📖 A Productive day in the Dreich! 28/08/26

After being cooped up indoors for the past few days, I was desperate to get out and hopefully add a few missing species to my year list. With recent easterlies, a few common migrants have been turning up along the Aberdeenshire coastline, so I decided to head up to Rattray. My original plan was to park at St. Mary’s Chapel and walk the track to the Lighthouse Cottages, but nature had other plans—by the time I arrived, the rain was coming down in absolute torrents.

Refusing to let the weather spoil the trip, I drove up the track instead, using the car as a mobile hide. The drive up delivered early rewards, with both Corn Bunting and Wheatear perched along the fence posts, braving the downpour. The car park area was quiet at first, but the birding picked up significantly after I met up with Tom Kirkpatrick and began checking over the cottage garden. We spent a fantastic forty-five minutes watching a sheltered area along the fenceline. Despite the heavy rain, the birds were feeding actively: Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, and eventually a Garden Warbler—most of which Andy Carroll had recorded earlier in the day. Alongside these feeding passerines, a constant stream of House Martins and Swallows skimmed low across the fields, showing incredible resilience against the driving rain.

Spotted Flycatcher and Pied Flycatcher competing for food.

Pied Flycatcher from the car window - Not a day for photography!

On the way home, I made a detour to Forvie Nature Reserve to hunt for an Icterine Warbler and a Wryneck reported earlier by the wardens. This finally gave me the proper walk I had been craving all day. I spent an hour pacing the cliffs and scanning around the reported spot at Coastguard Pools, but both target birds proved elusive.

Coastguard Pools at Forvie 

Even without the rarities, the coastal walk delivered a solid supporting cast. On land, Meadow Pipit, Wheatear, and Chiffchaff kept things active, while the cliff tops offered great views of the sea, revealing the usual array of Eiders, Gannet, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Sandwich Terns, Shag, and Cormorant. It was a classic dreich day weatherwise, but there is nothing quite like a rain-soaked coastal walk and a couple of new year-list additions to clear the head.