Scotland – Birds
Photographs and words Nick Sidle
Blackbird, Eurasian
Eurasian Blackbird – Turdus merula with newly hatched chicks to feed, Carnarc Point, Merkinch (photographs)
Capercaillie, Western
Western Capercaillie – Tetrao urogalluys, Cairngorms National Park, Highland Scotland (photograph)
2023 – first rise in numbers in eight years. Still critically endangered in Scotland but 19 more males seen at lek displaying sites this year. https://cairngormscapercaillie.scot/capercaillie-lek-count-report-2023/
Capercaillie matter to Scotland and there are still only 542 estimated to be in the country. Good news is still not good enough.
Chaffinch
Chaffinch – Fringilla coelebs, Merkinch, Inverness (photograph)
Cormorant, Great
Great Cormorant – Phalacrocorax carbo, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Breeding in local settings widely distributed round Scotland’s coasts the Great Cormorant is known for its distinctive way of perching with wings outstretched to dry them or catch warmth from the sun. The Cormorant has a real need to dry its feathers unlike most other birds living in fresh or saltwater habitats its plumage is not waterproof, it really does get wet.
Great Cormorant – Phalacrocorax carbo, Merkinch, Inverness (photographs)
The Cormorant feeds on fish caught underwater with small fish eaten below the surface but larger fish brought up to the surface before being swallowed whole. Seeing this earned the Cormorant the dubious distinction of being a symbol for greed in literature, including Shakespeare, and being identified as a threat to fisheries resulting in persecution. Elizabeth I listed them as vermin in an edict of destruction.
Great Cormorant – Phalacrocorax carbo, Merkinch, Inverness (photographs)
Their largely black feathers has earned them an association with dark lore and comparisons in this respect with Crows. ‘Sea-crow’ was an alternative name for Cormorants. The term Cormorant itself is thought to arise from Latin ‘corvus’, Raven, or old French ‘corp’, Crow, and ‘marinus’ or ‘marenc’, sea. Even comparing them to crows is a long way short of Milton in Paradise Lost using them as a metaphor for Satan himself. Scottish Cormorants are partly migratory with approximately 10% of birds ringed in Scotland being identified in other countries, including Norway. Whether this started to get away from views like those of Milton is not clear.
Great Cormorant – Phalacrocorax carbo, Merkinch, Inverness (photographs)
Crossbill, Red
Red Crossbill – Loxia curvirostra, Battan Forest, Inverness-shire, Highland Scotland (photograph)
Red Crossbill. Natural history records that their unique curved bill is to extract seeds from pine cones. Folklore says that Crossbills tried to remove the nails from the feet of Jesus at the crucifixion and that their beaks were distorted by the supreme effort earning them the alternative name of ‘Christbird’. Added to this is the belief that the red plumage of the males stems from Christ’s blood. They have also been believed to cure medical conditions including gout, infections and rheumatism and any ill health, underpin financial strength for an entire family and get in the way of lightning. After that, they can ward off fire, alert a household to smoke, and care for a mother during childbirth. Water from a dish they have drunk from was thought to cure epilepsy and some believed that after death, the body of a Crossbill will not decay. Crossbills were seen as so useful that they were kept, taken from the wild in numbers that threatened their population. In the UK, they were the subject of an early conservation law passed in 1926 which imposed a fine for taking their eggs. As medical helpers though they are gender specific. If the upper bill curves to the right they are healers of men, if it curves to the left they are healers of women. So, spare a thought for any newly hatched Crossbill chicks in the spring. There they are thinking that using that beak to get at pine seeds is going to be difficult enough. How do you think they feel when they find out all the other things they have to do?
Crow, Hooded
Hooded Crow – Corvus coring, foraging for food in seaweed, Merkinch (photographs)
Curlew, Eurasian
Eurasian Curlew – Numenius arquata, Merkinch, Inverness, Highland Scotland (photograph)
Curlew, celebrated in poetry going back well over 1000 years, ‘I take my gladness in the sound of the curlew instead of the laughter of men’, the Curlew has almost been defined and named by its call. Curlew, as a name from its song, definitely dates back to 1340 CE and this is one of the more recent references. The call can be eerie and is often associated with the supernatural and the song of the Curlew has been described as being from something half spirit and half bird. Curlews are thought to be the origin of ‘The Seven Whistlers’, mysterious birds flying at night whose calls from another world predict disaster.
