News archive
April 2009
Thursday, 9 April 2009
NEWS UPDATE FROM THE EAST SCOTLAND REGIONAL OFFICE
Meikle Loch became an RSPB nature reserve at the end of last year. Your Chairman's appeal raised £7,100 towards it's purchase, which is an amazing amount and we are very grateful. Thank you so much for your support. Meikle Loch is a naturally eutrophic kettle-hole loch covering 30 hectares and is the primary roost site for the wintering pink-footed geese within the Ythan Estuary, Sands of Forvie and Meikle Loch SPA. It is the fourth most important roost site for pink-footed geese in Scotland [and eighth in UK with up to 25,000 birds] and spotted crakes have bred and black-necked grebes have attempted to breed there in the past. With a great record of rarities the loch is an important foothold in one of the premier bird areas of eastern Scotland, some fifteen miles north of Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Red Kites, the final year of releases
Aberdeen Red Kites is a three year project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Aberdeen Greenspace through the Landfill Communities Fund, Scottish Natural Heritage [SNH] and RSPB Scotland, to re-introduce red kites to Aberdeen. This year the last batch of red kite chicks to be re-located to Aberdeen will be released in July/August, so hopefully 2009 will see the first red kite chicks reared in the region for over 150 years!
The birds that have been released for the past two years are now being seen regularly just outside the city, near Garlogie and Dunecht. For the most recent sightings check out the project blog on the rspb website and if you want to subscribe to the Aberdeen Red Kites newsletter, e-mail aberdeenredkites@rspb.org.uk or contact the East Scotland Office on 01224 624824
New Phoenix Group launched
A new RSPB group for youngsters [13-18] who are Phoenix members in the Aberdeen area was launched at Loch of Strathbeg in November 2008. The have a programme of exciting events planned for this year, including a bird-ringing demonstration on the 21st March, a beach clean on 16th April and making Tern shelters at Forvie on 16th May.
Regional Public Affairs Officer post advertised
Interviews are to be held in March for a Regional Public Affairs Officer to help deliver our regional public affairs strategy. When appointed the post holder will be involved with organising events in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, as well as helping with on-going enquiries from the general public and media.
Bird Friendly Schools
Claire Marsden was appointed in August 2008 as the Bird Friendly Schools project officer. With a band of 19 volunteers and help from the Loch of Strathbeg field teachers, and Paul Kendall who is the field teacher in the Badenoch and Strathspey area, the project has already reached 51 schools in Aberdeen, Aberdeeenshire and Moray. They are aiming to reach another 60 schools this coming year. Every school gets three visits, and the volunteers teach the children about bird identification, the Aberdeen Red Kite project and also encourages the school to take part in the Big Schools Bird Watch.
Techfest 2009
This year we'll be involved with Techfest, from 11th-28th September. Our stall will be themed to the Aberdeen Red Kite project. There will be games and lots of fun so if you want to come along and help out we'd be delighted!
Stop the illegal killing of Birds of Prey!
The RSPB campaign to stop the illegal persecution of birds of prey continues to gather momentum. There will be displays to promote it at Loch of Strathbeg and Vane Farm during the year and please help us get more pledges. For more information contact Carrie Watt at the Aberdeen Office, on 01224 624824.
Loch of Strathbeg news
It's an exciting time of year on the reserve, with birds starting to sing and the breeding season just around the corner. It's now very easy to keep up to date with what's happening at the Loch of Strathbeg by checking on the RSPB website. Visit www.rspb.org.uk, click on the 'reserves' section and follow the links to the Loch of Strathbeg page. Here you will find details on what events are coming up and what birds have been around, with our regularly updated 'recent sightings' page. The reserve newsletter 'Flightlines' is produced bi-monthly and is available to collect from the reserve, or to make sure you never miss a copy, you can get it e-mailed to you directly - just drop an e-mail to Strathbeg@rspb.org.uk to request it.
We'd also love to hear from you if you wanted to help out at the reserves in any way. It's not all digging and chopping [although there is plenty of that if you want to do it!], you could help out in the hides or visitor centre by pointing out birds to families, you could help in the wildlife garden [this fantastic project has been looked after almost entirely by volunteers], or you could lead one or two guided walks [it's not as scary as it sounds!] and we'll also be after volunteers to help at Fowlsheugh and Troup Head with showing visitors the fantastic seabirds [you could even get to be a guide on the boat trip]. Volunteering is fun and incredibly useful to the RSPB - we can't do what we do without you. Give us a ring [01346 532017] or send us an e-mail to Strathbeg@rspb.org.uk to find out more.
Carrie Watt
Friday, 3 April 2009
SPRING MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
This has been the coldest winter we have had for some time. I am looking forward to the spring, not just for the birds, but for some nice sunshine! To be fair, the recent meeting at Stonehaven provided not only lots of snow but lots of that warm sunshine!
All our meetings have been well supported throughout this hard winter. We have had some good outings and some brilliant speakers at our indoor meetings. Our opening speaker, Jonathan Osborne, from RSPB Scottish Headquarters was excellent and I am sure we had a record crowd of nearly seventy for Nick Picozzi's "Spirit of Shackleton" talk.
Meikle Loch has now been purchased by the RSPB. I am pleased to say that my Chairman's Appeal raised £7,100 to give to the RSPB to help with the purchase. I thank the members and the non-members who contributed to the appeal. I am very grateful to you all for your generosity. I am sure it is appreciated by the RSPB. At least we know that the area is in safe hands for the future.
