2006 Highland Bird Report
I always look forward to receiving the Highland Bird Report and that produced for Year 2006 is perhaps the best for that region yet. It is a real bumper issue, stretching to a staggering 208 pages and is, as usual, crammed full of invaluable information. From the front cover portrait (a stunning portrayal of an adult male Scottish Parrot Crossbill perched on an isolated dead branch) to the wonderful array of colour plates in the centre pages, it is superbly illustrated, featuring a duel between an adult White-tailed Sea Eagle and an adult Great Black-backed Gull and adult male White Wagtail (both Bob McMillan) as well as regional rarities such as the Common Crane at Durness (Graham Smith) and the 2nd-summer Laughing Gull at Brora (Sandy Morrison). Amongst David Whitaker’s fabulous images is a Common Kingfisher with fish prey on the inside back cover.
Just browsing the highly informative individual species’ text entries in the Systematic List gives one a detailed oversight of the region’s avifauna, and it is interesting to compare fortunes of different species over a 25 year period. There have been many gains on the breeding front, with species such as Northern Goshawk, Osprey, Jay, Blackcap and Goldfinch consolidating and rapidly expanding their ranges. Other species such as White-tailed Sea Eagle and Red Kite have benefited from reintroduction schemes. However, it is not just amongst the breeding birds that we have seen increases. The numbers of species such as Black-tailed Godwit and Sanderling have increased markedly in the same period, both as passage and wintering species. Conversely, many breeding birds have undergone rapid declines, such as Slavonian Grebe, Common Scoter, Short-eared Owl, Ptarmigan, Capercaillie, Woodcock, Black-headed Gull, Twite, Snow Bunting and Corn Bunting.
Year 2006 in Highland was slightly below average, with at least 228 species recorded. However, TWO NEW SPECIES were added to the Highland List: an AMERICAN ROBIN that was present at two different locations in Speyside on 4th and 6th May and a BOOTED or SYKES’S BOOTED WARBLER at Tarbat Ness on 19th August. These two new additions forward the Highland List to 336 species. The year also saw the second record of LAUGHING GULL, whilst of the 164 species that were suspected or known to have bred, most intriguing was that of the regularly returning male BLACK KITE which once again paired with a female Red Kite on the Black Isle and reared two hybrid young. Marsh Harrierand Northern Pintail were also proven to breed.
Dave Butterfield provides an ample summary of the avian highlights in his review of the ornithological year on pages 15-23 whilst the Systematic List for 2006 (on pages 24-174) provides a brilliant insight into the bird species that occurred in Badenoch & Strathspey, Inverness District, Easter Ross, Sutherland, Wester Ross, Lochalsh, Lochaber and Skye during the year. Delving through the data, I picked up some interesting snippets, which enhanced my knowledge of the region. For example, Broadford Bay on Skye has a regular wintering flock of Greenland White-fronted Geese, over 800 Barnacle Geese now winter at Balnakeil, 232 Common Goldeneyes were counted on Loch Kerry, near Gairloch, in January, 470 lekking Black Grouse were recorded in Speyside in April, breeding Black-throated Divers increased by 19% to 217 pairs, 74 pairs of Osprey bred successfully rearing 97 young, Black-headed Gulls are in serious decline as a breeding species, just 1 nest of Wood Warbler was recorded in 2006, a pair of Red-backed Shrikes summered in North Sutherland, the male for its third consecutive year and that there is a stable population of Corn Buntings. Most intriguing was a party of 5 Burrowing Parrots in Lairg, which survived in the wild from May to July after escaping from an aviary which got damaged in a storm.
At the end of the report, there is the standard first and last dates (page 177), The Highland Ringing Group Report 2006 (pages 178-191) and Gazateer (pages 202-205). Additionally, a thorough review of The Highland Common Swift Survey for 2006 is included (on pages 192-201).
My only real criticism of the report was its lack of accounts on its major rarities of the year, such as the two firsts. I would have liked to have seen a description (or photographs if they exist) of the Booted Warbler for example.
Overall, a superb report and well worth the small investment in purchase price. Copies can be obtained (ordered) from Dave Butterfield or the Scottish Ornithologist’s Club
