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Caithness bird website takes flight





The wood sandpiper is a regular visitor to the far north. The county is believed to be home for one or two of the fewer than 20 breeding pairs in Britain. Photos: Karen Munro.
The wood sandpiper is a regular visitor to the far north. The county is believed to be home for one or two of the fewer than 20 breeding pairs in Britain. Photos: Karen Munro.

CAITHNESS birds are the focus for a newly created website which lets everyone know the variety and rarities to be found in the county.

The website – www.caithnessbirds.co.uk – the brainchild of Julian Smith, chair of the Caithness branch of the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club – launched on January 8 to widespread acclaim from local twitchers.

It is the product of two years’ work for Mr Smith, who has long sought to give novice or experienced bird watchers a definitive source where they can access advice and information.

The website will highlight topical issues of the day, the latest bird sightings, meetings and club outings. With the help of social media bird-lovers will be updated with instant news.

Mr Smith said the county had a chequered history in terms of getting information out to the world and people not knowing where to report sightings.

"They don’t know how to get in touch with somebody if they spot a rare bird," he said.

"Effectively I decided about two or three years ago that we needed a website for Caithness where people could go to for a multitude of bird-related issues. It’s a place to disseminate information and a better link.

"So many people use social media to communicate now, so that will be a big part of it, and we’ve already got a raft of stuff coming in that’s been generated locally.

"It’s not just for hardened twitchers – this is for everybody. People who spot birds in their gardens can get in touch to find out more about them."

Mr Smith feels the Caithness birdwatching scene is getting more widely appreciated. The problem was that the county had long been thought of as a transit point for Orkney.

"People come to Caithness and pass right through it to get to Orkney, where they can usually find rare birds," he said.

"There have been many instances when people have stopped at Scrabster or Gills Bay waiting for the ferries and spotted unusual birds. A lot of rare things are found that way."

The glossy ibis is among the recent rare sightings in the far north.
The glossy ibis is among the recent rare sightings in the far north.

The Caithness branch of the SOC meets at Castlehill Heritage Centre, Castletown, and Mr Smith is keen for more people to join the club, which holds illustrated talks on a variety of topics.

Events are held throughout the year, including a winter bird race last weekend where teams went out to try to see as many birds as possible.

The club is also aiming to publish BIRDS of CAITHNESS: The Breeding and Wintering Atlas 2007 – 2012 this year, a book which is the culmination of seven years of field work. It has been edited by Mr Smith, Caithness recorder Sinclair Manson and Caithness British Trust for Ornithology representative Donald Omand.

"The book’s on a different scale to the work I’ve put into the website," said Mr Smith. "We’re collaborating to produce a lot of content and we’ll have additional authors too.

"It’s long overdue. We have done atlas work before but we have very minimal resources and we just don’t have the players on the ground to do it as thoroughly as we’d like to."

Mr Smith said the atlas would highlight several issues, including the rapid recent fluctuations in bird populations.

"There are lots of issues in the county with conservation, farming and wind farms," he said.

"Most of the farmers will tell you exactly what the problems are. Most birds that nest on the ground are extremely vulnerable now because there are so many foxes and otters.

"There are also far too many crows if you are a lapwing with chicks.

"It’s all about land management and what effects things have on birds. The landscape has completely changed over the past 50 years and I’m afraid the numbers of ground-nesting birds is dropping off a cliff."

On a positive note, Mr Smith said many rare birds had been spotted in the county recently and highlighted sightings of glossy ibises and a lesser scaup, which has been seen on Loch Watten.

"It’s the first, second and third time glossy ibises have been spotted in the county since records began," he said. "That was quite a novelty Christmas treat."

To track the latest news on bird sightings in the county follow Caithness Birds on Facebook or on Twitter @CaithnessBirds


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