Eurasian Curlew – Numenius arquata, Merkinch, Inverness, Highland (photograph)
Dunlin
Dunlin – Calidris alpina, Chanonry Point, Black Isle, Ross and Cromarty, Highland Scotland (photograph)
Dunnock
Dunnock – Prunella modularis, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Known for a long time as the Hedge Sparrow, the Dunnock has been noted for its domestic arrangements. Pairs are the exception Dunnock often form a three for the summer, this can be one male and two females but is usually one female and two males. Both males will defend the territory and help feed the chicks, since they will not be sure whose they are, but both males will be bitter rivals.
Dunnock – Prunella modularis, one female, two males (illustration)
Victorian writers praised the Dunnock for its morality, presumably building on observations of attendance and attention from male to female whilst failing to realise that more than one male was being observed. Their domestic arrangements may leave them vulnerable diverting attention to their own tensions, since the Dunnock has the dubious distinction of being the most frequent nest targeted by a Cuckoo and having their own eggs replaced by the larger bird’s.
Dunnock – Prunella modularis, displaying. Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Eagle, White-tailed
White-tailed Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla, Skye, Highland Scotland (photograph)
Persecuted and gone from Scotland over 100 years ago, brought back from 1975 and now here to stay. People did both, sometimes they get it right.
Godwit, Bar-tailed
Bar-tailed Godwit – Limosa lapponica, Udale Bay, Black Isle, Highland Scotland (photograph)
In 2022 one of these birds was tracked by satellite flying 8426 miles nonstop from Alaska to Australia in 11 days 1 hour, a world record. So, if you see one don’t disturb them, they might need a rest!
Bar-tailed Godwits – Limosa lapponica, Udale Bay, Black Isle, Highland Scotland (photograph)
Goldfinch, European
European Goldfinch – Carduelis carduelis, Carnac Point, Merkinch (photograph)
Grebe, Little
Little Grebe – Tachybaptus ruficollis, Caledonian canal, Clachnaharry, Inverness (photograph)
Found mostly on freshwater but also the shallow sea, Little Grebes feed by diving for small fish, insects and molluscs. At Merkinch, they can be seen on the ponds, on the canal and on the shallow tidal sea area bordering the reserve. They are shy, dive quickly to escape attention and then bob up having swum away underwater. It was this behaviour, which earned them names like ‘water-witch’ and ‘hell diver’ in folklore, a view reinforced by descriptions of the call as sounding like maniacal laughter, they got a negative image which was then built on and reinforced. Their nests are floating structures anchored to vegetation, which look like they would be swept away. When most survived, more accusations of the use of dark magic by the birds followed.
Little Grebe – Tachybaptus ruficollis, Merkinch LNR, Inverness (photograph)
Little Grebes are seen feeding their chicks feathers and adult birds also sometimes eat feathers themselves. There is a very practical reason for this behaviour. The feathers form a protective lining in the bird’s stomachs offering protection from sharp fish bones and spines on the fins of some of the fish they catch. Little Grebes are not sinister, they have been around for 70 million years and have learned one or two things on the way. The birds seen at Merkinch are residents, not migratory and they are adapted to the landscape and very definitely belong.
Little Grebe – Tachybaptus ruficollis, Caledonian canal, Clachnaharry, Inverness (photograph)
Greenfinch, European
Greenfinch, European – Carduelis chloris, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
European Greenfinch – Carduelis chlorine, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Gull, Black-headed
Black-headed Gull – Larus ridibundus, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Despite the name, the Black-headed gull only has a black head (which is actually a dark brown, an issue avoided in one of the Scottish names used, the Brown-headed Gull) as an adult during the breeding cycle from January to July. Juveniles and adults at other times may have a small dark marking behind the eye but will not have the ‘black’ head. Resident numbers are swelled by winter migrants from Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Unusual for a gull in catching insects in flight and when they are doing this, perform rapidly varying acrobatic turns.
Black-headed Gull – Larus ridibundus, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
It is a gull well established inland and not just on the coast. In the Cairngorms, there was a belief that the gull carried the souls of good people and the fading dark head into autumn and winter represented their fading sin. Another virtuous association is found in the Dutch mythology of Black-headed Gulls only acquiring their dark feathers through the heroic act of flying through the smoke and fire of a blazing lighthouse to guide the keepers to safety.
Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus, Merkinch, Inverness (photographs)
Gull, Herring
Herring Gull – Larus argentatus catching crabs, Merkinch Nature Reserve (photographs)
Hawfinch
Hawfinch – Coccothraustes coccothraustes, Glen Convinth, Inverness-shire, Highland Scotland (photograph)
The Hawfinch is the largest of the finches found in Scotland and the rest of Britain. Size though does not mean that it is seen very often, a combination of being rare, unfortunately in significant decline and having a rather shy temperament which has even been described as ‘self-effacing’, all mean that glimpses of them are few and far between and I was very lucky to see this one in an area of Highland Scotland where they are almost never recorded, the last sighting was in 2010 and that was tens of miles South on the other side of Loch Ness. There are local small breeding populations known much further South in Scotland at Scone Palace near Perth.
This individual was almost certainly a migrant on the move. The Gaelic name for the Hawfinch is the Gobach which translates as ‘Beaky’ which, although not exactly romantic or poetic, is highly appropriate not just because the Hawfinch beak is as large as it is but also because studies have shown it can exert huge pressures in excess of 95 lbs (48 kg) in order to crack things like cherry stones which it feeds on. In Yorkshire, the bird is actually known as the Cherry Finch because of its fondness for the fruit but further South in Europe it is also known for its selection of Olives, the stones of which require over 160 lbs pressure to break them as fast as the Hawfinch is on record as doing with apparent ease. Yes, the muscles for the beak are very well developed. Put simply, the Hawfinch can deliver a crushing pressure with its beak well over 1000 times its own weight. If human beings could do that, we would be looking at forces measured in tens of tons. The noise of the stones breaking can sometimes be the way of finding Hawfinches when they are feeding but it was not the case for my encounter. Cherries are a bit thin on the ground here and olives – don’t even ask. I was just lucky enough to see a bird that was not one of the usual I see and then, after a moment’s doubt, realise what I had found.
Thanks to Susan Haysom at Scottish Natural Heritage and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) for their information on the status of the Hawfinch and recorded sightings.
If anyone else is fortunate enough to spot a Hawfinch in North Scotland the BTO would be very interested to have the records and these can be reported through their website.
Heron, Grey
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
A large bird capable of moving silently and carefully so as not to alert prey, the Grey Heron is found in freshwater and marine habitats feeding primarily on fish but also hunting crustaceans, reptiles, amphibians and small birds and mammals.
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea (illustration)
Numbers drop in very hard winters but recover extremely quickly, they are a resilient population.
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
The Grey Heron today is a protected bird by law. In the distant past it was subject to royal prerogative being the property of the Crown with severe penalties for anyone who killed one without permission or by using the most effective but banned methods such as the crossbow. What this has meant is that today herons are not eaten, in older history they were only eaten by the nobility and in between they did find themselves onto the dinner table more generally. This and a desire to limit heron numbers to protect fisheries did lead to their being hunted including through falconry which was also employed as a sport by nobles. Especially successful were Peregrines, a surprising outcome given the size difference between the two birds. Grey Herons are typically 1m long and weigh around 2kg. Peregrines are 50cm long and weigh around 1kg.
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
There are beliefs that Herons have a particular connection with the moon. In Angus in Scotland this even extended to expecting that herons would wax and wane with the moon being heavier when the moon is full. More generally in Scotland Grey Herons have been seen as symbols of the Otherworld and guardians of the space between land and water. They also appear in faerie law.
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Prominent on herons are the thick feathers on the neck, these have been identified as fulfilling vital survival functions. Insulation and warmth are important for a bird that spends long periods almost motionless, often in cold conditions. The chest and neck feathers of a heron are classified as ‘powder down’ plumage which means that the feathers are never shed by moulting. Instead, they grow continuously but eventually break down into a fine powder that the heron distributes to all its feathers through preening. The powder cleans off fish slime and oils and mud.
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
This is not just for comfort, the removal of these deposits is necessary to maintain waterproofing on which the heron depends. As with almost all bird feathers the neck feathers of a heron are thought to reinforce visual display but break up the outline and help camouflage when the bird is hunting as well.
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea, fishing, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photographs)
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea, fishing., Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea, fishing., Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Grey Heron – Ardea cinerea, fishing., Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Jackdaw, Eurasian
Eurasian Jackdaw – Corvus monedula, Glen Convinth, Inverness-shire, Highland Scotland (photograph)
Very clever birds and very sociable. A study has shown that if food availability varies with who you show up with, Jackdaws will very quickly ditch even established friends if it is to their advantage. Even if it costs though they will stay with family; offspring, siblings and their partners, they mate for life and mean it. (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-40808-7) In folklore. a Jackdaw on the roof can mean a birth or a death is imminent so even in prediction which side they are on cannot always be relied on. One collective term for Jackdaws is ‘a train’. Possibly the real question is who is getting on and who is getting off at any one time. At least when they do, you will know about it from all the noise, the other collective name is ‘a clattering’.
