highland birdsdecember, birding trip and christmas lunch is on saturday, 7th december (rather than...
TRANSCRIPT
Inside this Edition:
Indoor Reports: • Cairngorms Connect • Greenland White-fronted Geese
Special Report: Settling into Swiss life
Field Trip Reports: • Moray Coast • RSPB Scotland Abernethy
Reserve • RSPB Scotland Loch Leven
Reserve
Photo: Dipper, Bob Shannon (RSPB Scotland Highland Local Group)
Issue 99, Autumn 2019
Highland Birds The Newsletter of RSPB Scotland’s Highland Local Group
RSPB Highland Local Group
Organising Team Update
Hello everyone, we hope you have had a good
summer and were able to enjoy the sunny spells
between the many showers. We are now able to
inform you that the group’s donation of £640 was
allocated to RSPB Scotland’s Loch Garten 60th
Anniversary Weekend which took place on 20th/21st
July 2019. Since we last met, we are also very
pleased to inform you that a donation of £200 has
been sent, from the group, to Skyelarks Wildlife
Explorers group which is run by Alison MacLennan.
You may recall Alison gave us a very interesting
presentation at our February 2019 indoor meeting
and we felt this was rewarding her for all her work
as well as encouraging the youngsters under her
supervision. They are the members of the future!
We would like to draw your attention to some
alterations to the Group’s 2019/2020 Programme
which is enclosed with your Newsletter. Firstly, the
October indoor meeting is being held on the fourth
Thursday (which is our normal practice) even
although there are five Thursday’s in that month.
The reason being, to accommodate the speaker,
who is in the area at that time. Secondly, due to the
low attendance at our December indoor meetings
for the past three years possibly because of either,
adverse weather conditions or other festive
commitments, we have taken the decision to hold
the November indoor meeting on the last
Thursday of that month, the 28th, in the hope that
this may be more suitable for members and any
visitors. There will be no December meeting. This
is an experiment and we will be interested to hear
your views.
Regarding the field trips, we have decided not to
have a September outing again this year. Instead,
we have added an outing in May 2020. The
December, birding trip and Christmas Lunch is on
Saturday, 7th December (rather than the 30th
November because, the Christmas menus do not
start until 1st December).
We could not have managed without the help of
members last year and we really appreciate the
support we received from you all. We look forward
to welcoming you to our first indoor meeting which
we hope will be the beginning of a very good
session for both indoor meetings and field trips.
Hilary Rolton, Alan Jones & Maureen MacDonald
Moray Coast
Field Trip: Saturday 2nd March
Eleven members left Inverness for sunny Moray
heading towards Findhorn Bay. Birds were seen
during a stop at Nairn and on route, for example,
pink-footed geese. Hilary, the leader for the day
was waiting at Findhorn Bay hide enjoying the
sunshine and the beauty of the bay as the sea
gradually retreated. Large numbers of dunlin
swirled around and landed briefly on the mud but
there were a few left to be seen by the group as we
crossed the saltmarsh and walked south along the
edge of the mud. There were plenty of golden
plover on the mud and on the edge of the sea were
many bar-tailed godwit, redshank, oystercatcher
and curlew making their haunting calls. Back at the
car park a yellowhammer perched on the top of a
bush and called to us as we left for Findhorn dunes.
The sea from Findhorn dunes was flat with a slight
swell and was quiet at first except for a small group
of eider and some red-breasted merganser. After
a picnic lunch, sightings picked up a little and long-
tailed duck were found quite close in shore; Isabel
counted eight. There was also a black-throated
diver and guillemot moving along in a line with the
sun shining on them.
