MORAY FIRTH MONITORING

WINTER 1994/5

JEFF STENNING

MARCH 1995

NORTH SCOTLAND REGIONAL OFFICEETIVE HOUSE, BEECHWOOD PARK, INVERNESS

Registered charity no 207076

MORAY FIRTH MONITORING

WINTER 1994/5

JEFF STENNING

A report by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birdsto BP Petroleum Development Ltd and Scottish Natural Heritage

RSPB North Scotland OfficeEtive House

Beechwood ParkInverness IV2 3BW

March 1995

CONTENTSSummary 3

1. General Introduction 5

2. Seaduck Monitoring 5

2.1 Introduction2.2 Study Area2.3 Methods

2.4 Results 62.4.1 Scaup2.4.2 Eider2.4.3 King eider 72.4.4 Long-tailed duck2.4.5 Common scoter2.4.6 Velvet scoter2.4.7 Surf scoter2.4.8 Goldeneye 82.4.9 Red-breasted merganser2.4.10 Goosander2.4.11 Red-throated diver2.4.12 Black-throated diver2.4.13 Great northern diver2.4.14 Slavonian grebe2.4.15 Red-necked grebe 9

2.5 Discussion

3. Seabird Use of the Inner Firths 14

3.1 Introduction3.2 Study Area3.3 Methods

3.4 Results 153.4.1 Inner Dornoch Firth3.4.2 Cromarty Firth3.4.3 Inverness/Beauly Firth

3.5 Discussion

4. Co-ordinated Wader and Wildfowl Counts 16

4.1 Introduction4.2 Study Area4.3 Methods4.4 Results 174.5 Discussion

5. British Trust for Ornithology'sSatellites and Sediments Project 18

5.1 Introduction5.2 Methods5.3 Results6. Geese and Swans

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 22

References 23

SUMMARY

1. 1994/5 was the fourteenth successive and final winter of seaduckmonitoring in the Moray Firth as part of the BP/RSPB Beatrice FieldEnvironmental Monitoring Programme. In 1994/5 the Programme was part-funded by BP, RSPB and SNH.

2. Counts of seaduck, divers and grebes were undertaken monthly fromSeptember 1994 to March 1995. The highest monthly total of all seaduckspecies occurred in February, when 11 558 birds were recorded.

3. Scaup numbers peaked in January at 453.

4. Eider were recorded in their highest numbers in October when 1714 werepresent.

5. The peak monthly total of long-tailed duck was recorded in November,when only 3742 were present, including 2441 between Burghead and Cu1bin and759 in the Riff Bank/Inverness Firth area. The "best estimate" populationindex for the winter was 5608. Numbers this winter were the lowest ever.

6. Common scoter numbers peaked at 2764 (including apportionedunidentified scoter) in February and around 2200 were present throughoutthe study period.

7. Velvet scoter numbers peaked at 540 (including apportioned unidentifiedscoter) in March.

8. There were fifteen records of surf scoter, involving a minimum of threemales and one female.

9. Goldeneye peaked at 976 in March and the main site was the InvernessFirth where birds are drawn to the Longman sewage outfall.

10. Red-breasted merganser peaked at 1787 in December, when 1422 werepresent in the Inverness Firth alone, making this (rather than the RiffBank) the most important site for the second consecutive year.

11. Goosander numbers on the Beauly Firth were the highest since 1988/89,peaking at 603 in February.

12. Red-throated diver numbers peaked at 385 in January, when there were250 in the Inverness Firth.

13. Black-throated diver numbers peaked at 35 in January, although 32 werepresent in October.

14. Great northern diver numbers peaked at 14 in November, with no markedinfluxes and/or concentrations anywhere during the period under review.

15. The peak monthly total for Slavonian grebe was 66 in October, and themost important single site was the Outer Dornoch Firth, with a peak of 26birds in November.

16. At least 7 Red-necked grebes were present over the winter (peakmonthly total of 6 in December) and birds were recorded in every month fromSeptember to March, more than in any other winter except 1986/7 and 1991/2.

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17. Counts of seabirds in the inner firths were undertaken each month. Alarge influx of auks was recorded in January, most apparent in theInverness Firth, when a minimum of over 2500 were present.

18. Assistance was given to the network of volunteer counters taking partin the British Trust for Ornitho1ogy's/Wi1dfow1 and Wetlands Trust'sWetland Bird Surveyor WeBS (part funded by the Royal Society for theProtection of Birds and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee). Data onwildfowl and wader numbers were collated at RSPB's Inverness office forforwarding to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and a monthly newsletter wasproduced for the counters.

19. Assistance was given to volunteer counters in gathering improved dataon numbers of swans and geese using in the Moray Firth area. Data werevoluntarily collated and forwarded to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust byIvan Brockway, but have been included in Table 2.

20. Low-tide surveys were carried out in the Cromarty Firth on behalf ofthe British Trust for Ornithology as part of their two-year satellite andsediments project. This involved eight surveys between November andFebruary inclusive at both Udale and Nigg Bays in the Cromarty Firth.

21 The Moray Firth area currently (1990/91 - 1994/5) supportsinternationally important wintering numbers (at least 1% of the north-westEuropean population) of the following species (in order of importance):greylag goose (28%), pink-footed goose (5%), wigeon (4%), bar-tailed godwit(4%), redshank (4%), whooper swan (3%), red-breasted merganser (2%), curlew(1.5%), turnstone (1.5%), Slavonian grebe (1%), teal (1%), oystercatcher(1%), ringed plover (1%), knot (1%), purple sandpiper (1%) and dun1in (1%).

22. The Moray Firth currently holds nationally important wintering numbers(1% of the British population) of the following species (in order ofimportance): long-tailed duck (37%), velvet scoter (25%), common scoter(11.5%), red-throated diver (7%), goldeneye (7%), goosander (5%), b1ack-throated diver (4%), scaup (4%), eider (3%), pintail (2%), tufted duck(1.5%), mute swan (1%) and mallard (1%).

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1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1994/5 is the fourteenth successive and final winter that wintering seaduckhave been monitored in the Moray Firth as part of the Beatrice Fieldenvironmental monitoring programme undertaken by RSPB for BP PetroleumDevelopment Ltd. This year's Programme was part-funded by BP, RSPB andSNH.

This report covers the period September 1994 to March 1995 and includes:

1. Results of monthly seaduck counts in the Moray Firth, from Helmsdaleto Spey Bay.

2. Results of monthly seabird counts in the inner firths.

3. Summary results of co-ordinated wader and wildfowl counts carriedout as part of the British Trust for Ornithology and Wildfowl andWetlands Trust Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS).

4. Summary results of low-tide counts carried out as part of theBritish Trust for Ornithology's satellite and sediments project.

2.

2.1

SEADUCK MONITORING

Introduction

The history of monitoring wintering bird populations in the Moray Firth hasbeen detailed by Akers (1989 and 1990).

