at a glance not just peanuts! - the rspb · not just peanuts! local group member, bill craigie,...
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Winter 2016 Newsletter of the Aberdeen and District RSPB Local Group Issue 3
Not just peanuts!
Local Group member, Bill Craigie, handed a cheque for
£10,000 to Simon Busuttil, Regional Reserves Manager for
the RSPB, at the start of November. This is the latest tranche
of money raised by the Friends of Strathbeg (which Bill
leads) primarily from the sale of bird food.
The idea started in 1990,
when the then Aberdeen
YOC group started selling
peanuts to raise money for
conservation projects. Bill
was one of the leaders of
the YOC group, and when
the group ended in the late
90's he carried on selling
bird food and other bird
related items. The Friends
have sold an average of 12
tonnes of bird food per year, in addition to £3,000 worth of locally made
nest boxes and squirrel feeders.
Since 1990 £95,370 has been raised in this way - much more than a
peanut sized sum! Of this total £87,405 plus matching grants has been
donated to various Loch of Strathbeg projects. A great example of
money raised locally going
to local projects. The
money handed over in
November goes towards
the current refurbishment
and re-building project at
Strathbeg. Those of you
who have visited the site
recently will see the
extensive changes
underway. Note parking is
limited and the Visitor Centre is closed until further notice. You can
follow the progress of the work by visiting
http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guid
e/l/lochofstrathbeg/
The accompanying photo shows where the new window, paid for by the
Local Group Chairman's Appeal and a generous donation from Ian
Duncan in memory of his mother, will be located.
At a glance
Bill Craigie .............................. 1
Letter from the Chairman...... 2
Red-backed Shrikes .............. 2
Birding NE Scotland .............. 3
2017 Calendar ........................ 4
Sparrows ................................ 5
Seabird season 2015 ............. 6
The RSPB and shooting ........ 7
Group Outing to Islay ............ 8
Islay goose strategy .............. 9
Come along to our
Indoor meetings -
second Tuesday each
month, January to April.
See the separate
Programme sheet for
details of our outings
We hope that there is
something for everyone.
Please come along - it
doesn't matter whether
you are a novice or an
experienced
birdwatcher, all are
welcome.
Also sign up for our
work parties on RSPB
reserves. We have
achieved a lot in the
past - so please come
along and help out if you
are able. It really makes
a difference! Contact
Mark Sullivan for information.
Simon Busuttil (left) and Bill Craigie (right)
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Local Group website
More information about
the local group and its
activities can be found
on the group's website:
http://www.rspb.org.uk
/groups/aberdeen
Local Group donation
£5,500 donated to
Strathbeg in 2015,
from the Chairman's
Appeal, including
£1,000 from Ian
Duncan.
Welcome to our new
members
Margaret Stewart
Richard Thompson
David White
John Imrie
John & Liz Summerwill
Look out for...........
Scotland's Big Nature
Festival on 21st and
22nd May 2016 at
Levenhall Links, Lothian
The Royal Society for
the Protection of Birds
[RSPB] is a registered
charity; England and
Wales number 207076,
Scotland number
SC 037654
Letter from the Chairman
A Happy New Year to all members of the Local Group, and
all best wishes for a wildlife filled 2016.
I will have completed five years as Group Leader on the 1st April - I
really don't know where the time has gone. I hope that the various
changes brought in during the past few years have improved your
experiences within the Group. I would like to thank all the committee
members, past and present, for their support. They have worked
really hard to make sure that the Local Group continues to reflect the
wishes of you all and provides a wide range of indoor and outdoor
activities that will enhance your birding.
This edition of the newsletter contains a range of topics, from Tim
Marshall "gripping us off" with his NE Scotland list to more serious
topics regarding Barnacle Goose "control" and shooting game birds.
If you wish to comment on any of the articles or would like to have a
subject covered in the next edition, please contact the editor (Mary
Middleton - [email protected]).
Hopefully the 2nd January Ythan Wander will have got our year lists
to a cracking start, so good birding and I look forward to seeing you
out and about throughout the year.
