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The Great Ayrshire Bird Race 2001

Kevin Waite

To fight off the excesses of New Year, the Ayrshire Branch of the SOC decided to have a bird race. This was organised and hosted by the social convenors of the branch's "youth" division, Dave and Julie Grant. Given the recent alcoholic damage done to brain cells, the rules were simple:

  1. We would start at 9am and finish at 4.30pm from Chez Grant in Coylton.
  2. Teams must have at least three members who must all see the species for it to count.
  3. No straying outside Ayrshire.
  4. None of that "I heard it" nonsense.

Three teams took part, who were named (for the purposes of this report) as follows:

The weather was mild but overcast with rain forecast for later in the day; high tide was at 8am. The itineraries of the three teams were a closely guarded secret. The Ringers and Amateurs had done some un-sportsmanlike bird searching the day before, while the Juniors concentrated on "planning" in The Keys public house.

The Amateurs sped away with the screech of wheel-spin as the clock chimed 9am, with the others taking a more laid back style. Post-race analysis showed an interesting difference in strategies. The Amateurs considered the state of the tide, prevailing wind and accessibility of off-licences before deciding to head for Martnaham Loch, then Ayr and north to Fairlie. (Suspicion has it that once a species was ticked, car horns and shotguns were used to spoil things for following teams: the evidence being the strangely absent eight Waxwings just ten minutes after they sped through Ayr!)

The Ringers took a more southerly tack with a greater inland emphasis. Was this too risky? Only the final counts would tell.

The Juniors based their approach on a careful geo-ornithological analysis. Unlike the Amateurs, we were after Quality and not mere Quantity. We too headed north but picked our target sites with care. We were rewarded by a low-level pass by a White Stork over Irvine. Despite the competition, our public duty required us to phone Birdline and the other team with a phone. Suggestions that this was only to gloat are beneath contempt!

The routes adopted by the three teams are shown below.

With the light fading and the rain falling, the race was soon over. As expected, the Amateurs were playing down missing out on the White Stork with comments like "Of course, it must be an escape!" and "Surely you're not going to count that?" – methinks they protest too much. The Grants laid on a wonderful afternoon tea and it was down to the business of comparing lists. This was conducted in a serious and friendly manner as befits an SOC meeting, although Ciconia ciconia did seem to touch some raw nerves. It was a closely fought match: the Ringers gaining ground on inland species only to lose it to the Amateurs and Juniors on the coast. The final scores were as follows: Amateurs=91 (84 miles), Juniors=78 (88 miles) and Ringers=68 (49 miles).  For details of the species seen by each team click here.  A prize bottle of wine was presented in a most gracious fashion by the organiser Dave Grant to the Amateurs. 

Dave Grant presenting the Amateurs with the prize

The total cumulative number of species seen was 98, which given the weather and time of year is a very creditable tally for Ayrshire. Highlights included Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Waxwing, Greenshank, Brent Goose, Iceland Gull, Goosander, Whooper Swan, Smew, and Red-throated Diver. Oh, there was also that White Stork!  Full details here.

Everyone thought the whole event a great success and it is already set as an annual event. Many other birders have expressed interest in joining the race, and so next year could be even better. Our thanks go to Dave and Julie Grant for organising and hosting the event.

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