The following list has been compiled by Calum Scott, incorporating the council areas of East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian and The City of Edinburgh, as well as it’s associated Forth Islands having a combined total of 749 square miles, collectively known as Lothian as set by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 that came into effect on 16th May 1975.

BOU Categories, taxonomy and nomenclature:

The Lothian List follows the categorisation as set by the British Ornithologists’ Union’s Records Committee (BOURC) (BOU 2006), with the categories A-E used within this list (see below).

All species within the categories A-D shown in the Lothian List are the standard BOU categories, not how they appear in Lothian with the exception of Cat E which is shown in a Lothian context (for example Ruddy Shelduck is Cat B, however it appears as Cat E in Lothian as there have been no confirmed wild birds recorded in Lothian).

The compiler also follows the taxonomy and nomenclature of the BOU as detailed in the British List (BOU 2006) and as such any amendments made by the BOU in the future.

Subspecies that are considered by BBRC, SBRC and LBRC are included within the list, including species under the BBRC subcommittee RIACT (Racial identification and assessment in Britain).

BOU categories A-E:

Category A Species that have been recorded in an apparently natural state at least once since 1st January 1950.

Category B Species that were recorded in an apparently natural state at least once between 1st January 1800 and 31st December 1949, but have not been recorded subsequently.

Category C Species that although introduced now derive from the resulting self-sustaining populations. Category C is further subdivided to differentiate between various groups of naturalised species: CI naturalised introduction, C2 naturalised establishments, C3 naturalised re-establishments, C4 naturalised feral species, C5 vagrant naturalised species, and C6 former naturalised species.

Category D Species that would otherwise appear in Category A except that there is reasonable doubt that they ever occurred in a natural state. Species placed only in Category D form no part of the Lothian List and are not included in the totals.

Category E Species that would have been recorded as introductions, human –assisted transportees or escapees from captivity and whose breeding populations (if any) are thought not to be self sustaining. Species only placed in Category E form no part of the Lothian List.

Criteria for pre-1900 records, Andrews & Naylor (2002):

In 2002, I.J. Andrews & K.A. Naylor on behalf of the SBRC set guidelines for the acceptance of pre 1900 records in Scottish Birds entitled “Records of species and subspecies recorded in Scotland on up to 20 occasions” (see below) and as such these were also incorporated in to The Birds of Scotland (2007), the Lothian List incorporates this set of criteria also.

For the sake of completeness with regards to the Lothian List, historical records prior to 1900 and considered un-acceptable, in that they have not met the aforementioned criteria needed for acceptance have been added to the bottom of the list in square brackets, these as well as some modern records of un-substantiated provenance are NOT included within the Lothian list.

There has been long-standing doubt expressed by past authors such as Baxter & Rintoul (1928,1953), Witherby et al (1938-41), BOU (1971) or Thom (1986)

The identification or circumstances are under significant doubt due to a lack of detail or inconsistencies in the historical record

The record/specimen lacks the contemporary support of having been seen by a “reputable” observer or displayed at a museum or meeting of a scientific society

 The record refers to a sighting

Status codes:

After each species on the list there appears a set of status codes, these as a rule follow the codes used by the SBRC in the Scottish List that follows the standard British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) status codes in the Checklist of Birds of Britain and Ireland (1992). However it was felt by the author that in a Lothian context some of these codes were rather misleading or vague with regards to a certain species occurrence so an additional two codes have been incorporated into the list, these being SWV and SSV.

RB Resident breeder

MB Migrant breeder

IB Introduced breeder

CB Casual breeder

FB Former breeder

FMB Former migrant breeder

WV Winter visitor

SWV Scarce winter visitor

FWV Former winter visitor

SSV Scarce summer visitor

PV Passage visitor

SV Scarce visitor

The Lothian List:

A total of 353 species within the categories A-C have occurred in Lothian, with a further 1 species held in Category D, 9 sub-species assessed by either BBRC, SBRC or LBRC are also included.

