Inside this Edition:

Indoor Reports:

• Capercaillie on the National Forest Estate

• Saving the Spoon-billed Sandpiper

• Migration of Waders; Highland Ringing Group Projects

• This is my Story: Discovering Cultural and Natural Heritage in Slovenia

• Attempt to Avert a Black Future for a Black Duck Extra Report: Letter from Tanzania

Field Trip Reports:

• Ardersier

• Easter Ross

• Where the Birds are

• Morning Birding and Christmas Lunch

• 2019 New Year Bird Count

• North of Inverness

• Surprise Field Trip

Photo: Nuthatch, Keith Barnes (RSPB Scotland Highland Local Group)

Issue 98, March 2019

Highland Birds The Newsletter of RSPB Scotland’s Highland Local Group

From our Organising Team

Alan Jones, Hilary Rolton, Maureen MacDonald

Welcome members to the second Newsletter from

the Organising Team. We are approaching the end

of the 2018/2019 programme and the AGM which is

on Thursday 25th April.

Please note an error in the printed program and

read Saturday 30th March (not Thursday) for our

Abernethy field trip. Our final field trip will be to

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven Reserve by coach. At

the time of writing, there are few places remaining

and so the booking form will not accompany this

Newsletter.

This programme of events would not have been

possible without the contributions which many

members have made. First of all, the indoor

meetings could not run without the very important

tea-making team who also help with any assistance

required with the equipment made available by

Greyfriars Free Church Hall. Then there are the

members who have acted as Chairperson

introducing the Speaker on the various evenings.

Members have also been willing to lead field trips

and the Galloways made the continuation of the

New Year Bird Count possible and kindly hosted the

event.

Newsletters would also not be possible without the

reports written by members describing talks and

trips to bring back memories of the events. We have

an excellent additional article written by Fiona Reid

as well as her photography and also the front cover

photo courtesy of Keith Barnes. Finally, the RSPB

Scotland Inverness staff are always very helpful,

particularly in arranging the layout of the Newsletter.

None of this could happen without the continued

attendance and loyalty of Group Members and the

team spirit and cooperation evident at any event

Alan, Maureen or myself have attended.

Hilary Rolton

Capercaillie on the National Forest Estate

Indoor Meeting; Thursday 27th September 2018

Our speaker for this evening was Kenny Kortland, a

Species Ecologist with Forest Enterprise Scotland

having joined them in 2008. Previously, after

studying ecology at Aberdeen University, he worked

for the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology as a

research assistant on capercaillie before taking up

a post with RSPB Scotland for eleven years on

raptors and woodland grouse. This included being

Capercaillie Project Officer for RSPB/FCS/SNH for

nine years. Kenny now works on a wide range of

species conservation and management issues,

including capercaillie. Forest Enterprise Scotland

(FES) is Government owned and responsible for the

management of ten areas throughout Scotland, a

total of 400,000 hectares consisting of forest,

moorland and peat land. FES employ 750 staff, 70

of whom look after the environment.

Male capercaillie can be very aggressive especially

when flying and leking. During the lek, females

observe the males displaying before choosing the

“one” for them; similar to the human species, the

only possible difference being they do not have to

get up for 5,00 a.m. Just imagine having to look

your very best at that time in the morning! Over the

years, Kenny has had many sightings; two that

stand out in his memory was a male displaying in

the Linn of Dee car park, the other at Glenmore

where a male had been killed by another male; it

was found dead on the lek at the end of the season.

Up until 2010 the species was in decline, and by

2017 subject to significant habitat fragmentation.

The causes are due to predators, high deer

numbers, deer fences and disturbance but the

biggest issue is the weather. Climate change and

rain especially in the breeding season result in not

enough chicks are being reared. Female deaths are

significant due to collision with deer fences when the

Official Notification

RSPB Highland Local Group

AGM

Thursday 25th April 2019 at 7.30pm

At Greyfriars Free Church of Scotland

Balloan Road, Inverness

Capercaillie, Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)

birds are in flight. The problem has been addressed

by modifying the design of the fences to be more

visible. The main predators are crows, foxes and

pine martins which are responsible for 32% of the

nests eaten. The good weather in June this year led

to fewer crows and higher capercaillie chick

numbers; it is not all doom and gloom.

Strathspey has a dense population and fares better

than average. Between 2002 – 2015 the number of

males has gone from 5 to 45. At Rothiemurchus,

there is a lot of juniper, blaeberry and heather which

capercaillie like. A study has shown that birds are

thriving in Inshriach because small areas are being

felled rather than large areas; this is creating

corridors and opening up the canopy, letting more

light into the undergrowth to help the blaeberry

growth which in turn, helps with the production of

more insects, especially caterpillars; so important to

chicks in their first few weeks of life.

The birds in Glenmore Forest are not breeding

successfully, possibly due to the fact that it has

300,000 visitors a year at present; this will increase

in the future. Dog walkers and people going off track

are disturbing the birds. Better facilities are required

to discourage this practice and to address other

problems, for example on a hot day, at Loch Morlich,

up to twenty bin liners of rubbish can be collected.

On a more positive note, 2018 saw three pairs of

goshawk at Glenmore as well as sightings of

golden eagle and jay. Kenny remains optimistic

about the future of the capercaillie. At the end of the

very informative talk which was accompanied by

some excellent photography Alan, the chair for the

evening, proposed a vote of thanks to Kenny and

the audience showed their appreciation in the usual

way.

Maureen MacDonald

Field Trip to Ardersier

Thursday 11th October 2018

The forecast for our outing promised to be dry until

late afternoon as 12 of us set off for Alturlie as our

first point of call. The tide was extremely far out with

seaweed covering the sand and stones in front of us

and the sky reflected in the pools gave a lovely

silvery light. Oystercatchers, curlews, carrion

and hooded crows were busy pecking among the

sea wrack with a couple of grey heron spaced

along the edge of the incoming tide. Two greylag,

wigeon, gannet, common gull and cormorant

were also visible in the distance.

