 15 at Kilchattan Bay on 29 August (IH), c.250 at Kilchattan Bay on 31 August (GMcD), 135 at Loch Quien on 21 October and 177 near airstrip, Plan Road on 22 October (DM). Barnacle Goose - Branta leucopsis – Winter passage migrant, in small numbers. 9 at Ballianlay on 17 January (DM), 8 at Loch Ascog on 10 March (IH), 15 at Loch Quien on 21 October (DM) and 1 with Canada Geese at Mecknoch on 11 and 23 November (DM). Shelduck - Tadorna tadorna – Resident, with increased numbers during winter. Peak counts: 19 at St Ninian’s saltmarsh on 30 January (DM), and 23 at Largizean Farm on 30 March (IH). Wigeon - Anas Penelope – Primarily a common winter visitor, often in large flocks: recorded at all of the islands fresh water lochs. Last spring departure date, 2 on 2 April at Kirk Dam (IH). First autumn arrival date, 12 at Ettrick Bay and 1 at Greenan Loch on 28 August (DM, IG). Maximum counts from lochs (WeBS data), 296 at Greenan Loch on 11 March (RF); 420 at Loch Ascog on 17 January (DM); 14 at Loch Fad on 17 January; 226 at Kirk Dam on 18 November; and 270 at Loch Quien on 17 January (IH). Gadwall - Anas strepera – Scarce winter visitor becoming more frequent. 2 males at Kirk Dam on 8 February (RF), 1 male at Loch Quien on 12 September (IH), 2 males at Loch Quien on 12 October (DM), 12 (2 family groups 8 and 4) at Loch Quien on 12 October (DM). 2 Kirk Dam on 2 November (IH), 2 Loch Quien on 4 November (IH) and again on 23 November (DM), and 1 male at Kirk Dam on 29 and 30 November (PP, DM). Teal - Anas crecca – Common winter visitor. 139 at Loch Quien on 17 January (IH), 44 at Loch Quien on 12 October (DM), and 154 at Greenan Loch 18 November (RF). Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos – Common resident breeder. 151 at Loch Ascog on 12 February (DM), 135 at St Ninian’s Bay on 5 September (IH), 111 at Little Kilmory on 12 October (DM), 203 in ‘wet’ field at Meikle Kilmory on 17 October (RF), and 252 in fields at Cranslagvourity Farm on 2 November (DM). A drake with abnormal red and green head pattern reminiscent of Teal was present at Kirk Dam between 2 and 5 November(DM, IH), and two with this abnormal head pattern were seen at the same loch on 30 November (DM). Pintail - Anas acuta – Scarce visitor recorded less than annually. Pair at Greenan Loch from 11-15 March (RF, IH, DM). Pochard - Aythya ferina – Scarce winter visitor. 1 male at Greenan Loch on 11 March (RF, IH), and 2 males at Greenan Loch on 15 March (DM). Tufted Duck - Aythya fuligula – Common winter visitor and scarce breeder. Breeding was confirmed for the first time since 1997 by a pair seen with 5 chicks on Greenan Loch on 21 August (IH, DM). Peak counts recorded were 88 at Loch Quien on 29 August (IH) and 41 Greenan Loch on 14 October (RF). Scaup - Aythya marila – Scarce winter visitor. 1 male at Greenan Loch on 11 March (RF, IH) until 18 March (IH). Eider - Somateria mollissima – Resident breeder, with increased numbers in winter. Population decreasing. Annual September ‘round island’ count produced 63 males and 25 females (IH). Long-tailed Duck - Clangula hyemalis – Scarce winter visitor. 1 female or immature at Loch Quien on 18 October (IH, RF) and again on 23 November (DM). Common Scoter - Melanitta nigra – Scarce winter visitor 1 female at Scalpsie Bay on 14 and 15 January (DM, IH). Goldeneye - Bucephala clangula – Common winter visitor. 12 at Greenan Loch on 15 January (RF), 17 on Loch Quien on 11 March (IH), 1 immature at Kirk Dam on 26 April, and 7 at Loch Quien on 29 October (DM).