Scottish Birds 43(4) December 2023 - Sneak peek

PhotoSP

Plate 328. I’ve visited the Isle of Mull countless times over the past four decades, as I married a lass whose paternal family were Muilich through many generations.

Family visits were the norm, which meant that I never really had the opportunity to, selfishly, explore the scenery and wildlife of this wonderful island and its neighbours as I might have wished. However, on a trip there, in May of this year, I managed to arrange a visit to the island of Lunga, one of the Treshnish Isles, a set of islands inextricably linked to Mull, and was astounded by the richness of the bird life, with many types of breeding seabirds including, of course, the iconic yet, at the same time, comical Puffin.

I took many Puffin pictures that day, but was captivated by this one, which I entitled “The Yawn”, as, for me, it encapsulates beautifully the seemingly clownish, yet special and seductive, character of this little bird and, by lying flat on the ground, I was able to isolate my subject and capture a perfectly balanced and quite unusual image.

Bob Hamilton, Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.

Email: boblenstalk@gmail.com Equipment used: OM Systems OM-1 camera, M.Zuiko Digital ED 150–400mm f 4.5 TC1.25x IS Pro Lens, Aperture priority, 1/2,000 second, ISO 200, f4.5.

SCOTTISH BIRDS Volume 43 (4)

©T

December 2023

Featuring the best images posted on the SOC website each quarter, PhotoSpot will present stunning portraits as well as record shots of something interesting, accompanied by the story behind the photograph and the equipment used. Upload your photos now - it’s open to all.

Scottish Birds published by the SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB

VOLU M E 43(4)

DEC EM B ER 2023

Contents

Scottish Birds 43:4 (2023) 290

Foreword R. Briggs

PAPERS & SHORT NOTES 291

Breeding bird and Mountain Hare survey data from a Scottish driven grouse moor D. Jarrett & M. Bennett

305

The breeding season diet of White-tailed Eagles in Scotland R. Reid, J.R. Grant, R.A. Broad, D.N. Carss & M. Marquiss

319

Blackcap song mimicry by a Lesser Whitethroat T. Byars

320

Two atypical Hen Harrier nest-sites in North-East Scotland G.W. Rebecca & A.P. Davis

324

Mallard predation on a Common Tern chick at Leith docks, Edinburgh F. Germi

CLUB ARTICLES, NEWS & VIEWS 328

The Glasgow Peregrine Project J. Simpson

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NEWS AND NOTICES

340

President’s report from SOC branch visits R. Briggs

342

The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, 2018–2023 Dr C. Barlow & K. Innes

346

BOOK REVIEWS compiled by N. Picozzi

BIRDING ARTICLES & OBSERVATIONS 347

OBSERVATORIES' ROUNDUP

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White-crowned Sparrow, Girdle Ness, Aberdeen, 10 June 2023 - first North-East Scotland record R. Duncan, A. Brighten & A. Whitehouse

357

Pacific Swift, Sumburgh Head and central Dunrossness, 2–5 July 2023 - second Shetland record D. Fairhurst, W.T.S. Miles & H.R. Harrop

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Night-heron at Methil, 18 July 2023 - second Fife record S. Neilson

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Marsh Warblers in Aberdeen - first confirmed breeding record for North-East Scotland J. Kedra & I. Broadbent

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Brown Booby in Lothian, Fife, Highland and Borders - the first Scottish records M. Griffin, G. Mcnab, A. Williams, A. McNee, M. Holling & P. Dean

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Oriental Turtle Dove, North Boisdale, South Uist, 27 August 2023 - first Outer Hebrides record P. Safford

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Yellow Warblers in Scotland during Autumn 2023 D. Atherton, D. Jardine, T. de Clermont & J. Dickson

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Tennessee Warbler, Hirta, St Kilda, 15–18 September 2023 - second Outer Hebrides record W.T.S. Miles & C. Nisbet

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Index to Volume 43 (2023)

PHOTOSPOT BC

Puffin B. Hamilton

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Foreword

Of birds and people I was given a sneak peek at a couple of articles in this edition of Scottish Birds. They set me thinking, as they might you, about how the SOC and its members contribute to the conservation of birds in Scotland.