Mark Sullivan
Red-backed Shrikes and Common
Cranes
by Ian Francis
This year, one pair of Red-backed Shrikes successfully fledged three
young in Aberdeenshire. This is the first confirmed breeding attempt
here since 1981, though there was a case of probable breeding, not
the same site, in 1998. However, a pair bred in
Moray in 2013.
There appears to have been only two pairs
successfully breeding in the UK in 2015, the other
being on Shetland. The sites chosen by this
species in our area are completely typical of the
land uses present – there is nothing obviously
special about them – so it is worth keeping an eye
open in any suitable area of heath, scrub and forest edge. How many
are overlooked in Scotland? (If you do find such rare breeding birds
while you are out and about, please contact the local RSPB office
and speak to Ian, and do not spread the information further).
The pair of Common Cranes which breeds in our area also produced
young, however no young birds fledged, due to predation (by a fox).
We are grateful to Ian for allowing us to publish this information.
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Birding NE Scotland - 347 species to date and counting!
by Tim Marshall
My work brought
me up to
Aberdeenshire on
17th October 1982,
which was about
the time of a large
influx of Pallas’s Warblers: I had never
heard of a Pallas’s Warbler and knew
nothing of east coast ‘falls’.
I was already a keen birder but when I arrived up
here my life list was probably about 120 and
although I could identify common birds, things like
small waders, pipits, warblers, etc were a
nightmare! I was very lucky in that my mentor was
Steve Palmer who was a very enthusiastic and
knowledgeable birder up here at the time. Survey
work for the first Atlas of NE Scotland Birds was
starting, and Steve would take me out on his trips
mapping the birds of the area, and I was able to
get to know the birding hotspots which, of course,
included Rattray Head - this was to become my
‘Patch’ over the next 30 years.
I think my first rarity was a pristine Water Pipit in a
wet field at the back of my house outside
Longside in April 1984. This was a first for NE
Scotland (it has since been rejected by the
Rarities Committee! - but I saw it and it WAS a
Water Pipit!!). I then saw three absolute 'megas': a
Kentish Plover at Rattray in April 84, a Wilson’s
Phalarope at Cotehill Loch in September 84 and a
Black-winged Stilt at Meikle Loch in September
84. These really got me hooked on finding rare
birds, but I did limit my twitching to Scotland. I
now only twitch within the NE Scotland Bird
Report area, because I would often drive down to
Fife or Dumfries etc to see a bird and sure enough
one would appear in our area sooner or later - I let
them come to me now!!
Highlights over the years have been many, but
most involve self-found birds like Short-toed Lark,
Rustic Bunting, Subalpine Warbler, Dusky
Warbler and Little Bunting all at Rattray. I was
particularly proud to find the first Hume’s Warbler
at Buller’s of Buchan in November 94, I had only
come across the species in "British Birds" a few
weeks before and was looking for migrants at the
Buller’s when I heard an unfamiliar call. I couldn’t
locate the bird, but on my way back to the car a
Yellow-browed Warbler popped up in front of me,
nice I thought, but then it gave the strange call
and it wasn’t till I got home that alarm bells went
off and I spread the news (morse code if I
remember correctly!!). It stayed for 3 days and
was twitched by many birders.
My first Pallas’s Warbler was also very satisfying.
Having missed the big influx in 84, there was a
period of strong easterlies and rain in mid-October
88 and I thought I would go and find a Pallas’s
(like you do!!), so I went to Cruden Bay woods
and eventually a small stripey warbler with a
lemon rump flew across the path in front of me -
Result!! It was blowing a gale and pouring with
rain so I went back next morning and got great
views (I have seen about 20+ since then!).
Another memorable bird was the American Robin
that was found at Inverbervie on Boxing Day 88.
Not what I expected to be doing on Boxing Day
but a drive down on a very pleasant day was
suitably rewarded and there wasn’t much traffic!!!
