Tuesday 30th May

The sunshine continues unabated, high pressure, blue skies and warmth.

No bird news today, but I received this interesting response from Malcolm O. to my mention of disturbance on the beaches up towards Uiskentuie last night:

"In the 1980s and 1990s, up to 50 (perhaps more) pairs of Arctic Terns nested along the strand, mainly near the spit but scattered further north, and walkers, and their dogs, were subject to the usual aerial bombardment. I once came across a man walking along the road who was throwing stones at the terns. When I stopped and suggested he shouldn't do this, he said that he was being deliberately targeted and didn't see why he shouldn't try and get his own back! They gradually reduced during the late 1990s and early 2000s until the last breeding records seem to be of 30 birds nesting in 2003, then 3 pairs in 2011, and nothing since, though small numbers were by then nesting at Carnain, which appeared to be a new site, i.e. they had perhaps moved from Uiskentuie, but are not there anymore. Disturbance has obviously played a part, but Arctic Terns can be fickle in their choice of nesting site."