Kingfisher, River
River Kingfisher – Alcedo atthis, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Seen in Celtic belief as symbolic of freedom, courage and adventure, described as a ‘living jewel’ and in Greek mythology ascribed the power, if seen by two lovers together, to bless them with eternal happiness the Kingfisher is a small bird with a great deal to live up to. Add to this that they are said to have the ability to calm a stormy sea, are possibly only able to be seen by people who are righteous and back to Celtic belief act as messengers between the mortal world and spiritual realms but since they move between air and water embody tranquillity, balance and patience an adult kingfisher has very real responsibilities carried by its 6 inch (15cm) body. Perhaps that is why so much of their time can be described as ‘gone fishing’
Kite, Red
Red kite – Milvus miles over Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
The Red Kite is a bird of prey that is almost exclusively a scavenger but does sometimes hunt smaller animals with their upper limit being around the size of rabbits. It is large with a wingspan of up to 6 feet, faithful in that they mate for life and the pair return to the same nest each year and, in Scotland and England, for a time extinct, the last birds known being in the 1800’s. Their decline was mostly through persecution by people, they were not respected, cared for or popular. They had been in medieval times when they were valued for their role in clearing waste from the growing cities, so much so that they were protected by Royal Charter. Their fortunes changed in Scotland in1457 when King James II listed them as vermin to be killed on sight, protection continued for longer in England. Improving sanitation and rubbish handling in cities made them less useful and by Victorian times sporting estates, egg collectors and a demand for stuffed birds to display finally sealed the Red Kite’s fate.
Red kite – Milvus miles over Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Their extinction is recorded as 1871 in England and 1879 in Scotland with the last birds in Inverness-shire. In Britain, the only remaining foothold for the Red Kite was Wales but the numbers there fell to twenty at their lowest. Only conservation efforts, wildlife legislation and reintroduction programmes have brought them back to Scotland, including on the Black Isle, starting in 1989 with chicks from Wales and Europe. Although not resident on the reserve, for a consummate master of flight like the Red Kite the distance from The Black Isle is easily covered and they are seen occasionally patrolling over Merkinch.
Red kite – Milvus miles over Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Osprey
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus, Cairngorms National Park, Highland Scotland (photograph)
Breeding pairs in Britain 1916 to 1953: 0, 1954: 1, 2023: 250-300, mostly in Scotland. Persecuted for taking fish and by egg collectors and hit by habitat loss and pollution, the Osprey was nearly lost to Scotland and the UK. Brought back in 1954 to Loch Garten and becoming more established every year. Still don’t like Scottish winters though, they head South to Africa till it warms up again.
Oystercatcher, Eurasian
Eurasian Oystercatchers – Haematopus ostralegus, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photographs)
The Oystercatcher is a bird with a problematic name. Firstly, no predator catches Oysters, find them possibly, catch, no. There are no underwater scenes of Oysters being furiously pursued across the seabed, running for their lives. They are capable of a very limited movement to aid their distribution by expelling water from their shells but this would definitely not serve in a desperate flight from danger. Secondly, Oystercatchers in Britain don’t even really eat Oysters. Shellfish yes, especially Mussels and Limpets but not Oysters. The name came over from North America in the 1700’s and the Oystercatchers in North America do eat Oysters but even there they form a small part of their diet.
Eurasian Oystercatchers – Haematopus ostralegus, Merkinch, Inverness (photograph)
Oystercatchers have a history in legend of helping the holy using macroalgae. There is an account that they once hid Jesus from pursuers by covering him with seaweed. The same story appears only with them saving St Bride (St Brigid) in the same way. From these acts, they are seen as a force for good and holy. They appear in Christian legend as protectors and serve in the same role by warning seafarers and fishermen of storms.
Eurasian Oystercatcher – Haematopus ostralegus, Merkinch, Inverness (photograph)
At the more day to day level, the Oystercatcher is a strikingly marked wader with an unmissable call that in many locations is a defining presence on the coast. They eat marine worms and shellfish and are long lived. Some sources quote a lifespan of up to 15 years. There are records of even longer lives. An Oystercatcher was trapped and released as part of a scientific study on ‘The Wash’ in Eastern England in 1967. The same bird was trapped and released again in Lincolnshire in 2002 meaning it lived at least 35 years, the longest span for any wader recorded in the UK.