One bird was quite hard work and that was a
Citrine Wagtail that turned up in late September
98. It would drop onto the putting green at
Girdleness for about 5 mins at about 07.00 in the
morning and then disappear. I went down there on
three mornings in succession (leaving home
before 06.00) and finally connected with it – a
lovely bird and the only one I have seen to date.
As this is the RSPB Local Group newsletter I had
the honour of finding the first Avocet that was
seen at the Loch of Strathbeg in January 86, Jim
Dunbar (The Warden) was well pleased to get
‘official’ recognition for the reserve!!
We are fortunate to live in one of the best birding
areas in the UK and the variety of commoner birds
go from Ptarmigan to Puffin with plenty in
between.
My list of species seen in NE Scotland presently
stands at 347 (the most recent being Black-
winged Pratincole, Arctic Warbler and Paddyfield
Warbler). For future additions to my list, I expect
Nuthatch will arrive in the area soon, a twitchable
Red-throated Pipit would be nice (I have seen one
at Rattray!).
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I have missed a couple of Olive-backed Pipits, while Alpine Swift and Golden Oriole are another couple that
are high on the hit list!!
The bottom line is to get out there and keep looking. Spring and Autumn are most productive but amazing
birds can turn up anytime such as Sandhill Crane, Rock Thrush and Harlequin Duck to name a few!!!
Good Birding!
Photographs for a Local Group 2017 Calendar
Get out your cameras, and sort through your old photographs. The Local Group will be producing a 2017
calendar, available for sale from October 2016, with photographs provided by YOU! Any wildlife (not just
birds) that can be found in our local area (that covered by the "Birding Guide") is to be included. Rules as
follows:
Photographs to be A4 landscape format (digital files of the 12 selected to be available)
Photographs to be submitted in 4 categories:
Winter (December to February)
Spring (March to May)
Summer (June to August)
Autumn (September to November)
Write your name and contact details, plus category on the back of each photograph
Maximum of 8 photographs per entry
Deadline Tuesday 8th March 2016 (the March Indoor Meeting) - prints can be given to Rob or any committee
member at the January - March indoor meetings, or posted to Rob Leslie, 3 Brander Place, AB22 8QP.
Rock Thrush, Black Stork, Harlequin Duck, Avocet & Snowy Owl - all photos by Tim Marshall
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The photographs will be exhibited at the April Indoor meeting (12th April 2016) where attendees will select
the winning 12 photographs.
No prize will be awarded this time, but all the chosen photographs will be acknowledged on the calendar.
The Aberdeen and District RSPB Local Group retains the right to use any of the photographs entered in
future publications or on the website.
Sparrows
A prose poem by Richard Price
(reproduced by kind permission of the author and Carcanet Press)
You don't see many hedges these days, and the hedges you do see they're not that
thorny, it's a shame, and when I say a hedge I'm not talking about a row of twigs between
two lines of rusty barbed wire, or more likely just a big prairie where there were whole
cities of hedges not fifty years ago, a big desert more like, and I mean thick hedges, with
trees nearby for a bit of shade and a field, not a road, not too far off so you can nip out for
an insect or two when you or the youngsters feel like a snack, a whole hedgerow system
as it says in the book, and seven out of ten sparrows say the same, and that's an
underestimate, we want a place you can feel safe in again, we're social animals, we want
our social life back, and the sooner the better, because in a good hedge you can always
talk things over, make decisions, have a laugh if you want to, sing, even with a voice like
mine!
Tree Sparrows M. Sullivan
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0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
1992 1999 2006 2009 2012 2015
Fowlsheugh seabirds
Guillemot (Ind)
Kittiwake (AON)
Razorbill (Ind)
Fulmar (AOS)
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
1969 1979 1995 2001 2007 2011 2015
Troup Head seabirds
Guillemot (Ind)
Razorbill (Ind)
Kittiwake (AON)
Fulmar (AOS)
How are our seabirds faring?
by Kath Hamper
Every three years a full colony count at the seabird reserves of Fowlsheugh and Troup
Head takes place, and 2015 was one of these years. Every single bird on these two huge
colonies is included, and it’s a challenging job – this year over 100,000 birds and nests were
counted!
