❄Mediterranean Gull 8/03/25
Saturday 8th March 2025 🌤️ 13C ~ S @ 12MPH ~ With Dazza spending the weekend with her mum, I took the opportunity to visit Loch of Strathbeg on Saturday morning. This will be my last visit before heading off to Spain on Tuesday for a few weeks. I started my trip at St. Mary's Chapel in Rattray, where I took a look across the southern end of the loch. As I was setting up my camera, a group of Whooper Swans flew over the ruins, and I just managed to take a snapshot as they passed by.
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| Whooper Swans over the chapel ruins. |
As usual, the loch was bustling with waterfowl, and I counted 22 Pochard during my visit. Many Goldeneye were displaying toward the center of the loch, and Whooper Swan, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, and Teal were all well represented. Additionally, two drake Pintail were notable sightings, and a Corn Bunting was singing on a fencepost nearby.
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| A Corn Bunting keeps me company while I scan the loch |
In the fields behind the chapel ruins, about a thousand Pink-footed Geese were grazing. A careful scan revealed a single Russian White-fronted Goose and three Barnacle Geese.
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| White-fronted Goose behind the chapel. |
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| Two of three Barnacle Geese seen today. |
Next, I drove around to the Visitor Centre, stopping briefly to look over the small pool before the access road where the recent Glossy Ibis liked to linger, but there was no sign of it.
Around the car park, a Song Thrush was singing from the copse, and the resident Tree Sparrow colony were dotted around the feeders. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers were also chasing each other around. I spent my time sitting on the benches overlooking Starnafin Pools. It was actually quite pleasant, with the sun now offering a bit of warmth.
There were many gulls to search through, but one stood out immediately: A stunning summer-plumage Mediterranean Gull, which just a short time ago would have instigated a local twitch! I was fortunate because just as I raised the camera, the bird flew off to the west.
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| Adult Meditteranean Gull on Starnafin Pools. |
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| Meditteranean Gull heading off! |
There were many Black-headed Gulls present, most transitioning to summer plumage, alongside Common & Herring Gulls. I still haven't spotted any Lesser Black-backed Gulls, which do not winter in the northeast, but two were recorded here yesterday and two at Girdleness, so they are returning slowly.
Strathbeg is always a wealth of sights and sounds, with its expansive sky providing the perfect backdrop for birdwatching. During my visit, I spotted my first Ruff of the year when three dropped onto the low ground. Skylarks singing overhead and the constant movement of Pink-footed Geese and Whooper Swans, whose departure is approaching, contributed to a lively atmosphere, accompanied by the eerie cries of Curlews, spring is definitely in the air. Many Lapwings are currently defending their territories, while Oystercatchers are noisily competing for mates. A flock of about twenty Dunlin was always on the move. Nowadays, a visit to Strathbeg almost ensures that you will see both the Little Egret and the Great White Egret, which was previously unimaginable. In fact, there were two of each present today. It is worth noting, too, that the Great White Egret nested here for the first time in Scotland last year.
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| Buzzard |
Unusually, just a single raptor species today with a couple of Buzzards and the similar wildfowl noted earlier at St. Mary's along with three Gadwall.