2.2 Study Area

The study area extends from Helmsdale in the north to Spey Bay in thesouth-east and includes the Dornoch, Cromarty, Beau1y and Inverness Firths.The area follows that previously described by Mudge and Aspinall (1985) andis divided into twelve standard count sections (Figure 1).

2.3 Methods

A full account of methods is given by Akers (1989). Counts of winteringseaduck, divers and grebes were made from standard count points, positionedto ensure complete coverage of the coast without overlap. Counts were madeon an opportunistic basis according to the weather conditions, but everyeffort was made to survey sections in geographical sequence and to completecoverage of the whole Moray Firth as quickly as possible each month.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's winter period for wildfowl counts extendsfrom September to March. In 1994/5 in the Moray Firth counts werecompleted each month between September 1994 and March 1995. For mostspecies one daytime count per section per month in good conditions wasregarded as adequate. Supplementary counts of scaup, goldeneye andgoosander were made at traditional sites and additional data for slavoniangrebe, goldeneye and sawbi11 ducks were collected during the co-ordinatedwader and wildfowl counts.

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Because of the difficulties involved in counting long-tailed duck (they aresmall, cryptically coloured and can feed further off-shore than otherseaduck species), monthly totals of daytime counts are not the mostaccurate means of estimating the true population level. Additional surveyswere undertaken from vantage points on land for birds flying to or fromnight-time roost sites, of which three are known in the Moray Firth,although checks are made at other sites. These are in Burghead Bay, whichdraws birds from both east and west and which is counted from Findhorn andfrom Burghead; over the Riff Bank, counted from Chanonry Point and holdingbirds which feed in the Inverness Firth as well as in the Riff Bank sectionitself; and off Brora, generally drawing birds from further north. A co-ordinated count was undertaken at these four points on February 11th, butas Brora produced only 4 birds, a higher figure of 195 from a count on the8th was used instead.Counts of roost-flighting long-tailed ducks were assigned to the standardsections in which they are assumed to be feeding (ego birds flying intoBurghead Bay from the west are assigned to the Culbin section), but wereonly included in the monthly totals if the roost count exceeded the daytimecount for the section. Five main long-tailed duck areas were identified(Figure 2), incorporating from one to three standard count sections andmonthly totals were calculated for these larger areas. An index figure(corresponding to the "best estimate" peak total given in previous reports)for the winter was calculated by taking the peak monthly total for each ofthe five larger areas and summing the area totals.

2.4 Results

The peak total for all seaduck (sum of the peak total for eachregardless of month) for 1994/5 was 12,584, a very significantthan in 1993/4 and representing a reduction from the five-year(see 2.5.4, .5 & .6).

species10,133 lessmean of -34%

2.4.1 Scaup Aythya marila

Total scaup numbers in the Moray Firth peaked in January at 453. Followinga peak of 406 in the Cromarty Firth in tbe same month, much reduced numbersthere were mirrored by increases in the Dornochand Inverness Firths torespective peaks of 85 and 173 in March (Figure 3). The only other regularbirds were 3 in Burghead Bay from January into March.

2.4.2 Eider Somateria molissima

Eider numbers in the Moray Firth in 1994/5 peaked at 1714 in October, when1264 were present along the south coast of the outer Moray Firth (Nairn toSpey Bay), which was also the highest area total (Figure 5).

As in 1993/4, numbers on the Sutherland section dropped rapidly between theOctober and November counts. It seems that the area is still relativelyimportant ..for eider in the autumn, but that it no longer holds largenumbers of eider into the mid-winter period.

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2.4.3 King eider Somateria spectabilis

The presumed same drake as in 1993/4 was recorded on the Morayshire sectionfrom the end of October into mid-February.

2.4.4 Long-tailed duck Clangula hyemalis

The highest monthly total (including daytime and roost counts) for theMoray Firth was 3742 in November, when 2441 were present in the Burghead-Culbin section, 759 were in the Riff Bank/Inverness Firth section and 153were in Spey Bay. Numbers off the east Sutherland coast peaked at 323 inFebruary (Figure 7).

The index ("best estimate") for the whole winter (calculated by summing thepeak monthly totals for each section) was 5608.

2.4.5 Common seoter Melanitta nigra

Peak numbers of common scoter occurred in February when 2764 were present(including apportioned unidentified scoter). As in 1993/4, numbers wereless stable throughout the study period than in 1992/3 (range 1036 - 2764,Figure 9).

The four main sites were as usual Spey Bay (830 January), Burghead Bay(1087 March), Culbin (1502 February) and the outer Dornoch Firth (236January).

2.4.6 Velvet scoter Melanitta fusca

Peak numbers occurred in March, when 540 were present (includingapportioned unidentified scoter). Before this, numbers were unstable inthe autumn/mid-winter period, with the second highest peak of 532 occuringin November.

The main sites were as usual the same as those for common scoter: BurgheadBay (324 March), Spey Bay (129 February), the outer Dornoch Firth (30March) and Culbin (143 March).

2.4.7 Surf scoter Melanitta perspicillata

There were fifteen records, including those extracted from WeBS andBirdline Scotland, involving a minimum of three males and one female.

All records are given below:

9 Oct 94 1 first-year male Burghead Bay16 Oct 94 1 male Burghead Bay28 Nov 94 1 male Burghead Bay, different male off Burghead29 Nov 94 1 male Burghead Bay, pair Nairn Bar1-3, 11 & 13/14 Dec 94 1 male Burghead Bay4 Dee 94 2 males Burghead Bay10 Dee 94 1 male off Burghead15 Jan 95 1 male Burghead Bay

14 Feb 95 1 male Burghead Bay

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2.4.8 Go1deneve BucepheIa cIanguIa

Goldeneye numbers peaked in March at 976, when 710 were present in theInverness Firth and 110 were in the Cromarty Firth. Apart from 76 in theInner Dornoch Firth in February, no other site held more than 60 birds(Figure 13).

2.4.9 Red-breasted mer2anser Mergus serrator

Red-breasted merganser numbers peaked in December, when 1787 were presentthroughout the Moray Firth, with the vast majority, 1422, in theInverness/Beauly Firths.

2.4.10 Goosander Mergus merganser

Goosander numbers peaked at 603 in March. The majority of records, asusual, came from the Beauly Firth, but elsewhere there were autumngatherings in Spey Bay, peaking at 60 in September, with 176 in BurgheadBay in October.

2.4.11 Red-throated diver Gavia steIIata

The highest monthly total of red-throated divers was 385 in January, when250 were in the Inverness Firth. Spey Bay held 178 in December andBurghead Bay 140 in October. Elsewhere, numbers nummbers did not exceed 60in anyone section.

Overall, recorded numbers increased steadily through to January, thereaftergradually decreasing.

