Everything you need to know about Highland birds
Oyster Catcher
OF all the books, reports and magazines I refer to about birds in the Highlands, the ones I use the most, by far, are the Highland Bird Reports (HBR) that come out every year.
In their current format of A5 I have the series in my bookcase from 2004 to, as from last week, 2008.
Whether I am writing about birds or want to find out something for myself, these are the reports I turn to time after time. As usual on the back of the book is a map of the area covered and it excludes Caithness for historical reasons, although this is included in some surveys such as the Ringing Report.
The bulk of the report covers the "Systematic list for 2008" and this is full of fascinating details and generalisations. For me the records of some of the commoner species are just as interesting as the rarities, especially when they talk about trends.
However, other sections are of equal interest to many people and after the editorial it starts with the "Guide for submitting bird records". Whether you send in one or a thousand records, this section is a must. If you think you have recorded a rarity then the section on "Reporting rare or scarce species" is also very appropriate.
Please note that we now have a new Highland bird recorder, namely Hugh Insley, 1 Drummond Place, Inverness, 1V2 4JT. Records should be sent to him, preferably by email to hugh.insley@btinternet.com.
In a section called the "Review of the ornithological year 2008" is a summary of the systematic list and is well worth a read. The compilers of this section cover areas such as Sutherland, Inverness-shire and Skye. Note that the Western Isles are not covered in the report.
As I have been an avid ringer for many years, albeit some time ago, the section on "Bird Ringing in Highland Region during 2008" was very interesting for me.
Knowing one or two ringers, their enthusiasm is infectious and comes over in the numbers of birds ringed and some of the recoveries.
2008 was a bumper year for the Highland bird ringers in that over 45,000 birds of 141 species were ringed, an increase of 44 per cent on 2007.
Some of the rarities included honey buzzard, with two nestlings ringed, whilst at the other end of the scale there were 5,814 siskins ringed. Could the latter be a reflection of the increase in this bird in gardens?
It was interesting to read the Highland Ringing Group's thoughts on ringing, as opposed to the use of radio and satellite tags. It is well worth looking out for coloured rings on birds, as recording these can make a valuable addition to our knowledge of birds and their movements.
One of the most interesting sections of the report for me was the "Corn bunting population and recovery work at Dalcross, 2003 and 2008". This is a scheme whereby farms are encouraged through agreements and funding to manage farmland with birds in mind as well as commercial crops. If you read this it will tell you just what can be done if the right efforts are made.
As someone who used to love seeing breeding corn buntings whenever I went to Tarbetness, it is a very worrying report. It just shows what we have been doing to our farmland birds and what we have lost. It is a sobering thought that Dalcross is now the only area in the Highlands where corn buntings are regularly breeding and successfully.
The Highland Bird Report 2008 contains a good insight into what has happened to heron colonies in the area.
The systematic list for 2008 is as fascinating as ever. The rarities such as golden eagle and dotterels will have their followers but to me of equal importance is what is happening to the heron colonies, as well as finding out where we stand on corncrakes and barn owls. All quite fascinating.
The people who were committed to the production of the 2008 are to be congratulated. Work is now going on with some haste to catch up with the 2009 HBR, so make sure you send in your records to Hugh Insley as soon as possible.
Whilst one can only applaud the efforts of the compilers, the role of the observers and their records is what makes the report. So it is up to you.
The HBR 2008 is available from A W L Joss, 8 Green Drive, Inverness IV2 4EX. Price is £9.50 including postage and packing. A must read for anyone interested in birds in the Highlands.
Pupils are inspired by wildlife poet
THE event of the week was receiving a booklet on poems, which may seem an odd highlight in a wildlife column.
It was sent to me by my friend and former colleague Alex Scott from Ullapool. The booklet is entitled Assynt's Casket and it is a collection of poems from schools to mark the Norman MacCaig centenary in Assynt.
He was a world-renowned poet who wrote many poems about his beloved landscape of the Assynt area.
His poems on wildlife have always inspired me and are some of the best ever written from the Highlands and beyond.
The schools involved were Stoer Primary, Lochinver Primary School and Ullapool High School.
As Ewen McCaig writes in the foreword: "Many of the topics inspired my father's poems."
For me the outstanding ones were Assynt's Mountains, about a golden eagle, by William Saywell from Stoer School, Birds by Nina MacDonald of Lochinver School and perhaps my overall favourite Assynt's Casket by Eilidh Summers from Ullapool High School.
Congratulations to all pupils who wrote poems, whether they went into the booklet or not.