We don’t, as a Club, own nature reserves, lobby politicians or make formal comment on development plans like some bodies do. Those actions are not part of our Constitution and other organisations do them very effectively. But we do both practise and support the gathering of survey and research data, citizen science, raising awareness of birds, learning about birds and, very importantly, the enjoyment, interest and wellbeing that seeing and hearing Scotland’s birds in the field and in art and literature can bring. Effective conservation of birds and their habitats would not succeed without these actions which, as well as their intrinsic value, represent a strong voice about the importance of incorporating the needs of birds in all forms of land and water management in and beyond Scotland.

The two articles I glimpsed are those describing a 20-year study of food found at the nests of White-tailed Eagles and a one-season structured survey of breeding birds at a Cairngorms sporting estate. We know, don’t we, about the concerns that were originally raised about the compatibility of released White-tailed Eagles with livestock farming; and we know about the challenges of managing moorland for multiple uses and interests. The SOC, in publishing articles like these (thanks of course to dedicated work by authors and their colleagues), demonstrates the importance of gathering and promoting real, evidenced data to inform wider knowledge and decisions about land and species management.

On a completely different note, it’s time for me to acknowledge and thank Lesley Creamer, our Vice President with particular responsibility for Management and Infrastructure, for the five-year term she’s completed and the major contribution of time and skills she’s given to the Club during some challenging years. Lesley has gone above and beyond to chair our Management Committee, support and advise staff, oversee Waterston House and contribute to the wider development of the Club. Alongside all that, she continues to catalogue items and help maintain SOC’s important library. Thank you, Lesley!

Plate 236. Chris Wernham, Ruth Briggs and Lesley Creamer, Waterston House, 31 August 2023. © Ben Darvill

It’s always a team effort, so the photo above is of a moment in time when, as President, I was joined at Waterston House by, among others, an outgoing Vice President (Lesley) and an incoming Vice President (Chris Wernham, Birding & Science). There’s always much to discuss and plan for the Club.

With good wishes for this winter season and 2024.

Ruth Briggs, SOC President

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Breeding bird and Mountain Hare survey data from a Scottish driven grouse moor

Breeding bird and Mountain Hare survey data from a Scottish driven grouse moor D. JARRETT & M. BENNETT Introduction The Scottish uplands support internationally significant populations of a suite of high conservation priority bird species (Pearce-Higgins et al. 2009). Management techniques associated with traditional sporting estates such as livestock grazing, predator control and muirburn, when applied appropriately, have contributed to the conservation of many of these species (Thompson et al. 1995). However, these management approaches are becoming part of an increasingly polarised public discourse in recent years (Hodgson et al. 2018), with growing public support for alternative approaches to upland land management, including native woodland regeneration and rewilding (Martin et al. 2021).

During the second half of the 20th century, agricultural intensification (Firbank et al. 2008), afforestation of marginal hill ground, and increased populations of generalist predators (McMahon et al. 2020) following the cessation of widespread predator control in the lowlands led to increased rates of predation on ground-nesting birds (MacDonald & Bolton 2008). Dramatic declines have been observed in breeding waders like Lapwing Vanellus vanellus (-60%, 1995–2020), Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus (-36%) and Curlew Numenius arquata (-60%) with Black Grouse Lyrurus tetrix range and abundance also declining substantially (Baines & Hudson 1995, Pearce-Higgins et al. 2007). Many of these birds are now absent or near absent from the lowlands and declining in upland areas where predator control is absent or ineffective (Calladine et al. 2014). Upland areas, where predator control is carried out in association with grouse shooting, have become increasingly important as refuges for breeding waders (Douglas et al. 2014, Ludwig et al. 2019). However, there is also evidence that illegal raptor persecution associated with grouse moor management limits populations of some raptor species in upland areas (Newton 2021). This has led to greater scrutiny of the wider environmental impacts of grouse shooting, with increasing interest in the carbon and biodiversity impact of muirburn for example (Holland et al. 2022, Wilson et al. 2022).

