Rare short-eared owls turning heads at Forvie near Ellon

14 February 2019

A group of up to seven short-eared owls has taken up residence on Aberdeenshire's Forvie National Nature Reserve.

Ron Macdonald, a former Scottish Natural Heritage manager, has been fascinated by the birds' antics since their arrival last October.

He and other wildlife-watchers and photographers, including Darren Dawson, have taken dozens of photographs of the owls as hunt for prey and interact.

Mr Macdonald said: "Short-eared owls are a dream to photograph.

"Because they fly in daylight, often slowly and perch on posts, they make fantastic portraits.

"They can be tricky to photograph when flying against the background of heath and dunes but with some basic field craft and photo skills, you will soon get the hang of it."

He added: "They also become more comfortable with people over the winter, becoming familiar with the visitors hoping to capture their good looks and interesting behaviour."

The nature reserve near Ellon is managed by SNH.

From 1970 to 2010, short-eared owls disappeared from almost half of its former UK breeding range, according to the British Trust for Ornithology.

The current UK population is estimated to be between 610 and 1,240 pairs and is a rare breeding bird.

Source

Cooking oil contaminated gulls released back into the wild

Scotland’s animal welfare charity the Scottish SPCA has recently released nine gulls which had been contaminated by cooking oil in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

They were alerted to the oiled birds on 14 January by a concerned member of the public.

Animal rescue officer Michelle Mann recovered the birds in Peterhead. They were then transported south to Tayside where animal rescue officer Beverley O’Lone collected the birds and helped them complete their 150 mile journey to our National Wildlife Centre at Fishcross.

Manager of the wildlife centre, Colin Seddon said, “We recently received nine birds which had been severely contaminated with cooking oil.

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‘Supermum’ crane raises species’ only Scottish chick in Aberdeenshire

by James Wyllie

 December 18, 2018, 5:19 pm

A “supermum” crane from Aberdeenshire has helped boost the number of birds in the country to record levels.

The feathery parent, along with her new mate, has raised the species’ only chick in Scotland this year.

In addition, the youngster is one of just 160 cranes to have fledged in the UK since 2000.

RSPB Scotland nicknamed the bird a supermum after she defied the odds two years ago.

She was able to raise a chick to fledgling age despite losing her partner when it was just five weeks old – something that had never been accomplished before.

Conservationists believe there are now around 180 cranes in the UK – the highest number since the species returned to the country in 1979 following a 400-year absence.

Hywel Maggs, RSPB Scotland senior conversation officer, said: ‘’We are absolutely delighted that supermum has raised another fledged chick, along with her new mate.

“This takes the total number of known fledged Aberdeenshire chicks to seven since breeding was confirmed in 2012.

“Each year a team of RSPB Scotland staff and volunteers spend hours monitoring breeding cranes and it is difficult not to become personally attached to these magnificent birds.

“Watching the return of cranes to Scotland has been a real privilege and that they have decided to set up home in Aberdeenshire is an illustration of how important some of the wilder landscapes here are.”

Continued  

Reward offered after footage shows bid to kill goshawks

17 February 2015 Last updated at 18:17

Police said the men seemed to be attempting to kill the birds

Men suspected of trying to kill protected goshawks in Aberdeenshire are being sought after being captured by a special video camera.

RSPB Scotland deployed the camera on Forestry Commission land in May 2014 to monitor a nest at Glenochty, Strathdon.

Footage shows a group of men repeatedly visiting the area. Police said they seemed to be attempting to kill the birds and destroy the nest.

RSPB Scotland is offering £1,000 for information leading to a conviction.

Ian Thomson, head of investigations at RSPB Scotland, said: "This video footage captured by our camera shows what appears to be an illegal incident involving the deliberate targeting of one of our rarest and specially protected birds of prey.

Continued ...

Stunning rare North American bird spotted in Aberdeenshire

A stunning rare bird, hailing from the Arctic, has been spotted in Aberdeenshire.

The beautiful drake King Eider was found off St Combs in Aberdeenshire, on Wednesday.

Described as one of North America’s most spectacular species, the King Eider forms large flocks during spring migration, sometimes exceeding 10,000 individuals, however, this duck appears to have been split from the flock.

Elsewhere a Ridgway’s Cackling Goose was spotted at Castle Kennedy near Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway.

The rare goose is native to North America. It breeds in northern Canada and Alaska in a variety of tundra habitats.

Continued ...

Protected red kite found in woods 'did not die of natural causes'

A protected red kite found dead in Aberdeenshire hatched three chicks last year, RSPB Scotland said.

The bird of prey's carcass was discovered by a walker in woodland near Aboyne on April 6.

A post-mortem examination showed that the bird did not die of natural causes.

PC Mike Whyte, Police Scotland's local wildlife crime liaison officer, said inquiries have so far failed to identify a suspect.

"We are appealing to the public for information that may assist us in our inquiries," he said.

Known as Red/Blue 44 after the colour combination and number on its wing-tags, the female kite was three years old and fledged from a nest in Perthshire in 2010. It had bred successfully in 2012, raising three chicks, only a few miles from where it was found dead.

Ian Thomson, head of investigations at RSPB Scotland, said the red kite is still rare in Scotland, despite a reintroduction programme that has been running for the past 24 years.

"It is one of our most spectacular and unmistakable birds of prey, with its main diet being carrion, insects or small mammals," he said.