After weeks of counting, checking and
recounting some final figures are
available, and the news is
encouraging for some species.
There’s good news for both
Guillemots and Razorbills this year,
with numbers up significantly on the
last count back in 2012. Fowlsheugh
saw Guillemot numbers (recorded as
individuals rather than nests) increase
from 44,922 in 2012 to 55,507 in
2015. Over the same period,
Razorbills went from 5,260 to 7,426.
Kittiwake numbers had a very slight
increase, although not of the same
magnitude as the auks, with numbers of AONs (Apparently Occupied Nests) going from 9,439 to 9,655. This
may not seem much of an increase, but following a massive national decline and poor productivity (the
number of chicks raised each year) it’s still encouraging. Productivity studies this year (following a number of
nests through the breeding
period and seeing how many
chicks each nest fledges)
have shown them to have had
a brilliant year! From nine
study plots scattered through
the colony, average
productivity was 1.38 chicks
per nest, which is the best
here since data collection on
productivity started in 1993!
They aren’t out of the woods
yet, but it’s certainly nice to
have some good news.
Over at Troup Head, it’s been a similar story for auks, with Guillemots increasing from 14,030 in 2011 to
20,539 this year and Razorbills going from 1,256 to 2,147 in 2015. Fulmar numbers are also up a little on the
last count. Gannets continue to expand at Troup, but numbers will have to wait until 2016 when their whole
colony will be counted. Sadly, it’s not all good news from Troup, with Kittiwake numbers declining again,
down to 7,180 AONs from 7,961 in 2011.
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To P(rotect) or not to P(rotect)? That is the Question.
by Alan Short (Local Group Member)
Dear RSPB local member,
Let me drag you away for a moment from the
photographs of all those wonderful birds in the
current edition of the RSPB Magazine, "Nature’s
Home". My personal favourite in this issue has to
be Titan the turtle dove who migrated from Mali to
Suffolk (Why on earth Suffolk I hear you say:
could he not have come a bit further north?)
But forget the birds, squirrels, badgers, binoculars
and books and let’s get down to the real business
of the RSPB. It is of course, the RSPB Charter.
The Charter sets out the aims and operating rules
of the RSPB and has done so since 1904 when it
was granted by King Edward VII (Bertie to you
and me). As befits something formulated in
Edwardian times when attitudes to birds were very
different from today, it has been revised a few
times. The question I want to ask is does some of
it need changing again, in particular a single
clause in section 3 which follows a statement on
the Objects of the RSPB?
The Charter lists the two main aims of the RSPB
(it calls them “Objects”):
Object one “To promote the conservation of
biological diversity and the natural environment”.
Object two “To advance education of the public in
conservation of the natural environment”.
These aims are explained in a bit more detail
through the statement that the RSPB should:
“persuade the public not only that the beauty of
birds and nature enriches the lives of many
people, but also that nature conservation is
fundamental to a healthy environment”. It’s all
good stuff and I particularly like the statement that
birds enrich people’s lives. So the inclusion of the
next clause is a bit mystifying. It’s the one I am
drawing attention to.
The Society shall take no part in the question
of the killing of game birds and legitimate
sport of that character except when such
practices have an impact on the Objects (my
emphasis).
Exactly when and why this statement was
included in the RSPB’s Charter is unclear to me at
the moment but I want to ask if, today, this clause
should be retained or removed?
Game/sport shooting is increasingly controversial
and opposition particularly to driven grouse
shooting is growing, not only on environmental
and conservation grounds but also for other
reasons including cruelty to animals/birds. Does
the statement in section 3 of the Charter
unjustifiably restrict the RSPB and its employees
from engaging in debate on some of the wider
issues that this kind of hunting raises? Or does
the clause sensibly restrict the RSPB to
comments on a narrower range of non-
controversial, scientific and conservation issues?