The next stop was Loch Spynie. On the walk down
to the hide, Terry found a great spotted
woodpecker high up in a tree. At the hide itself
there were 2 whooper swans amongst many mute
swans. Ducks included tufted duck, goldeneye,
and goosander. There were little grebe whinnying
amongst the reeds and eventually 2 came out and
moved in front of the hide for all to see. There were
plenty of finches and tits at the feeders and this
proved all too tempting for a sparrowhawk. Liz was
looking at the feeders on the far side of the hide and
Golden Plover, Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
spotted it first moving very fast. Then Hilary, looking
out at the reeds on the other side of the hide, saw it
flying through the trees carrying a male blackbird in
its’ talons. After leaving Loch Spynie, members
either made a last stop at Lossiemouth or went in
search of the great grey shrike at Refouble; seen by
the lucky few who have come in search of it. Those
of us who made their way to Lossiemouth east
beach found the temperature dropping as clouds
moved in. The estuary attracts large numbers of
great black-backed gull and wigeon at this time of
year. For those with the will power, there was the
opportunity to search for the Iceland gull amongst
daunting numbers of gulls on the water. However,
it was the end of a birding day and we added teal
bringing the total to 54 species before the group
made their way westwards and home. Leader
Hilary drove through Miltonduff, Pluscarden and
Rafford via a circuitous route in the hope of more
species but only picked up buzzard.
Hilary Rolton
Cairngorms Connect
Indoor Meeting: Thursday 28th March 2019
This meeting is traditionally the date for the RSPB
North Scotland Region update but George
Campbell, Regional Director, was unable to attend
due to unforeseen circumstances. His planned talk
has been postponed and instead Jeremy Roberts,
Cairngorms Connect’s Senior Programme Manager
talked for longer about the Cairngorms Connect
Project which is a partnership of RSPB Scotland
with Wildland, Forestry and Land Scotland and
Scottish Natural Heritage who all manage land in
the Cairngorms National Park area. Jeremy began
with a brief summary of his background. In 1997 he
joined RSPB Scotland in Edinburgh, as Advisory
Manager which involved advising on aspects of
conservation involving farming and forestry,
eventually becoming Head of Reserves. In 2005 he
was Senior Site Manager for RSPB Scotland at
Abernethy and this year he started his new job as
Cairngorms Connect Senior Project Manager.
We were treated to a short video with some breath-
taking Cairngorm scenery. Over 5,000 species
have been recorded here; around 20% are
nationally rare or scarce and some are endemic.
The outstanding species of the area were described
and nicely illustrated; golden and white-tailed
eagle, black grouse, osprey, ptarmigan, wild cat,
mountain hare and pine marten. Plants and insects
make a significant contribution to the species
richness for example, tooth fungi, sub-Alpine
mosses and shining-guest ants. There are more
patches of the rare twinflower than anywhere else in
the UK. In 2016, the Cairngorms Connect forests
were home to half of the UK’s male capercaillie,
which is a species under serious threat.
Native Pinewood regeneration at Abernethy,
SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, for Cairngorms
Connect.
Golden Eagle, SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, for
Cairngorms Connect
Black Grouse, SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, for
Cairngorms Connect
The Cairngorms Connect Area includes land owned
by RSPB, Forestry Commission Scotland, SNH and
Wildland which is privately owned. The area
extends from Gaick Forest in the south, Glen
Feshie, Invereshie, Inshriach, Rothiemuchus,
Glenmore to Abernethy and Abernethy Dell in the
north. For a map plus details of land under
conservation management and sizes (hectares) of
the different habitats involved go to the link
www.cairngormsconnect.org.uk
This is a 200-year vision (2016 – 2216) and Jeremy
detailed some of the aims for improving the many
types of habitats.
Improvement of woodland habitat can be achieved
in several ways. It is important to manage herbivore
impacts (domestic livestock and native deer
populations), to allow recovery of the heather and
blueberry (important food for capercaillie). Thinning
unnaturally dense plantation pine forests is also
taking place. This is achieved by felling and pulling
over trees to produce a lot of standing & fallen
deadwood for wildlife, and to improve the light on
the forest floor, benefitting a range of wildlife from
invertebrates and forest plants to capercaillie and
young trees.
Eradication of non-native trees and shrubs is
necessary where there is a risk of dominating native
woodlands. Diversification is achieved creating
space around birch, rowan, juniper and other
species that have survived in the dense
forest. There is planting of tree species that have
been lost from our native woods where the seed
bank is so low (due to high levels of grazing) and
would struggle to recolonise without our help. Work
is underway collecting seed and cuttings from
remnant populations in the Cairngorms Connect
area and propagating these to build enough planting
stock to supplement the remaining fragments in
mountain habitats. Some of this is done in the tree
nursery near Forest Lodge. The aim is to plant out
new montane woodland from seed sources at a
scale that will overwhelm high-altitude grazing
pressure from deer and mountain hares.
