COASTAL BIRDS

A summer visitor to Scotland with regular sightings on Pladda and Arran.
They are strongly migratory birds, seeing two summers each year as they journey from the Arctic breeding grounds to the Antarctic coast and back again. Arctic Terns are long-lived birds, eating mainly small fish and small marine invertebrates.

5cm x 12cm

Its striking black and white plumage and bright red feet make it easy to identify in summer. They are the only members of the ank family that breed on Arran, preferring low-lying stretches of rocky coasts to hide their nests. There are a number of breeding colonies on Arran. One of these is at Brodick Pier, so as you make your way to and from the ferry, have a look around the harbour- you might just spot them!

5.5cm x 11.5cm

Present around the coast of Arran from July to March. It is a small gull, being social, quarrelsome and noisy, often found in small groups or flocks. The black headed gull is a bold and opportunistic, eating insects, fish, seeds, worms, scraps, carrion and invertebrates. They breed in large reed beds, marshes or islands in lakes.

6cm x 12.5cm

An excellent swimmer and diver, pursuing its prey underwater, eating mostly fish, insects and crustaceans. They nest on the waters edge. It prefers to escape danger by diving rather than flying, reserving flight exclusively for migration. An occasional winter visitor to Arran, it was last sighted in Whiting Bay.

Cm x cm

These streamlined diving birds sit low in the water and dive with consummate ease. Like all divers, it is a specialist fish-eater, able to submerge for lengthy periods to catch prey, catching insects, crustaceans and amphibians. It is a passing migrant in autumn, making Arran a site of natural importance for the bird. There have been sightings in Whiting Bay, Machrie Bay and Drumadoon.

6cm x 11cm

With their superb plumage and distinctive calls, Eiders are a much-loved sight around the Arran coasts, In the breeding season the male is easily identified by his pristine blackand white plumage, beautifully complimented by a subtle green nape and a soft pink flush on his white chest feathers. Eiders feed on crustaceans and molluscs. Mussels are their favourite food, swallowing them whole with the shells being crushed in their stomach.  

5.5cm x 12cm

With a wing-span of 180cm, Gannets are a familiar sight around the coasts of Arran as they plunge dive from up to 40m above the water to a depth of 15m in pursuit of fish. This method of hunting is spectacular, particularly when a group of Gannet attack a shoal of fish. The nearest colony to Arran is Ailsa Craig, which is one of the largest colonies in the world. They are around the coast of Arran all year, but most common in summer.

 

7cm x 10.5cm

A medium-sized plover with a distinctive gold and black summer plumage. In winter the black is replaced by buff and white. They typically stand upright and run in short bursts. In winter they form large flocks which fly in fairly tight formation with rapid, twinkling wing beats. They are commonly seen on Machrie shore from August through till April, with some successful breeding territories in the north west moorland.

6cm x 10cm

Largest of the UKs divers with a black head and chequered mantle, often seen further out to sea than other divers. A specialist fish-eater that can dive up to 60m to catch its usual prey of rock fish, flounder, trout and herring. They usually nest on islands in Icelandic breeding grounds, reducing the risk of ground based predators getting to them. It is a passing migrant to Arran.

6cm x 10cm

The grey heron is a large wading bird that solitary feeds by standing motionless stalking its prey in shallow water catching fish, frogs and insects with its long bill. They breed on Arran and are common all the year round, building nests in trees in colonies close to the shore and wetlands.

9.5cm x 7cm

The grey plover has a black mottled upper body, with a black face, neck and belly. It is a passing migrant and uncommon on Arran, with the last sighting atTorrylin shore. They are only found along coasts, preferring muddy and sandy estuaries, where they stand upright and run in short bursts suddenly stopping to feed on shellfish, worms and insects. They nest on the ground in a scrape where there is good visibility.

6cm x 10cm

Large noisy gulls which breed on and found all the year round on Arran. They are scavengers, often being found inland on rubbish tips, lakes, reservoirs and playing fields. The flocks are highly complex and have a loose pecking order based on size, aggressiveness and physical strength, with adult males usually dominating over females and juveniles in food or boundary disputes.

5cm x 10cm

Last seen on Arran in the Ice Age! Now found in the South Atlantic, breeding on the subantarctic islands at the northern reaches of Antarctica. They eat small fish and squid often diving between 100 and 300 metres for up to 5 minutes at a time.

6cm x 6.5cm

A medium sized gull with short black legs and small bill, and unlike other gulls show no white on their black wing-tips. They are around the Arran coast all year, with the nearest breeding colony on Ailsa Craig where they build nests on steep cliffs. They are a coastal gull eating sand eels, fish, shrimps and worms.

4.5cm x 12cm

The mute swan is Britains largest bird. Their distinctive s-shaped neck, white plumage and orange bill makes them easily recognisable around Arrans coastline. They are monogamous and build their nests on large mounds close to water, returning to the same nest sight each year, restoring and rebuilding as necessary. They are aggressive when defending their nest. They eat submerged aquatic plants and often graze on land.

6.5cm x 9.5cm

With its black and white body and distinctive long orange beak and orange eyes, the oyster catcher is a bird you cannot fail to notice on Arran's shores. Present all year round, they can be seen constantly probing the ground for worms and the shore for mussels to eat. You may hear them before you see them as they are a very vocal bird, making a loud ‘kleep’ as they go about their business.

