Abstract
Breeding wader populations on a range of machair and other wetland biotopes on the Hebridean islands of Tiree and Coll were surveyed in 1987 and 1988. Six species breed, five of them (Lapwing, Redshank Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Snipe) in nationally important numbers. Habitat selection was investigated on nine sample survey sites, and extrapolated results indicate that a total of 6020 pairs of waders bred on Tiree, and 1330 on Coll. Several wetland and machair habitats held large numbers of breeding birds of particular importance were small areas of marsh and fen, wet machair, Phragmites beds, coarse wet pasture and old decaying runways set in areas of dry machair. The extent of European machair has been surveyed for breeding waders in the last five years. Tiree and Coll, together with the southern isles of the Outer Hebrides, hold internationally important populations, and are important in maintaining the range of several species within the British Isles (as required by international legislation). Agricultural operations, specifically drainage and intensification of grassland management, could be damaging to currently prime wader habitats. As well as protection of key areas, long-term conservation of these populations would be achieved by support for traditional forms of crofting which, over past centuries, has created the agricultural landscape on these islands.
Highlights
Breeding wader populations on a range o f machair and other wetland biotopes on the Hebridean islands o f Tiree and Coll were surveyed in 1987and 1988
In Europe, machair grasslands occur in the Atlantic seaboard of the British Isles, from isolated areas in Shetland and Orkney in the north, to the extreme west of Ireland; they attain their greatest development in the southern islands o f the Outer Hebrides (Ritchie 1976)
The surveys found internation ally important wader populations and demon strated that their conservation should be of major significance in future land-use considera tions
Summary
Breeding wader populations on a range o f machair and other wetland biotopes on the Hebridean islands o f Tiree and Coll were surveyed in 1987and 1988. They occur where offshore, calcareous shell-sand is washed and blown onshore to form low coastal landforms, and are frequently associated with traditional systems of low-intensity agriculture and crofting tenure (Caird 1979). Their topography results in extensive winter flooding, some areas remain ing wet throughout the year providing a range of breeding and feeding opportunities for wildfowl and waders. The ADP acknowledges conservation principles (SDD 1988) but has scope to cause local damage to features of Wildfowl 42
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