From Spanish Sun to Scottish Spring 23/03/26
Despite the stiff southerly winds and the drop in temperature, the signs of the season are slowly but surely emerging across Aberdeenshire.
The First Notes of Spring
My local rounds started on the 16th at Dalmadilly Ponds, where I was greeted by the season's first Chiffchaff. He was singing heartily—though in typical fashion, he didn't stay vocal for long!
A few days later, on the 18th, I headed upstream along the River Don at Kemnay. I was on a specific mission: finding an early Sand Martin. They regularly nest in the sandy banks there, but despite the optimism of last week's warmth, the banks remained quiet for now. But it's still early!
Girdleness: Dolphins, Blooms, and a Record Breaker
Today, Monday the 23rd, I braved the "Baltic" conditions at Girdleness. Even with the cold, there were unmistakable signs that the landscape is waking up:
Flora: Spotted the first delicate cherry blossoms on the way in.
Wildflowers: Vibrant patches of Coltsfoot are now showing—always a reliable herald of the turning season.
The wildlife offshore was in high gear this morning, providing plenty of entertainment despite the biting wind. The stars of the show were undoubtedly the Bottlenose Dolphins. I spent an enjoyable half-hour alongside a couple of visiting students watching them breach; I’ll admit I failed miserably at capturing the action on camera—they were just too quick for me today!—but seeing them clear the water is always a thrill.
While the recently reported Glaucous Gull eluded me, the skies were anything but empty. Auks and Kittiwakes streamed past the point in steady numbers, while further out, several Gannets were busy diving for breakfast. At least fifty or so Purple Sandpipers were along the breakers, soon to be off to their various breeding grounds.
Did You Know? The Secret Lives of Purple Sandpipers
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| Purple Sandpipers - I took this photo at Girdleness in November 2020, shortly after moving here. |
While we often see Purple Sandpipers huddled on the spray-soaked rocks at Girdleness, they are some of our most mysterious winter visitors.
The Great Divide: The birds we see in Northeast Scotland are actually a mix of two different populations. Some come from the mountain tundras of Norway, while others perform a massive trans-Atlantic flight from Arctic Canada.
The Highland Secret: Did you know that the Purple Sandpiper is one of the UK’s rarest breeding birds? A tiny number (fewer than 5 pairs) breed in the high Cairngorms, keeping their nests well-hidden in the mossy ground.
Tough as Nails: Unlike many shorebirds that head south for the winter, "Purps" embrace the cold. They are perfectly adapted for the rocky "intertidal zone," with grippy yellow feet that act like hiking boots on slippery seaweed.
Closer to shore, I noted a lone Red-throated Diver, and a Fulmar put on a spectacular aerial display. I never tire of watching Fulmars; they have a certain mastery of the air that makes you feel as though they’re out there having the time of their lives.
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| A Fulmar just offshore from the foghorn today. |
The Highlight
The "bird of the day" (and a personal milestone) came just before I packed up. A Sandwich Tern battled its way north past the foghorn. Not only was it my first of the year, but it’s my earliest ever recorded in Scotland by a single day!