It was surprisingly warm for October with 17/18

degrees all day. The beeches are changing colour

and the wych elms are already a lovely bright

yellow. Continuing along the coast road we spotted

8-10 goldeneye, a little grebe, and a solitary

wigeon, unusual as they are gregarious and are

commonly seen in large family groups.

We then set off for Ardersier taking a detour en route

where a very active kestrel was wheeling around a

large number of straw bales diving between them

again and again only to resurface empty handed or

empty beaked! Near Easter Dalziel Farm pair of

yellowhammer were as interested in us as we were

of them and at that moment a large number of pink-

footed geese swirled above us in a graceful arc and

descended onto a nearby field just out of sight,

probably a field of stubble which is their favourite.

Parking alongside the beach in Ardersier there were

six rock pipits sitting on the posts of an old wooden

breakwater. They were so well camouflaged that

had they not flown off I doubt that I would have

noticed them. A real treat to see them so close at

hand. Lots of mallard and wigeon were paddling

about in the shallows of the incoming tide, along

with black-headed and greater black-backed

gulls and seven redshank. Far out on the relatively

calm water were nine red-breasted merganser and

someone guillemots in the distance.

Then off to Fort George with a magpie, starling and

blackbird seen en route. The MOD red flags were

well in evidence so we had to keep away from the

tempting paths among the scrub and gorse, and

yes, we did hear lots of shooting practice taking

place. We could see patches of sunlight over on the

Black Isle but we had not a gleam on our side all

day; in fact a mist was coming down over the far

hills. We were treated to a very extensive flotilla of

eider duck just off the point and a curious seal

poked his head out of the water from time to time.

Long Tailed Tit, John Bridges (rspb-images.com)

As we returned across the grass of the ramparts a

large flock of chatty, restless, long-tailed tits sped

off across the gorse, followed by a smaller flock of

coal tits. We heard a robin too but it remained well

hidden. From time to time during the day we saw

skeins of geese on the move, sometimes high in the

sky and at other times fairly low clearly looking for a

place to settle, a lovely feature of this time of year.

Nothing of note was spotted at Delnie beach so we

set of for Loch Flemington as our final stop. We saw

the usual species of coot, moorhen, little grebe,

mallard, tufted duck, blue tit and lots of mute

swans with cygnets towards the far bank which was

an excellent finale to a most enjoyable outing. The

total species count was 46.

Very many thanks to David Reid and Jim Fulton our

guides.

Freydis Campbell

Saving the Spoon-billed Sandpiper

Indoor Meeting; Thursday 25th October 2018

Artwork, Spoon-billed sandpiper Mike Langman (rspb-

images.com)

Can the spoon-billed sandpiper be saved? That

was the question Ewan Weston posed at the start of

a fascinating presentation. It is a unique bird, with

its spatulate bill which doesn’t seem essential to any

of its several feeding methods. No-one knows why

the bill evolved that way unless, (to judge from the

enthusiastic “aaah!”s of the audience in response to

Ewan’s photos), its’ cuteness gives it some

evolutionary advantage.

However, the “spoony” needs every advantage it

can get. It is “critically endangered” i.e. on the very

verge of extinction. In common with many waders,

its’ numbers have gone into steep and steady

decline. It lives in very remote areas; breeding in

the far north-east of Russia and migrating to winter

in south-east Asia, where interest in birds tends to

be focussed on them as a food source. It is hard to

know how many survive, still less how to help them

back from the brink. Working for the Wildfowl and

Wetlands Trust (WWT), Ewan has been at the

forefront of efforts to achieve this.

There are two strategies to address their plight.

Captive breeding programmes, such as those at

Slimbridge, the WWT headquarters and another in

their breeding grounds in north-west Russia, aim to

build up a healthy population from which birds can

be released in time to join the autumn migration.

Secondly, continued miniaturisation of satellite

tracking devices has meant that they can now be

fitted to spoonies, to get more details of their

migration routes and the hazards they face on their

journey.

This migration is indeed hazardous. Spoonies end

up, like other waders, caught in fishing nets or

hunted for food. Ewan described an inspirational

project in south-east Asia where the local bird

scavengers, who are members of the lowest caste

and who trap birds for food because it is one of the

few options available for them, were given money to

lift themselves off the bottom of the economic ladder

by setting themselves up in alternative occupations.

This resulted in them advocating strongly for birds

in local schools and villages, as opposed to eating

them!

Recently, satellite technology has shown that one

migration route takes spoonies over the Kamchatka

peninsula, and many trackers stopped transmitting

here, an area where bird hunting is a strong

tradition. Some intervention with the local people,

similar to that in south-east Asia, could be

considered here. Furthermore, tracking has

discovered that one of the spoonies’ wintering

grounds is in the demilitarised zone between North

and South Korea, hardly the easiest area in the

world to study an endangered bird species, still less

to make changes to ensure their survival!

There are different threats on the return journey.

For millennia, waders on this route have stopped in

the Yellow Sea basin to rest and refuel; but now the

mudflats are disappearing, partly due to huge

Chinese land reclamation schemes and partly

because massive hydro schemes on the Yellow and

Yangtze rivers have greatly reduced the amount of

riverborne silt deposited at their mouths. However,

Ewan reported that the Chinese government has

accepted the environmental arguments against

wetland infill and committed itself to halting these

programmes (though the government machine runs

very slowly!)

Can the spoon-billed sandpiper be saved? Ewan’s

cautious answer to his own question is that it may

still be possible. This is based on the increased

knowledge brought about by satellite tracking, the

potential of re-introduction programmes, combined

with both small and large-scale attempts to reduce

the hazards these birds face. In appreciation of his

intriguing and enthusiastic talk, our RSPB Local

Group presented Ewan with a cheque for £100 for

the WWT, to further their work on behalf of

“spoonies”.

