This article was published in the Autumn
2004 newsletter
Previous to the formation of the Moffat and District Wildlife
Club in 1961, I regularly took part in the British Trust for
Ornithology's Nest Record Scheme and in May 1960, one of my
returns recorded breeding Green Woodpeckers (which I knew had
been breeding here for at least 10 years previous) in the Moffat
Water area. I was advised by the organisers to inform the Scottish
Ornithologists Club about the nest, which I did, and in due
course it was accepted as the first breeding record for Dumfriesshire.
Hence, our Committee in 1963 decided to adopt the Green Woodpecker
as the symbol for our club badge and stationery. There are still
reports of Green Woodpeckers in the district and I am confident
that there are at least a couple of breeding pairs around.
SEABIRDS 
Situated as Moffat is geographically, seabirds of any kind can
be classed as "unusual", while some are accepted as "rarities".
The rarest being the juvenile Pomarine Skua which was picked
up injured from a small waterlogged depression at Dyke Farm
in November 1961 - which shows what could possibly turn up at
the Reserve. Many juvenile-plumaged birds are extremely difficult
to identify correctly, so fortunately for us (but not for the
Skua) it was the carcase that was brought for identification.
After much measuring of feather lengths and extremely detailed
listing of colouring the report was sent, as before, to the
Scottish Ornithologists Club. Identification was accepted and
the report was duly printed in the S.O.C.'s magazine " Scottish
Birds". The Little Auk is the smallest member of the auk family,
a "dumpy" little bird of only 21cm, with a short stubby bill.
It is a truly oceanic species of the high Arctic zone, which
at times is driven to our shores in stormy conditions, mainly
to the East coast, but occasionally individuals are blown inland.
On the 4th of January 1988, one was recovered in an exhausted
state at Heatheryhaugh and on 25th October 1996, I spotted one
"bobbing" downstream in spate conditions on the River Annan,
near Poldean Farm.
A Manx Shearwater, another oceanic species, was found exhausted
in a puddle under a street lamp along Well Road in March 1985
and although the 
following
list are mostly common seabirds, it is unusual to find them
here, such as Gannet, Shag, Cormorant, Kittiwake, Little Gull,
Guillemot, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern and Arctic Tern. The decomposed
carcase of a Red Throated Diver was found by the roadside near
Woodfoot in February of 1969 and on the 1st of November 1972,
council workmen found and retrieved the body of a Bittern from
telegraph wires at Barnhill. Somehow, the bird had managed to
hang itself through the closely-spaced wires. lain has the stuffed
specimen at home.
The Great Grey Shrike is an annual Autumn and Winter visitor
to the British Isles which does, at times, occur in this district.
My first sighting was at
Craigielands, Beattock, where on the 4th April 1961, I was fortunate
to see it take a small mammal. This bird was in the vicinity
for a fortnight. On 26th January 1964, I saw one at the rubbish
tip at Barnhill catch a mouse from a "hovering" position. This
bird was in the area for eight days, and in the winters of 1973,
1974 and 1975, an individual frequented an area near Earshaigs,
on the Kinnelhead Road, where it favoured the telephone wire
near the loading bay. Since then the Great Grey Shrike has become
an elusive bird. In early June 1987, I can remember an exhausted
lain coming into the ice cream shop after cycling home quickly,
but extremely pleased with himself, from Cogries Viaduct, near
Wamphray having spotted his 1st ever Red Backed Shrike, which
was a real feather in his cap at the time. Just as the Great
Grey Shrike has more or less disappeared from the winter scene,
it appeared that a Summer visitor, namely the Turtle Dove had
done likewise. That was until 13th May 2003, when I spotted
one at the Dyke Farm Quarry road, bordering our Reserve. Previous
to that sighting the last one was in 1968, with one in 1966
and my first record was in June 1963.
GLIMPSES !!
How many times have I thought to myself, if only it had lingered
a few moments longer! - quite a few, so that makes it even more
satisfying when a very short observation identifies an unusual
sighting - like the Hawfinch that paused for a split second
allowing positive identification before disappearing over the
hedge. 
