Boatbirder.com

📖 Collieston & Ythan 27/06/2025

Wednesday, 27th August 2025, 🌤️ 17c ~ Wind S @ 14mph ~ Despite still having mobility challenges, I had an enjoyable 90 minutes of sea watching at Collieston with David Leslie. It was a fairly quiet session, with sun glare posing a challenge mid-morning, but the highlights included a pair of Arctic Skuas and a memorable sighting of a Cory's Shearwater heading north. It was the first time either David or I had seen one in Aberdeenshire, and we had reasonable views as it drifted north, showing off its long, flexible wings and graceful glides.

Always a treat to see Fulmars enjoying themselves.

During our visit, we also spotted plenty of Razorbills and Guillemots on the water, along with at least four Red-throated Divers and several Sandwich Terns heading south. A few Kittiwakes passed by, and it’s always a delight to see Fulmars gliding gracefully overhead. Around the rocks, a few Rock Pipits darted about, and just as I was leaving, a Kestrel hovered right off the cliffs.

After David went off to run some errands, I headed to the Snub Car Park overlooking the Ythan to meet up with David's dad, Rob, and Mark Sullivan. I enjoyed another fantastic 90 minutes catching up with Rob and Mark while sorting through the hundreds of waders as the tide receded.

The Ythan is teeming with life this time of year, as waders return from their breeding grounds, and it’s a fantastic chance to spot Ospreys. At the moment, it’s hosting a huge number of Canada Geese, which seem to gather here before vanishing entirely as the Pink-footed Geese begin to arrive next month.

One of two Ospreys today.

Among the many Redshanks, we spotted Greenshank, Golden Plover, Dunlin, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, and Ruff, though unfortunately, nothing particularly unusual stood out. At one point, a Peregrine swooped in, scattering the flocks but leaving empty-handed. A female Marsh Harrier gracefully glided past, while at least two Ospreys were frequently seen fishing. It felt absolutely fantastic to be out and about again!

Double figure Ruff around the Ythan currently.

Greenshank a constant sight & sound around the Ythan.

Frustrating Summer 19/06/25

I wanted to provide a quick update to my readers regarding my lack of posts. Unfortunately, summer 2025 has been quite challenging for me due to ongoing issues with my left ankle and foot. As the summer comes to an end, I am finally beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel, but it has certainly been a long journey.

I am still two weeks away from my appointment with a rheumatologist. I had to go private for this appointment because there is a 16-week wait for urgent referrals in the Scottish NHS. After undergoing several blood tests, including two for blood clots, various X-rays, and trying different medications, I remain undiagnosed and still experience discomfort. I suspect I may have rheumatoid arthritis, but whatever the issue is, it has made it difficult for me to walk very far, leading me to cancel several outings.

That's the situation in a nutshell. Currently, I'm limited to birdwatching from my car and taking occasional short walks. I will keep you updated on what happens next. Thank you for your emails; they are much appreciated, and I hope to be out and about soon

📖 Summer Catch-up July 2025

Although midsummer's day has passed, it still stays light here until almost 10 p.m., which isn't ideal for birding. Many summer breeders are busy raising their young, making the mornings feel quieter with less birdsong. Since the Ythan estuary's purple patch earlier in June (see my post HERE ), activity has slowed down.

Thankfully, as July moves into its third week, the summer birding lull appears to be fading. Redshanks are returning in strong numbers along the Ythan, while Dunlin and groups of Knot, many still in their summer plumage, are arriving from the Arctic Tundra. Bar-tailed Godwits are becoming more noticeable, and a few Greenshanks, which winter along the estuary, have also made their return. The four breeding tern species at Forvie Ternary (Common, Arctic, Sandwich & Little) are actively feeding along the estuary, with many of their young starting to fend for themselves. Our resident breeding ducks, such as the Eiders, have started their moult and are looking a bit scruffy. On a side note, for the second year in a row, there has been no sign of any King Eiders, which used to be a regular summer visitor.

Red Knot

Despite the quiet period, July brought some memorable moments, including an unusually long-staying Glaucous Gull at Girdleness. A brief visit from my friend Theo de Clermont @Theodec97 on Friday the 18th, who spends most of the year guiding on Shetland and Mull, was rewarding when he spotted an adult Roseate Tern near Forvie Ternary—a first for both of us in Scotland!

Glaucouse Gull - Just below the southern breaker at Girdleness

Over the past few weeks, the RSPB Aberdeen and District Local Group organised two outings. The first was to the Ythan Estuary on June 29th, followed by a wonderful day at Glen Girnock in the Cairngorms on July 9th, enjoyed in glorious weather. Both events were well attended, and reports for both outings can be found HERE on our group's website.

A few images over the summer period...

Dark-green Fritillary - Looks like it's going to be a great season. This one at Glen Girnock

A pair of mating Golden-ringed Dragonflies

Whinchat at Glen Girnock - A reasonably scarce bird in Aberdeenshire

Spotted Flycatcher

Yellowhammer

Black-tailed Godwit - Ythan Estuary

Linnet at Girdleness

A Lesser Black-backed Gull ( Only a summer visitor in Aberdeenshire) struggles with a crab at Girdleness

Woodpigeon feeding chicks

Song Thrush collecting food for the young

📖 Aviemore 18-19/06/2025

With Dazza away in England until tonight, Sunday 22nd, I decided to head over to Aviemore, planning to stop for the night on the 18th. My route included a stop to visit the Lecht Ski Centre and the old Lecht Mine. David Leslie had guided in that area in late May and mentioned to me that he had seen Ring Ouzels around the old mine building, suggesting they might be nesting there.