Category A-C:

Mute Swan Cygnus olor RB, CAT A, C2

Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus SWV, PV, CAT A

Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus WV, PV CAT A

Bean Goose Anser fabalis PV, SWV, CAT A

Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus WV, CAT A

Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons WV, CAT A

Greylag Goose Anser anser IB, WV, CAT A C2, C4

Snow Goose Anser caerulescens SV, CAT A

  Anser c caerulescens,Lesser Snow Goose SV

  Anser caerulescens atlanticus, Greater Snow Goose SV

Greater Canada Goose Branta Canadensis IB, CAT C2

Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis PV, WV, CAT A

Brent Goose Branta bernicla PV, WV, CAT A

Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna RB, CAT A

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata IB, CAT C1

Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope WV, PV, CAT A

American Wigeon Anas americana SV, CAT A

Gadwall Anas strepera CB, WV, PV, CAT A

Eurasian Teal Anas crecca RB, WV, PV, CAT A

Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis SV, CAT A

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos RB, WV, CAT A

American Black Duck Anas rubripes SV, CAT A

Northern Pintail Anas acuta FB, PV, WV, CAT A

Garganey Anas querquedula MB, CB, PV, CAT A

Blue-winged Teal Anas discors PV, CAT A

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata RB, PV, WV, CAT A

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina SV, CAT A C2

Common Pochard Aythya ferina RB, WV, CAT A

Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris SV, CAT A

Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca SV, CAT A

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula RB, WV, PV, CAT A

Greater Scaup Aythya marila WV, PV, CAT A

Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis SV, CAT A

Common Eider Somateria mollissima RB, WV, CAT A

King Eider Somateria spectabilis SV, CAT A

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis WV, CAT A

Common Scoter Melanitta nigra WV, CAT A

Black Scoter Melanitta americana SV, CAT A

Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata SWV, PV, CAT A

Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca WV,PV, CAT A

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula WV, PV, CAT A

Smew Mergellus albellus SWV, CAT A

Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator WV, PV, CAT A

Goosander Mergus merganser RB, WV, CAT A

Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis IB, CAT C1

Willow Ptarmigan (Red Grouse) Lagopus lagopus RB, CAT A

Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix FB, CAT A

Western Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus SV, CAT B, C3

Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa IB, CAT C1

Grey Partridge Perdix perdix RB, CAT A

Common Quail Coturnix coturnix MB, CAT A

Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus IB, CAT C1

Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata WV, PV, CAT A

Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica WV, PV, CAT A

Great Northern Diver Gavia immer WV, PV, CAT A

Yellow-billed Diver Gavia adamsii SV,CAT A

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis RB, CAT A

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus RB, WV, CAT A

Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena CB, WV, PV, CAT A

Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus WV, CAT A

Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis FB, SWV, CAT A

Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris SV, CAT A

Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis RB, MB, PV, CAT A

Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea SV, CAT A

Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis SV, CAT A

Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus PV, CAT A

Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus PV, CAT A

Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus SV, CAT A

Macaronesian Shearwater Puffinus baroli SV, CAT A

European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus PV, CAT A

Leach's Storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa SV, CAT A

Northern Gannet Morus bassanus MB,RB, PV, CAT A

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo RB, MB, CAT A

  Phalacrocorax c sinensis, Continental Great Cormorant SV

European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis RB, CAT A

Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris SWV, PV, CAT A

Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutes SV, CAT A

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax SV, CAT A

Green Heron Butorides virescens SV, CAT A

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides SV, CAT A

Little Egret Egretta garzetta SV, CAT A

Great Egret Ardea alba SV, CAT A

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea RB, PV, CAT A

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea SV, CAT A

Black Stork Ciconia nigra SV, CAT A

White Stork Ciconia ciconia FB, SV, CAT A

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus SV, CAT A

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia SV, CAT A