Slightly
longer observations of course are more rewarding and can lead
to an entry in the field notebook unsurpassed for many years,
on the 3rd June 1970, positioned in a hide at the site of a
Buzzard nest in a wooded glen in Upper Annandale, I peered out
one of the side "peepholes" and was amazed to see a Wryneck
examining a small hole in an Oak tree, only a few metres from
where I was sitting. This is my one and only record of this
particular species. The Rough Legged Buzzard, I recorded at
Dyke Farm Nature Reserve on the 7th October 2003 was my first
record for this area. The sightings of Nightjar, by Garry and
Paddy, mentioned in the newsletter are excellent and with large
areas of plantations around us, either felled and re-planted
or currently being felled 1 would expect to see an increase
in sightings and breeding over the next few years. The Red-Footed
Falcon which was first spotted by Hugh Thompson in the Barnhill
and Toot area in the Autumn of 2001 and subsequent Autumns/Springs
of 2002-2004 is a good record for the area. Dotterels are occasionally
spotted on our hills mainly in May, such as on HartfeII, White
Coomb or Firthhope Rig, and Garry has seen them in 1970,1981
and 2003. The Red Crested Pochard which spent time at the Station
Park among the local Mallards in the 1970's. The Hoopoe which
was spotted at the Reserve by lain, later confirmed by myself,
on the 25th April 2004, was actually the third to appear locally
in 40 years- unlike lain's bird the other two obliged by lingering
for over a week at both the locations.
LITTLE OWL
At
22cm in length, the Little Owl is the smallest owl occurring
in Scotland, where it has within the last few years, gained
a foothold as a breeding bird, though only in the South. The
Ruthwell, Annan, Caerlaverock and Clarencefield area is worth
checking out.
The account of my first personal record appeared in "Scottish
Birds" as the second authentic record for Dumfriesshire and
this bird was observed by my wife and myself on 26th April 1962,
near Carrifran Cottage, Moffat Water. During the following few
years sightings were regular in the vicinity and in July 1969
when I saw a pair together I was hopeful of a breeding attempt,
but circumstances meant fewer visits, so I lost track of the
situation and any later visits to the area failed to produce
sightings.
OSPREY WHOOPER AND BEWICKS SWANS
Since the establishment of fish farms throughout Scotland many
birds have benefited from the situation and this in turn has
proved a "boon" for birdwatchers 
and
bird photographers - the amount and quality of Osprey photographs
illustrating calendars and postcards proving this point. In
February 1988, a pair of Whooper Swans found the Selcoth Fish
Farm to their liking, by spending almost a month on the stock
pond, during which they were joined by one of the rarer Bewicks
Swans. Both these swans are rarities in the Moffat district,
so I was fortunate in being informed of their whereabouts and
also that I managed to photograph them - one particular shot
showing the difference between the Bewick and Whooper in the
bill pattern - the larger Whooper on the left shows a greater
amount of yellow on the bill.
JUVENILE GREAT SNIPE-SEPTEMBER 2002 
This Snipe appeared in a damp corner of the field at Mearsdale
Park on the 27th September 2002 and stayed there for ten days,
during which time it was veryconspicuous and almost oblivious
to human observation. It was extremely confiding and allowed
one to observe it feeding, preening and bathing from only a
few yards distant.
I raised the Snipe on seven occasions during its ten day sojourn
and noted that it never uttered any of the usual Common Snipe
"squawks" when in flight, nor was the flight erratic.
The flight pattern was distinctive, somewhat reminiscent of
that of the Jack Snipe, flying low and direct for anything from
20 to 50 yards, then landing again, Woodcock fashion. Only once
did the Snipe leave the "patch" completely and that was when
it was disturbed by a dog, but it only flew in a wide circle,
round the perimeter of the field then returned to the exact
spot from where it rose. The time that the Snipe took to fly
round the field was very brief, powerful and direct. All the
flight and behaviour details noted concur with those of the
Great Snipe as listed in "The Handbook of British Birds", Vol
4, page 193. The Mearsdale field, although having a small damp
corner, is nothing like the reedy areas which are the usual
haunts of the Common Snipe and is usually grazed by sheep.
The
photograph (left) depicts a few features of the Common Snipe,
but as there is a variety of colour variations in the Common
Snipe, reference text books, such as the "Handbook",
point to the fact that similar colour variations occur in other
members of the Snipe family. Of three "experts" that I contacted
for opinions, two were noncommittal and the third said that
the bird was a Common Snipe, although he agreed the behaviour
was 100% that of Great Snipe. As this Snipe, in juvenile plumage
again concurs with "The Handbook of British Birds", I, conclude
that the bird was indeed a GREAT SNIPE. Shortly after compiling
this record, I was viewing one of my "seconds" slides of the
Snipe showing a back view, when my wife came in, looked at the
screen and enquired "Didn't you notice those two tiny, white
tail feathers?"
EMILI0 DICERBO, CLUB PRESIDENT
After much talk myself, lain and Garry remembered birds such
as the White Stork and a Red Necked Phalarope in the Wamphray
area, a Golden Oriole near Dumcrieff and a Purple Sandpiper.
Other birds now lost to the area such as Corncrake, Corn Bunting
and Yellow Wagtail will be discussed in a future article as
well as recent gains such as Nuthatch and increases in Red Kite,
Osprey, etc.
