Monday 2 January 2012

New species for Lothian predictions

The new competition on the block in Lothian is David K's guess-the-new-Lothian-species challenge. The following species have been taken in the following order:

DK:  
Pallid Harrier
Terek Sandpiper
Collared Flycatcher

IA:
Cattle Egret
Blyth's Pipit
Penduline Tit

DM:  
Stilt Sandpiper
Ross's Gull
Whiskered Tern


DF:
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
Isabelline Wheatear

MQ:
Fea's Petrel
Pallid Swift
Eastern Crowned Warbler

MT:
Greater Yellowlegs
Turkestan Shrike
Two-barred Crossbill

GM:
White-winged Scoter
Buff-bellied Pipit
Dartford Warbler

KG:
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Melodious Warbler
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler

LH:
Pacific Diver
Ancient Murrelet
Great Auk!

MH:
Oriental Turtle Dove
Siberian Stonechat
Dusky Thrush

CS:
Steller's Eider
Harlequin Duck
Bufflehead

PK:
Sooty Tern
American Robin
Southern Grey Shrike

JB:
Barrow's Goldeneye
Short-billed Dowitcher
Marmora's Warbler

After looking at this list I began to wonder which species have been recorded the most frequently in Scotland without being recorded in Lothian. Of course, the Northern Isles account for almost all of the records of some of the species concerned, and others are highly non-migratory, but an interesting list nevertheless. If it wasn't for the Isle of May and St Abb's mopping up so many of 'our' drift migrants, maybe we'd have seen a lot of these already...
Well, here goes, the most frequently recorded Scottish species unrecorded in Lothian: a list taken from the Lothian list on Bubo and a quick trawl through Birds in Scotland 3 (not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as more recent records will not be included...)- only those species with 10 or more records in BS3 included. Species in bold not selected above.

Crested Tit
Ptarmigan
Yellow-breasted Bunting
Siberian Stonechat
Lanceolated Warbler
Two-barred Crossbill
Pechora Pipit
Aquatic Warbler
Melodious Warbler
Booted Warbler
Scops Owl
Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler
Pine Bunting
River Warbler
Collared Flycatcher
White-throated Sparrow 
Red-breasted Goose
Black-eared Wheatear
Little Bustard
Steller's Eider
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Cirl Bunting
Sardinian Warbler
Western Bonelli's Warbler

So I'm beginning to think that some of my guesses weren't too clever... though I did see these two today



Only kidding - but Buff-bellied Pipit and Dartford Warbler - what was I thinking, to say nothing of White-winged Scoter... ah well, let's hope for some great birding 2012 in Lothian.

1 comment:

welchs said...

I shall just append my list here (submitted to DJK at the time):

Eleonora's Falcon
Cattle Egret
Pallid Swift

Your WWS was an inspired choice but looks like it's now down to the rarities committees to deliver the verdict!