Blanket bogs can be restored by using diggers to
re-profile eroded peat bog channels, and using
granite boulders to block slow water flow, allowing
peat sediment to build up again. The use of turf plus
heather-and-moss ‘bales’ helps to re-establish
plants on the bog surface, making it secure against
further erosion. Controlling red deer reduces
grazing impacts, and enables natural recovery of
bog plants, which then bind the peat together.
Bog woodlands can be restored by felling non-
native conifers that have been planted on drained
bogs. Blocking ditches helps to reinstate the water-
table, enabling recovery of bog vegetation. These
bog pools are vitally important for a range of
dragonfly and damselfly species.
Rivers conservation is also tackled by slowing down
rivers and allowing more woodland to develop on
the banks providing insects. This should improve
conditions for salmon and otters which require cool
temperatures. Insh Marshes is one of the largest
semi-natural flood plains in the UK and is holding
back water reducing the risk of flooding
downstream. It is an important habitat for
waders. The aim is to make the flood plain even
more natural by reprofiling or blocking man-made
ditches, channels and flood banks.
The Cairngorms Connect project has recently been
awarded an amazing £3.75m to help achieve this
work over 5 years. The money has come from the
Endangered Landscapes Programme – through
Arcadia, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and
Peter Baldwin. The programme is funding 8
projects across Europe, of which Cairngorms
Connect is one.
Finally, Jeremy finished his talk by focussing on
local people past and present. An RSPB Scotland
sabbatical project involved a study of the history of
a small farm steading and the changes in
occupancy from (for example) farmers,
gamekeepers and saw-millers reflecting the
changes in society through time including details
from Forest Lodge before 1900s. For the present,
there are Fun Days for young people, a Log Day
allowing locals a bag of logs, Christmas lunch, an
apprenticeship programme to name a few.
The audience asked some interesting questions
and the general feeling was that the project
promises hope and inspiration. It is an example of
the scale on which conservationists should be
thinking in order to combat the many threats to our
planet. From my point of view, I found it thought
provoking as I returned home and mulled over
possible lifestyle changes to reduce my
footprint. Many thanks to Jeremy for his excellent
presentation and extending his talk at short notice.
Hilary Rolton
RSPB Scotland Abernethy Reserve
Field Trip: Saturday 30th March 2019
This was a very timely visit, coming just two days
after our presentation on the Cairngorms Connect
Project; RSPB Scotland’s Abernethy reserve being
one of the jigsaw pieces making up a whole picture
of shared expertise and policies on promotion of
environmental practices of several land owners
stretching from Glen Feshie to Grantown-on-Spey.
As usual we gathered for car sharing at the RSPB
North Scotland office in Inverness and drove under
clear skies to RSPB Scotland’s Forest Lodge in
Abernethy Forest. This is an unusually large
wooden building, originally a shooting lodge for
Seafield Estate and now a listed building which
houses offices and accommodation for RSPB
Scotland staff and volunteers.
16 of us were welcomed here by Richard Mason,
RSPB Scotland Abernethy Site Manager, who gave
us a brief introduction to Abernethy. Richard had
until recently been working in Norfolk but was
excited to be in a steeper part of the world. He then
produced a Land Rover and very long passenger
trailer to take us into the forest. Whilst waiting to
board we saw our first crossbill briefly at the top of
a pine near the lodge. This was a first for me, so a
very good start. We drove steadily along the track
towards Rynettin stopping at intervals for Richard to
point out items of interest. One revelation was that
he had not driven the trailer before, so we got a nice
careful ride. One stop revealed a second crossbill
which was more obliging perching for a few minutes
at the top of a tree. Long enough for me to grab a
few images with my compact camera, no prize-
winners but good enough to show a crossbill with
red plumage. Not good enough to reveal which type
of crossbill it was though.
A little further on a small bird was spotted in a bush
and turned out to be a goldcrest, then further away
over the shoulder of Bynack More ravens were
spotted harrying something larger, an eagle! In fact,
by the time we stopped for lunch in the sunshine
near Rynettin there were numbers of eagles, both
golden eagle and white-tailed eagle. A feast of
eagles! The white-tailed eagles clearly showed their
white tails as they circled low, but the more distant
golden eagle resulted in some discussion amongst
the group about what we were seeing.