Additionally, although planting trees on moorland soils is unlikely to result in net carbon benefits in decadal timescales (Friggens et al. 2020, Warner et al. 2022), there are ambitious targets for the further expansion of woodland cover in the uplands (Cairngorms National Park Authority 2022).

Many scrub and woodland bird species have generally responded positively to both improved climatic suitability and increased woodland cover in northern Britain (Martay et al. 2023), with positive trends for many species (Harris et al. 2022). However, woodland expansion reduces the open ground available to breeding waders (Douglas et al. 2020) and provides habitat for generalist predators, meaning the predator control effort needed to deliver sustainable populations of waders increases (Douglas et al. 2014).

Robust data on upland bird populations are important in supporting effective decision-making where trade-offs between different species and habitats are inevitable (Calladine et al. 2022). In this paper, we present breeding bird (and Mountain Hare Lepus timidus) population estimates and breeding wader productivity data obtained from systematic bird surveys carried out in 2022 on a driven grouse shooting estate in the east of the Cairngorms National Park.

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Scottish Birds: 291–304

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The breeding season diet of White-tailed Eagles in Scotland

Plate 247. White-tailed Eagle feeding young at a nest, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, 2019. © Mark Hamblin

The breeding season diet of White-tailed Eagles in Scotland R. REID, J.R. GRANT, R.A. BROAD, D.N. CARSS & M. MARQUISS The breeding season diet of White-tailed Eagles in Scotland was assessed from samples of food remains at nest sites, enabling spatial and temporal comparisons but likely underestimating smaller food items, soft-bodied items and fish. During the 20-year study, 293 samples from 92 different nest territories contained 11,375 food items, comprising 67% birds (70 species), 27% mammals (17 species) and 6% fish (at least 30 species). The types of foods in samples from individual territories were similar across years, even over the full length of the study.

At coastal territories most food remains were from seabirds and fish. In other territories, various dominant foods included wetland birds, rabbits, lambs, hares and gamebirds. Regional differences reflected this, with marine items most prevalent in the Outer Hebrides, north-west mainland, Skye, Islay and Jura. Large mammals were common food items in Mull, Lochaber and mainland Argyll, and waterfowl were important prey on the Uists, Islay, Jura, Mull, Lochaber and mainland Argyll.

Hares and grouse were predominant at nests further inland towards the east of Scotland. Most lamb remains were recorded in those territories first occupied after reintroduction, with progressively fewer in territories established thereafter so that by 2017, lambs were frequent (30% or more of recorded items) in only five of the 58 territories sampled.

In retrospect, the previously widespread view that lambs are an important food for White-tailed Eagles has been superseded; the prevailing evidence now is that marine items (seabirds and fishes) are the most important breeding season food in Scotland. As elsewhere in their range, White-tailed Eagles in Scotland appear to be generalist foragers that take the most easily available local foods.

Consequently, further dietary shifts might be expected as the population expands and more individuals settle in areas with greater access to the uplands or to rich freshwater habitats.

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Scottish Birds: 305–318

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Short Notes

Plate 261. The Imperial Dock Lock Special Protection Area (SPA) in Leith Docks, Edinburgh. June 2023. © Francesco Germi

Mallard predation on a Common Tern chick at Leith Docks, Edinburgh The Imperial Dock Lock Special Protection Area (SPA) in Leith Docks, Edinburgh, currently supports the largest Common Tern Sterna hirundo breeding colony in Scotland, representing approximately 5% of the species breeding population of Britain and Ireland. The breeding site, a roughly rectangular concrete structure 145 m long surrounded by water, is essentially an island. Colonisation of Leith

Plate 262. The Imperial Dock Lock Special Protection Area (SPA) in Leith Docks with Common Terns in flight, June 2023. © Francesco Germi

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Docks as a breeding colony by Common Terns resulted from displacement of birds from several islands in the Firth of Forth, which were abandoned due to unsustainable levels of gull predation (Jennings 2012, Davies 2019).