2.4.12 Black-throated diver Gavia arctica

Black-throated diver numbers peaked at 35 in January, when 20 were in theInverness Firth. Prior to this, 32 were present in October with all but 4in Burghead Bay; numbers then fluctuated between 29 in November and 15 inDecember, declining after the peak to another low spring level of only 5 inMarch.

2.4.13 Great northern diver Gavia immer

Great northern diver numbers peaked at 14 in November, with no significantgatherings then or subsequently in the winter, although there were 8 in theouter Dornoch Firth earlier, in October.

2.4.14 Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus

The highest monthly count of Slavonian Grebes was 66 in October, when 31were present in the Cromarty Firth and 14 in Burghead Bay. The outerDornoch" Firth held 26 in December and there were 31 in the Inverness Firthin March, corresponding with low counts at the main resorts (Figure 22).

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2.4.15 Red-necked grebe Podiceps grisegena

There were 15 records involving a minimum of 7 birds. Certainly 2 birdsused the outer Dornoch Firth, with singles off Portmahomack in September,December and March, off Brora in October and off Dornoch/Golspie inOctober, December and February. A presumed same single was in theInverness Firth in October and December, simi1iar1y 1 in Burghead Bay inSeptember and November. A single off the Cu1bin Bars in October with 3there in December are probably the same birds as the single off Nairn inJanuary and March and the 2 there in February.

2.5 Discussion

2.5.1 Scaup

Scaup numbers have remained fairly stable in the Moray Firth throughout theperiod 1977/8 - 1994/5 (Figure 4). The mean annual peak for the MorayFirth for the five winters 1990/91 - 1994/5 is 465, approximately 4% of therevised population estimate for Great Britain (Waters and Cranswick 1993).The Cromarty Firth is the only one of the three main scaup sites in theMoray Firth to have held in excess of 110 birds in each of the last fivewinters, making it nationally important for the species. Up until 1993/4,both the other two sites, Edderton in the Dornoch Firth and Longman Bay inthe Inverness Firth, also held nationally important numbers of scaup.However this winter the Longman Bay flock peaked at 173 in March,reinstating its importance and the Edderton flock increased from lastwinter to peak at 85, also in March. However, it is interesting to notethat numbers in the Cromarty Firth declined by 93% between January andMarch suggesting a redistribution of numbers between the three sites.

2.5.2 Eider

Peak eider numbers since 1977/8 have remained fairly stable, fluctuatingbetween 2000 and 3000 (Figure 6). The mean peak total for the five winters1990/90 - 1994/54 is 2410, around 3% of the GB wintering population (Watersand Cranswick 1993).

The two most important sections of coast are the east Sutherland coast fromHelmsdale to Dornoch and the Morayshire coast from Culbin to Spey Bay.Annual changes in numbers at these two sites follow overall Moray Firthchanges closely (Figure 6). Five year means for east Sutherland andMorayshire are 1336 and 1258 respectively, making both sites nationallyimportant for wintering eider.

Peak numbers on the east Sutherland coast have declined significantly overthe period 1977/8 - 1993/4, while numbers on the Morayshire coast haveincreased significantly over the same period.

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2.5.3 Kimz eider

King eider is regarded as a scarce but regular visitor to the Moray Firth,particularly the outer Dornoch Firth. In recent years the frequency ofmid-winter records here has declined, coincident with reduced use of theeast Sutherland coast by eider in mid-winter and indeed only one drake,presumed to be the same individual as in the previous two winters, could belocated (on the Morayshire section) this winter.

2.5.4 Lon2-tailed duck

The Moray Firth is the most important wintering site in Britain and Irelandfor wintering long-tailed ducks. The mean peak monthly total for the fiveyears since 1990/91 is 8488, approximately 37% of the most recent GBpopulation estimate (Waters and Cranswick 1993). The 1994/5 peak monthlytotal of 3742 (November) represents a 56% decline from this five-year meanand was most apparent along the Sutherland coast, where there was a 75%decline from that area's five-year mean. The above-average temperatures inNovember may have induced more birds to remain along the Norwegian coastand/or in the Baltic, the origins of British winterers being unknown.Alternatively, there may have been an unquantified reduction in preferredfood items, but whatever the reason(s), the decline in numbers of long-tailed duck this winter contributes significantly to the overall reductionin seaduck.

Peak monthly totals should be regarded as absolute minima. Long-tailedducks (along with divers and grebes) are susceptible to being under-recorded by land-based counts in less than perfect conditions. Dusk anddawn movements between roosting and feeding areas are not always reliable,either due to poor weather conditions or to birds moving when it is toodark for observers to distinguish the birds. However, improved accuracywould probably involve increased coverage and resources.

"Best estimate" totals for the Moray Firth have fluctuated considerablyover the years (range <6000 to >22,000 for years with complete coverage,Figure 8). Site usage within the Moray Firth has varied from winter towinter, although the most consistently important area has been the Burghead- Culbin section, including the Burghead Bay roost. The roost certainlydraws birds from feeding areas off Culbin and Burghead, which was largelythe case both this and last winter, unlike in November and December 1992when many birds appeared to be flying to roost from the north-east,possibly from feeding areas over the Guillam Bank and in shallow areas offthe East Ross peninsula, where large flocks of long-tailed ducks weredetected by NCC boat surveys during 1984/5 (Mudge and Aspinall 1985). TheBurghead Bay roost is not currently thought to draw birds from feedingareas over the Riff Bank.

2.5.5 Common scoter

Common scoter numbers peaked in February at 2764 but numbers fluctuatedthroughout the winter, with a steady build-up into December, followed by adrop in January, increase to the peak in February, with fewer again inMarch). Overall peak numbers were slightly above the mean for the lastfive winters (2667 birds - 11.5% of the GB wintering population), with peak

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numbers at Burghead Bay and Cu1bin both above average (excluding Aprilcounts), while those in Spey Bay dropped by around 8% and in the outerDornoch Firth by a massive 81%, these 'missing' birds thereforecontributing to the overall reduction in seaduck numbers in the Moray Firththis winter.

There was some redistribution of common scoter between sites as the winterprogressed, with Burghead Bay and the Cu1bin sharing the majority of thebirds in the autumn, Spey Bay holding the highest numbers in November andJanuary, Culbin in December and February and Burghead Bay in March.The significantly lower numbers in the outer Dornoch Firth remained at thesame level from October to January and then at a slightly lower level untilMarch.

It is twelve years since the Moray Firth held internationally importantnumbers of common scoter (Figure 10), although each of the four main sitesin the area holds nationally important numbers. The decline in numbers inthe Moray Firth seems to be part of a wider and perhaps long-term declinethroughout Britain and Ireland (Kirby ee al. 1993).

