Spring Easter Update 21/04/2025
I wanted to provide a quick update before heading back to Spain for another week.
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| Callater Burn |
On Saturday, the 19th, Dazza and I set off for a walk at Glen Callater in the Cairngorms. We hadn't planned to walk far due to my returning Achilles tendon issue. However, we ended up covering a fair distance along Callater Burn. This area is known for good sightings of Ring Ouzels, and we've seen them here before, but unfortunately, we didn't spot any this time.
We did, however, see about half a dozen Wheatears and a small number of Red Grouse. Meadow Pipits frequently displayed and parachuted down, and we watched a couple of Red Kites showcasing their aerial displays. A Dipper was seen flying along the burn, and we also managed to find Dazza her first Common Sandpiper of the year, although it was generally a quiet walk in terms of birding. A highlight was spotting a huge herd of no fewer than forty Red Deer traversing the mountain ridges.
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| Red Deer at Callater |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Wheatear |
On Easter Sunday, I took an early morning walk at my local Dalmadilly Ponds before the wild swimmers and plastic dinghies appeared for the usual disruption. I did come across my first Common Whitethroat of the spring and an amazing count of eleven Willow Warblers, along with three Chiffchaff and a couple of Swallows.
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| First Common Whitethroat of the season at Dalmadilly Ponds. |
On Easter Monday, Dazza was on the evening flight to Birmingham, so we had an early afternoon walk at Fyvie Castle in hopes of spotting a pair of Mandarin Ducks that nest here each year. This migratory pair usually returns in late March, and we found the drake sitting contentedly in a Mandarin's 'happy place'. No sign of the female, hopefully she's already down to business.
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| Drake Mandarin Duck at Fyvie Castle. |
After hearing reports of two Avocets and a Spoonbill at RSPB Strathbeg earlier in the day, I decided to make a late evening visit after dropping Dazza off at Aberdeen airport. I was able to find the Spoonbill sleeping in front of the nature centre, but unfortunately, there were no Avocets in sight. I spent about an hour overlooking Starnafin Pools, where I noted a pair of Marsh Harriers, six Black-tailed Godwits, two Little-ringed Plovers, and two Little Egrets before I headed home.
Today, Tuesday 22nd, I'm off back to Spain for a week on the evening flight from Edinburgh.