Compiled by Eddie Maguire (warden)
Assistant warden 2014 Iomhar McMillan
MSBO Photo of the month...
Common Cuckoo – came in off sea on 21 st / allowed a close approach / obviously exhausted
Summary of the month...
Rarities:
Unexpectedly, a Scandinavian Rock Pipit (in summer plumage ) was photographed: this is an outstanding candidate as the second Argyll record and it ‘ appears to tick all the boxes’
( Jim Dickson
– Argyll Bird Recorder pers. comm.).
Flyby’s (photographed) included a
White-billed Diver (a Scottish Birds Rarities
Committee description species / probably the 2 nd MSBO record), a Great Crested
Grebe (a very scarce spring / autumn passage visitor) and an Osprey .
C. 5 Magpies have been seen in S Kintyre over the last few months and now a pair has been confidently confirmed as nesting in Campbeltown.
A Tree Sparrow (now a very rare county bird) appeared at Carradale (Argyll Bird
Club website).

Selected Species List
Shelduck
As last month, a light offshore northerly passage was very obvious: max was 22 on
11 th . The largest flock was 9.
Breeding : Three broods so far: first b/9 was seen on 19 th (down to b/8 on 23 rd ), another b/9 appeared on 25 th then a b/2 on 26 th .
Comment - the first brood (b/9) appeared on 27 th May last year.
Scaup
Three drakes photographed >S with Common Scoters on 4 th .
Common Eider
Max Count: 46 on 10 th .
Breeding : first b/1 appeared on 22 nd then another b/1 on 23 rd .
Common Scoter
Total of 62 >S on four dates with 40 on 28 th (flocks 28 and 12).
Great Northern Diver
No notable pre-migratory moult flocks occurred offshore this spring. Max was only
17 on 11 th . There was an obvious overnight exodus 23 rd -24 th . Later, single(s) were present on 26 th and 28 th .
White-billed Diver
.
White-billed Diver >N off MSBO
Note that the birds very pale bill seems to almost disappear against the greyish-blue sky
A Great Northern Diver in this plumage would show a con-colourless black head / bill

One in summer plumage was photographed >N on 17 th (Eddie Maguire / Steve
Holloway).
Comment - the second MSBO / Kintyre record (a first-summer was photographed on
5 th March 2013).
Note - this claim is subject to acceptance by Scottish Birds Rarities Committee
(see photo above).
Great Crested Grebe
One in breeding plumage was photographed >S on 3 rd .
Northern Gannet
An adult was watched circling several hundred metres over Campbeltown at
18:20hrs on 26 th : this bird was soaring (no wing beats). Less than half a minute later, and employing continuous rapid wing beats, it made a beeline west (Eddie
Maguire / Iomhar McMillan).
Comment: additional strong realistic evidence that adults cross the low-lying belt of
Kintyre (The Laggan) to reach the Atlantic coast between Machrihanish / Westport.
Osprey
A record photograph was taken of one >N on 26 th .
The first MSBO record this year.
Corncrake
Two, probably migrants, were calling at Southend on 3 rd . The birds were heard at
Brunerican Farm (adjacent to the golf course) and near Teapot Lane by the village
(Dave Bassat).
Dave reported that these birds were not heard later.
Purple Sandpiper
Six on 8 th : last 2 birds were seen on 11 th .
Sanderling
Twelve on 6 th . Flock 36 >S on 13 th . Flock c. 60 >S on 14 th . C. 25 >N on 15 th .
Fifty were off passage on 20 th . Flock 12 >S on 21 st . Total of c. 100 off passage on
22 nd . Flock 55 present 26 th -30 th .
Dunlin
Six >N on 8 th . Ten >S on 9 th . Forty >N on 10 th .
Whimbrel
Seen daily to 20 th . A total of 107 >N on 2 nd (flocks 60 and 47). Total 58 >N on 8 th
(including flock 40). Flock 18 >N on 10 th . Later, there was two on 22 nd then singles on 25 th and 29 th -31 st .

