Notes from The Arran Naturalist
The Annual Clyde Eider Survey is taking place this year from 7th to 30th September. Organised for nearly thirty years by Chris Waltho, the data collected shows the post breeding population of Eiders in the Firth of Clyde is in decline. Chris’s latest report “Clyde Eider News No22 August 2024” can be accessed using this link. When the following article was written in 1980 for The Arran Naturalist, the author notes that the Eider population had been increasing in numbers over the last years.
Jim Cassels notes, “While the Arran trend reflects the overall figures, there has been considerable variation on the Arran figures from over six hundred in 1999 to six in 2008. The figures for the last five years for Arran are 47, 75, 45, 39 and last year 58.” If you would like more information about the survey, and if you are interested in taking part, please contact James Cassels of Arran Birding, at jim@arranbirding.co.uk
The Arran Naturalist Issue 4, spring 1980. Journal of The Arran Natural History Society. Featured image of Eiders, credit Robert Lammie, accessed on Arran Birding
