Monday, March 29, 2021

πŸ“– Dalmadilly & River Don ☀️ 14C ~ Wind ↑S@ 13mph ~ 29/03/21

BST ☀️ Sunrise 06:46 ~ Sunset 19:43 ~ Day Lenth 12hrs:57mins:53sec

Unlike England, we have to wait until the end of the week before we can venture further afield so an early morning local walk to Dalmadilly Ponds and then on to the River Don, west of the road bridge at Kemnay. An amazingly summer-like morning with a warm southerly airflow and almost clear skies, the temperature on arrival was already 14C, so no coat required today!

A gorgeous Sunrise over Dalmadilly Ponds & a full moon setting behind to the west

Nothing unusual around the ponds today with (25) Tufted Duck and (3) Greylag Geese the only waterfowl to be found, although there was a constant movement of Pink-footed Geese overhead for the duration of my stay. A small group of gulls mid-water contained both Common Gulls and Black-headed Gulls.

(3) Singing Chiffchaff the highlight at the ponds today.

Yellowhammer, Linnet & Mistle Thrush were all in song today but the highlight was at least (3) Chiffchaff, likely the same birds I recorded here last week. A quick look down onto the river produced (5) Goosander, including one Drake, Buzzard and (2) Mute Swans, plus a calling Greenshank but I never managed to connect. 

A Skylark in full voice

From the road bridge at Kemnay, a walk along the river away from the Fetternear Estate. Here a real feel of spring with numerous Skylarks displaying, along with smaller numbers of Reed Bunting and Meadow Pipit. Then, always a delight and eagerly anticipated, my first Sand Martin of the year appeared and fed for a while over the river before moving on. 

These six Oystercatchers part of a group of over twenty birds on the river bend

On the sandbanks a group of over twenty Oystercatchers and in the surrounding fields Lapwing and a count of (17) Curlew. For the second time today another call of Greenshank but frustratingly I never managed to connect once again. A male Stonechat and (26) Whooper Swans feeding on a distant field was also of note during a superb few hours birding before heading home for breakfast. 


  BUBO Listing bubo.org
NEW Scottish Life-List Since Relocating Permanently to Aberdeenshire in October 2020