Ruddy Turnstone
Max was flock 26 on 18 th .
Whimbrel
Ruddy Turnstone
Arctic Skua
A dark phase >N on 3 rd and a pale phase >S on 17 th .
Sandwich Tern
Seen daily: max was only 12 on 18 th .
A poor spring showing.
Arctic Tern
Max at colony was only 8 on 29 th .
Common Tern
Scarce: first of the year was 2 on 3 rd . Max at colony only 2 on 29 th .
Razorbill / Common Guillemot

Frequent observation / photographic samples of fly-by singles and small flocks of these large auks off MSBO revealed that Guillemots (206) were more a bit more frequent than Razorbill (161). In addition, the photos revealed that 6 / 206
Guillemots ( 3% ) were bridled morphs (see image below).
Common Guillemot (bridled morph)
Comment - David Jardine (2007) revealed that incidence of bridled birds at breeding
colonies in Argyll ranged between 4-12% (Birds of Argyll).
Swift
Four over Burnside Square, Campbeltown on 7 th (Iomhar McMillan).
A pre-dusk gathering of 15 birds over the square on 16 th (Davie Robertson).
Comment – this is a typical arrival date but see earlier record in last month’s report.
Common Cuckoo
One came in off the sea on 21 st and rested on the shore (see MSBO photo of the month). This bird allowed the warden to approach down to 3m / appeared to freeze!
Two birds were offshore >N on 22 nd and one >N along the shore on 23 rd .
Comment - an unusual series of occurrences for here.
Scandinavian Rock Pipit
One in summer plumage on 18 th (photographed).
Comment - this individual bodes well as being accepted by ABC Records
Committee as only the second confirmed County record.

Scandinavian Rock Pipit
White Wagtail
Seen daily to 22 nd . The highest day total was 30 on 7 th .
Late birds
– singles on 26 th and 30 th .
Northern Wheatear
Greenland-type males were on the point briefly on 8 th and 18 th .
Magpie
One at Limecraigs, Campbeltown on 1 st - 2 nd (Davie Robertson et al) and 2 there on
4 th (Norman Stewart). Both birds were seen nearby on 7 th at Highland Parish Church robbing a Blackbird nest (Bob Middleton pers. com.).
One at Killeonan (1mile S of Stewarton) on 1 st (Donnie McLean / George McSporran et al).
Breeding : the Campbeltown birds were noted regularly visiting a nest high in a Sitka
Spruce in a built up area to the SW of town. Observer is sure that they are feeding youngsters (Gordon Allan pers. comm.).
Two Hooded Crows attempted to rob the nest on 20 th : both Magpies successfully defended it (Gordon Allan pers. comm.).
Comment - Both Limecraigs and Highland Parish Church are within 3-4 hundred metres of the above probable breeding site.

Further observation should prove this to be the first Kintyre breeding record. Also, it appears to be the first Argyll breeding record outwith the core area around Dunoon
(Paul Daw pers. comm.).
Belated report
– two at Limecraigs, Campbeltown on 28 th April (Eddie Kerr pers. comm.).
Including the probable breeding pair, a minimum of 5 birds have been sighted on the peninsula so far this year.
Common Raven
Breeding: a tree nest at Anderson Park, by Campbeltown had at least three large youngsters on 15 th .
Comment - nest only 200m from town limit.
Tree Sparrow
One Carradale on 1 st (Steve Redwood).
Comment - former breeding species in S Kintyre that is now a very rare bird in Argyll .
Cetaceans
Bottle-nosed Dolphin
This cetacean appeared on three consecutive days mid month. A reliable estimate of numbers was around 15 including at least 2 calves.
Bottle-nosed Dolphins (adult female and calf)
Minke Whale
One (c. 6m length / weighing 2.5 tons) was found snagged on a rope (apparently it drowned) on 20 th in the Kilbrannan Sound off E Kintyre.
Comment: this whale was on display to the public at Campbeltown New Quay for several hours prior to being transported by road, apparently to Aberdeen.

All photographs by Eddie Maguire