📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Rattray ~ 26/09/2023

 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Tuesday 26th September 2023 🌤️  10C ~ Wind S @ 10MPH ~ I went to Rattray in the mid-morning in the hope of finding at least one decent autumn migrant, but unfortunately, the barren period continues. I couldn't find any despite thoroughly searching around the lighthouse cottages, it's been a poor autumn thus far! The only exception was a single Wheatear that I spotted along the fence line. However, a flock of around 500 Pink-footed Geese in the adjacent fields, along with twenty or so Barnacle Geese is always a treat to see at this time of year.

During the visit, the best sighting was a juvenile Arctic Skua flying south at a close distance during a short sea watch. 

Just about managed to point the camera before these Bar-tailed Godwits made off!

A few Sandwich Terns passed south and at one stage a group of seven Bar-tailed Godwits dropped onto the beach but moved off pretty rapidly. Also of note were plenty of Gannets, three Red-throated Divers and the usual hoard of Shags & Cormorants on the lighthouse gantry.

Arctic Skua...

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Collieston & Girdleness ~ 21-24/09/2023

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Thursday 21st September 2023 🌤️ 💨 18C ~ Wind SW @ 25MPH ~ I arrived at Cransdale Car Park in Collieston at approximately 9:45 a.m. to meet David Leslie, the chairman of our local RSPB group. Our intention was to explore the surrounding area for a few hours, hoping to spot some autumn migrants. Despite the dry weather, the stiff southwesterly breeze made the conditions quite challenging. The wind was strong enough to whip up a considerable amount of sea foam, which floated over some parked cars just as I arrived!

As we were ascending the hill towards the parish church, a Wheatear suddenly appeared and flew over the nearby scrubland. Along the way, at least four Stonechats, including an adult male and three juveniles. Additionally, several Meadow Pipits and Goldfinches were noted along the route. David then caught sight of an adult male Common Redstart which perched briefly on rocks before disappearing into the willows at the churchyard, we never did manage to relocate. 

A single Curlew Sandpiper feeding just below the car park. 

A circular walk up to Forvie around the sand loch and back to the car park in strong winds made birding very challenging with nothing of any great interest to report so we decided against a sea watch and instead headed over to the 'Snub' car park for a look over the Ythan. Here, as per usual a good selection of waders with several Whimbrel among the Curlews and a single Curlew Sandpiper. Also of note before calling it a day: (2) Little Egret, (11) Black-tailed Godwit, (11) Greenshank, (4) Bar-tailed Godwits and various numbers of Dunlin, Redshank, Ringed Plover and Lapwing. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sunday 24th September 2023 ☁️ 15C ~ Wind S @ 13MPH ~ An RSPB Aberdeen & District Local Group outing to Girdleness today with 30 members in attendance. After a beautiful day yesterday weatherwise it was back to clouds and a stiff breeze today. I arrived shortly before the group at around 08:15 for a spot of sea-watching and a stroll along the shoreline to the allotments. 

A selection of Barnacle Geese from several skeins heading south today. 

The sea was pretty quiet with just a few Manx Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua of note but it was good to see several large skeins of Barnacle Geese, maybe 2/300 in total. These were likely from the Svalbard population heading down to the Solway Firth for the winter.

Juvenile Black Tern along the southern breakwater at Girdleness.

Due to the numbers, it was decided to split the group into two. My particular group took a circular walk along the shoreline below Greyhope Road and then after meeting back up over lunch, some of the members headed over to Nigg Bay. A selection of waders included Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Knot, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Redshank and Curlew. As we were observing a group of terns along the southern breakwater a Black Tern dropped in. Up against a nearby Sandwich Tern,  the size difference between the two was quite noticeable. As we reached the harbour entrance three Common Sandpipers were feeding along the shoreline. There are still plenty of Swallows, along with the occasional House Martin moving through and juvenile Common Terns, Arctic Terns and Sandwich Terns were all noted today.

Red-throated Diver

A half dozen Red-throated Divers were also seen today including the above almost summer plumage bird within the harbour walls. To be honest, it was a very quiet outing overall with no passerines of note, the highlight of the day for me was the juvenile Black Tern along the southern breakwater and of course the excellent company.

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Autumn Update ~ 20/09/2023

On the morning of Monday, September 11th I travelled south for an hour just across the border into Angus & Dundee, for a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper which had been found northeast of The Slunks at Montrose Basin. Although I arrived just prior to high tide, which was not an ideal time, I did manage to catch a brief glimse of this elusive bird as it fed within the reedbed. Shortly after I got my best views as the bird took flight from where it had been feeding, flying directly overhead before circling once or twice and relocating to the far side of the reserve. Although it was not a perfect sighting for me, I am happy to have ticked it off as a lifer. There's an excellent photograph of the bird on the Birguides Review (11-17 September) taken by Dan Pointon.

