Welcome to the Ayrshire Birding web site. This page contains any local bits of news and gossip that might be of interest to birdwatchers in Ayrshire, locals and visitors. The Ayrshire Birding web site contains a wealth of information, articles and images on Ayrshire's birds and butterflies. To explore the site click on the various options on the menu on the left. To submit any news please contact the site maintainer (preferably by email).
Updates to the Site
Thanks to Neil Middleton for sending a couple of nice Redwing pictures and to Tony Scott for an update to the Ayrshire Birders Abroad programme. Tony and Angus Hogg have also contributed a comprehensive (and envy-invoking) account of the Ayrshire Birders Abroad trip to Andalucía and Extremadura in October 2009. The various parts can be found in the Articles section.
Kevin Waite, 6 February 2010Arran's Hen Harriers
This year some of the Hen Harriers on Arran were wing-tagged. If you see any Hen Harriers with yellow and black wing tags please contact John Rhead with where and when you saw it. More information on this project can be found found here.
Jim Cassels, Bird Recorder for Arran, 30 August 2009RSPB Bogside Reserve
In March 2009, RSPB Scotland acquired a new reserve at Irvine, North Ayrshire with the support of SNH. The 19 ha site forms part of the Bogside Flats SSSI, designated for its saltmarsh and mudflat habitats and is the area between the railway and the River Irvine, behind the old Ayrshire Metals Factory. The reserve is mainly grazed floodplain within a flood defence bund although there is also a small area of saltmarsh. The rough grassland is used as a foraging area by hen harrier and short-eared owl and the site provides a roost site for wintering wildfowl and waders.
This reserve is located within the Irvine Bay Urban Regeneration Area. This area has historically come under considerable development pressure, which continues today with ongoing pressure for new housing, industry and tourism development. Management by RSPB Scotland will ensure this area of the SSSI is protected from damaging development.
RSPB Scotland, 11 August 2009BTO Bird Atlas 2007-2011
This project aims to map the distribution and relative abundance of all Britain and Ireland's birds during both the winter (November-February) and summer (April-July) seasons. This is going to a tough, but rewarding job, to ensure complete coverage of Scotland. We hope that all Scottish birders will help out. Recording is relatively straightforward with both paper and online recording forms. Full details can be found at www.birdatlas.net or by contacting the Scottish organiser.
Bob Swann, Atlas Scottish Organiser, 20 July 2007Ayrshire Bird Rarities Committee (ABRC) Form
Should you be in the fortunate position of seeing a rare bird within the county then you'll be asked to submit a Sightings Form to the ABRC before the sighting is “accepted”. A PDF version of this form is available here for you to print, fill-in and then return to the Recorder. Using this standard form makes things a lot easier for the Recorder and the committee. For a list of what species the ABRC needs a form please consult the Ayrshire Species List looking for species marked with a § (Ayrshire rarity) or ‡ (Scottish/British rarity). This list is also published in the latest edition of the Ayrshire Bird Report.
Kevin Waite, 31 December 2006VitalWeb: Professional Web Development from Ayrshire, Scotland