2.5.6 Velvet scoter'

The Moray Firth as a whole is the second only to St. Andrews Bay inimportance for wintering velvet scoter (Kirby et al. 1993). During 1994/5,numbers were below average for the Moray Firth as a whole (mean 1990/91-1994/5 = 751, 25% of the GB wintering population), and for three of thefour main sites, Burghead Bay,Spey Bay and the outer Dornoch Firth, by27.5%, 36% and 79% respectively, the last closely matching the percentagedecline of common scoter there this winter. Only Culbin was stable, at1.5%. The only seasonal pattern of abundance similar to that for commonscoter was that Burghead Bay was the most important site in theautumn/early winter, but remained so throughout. Elsewhere, Culbin andSpey Bay shared smaller but br~adly similiar numbers from November intoFebruary, with more at Culbin in March. The much reduced numbers in theouter Dornoch Firth were fairly stable, although none were recorded inSeptember, October or February.

Like common scoter, velvet scoter numbers dropped sharply in the early1980's (Figure 12) and although their numbers had peaked at over 1000 bothin 1992/3 and 1993/4, the population level is still well below thatrecorded in the early years of the Beatrice Field environmental monitoringprogramme.

As with common scoter, the Moray Firth no longer holds internationallyimportant numbers of velvet scoter, although all of the four main siteswithin the firth still hold nationally important numbers. Again likecommon scoter there is evidence to suggest a wider and possibly long-termdecline in velvet scoter numbers in Britain and Ireland (Kirby et al.1993).

2.5.7 Surf scater

Surf scoter is an annual visitor in small numbers to the Moray Firth, witha tendency to peak in the spring in some years. In 1994/5 surf scoterswere

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recorded in all months except September and March, probably involving 3drakes and 1 duck.

2.5.8 Go1deneye

Numbers for the Moray Firth as a whole peaked in March, a month later thanthe typical pattern for recent winters. The Inverness Firth is now theprime site in the Moray Firth and the birds feed in the vicinity of theLongman sewage outfall.

Peak numbers for the Moray Firth have exceeded 800 for the last eightwinters and 1,000 for five winters 1988/89 - 1992/3 (Figure 14). The MorayFirth is nationally important for goldeneye, holding on average 1150 birdsfor the period 1990/91 - 1994/5, or 7% of the UK wintering population andis the third most important site in the UK after Lough Neagh and the Firthof Forth (Waters and Cranswick 1993).

2.5.9 Red-breasted merganser

The Moray Firth is the only site in Britain and Ireland to holdinternationally important numbers of red-breasted merganser (Waters andCranswick 1993): the five year mean peak total for 1990/91 - 1994/5 is2245 birds (Figure 16), approximately 2% of the north-west European and 22%of the British wintering populations.

The peak count (1422, Dec.) for the Inverness/Beauly Firth was less thanhalf of the numbers using this site last winter, but still made this(rather than the usual Riff Bank) the most important site within the MorayFirth. Over 1100 were present here into February (and over 900 in March),but they had to compete with a large influx of other piscivorous species(red-throated diver, shag, guillemot and razorbill) from around the NewYear. It is interesting, if only speculative, to note that numbers in theCromarty Firth and off the Culbin Bars both peaked in October, at 314 and623 respectively, when only 25 were over the Riff Bank. Thereafter, thefirst two sites held lower numbers, while those in the Inverness Firth andover the Riff Bank increased, albeit marginally with the latter.

2.5.10 Goosander

Goosander numbers in the Beauly Firth were the second highest this decade(595, February cf. 610, November 1990), possibly indicating that foodsupplies for these birds are now undergoing restoration following a periodof low levels (Akers 1990, Evans 1991 and 1992).

The five year mean for peak numbers of goosander in the Beauly Firth up toand including 1994/5 was 414 birds is about 5% of the British winteringpopulation, but is below the qualifying level for international importance(1500 birds, Waters and Cranswick 1993). Until 1990/1, the Beauly Firthwas the only internationally important site for wintering goosander inBritain. Elsewhere there were 60 in Spey Bay in September declining to 4in December, 176 in Burghead Bay in October (making this site of temporarynational importance and possibly involving a redistribution of some of the

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Spey Bay birds) and up to 14 in the inner Dornoch Firth between Septemberand February.

2.5.11 Red-throated diver

Peak totals for sections within the Moray Firth and for the firth itselfhave been fairly stable over the period 1984/5 - 1994/5 (with the exceptionof 1987/8 when there was a marked influx into Spey Bay in the late autumn -Figure 20). The 1994/5 peak total of 385 birds was only around 3% morethan the five year mean peak for 1990/91 - 1994/5.

During the first half of winter, Spey Bay held (as an average) nearly 60%of the population which fluctuated to a peak in January, when around70%were then in the Inverness Firth, where they joined other piscivorousspecies to feed presumably on sprats (see 2.5.9).

The Moray Firth as a whole holds nationally important numbers with around7% over the last five years (Waters and Cranswick 1993).

2.5.12 Black-throated diver

Black-throated diver numbers in the Moray Firth normally peak at around20 - 35 in February - March, with the most important sites being the outerDornoch Firth and Burghead Bay.

Numbers were about average during 1994/5 (Figure 21) and the peak total of35 birds occurred in January, with 20 in the Inverness Firth and 10 in theouter Dornoch Firth. Prior to this, the maximum recorded was 32, with allbut 4 in Burghead Bay. 25 were still here in November, but declinedthereafter to single figures.

The mean peak total for black-throated divers in the Moray Firth for thefive years 1990/91 - 1994/5 is 31, around 4% of the British winteringpopulation (Waters and Cranswick).

2.5.13 Great northern diver

Great northern divers tend to stay further off-shore than other diverspecies and as a result may well be under-recorded in the Moray Firth. Thepeak total of 14 birds for 1994/5 was 42% below the mean for the period1990/91 - 1994/5 (24 birds; Figure 21), with, as last year, no notableconcentrations anywhere.

Great northern divers are generally commoner on the west coast of Britainand Ireland than the east (Parrack 1986a) and numbers recorded in the MorayFirth are usually well below the 1% qualifying level for nationalimportance.

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2.5.14 Slavonian 2rebe

Slavonian grebe numbers are easy to underestimate, as they can be difficultto see in less than perfect counting conditions because of their size andcolouration. Nevertheless, peak monthly totals for the Moray Firth for thepast five years give a mean population figure of 54 (Figure 22), whichunder the revised qualifying levels (Waters and Cranswick 1993)approximates to 13.5% of the British wintering population estimated byChandler (1986a) and, as a new departure, just over 1% of the north-westEuropean population.

2.5.15 Red-necked 2rebe

Red-necked grebes are annual winter visitors to the Moray Firth in verysmall numbers. The British wintering population is too small (c. 100birds, Waters and Cranswick 1993) for the 1% qualification level fornational importance to have any meaning for this species.

3.

3.1

SEABIRD USE OF THE INNER FIRTHS

Introduction

The Inverness/Beauly Firth, the Cromarty Firth and the inner Dornoch Firthcan hold important concentrations of seabirds in winter. The present studycontinues work undertaken in previous winters, from 1981/2 to the present(Mudge et al. 1984, Parsons et al. 1988, Akers 1989 and 1990, Evans 1991,1992 and 1993 and Stenning 1994).

