2013 Totals

The group totals for 2013 are in. 11,601 birds of 113 species were processed. 8632 were full grown birds, and 2969 were pullus. The only new species for the group was Black Tern.

The top 10 species were - 

		Full Grown	Pullus	Total
1	Swallow	1219	241	1460
2	Arctic Tern	946	92	1038
3	Goldfinch	621	25	646
4	Herring Gull	497	108	605
5	Sandwich Tern	62	472	534
6	Chaffinch	446	12	458
7	Tree Sparrow	180	178	358
8	Sedge Warbler	197	152	349
9	Waxwing	326	0	326
10	Linnet	194	124	318

Roof-Nesting Oystercatchers

Aberdeen is famous for its roof-nesting oystercatchers.  We have been putting Darvics on chicks since 1997. The rings are white (a few yellow) with a unique combination of a letter and two digits reading down the leg  (see picture).  We have had a lot of sightings in the autumn and winter. Some locally but most from other estuaries round the UK including Musselburgh, the Wash, the Exe, north Wales, north-west England and Dublin.  Keep them coming in.  Had our first bird from Arbroath recently.  However, what we really want more of are sightings of birds during the breeding season. We have heaps of birds out there with Darvics on and we need more sightings.  Can observers please look carefully at any oystercatchers during the breeding season and check if they have a Darvic on the left leg.  The birds will  not necessarily be on roofs.  We have had birds bred on roofs nesting on the ground and vice versa.  

A prize of a bottle of whisky is offered to anyone who finds one particular bird – N87!

Any sightings contact Alistair Duncan on alistair@cairncry.freeserve.co.uk

S65, sighted at Foryd Bay, Caernarfon, North Wales on 21/01/12 (Emyr Evans)