The 2011 Ayrshire Bird Report has now been published. The list of contents can be found here, with details of where to get a copy.

My thanks to Angus Hogg and Dave Grant for sending in some photos for the Photo Gallery. I’ve also included (yet another) Waxwing photo I took using my phone just to show what is now possible.

The February 2013 issue of Stonechat, the club newsletter of the Ayrshire Branch of the SOC is now available: click here to download it .  The Editor, Tony Scott, would like to mention that there are still a couple of places available on the Raptor Migration (to Southern Spain) trip in September: full details are in the itinerary .

As you may know, this website has been going since June 2000, and so is one of the oldest, continually updated local birding web-sites on the web. Over the years it has built up a collection of useful information and it seemed like a good idea to preserve it.  The British Library has a project called UK Web Archive and as they say:

“There are millions of UK websites. They are constantly changing and even disappearing. Often they contain information that is only available online. Responding to the challenge of a potential “digital black hole” the UK Web Archive is there to safeguard as many of these websites as practical. Its purpose is to collect, preserve and give permanent access to key UK websites for future generations.”

The Ayrshire Birding web site is about to be added to this archive, so you can now rest easy knowing that all this stuff will be available for your descendants to peruse.

 

Stonechat numbers crashed in most of Scotland after the two severe winters of 2010 and 2011.  While numbers have recovered since then, birds on the Ayrshire coast have been slow to re-occupy former territories.  By taking part in this survey you can help to provide a more accurate idea of how far that recovery process has gone in 2013.

The aim is to cover most of the Ayrshire coastal strip (up to 1km inland) between late March and mid-July to establish where there are birds holding territories and, if possible, to prove breeding.  Two visits to your chosen stretch – one at both ends of the breeding season – would be preferable if you can manage it.  If you can help, please get in touch with me.  The recording forms will be very simple to complete  -  I promise!!

This document   shows the survey sections and the gaps: please help fill them.

Thank you,
Angus Hogg

My thanks to Angus Hogg and Alan Mathewson for sending in the first batch of photos in 2013 for the Photo Gallery. Here is a sample:

However, as Angus points out:

“The redpolls are interesting – I’m pretty sure they’re the Mealy Redpoll sub-species of Common Redpoll, but others may wish to comment.  They may be the so-called North-western Redpoll.  They’re not Lessers, the photos showing a largely greyish bird, with a white greater-covert wing bar, and very white on the breast/belly area.  However, this species is a work in progress and some observers may have other ideas on these.”
I’m sure he’d be very interested in your comments.  You can email him by clicking here.

The more observant of you might have noticed a change in the appearance of the Ayrshire Birding web-site.  After last year’s defacing of the site by the pill-peddlers I was looking at moving to a different platform with better security and this is the result. For those who care about these things we are now using WordPress and its new theme that allows content to be displayed well on those nice tablets and smartphones that Santa brought, as well as the normal desktop PCs.  It is a work in progress so bear with me while I play and you explore.

And for a New Year Resolution: now is a great time to collate all your 2012 sightings to send to the County Recorder for inclusion in the Bird Report.

My thanks to Angus Hogg, Bruce Kerr, Jamie McPike and Bob Ross for sending in the latest batch of photos for the Photo Gallery.

Anne McCall, RSPB

In June this year we learned that the plans for a massively polluting coal-fired power station on the SSSI at Hunterston had been dropped. This was a great victory for the environment and public campaigning. We need to ensure North Ayrshire Council safeguard this important wildlife site for the future.

North Ayrshire Council has opened a consultation on a revised Local Development Plan. We are pleased that mention of the coal-fired power station has been removed, but unfortunately other development proposals still threaten the SSSI and the important wildlife within it. We need you to take action and write to North Ayrshire Council expressing your concern that this site, which is protected for its special wildlife, has been earmarked for development.