Target species were cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, shag P. aristotelis,guillemot Uria aalge, razorbill Alca torda and kittiwake Rissa tridactyla.Other species may also occur, but only occasionally and usually in smallnumbers, for example, fulmar Fulmaris glacialis, gannet Sula bassana,little auk AIle aIle, skuas Stercorarius spp. and terns Sterna spp ..

3.2 Study Area

The Inverness/Beauly Firth and Cromarty Firth area boundaries and countpoints were described by Mudge et al. (1984) and those for the innerDornoch Firth by Mudge and Aspinall (1985).

3.3 Methods

Counts were made from the standard count points (3.2 above) and werecarried out monthly, at the same time as the seaduck counts for the innerfirths. All birds were identified to species if possible, but when shagcould not be separated from cormorant or guillemot from razorbill they wererecorded in a category separate from birds positively identified.

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3.4

3.4.1

Results

Inner Dornoch Firth

Peak totals were: fulmar 1 (September only): cormorant 46 (October);guillemot 8 (February only); razorbill 5 (February only).

3.4.2 Cromarty Firth

Peak totals were: fulmar 13 (September only); cormorant 32 (September);shag 33 (September); kittiwake 7 (December); sandwich tern 6 (Septemberonly); guillemot 38 (January); razorbill 3 (October and January).

3.4.3 Inverness/Beauly Firths

Peak totals were: fulmar 4 (September); gannet 5 (October only); cormorant456 (February); shag 600 (March); pomarine skua 15 (October); arctic skua 4(November); long-tailed skua 7 (October); kittiwake 400 (February);sandwich tern 8 (September); common tern 2 (September); arctic tern (19September); guillemot 1776 (March); razorbill 1500 (January); blackguillemot 2 (November); little auk 1 (February only); auk sp. 18(December); kittiwake 400 (February).

3.5 Discussion

Seabird numbers in the inner Dornoch and Cromarty Firths during 1994/5 wereabout normal. Although not as high as last winter, the numbers ofcormorant (Figure 18), shag and auks using the Inverness/Beauly Firth werecertainly well-above the levels recorded between 1990 and 1993, possiblyindicating that stocks of fish of suitable size/age class have recoveredfrom the pattern of those years (Akers 1990, Evans 1991 and 1992). Also inthe Inverness Firth, at least 2 pomarine and 1 arctic skua overwintered and2 long-tailed skua were still present in December, following anunprecedented autumn passage of this species through the Moray Firth, withover 350 (mostly adults) recorded.

15

4.

4.1

CO-ORDINATED WADER AND WILDFOWL COUNTS (WeBSl

IntroductionThe Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) is carried out nationwide by a network ofvolunteer counters for the British Trust for Ornithology and the Wildfowland Wetlands TrustCounts of waders and wildfowl have been undertaken in the Moray Firth since1969 and both Prater (1981) and Symonds and Langs10w (1985) demonstratedthe importance of the Moray Firth for wintering shorebirds and wildfowl.

Coverage of the Moray Firth since 1985/6 has been co-ordinated from RSPBNorth Scotland Regional Office in Inverness, where the results werecollated before being checked by the local BTO representative and forwardedto the BTO and WWT for inclusion in the national WeBS records.

4.2 Study Area

Coverage extended with some breaks from Brora in the north to Buckie in theeast. The firth was divided into six main sections, from north to south:

1) Brora - Dornoch Point [with a gap between Broraand Go1spie]

2) The Inner Dornoch Firth [Dornoch - Carbisda1e - Tarbat Ness]

3) The Cromarty Firth

4) The Beau1y Firth

5) The Inner Moray Firth [Inverness Firth to Findhorn Bay]

6) Rocky Shores [Wi1khaven - Rockfield; Ba1intore; Burghead -Hopeman; Lossiemouth; Spey Estuary;Portgordon - Buckie]

4.3 MethodsThe firth was divided into 55 small sections for counting purposes and oneor more of these sections was assigned to one of more than 40 volunteercounters. For each co-ordinated count, each section was counted on the tssame rising or high tide. Counts were normally made with binoculars andtelescope, but precise methods varied according to the preference of thecounter or the dictates of the site. Count dates were 9th October, 4thDecember, 15th January and 19th February. Any section missed or poorlycounted on the specified date was counted again as soon as possibleafterwards.

High tide counts do not adequately cover whooper swan, greylag goose andpink-footed goose which use agricultural land and freshwater sites withinthe coastal zone. These species are discussed further in Section 5(below).

16

4.4 Results

Monthly species totals for the Moray Firth are shown in Table 1 and peakannual totals for the five winters 1990/91 - 1994/5 are shown in Table 2.WeBS counts produced totals of 44 265 wildfowl (excluding seaduck) and 45-581 waders for 1994/5.

Numbers of pintail, oystercatcher, golden plover, knot, dunlin andgreenshank were at least 3% higher than their respective means for the fiveyear period. Numbers of the remaining species, except grey plover whichwas stable (at -0.5%), were all between 3% and 42% below their respectivemeans for the same period.

4.5

4.5.1

Discussion

Internationally Important Species

Between 1990/91 and 1994/5 the Moray Firth held at least 1% of the north-west European (wildfowl) or East Atlantic Flyway (waders) populations ofthe following species (in order of importance): greylag goose, pink-footedgoose, wigeon, bar-tailed godwit, redshank, whooper swan, curlew,turnstone, oystercatcher, teal, ringed plover, knot, purple sandpiper anddunlin ..

4.5.2 Nationally Important Species

Between 1990/91 and 1994/5 the Moray Firth held at least 1% of the Britishwintering populations of (in order of importance): pintail, tufted duck,mute swan and mallard.

17

5.

5.1

BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY'S SATELLITES AND SEDIMENTS PROJECT

IntroductionThe BTO in conjunction with the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology have beenawarded a major contract on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industryto produce a method, using new techniques in the computer enhancement ofsatellite images of s~diment types, to predict the effects of large-scaledevelopments on estuarine birds.

5.2 Methods

Twenty-four estuaries in Scotland, Wales and England were selected formonitoring on at least 14 occasions over the two winters 1993/4 and 94/5.Each section of an estuary is divided into at least 20 seperate countingunits, each preferably of one sediment type and waterfowl species weremapped two hours each side of low tide and distinctions made betweenfeeding and roosting birds. Nigg, Udale and Edderton Bays in the CromartyFirth were those selected in the Moray Firth, the first two counted by thepost holder and a volunteer and the last by the BTO representative for Rossand Cromarty. Each site was counted twice each month between November andFebruary (total of eight counts) in the 1994/5 winter.

5.3 Results

Count maps and forms were sent to BTO for analysis and copies retained atthe RSPB's North of Scotland Regional Office. Counts produced mean totalsof 3212 wildfowl and 7976 waders at Nigg Bay and 1265 wildfowl and 789waders at Udale Bay.