My own view is
that the clause
should be
removed from the
Charter. If this
were done, it
would not mean
that the RSPB had
adopted an official
policy against
game shooting. It
would simply
mean that RSPB
employees could
express their
views on a wider range of issues raised by game
shooting than they are currently allowed to. This
would surely help to clarify the issues around
game shooting for RSPB members and might
inform the Society’s thinking about what the aims
of the RSPB should actually be.
If you’re still not sure what I am getting at, ask
yourself how you would feel if a candidate for a
top job in the RSPB listed their favourite hobby as
driven grouse shooting.
I don’t intend to raise a petition, or a motion for the
AGM on this issue, but I would be grateful if
members could have a look at the Charter
(available on the RSPB website) and get in touch
with Mark (sorry Mark!) if they feel strongly, either
way. Mark and the committee can then decide if
any action on behalf of the members is required.
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Islay - Aberdeen and District RSPB Local Group - November 2015
by Mark Sullivan
Eleven Group members joined
Lesley Silcock on her new home of
Islay to explore the wildlife to be
found here.
Birding started at the Kennacraig ferry
terminal and continued until the return
ferry five days later, and a fantastic range
of species was recorded.
The main aims of the trip were to find the
raptors and Choughs which make the
island their home and to admire the vast
numbers of geese which visit during the
winter - we were not to be disappointed! By the time we docked at Port Askaig, we had already encountered
Great Northern Divers, and had seen both Golden and White-tailed Eagles from the ferry!
Huge flocks of Greenland Barnacle Geese were scanned, Greenland White-fronted Goose families were
watched, and we were surprised to find so many Pale-bellied Brent Geese feeding on the mud flats near our
hotel in Bowmore. Masses of Redwings with other thrushes
were migrating through, their very dark appearance
suggesting an origin in Iceland.
We visited the two main RSPB reserves - The Oa, where we
had great scope views of Golden Eagle perched on the
hillside, but were really excited to find a flock of 350 Twite,
and at the end of our walk a single Snow Bunting, and Loch
Gruinart. Here we had an amazing view of a ring-tailed Hen
Harrier busily feeding in front of one of the hides among
throngs of duck and waders.
Saving the best until last, Sunday afternoon was dedicated to finding and watching the Choughs in the north-
west of the island - finally a flock of over 40 birds performed for us, before we met Eric Bignall, "the Chough
man" who provides a small daily ration of mealworms as supplementary
feeding to young birds. This has helped to stabilise the rapidly declining
population of Choughs on the island. He gave us a short talk in the evening
sunshine, and answered our questions. He also made a plea for us all to
contact our MSPs and MEPs to protest about the cull of Barnacle Geese on
the island (see article below). As a farmer himself, he is now in a position
where he cannot access grants to maintain pasture for geese as he is unwilling
to allow shooters onto his land!
The weather was generally kind to us (for November!), and the 10 "Islay
Virgins" amongst us were very impressed by the wildlife and the varied
landscapes, and will return!
A total of 102 species of bird was recorded, along with 10 mammals (including
Otter, two of which were encountered). Thanks go to Lesley for showing us
around, and to Eric for giving us the chance to learn more about the problems
facing the Islay Chough population. Lesley is able to provide B+B and information about birding sites on the
island. Contact her on [email protected].
Photo P. Grant
Barnacle Geese
Barnacle Geese
Chough
Choughs
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The Islay goose strategy and why the RSPB has
complained to Europe
taken from Stuart Housden's blog, with kind permission from Stuart
The Hebridean island of Islay is one of the key sites for wintering geese, holding more than
half of the world populations of Greenland Barnacle Geese and a quarter of the world's
Greenland White-fronted Geese. The geese have arrived each autumn and, in the past, fed
on the merse and boggy grasslands. But over time these have been improved for
agriculture, and many geese are now found on farmers' fields, a longstanding issue in
Scottish conservation. Farming is an important industry on Islay and it benefits a range of
key wildlife, including corncrakes and choughs. RSPB Scotland owns and manages
farmland nature reserves on the island, notably at Loch Gruinart.