The last surviving building of what was once Scotland’s largest manganese mine.

The parking area at Lecht Mine was bustling with activity when I arrived. I spotted Stonechats, Willow Warblers, and Meadow Pipits all busy carrying food, and I could hear the young birds calling all around.

A young Stonechat closeby to the car park.

I began the short walk to the mine building. As I crossed the burn via the bridge, a couple of Dippers and a Grey Wagtail took flight. I saw both of them a little further down the burn. Upon reaching the mine building, there was no sign of any Ring Ouzel, but I did notice several nests built into the rafters, unfortunately, all of which were empty.

A Dipper along the burn.

After stopping for breakfast in Tomatin, I drove an additional 90 minutes to Loch Ruthven for the anticipated Slavonian Grebes. After parking my car and before heading up to the hide, I took a quick look around the loch and spotted a single bird. It turned out to be quite a fortunate sighting, as it was the only Slavonian Grebe I saw. My 45 minutes in the hide drew a blank, apart from a couple of Little Grebes.

Slavonian Grebe

I spent the rest of the day in the Findhorn Valley, which was somewhat challenging due to road construction in several areas. The roads are narrow and single-track, making the situation more difficult. Additionally, the parking area at Glenmazeran Burn was nearly entirely occupied by roadwork machinery. I managed a few excursions, particularly around the plantations where Willow Warblers, Siskin, Redpoll, Treecreeper, Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Spotted Flycatcher were seen. The skies were particularly quiet, just a couple of Buzzards to report and no sign of any Eagles! The River held the usual Common Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail and Goosander.

Spotted Flycatcher along Finhorn Valley.

The following day, on the 19th, I started early at Craigellachie National Nature Reserve. It was a beautiful morning with clear blue skies. My target species were Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler, although I knew that the latter had not been reported. This location used to be a great place to find Wood Warblers, but, like my visit here last year with the RSPB Aberdeen & District Local Group, I drew a blank. I was more successful with Pied Flycatcher, managing to photograph a male feeding a newly fledged youngster. Also of note was a Tree Pipit.

Male Pied Flycatcher feeding a newly fledged youngster

While I was in the woodland, I could hear Ospreys' calling and eventually caught sight of one of the birds through a gap in the trees, perched on a branch of the adjacent cliff face. A short time later, in a clearing, I watched both adult Ospreys and what appeared to be a couple of juveniles.

Osprey is keeping an eye on the siblings.

My next stop was Loch Mallachie, where I planned to search for Crested Tit. Fortunately, I didn't have to venture far from the car park. I was sitting on a new bench near the Two Lochs Trail signs, checking my phone, when I suddenly heard a bird calling nearby. To my surprise, it was perched at the top of a pine tree right above me! It didn't stay long, but I did manage to snap a record image.

Crested Tit record shot.

After a pleasant morning, rain showers began to appear, prompting me to head to Lochindorb earlier than expected. My goal was to see Black-throated Divers. Fortunately, I found them almost immediately upon arrival and managed to get good views through my scope of a pair, although they remained quite distant.

Black-throated Divers at Lochindorb.

An enjoyable few days with some good species observed, although Wood Warblers have now become a rare commodity for the area. More images of my visit are below.

Heath Spotted Orchid

Newly Fledged Pied Flycatcher

Willow Warbler at Lecht Mine

Stonechat at Lecht Mine

Common Sandpiper along Findhorn Valley

I watched this Grey Wagtail feeding young along the Findhorn valley.

A young Osprey keeps in contact.

This Pied Flycatcher was constantly on the go for food.

📖 The Ythan Purple Patch

Sorry for the lack of updates, but since returning home from Poland three weeks ago, I've been focusing on catching up with my Scottish year list. To my astonishment, I also added four new Scottish lifers! I typically save those for my week in Shetland in October..

One of my regular birding spots is the Ythan River and Estuary, which is a fantastic location for spotting the occasional rarity. However, the past few weeks have been particularly exceptional. On June 2nd, an American Golden Plover was spotted, followed the next day by a Buff-breasted Sandpiper. As if that wasn't enough, a Broad-billed Sandpiper appeared on June 11th. To top it all off, a Bridled Tern graced us with its presence on June 12th. The latter was found by the wardens at Forvie NNR, who were completing a survey at the ternary. You can imagine their surprise when, amongst the usual mayhem of a tern colony, they spotted a Bridled Tern, a mega-rare bird for NE Scotland and only the third record ever! An account of the find and some great photos of the bird can be found on the Forvie Blog HERE.

My record image of an American Golden Plover, which I took from the Snub car park.

In addition to 'twitching' the four rarities mentioned earlier, I have been exploring several local areas, including Fetternear Woods, Dalmadilly Ponds, and a drive to Muir of Dinnet. On the evening of Thursday, June 12th, after spending a few hours watching the Bridled Tern, I headed over to Bullers of Buchan, where we took a group from the RSPB Aberdeen & District Local Group. Seabirds were the order of the day, particularly Puffins. After an enjoyable visit, we concluded the evening with fish and chips in Ellon, a good end to a long but lucrative day birding.

Yesterday, Sunday 15th, Dazza and I headed off to the Cairngorms, Dazza's 'happy place', where we enjoyed a long walk at Glen Callater. The highlights here were a male Ring Ouzel, although distant and the many young birds we encountered: Northern Wheatear, Stonechat, Meadow Pipits, Grey Wagtail and Common Sandpiper.

Below are a number of images taken over the period.