6. GEESE AND SWANS

The Moray Firth area holds large numbers of whooper swans and greylag andpink-footed geese, particularly during the autumn (greylag goose andwhooper swan) and spring (all three species). The birds are not confinedto coastal habitats, but use agricultural land and freshwater sites in thelow-lying coastal zone of the Moray Firth, as well as saltmarsh andintertidal areas on the coast itself.

Daytime wildfowl counts on coastal and freshwater sites (WeBS counts,Section 4 above) tend not to cover these species adequately, but theWildfowl and Wetlands Trust organises additional counts for these speciesduring the autumn (October and November). The absence of national goosecounts in recent springs led to a lack of data on the status on pink-footedgoose in the Moray Firth area, as the species occurs in large numbers hereonly during the spring (see below).

During winter 1994/5, counts were made at the key goose sites in October,November, and January, but the April count figures have not beenincorporated at the time of writing, such that the pink-footed goosefigures (normally around 10% of the Icelandic/Greenland population use theMoray Firth in spring) are low. The national census of wild swans tookplace in January.

18

Data gathered from these counts have been incorporated into Table 2, whichdemonstrates the importance of the Moray Firth coastal zone for greylaggoose (on average 28% of the Icelandic breeding population has used thearea in the last five winters), pink-footed goose (5% of theIcelandic/Greenland breeding population) and whooper swan (nearly 3% of theIcelandic breeding population).

19

TABLE 1: Monthly totals of wildfowl (excluding seaduck) and wader speciesrecorded in the Moray Firth on Yet1and Bird Surveys 1994/5.

SPECIES/MONTH OCTOBER DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY

Mute swan 276 268 305 267t.7hooperswan 7 199 44 35Pink-footed goose 51 265 0 72Greylag goose 2500 5440 2126 1517She1duck 79 786 1127 1008Yigeon 25922 25061 17642 6445Teal 2388 4661 4560 1703Mallard 3184 365 4957 2295Pintail 229 362 610 85Pochard 1 0 0 0Tufted duck 153 553 778 293

Oystercatcher 9408 9223 11800 9790Ringed plover 469 369 287 345Golden plover 160 505 0 5Grey plover 171 34 59 27Lapwing 851 501 615 1220Knot 1313 2820 5699 3973Sanderling 38 44 23 8Purple sandpiper 2 349 61 139Dunlin 1795 10586 10499 9288Ruff 5 0 0 0Snipe 14 13 2 9Bar-tailed godwit 1762 1586 3648 3752Curlew 3976 3353 4145 5018Redshank 5153 5059 3620 3995Greenshank 6 13 2 6Turnstone 633 783 710 713

20

TABLE 2: Peak and mean peak totals for wildfowl (excluding seaduck) andwader species recorded in the Moray Firth area 1989/90 - 1993/4. togetherwith mean percentages of British and north-west European populations of thespecies. Data include WeBS counts and supplementary goose, swan andwildfowl counts where relevant (*= species with supplementary data).

SPECIES/WINTER 90/91 91/2 92/3 93/4 94/5 MEAN %GB ~EURMute swan 316 313 374 322 305 326 1.3 0.2Whooper swan * 1115 421 398 234 199 473 8.6 2.8Pink-f. goose * 10000 14866 13444 4822 4500 9526 5.0 5.0Greylag goose * 31679 19189 29894 45758 14282 28160 28.2 28.2She1duck 1354 1231 1296 1111 1127 1224 1.6 0.5

.

Wigeon 36471 42249 30266 23686 25922 31719 11.3 4.2Teal 5857 4430 4236 4682 4661 4773 3.4 1.2Mallard 5693 6253 4699 5376 4957 5396 1.1 0.3Pintail 682 279 317 431 610 464 1.7 0.7Tufted duck 957 812 864 955 778 873 1.5 0.1Oystercatcher 10746 11140 11356 12190 11800 11446 3.2 1.3.Ringed plover 839 542 565 557 469 594 2.0 1.2Golden plover 427 851 31 141 505 391 0.1 -

Grey plover 48 65 9 566 171 172 0.4 0.1Lapwing 1184 1173 1778 1932 1220 1457 0.1 0.1Knot 2511 3102 2997 6361 5699 4134 1.4 1.2Sanderling 101 105 54 76 44 76 0.3 0.1Purple sandpipe1: 680 462 417 355 349 453 2.2 1.0Dun1in 13661 13412 10252 14198 10586 12422 2.3 1.0Bar-t. godwit 4711 3642 4528 3249 3752 3976 7.9 4.0Curlew 3187 6469 5823 5400 5018 5179 4.3 1.5Redshank 5952 6117 5104 5635 5153 5592 5.1 3.7Greenshank 14 10 2 14 13 11 - -Turnstone 1170 1277 948 1022 783 1040 1.6 1.5

21

REFERENCES

Akers PG (1989) Moray Firth Monitoring: Winter 1988/9. Unpub1. RSPBreport to BP Petroleum Development Ltd.

Akers PG (1990) Moray Firth Monitoring: Winter 1989/90. Unpubl. RSPBreport to BP Petroleum Development Ltd.

Aspinall SJ and Dennis RH (1988) Goosanders and Red-breasted Mergansersin the Moray Firth. Scot. Birds 15: 65-70

Aspinall SJ and Mudge GP (1986) Seaducks and Divers in the Moray Firth1985 - 1986. Unpubl. RSPB report to Britoil pIc.

Barrett J and Barrett CF (1983) Moray Firth Seaducks: Winters 1981/2 and1982/3. Unpubl. RSPB report to Britoil pIc.

Barrett J and Barrett CF (1985) Wintering Goldeneye in the Moray FirthScot. Birds 13: 241-249

Baxter EV and Rintoul LJ (1953) The Birds of Scotland. Oliver and Boyd,Edinburgh.

Campbell LH, Barrett J and Barrett CF (1986) Seaducks in the Moray Firth:a review of their current status and distribution. Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin.91B: 105-112

Chandler RJ (1986a) Slavonian Grebe, in Lack (ed.) (1986)

Chandler RJ (1986b) Red-necked Grebe, in Lack (ed.) (1986)

Cramp S et a1. (1977) Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle Eastand North Africa (The Birds of the Western Pa1earctic): Vol. 1. Ostrichto Ducks. Oxford University Press.

Evans RJ (1991) Moray Firth Monitoring: Winter 1990/1. Unpubl. RSPBreport to BP Petroleum Development Ltd.

Evans RJ (1992) Moray Firth Monitoring: Winter 1991/2. Unpubl. RSPBreport to BP Petroleum Development Ltd.

Evans RJ (1993) Moray FirthMonitoring: Winter 1992/3. Unpubl. RSPBreport to BP Petroleum Development Ltd.