Wintering Barnacle Goose numbers increased on
Islay until 2005/6, since when the population has
levelled-out, fluctuating at around 40,000 birds.
Greenland White-fronted Geese, in contrast, have
been in steady decline since 1995 and are a
species of serious conservation concern across
their global range. Grazing geese can
undoubtedly impact farm pastures – this fact is not
at issue. Nor is the fact
that Scotland has a global
conservation responsibility
for these migratory goose
populations, and for
implementing wildlife
legislation properly.
Following some intense
exchanges between
agricultural interests and
conservation interests in
the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in court cases
brought by RSPB Scotland and the Wildfowl and
Wetlands Trust (WWT), the Scottish Government
established Local Goose Management Schemes
in areas of conflict, including Islay. The local
groups were advised by the National Goose
Management Review Group, including RSPB
Scotland, WWT and the National Farmers’ Union
of Scotland (NFUS) among others. The local
schemes combined management payments to
affected farmers, designation of protected goose
feeding areas and programmes of scaring to
protect vulnerable fields. Some involved the
shooting of a limited number of Barnacle Geese
under licence as agreed under the EU ‘Birds’
Directive. A workable deal that met the needs of
farmers and geese seems to have been found.
This ‘deal’ lasted up until the financial crisis,
Scottish Government sought to save money and
its policy changed. Late last year, the Scottish
Government, and its agency Scottish Natural
Heritage (SNH), teamed up directly with the NFUS
to produce a new strategy for Islay geese. This
strategy proposes:
“... that the Islay barnacle goose population is
lowered, in increments, to a minimum range of
28,000 to 31,000 geese and is then maintained at
that level. This represents a maximum reduction
of 25-30% of Barnacle Geese…”
In our view, this new strategy:
Is not based on sound evidence - in
particular regarding the relationship
between goose numbers and
agricultural damage (research we have
been calling for repeatedly)
Risks non-compliance with international
wildlife law-in particular on the existence
of satisfactory non-lethal alternatives, for
example via the type of well-funded
local scheme that was in place
previously
Threatens the declining Greenland White-
fronted Goose through increased
disturbance
May prove unfeasible in practice
(shooting such high numbers of
Barnacle Geese is untested)
Is actually more expensive to the public
purse than alternatives, certainly in the
short term
White-fronted Geese
Page | 10
Will be a highly visible campaign killing
large numbers of protected wild birds
and is generating concern among
tourism operators with respect to Islay’s
reputation
We have made our concerns clear to the national
goose group and to Scottish ministers – but the
Scottish Government/NFUS Strategy is now being
implemented. In response the RSPB has,
reluctantly, resigned our seat on the National
Goose Management Review Group, and has
lodged a formal complaint to the European
Commission. We feel this situation is deeply
regrettable – but at the very least, we hope to
ensure that the EC will thoroughly scrutinise the
Scottish Government/NFUS plan and that in this
way a damaging precedent in the Scottish
Government’s application of international wildlife
law can be avoided. As for the affected farmers –
we believe that they should be given the practical
support they need to farm, as well as to support
our globally important wildlife populations. We see
this as the delivery of a precious public benefit in
today’s Scotland, and deserving of sustained
investment.
Geese will remain fully protected on RSPB
Scotland’s reserves on Islay. If you are concerned
about this shift in policy by the Scottish
Government, you can make your views known by
contacting your MSPs or MEPs.
Postal and E-mail Contacts - Information required
It seems that several of our members have changed their e-mail address, or the e-mail address we hold on
file is no longer valid. In order that we can continue to send you information regarding the Group activities, if
you have changed e-mail address recently could you please contact Mark on [email protected]
so that our records can be updated. If you have moved postal address could you also contact Mark with the
new details.
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch
The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch is the world's biggest bird survey and regularly attracts nearly half a
million participants. Records from people counting birds in their gardens provide a vital snapshot of the UK's
birds each winter. The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2016 will take place on the weekend of the
30th and 31st January 2016