Visible Migration: 30/09/26
The heavy, damp wind from the southeast had set the stage overnight, and as I pulled up to Girdleness this morning, everything about the weather screamed migration. Low grey clouds hung heavy over the coast, framed by a stiff breeze and occasional driving showers, with the sea battering the breakers. I’d hurried over after a report of a Rustic Bunting popped up, another great find by Andrew Whitehouse, and I was hoping to connect with it before heading north for my annual trip to Shetland on Friday.
Stepping out into the coastal air, the place's energy was palpable. Sheer numbers of Meadow Pipits blanketed the golf course, while overhead, a steady stream of thrushes cut through the gloom, tumbling in directly off the sea. It was visible migration at its absolute finest—the kind of raw, dynamic birding that makes mornings in bad weather entirely worth it.
I eventually bumped into Mark Sullivan and Ian Broadbent, who were also scanning the turf and scrub for the Rustic Bunting. While the target bird eluded us, their persistence had already paid off with a Lapland Bunting. As luck would have it, the bird flushed right in front of me the moment I arrived, took flight with its distinct call, and disappeared low over the links. Talk about immaculate timing.
For the next ninety minutes, I threw myself into the pulse of the arrival. Every bush was systematically searched, and every single pipit was scrutinised in the hopes of picking out a gem. Though the Rustic Bunting eluded us all, the sheer variety moving through the coastal patch was staggering. Waves of Song Thrushes and scattered Redwings and Blackbirds continued to drop in, and by the time I headed back to the car I'd encountered Yellow-browed Warbler, Garden Warblers, Blackcaps, Wheatears and my first Brambling of the season.
It was an electric, utterly absorbing session—exactly the sort of grounded, high-anticipation birding I enjoy. If this morning at Girdleness was just the warm-up act, I can’t wait to see what Shetland has waiting for me in a couple of days.