Harvie-Brown JA and Buckley TE (1895) A Vertebrate Fauna of the MorayBasin. David Douglas, Edinburgh.

Kirby JS, Fearns JR, Waters RJ and Prys-Jones RP (1991) Wildfowl andWader Counts 1990-91. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge.

Kirby JS, Evans RJ and Fox AD (1993) Wintering seaducks in Britain andIreland: populations, threats, conservation and research priorities.Aquatic Conservation, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystem.

Lack P (ed) (1986) The Atlas of Wintering Birds in Britain and Ireland.Poyser, Calton.

23

Mudge GP and Allen DS (1980) Wintering seaducks in the Moray and DornochFirths, Scotland. Wildfowl 31: 123-130

Mudge GP and Aspinall SJ (1985) Spring, Autumn and Winter Concentrationsof Seaduck and Divers in the Moray Firth 1984 - 1985. Unpubl. RSPB reportto Britoil pIc.Mudge GP and Cadbury CJ (1987) The Moray firth: its importance forseabirds and seaducks. RSPB Conservation Review 1: 51-55.

Mudge GP, Crooke CH and Barrett CF (1984) The Offshore Distribution andAbundance of Seabirds in the Moray Firth, 1982 and 1983. Unpubl. RSPBreport to Britoil pIc.Parrack JD (1986a) Red-throated Diver, in Lack (ed.) (1986)

Parrack JD (1986b) Black-throated Diver, in Lack (ed.) (1986)

Parrack JD (1986c) Great Northern Diver, in Lack (ed.) (1986)

Parsons SM, Aspinall SJ and Campbell LH (1988) Seabirds and Shorebirds inthe Moray Firth 1986/7. Unpubl. RSPB report to Britoil pIc.

Prater AJ (1981) Estuary Birds of Britain and Ireland. Poyser, Calton.

Swann RL and Mudge GP (1989) Moray Basin wader populations. Scot. Birds15: 97-105.Stenning JM (1994) Moray Firth Monitoring: Winter 1993/4. Unpubl. RSPBreport to BP Petroleum Ltd.

Symonds FL and Langslow DR (1986) The distribution and local movements ofshorebirds within the Moray Firth. Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin. 91B: 143-167.

Waters RJ and Cranswick PA (1993) The Wetland Bird Survey 1992-93:Wildfowl and Wader Counts. BTO/WWT/RSPB/JNCC, Slimbridge.

24

FIGURE 1: Moray Firth Seaduck Study Area, showing count sections.

FIGURE 2: Moray Firth Long-tailed Duck areas

FIGURE 3: MORAY FIRTH SCAUPMONTHLY TOTALS 1994/5

FIGURE 4: MORAY FIRTH SCAUPPEAK TOTALS 1977/8 - 1994/5

FIGURE 5: MORAY FIRTH EIDERMONTHLY TOTALS 1994/5

FIGURE 6: MORAY FIRTH EIDERPEAK TOTALS 1977/8 - 1994/5

FIGURE 7: MORAY FIRTH L-T DUCKMONTHLY COUNTS 1994/5

FIGURE 8: MORAY FIRTH L-T DUCKBEST ESTIMATES 1977/8 - 1994/5

FIGURE 9: MORAY FIRTH COMMON seaTERMONTHLY TOTALS 1994/5

FIGURE 10: MORAY FIRTH COMMON SCOTERPEAK TOTALS 1977/8 - 1994/5

FIGURE 11: MORAY FIRTH VELVET seaTERMONTHLY TOTALS 1994/5

FIGURE 12: MORAY FIRTH VELVET SCOTERPEAK WINTER ESTIMATES 1977/8 - 1994/5

FIGURE 13: MORAY FIRTH GOLDENEYEMONTHLY COUNTS 1994/5

FIGURE 14: MORAY FIRTH GOLDENEYEPEAK TOTALS 1977/8 - 1994/5

FIGURE 15: MORAY FIRTH R-B MERGANSERMONTHLY COUNTS 1994/5

FIGURE 16: MORAY FIRTH R-B MERGANSERPEAK TOTALS 1977/8 - 1994/5

FIGURE 17: BEAULY FIRTH GOOSANDERPEAK TOTALS 1964/5 - 1994/5

FIGURE 18: INV/BEAULY FIRTH CORMORANTPEAK WINTER TOTALS 1981/2 - 1994/5

FIGURE 19: MORAY FIRTH R-T DIVERMONTHLY TOTALS 1994/5

FIGURE 20: MORAY FIRTH DIVERSPEAK TOTALS 1984/5 - 1994/5

FIGURE 21: MORAY FIRTH DIVERSPEAK TOTALS 1984/5 - 1994/5

FIGURE 22: MORAY FIRTH SLAVONIAN GREBEPEAK COUNTS 1985/6 - 1994/5

APPENDIX 1

SEPTEMBER 1994 Helms. Brora Golsp. Inn. E Ross Cram. Inv/B Riff Culbin B'hd. B'hd. Spey TOTAL-Brora -G1sp. -Darn. Dor.F Fth. Fth. Bank Bars Bay -Loss. Bay

Scaup 0 0 0 2 0 1 7 5 20 0 0 0 33

Eider 28 102 467 37 0 30 0 23 340 275 177 42 1521

Common Seater 0 2 17 0 0 0 0 0 400 608 0 9 1036

Velvet Seater 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 186 1 0 197

Seater sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Long-tailed Duck 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Goldeneye 0 0 0 25 0 0 115 0 0 0 0 0 140

Red-br. Merganser 0 42 53 41 0 148 77 171 139 19 0 2 692

Goosander a 0 0 10 a 6 59 a 0 0 a 60 135

Red-throated Diver 0 0 2 0 0 0 a 2 7 37 0 59 107

Black-throated Diver 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 a 2 3

Great Northern Diver 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 a 0 1 0 a 3

Diver sp. a 0 0 a 0 0 0 0 a 0 0 0 0

Slavonian Grebe 0 0 0 0 a 0 5 0 0 7 0 0 12

APPENDIX 2

OCTOBER 1994 Helms. Brora Golsp. Inn. E Ross Crom. Inv/B Riff Culbin B'hd. B'hd. Spey TOTAL-Brora -Glsp. -Dorn. Dor.F Fth. Fth. Bank Bars Bay -Loss. Bay

