📖 A Seven-Goose Salute: 17/02/26

With a decent forecast for Tuesday, 17th and a few local rarities calling my name, a trip with David Leslie was quickly penned into the diary. 

Naturally, in true Scottish fashion, Tuesday morning arrived with a blanket of fresh snow and freezing temperatures!

Luckily, the weather gods showed some mercy, and the skies cleared enough for us to head north towards Strathbeg. Our first encounter was a roadside field teeming with Fieldfares, peppered with Starlings and a few Redwings—a lovely sight before these winter visitors head back across the seas for the season and a sight that has been sadly lacking this winter.

Fieldfare

The Main Event: Slains

Our first proper stop was Slains, near Cruden Bay, and the target was clear: the mixed goose flock. We barely had the handbrake on before a white morph Snow Goose, one of our target birds for the day, announced itself, its white plumage practically glowing in the winter sun.

White morph Snow Goose, with a few Greater White-fronted Geese showing.

Record Shot of Barnacle Geese within the flock.

Once the scopes were up, the "Goose-fest" truly began:

• Pink-footed Geese: The vast majority of the flock.

• Barnacle Geese: Striking in their monochrome feathers.

• White-fronted Geese: Surprisingly easy to pick out thanks to the excellent light.

• Tundra Bean Geese: The stars of the show.

Wind, Waves, and a Scottish Lifer

Moving on to St.Mary's Church at the south end of Strathbeg, the wind had picked up, turning the loch into a bit of a washing machine. Despite the chop and the bitter wind, David managed to find a pair of Smew tucked away in a sheltered corner. The raptor count was equally high, with Sparrowhawk, Goshawk, and Buzzard all making appearances.

From here over to the visitor centre, but just as we arrived, the WhatsApp group pinged—an Egyptian Goose had been relocated with some Pink-feet nearby. We didn’t hesitate. Ten minutes later, we found it almost immediately, alongside a Pink-footed Goose flock, marking our 7th goose species of the day and a Scottish lifer for us both!

Egyptian Goose - Quite the rarity in Aberdeenshire

Closing the Log

We rounded out the day back at the visitor centre and a nearby plantation, adding:

• Little & Great Egret

• Whooper Swans

• Woodcock (a stealthy addition from the plantation)

Huge thanks to David for the company and the driving!

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The Day's Tally

Geese	Raptors	Others
Snow Goose, Pink-footed, Barnacle, White-fronted, Tundra Bean, Egyptian (Scottish Lifer!), Greylag	Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard	Smew, Whooper Swan, Woodcock, Great Egret, Little Egret