Alan Jones

Field Trip to Easter Ross

Saturday 27th October 2018

There were 17 members for this trip, 5 of whom

were new. Most of us met at Dingwall car park (the

second pickup) where we travelled north to Tain and

the Shore Road for some bracing sea watching. We

were greeted by a large expanse of mud and deep

blue sea beyond against a backdrop of snow on the

hills bathed in sunshine and temperatures of 3 to 4

degrees. There were large numbers of shelduck

on the mud together with, wigeon, teal and a few

shoveler. Waders included redshank, dunlin and

curlew. Our leaders Rosie and Keith, after careful

scanning with scopes found a spotted redshank

and a pintail.

We then moved on to hide at RSPB Scotland Nigg

Bay reserve where bird watching could be combined

with lunch and socialising. There was a nice group

of whooper swan and we had time for excellent

views of waders moving closer to the hide as the

tide gradually covered the mud. There were golden

plover, knot, redshank, dunlin and bar-tailed

godwit. The moving tide caused the wader flocks

to rise up, swirl around and settle again, their

plumage caught in the sunlight as they twisted and

turned. Lapwing were settled on the grass next to

the mud. There were 2 female reed bunting in a

bush very close to the hide but no activity at the

newly constructed scrape. Vast numbers of wigeon

were on the water and in amongst them were some

Brent geese.

We next moved to Nigg Ferry Terminal. There was

a raft of not too distant eider, close to a buoy.

Further away, Keith spotted long-tailed duck and

black guillemot through the scope and Rosie found

a common guillemot just as it dived. On the shore

were rock pipit. We then moved to Balintore

Harbour where it started to rain, the bright sun

turned to grey skies and the snow disappeared. On

the harbour wall was a lovely selection birds; ringed

plover, turnstone, purple sandpiper and

oystercatcher. Our final stop was Dalmore

Distillery but it was closed to visitors and so it proved

an appropriate time to end the day and return home

in the rain. Thanks go to Rosie and Keith for an

excellent day and our species total was 57.

Hilary Rolton

Field Trip; Where the Birds are

Saturday 24th November

Spotted Redshank in breeding plumage, Mike Langman (rspb-images.com)

Whooper Swan, Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)

When 18 Members set off in the morning it was dry

and windless, the mist was very low and visibility

was almost nil! However, at our first stop – South

Kessock - we found that the mist had lifted showing

a mirror Firth and just in front of us an otter was

wrestling with a large fish. This went on most of the

time we were there till eventually both fish and otter

disappeared! Around it, the many birds seemed

unconcerned; grey heron, oystercatcher, wigeon,

mallard, some ringed plovers and turnstones

and, close in, teal. Further out were guillemot, a

red-throated diver, goldeneye and cormorant.

We walked along the path towards the Canal –

always hoping to see that Kingfisher! The tide was

quite far in so the pools were full of more herons,

some redshank, a lone godwit, a moorhen, little

grebe, a snipe and noisy mallard. At the canal,

more godwits flew over so we followed them over

the railway line to see if we could find them on the

shore but by now the tide was fully in against the

bank. On return to the cars we saw more herons –

14 together at one point - but we were near the local

heronry at Clachnaharry!

Next stop was Bunchrew Caravan Park and that’s

where the godwits were in a large group along with

oystercatchers. With most godwits knee deep in

water with heads tucked under wings and facing us

we weren’t too sure which kind we had but enough

movement let us know there were both bar-tailed

and black-tailed godwit. Out in the Firth on a

sandbank were over 150 cormorants in a line and in

the trees nearby, a flock of greenfinch and a

redpoll.

On now to Loch Ussie looking carefully as we went

for geese – some members saw only one flock of

pink-foot and a lone greylag in a field near Beauly.

As we ate lunch we watched great spotted

woodpecker, some goldfinch a couple of red kites

flying around and 2 buzzards sitting on telegraph

poles. Loch Ussie, like the Firth, was mirror like with

few birds to be seen but after lunch and a walk

towards the Island we found a number of mute

swan and 2 whooper swans. Also, there was a

lone female goosander and then later, 4 males and

a raft of tufted duck were seen.

The light was fading by now but we did go to the

RSPB Scotland Tollie Red Kite Feeding Station.

Only two had been to the feeding table that day as

they had found a better source of food – dead

pheasant after a nearby Shoot! However, a kestrel,

some bullfinches, woodpeckers, a jay, and long-

tailed tits were seen as well as blue, coal and

great tits and others at the feeders. It was a very

successful day with 65 species seen and our thanks

to Mary Galloway.

Isobel MacMaster

Migration of Waders; Highland Ringing Group

Projects

Indoor Meeting; Thursday 13th December 2018

The group welcomed Ron Summers whose talk

covered the research he has done, as a member of

the Highland Ringing Group, in conjunction with

Brian Etheridge and others. Louise de Raad of

UHI (whose work on the Cairngorm reindeer herd

featured twice on TV shortly after the meeting) is

also a member of the team. The work uses

geolocators to improve knowledge of the migration

of a number of wader species.

The principal focus for the evening was the

common sandpiper, whose UK breeding

population has been declining at 1.7% per annum

for 20 years. Prior to the geolocator work, common

sandpiper ringed in the UK during the breeding

season had been recovered in France and Spain;

birds ringed in the UK outside the breeding season

had been recovered from Scandinavia which is part

of the species' very extensive breeding

range. Some research has also been done on the

"refuelling" habits and departure weights of passage

migrants at Findhorn Bay.

The geolocator work has studied birds using two

breeding areas, one on Speyside and a second in

Sutherland. A number of designs have been used

for fitting geolocators to different species; Ron and

his colleagues have attached them to common

sandpipers using loops which fit over the birds'

thighs or attached to leg flags. Ron went on to

explain, with a number of diagrams, how

Common Sandpiper, Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

geolocators work. A significant constraint is that,

unlike satellite tags, the bird has to return to the

same territory in order to recapture the bird and

download the data from the tag. They record light

level referenced by date and time, and these

records can be interpreted to estimate the history of

the birds' latitude and longitude. This is because the

daylight length at a particular time of year is

determined by latitude and longitude can be

deduced from the timing of "local noon" relative to

noon GMT.