Eurasian Oystercatcher – Haematopus ostralegus, Merkinch, Inverness (photograph)
Returning to names, the British ‘Mussel Picker’ and ‘Mussel Cracker’ are far more accurate but less poetic. ‘Scolder’, from their call, is also perhaps not capturing the image and feeling people have towards them, with the possible exception of Cockle fishers who have clashed with the presence of the birds, who they feel are depleting the stocks significantly. Another old name, ‘Sea Pie’ does not advocate eating them but is a reference to their pied colouration.
Eurasian Oystercatchers – Haematopus ostralegus, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photographs)
Eurasian Oystercatcher – Haematopus ostralegus, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Peregrine
Peregrine – Falco peregrinus, Lanarkshire, Scotland (photograph)
Peregrine chicks, Lanarkshire. When they grow up they are going to be the fastest animals on the planet. The Peregrine hunts by taking other birds in flight in a steep dive with a typical speed of around 150 miles per hour. Some estimates put the maximum speed as up to 200 mph.
Pheasant, Ring-necked
Ring-necked Pheasant – Phasianus colchicus, Glen Convinth, Inverness-shire, Highland Scotland 9photograph)
Meet the Ring-necked Pheasant, a male displaying to take a territory and try to impress the females. An old name for the Pheasant in Scotland is the Comet, take a look at the tail to know why but there is a difference. We see comets at night and they are silent. He is making quite a lot of noise, it’s part of the show, which is fine unless having been out all night you are trying to get some sleep….. Nocturnal animals may have reservations.
Pigeon, Wood
Wood Pigeon – Columba palumbus, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Pipit, Rock
Rock Pipit – Anthus petrosus, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
A coastal bird the Rock Pipit is seen throughout the year in the UK but in winter is found more on sand or shingle adjacent to the sea. The resident population is boosted in winter by migrants from Scandinavia. Also known as the Rock or Sea Lintie in Scotland.
Rock Pipit – Anthus petrosus, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Redwing
Redwing – Turdus iliacus, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
With a very small breeding population resident in Scotland estimated at 5-12 pairs Redwing numbers are boosted hugely in winter by migrants from Eastern Europe. The migrants are known to travel at night as well as by day and the rushing sound made by flocks over the North Sea and English Channel was believed by fishermen to be a promise of good fishing. Although not investigated or scientifically established, there could be truth in the association. It is possible that conditions which made larger fish catches likely were also the ones favoured by Redwings for their over water flights, especially at night.
Redwing – Turdus iliacus, migrating over the North Sea at night (illustration)
Shelduck
Shelduck – Tadorna tadorna, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Larger than most ducks, Shelduck on average do not actually weigh much more, they just have bigger bodies. Nesting in burrows, frequently taking over rabbit holes, Shelduck often hatch their young some distance from water. Observations exist of ducklings being lead on six mile treks to the sea when they leave the nest.
Shelduck brood – Tadorna tadorna (illustration)
Shelduck females sometimes lay their eggs in another bird’s nest. If a female, which is ready to lay does not have or has lost her own nest, then the site of another birds with eggs in it may prompt her to lay. Since Shelduck have broods of ten to fifteen young, this can mean a nest with thirty eggs, thirty-two has been recorded. The original owner of the nest will accept the extra eggs and incubate them to hatching and take over care of as a very large brood. Shelduck are a resident breeding population in Scotland whose numbers are raised by winter migrants. The resident birds however do move to Germany once the breeding season is over to moult, returning in the autumn.
Shelduck – Tadorna tadorna, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Siskin, Eurasian
Eurasian Siskin – Carduelis spinus, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
A substantial resident Scottish breeding population is swelled by a large number of migrants arriving for the winter from Northern Europe. Believed in German and Swiss folklore to have the power of invisibility and for their nests through guarding a magic stone in them. This probably arises from Siskins choosing to nest in remote dense conifer forests making actual nests difficult to find, although the birds will be heard all around.