I monitored the breeding colony daily between early May and September 2023, within the scope of an Environmental Impact Assessment to monitor potential noise disturbance from construction works at the outer berth nearby.

The colony was occupied and active, with 250– 300 breeding pairs. However, the 2023 Common Tern breeding season at Leith Docks was heavily hit by an outbreak of avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1, which resulted in a high mortality rate of well over 40% among adults, chicks and fledglings.

During the 2023 survey it was found that gull predation on chicks was the major threat to the tern colony productivity. Other birds observed predating on Common Terns at Leith Docks included Peregrines Falco peregrinus (on adults and chicks), and Carrion Crows Corvus corone (on eggs). All species above elicited strong alarm responses from the terns. Mallards Anas

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Club articles, news & views

Plate 266. Birders at the watch point, Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow, Clyde, 3 June 2023. © John Simpson

The Glasgow Peregrine Project As a long-standing SOC and Central Scotland Raptor Study Group (SRSG) member, I monitor Peregrine sites in west Loch Lomond, continuing a study started by John Mitchell many decades ago.

Like many Peregrine populations, these birds have undergone a long-term decline. In 2022, for the first time, there were no active sites in my area.

However, with Peregrines reported breeding in the city of Glasgow after years of absence, I instigated a study to identify all known nesting locations, and to discover if there is immigration into the city from further afield. The food supply and nesting opportunities seemed plentiful: so are hill Peregrines moving in to exploit these resources?

With the sad passing of Iain Gibson later in 2022, I took over as SOC Clyde Area Local Recorder. The opportunity then arose to bring all the city’s conservation bodies together, with the aim of enhancing ornithological recording. From there, the Glasgow Peregrine Project, an SOC-led initiative, was born. Its vision: conservation through collaboration, coordination, and cooperation.

Plate 267. Rescued Peregrine fledgling, Gilbert Scott Tower, Glasgow, Clyde, 20 June 2023. © University of Glasgow

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The project builds upon excellent work by Steven Mcgrath, a Glasgow cabbie with a longstanding interest in the city’s Peregrines who has established the history of a colour-ringed female, ‘L7’, fledged from a nest on Norwich Cathedral in 2019, which then flew 380 miles north to Glasgow. Steven maintains contact with the Norwich team, and with colleague David Hodge he has established a Facebook page ‘Glasgow University Peregrines’ to post pictures that support the project aims and objectives.

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Club articles, news & views

Plate 287. A Golden Eagle at the first Moffat Eagle Festival, September 2021. © Ian Georgeson

The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, 2018–2023 In September 2023, the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP) revealed that in the summer it had successfully transported eight more chicks from nests in the Scottish Highlands, Perthshire, Angus and the Islands to a secret location in southern Scotland. The new additions bring the total population of Golden Eagles in the south to around 46 more than quadrupling the population to the highest number recorded in the area for three centuries. Before the project began, there were between two and four pairs of Golden Eagles across Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, although a supporting study

by NatureScot showed that the local habitat is

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suitable for up to 16 pairs. The SSGEP partners - the Southern Uplands Partnership, RSPB Scotland, Scottish Land & Estates, Scottish Forestry and NatureScot - worked on the project together for more than 11 years before releasing the first eagle chicks in 2018. Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, project partners, and the Scottish Government, the initiative is a key venture under the Government’s Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity. Thanks to its groundbreaking work, partnership working, and community engagement, SSGEP was last year named The National Lottery’s Scottish Project of the Year.

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Club articles, news & views

BOOK REVIEWS

The book reviews published in Scottish Birds reflect the views of the named reviewers and not those of the SOC.