The method has a number of limitations. Around

the equinoxes, day length is much the same over a

wide range of latitudes - so latitude can only be

deduced to within a large error range. Also, at high

latitude when there is 24-hours of daylight in

summer, neither latitude nor longitude can be

deduced. Furthermore, analysis is limited to birds

recaptured at the nest site the following year; hence

the data is incomplete and may be skewed.

The project has identified the mudflats and

mangroves of the Bijagos Archipelago, in Guinea-

Bissau (West Africa), as an important wintering area

for Scottish common sandpipers. This area offers

fiddler crabs as a food source, but the habitat is

under pressure from felling mangroves for wood fuel

and expansion of rice fields. Refuelling stops in the

southwestern Iberian Peninsula are also

evident. Overlaying prevailing wind information

onto the tracking data shows that the Spring

northbound migration is typically hampered by

strong cross and headwinds, leading to more route

variation than on the southbound migration. The

team's analysis provides a starting point for further

research into the challenges common sandpipers

face on this migration route. Ron then spoke briefly

about greenshank, which has a wide wintering

distribution in the southern hemisphere. Geolocator

tracking of birds from a Sutherland site has,

however, revealed that these birds may winter as far

away as ... Ireland ... and sometimes Essex.

The final species Ron discussed was purple

sandpiper. Before geolocator tracking, it was

known that wintering birds from Moray Firth sites,

such as Brora, travelled to Iceland and parts of

southern Greenland but our birds do not breed

there. Analysis of geolocator data has proved that

they go much further west, to the shores of the

Hudson Strait to the south of Baffin Island and

apparently to breeding sites further north, such as

Devon Island. The birds typically remain in Canada

for the Autumn (after most scientists have left for the

season), apparently taking advantage of large tides

and ice-free shores in the Hudson Strait, before

returning non-stop to Scotland as late as the end of

December. Evidently much of this eastbound

migration takes place in the dark. This strategy

appears to take advantage of the anticlockwise

winds around north Atlantic low-pressure systems.

The Highland Ringing Group hopes to move on to

similar studies of turnstone and wood sandpiper -

watch this space for future talks maybe?

Denise Lloyd & Peter Batten

Morning Birding and Christmas Lunch

Saturday 15th December 2018

The Christmas coach outing is always an enjoyable

event and means everyone can sit back and relax

for the morning with no worries about parking or

getting lost en route! Saturday 15th December was

no exception and it was good to see some of our

members who cannot get to evening meetings.

The weather proved fine and we had chosen a very

scenic route from where we met the coach at

Beauly. We set off along the shoreline through

Redcastle along to North Kessock; unfortunately,

the tide was well out so not many waders or ducks

to be seen, but at Redcastle we did see redwing,

curlew, oystercatcher and redshank. One of the

best sightings of the day was a red kite that flew

overhead being chased by a carrion crow; it was

caught in a brilliant light which enhanced all its

glorious colours. Further along the firth we did

manage to spot a few duck species namely,

mallard, wigeon, goldeneye. Under the bridge at

North Kessock we spotted 3 black-throated divers,

again the back light was brilliant and we all enjoyed

admiring these beautiful birds.

Red Kite, Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)

We journeyed towards Munlochy Bay any then over

the hill via Mount Eagle on to Culbokie; the drive

was devoid of birds, but the views were breath-

taking. Heading down towards the Cromarty

causeway we spotted a few greylag and a small

group of whooper swan in the fields. Next stop was

at the ferry point in Dingwall, where once again the

tide was well out but we still saw a group of dunlin

and some lapwing.

For our final stop we went to the garden of the

Manson household, where we hoped to see

nuthatch. A pair have been resident since

September. Happily, the nuthatch did appear; a

first sighting for some of the group. We also added

several small birds to the list. Now it was time to

return to Beauly where our lunch awaited us at the

Priory Hotel. We thanked Davy, at the wheel of the

coach, for his excellent driving. The total bird count

for the day was 43 and Terry won the sweepstake;

he kindly donated the money to go towards group

funds. Thank you to Maureen for organising the

lunch which was voted excellent by all.

Doreen Manson

New Year Bird Count 2019

Friday 4th January

Four teams and two individuals contested the

trophy. The weather and visibility were fair for the

time of year; high water was around midday.

In total 95 species were recorded as teams birded

Findhorn Bay, Tain, the Black Isle and further afield.

The total was 2 less than in 2018 but contained two

new species for the running list; a little egret at

Kingsteps and a nuthatch in Strathconon. A re-

appraisal of the running list of species seen since

the event began in 1996, is now 145. Feral pigeon

has been deleted! The day ended in Fortrose with

a social hour of tea and cakes before team tallies

were recorded. The winning team, for the third year

in succession, were Rosie and Keith Barnes with 74

species; Doreen and John Manson were an

extremely close second with a score of 73. Liz and

Bob Shannon provided a very welcome dram, for

non-drivers, to round off an excellent outing.

There are still new species to be added to the

running list. Rather than list them now it would be

more appropriate to produce a note on other

'possibles' in the autumn newsletter prior to the

2020 event.

Mary and David Galloway

This is my Story: Discovering cultural and

natural heritage in Slovenia

Indoor Meeting: Thursday 31st January

The speaker for the evening was Isabel Morgan,

RSPB Scotland Warden, Central Highland

Reserves since 2016. Isabel, known to most of us

as Izzy, has also worked for the RSPB elsewhere

over the years and is currently working to earn a

kingfisher badge as a volunteer! In other words,

she’s keen on nature conservation.

Last summer, she went on an exchange visit to

Slovenia, organised by EU Erasmus and others to

explore sustainable tourism and its impact. The title

of her talk came out of the fact that everyone she

met started their introduction with “this is my story”!