After lunch we dragged ourselves away and were
dropped off further along the trail to walk in the
direction of Ryvoan Bothy towards the boundary of
the reserve. Some of the party headed off the track
to a place where there was a chance of seeing black
grouse. Sadly, none obliged in the early afternoon;
I guess that 6am would have been a better bet.
We then trundled steadily back in our mega trailer
to Forest Lodge and our cars. The tally of birds seen
was 32 species including goldcrest, redpoll,
raven, tree creeper, crossbill, song and mistle
thrushes and a little grebe amongst others. There
can't be many field trips, however, where the birds
seen in greatest profusion were eagles.
It was great to see some of the work being done on
the reserve by RSPB Scotland and our thanks go to
Richard for his informative and fruitful field trip.
Pete Collin
Greenland White-fronted Geese
Indoor Meeting and Annual General Meeting:
Thursday 25th April 2019
After the conclusion of AGM business, there
followed a very interesting talk by Benjy Wilcock
who has recently joined RSPB Scotland as an
intern. He originates from Dereham in central
Norfolk and was introduced to birds and wildlife by
his parents, grandparents and uncle from a very
early age. He had his own moth trap around his
10th birthday. Early trips all over the UK including
Shetland and the beautiful island of Fetlar were in
his grandparent's motorhome.
His conservation career began when he completed
his university degree. He became a volunteer
"guide in a hide" for the RSPB at Titchwell from
October 2018 until February 2019. This was the first
RSPB reserve bought in 1973 for £53,000 to protect
White Tailed Eagle, Ben Andrews (rspb-images.com)
Montagu's harrier. One of Benjy’s favourite
reserves, it has a huge range of different habitats,
where it is easy to see 100 bird species in a day!
Benjy contributed and assisted with articles for the
junior RSPB magazine "Wingbeat" and attended
quarterly meetings with the forum to discuss
progression of the RSPB youth sector.
At 16 years old, Benjy had the amazing opportunity
(through the John Harrison Memorial Fund) to
spend two weeks at the Fair Isle Bird Observatory,
a very long and quite arduous journey from Norfolk
but worth the effort. Highlights caught in the
Heligoland traps were wryneck and the endemic
Fair Isle wren as well as other rarities. Additional
census, survey and ringing duties were undertaken
with some fantastic "falls" following bad weather.
Benjy completed his degree in Zoology at Aberdeen
University and began looking for an assistant
warden position. Having studied the requirements,
he noticed that the RSPB internship matched all the
essential criteria and commenced his role at the
beginning of March 2019: learning more about
survey techniques as well as practical tasks, the
safe use of pesticides and giving talks and
presentations. We may see more of him out and
about at the various RSPB Scotland Central
Highland reserves and further afield over the next
10 months.
The main topic of Benjy's presentation focused on
the long-term study of Greenland white-fronted
geese that his uncle and a team of volunteers have
been carrying out since 1979. Benjy has
accompanied the team on two occasions in 2010
and 2014. These expeditions demonstrate an
astonishing commitment to learn more about these
enigmatic birds that breed in the remote area near
Kangerlussuaq - another long journey from Norfolk!
Expeditions for the duration of a month at a time
require detailed planning and enormous physical
endurance. Once the road comes to an end all the
kit, equipment and 300kg of food must be carried to
the base camp and this usually necessitated three
consecutive day walks of around 7 hours duration
traversing very rugged hillsides. With base camp
established the remaining days involved more
strenuous trekking every day to the survey sites.
The hard work was rewarded with nesting Lapland
and snow bunting, red-necked phalarope, white
tailed eagle, great northern diver, long-tailed
duck and a population (in 1999) of 35,000
Greenland white-fronted geese. Benjy remembers
the great birding but also remembers that his other
main preoccupation was ... FOOD!!! The degree of
difficulty involved in reaching the remote study area
together with the abundant insect life and very basic
"add water" food rations led the few locals they
encountered to conclude that the team must be
crazy! Detailed investigations into site suitability,
food availability, "natural" predation, the impact of
hunting and competition from Canada geese has
revealed some very interesting information as well
as a serious decline in numbers. More research is
needed to find out how we can help these beautiful
geese in their breeding and wintering.