So far early autumn has remained pretty uninspiring along the Aberdeenshire coastline with little to get excited about in the rarity department. That is unless you're an ardent sea watcher with some excellent passage on Sunday 17th. A short period of easterlies produced an array of species along our coastline, including Long-tailed Skuas, a few Sabine's Gulls, two Storm Petrels at Girdleness and the odd Balearic Shearwater. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get out on the day and enjoy the spectacle which was somewhat disappointing. 

A group of Sandwich Terns before the rain arrived at Rattray.

I finally managed to get out on Monday 18th beginning with an early morning visit to Rattray. There had certainly been an arrival of thrushes overnight with several Redwings as I drove along the track to the lighthouse cottages. A search of the immediate area produced (5) Stonechat along the fences and a few Meadow Pipits but little else. Unfortunately when I reached the lighthouse the heavens opened and the wind got up but before retreating back to the car I did manage (3) Red-throated Divers (south) and a single Manx Shearwater.

In the gloom, a trio of Common Terns take a breather at Cairnbulg. During my stay, there was a constant flow of Sandwich Terns, Common Terns and the odd Arctic Tern.

As the rain grew heavier, I decided to head to Cairnbulg. After parking strategically to face away from the wind but still have a view of the wreck, I was able to enjoy a few hours once the rain abated. Some of the highlights out to sea included Arctic Skua, (5) Manx Shearwater, Great Skua, Velvet Scoter, (22) Red-throated Diver (all south) (9) Pale-bellied Brent Geese, (22) Common Scoter, as well as approximately 40 Wigeon and 20 Teal. There was a constant passage of Gannets today with a high percentage being juveniles which was good to see.

One of two Wheatears in off the sea at Cairnbulg.

As the tide came in a couple of Wheatear suddenly flew in off the sea, a surreal sight but lovely to watch them for a while catching flies among the seaweed before heading south.

Grey Plover at Girdleness ~ One of two seen today.

After heavy rain last night, I took a walk along the shoreline of Girdleness, from the allotments to the southern breaker. Halfway through, a very pristine-looking Grey Plover feeding along the shoreline. Not much else was happening in the surrounding scrub, except for a male Blackcap. I spent a short time sea-watching at the foghorn, despite the challenging conditions. During this time, a Minke Whale, whose dorsal fin rose above the waves several times, which made it identifiable was a real treat along with several Manx Shearwater moving rapidly in the strong southwesterly wind, as well as a single Arctic Skua and (6) Red-throated Diver (all south) Eventually, I had to give in to the elements and call it a day.

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Autumn Arrives ~ 10/09/2023

Autumn is here my favourite time of year, but the summer weather seems to be taking revenge after an underwhelming July. Almost everywhere in Europe it has been sunshine as far as the eye can see, with highs exceeding the 30s in some parts of the UK. Thankfully up here in the northeast of Scotland, we've hovered around the 25C mark and unlike further south the night temperatures have dropped to more comfortable levels and even below double figures on a few occasions.

Apparently, we can thank an 'omega weather pattern'. A phenomenon visible on weather maps of high altitude, basically a look at the atmosphere at an altitude of 5.5 kilometres. As the image above shows high pressure gets stuck between two lows and comes to a standstill as the systems block each other. They can last for days or in some cases even weeks!

Great White Egret ~ Two now regular at Strathbeg and becoming a little less uncommon to the area.

Since my last post, I've visited my usual birdwatching spots such as Loch of Strathbeg, Rattray, and the Ythan Estuary. There was a lot to see, including Cranes, Marsh Harriers, Great Egrets, Ospreys and plenty of returning waders including a Spotted Redshank, Ruff and many Greenshank but nothing particularly noteworthy to get excited about. I think the weather is to blame for the lack of interesting migrant birds visiting the Aberdeenshire coastline. However, at the end of August, I had a good sighting of a female Red-crested Pochard at the south end of Loch of Strathbeg. Although it was only visible from a distance, it was a great addition to my Aberdeenshire birding checklist.

Lesser Whitethroat ~ A lucky shot taken from the car window as I was parking at Rattray.

On a particularly quiet visit to Rattray on September 2nd the highlights were a Lesser Whitethroat and just a single Wheatear along the beach. There was little passage past the lighthouse, the exception a steady trickle of Sandwich Terns.