The (Big) Year That Flew By Twelve Months, Six Continents and the Ultimate Birding Record. Arjan Dwarshuis, May 2023. Chelsea Green Publishing, Vermont, ISBN 9781645021919, paperback, 272 pages (no illustrations), £18.99.

There are many forms of ‘timed’ bird races or counts these days - 24 hour, county, lockdown and so on. But the concept of a ‘Big Year’ is a step beyond. Dutch birder Arjan Dwarshuis was prompted to attempt to break the record for species seen in a single year when he first heard of American birder James Clements’ 1989 record of 3662 species. By the time Arjan set out in 2016, the record stood at 6,042 (in 2015). This book is Arjan’s account of his own attempt to better that record and is also a potted

history of his birding life. It is an entertaining read, although I did find the flashbacks to previous trips and experiences a little distracting.

Some photos would have been welcome; there are none in the book, though choosing a selection from the many species seen would have been difficult. I personally question the ethics of these global trips, given the cost and numbers of flights etc. involved. To be fair, the author does acknowledge that, and he has raised around 50,000 Euros to date for the ‘Birdlife Preventing Extinctions Programme’. Yes, he did break the record, reaching 6,852 species which called for meticulous planning, many adventures and meetings with helpful birders on the six continents. This is a great read, very well written and... there are still a few species to go!

Andrew Bielinski

New Books also received in the George Waterston Library The Purple Sandpiper. Ron W. Summers, 2023. Ron Summers. ISBN: 978-1-9999882-3-4, hardback, 352 pages. £30.00.

The Birds of Moray and Nairn: Their status and where to find them. Martin Cook, 2023. Martin Cook. ISBN: 978-1-9999882-4-1, paperback, 384 pages. £18.00.

Be a Birder: The joy of birdwatching and how to get started. Hamza Yassin, 2023. Gaia. ISBN: 978-1856755092, hardback, 304 pages. £16.99.

Finding W.H. Hudson: The Writer Who Came to Britain to Save the Birds. Conor Mark Jameson, 2023. Pelagic Publishing. ISBN: 978-1-78427-328-6, paperback, 348 pages, £21.99.

The Atlas of Early Modern Wildlife: Britain and Ireland between the Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution. Lee Raye, 2023. Pelagic Publishing. ISBN: 978-1784274078, hardback, 328 pages. £40.00.

Outer Hebrides Birds: The Status and Distribution of birds in the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles. Online resource: https://status.outerhebrides-birdreports.org/ £2.50.

Watch The Birdie... again. 2022. Beautiful Dragon Collaborations. Paperback ISBN 979-8-88862553-8. 84 pages. £9.99.

The George Waterston Library is open for browsing and borrowing during Waterston House opening hours (check SOC website). Books can either be borrowed directly or can be posted out (UK only, conditions and p&p charges apply) by emailing the Librarian: Library@the-soc.org.uk

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Birding articles & observations

OBSERVATORIES' ROUNDUP Observatories’ Roundup is a regular bi-annual feature about our bird observatories in Scotland. The intention is to publicise the work of the observatories, visiting opportunities, as well as incidental snippets of news from the islands.

North Ronaldsay With a bumper spring, and a lot to get through, you’ll have to forgive the brevity of proceedings and perhaps the lack of mention of common migrants. From my standpoint, that proves what a superb spring we had, despite just having two or three birding staff members throughout the season!

was found off Neven and was the first on the island since 2008. The final day of May produced a Red-breasted Flycatcher in Holland and two White-tailed Eagles.

I will start off in mid-April. The 15th was a bright and sunny day and started with a superb Red Kite over Phisligar before it gained height and headed north. This was closely followed by a White-tailed Eagle and then all were surpassed by a Spoonbill as it headed north over the island. The 19th produced the first Garganey of the year and a very smart Whitebilled Diver flew low over the Trolla punds.

