Saturday 2nd November 2024 🌤️12C ~ SW @ 8MPH ~ I had planned to take Dazza out for lunch in Aberdeen today, but when young 12 year old birder Edgar Joly, known as birderboy, spotted a drake Surf Scoter just off the foghorn at Girdleness, we opted to take a quick look before continuing on to lunch.
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| Drake Surf Scoter bobbing about in the waves just off the foghorn. |
Dazza exited the car first upon our arrival, and by the time I reached her at the foghorn, having grabbed my binoculars and camera, she had already spotted the bird!
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| Drake Surf Scoter |
We spent a magical thirty minutes observing the bird, and during this time, we witnessed a
Short-eared Owl arriving in off the sea, harassed by a number of Gulls.
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| Short-eared Owl in off the sea at Girdleness. |
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| Short-eared Owl |
Before leaving, we enjoyed a short walk along the shore, where several
Bottlenose Dolphins were noted. Close to the breakwater, around thirty
Purple Sandpipers, probably just arrived back from Greenland for the winter, were roosting during the high tide.
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| Purple Sandpipers roosting at high tide. |
🍂Surf Scoter -Girdleness 02/11/24