Northern Wheatear ~ A lone bird along the beach at Rattray.

On the evening of Sunday, September 3rd, I was sitting in my garden when I saw two swifts flying high over me. I got quite excited since our local swifts departed a few weeks ago and at this time of year there's always the possibility of an Alpine Swift, but they turned out to be Common Swifts. Nonetheless, it was my latest record since I moved north. The following evening, I saw the first skein of Pink-footed Geese flying over towards Bennachie, autumn has definitely arrived.

Another car window photo ~ one of the two Curlew Sandpipers.

On Wednesday 6th, I added two Curlew Sandpipers to my year list while I was at the Ythan Estuary near Foveran Burn. I had stopped my car along Inch Road in Newburgh for a first look around when I noticed the two birds feeding contently on the receding tide below. 

Plenty of Sanderling scurrying along the tideline at Blackdog.

Yesterday I went to Blackdog for my last trip of the week with the RSPB Aberdeen & District Local Group. Blackdog is a beautiful area of coastal dunes and beaches, which is about a half-hour drive from my home. Today's plan was a walk along the beach south towards Donmouth. During the trip, we mainly aimed to spot Waders, sea ducks like Scoters and Eiders, as well as Divers. If we were lucky, there's always a possibility of being able to see Skuas.

Knot with Sanderling in the foreground.

With a turnout of thirteen, we had a very enjoyable day in glorious weather. The highlights were large rafts of Common Scoter and many Common Eiders along with occasional small groups of Red-breasted Merganser, Teal and Wigeon. Try as we might not a single Velvet Scoter to be found but several Red-throated Divers heading south along with Sandwich & Arctic Terns. Waders for the day list included Sanderling, Knot, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwit. An account of the visit can be found HERE on the RSPB Aberdeen & District Local Group Website.

Bar-tailed Godwit

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ythan Estuary ~ 27/07/2023

 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sunday 27th August 2023 🌤️18C ~ Wind NW @ 6MPH ~ To end an excellent week Dazza and I took a drive out to the Ythan at Newburgh before enjoying a traditional late Sunday roast at the Newburgh Arms.

One of many juvenile Razorbills.

Arriving a few hours after high tide we began at the boathouse and walked to the estuary mouth. There were numerous Guillemots and Razorbills being carried by the tide and an abundance of Common, Arctic, and Sandwich Terns were diving for fish. The usual selection of young and adult Eider Duck and offshore Gannets, Gulls, Shags and Cormorants and a distant haul out of Grey Seals. A heartwarming sight after seeing so many dead birds along this stretch of coast recently due to avian flu! 

Lots of Guillemots today ~ A great sight after recent sad events along the northeast coast.

Of course, where there are many terns feeding young there is always an opportunity for skuas and today at least a half dozen Arctic Skuas were constantly harassing them.

A light-phase Arctic Skua patrols the sandbank at the Ythan mouth.

A few light-phase Arctic Skuas in the mix today, plus a single Great Skua (Bonxie) made a brief appearance. An excellent 'golden hour' along the beautiful Ythan River.

A Selection of my Arctic Skuas images...

Light-phase

Even Skua's need to poop!

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Red-backed Shrike ~ Longhaven 25/07/23

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Friday 25th August 2023 🌤️18C ~ Wind NW @ 6MPH ~ A quick visit to the Scottish Wildlife Trusts reserve at Longhaven for a Red-backed shrike.

A very confiding Red-backed Shrike along the fenceline at Longhaven.

I drove to the SWT car park and followed the farm track towards the coast. According to reports, the bird had been favouring the hedge within the reserve patch behind the abandoned cottage. As I turned right along the track to head towards the cottage, I saw the bird perched up along the fence.

I spent a half hour watching the bird patrolling the fence line, occasionally dropping down to catch a tasty morsel. Wouldn't it be nice if all local twitches were as simple as this one! But then where's the fun in that!!

Red-backed Shrike

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Lesser Yellowlegs ~ Strathbeg 24/07/23

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Thursday 24th August 2023 🌤️18C ~ Wind S @ 5MPH ~ Today, I went to RSPB Loch of Strathbeg and coincidentally while on route a report of a juvenile Purple Heron sighting. As I was getting sorted in the car park, I ran into the people who had seen the bird fly into reeds from the Dunbar Hide. They were both from Lossiemouth and had come back to their cars to grab lunch. I decided to walk back to the hide with them and spent an enjoyable few hours watching, waiting and chatting.