Her talk started with a potted history of the country

which was part of the Roman Empire until the 4th

Century. There followed a very muddled period of

various rulers until the Hapsburg Empire gained

ascendancy. This created some stability allowing

art and literature to develop. A move towards

independence started as early as 1848 but by 1900

there were still many different factions trying to gain

control. There was a period of emigration to the

New World but after WW1, a new kingdom of Serbs,

Croats and Slovenes came into being but with no

true unification.

During WW2, the area was occupied by the

Germans and Italians but eventually, the Federal

Republic of Yugoslavia was created under the

leadership of Marshall Tito. Although aligned with

the communist bloc, Tito was able to rule with a rod

of iron resulting in a return to stability. Slovenia and

the other states were allowed a certain level of

autonomy. In 1991, Slovenia declared

independence from Yugoslavia and was able to join

the EU. Today, it has a relatively stable economy

which is mainly based on agriculture and forestry

but tourism is becoming more important. One

problem is that the country doesn’t have a sea port

so any exports have to go over a border.

Izzy was with a group of visitors who stayed in a

hostel on an industrial estate. The first day took

them to an intermittent lake, so-called because it

can dry out when the water table falls too low and

the underlying limestone rock allows the water to

drain away. This leaves a large area of grassland

which is grazed and used by the local farmers. A

river with seven names flows through it and its’

course is being changed to allow the water to flow

more slowly and perhaps not dry up in the summer.

Due to the inheritance system, most farmers only

have small pockets of land which are uneconomic

to use for agriculture. These are now being bought

up in order to create and control a national nature

reserve. The area is being managed to provide

suitable habitats for corncrake and bittern and the

park infrastructure is being updated to allow for

more access by tourists. The group visited a system

of caves which is a major tourist attraction with

guided walks and 7 underground lakes to explore.

Cave centipedes, proteus amphibians and blind

cave beetles make their home here, among other

interesting fauna and flora. Above ground, the

wetland meadows were full of wild flowers, insects

and butterflies, some now rare in the UK.

Lunch was taken at a local farm which defied the

local trends and embraced technology. However,

they still used horses for some work and took care

not to needlessly damage the environment. The

farmer’s wife, Katerina, works in a local factory and

provided an excellent lunch including various

salamis and sausage, bread and preserved

vegetables. It should be noted that Slovenians don’t

really provide vegetarian food and vegans would not

fare well either. Katerina was also admired for the

quality and quantity of alcohol distilled on the

premises using locally sourced fruit. Perhaps no

further comment about this is required.

The following day was spent in the nearby forest

guided by one of very few female foresters,

Marianne. The forest is being managed for wildlife

and tourism and has nesting white-tailed eagle and

osprey. Bear and wolf are present, protected by

law, but with some strictly controlled hunting

allowed. These big predators are tolerated by the

local communities who see them as an asset for

increased tourism and farmers are compensated for

any loss of livestock due to predation. Marianne

was mystified by our clear-felling policy in British

Forestry. They will only remove a few trees at a

time, allowing natural regeneration of the forest in a

sustainable way. There was one stretch of forest

which has been left completely untouched by man

and will remain so. If a tree falls and blocks one of

the existing paths, it cannot be removed and any

walker would just have to climb over it. This

woodland was surrounded by meadows with

beautiful wild flowers and butterflies.

Marianne also took the group to a local village which

was showing the effects of decline and loss of

population as the youngsters move out to the towns

and cities. She was most bothered by the lack of

community spirit as the essential amenities closed

or moved away. The group also visited another

farm which was run on traditional lines but with an

innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. Going against

the local trend, the farmer was actually buying land

and was intent on developing a new breed of cattle,

using Aberdeen Angus and a Japanese breed.

The group next visited a man-made lake which

featured an outdoor pursuits and water-sports

centre (privately run), complete with café, waterslide

and a giant frying pan, designed to be used as a hot

tub. This was duly tried, with some excited

anticipation but unfortunately, the fire had not been

lit long enough to warm the water and there were

some squeals. The site also had log cabins and

glamping facilities for the faint-hearted.

Sunday lunch was taken with a local family where

several generations live in the same house; quite

normal in Slovenia. The main item on the menu was

a local speciality called mush, basically mashed

potatoes, buck wheat and flax wheat, fried with skill

and sensitivity; delicious of course. Over lunch,

there was some discussion about the country’s

progress and some of the elder generation felt that

in some ways at least, things were better under the

communists. Everyone was guaranteed a job and

nobody starved. All in all, an interesting afternoon.

Another day, another reserve; this time near the

coast where salt pans have been in existence for

hundreds of years. The 700 ha. reserve surrounds

the salt pans and actually strays over the border in

to Croatia. The salt pans are owned by a private

company which leases out the pans to people who

want to work them for a peppercorn rent of 1 Euro.

The workers have to produce some salt to keep their

pan and the salt is then sold on by the company.

The workers get a share of any profit. The costs of

maintaining the pans are high because the whole

area is below sea-level and has to be protected from

unintentional flooding. The salt costs about 42c per

kg to produce and sells locally for about 1 euro.

Some is exported to the rest of Europe and even

Japan where it fetches a significant premium. It

takes about three weeks for the salt water to

evaporate to a density where the crystals start to

form, assuming there is no rain to dilute the water.

The crystals are scraped up in to heaps and then

transported away from the pans using a little railway

and then packed ready for sale. There is another

highly valuable variety called salt flour which is

much more difficult to make and consequently much

more expensive; it is used solely as a condiment.

The park has about 250 species of birds including

black-winged stilt and greater flamingo. It

attracts about 50,000 visitors a year and gets some

EU funding by devious means. The salt company

may soon convert to an NGO in order to survive and

help further develop the park.

Tourism in Slovenia is alive and well. There is

adventure tourism in other parks offering canoeing

and other more challenging activities. Where there

are clashes between water-sport enthusiasts and

fishermen, compromises are agreed and

implemented. Izzy, a keen mountain-biker was

disappointed to learn that that particular sport has

got off to a shaky start due to initial mis-information.