Members thanked Benjy for preparing and
presenting his talk at such short notice and
everyone wishes him well for the remaining 10
months of his internship and a long and very
successful career.
Tony Cluxton
Benjy Wilcock in Greenland, (Benjy Wilcock)
RSPB Scotland Loch Leven Reserve
Field Trip: Saturday 27th April 2019
The final field trip of the season was by coach.
Fourteen of us met at 8am at the RSPB North of
Scotland Regional Office, where the first birds of the
day were the usual urban suspects, herring gull,
jackdaw and wood pigeon. En route to Loch
Leven, we saw a satisfying variety of birds, including
buzzard, common and black-headed gulls,
pheasant, and a solitary whooper swan on a small
lochan beside the A9. At the roadside in various
places were rook and oystercatcher.
When we arrived at Loch Leven, we were met by
Anne, the reserve’s Visitor Experience Officer, who
told us of some of the highlights that could possibly
be seen that day and pointed out the recently
arrived barn swallows now searching for nesting
places. Birds whose presence Anne alerted us to,
and which members subsequently saw, were
singing blackcap and willow warbler;
unfortunately, none of us managed to see or hear
the marsh harrier or singing sedge warbler which
had been present this Saturday.
Loch Leven is a reserve of two halves: a hilly
woodland section and the three waterside hides.
The woodland section held robin, chaffinch, blue
tit, song thrush, and a great tit feeding two
juveniles almost the same size as itself, suggesting
very early breeding, probably in the warm spell at
the end of February. Surprisingly, no-one saw any
coal tits.
The Loch Leven Heritage Trail, which circles the
whole of the loch, runs through the reserve, and
following this beyond the confines of the reserve we
found chiffchaff, grey heron, and a first-year
plumage male red-breasted merganser.
The three waterside hides gave a superb variety of
waders and wildfowl. Tufted duck was probably
the most numerous of the duck species, but in
amongst one of their flocks was a single scaup. As
well as the inevitable mallard there were shelduck,
shoveler, and a pair of gadwall. Moorhen and
coot were present, and geese were represented by
both greylag and pink-footed geese.
Much of the management of RSPB Scotland Loch
Leven is focussed on providing safe breeding
grounds for lapwing, and there were great views of
these birds both on the ground and in their
beautifully chaotic flight patterns. However, the
wader highlight of the day was undoubtedly the
black-tailed godwit in summer plumage in full view
of the Carden Hide.
We reconvened for the journey home at 4 pm
returning to Inverness in good time before 7 pm. We
had had a very satisfying day’s birding, with the total
species seen between the 14 of us amounting to 60.
Alan Jones
Shoveler, Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Settling into Swiss life
Special Report: 21st May 2019
On Tuesday 26 February we left Strathnairn, our
home since 2008 and moved back to Oberwil,
Baselland, Switzerland, a village when the child Pia
first moved here in 1952 but now, though still an
independent political entity, virtually a suburb of
Basel.
When Pia was young, she can remember that
hoopoes were frequent visitors round her parents'
garden and in the fields across the road and those
over the tramline at the bottom of the garden. By
the time we took over her parent's house in 1987,
the hoopoes were long gone and the fields were
now covered with housing blocks. However, the
trees in the garden and along the nearby stream
allowed for a reasonably varied bird population.
Nuthatches, marsh tits and jays were around
most of the time and I was ensuring that food was
available for them. We had some red squirrels that
came, particularly in the winter months, plus
redstarts and pied flycatchers who nested at the
back of the garage. Add in the usual garden
inhabitants but no long-tailed tit, yellowhammer or
goldfinch.
Now we are in a top floor flat with floor to ceiling
picture windows and a 135° panorama. For many
small birds we're too high, looking down into the
shrubs and bushes, but I have spotted sparrows and
great tits plus a pair of garden redstarts nesting
somewhere under the eaves in the house next to
our block. In March I noticed a pair of blackcap
flitting about but they seem to have moved on. We
often see red kites and buzzards wheeling out of
the woods behind the house, plenty of crows
flapping about and magpies who seem to be
nesting in the big poplar tree to the south.
The first swallow of the season was also during a
warm spell in March, swooping over the river Rhine
in Basel. We have since seen many, and a few
house martins, but not round this part of Oberwil.