Marsh Harrier from the Dunbar Hide.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of the heron again but a couple of Osprey's, (4) Common Crane and (2) Marsh Harriers passed the time. The guys had also photographed a juvenile Hobby along the fenceline earlier in the day, not that common a visitor in these parts and a great record for the site. Needless to say, it didn't show again!

Small Copper along the farm track at Strathbeg.

A walk back to check out Starnafin Pools prior to heading off home, recording my first Small Copper butterfly of the year before arriving at the bench. 

Highly cropped image of the Lesser Yellowlegs on Starnafin Pools. 

After settling in and watching some of the many Tree Sparrows that reside here perched along the fenceline a scan of the pools produced a Green Sandpiper, (8) Ruff, (3) Greenshank, a single Snipe and something completely unexpected! The yellow legs of course were unmistakable and from here just a matter of deciding whether a Greater or Lesser Yellowlegs. I've lived in Aberdeenshire now for 3 years and this one was in fact my third Lesser Yellowlegs, making it an annual event but the first self-found. 

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Late August 2023 Update

On the night of Friday 18th August, Storm Betty swept through the UK and eventually, reached northeast Scotland in the early hours of Saturday, bringing with it heavy rainfall and strong winds. As a result, it was expected that by morning, the avid birdwatchers of Aberdeenshire would be out in search of any migrant birds that may have been brought down by the storm.

Pied Flycatcher

Reports of Pied Flycatchers, Spotted Flycatchers, Red-backed Shrikes, Wrynecks and even an Icterine Warbler at Girdleess. Unfortunately, the earliest I could get out and about was on Sunday morning and with clear skies overnight Saturday I wasn't feeling confident. The best I managed was a single Pied Flycatcher at Girdleness, with as expected most species continuing their migration overnight.

Wryneck at Milton Haven 

However, a few migrants did hang around and on Tuesday 22nd I managed to catch up with a Wryneck at Milton Haven Caravan Park near St. Cyrus. The bird did prove a little elusive during my stay but eventually showed quite well, even though the best photograph I managed was the one above!

Double-figure Greenshank along the Ythan during a day out with the RSPB Local Group

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Wednesday 23rd August 2023 ☀️ 16C ~ Wind S @ 3MPH ~ A really excellent day out with the RSPB Aberdeen and District Local Group along the Ythan Estuary. A great selection of waders during our visit which included among others Spotted Redshank, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit, Sanderling, many Ringed Plover and double-figure Greenshank. During our lunch break at the Snub car park, we were delighted to see a couple of Ospreys. One of them was practising its diving skills, while the other was displaying its wading skills. It was a fascinating experience to witness. Also of note during lunch a Marsh Harrier briefly.

An Arctic Skua tries to encourage this Sandwich Tern to part with his lunch!

However, the most memorable part of the day for some was observing a pair of Arctic Skuas harassing the numerous Arctic, Common and Sandwich Terns that gather at the Ythan mouth during this time of year. It also offered me an opportunity to take many flight shots of these encounters, a selection of which is below. 

A full report of the visit can be found HERE on the RSPB Aberdeen & District website.

This Arctic Skua did perform amazingly well for the group.

📖 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Cairnbulg & Strathbeg ~ 10/08/2023

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Thursday 10th August 2023 ☀️ 22C ~ Wind SE @ 5MPH ~ Today, I had the opportunity to visit Cairnbulg and RSPB Loch of Strathbeg. After yesterday's successful sea watch, I started at the wreck in Cairnbulg. Although my tide timings weren't perfect, the sun was shining and the sea was calm.

Juvenile Stonechat

As I made my way down to the shoreline, I was greeted by a few young Stonechats flitting around the grassland. On the shoreline, a couple of Rock Pipits, Curlews, Dunlin, and Turnstones, but the returning Redshanks outnumbered them all. Another highlight of the area was the presence of many Starlings, a few hundred perhaps including many juveniles, all feeding on the tidal waste.

The wreck at Cairnbulg

I spent an hour watching the sea and was delighted to see another Storm Petrel. This one was closer than the one I saw at Girdleness yesterday. It stayed around the wreckage for a short while before flying low over the waves towards the south. During my short stay a couple of Great Skuas, a single Arctic Skua and (22) Manx Shearwaters before I headed off to RSPB Loch of Strathbeg. 

Common Crane on Starnafin Pools.

An hour spent at Starnafin Pools, produced: 11 Ruff, 2 Dunlin, 2 Greenshank, a Little Egret, Snipe, and a Common Crane. Additionally, two juvenile Common Terns and the usual Tree Sparrows and Meadow Pipits along the fences.

NEW Scottish Life List Since Relocating Permanently to Aberdeenshire in October 2020