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Lothian Birding (1 Viewer)

I've had a very enjoyable couple of days working in Lothian. Yesterday I was in the Pentland Hills and saw a pair of Nuthatches at Woodhouselee. As I had been up early in the morning doing a lek count on Deeside before heading south I managed the unusual double of Capercaillie and Nuthatch in Scotland on the same day!

This morning I was on a farm just over the boundary into Borders and flushed 6 Common Snipe and 4 Jack Snipe from the edge of a marsh. This seemed quite late but I guess not all migrants have headed back north yet.

Later in the morning I was back in the Pentland Hills and found a singing Twite high in the Boghall glen. I was quite surprised by this but I see there is a dot on the atlas in this area.
 
Capercaillie71 said:
Later in the morning I was back in the Pentland Hills and found a singing Twite high in the Boghall glen. I was quite surprised by this but I see there is a dot on the atlas in this area.
Click to expand...

This is a notable record, made more interesting by the singing. After visits to all tetrads in SE Scotland over the 6 years of atlas we only had a single record in Lothian with a breeding code, Mark's pair on Carnethy Hill NT26A on 14/5/10. A couple more P codes in Borders NT43E (25/7/08), NT45L (9/6/10). They were only slightly less scarce in the last tetrad atlas 1988-94, but breeding was confirmed then on adjacent Scald Law NT16V and also the two tetrads south of Gladhouse Cott, NT24Z and NT25V. The national atlas has shown a widespread decline and contraction of range, including both Peak district, NW Ireland and northern Scotland (though a zone of gains in P&K), so still to be getting any at all is probably beyond expectations. NB - in current atlas there were about 15 more records of up to 60 birds to 21 April, some in the hills, but seems none in song or giving any indication of breeding.
 
WelchS said:
...though a zone of gains in P&K...
Click to expand...

Actually, those gains all occurred between the first two atlases, i.e. 1968 to 1988, many were lost again since. So a significant decline in recent years. Worth noting that the 2007-13 Bird Atlas does also include some comments on possible reasons, citing paper by Langston et al (2006) - conversion of hay meadows to pasture/silage, early cutting dates for silage, increased stocking levels, loss of species rich hay meadows and poor burning practice on heather moorlands - per the paper itself latter factor refers to "loss of tall heather and bracken beds and the consequent loss of nesting habitat". I doubt any of our local moors are managed to consider this particular requirement for upland birds...
 
Quite a late attempt at a 2 Hour Challenge in the Hermitage from 6:00pm til 8:00pm. Managed 43 species in total. A few omissions as per usual; Buzzard, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Tree Sparrow, Mistle Thrush... to name a few. Anyway, here's everything I did get:

Dunnock
Woodpigeon
Great Tit
Sparrowhawk
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Kestrel
Feral Pigeon
Carrion Crow
Skylark
Starling
Swallow
Magpie
Song Thrush
Blackbird
Wheatear
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Goldcrest
Greenfinch
Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Willow Warbler
Mallard
Herring Gull
Long-tailed Tit (Leucistic one spotted too)
Wren
Dipper
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Coal Tit
Robin
Grey Heron
Canada Goose
Moorhen
Tufted Duck
Coot
Blackcap
Bullfinch
Meadow Pipit
Linnet
Pied Wagtail

Most frustrating was that I could hear the Oystercatchers but never saw them, and also had a possible Whitethroat by Braid Hills Drive.
 
Out this weekend, had 1 male Black Grouse and Osprey, plus 100+ hirundines over Edgelaw Reservoir, including my first House Martins of the year, still no Swifts though. Noticed a lot of Nuthatches around the Midlothian reservoirs too, plus at least 3 individuals in Arniston Estate/Gore Glen area. Relatively good numbers of Tree Sparrows out here too with one pair coming to the feeder every day, despite the terrible weather!
 
I have not had much time to go birding or add sightings here. This weekend I had a quick trip to West Barns where Yellow Wagtails and White Wagtails were the highlight in a potato field. A return leg through the Lammermuirs produced little apart from Stonechats at Faseny - the first ones I have seen up there this year.

Gus - what was your leucistic LTT like? not white headed was it?...