The first week of June was nothing short of superb, when an Icterine Warbler and second Redbreasted Flycatcher were found on 3rd, the following day saw a Golden Oriole trapped and ringed in Holland, but the highlight of the week was a superb female Collared Flycatcher found on the outside wall of Cursitter before eventually being trapped and ringed. The 11th brought another Red-backed Shrike and a very showy bull Orca (lone bull 18) in Nouster, with a surprise catch at Holland in shape of the island’s third Great Reed Warbler. It was quickly joined by a Marsh Warbler, then perhaps more amazingly a

The remainder of April was quiet but May started off with a pair of Dotterel on Tor Ness - Dotterel would remain a constant feature throughout May with a maximum count of seven. The 3rd saw the first real rarity of the season, despite initially being seen two days earlier, identification wasn’t nailed until 3 May and this came in the form of a Pallid Harrier. It didn’t stay as long as we would have liked but was later seen on Papa Westray and Westray. The next day saw a very showy Quail on the west-side, a period of easterlies followed in which there were plenty of common migrants around, but for the most part they failed to produce anything of major notoriety, but good counts of Tree Pipit, Ring Ouzel, Redstart and Pied Flycatcher certainly kept us on edge. An unseasonal male Yellowhammer was at Howar on 17th before things picked up, with a Bluethroat at Viggay on 19th and then a Green-winged Teal and Western Subalpine Warbler were found on 20th at Garso and Ancum Willows respectively.

A week later, a frustrating moment arose in which a grey shrike sp. was seen heading in off the sea by a local birder but wasn’t seen subsequently. A long overdue female Surf Scoter

Plate 293. Golden Oriole, North Ronaldsay, Orkney, 4 June 2023. © George Gay

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Plate 299. White-crowned Sparrow, Girdle Ness, North-East Scotland, 10 June 2023. © Andrew Whitehouse

White-crowned Sparrow, Girdle Ness, Aberdeen, 10 June 2023 - first North-East Scotland record R. DUNCAN, A. BRIGHTEN & A. WHITEHOUSE (RD) I arrived at Girdle Ness at 07:00 hrs on 10 June 2023 with Alex Brighten for our weekly ‘Girdle-nesting’ session. Situated at the mouth of the River Dee, on the south side of Aberdeen, Girdle Ness is historically probably best known amongst birders as one of the region’s best migrant hotspots, but it is also a super place for common breeding birds. Abundant gorse bushes, rough grassy areas, bramble-covered slopes, a golf course and an old war battery afford great nesting habitat for many species including Linnet, Goldfinch, Skylark, Meadow and Rock Pipit, Swallow, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler amongst others. This is where we (Grampian Ringing Group) do our weekly nest hunting, monitoring and ringing of these breeding birds.

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It had been a terrific spell of weather with generally fine, dry days and little wind for a couple of weeks. However, there is nearly always a wind coming from somewhere down there, usually a chilly one at that, and today was no exception. So, with a bit of a south breeze blowing, this dictated our early nesting tactics and we headed across the road from the Torry Battery east car park and started walking back towards Aberdeen along the road, sheltered from the breeze by the battery slope. This elevated route allows good views from the road down the bramble, raspberries, dog rose and willow bush covered south slope of the River Dee.

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Plate 310. Brown Booby, Cramond Island, Lothian, 16 September 2023. © Dougie Edmunds

Brown Booby in Lothian, Fife, Highland and Borders - the first Scottish records M. GRIFFIN, G. MCNAB, A. WILLIAMS, A. MCNEE, M. HOLLING & P. DEAN Cramond Island, 17 August 2023 - first Lothian record As autumn and skua migration approaches, I regularly visit Hound Point and occasionally check Cramond Island. On the morning of 17 August, I decided to go to Cramond Island as the tides for crossing the causeway were favourable. My plan was to stay as long as the tide allowed and, if there was any skua activity, I would then head to Hound Point.