Mr George Wood-Anderson left money to the RSPB to establish a shelter for the RSPB Fowlsheugh reserve. I have seen the plans for a very modern building that blends well into the landscape. It is at the planning stage now and we can but hope it passes this hurdle and goes on to become a reality. I shall keep you informed.
The now obligatory, it seems, spring outing abroad is all arranged and, on the 6th May 2009, ten of us will be off to the Greek island of Lésvos which is famous for its migrant birds. We have been there before and in addition to the birds it is a lovely island with multiple habitats, everything from forests to a moonscape. Not only should it be good but it will be good!
Our Sales Organiser, Duncan Pennet, has spent a long time in hospital over the winter. This has disrupted some of the Christmas sales orders and I apologise for this. However, the good news is he is back on his feet and home, so a tidying-up exercise is under way. If you have orders outstanding please give him a ring on 07821 859877 and arrangements will be made to get the items, if you still need them, to you as soon as possible. Financial arrangements will be made as appropriate.
It is proposed that the Autumn outing on the Aberdeen holiday weekend, Friday 25th to Monday 28th of September, will be to the south coast of the Moray Firth. We shall arrange a birding programme on the Saturday and the Sunday. Although it is early, I would appreciate the names of anyone who is interested so that I can check numbers.
I am very pleased to welcome Hilary MacBean to the Local Group Committee. Hilary has taken on the task of meeting people at our events and introducing them around the Group.
The Bird Atlas continues and the BTO would be pleased to have more observers taking on squares needing four visits per annum. Anyone who is interested should contact your BTO representatives, Graham Cooper and Paul Doyle. See later in the Newsletter for details.
Rodney Payne
Thursday, 2 April 2009
What You Missed July - December 2008
JULY
Blackdog produced its usual one or two Surf Scoters from the 2nd until the 27th of August. The resident Mandarin Duck was at Ugie mouth all summer and a couple were seen in Aberdeen on the 14th. The long-stay Glaucous Gull at Fraserburgh obliged those who stopped to look for it until the 6th of October. Cory's Shearwaters where seen off Kinnaird Head between the 15th and 21st. Reports were submitted to the rarities committee but Cory's are very difficult to get accepted. The only other sighting of note was a Red-breasted Flycatcher at Rattray on the 25th.
AUGUST
Things started to hot up this month with an American Wigeon at Strathbeg on the 1st and 2nd, two Little Egrets on the Ythan on the 8th, one of these birds showing regularly until the 18th of September. A White-winged Black Tern appeared briefly at Strathbeg on the 11th and four Gargany were there on the 12th. Barred Warbler were in short supply this year with singles at Girdleness on the 17th and another at Newtonhill on the 14th of September. A Wryneck was present at Forvie on the 20th and a fall of Greenish Warblers hit the coast on the same day with birds reported from Strathbeg, Forvie and Cruden Bay. The last bird of note was a Reed Warbler at Logie Buchan reed beds on the 25th.
SEPTEMBER
The best bird of the year for me was a Wilson's Phalarope that showed up at close range from the Visitor Centre at Strathbeg on the 1st. This was a lifer for me. Another very rare bird, a Greater Sand Plover, was on the Ythan from the 12th to the 17th. It was later reported to have decamped to Dunbar. The only passerine of note was a Common Rosefinch spotted at Rattray on the 17th. Strathbeg broke records again this month with the numbers of Pectoral Sandpipers. On the 19th two birds showed up, by the 22nd four were present, six by the 25th and seven by the 29th: there were sightings until the 4th of October. A Hobby showed briefly at Rattray on the 21st and three Common Cranes were on the Ythan on the 24th and 25th.
OCTOBER
The first half of the month was very quiet but the 17th found Anne and myself tramping over the St Fergus dunes looking for a White-tailed Eagle. In the end we nearly stood on it. It stayed around for quite a while. Also on the 17th a Hoopoe was seen at Kirkhill industrial estate, probably the same bird that was reported from Dyce on the 5th of November. Another mega-rarity was a White's Thrush which stayed for a few days in parkland near Dyce. A major twitch was organised for one day only but the bird was very skulking, as is the norm with this species, and most of us did not see
it.
Four Bearded Tits showed well at the Fen hide at Strathbeg from the 19th to the 26th and a Lapland Bunting was reported from Forvie on the 24th. Between the 24th and the 31st, Grey Phalaropes were seen along the coast with reports from Girdleness, Blackdog, Cairnbulg, Strathbeg and Fraserburgh. A Little Auk flew past Fraserburgh on the 31st and the first Waxwings of the year turned up at Strathbeg on the same day. They stayed at their usual haunts until the year's end with a maximum count of three hundred in Aberdeen on the 8th November.
NOVEMBER
Passerines came into their own this month with Pallas's Warbler at Forvie on the 6th and at Stonehaven on the 10th. Yellow-browed Warblers turned up at Stonehaven on the 14th and at Strathbeg on the same date. A Desert Wheatear gave birders in Aberdeen the run around between the 15th and the 26th, a bird being seen at Murcar, Bridge of Don, Girdleness and Nigg Bay. After numerous photos were examined it was decided that all sightings were of the same bird. A twist in the tail of this story was when a non-birder turned up with photos of the bird being hand-fed along Aberdeen beach a week before the first birder reported it. The annual Bittern turned up at Strathbeg on the 31st and was again seen on the 6th of December.
DECEMBER
Apart from the Bittern sighting, December was a very quiet month.
Let's hope the winter of 2009 is an improvement on December 2008.
Dave Gill