Scaup 0 0 0 13 0 186 24 0 0 0 0 0 223

Eider 33 137 222 0 50 8 0 19 383 26 539 297 1714

Common Scoter 0 2 211 0 0 0 0 0 282 587 4 49 1135

Velvet Scoter 0 0 0 a 0 0 0 0 7 271 4 29 311

Scoter sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a 0 0

Long-tailed Duck 0 0 52 0 0 53 200 51 577 2520 21 170 3644

Goldeneye 0 1 0 6 0 49 99 0 0 0 0 0 155

Red-br. Merganser 0 37 73 11 3 314 272 25 623 220 a 10 1576

Goosander 0 a 4 14 a 0 237 a 6 176 a 32 469

Red-throated Diver a 2 44 a 7 0 12 0 18 140 7 155 266

Black-throated Diver a 0 3 0 a a 1 a a 28 a a 32

Great Northern Diver a 1 8 a 0 a 0 1 a 1 1 1 13

Diver sp. a a a a a 0 a a a a a a a

Slavonian Grebe a a 17 0 a 31 4 a a 14 a 0 66

APPENDIX 3

NOVEMBER 1994 Helms. Brora Go1sp. Inn. E Ross Crom. Inv/B Riff Cu1bin B'hd. B'hd. Spey TOTAL-Brora -Glsp. -Dorn. Dor.F Fth. Fth. Bank Bars Bay -Loss. Bay

Scaup 0 0 0 0 0 190 0 0 0 0 0 0 190

Eider 71 19 34 0 45 3 0 0 34 102 452 188' 930

Common Scoter 2 10 224 0 0 0 0 0 700 616 0 819 2371

Velvet Scoter 0 0 22 0 0 0 0 0 113 319 1 77 532

Scoter sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 130 0 0 130

Long-tailed Duck 51 87 145 0 24 42 329 430 1179 1262 40 153 3742

Goldeneye 0 6 9 29 6 33 177 18 3 12 13 27 333

Red-br. Merganser 2 3 75 46 2 27 616 61 8 15 3 47 905

Goosander 0 0 0 2 0 0 514 0 1 0 0 17 534

Red-throated Diver 7 5 44 2 1 0 2 1 16 31 19 128 256

Black-throated Diver 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 0 3 29

Great Northern Diver 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 14

Diver sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Slavonian Grebe 0 0 21 0 0 9 4 0 2 4 0 0 40

APPENDIX 4

DECEMBER 1994 Helms. Brora Golsp. Inn. E Ross Cram. Inv/B Riff Culbin B'hd. B'hd. Spey TOTAL-Brora -Glsp. -Darn. Dor.F Fth. Fth. Bank Bars Bay -Loss. Bay

Scaup 0 0 0 8 0 254 16 0 0 0 0 0 278

Eider 35 13 47 0 92 6 0 18 120 89 355 95 870

Common Seater 0 0 219 0 0 0 0 0 1502 741 11 186 2659

Velvet Seater 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 43 99 0 48 200

Seater sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 178 0 0 178

Long-tailed Duck 3 50 61 0 57 87 312 556 1430 606 49 77 3288

Goldeneye 0 1 23 46 4 102 539 17 0 22 46 17 817

Red-br. Merganser 3 7 11 33 0 179 1422 78 40 4 0 10 1787

Goosander 0 0 0 6 0 0 364 0 0 1 0 4 375

Red-throated Diver 0 2 9 0 4 0 36 11 28 28 5 178 301

Black-throated Diver 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 0 15

Great Northern Diver 1 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 9

Diver sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Slavonian Grebe 0 0 26 0 0 12 6 0 0 5 0 0 49

APPENDIX 5

JANUARY 1995 Helms. Brora Golsp. Inn. E Ross Cram. Inv/B Riff Culbin B'hd. B'hd. Spey TOTAL-Brora -Glsp. -Darn. Dor.F Fth. Fth. Bank Bars Bay -Loss. Bay

Scaup 0 0 0 18 0 406 26 0 0 3 0 0 453

Eider 64 10 64 8 124 0 0 35 153 16 460 128 1062

Common Scoter 0 4 236 0 0 0 0 1 711 712 37 830 2531

Velvet Scoter 0 0 29 0 0 0 0 0 100 141 7 89 366

Scoter sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Long-tailed Duck 176 105 23 0 54 244 194 428 560 221 59 60 2124

Goldeneye 4 5 34 50 7 139 383 24 5 2 6 2 661

Red-br. Merganser 3 4 20 30 9 142 1219 72 7 3 1 '2 1512

Goosander 0 1 0 3 0 0 554 0 0 0 0 0 558

Red-throated Diver 2 52 18 1 3 13 250 24 18 1 2 1 385

Black-throated Diver 2 0 10 0 0 0 20 0 0 3 0 0 35

Great Northern Diver 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 8

Slavonian grebe 0 0 5 0 0 12 2 0 0 3 0 0 22

APPENDIX 6

FEBRUARY 1995 Helms. Brora Golsp. Inn. E Ross Crom. Inv/B Riff Culbin B'hd. B'hd. Spey TOTAL-Brora -Glsp. -Dorn. Dor.F Fth. Fth. Bank Bars Bay -Loss. Bay

Seaup 0 0 0 30 0 171 90 0 0 3 0 0 294

Eider 36 18. 65 a 160 1 0 28 142 181 421 237 1289

Common Seoter 2 0 170 0 0 a a 20 880 694 314 684 2764

Velvet Seoter 0 0 a a a a a a 139 231 5 129 509

Seoter sp. 0 0 a a 0 a a a a a a a a

Long-tailed Duek 195 4 124 4 36 129 1172 524 260 438 630 105 3621

Goldeneye 19 3 31 76 13 88 464 12 23 8 27 43 807

Red-br. Merganser 19 10 2 46 3 93 1184 51 3 5 1 10 1427

Goosander 0 a a 8 0 a 595 0 0 0 a 0 603

Red-throated Diver 5 8 24 1 12 5 210 7 4 6 1 7 290

Black-throated Diver 2 0 10 0 0 0 5 1 0 6 0 0 24

Great Northern Diver 1 4 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 ,0 0 12

Slavonian Grebe 0 0 7 18 0 12 13 0 0 0 0 0 50

APPENDIX 7

MARCH 1995 Helms. Brora Golsp. Inn. E Ross Crom. Inv/B Riff Culbin B'hd. B'hd. Spey TOTAL-Brora -Glsp. -Dorn. Dor.F Fth. Fth. Bank Bars Bay -Loss. Bay

Scaup 0 0 0 85 0 29 173 0 0 3 0 6 296

Eider 35 26 35 0 46 9 0 22 81 98 493 159 1004

Common Scoter 0 0 160 0 0 0 0 228 725 1087 147 346 2693

Velvet Scoter 0 0 30 0 0 0 0 0 143 324 2 41 540

Scoter sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 45 150 0 0 195

Long-tailed Duck 38 7 53 0 15 81 611 177 120 638 581 92 2413

Goldeneye 0 1 18 29 8 110 710 19 4 24 32 21 976

Red-br. Merganser 0 3 19 17 0 55 944 55 18 3 0 3 1117

Goosander 0 0 0 0 0 0 498 0 0 0 0 0 498

Red-throated Diver 1 2 34 1 6 2 114 41 11 12 23 19 266

Black-throated Diver 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 5

Great Northern Diver 0 a 0 0 a a a 1 1 0 0 5 7

Slavonian Grebe 0 0 8 0 0 4 31 a 0 4 0 0 47