No doubt the issue will be resolved. Isabel

obviously enjoyed her trip and found it informative,

thought-provoking and ultimately very useful. She

did visit one area where they were trying to

encourage a certain type of more affluent tourist.

This was not to her taste. Her parting words of

advice were to visit Slovenia now while it is still

relatively unspoilt by commercial tourism. I for one,

certainly enjoyed her talk and I’m sorry if any of our

local group missed it.

Nigel McMillan

North of Inverness Field Trip

Saturday 2nd February

Due to the weather we can experience in the north of

Scotland at this time of the year, I decided some time

ago, if road conditions were favourable, we would travel

a bit further in the warmth of the cars and have short

periods of birdwatching. The temperatures were fairly

low all week leading up to the outing and the forecast

for Saturday was to be very cold with slight snow

showers and sunshine. Our list began at Conon Bridge

car park with collared dove, blackbird, jackdaw,

starling and herring gull. Five of us then departed for

The Mound and although it was very cold, we had a

clear blue sky and beautiful sunshine. En route,

greylag, pink-footed goose, carrion crow and

hooded crow as well as a buzzard were seen. When

we arrived at The Mound, the car park area was like a

skating rink but, fortunately, we were able to walk on

the grass verges around the perimeter. The scenery

was spectacular, from the snow-covered mountains to

the partially frozen water of this area of Loch Fleet. It

did not take long for Isabel to point out male and female

goldeneye; Jim added a robin and thanks to the

occupants of the house, to the right of the car park, and

their birdfeeders coal, blue and great tits together with

siskin were added. A leucistic male chaffinch had

been recorded on these feeders during the week; Terry

was the only one who was lucky enough to get a good

view of it. We also added rock dove, little grebe and

red-breasted merganser.

After a warming coffee break, we continued to Golspie

then Balblair Wood for a short walk as far as the bridge,

which, not surprisingly did not produce any species for

our list. Returning to the cars, we had a short stop at

the end of the wood beside the plastic covered bales of

hay where shelduck, wigeon, mallard, oystercatcher

and redshank were added. At Little Ferry house

sparrow, cormorant and grey heron helped to swell

our number of species. As we retraced our route to

Golspie, rook was seen. Then from Golspie to our next

stop, on the south side of Loch Fleet, lapwing was

recorded. We intended having lunch here and were

able to enjoy it sitting or standing outside, with the sun

shining on our backs, just great. Who would believe

that we were able to do this at the beginning of

February! During our lunch break, we had two new

additions curlew and turnstone. In the week prior to

our visit, a white-tailed sea eagle had been recorded

flying over the Loch, sadly, not today – oh well, maybe

next time?

During our journey to our next destination, Embo Pier,

red-legged partridge were seen by Isabel and Terry.

At the pier, we added eider duck; only one male with

two females. Changed days, many of you will recall in

the past seeing large flocks of eider at this site – is this

due to climate change? Margaret sighted a diver but,

unfortunately during our time there, it either dived or

was hidden from view by a wave and we were unable

to determine whether it was a black-throat or great

northern but, it was definitely a diver going by the beak.

Our final stop, Dornoch beach was short because there

were too many dog walkers about. However, we did

enjoy the company of one cheeky, fat robin who had

discovered how well his bread was buttered at the

picnic tables.

Eider, Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

The light was beginning to fade by this time so, we

headed for home. I would personally like to thank

Isabel, Jim, Margaret and Terry for braving the cold,

also, for their contributions to the bird list; I hope they

enjoyed the day as much as I had. As expected, our

count for the day was low, 36 species recorded.

Maureen MacDonald

Surprise Field Trip

Thursday 14th February

With a title like that, l couldn’t resist setting out to

see what it was all about; after all it was Valentines’

Day! There were 10 of us gathered at the Inverness

Retail Park car park, 9 members and a visitor.

Leaders for the day were Maureen and Alan, this

was Alan’s first time leading a trip; so that was part

of the surprise.

Anyway, it was a fine day and l quickly got over my

disappointment at not getting red roses and

chocolates and we set off for Kingsteps where we

met up with Hilary. On the way, l remarked that our

first bird would probably be a magpie and of course

there were two sitting in the field as we drove into

the car park. The group immediately saw

yellowhammer in the trees which were joined by

some goldfinches, chaffinches and a calling

wren; we heard a drumming great spotted

woodpecker. There were also blue tit, great tit

and coal tit. We walked down to the salt marsh all

eager to spot the little egret which had taken up

residency this winter. There was a bit of excitement

when someone spotted it, but it soon turned to

laughter when we realised it was a white plastic bag!

There was a redshank and a red-breasted

merganser on the Ministers Pool.

The tide was on its way out as we walked down to

the shore line, where there was the inevitable group

of wigeon, a separate gathering of bar-tailed

godwit and a couple of eider off shore. On our way

back to the car park we spotted a buzzard sitting on

a post as they so often do at this time of year.

At Nairn Harbour were two mute swans looking

lovely on the still water with the sun shining down on

them. There was nothing of note on the sea so we

took a walk up the River Nairn, where we

immediately spotted a goosander sailing

downstream. From Merryton Bridge, two dippers

were spotted followed by a greenfinch and lots of

house sparrows in the trees beside the river. We

crossed the bridge and returned to the harbour,

where there were three very handsome male

goosander near the river mouth. On the way to Fort

George, there was a big flock of pink-footed geese

in a field. From the car park we walked across the

grass for a view of the Moray Firth where there were

mergansers, oystercatchers plus a few more eider;

a quiet day on the sea. A kestrel was spotted on

our way back to the cars.

