📖 ❄Girdleness & St. Fittick's 26/01/25

Sunday 26th January 2025 🌤️ 3C ~ S @ 9MPH ~ We eventually felt the full force of Storm Éowyn on Friday evening when we were battered until the early hours of Saturday. Thankfully, after several light flickers the power remained on but I do feel for those who suffered the brunt!

Just a single Goldfinch during our BGBW but nice to see this male Blackcap. 

I am quite certain the storm significantly impacted our performance during the BGBW. Just a day prior, the garden was bustling with Chaffinches, Goldfinches, House Sparrows and the occasional Siskin and Brambling. We ended up with a lone Goldfinch, two Chaffinches, no sign of Siskin or Brambling, and only ten House Sparrows during the hour. Only nine species in total, but I am pleased to report that our wintering male and female Blackcaps have stayed with us.

Sunday 26th January 2025 🌤️ 3C ~ S @ 9MPH ~ The calm after the storm for today's RSPB local group outing, with an amazing 45 members meeting at Greyhope Bay, Girdleness in blustery but dry conditions. With this number of attendees we decided to split into two groups, and headed off in opposite directions. Tony Hilton leading a group round towards the harbour, and David Leslie taking our group towards the lighthouse.

Purple Sandpiper - A common sight during the winter months.

From the car park, a Stonechat and we watched Turnstones, Oystercatchers, and several Purple Sandpipers on the rocks in the bay, along with numerous Herring Gulls, and Cormorants and Shags feeding offshore. After finding some shelter from the wind near the foghorn we scanned out to sea and were rewarded with a good variety of species. Eiders were bobbing around close in, with large numbers of Guillemots diving for food beyond them. A few Razorbills were also in the vicinity still in winter plumage and appearing much whiter than the Guillemots.

A few Gannets were feeding with the gulls and diving occasionally, giving good views, and a single Red-throated Diver was briefly seen, as well as quite a few Kittiwakes flying past. The bitterly cold wind was blowing a bit, so the walk along the road past the new south harbour was fairly quiet, with a flock of Linnets about the only thing spotted. We re-grouped at St Fittick’s Community Park and circled the marshy areas whilst Rob Leslie went searching for Snipe – no luck today. Mallard and Moorhen were plentiful and several Teal were seen flying along the Tullos Burn. At one time a Sparrowhawk flew through, threatening a group of Goldfinch which dispersed immediately.

Water Rail at St, Fittick's

The highlight of the day was the entire group obtaining unprecedented views of two Water Rails, a scarce bird in Aberdeenshire, when they happily fed right in front of group. 

Water Rail putting on a show at St. Fittick's.

After tearing ourselves away from the Water Rails we headed back through the park, with Goldfinch and Long-tailed Tits seen, and making our way down towards the harbour, we added House Sparrow, Starling and Blackbird, all feeding in a garden near the road. The harbour inlet was really quiet, but along the shore we had very good views of Turnstone and Purple Sandpiper feeding on the rocks, and a few Ringed Plover were on the breakwater, with dozens of Cormorants and Shags.

Try as I might to photograph the occasional breaching Dolphin I only ended up with a few tails & dorsal fins.

A pod of Bottlenose Dolphins were feeding at the harbour mouth, and we finished with a flock of about seventy Purple Sandpipers on the rocks in Greyhope Bay – a nice end to a superb morning.