"It is unforgivable that someone could deliberately target such a fantastic bird, and I ask anyone who may be able to assist in bringing the perpetrator to justice to contact the police."

Jenny Lennon, RSPB Scotland red kite project officer for north-east Scotland, said the team is "deeply saddened" by the death, the first known case of illegal killing in the area since the project began six years ago.

"This female was of great importance to our young population with only a handful of our 20 or so breeding pairs on Deeside itself," she said.

"We hope the three 2012 offspring of red/blue 44 will thrive in Aberdeenshire and contribute further to the Scottish red kite population".

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101.

http://news.stv.tv/north/230236-rspb-red-kite-found-dead-after-hatching-chicks-did-not-die-naturally/

Desert wheatear spotted in Scotland

A desert wheatear has appeared in Aberdeenshire - The bird must be severely regretting his navigational lapse.

A rare avian species to the UK is spotted beside RSPB nature reserve

December 2012. Staff at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg had an exciting visitor arrive on Sunday 2nd December. The desert wheatear, an old world flycatcher, is believed to have become lost travelling to the Sahara desert and found itself in Aberdeenshire.

The misguided bird will now have to survive chilly conditions and set off once the weather improves for a warmer climate.

Strathbeg
"We've been excited to see a rarity here at Loch of Strathbeg - a desert wheatear spotted at Rattray," said Diana Spencer, RSPB Visitor officer at Loch of Strathbeg.

"It should be in the Sahara by now so it's probably a bit stunned by being on a beach in Aberdeenshire in freezing temperatures! It was first spotted by two of our volunteers who were unsure what it was - but they brought in photos, which we then posted on Twitter. Within less than a minute we had two people identify the bird as a desert wheatear which was excellent."

The desert wheatear
The desert wheatear (Oenanthe deserti), thought to be a female, or less likely a juvenile, is the same size as a robin with distinctive all black upper tail feathers. Males are buff in colour with white underparts and females have a greyer colour with buffer appearance below.

The chances of survival for the bird are said to be fairly good, according to Ian Francis, RSPB area manager for the North East. "There's every chance this lost bird will survive," said Ian. "It needs to ideally get itself back to the Eastern Mediterranean but there's no way of knowing how well this bird may fare unless it was ringed and spotted elsewhere.

"There are lots of theories on why some birds lose the correct course; some suggest weather or loss of navigational ability. In truth, we do not really know and just have to hope that this bird ends up where it should be - or at least in warmer climes than Aberdeenshire."

RSPB Loch of Strathbeg is just off the A90 between Fraserburgh and Peterhead. Follow the ‘Nature Reserve' signs from Crimond village.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/desert-wheatear.html

Police appeal for information after protected hen harrier is shot dead

GRAMPIAN Police are appealing for information after a protected hen harrier was found shot dead on an Aberdeenshire estate last month.

Officers from the force’s Wildlife Crime Unit are investigating the discovery of the remains of the bird of prey by employees on the Fettercairn estate, near Cairn o’Mount, on Saturday, 13 October.

A force spokesman said: “Investigations have established that the bird had been shot and officers are appealing to members of the public who may have been in the area and may have seen something suspicious.

“Gamekeeping staff at Fettercairn Estate have already provided significant assistance to police in their enquiries and continue to work closely in the hope that the offender can be identified and brought to justice.”

Constable Gavin Lindsay, the force’s Wildlife Crime Coordinator, said: “It’s most disappointing someone has taken it upon themselves to kill such a wonderful bird. There are very few Hen Harriers in the north east of Scotland and for someone to have done this to such a rare bird is astounding.

“I appeal to all members of the public who might have seen someone acting suspiciously in the area on or around 13 October or who knows the person responsible for this crime to come forward and notify police to assist with our ongoing investigations.”

Katie Somervell, the owner of the estate, said: “Since its inception in 2006 Fettercairn Estate has been a long term participant in the North East Scotland Raptor Watch project. As such it was particularly distressing to hear that a dead hen harrier was found on the edge of the hill land and I join in the appeal for witnesses to come forward.”

Paul Wheelhouse, Scotland’s Environment Minister, also condemned the illegal killing. He declared: “This is another absolutely deplorable crime involving the shooting of one of our rarest species of raptor and I thank the Estate and Keeper involved for bringing this matter to the attention of the authorities which is in keeping with their positive engagement on wildlife crime issues

“We will not tolerate the illegal persecution of protected species such as the hen harrier and, as I have said recently in relation to another shooting, I am prepared to look at further measures to strengthen and assist enforcement if we continue to see this flouting of the law in respect of protected species.”

http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/police-appeal-for-information-after-protected-hen-harrier-is-shot-dead-1-2664805

Donald Trump in fresh Aberdeen wind farm attack

Donald Trump has launched another attack on plans for a wind farm off the coast of his Aberdeenshire golf course.

The £230m project is a joint venture by Vattenfall, Technip and Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (Areg).
Several organisations, such as Scottish Natural Heritage and RSPB Scotland, have dropped opposition.
Mr Trump said: "Their name should be changed to RSKB - Royal Society for the Killing of Birds, to reflect their pro-wind turbine position."

The US billionaire claims the turbines would spoil the sea views for golfers on his course at Menie.

Read on:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-19848894

 
http://news.stv.tv/north/193510-trump-launches-tirade-against-first-minister-and-rspb-over-wind-farm/