At the car park in Ardersier we saw curlew, knot

and several species of gulls. Next, we headed to

Alturlie, hoping for lapwing, but the fields were all

ploughed and empty. Some of us went to the pools

at the top of the hill but only found wigeon and some

splendid teal, one with a bright yellow beak! Our

last stop was at Milton of Culloden where we saw a

massive raft of scaup. Here, we finished our day

with a count of 47 and thanks to our two leaders

Alan Jones and Maureen MacDonald. It was an

enjoyable day and as l set off home, l wondered if

my husband had broken the habit of a lifetime and

rushed out to buy me a bunch of red

roses......................!!!

Doreen Manson

Goosander (male), Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

Attempt to Avert a Black Future for a Black Duck

Indoor Meeting: Thursday 28th February

The black duck, referred to in the presentation given

by Dr Alison MacLennan, RSPB Scotland

Conservation Officer for Skye, is of course the

common scoter, the only one of the 6 scoter

species found worldwide to breed in the UK. The

presentation introduced us to the common scoter,

its decline, the research undertaken to better

understand it and the problems it faces and finally

the ideas being implemented to hopefully assist

what is clearly now a very uncommon duck. The

detail in the presentation might have been

overwhelming had it not been so very, very

interesting, but unfortunately there is insufficient

space here to cover it all.

The male of the species is totally black with a small

patch of yellow on the bill while the female is lighter

with a pale face. A picture of a duckling drew an

exclamation of delight from a member of the

audience behind me, which was fully justified; it was

gorgeously cute! Unfortunately, in the UK they are

now rarely seen with the species in the UK having

experienced a decline in number and a contraction

of their breeding range, now mainly confined to the

Flow Country and the Lochs of West Inverness-

shire. There had been 100’s of pairs in Scotland not

long ago, but by 1995 the total had fallen to 95 pairs

and to only 52 pairs in 2007. It is now a Red Listed

Species.

Research by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in the

early 1990s to find out where ducks breeding in

West Inverness-shire overwintered showed strong

fidelity to sites in the Moray Firth, the Irish Sea off

the north-west coast of England, to the west of

Ireland and off the coast of Morocco. This site

fidelity applies equally to their breeding grounds

even when significant environmental changes occur

such as a river being dammed, providing there are

still opportunities to breed.

Alison reeled off a number of recent studies looking

at the breeding conditions the species are likely to

prefer such as an invertebrate food source

(mayflies, caddis flies, water beetles etc.) in excess

of 4 mg and a shallow water depth of less than 1.3

metres beside the nests to allow the ducklings to

practice their diving. Studies have shown that more

large invertebrates are found where fish numbers

are low, while camera traps have proved that

breeding success has often been drastically

reduced because of predation, particularly from pine

marten and fox; in one year 90 eggs laid at West

Inverness-shire loch sites resulted in only 8

fledglings! Core samples taken from lochans in the

Flow Country have demonstrated the significant

changes in their ecology during the 1960/70’s

resulting from extensive afforestation and the

consequent adverse impacts on not only common

scoters but also many waders.

All this work had led to (excuse the pun!) a raft of

measures designed to help the common scoter. On

the hydro lochs of West Inverness-shire, in

association with SSE, the aim is to achieve water

level regimes that provide the shallow water

conducive to nest building together with the

establishment of large artificial floating islands to

provide potential nest sites which are safe from

unwelcome predators. Alison updated us on the

construction of these structures made from recycled

fish farm material and the assistance of Marine

Harvest in their anchorage. They have now been in

place for two seasons and whilst they have

interested the common scoter as places to rest they

have yet to build a nest; perhaps this year? The

damage caused by predators has led to the design

of a fence which is to be rolled out this year on an

experimental basis at a few sites. It is almost as

high as a deer fence with a lower close mesh stock

fence, with a snout level electric wire, topped with

an electric fence. Hopefully that will see off the foxes

and pine martens! At Forsinard increased angling

is being tried, with the assistance of the local angling

club, to reduce trout numbers and improve the

abundance of aquatic insects.

Time will tell whether these initiatives will bear fruit,

but Alison was optimistic, with the return of common

scoter to Shetland last year, after an absence of

over 20 years, an indication of what is possible. In

reply to a question, Alison mentioned the

development of an expert group from Ireland and

Scandinavia to share experience and no doubt

Common Scoter, Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

cooperate in further initiatives to provide the

common scoter with a brighter future. Indeed, one

of the most cheering aspects of the presentation

was the apparent enthusiasm of a wide range of

private, public and voluntary organisations, plus

interested individuals, to work together to help this

threatened species. Alison indicated a willingness to

update us on progress and I, for one, look forward

to that.

Bob Shannon

The adventures of one of our members:

Letter from Tanzania

It is 7am and I have settled down to write this on our

veranda, with a cup of tea. The sun is rising behind

me, between the peaks of Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt

Meru, and it is already casting its warmth on my

back. In front the thin band of riverine forest drops

down into a ravine through which the Usa River

rushes.

It is a time of change. It’s been a long cold winter!

The rains started in March and finished in June (the

longest rains in living memory) and then the

temperature dropped (minimum recorded here was

13 C) and no rain has fallen since. We don’t really

expect any until late October, but you never know.

In the last couple of weeks, the winds picked up and

the heat poured in. Baobabs and acacias dropped

their leaves and four species of fig sprouted fruit.

Vervet and Sykes monkeys are feasting…and then

there’s the birds….

The frugivores are here in droves. I can hear green

pigeons, as well as silvery-cheeked and

trumpeter hornbills high in the canopy. Blue-

naped and speckled mousebirds clamber

amongst the foliage, their long tails like those of the

rodents they are named after. Scores of tiny

Abyssinian white-eyes, flit from tree to tree in

musical waves. Brown-breasted and white-eared

barbets join the feast and the violet-backed

starlings catch the sun’s rays with a startling

iridescence.

There are some small insects in the acacia above

my head that brings in the insectivores; chinspot

batis, paradise flycatcher and yellow-breasted

apalis to name a few. Last week we had our very

first Narina’s trogon, a flash of red, green and white

and then it perched silently, deep in the leaves

above the river, not allowing itself to be

photographed for posterity! The grey-olive

greenbuls and robin chats feed at lower levels and

are rarely seen but often heard. The sombre

greenbul, heralds its presence at the top of the

trees with its ‘willieee’ call and will carry on even

through the hottest day.

