Ideal time to watch bird migration
Spring migration gets under way in April, with arrivals and departures of birds, all seeking their best breeding territories.
This April was an interesting, almost ‘four-season’ month with a wide range of temperatures and other weather conditions but it was much drier and colder than April last year. There was less than a tenth of the rain of last April and the mean temperature was half that of last April. The last 10 days saw mainly cold northerly winds.
The impact on migrating birds heading north seemed to be to hold them up. While a number of the regular migrants did arrive in April, it seemed to be only the pioneers. Even by the end of the month the bulk of the migrants had still to arrive.
By the end of March the first chiffchaff, wheatear, sand martin, swallow and house martin had all been reported. Here are April ‘firsts’ with the 2016 arrival date in brackets for comparison: willow warbler in High Kildonan on 4th (10 April), white wagtail on Blackwaterfoot shore on 7th (17 April), cuckoo in Brodick Country Park on 8th (18 April), common sandpiper on Sannox shore on 15th (14 April), manx shearwater in Brodick Bay on 15th (2 April), grasshop- per warbler in Monyquil on 20th (1 May), sedge warbler in Porta Buidhe on 20th (4 May) and tree pipit on Torr Dubh on 22nd (20 April).
On 24th swallows were reported flying in the falling sleet and snow in Whiting Bay!
Not surprisingly with the cold weather, some wintering birds were still around including: 50 redwing in Glenree on 1st, two brambling in Sliddery on 5th, one purple sandpiper in Kildonan also on 5th, 11 wigeon in Cosyden on 6th, 50 fieldfare in Sliddery also on 6th, 12 pink-footed geese in Clachaig on 7th, four goldeneye in Loch Ranza on 19th, two whooper swan off Pirnmill on 26th and the adult Iceland gull, that was first reported in March, was at Sliddery-waterfoot on 27th.
On the morning of 24 April there were two re- ports of brent geese feeding on the shore, 23 at South Feorline and 31 in Machrie Bay, refuelling before continuing their journey to their breeding grounds in Greenland.
April is an ideal time for watching migration. Other examples included: 26 house martin over Mossend Pond on 6th, 100 golden plover at Machrie-waterfoot on 8th, 34 redshank at Sandbraes on 11th, one great skua off Brodick Bay on 15th, one black-throated diver in breeding plumage off Pirnmill on 18th, 250 meadow pipit at Hazelburn also on 18th, two black-tailed godwit at Fisherman’s Walk on 19th, two great northern diver courting and calling off Kilpatrick Point also on 19th, 16 sandwich tern in Kildonan on 21st, two dunlin on Sliddery shore on 27th and 33 whimbrel at Sliddery-waterfoot also on 27th.
Migration was also in evidence from the widespread reports received of goldfinch, siskin and lesser red- poll moving through people’s gardens throughout the month. Larger garden numbers reported included; 30 siskin in Gortonallister on 7th, 15 goldfinch in Shannochie on 15th and five lesser redpoll in Kilpatrick on 28th. Tens of thousands of birds seem to be moving through the island at this time of year.
In April there were one 113 species recorded. Here is a further small selection from this list: two little grebe and two moorhen at Mossend Pond on 5th, three yellowhammer in Sliddery on 7th, a merlin in Glenshant Hill on 8th, five common crossbill Kilmory on 9th, two goosander at Machrie-waterfoot on 16th and an osprey over Sliddery on 18th.
Finally magpie, while common on the adjacent mainland, is a vagrant to Arran.
When it does appear it is regularly reported!
The last report was in 2015 until April this year when one was reported on Shiskine Golf Course on 20th with a further report from Strathwillan on 22nd. Did it fly through and keep going?
My thanks to the many people who have been in touch to share their sightings in what has been a remarkable month. May should be an equally interesting month with the arrival of more summer visitors including whinchat, spotted flycatcher, garden warbler, wood warbler, swift, Arctic tern, common tern and, hopefully, even corncrake and nightjar.
Please remember that under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is being built or used.
Take particular care on our shores and beaches and please keep your dogs on a lead at this time. Enjoy your birding. Please send any bird notes with ‘what, when, where’ to me at Kilpatrick Kennels, Kilpatrick, Blackwaterfoot, KA27 8EY, or email me at jim@arranbirding.co.uk