Sparrow, House
House Sparrow – Passer domestics, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
House Sparrow – Passer domestics, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
House Sparrow – Passer domestics, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Sparrowhawk, Eurasian
Eurasian Sparrowhawk – Accipiter nisus, Glen Convinth, Highland Scotland (photograph)
The Sparrowhawk is a bird of prey which only eats other, smaller, birds. To do this, it is incredibly adept at hunting amongst trees and in forests and its flying skills for this are perhaps second to none. There is a gender trade-off for this though. The male is smaller and maintains an almost constant weight throughout the year. Its size makes it a better hunter, but it can only survive on its limited fat reserves for 2 or 3 days. The larger female can go without food for twice as long but is less agile and has to hunt more out in the open. The rushing sound of a hunting Sparrowhawk passing close by is unmistakeable and in ancient Egypt, a hieroglyph of a Sparrowhawk with outspread wings represented the wind.
Tern, Common
Common Tern – Sterna hirundo, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Turnstone, Ruddy
Ruddy Turnstone – Arenaria interpres, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve (photographs)
Almost all waders favour mud or sandy shores, Turnstones, as their name suggests, forage in more rocky conditions by literally using their beaks to tun over stones to reveal invertebrates, they also turn over fronds of seaweed. Larger rocks and weed fronds may be moved by several birds acting together.
Ruddy Turnstones – Arenaria interpres, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve (photograph)
Their near perfect adaptation and techniques for their methods of finding food made Native Americans conclude that their unique bills were a direct gift from the Creator to equip them for their place in the natural world. The Scottish population are winter migrants arriving in the late autumn.
Ruddy Turnstone – Arenaria interpres, Merkinch Local Nature Reserve (photograph)
Wagtails, Pied and White
There are two very closely related black, white and grey types of Wagtail in Scotland, the Pied and the White. The Pied Wagtail only breeds in Britain and is darker, especially in adults on the back which is almost black. The White Wagtail is found across Western Europe but essentially only occurs in Scotland as a migrant in Spring and Autumn with only a very few pairs breeding in Britain each year, most of these are in Scotland. The two types were separated by the rising level of the North Sea after the Ice Age and technically are sub species of the overall type Motacilla alba.
Pied wagtail – Motacilla alba yarrelli, Merkinch Nature Reserve Inverness (photograph)
The Pied wagtail is found throughout Scotland and the UK in summer but it is largely absent from the North of Scotland in winter, with Merkinch being an example of the Northern edge of its all-year range. Its arrival as it moves South in the autumn, just when seeds are formed on plants, gave rise to a Scottish alternative name, ‘Seed-lady’. The folklore place of the Pied Wagtail is ambiguous in Britain. It can be seen as bringing harm and has been called ‘The Devil’s Bird’ but can also be viewed as simply a harbinger of a meeting with strangers. On Dartmoor, it was said that no cat would kill a Pied Wagtail suggesting that the bird had supernatural powers to defend itself or, if you think of cats as associated with dark spiritual forces, possibly just an example of professional courtesy. It’s good news bad news for the Wagtails, there is no reason to think they are working for the devil but there is also no reason to believe they are immune to cat predation in Devon.
White Wagtail – Motacill alba alba, Merkinch Nature Reserve (photograph)
The White Wagtail when seen on migration has been associated with many of the same stories as the Pied Wagtail. There is also a reference to the White Wagtail as a candidate for the Caladrius of legend, a white bird that could foretell death or absorb the sickness of someone who was ill. It does not seem a very strong candidate from its relatively small size and a plumage that is far from all white as usually described but the connection has been made.
Caladrius at a sickbed, Medieval Period (illustration)
Warbler, Willow
Willow Warbler – Phylloscopus trochilus, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Wigeon, Eurasian
Eurasian Wigeon – Anas Penelope, Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Wigeon have been identified from traces back to the mid Pleistocene, about 1.5 million years ago. They have been recorded as first breeding in Scotland in 1834 in Sutherland. Now they are more concentrated on the North East, with a small number of breeding residents, and there is also a winter migration arrival, which is widely dispersed when the British population is estimated to be half of the total for Western Europe.
There is also the very closely related counterpart of the Eurasian Wigeon, the American Wigeon, which is restricted in its range to North and Central America. A few occasionally turn up in Europe, mostly in autumn or winter, lost or blown off course is not certain, probably a mixture of both. A notable event for birdwatchers and scientists, an American Wigeon was seen in Merkinch in November 2016.
Wren, Northern
Northern Wren – troglodytes troglodytes, displaying. Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Northern Wren – troglodytes troglodytes, displaying. Merkinch Nature Reserve, Inverness (photograph)
Photographs and text ©Nick Sidle, all rights reserved