The millet is out and, a metre from my feet, the seed

eaters gather: the emerald-spotted, laughing,

red-eyed and ring-necked doves; the tiny pink

red-billed firefinches and noisy hordes of

chestnut weavers. But the pieces de resistance

are the shy, skulking Peter’s twinspots, lured out

of the forest by the millet to show off their gorgeous

red heads and black and white-spotted breasts.

The sunbird feeders not only attract in 7 species but

are enjoyed by the bulbuls…and are finished off at

night by the bushbabies! The sunbirds have also

Peter’s Twinspot, Fiona Reid (RSPB Highland Group)

Amethyst Sunbird, Fiona Reid (RSPB Highland Group)

been enjoying the winter flowering aloes. We

noticed that the collared and amethyst sunbirds

love the feeders but that the variable sunbird will

not go near them. The olive sunbird loves to bathe

frequently and the others, never. The scarlet-

chested sunbird likes one side of our house and

not the other. The beautiful sunbird rarely comes

close to the house, and once we had a bronzy

sunbird here in August …an altitudinal migrant

coming down from Mount Meru to avoid the coldest

spells.

We have a box of meal-worms, feeding on bran and

banana peels who in turn feed a couple of brown –

hooded kingfishers, who will sit waiting patiently

for us if we forget.

Down in the river we also have the vociferous giant

kingfisher, patrolling mountain wagtails and, if we

are very lucky, African finfoot and black duck. We

are privileged to be so close to a regular haunt of

the finfoot and have noticed some weird and

wonderful calls, which are made by them but have

never been recorded. But as we only hear one call

every few months and as there is the constant

sound of the rushing river, we don’t know how to

change this situation. So, I write it down. A falling

bubbly boo, balloo, balloo balloo. Or a deep

drumming, interspersed with rapid clicks. What to

do?

The sun is really up now and it’s too hot on my back

so it’s time to get on with my day….

Fiona Reid, Usa River, September 2018

Violet Backed Starling, Fiona Reid (RSPB Highland Group)

Notes and Reminders

• Indoor Meeting venue: Please note that the indoor

meeting venue is: Greyfriars Free Church of

Scotland, Balloan Road.

Directions: From the Inshes roundabout, turn onto

the Southern Distributor road (B8082) (Tesco will be

on your left). At the second roundabout turn right,

sign posted Hilton, Drakies. At the traffic lights turn

left. The venue is on the left a short distance along

Balloan Road, almost opposite a play park. There

is plenty of parking available and the venue is fully

accessible and also has a speaker system.

Please also note that the front row of seats is

available for those who have mobility, sight or

hearing difficulties, please avail yourselves of this

facility.

• Adverse weather contacts: If you are in any doubt

that a meeting will take place, please contact one of

the organising team for up-to-date information or in

the case of field trips please contact the trip leader.

• Shared Transport. If you do not have a car or would

like a lift for a field trip please let us know at our first

meeting, or alternatively phone the field trip leader

who will be pleased to help you.

• RSPB Collection of used Postage Stamps

Following a press release on 30th November 2018

from The Charity Commission, and subsequent

stories in the national press regarding the fraudulent

use of used postage stamps, the RSPB have been

reviewing the current Albatross Stamp Appeal

Scheme.

It has been decided to cease collection of used

bulk postage stamps immediately but continue

with requests for the donation of stamp

collections, first day covers and albums.

The RSPB are determined to avoid risking to any

fundraising activity and to continue to raise

thousands of pounds every year to save albatrosses

from extinction both at sea and on land – with your

support.

If any RSPB Highland Group Member has any of the

above acceptable items, Margaret Colles will be

happy to receive them on behalf of the Group.

• Field Trip Notes

Please note the following for your safety and

guidance when on field trips:

Our trips are usually low risk and take account of all

ages and abilities of the group but occasionally they

may involve uneven or wet terrain. You can help to

keep our trips enjoyable by observing the following

advice please:

• Comply with route and safety instructions at sites

and with the request of the trip leader.

• Do not get separated from the group, especially

in the hills or unfamiliar terrain. Please make

sure that you know where the meeting place is

and at what time you should be there.

• If you have any health problems that could affect

your ability to complete a walk, please speak to

the group leader prior to the trip. If you are in any

doubt on the trip, stay with your vehicle or the

bus.

• If you are giving other members of the group lifts

in your own car, please ensure that your

insurance covers this, as most policies are

invalidated if passengers are charged or

contribute to the cost of petrol.

• Check the weather forecast and be prepared by

bringing:

o appropriate sturdy footwear (boots),

o waterproof and warm layers of clothes

o Long trousers and socks to protect against

insect bites.

o Walking pole (optional)

o Small first aid kit

o Sun cream

o Mobile phone in case of emergency

o Whistle (optional)

o Don’t forget your binoculars or/and scope

o Lunch if required

o Water

Extra photos from Tanzania: Some doves visiting our garden and a sunbird that sadly didn’t make it

For further information or if you have a story or photos you wish to share with us please contact:

RSPB Scotland is part of the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a

home. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so our towns, coast and countryside will

teem with life once again. We play a leading role in BirdLife International, a worldwide partnership of nature

conservation organisations.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland

no. SC037654

Laughing Doves, Fiona Reid (RSPB Highland Group) Red-eyed Dove, Fiona Reid (RSPB Highland Group)

Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Fiona Reid (RSPB Highland Group)

‘Some sunbirds don’t make it’, Fiona Reid (RSPB Highland Group)

Maureen MacDonald

macdonald456@btinternet.com

01463 220013

Hilary Rolton

hilaryrolton@gmail.com

01309 611210

Alan Jones

aajones1307@gmail.com

01463 223679