They are concentrated round farm buildings,
speeding in and out of byres and stables and
soaring over the fields. No cuckoos heard so far. In
the 80s and 90s our language school in Basel
looked out over rooftops to a line of largish nest
boxes with a small horizontal rectangular slit for
entrance. They were swift boxes and in summer I
would regularly see flights of swifts wheeling and
swooping over the rooftops. Don't know if they're
still there today.
Without a car (we've gone bike or public transport)
it's difficult to get to good bird watching sites so the
scope has become something of a stationary object
now. Set up in the living room so that neighbours
can't see it and complain that we are peeping, it's
focussed on the storks nesting on the church tower
roof. Some 600+ metres away and looking through
triple glazing the image tends to be a bit blurred. It's
not perfect, but the best we can do. Come warmer
times we can open the window for sharper viewing.
Our pair, however, don't appear to have done their
best. One or the other was sitting through March
and April. Broody? Now they've given up and stand
about childless, while at other nests around the
young are thriving. Apparently, our pair haven't
hatched or raised any young in the last couple of
years. Old age, sterility? Don't know.
In 1950 the Swiss stork population fell to one pair.
One bird friend wished to stop the decline and
reintroduced storks from Algeria. To encourage
them, stork feeding and nesting stations were set up
initially near Solothurn, a small town south of Basel
the other side of the Jura Range and then increasing
across the central belt and to the north-west around
Basel. One was established in Oberwil in the 1980s
behind the high school (edge of town, near
abandoned clay pits full of frogs surrounded by
Veiw from balcony, (Graeme and Pia Soutar)
The Storks on the Church, taken by smartphone through a telescope (Graeme and Pia Soutar)
arable fields). Some storks were caught and held in
pens over the winter, released in spring but feeding
continued through the year and gradually a surplus
of locally bred storks spread out and occupied
nesting trays set on church towers, etc. Today there
are many more of them across rural Switzerland and
on our short cycle tours and also from the flat we
often see four, five or six catching the thermals or
feeding in newly ploughed fields. Most of them have
returned to old habits of autumnal migration south,
though there is still a resident population,
particularly in the Zoo in Basel where the first free
flying pair returned in 1980 and now up to 27 pairs
breed each year and as many as 15 pairs
overwinter. Last year 24 nests produced 58 young,
56 of them ringed. Two former Basel young are
fitted with transmitters and their journeys can be
followed.
Breaking news 22nd May 2019: the Guardian reports
on first free flying stork nest in UK since 1416.
Many of the fields round this part of the world are
equipped with raptor perches. Usually about six to
seven feet off the ground they make an ideal
spotting site for kestrels, buzzards and the like as
they swoop down to try for prey. Not always
successfully. I think I caught sight of a hobby on a
recent cycle tour but it dipped behind trees before I
could make a positive identification.
Wagtails, mainly pied are also about, I've heard
chiffchaffs chiffchaffing and seen small groups of
pipits, probably meadow, moving about across the
horse paddocks.
In the woods behind the house, which, although not
very wide, stretch back in a wide hook for about
three kilometres provide an ideal green corridor for
roe deer, wild hogs, badgers, martens and other
denizens of the forest. There are a number of
pleasant walks and bridle paths and taking them
we've heard the yaffle of green woodpecker, the
bubbly warbling of blackcap, high pitched whistles
which with my ear deterioration I am no longer so
adept at recognising and watched both buzzard and
red kite chased by angrily cawing crows.
Breaking news 24th May 2019: today's Basler
Zeitung reports on research currently underway into
the recent fall in numbers of the grey headed
woodpecker. Numbers have decreased drastically
over the last few years and it is now on the Swiss
'Vogelwarte' endangered list. No one is sure of the
reasons for the decline, but suspicion is falling on
the green woodpecker pushing out its cousin, or the
Swiss national woodland practice of close rather
than open forest land. This increases the
usefulness of deciduous beech and oak forest,
producing taller and straighter trunks through an
increase in density, resulting in fewer dead and
dying trees for woodpeckers and reduces
undergrowth because of denser leaf coverage
above.