6cm x 10cm

A graceful water bird, recognised by its slender build, long elegant neck and elongated, spiky central tail feathers, a feature that gives rise to its name. Walking or running with a slight waddle, it is as agile on land and air as it is on the sea. It breeds on open lowland moors marshes, building nests amongst dense vegetation, sometimes up to half a mile from water. It is a rare vagrant to Arran.

7cm x 10cm

Often called the clown of the seabirds due to its bright coloured tall flat bill, black eye markings and orange legs. The nearest breeding colony to Arran is on Ailsa Craig where they nest in colonies in crevices on rocks and cliffs or burrows in the soil. Although sightings on Arran are not common, it is increasingly been seen with most in the summer. They dive for and eat fish and sand eels, and can carry a number of fish crosswise in their bill when out to feed their young.

5cm x 8cm

Often called the clown of the seabirds due to its bright coloured tall flat bill, black eye markings and orange legs. The nearest breeding colony to Arran is on Ailsa Craig where they nest in colonies in crevices on rocks and cliffs or burrows in the soil. Although sightings on Arran are not common, it is increasingly been seen with most in the summer. They dive for and eat fish and sand eels, and can carry a number of fish crosswise in their bill when out to feed their young.

5cm x 8cm

A popular piece originally by Alastair Dunn, recreated by popular demand.

10cm x 17.5cm

These handsome diving birds belong to the sawbill family, so called because of their long, serrated bills, used for catching and holding on to fish. At home on both fresh and saltwater, they are most commonly seen around the UKs coastline in winter. The population around Arran is significant enough to make it of national importance in Britain.

6.5cm x 10.5cm

The smallest of the UK's divers with a distinguishing red throat in summer. They breed on Arran and are monogamous and can be found round the coast all year. From the surface they usually jump-up to dive to feed on fish, amphibians, invertebrates and plant material and can stay underwater for up to a minute and a half. They are ungainly on land and only come ashore to breed where both members build the nest, incubate the eggs and feed the young.

6cm x 11cm

One of the most familiar wading birds, the ringed plover has a typical plover appearance with bold black and white markings. A black band runs around the breast and hind neck, and another runs across the cheeks, through the eyes and over the forehead. The underparts are a contrasting white, while the upper parts are a camouflaged brownish-grey. A yellow ring surrounds each eye and the short beak is bright orange with a black tip. The common ringed plover forages on open ground, at both day and night, for a variety of invertebrates, including crustaceans, isopods and various insects. It is a resident on Arran, breeding around the coastlines.

4cm x 9cm

Grey seals feed on a wide range of fish species, and also take crustaceans, cephalopods and the occasional seabird. When feeding they typically dive to depths of 30 to 70 metres. In autumn females congregate at traditional pupping sites, called rookeries. At birth the pups weigh 14 kilograms, but as the mother's milk contains 60 percent fat, they rapidly put on weight and develop the blubber layer essential for maintaining body temperature when at sea. The pups stay in the rookery surviving on their blubber reserves until after the moult, they then go to sea and may disperse over large distances. Seals can be found basking on rocks on the Arran coastline all year round.
 
3.5cm x 7cm

Grey seals feed on a wide range of fish species, and also take crustaceans, cephalopods and the occasional seabird. When feeding they typically dive to depths of 30 to 70 metres. In autumn females congregate at traditional pupping sites, called rookeries. At birth the pups weigh 14 kilograms, but as the mother's milk contains 60 percent fat, they rapidly put on weight and develop the blubber layer essential for maintaining body temperature when at sea. The pups stay in the rookery surviving on their blubber reserves until after the moult, they then go to sea and may disperse over large distances. Seals can be found basking on rocks on the Arran coastline all year round.

5cm x 8.5cm

Grey seals feed on a wide range of fish species, and also take crustaceans, cephalopods and the occasional seabird. When feeding they typically dive to depths of 30 to 70 metres. In autumn females congregate at traditional pupping sites, called rookeries. At birth the pups weigh 14 kilograms, but as the mother's milk contains 60 percent fat, they rapidly put on weight and develop the blubber layer essential for maintaining body temperature when at sea. The pups are born with a creamy white natal coat and stay in the rookery surviving on their blubber reserves until after the moult, they then go to sea and may disperse over large distances. Seals can be found basking on rocks on the Arran coastline all year round.

 3.5cm x 7cm

Grey seals feed on a wide range of fish species, and also take crustaceans, cephalopods and the occasional seabird. When feeding they typically dive to depths of 30 to 70 metres. In autumn females congregate at traditional pupping sites, called rookeries. At birth the pups weigh 14 kilograms, but as the mother's milk contains 60 percent fat, they rapidly put on weight and develop the blubber layer essential for maintaining body temperature when at sea. The pups are born with a creamy white natal coat and stay in the rookery surviving on their blubber reserves until after the moult, they then go to sea and may disperse over large distances. Seals can be found basking on rocks on the Arran coastline all year round.

5cm x 8.5cm

A striking looking duck which resembles a small, short-necked goose in size and shape. They breed on Arran, frequently nesting in rabbit burrows. They are common around the Arran coastline most of the year, feeding on invertebrate, small shellfish and aquatic snails. The young will dive underwater to escape predators whilst the adults fly away to act as a decoy.

6cm x 8cm

A small, stocky, brightly patterned shore bird, named for its habit of turning over objects such as stones shells and seaweed to uncover prey hidden beneath. Turnstones are very long-distance migrants, wintering on coasts as far south as South Africa and Australia. They are a common sight on coasts almost everywhere in the world, with regular sightings almost every month here on Arran.

7.5cm x 12.5cm