West Galloway SOC - Birding in and Around Stranraer

Hello all,

On 1st April we will start the second year of breeding season fieldwork for the 2007-11 Bird Atlas. The first year got off to a great start with 40% of the required tetrads being surveyed for the breeding season in Scotland. In Wigtownshire 29 tetrads were covered last summer (17%) minimum requirement. There is still a lot to be done though to achieve full coverage here in Wigtownshire.

If you can identify most of our local birds, taking on a tetrad (a 2x2 km square) is not too onerous, not even in the busy summer period. You choose the tetrads you wish to survey. Two visits are required (one Apr/May the other Jun/Jul). Each visit is for one hour, or two hours if you wish (but keep a separate tally list for both hours). Results from last summer suggested that early visits are best done in May or late April, whilst the late visit should be done in June or very early July, as many birds are leaving upland areas by mid July. You choose a route covering the main habitats in the tetrad and count all the birds you see and hear. In some areas you can string tetrads together to cover a few in a morning�s walk. Once a tetrad has been surveyed it does not need to be resurveyed in subsequent years.

To find out which tetrads require survey work log onto the www.birdatlas.net website. Click on the Request a Tetrad button and choose your tetrads. It is that easy! Otherwise please contact your local organiser Geoff Sheppard on geoff.roddens@btinternet.com Geoff will be delighted to hear from you.

The other way to help is by submitting Roving Records. These help us complete the species lists for each square. All we need to know is the species, the date and the 10km square the birds were seen in. Data can be submitted online (click on Submit Roving Record button) or on paper forms, which can be obtained from bob.swann@bto.org on request. We are very keen that all summer Roving Records have an appropriate breeding evidence code. These codes can be found on all atlas forms. The aim is to record breeding evidence for all species at as high a level as possible.

Please consider helping us get complete cover for Wigtownshire for this important project. Not only is atlasing good fun it makes sure your bird records will be used for important conservation work, so please get involved.

Bob Swann (Scottish organiser) and Geoff Sheppard (Wigtownshire organiser).

A good turn out for the walk starting at Ardwell picnic site. Apart from a bitter wind, the weather was good to us and visibility was excellent.

Birds seen on the shore included: Gadwall, Red-Throated Diver, Red-Breasted Merganser, Gannet, Black Guillemot, Razorbill, Oystercatcher, Shelduck, Redshank, Knot, Pied Wagtail, Cormorant, Shag, Peregrine, Sandwich Tern and all the usual Gulls. There was also a possible Scoter.

Around the ponds and gardens: Long-Tailed Tit, Great-Spotted Woodpecker, Chiffchaff, Grey Wagtail, Treecreeper, Buzzard, Cormorant, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Mallard, Rook, Carrion Crow, Robin, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Heron, Pheasant.

By Mike Harrison

Labels: ardwell

A fascinating talk by SOC President Chris Waltho about the increasing distribution of eider duck in South West Scotland.

Chris described how most eiders in our area had originated from the island of Colonsay and that until relatively recently, there were no eiders in Loch Ryan, whereas now it is an important moulting ground for the bird.

Chris outlined the spread of Eider from a mere West of Scotland fringe bird to colonising the British coastline. A good colony occupied Colonsay before 1800 and by 1860 the first nesting record in the country appeared in the Clyde area and a second breeding was confirmed on the Ayrshire coast in 1880. A few years later the third recorded nest was at Rockcliffe in the South West of Scotland. In 1912 the Eider bred in Northern Ireland and by 1947 it had spread to North West England.

Clutch sizes vary from one to eight eggs with four to live being the norm. The young are led straight to water after hatching, where they are fed on prey such as shrimps to begin with. The food extends to mussels and crabs and even starfish as the young grow. The male Eider moult in July and the females band together to protect their offspring against herring and black backed gulls which do take a good number.

The talk was accompanied by some stunning photographs of the ducks, including shots of them eating starfish, sea urchins, crabs and their preferred prey, mussels. This was the subject of the second half of the talk and Chris illustrated how herring gulls steal food from the eiders - but only if the eiders brought up starfish.

As expected, many people attended Chris' talk and it was a great end to the season of indoor meetings. West Galloway SOC will continue to meet at outdoor meetings over the summer. Our next event starts at Ardwell shore picnic area at 1:30pm on Saturday 28th March.

By Alan Johnstone & Mike Harrison

Labels: chris waltho, eider