Twenty plus years ago on a May morning walk
organised by the local Nature and Bird Club we
even caught glimpses of golden orioles high in the
tops of the beech and oak trees. No such luck this
year and I will have to contact someone to see if
they still appear. Many bird populations here have
plummeted due to intensive farming and use of
herbicides and pesticides. Syngenta one of the
world's largest agricultural companies is based in
Basel and the Swiss Government still allows the use
of many 'pest killers' banned in the EU. Particularly
bad are insecticides which not only kill the various
pests but also other innocent bystanders, in
particular bees. Habitats and food sources for many
birds have been severely affected or destroyed and
in a small and densely populated country the
countryside no longer rings to the tune of larks and
thrushes. The woods are bereft of undergrowth and
flocks of passerines no linger skip from tree to tree.
Late news 8th July 2019: the morning after a
particularly fierce overnight thunderstorm police
found 32 dead song thrushes before a plate glass
window at a local HEP station. Initial ideas on the
tragedy suggested that the birds were disturbed by
the storm and collectively dived for cover inside the
power station. No black raptor stickers on window.
Lynx were reintroduced into the wilds of the Jura
Stork Breeding Station Möhlin, (Graeme and Pia Soutar)
Range to the south of us about thirty years ago.
They have now spread across wide parts of
Switzerland north of the Alps but are shy and keep
to themselves and as far as I know there have been
no major protests from sheep and goat herders. Not
so true of the wolves and brown bears moving into
the country through the Balkan and Italian National
Parks that merge into the Swiss National Park in
Graubunden. Particularly, wolves have been
reported as attacking flocks on summer pastures in
the Alps and they are gradually moving out from
mountainous areas into the bordering hills and
forests. No danger to mankind, but some farmers
are suffering. The Government pays compensation
but has recently been forced to relax some of the
protection given to wolves and the isolated bears
encountering and destroying easy prey. Farmers
can use mountain dogs and even donkeys and
mules to protect their flocks but some bears seem
to go rogue and permission has now been given to
kill individuals of both species known to have killed
many farm animals. A win one, lose one situation.
In contrast, a success story from the village. Ten
years ago the building department started to re-
naturalise a stream that a hundred years ago had
been tidily organised into a straight channel, with no
dead water spots and little vegetation along the
banks. Now with rocks breaking the water flow,
introducing chicanes and little rapids, and allowing
shrubs and trees to overhang the water and provide
shade, minnows and sticklebacks are back,
mallards and their young paddle about, grey
herons stand on one leg and the crowning success
namely, kingfishers. Not seen any of those yet, but
we keep on hoping.
And a final fanfare. Just over the border in France,
in an open forested marsh area alongside the
Rhine, now provided with wooden walkways, there
are nightingales. April, May and into June as the
dusk turns to dark they begin to sing, loud, clear and
melodious. Small bird, big voice, singing from low
perches in the bushes. Torchlight along the
walkway, then light out and wait and there they
come, often from all sides. A joy.
In June we went along to the stork station in Möhlin
near Basel where we could see large numbers of
storks and also some caged rare local species. The
bearded tit was a first for me. Basel Zoo has a
large number of birds, free flying storks, but also
flamingos, lammergeier, and other rare European
species. Worth a visit for anyone passing through.
Best wishes to you all and Slàinte from Graeme and
Pia Soutar
For more stork info check: www.vogelwarte.ch
(Swiss equivalent to RSPB) or www.zoobasel.ch
Stork reintroduction:
http://www.cb.iee.unibe.ch/unibe/portal/fak_naturwi
s/d_dbio/b_ioekev/abt_cb/content/e58879/e337551
/e479093/e479103/Schaub_BioCon2004_eng.pdf
Church Tower with Storks Nest, (Graeme and Pia Soutar)
Notes and Reminders
• Indoor Meeting venue
Please note that the indoor meeting venue is:
Greyfriars Free Church of Scotland, Balloan Road.
Directions: From the Inshes roundabout, turn onto
the Southern Distributor road (B8082) (Tesco will be
on your left). At the second roundabout turn right,
sign posted Hilton, Drakies. At the traffic lights turn
left. The venue is on the left a short distance along
Balloan Road, almost opposite a play park. There
is plenty of parking available and the venue is fully
accessible and has a speaker system.
Please also note that the front row of seats is
available for those who have mobility, sight or
hearing difficulties, please avail yourselves of this
facility.
• Adverse weather contacts
If you are in any doubt that a meeting will take
place, please contact one of the organising team for
up-to-date information or in the case of field trips
please contact the trip leader.