I arrived at the northern end of the Island at 09:30 hrs. At approximately 11:00 hrs, while scanning eastwards, I picked up a single dark bird flying westwards. As it approached I was puzzled as to its identity. The flight was ‘Gannet-like’ but it was lighter with slightly

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quicker wing beats. Apart from immature Gannet, I quickly eliminated any of the ‘normal’ species I would have expected to see in the inner Forth at this time of year. As it came closer its size became more apparent - it was too small for an immature Gannet.

When level with my position, it joined a feeding group of Gannets and other seabirds.

Its feeding technique was noticeably different from accompanying Gannets, being much more agile and less cumbersome. Plunge dives were from lower heights and shallower angles.

After surfacing it took off effortlessly to repeat further dives. I estimated the plunge diving ratio compared to a Gannet was approximately 3:1.

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Plate 321. Yellow Warbler, Ham, Foula, Shetland, 10 September 2023. © Geoff Atherton

Yellow Warblers in Scotland during Autumn 2023 D. ATHERTON, D. JARDINE, T. DE CLERMONT & J. DICKSON Ham, Foula, 5–11 September 2023 - third Shetland record It was 5 September, and a delayed start to the departure of the Foula ferry due to the previous night’s strong WSW winds meant it was midday before Geoff left for work, before which we had spent an enjoyable morning birding with lots of common migrants.

I then decided to catch up on some jobs in the garden, until I spotted the first Blackcap of the autumn, and this prompted me to take another look around Ham. I was soon stopped in my tracks by the sight of something yellow in a willow at the east side of Ham Yard, about 20 m away. Through the bins, I could only see a small patch of bright yellow buried in the dark vegetation with no proper scale or outline. I got my camera out ready for when it showed... but it didn’t, so I just shot and

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hoped to capture something. When I reviewed the best of my three shots, I could make out a small, blurred, yellow head with a fine bill. It looked good but it wasn’t enough, so I manoeuvred into a better position, where I had a better overall view of the yard. I was now sure that if it showed it would be easily picked up, but by now I was getting a bit worried that it may have relocated so I decided to do a wider search.

The suspense was unbearable, but I was able to focus and calm myself down when, Hallelujah, it flushed from a nearby hebe shrub and as the song goes... “it was all yellow”, bright yellow!

After what seemed an age, and with much patience, I got some ‘okay’ photos. A yellow warbler for sure, but which one? I had no idea.

I sent a back-of-camera phone photo via WhatsApp to Geoff and received an almost immediate response that’s unprintable.

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PhotoSP

Plate 328. I’ve visited the Isle of Mull countless times over the past four decades, as I married a lass whose paternal family were Muilich through many generations.

Family visits were the norm, which meant that I never really had the opportunity to, selfishly, explore the scenery and wildlife of this wonderful island and its neighbours as I might have wished. However, on a trip there, in May of this year, I managed to arrange a visit to the island of Lunga, one of the Treshnish Isles, a set of islands inextricably linked to Mull, and was astounded by the richness of the bird life, with many types of breeding seabirds including, of course, the iconic yet, at the same time, comical Puffin.

I took many Puffin pictures that day, but was captivated by this one, which I entitled “The Yawn”, as, for me, it encapsulates beautifully the seemingly clownish, yet special and seductive, character of this little bird and, by lying flat on the ground, I was able to isolate my subject and capture a perfectly balanced and quite unusual image.

Bob Hamilton, Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.

Email: boblenstalk@gmail.com Equipment used: OM Systems OM-1 camera, M.Zuiko Digital ED 150–400mm f 4.5 TC1.25x IS Pro Lens, Aperture priority, 1/2,000 second, ISO 200, f4.5.

SCOTTISH BIRDS Volume 43 (4)

©T

December 2023

Featuring the best images posted on the SOC website each quarter, PhotoSpot will present stunning portraits as well as record shots of something interesting, accompanied by the story behind the photograph and the equipment used. Upload your photos now - it’s open to all.

Scottish Birds published by the SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB

VOLU M E 43(4)

DEC EM B ER 2023