The Lothian List p.2

Category D:

Ross’s Goose Anser rossii SV, CAT D

Category E:

Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea CAT B D E
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber roseus CAT D E

Unsubstantiated Species (not included in totals):

[American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus]
[Great Bustard Otis tarda]
[Sooty/Bridled Tern Onychoprion fuscata/anaethetus]
[Great Auk Pinguinus impennis]
[Barn Owl Tyto alba guttata]
[Crested Tit Lophopphanes cristatus]
[Spotted Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes]
[Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator]
[Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus]

Notes on the above square bracketed species:
In 2002, Andrews & Naylor reported on the following notes taken from respected authors, journals and Natural History Society’s of the time, these are further augmented with recent unsubstantiated sightings.
[Cape Gannet] 1831; a specimen of Cape Gannet taken from the Bass Rock in May 1831, was recently thoroughly reviewed by BOU and rejected by a majority decision.

[American Bittern] 1853, c1861; on the 30th January 1903, The Earl of Haddington addressed the Natural History Society of Scotland. In his talk on the “Birds of East Lothian”, he said “the specimen before you was shot by Sir David Baird at Newbyth by the Peffer Burn in 1853.” this is the only reference to this occurrence that can be found.
Gray (1871) quotes from the Field on the 4th March 1871 “ A remarkably fine specimen killed by John Kinkell, gamekeeper to Charles Cowan, Esq, of Logan House, about ten years ago, near Compensation Pond in the Pentland Hills, Mid-Lothian, … still forms one of the most interesting ornaments in Mr Cowan’s hall, in a case of rare birds and animals killed on the estate.” It is also mentioned in Yarrell (1885), Gladstone (1910) says this specimen “is stated by Mr. William Evans to be a Common Bittern (Saunders 1899),” but this reference is incorrect. Harting (1901) state’s “in the collection of Mr Cowan of Logan House; this is a Common Bittern.”

[Great Bustard] pre 1684; Sir Robert Sibbald (1684) was told of a bird that was seen in East not long before 1684, at that time this species had probably bred on the Merse in Berwickshire.

[Sooty/Bridled Tern] 2007; an Onychoprion species of tern that flew south past a total of four observers at Dunbar and Barns Ness on 18th August 2007 although thought most likely to be a Sooty Tern, could not be conclusively identified due to range but belonged to one of either species, no description was ever circulated, thus it was never accepted as such but the author feels it was worthy of inclusion here none the less.

[Great Auk]; recent archaeological excavations have uncovered bones of this species at a site in Dunbar (Smith 2000), The Birds of Scotland state “ it seems more likely that Great Auks were only non-breeding winter visitors, particularly where bones have been found on east coast mainland sites, easily accessible by predators. This may explain the presence of bones found at Dunbar” however the author feels that although this may be a likely scenario, there is no conclusive proof that this species ever existed in Lothian for it to be added to the Lothian List, as they may well have been harvested by hunters out-with Lothian, and transported to Dunbar. This species appears in square brackets until perhaps further archaeological work or perhaps a museum specimen comes to light in order to shed some light on the matter.

[Dark Breasted Barn Owl] 1896; Nash (1935) gives the following note by Mr W. Evans: “1896, April 11th - Mr Knight, bird-stuffer, Rose Street Lane, has an example of the dark form in just now, which was captured in a garden on the north side of Edinburgh”.Witherby et al (1938-41) included this as a probable.

[Crested Tit] pre1867; William Turnbull in his second edition of Birds of East Lothian (1867) mentions, “one was obtained in the vicinity of Edinburgh.”

[Spotted Nutcracker] 1876; Yarrell (1882) say’s “ the late Lord Tweeddale told the editor (A.Newton) of one supposed to have been seen at Yester in East Lothian in December, 1876”.

[Pine Grosbeak] c1808; this species is included in a catalogue of animals and plants of Esk Valley in Midlothian, possibly written by Patrick Neill in1808, however Gray (1871) suggested that this species was misidentified, with bright male Common Crossbills the main culprit.
 
[Cirl Bunting] pre 1816, 1837, pre 1863; at a meeting of the Wernian Society held in Edinburgh on 3rd February 1816 (memoirs of Wernian Society, vol 2, page 658) “the secretary read a communication from Mr James Wilson containing the remarks on the characters of the Cirl Bunting, and announcing of the fact of a specimen having been shot near Edinburgh, which specimen was preserved”.
William Turnbull mentions in his “Birds of East Lothian (1863” that “this species was shot in the vicinity of Edinburgh, in 1837”, with another “obtained once in East Lothian”, pre 1863.

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