Dotterels are a sight to behold

IN FRONT of me the long slopes of Sgurr Gaoith rose into the blue sky. A marvellous peak this – the peak of the winds – almost leaning outwards over the great void which holds Loch Einich.

The granite appears as though piled block on top of block like some Cyclopean building game, as though an ancient giant has tried to dam the creeping wall of the plateau to stop it collapsing into the glen below.

On wild misty days, the grim rock formation below the summit, known as A’Chailleach, can be heard hurling abuse at her concubine across the glen, Am Bodach of Braeriach.

Legend claims the old woman of Gaoith always outshouts the old man of Braeriach!

No surprise there…

No abuse today, though, as I sat and wondered as the mists evaporated around me – lifted as though drawn by some unseen magnet to dissipate into a blue sky and leave the hills a parched pale green and brown.

For the first time all summer the hills around me looked dry and I wondered how the birds were reacting to the lack of moisture?

Certainly the pipits that constantly tossed themselves off the edge of the plateau seemed lively enough, and the golden plover brood of five juveniles is as good as most years.

But it was great to see a young dotterel, probably one of this year’s chicks, making short test flights over the gravel on Sguran Dubh Mor. His short and repetitive “trri-trri” sounded confident enough, though he lacked the fine blended plumage of his elders.

His back was marked boldly enough, but the white band which should have circled his pale brown chest was hard to make out. His little flights were erratic, sweeping low over the ground in that familiar curved wing action.

His splendour will come though, and when it does he will be among the prettiest birds of the high tops, An t-amadan Mointeach – the fool of the peat mosses, a rather unkind name of the Gael for what is possibly the tamest, and finest of all the plovers.

The population of dotterel was estimated at 630 breeding males in 1999 but it could be less than that now, thanks to global warming.

But now, Scotland’s elusive mountain birds have formed the focus of an important research project led by RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage, and conservationists are now looking for some help from the public to provide sightings of some of our rarest birds.

For the past 10 weeks, surveyors have been climbing to some of the highest ground in the country to survey the population of two species, the dotterel and the snow bunting.

Both species breed only on the highest mountain tops of Scotland and as such could be affected by changes in habitat, prey abundance and climate.

Many species may adapt to climate change by moving north and in some cases further uphill.

This has prompted concern that species already limited to the highest, coolest conditions, may have nowhere else left to go in the UK. The study is looking at current populations of dotterel and snow bunting to establish whether there have been changes, and if further research and conservation effort is needed.

Smaller and more compact than its commoner relative, the golden plover, the dotterel is unusual in that it turns the tables on traditional gender roles. The brightly-coloured females lead in courtship before leaving the smaller, drabber males to incubate the eggs and raise the young. Found most commonly in the Cairngorms, the dotterel has not been surveyed across the country for more than a decade.

Some of Scotland’s highest mountains are also the preferred breeding location of the very rare snow bunting, the most northerly breeding songbird on earth. Its stark black and white summer plumage helps it blend into landscapes of snow and scree.

Scotland represents an edge of their breeding range, and it is believed the estimated population may stand at as little as 50 breeding pairs.

As the survey draws to a close, the RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage are are asking the public to help contribute to the survey by reporting any sightings made of either species in 2011.

Sightings including details of which species, how many, along with the date and location (including grid reference, if possible) can be emailed to dotterel@rspb.org.uk

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