• Shared Transport
If you do not have a car or would like a lift for a field
trip please let us know at our first meeting, or
alternatively phone the field trip leader who will be
pleased to help you.
• RSPB Collection of stamp collections
Following a press release on 30th November 2018
from The Charity Commission, and subsequent
stories in the national press regarding the fraudulent
use of used postage stamps, the RSPB have been
reviewing the current Albatross Stamp Appeal
Scheme.
It has been decided to cease collection of used
bulk postage stamps immediately but continue
with requests for the donation of stamp
collections, first day covers and albums.
The RSPB are determined to avoid risking to any
fundraising activity and to continue to raise
thousands of pounds every year to save albatrosses
from extinction both at sea and on land – with your
support.
If any RSPB Highland Group Member has any of the
above items, Margaret Colles will be happy to
receive them on behalf of the Group.
• Field Trip Notes
Please note the following for your safety and
guidance when on field trips:
Our trips are usually low risk and take account of all
ages and abilities of the group but occasionally they
may involve uneven or wet terrain. You can help to
keep our trips enjoyable by observing the following
advice please:
o Comply with route and safety instructions at sites
and with the request of the trip leader.
o Do not get separated from the group, especially
in the hills or unfamiliar terrain. Please make
sure that you know where the meeting place is
and at what time you should be there.
o If you have any health problems that could affect
your ability to complete a walk, please speak to
the group leader prior to the trip. If you are in any
doubt on the trip, stay with your vehicle or the
bus.
o If you are giving other members of the group lifts
in your own car, please ensure that your
insurance covers this, as most policies are
invalidated if passengers are charged or
contribute to the cost of petrol.
o Check the weather forecast and be prepared by
bringing:
appropriate sturdy footwear (boots),
waterproof and warm layers of clothes
Long trousers and socks to protect against
insect bites.
Walking pole (optional)
Small first aid kit
Sun cream
Mobile phone in case of emergency
Whistle (optional)
Don’t forget your binoculars or/and scope
Lunch if required
Water
• RSPB Highland Group Christmas Lunch 2019
You are all invited to join us for our Christmas Lunch
which we are pleased to announce will take place
on Saturday 7th December 2019 at the Garth Hotel,
Castle Road, Grantown-on-Spey.
Following the success of last year, we have decided
to spread our “wings” a bit further this year by
visiting a different area. We will be going wherever
Doreen decides to take us for the morning’s bird
watching and then we will be lunching at the Garth
Hotel.
The coach will be leaving from the RSPB North
Scotland Regional Office car park, Beechwood
Park, Inverness, IV2 3BW at 9.00 a.m. and returning
there after the lunch.
The Christmas lunch menu will be available to view
at the Group’s first meeting on Thursday 26th
September 2019.
The cost will be based on a pre-ordered two course
meal with either a starter and a main, or a main and
pudding. Tea or coffee will be included. Three
courses can be arranged with an additional cost
added. We hope many of you will decide to join us.
Whilst we are on the subject of Christmas, can I take
this opportunity to remind you the RSPB Sales table
will be available from the September meeting,
enabling you to purchase any cards, calendars or
diaries which you may require for early posting. I
will also have other general stock together with the
usual bird food and feeder’s selection. Please
remember, if you wish to order at any time, a
particular item/items which are not in stock, I am
happy to do this for you. Please speak to me at
either a meeting, e-mail or phone me; details below.
Maureen MacDonald
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to Cairngorms Connect for allowing use of their licensed photos from Scotland: The Big
Picture who we also thank. The RSPB Scotland staff in the Inverness Office check the newsletter to ensure
correct branding and data protection regulations are adhered to. We are grateful to them, especially to Helen
Cromarty who does an excellent job on the layout of the articles and photos in the newsletters. Thank you also
to all of our members who contributed to this newsletter.
For further information or to share your stories and photos please contact:
RSPB Scotland is part of the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Together with
our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so our towns, coast and countryside will teem with life once again. We play a leading
role in BirdLife International, a worldwide partnership of nature conservation organisations.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654
Maureen MacDonald
01463 220013
Hilary Rolton
01309 611210
Alan Jones
01463 223679
Or find us at https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/groups/highland