Geoff
 
I'd say white around the head but not as white headed as the Northern LTT that I suspect you are hoping it'd turn out to be ;) that thought passed through my mind at the time but a second look confirmed it did have a hint of the black eyebrows.
 
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Hi,

I am thinking of coming looking for the surf scoter off Musselburgh this weekend but I won't have very long. Does anyone have any tips on finding the bird.

Where is the easiest place from which to see it?
Is it favouring a particular area?
Is it usually far out?
Is it alone or associating with other sea duck?

I've never been to Musselburgh before so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ian
 
I saw it yesterday and it was and usually is, a long way out. It is normally with Velvet Scoter. If the sea is rough you have little chance as it is a lot smaller than a Velvet; also it's difficult if it's sleeping. From the entrance at the river mouth you should walk along the seawall. The wall consists of a block, then a long piece of straight, then another block and so on. Looking over the sea wall there are concrete steps going down to the sea at each block. I saw it from the sixth block, which is not very far along. It was with Velvets in line with the very tall radio mast on the other side of the firth. I don't see it nearly as often as I used to. I hope this makes sense and is helpful. Good luck!
 
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Just back from a wee wander in the Hermitage with James. Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker the highlights until a SPOTTED FLYCATCHER made an appearance in some Alders, along with another Nuthatch, Treecreeper and great views of Great Spotted Woodpecker. 1st in Scotland this year?

Edit: Just checked the migrant table, first in Lothian?
 
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GusHawk said:
Are there any recent breeding records in the Hermitage? As I know they once bred by the main house in the middle of the Hermitage.
Click to expand...

Very few records of any sort. In atlas just two records in Edinburgh, one of which was Blackford Hill NT27K 21/5/10. Prior to that, just for Hermitage, all records since 1991 are:

26/05/2002 one
01/01/1998 ads seen, prob bred
28/05/1994 one
01/01/1993 none for 1st season
24/06/1992 pr; breeding
21/05/1992 nest building, compl 27th
01/01/1992 2+ sites
14/08/1991 breeding
19/06/1991 m song
15/05/1991 one
 
Having said what I did in my last post, there are now 2 Spotted Flycatchers in the spot where me and James saw the one of Sunday. In other news, I'm starting to see Grey Wagtails more on the Braid Burn, still no young Dippers yet though. Whitethroats are just about as abundant as Willow Warblers now but far more skulky, as per usual. Buzzards feeding young in the nest, lots of Swallows, some Swifts and a few House Martins dashing about in the sky. And Nuthatch seen quite a few times in my last couple walks in the Hermitage.
 
Not a Brewer's Blackbird

A relevant thread on rarebirds: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=304530

Also here on facebook c/o the zoo: https://www.facebook.com/fivesister...9305660100059/934140056616612/?type=1&theater

Interesting to note further claimed sightings there:

5 April - outside cage on netting
7 April - Almondell country park, near driveway for Shielmill
13 April - at Wilderness Woods entrance, sitting on a fence eating from a feeder at the back of a house in Silverbirch Glade, Adambrae, Livingston
9 May - Thornhill, west of Stirling

The last must be spurious if it was already in Edinburgh a week or so ago. Does make you think if it really was a Brewer's Blackbird how likely would it be that birding community hear about it, found this thread of message by chance really (googling after tip off from David).

Anyway, I've now contacted the zoo, hopefully if it's hanging out at the Gyle they may be able to get hold of it again...
 
Blindwells today, the teal have gone but four species of Sylvia including a Lesser Whitethroat, also a briefly singing Sedge Warbler, too windy? And a Wheatear. Interestingly a pair of Mistletoe Thrishes were foraging and no raptors seen at all. However, I did see the first hare I have seen here.

David
 
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I know this is Lothian Birding, but I recently came across some tracks in Midlothian that are definitely pig tracks. One guy I asked said that if he'd seen them where he lives (Hungary) then he'd definitely have said Wild Boar. However, having looked about on a couple websites, I see that there have been no reports of Wild Boar in Lothian. I'd assume it's an escaped pig... But, does anyone know of any Wild Boar in Lothian?
 
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