In search of the Aye Aye and ther lemurs and wildlife in Madagascar

19th August Trip to Dinnet and the back of Glen Tannar

One of a few not very succssful trips was a day at Dinnet with Alex.  The aim was to find a Redstart for my list and a Green Woodpecker for Alex to move from his 'heard' listing to a 'seen' listing and of course to get photographs.

We Started at the Vat o' Burn carpark and crossed the road into the Muir of Dinnet NNR.  This is where Alex had seen Redstart last year.  Of course this year the most exotic bird was a Robin.

Robin

We went to parts of the birch woodland that I did not know existed.  There is a long boardwalk over marshy ground that held lots of Dragonflys

Black Darter

The other insect that was abundant was a Scotch Argus butterfly.  I had never seen one before and for some reason I thought they lived on heather moorland and were rather scarce.  Actually they live in damp woodland and are common at least locally.  This one was on heather so I was partialy right!

Scotch Argus

 From Dinnet we went just a little way to the South Deeside Road to walk a farm track that basiclly led round the back of the Glen Tannar estate.  Here the target was Green Woodpecker, Tawny Owl and Garden Warbler. What we saw was Crossbill and Buzzard.  Now, you know and I know that Crossbills live in conifers and eat the seeds out of the cones.  So it came as something of a surprise to see two of them flying from one willow tree to another.

Crossbill

Crossbill

We also know that there are three types of Crossbill that live in Scotland, Common, Scottish and Parrot.  It takes something of an expert to tell the three apart.  What you need, to be certain is a DNA testing kit and sound recording equipment that will produce a sonogram, a sort of chart showing the sound frequencies of the birds call.  Alex and I only had our cameras but we are told that these are Common Crossbills.  Our hunt for Scottish and Parrot Crossbills has to continue.

And we saw a Buzzard....

Buzzard

Buzzard

.... and took some other photos as well

A large derilict looking barn with new bails

Very Old Potato Harvester

Old Gate New Fence

  I've put these up because somehow they typify the Scottish Highlands countryside.  These were all in the same place and I could have taken more of the same, the lorry that clearly no longer fit for the road, the pile of large bits of wood, the rusty old stock feeding thing.  You get the idea.  When I first moved up here I was all for something being done to tidy up the countryside and get rid of all the debris and scrap that is lying around.  That was fifteen years or so ago.  Now my attitude has changed.  I don't want the old barn and steadings converted and 'gentryfied', I want to see old farm machinery, yes and rusty old cars, and I want to see old wooden gates.  Along with the mountains and the moorland, the (highland) cattle running with calves and herds of sheep these things from the past, often no longer useful are what makes Scotland, well Scotland and unique.  And they are good for wildlife.  See the lichens on the gate.  How many mice and voles live in the field with the uncut grass and the potoato harvester that feed owls, kestrels stoats and weasels.  What nesting habitat is there in the derilict looking steading and for what cretures?  Many rural parts of England and alas of Scotland to are becoming too tidy, too efficient at the expense of our wildlife.  And that is not good for the soul or the mental health of the nation.

Rant over

Total on list 201

August - Cairnbulg Harbour

 I visited Cairnbuld Harbour many times during August.  It is the nearest bit of the sea to our house and the village shop is the closest place to buy a morning paper.  Most times I buy a paper I also look at the sea and foreshore just yo see whats about.

These visits often provide good photo opportunites the highlight was this juvenile Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

Cuckoo

It is the time of year for young birds

Kittiwake

Sanwich Tern

 Some coming in from northern breeding grounds

Wheatear

 and the Starlings start to gather in flocks

Starlings

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August Morning Walks

My morning walks continued as usual, almost, on one day I was joined by Neve my granddaughter who wanted to get up early and come on the walk with me when the family visited.

Neve Striding Out

 On that walk we saw a Roe Deer and Rabbits and Lapwing

Roe Deer

Rabbit

Lapwing

 

 Other walks produced a variety of birds and mammals but generally were quite

Fox

Roe Deer

Buzzard

Wren

Brown Hare

Total on list 201

August Sea Watching

I have snatched the odd half hour to gaze out to sea through my telescope.  Other bird watchers in the area were seeing all sorts of birds that I could add to my list, some of them would be 'lifers' for me.   Shearwaters, Skuas and Petrels were the targets.  Any of the Shearwaters and any of the Petrels would have been additions to the list as it was I have only been able to add Pomarine Skua

Pomarine Skua 15/8/2017

 There were quite a few other sea birds passing across the 'scopes lens.  I was able to capture some of them through the camera lens as well.

Fulmar

Gannets

Great Skua

Great Black-backed Gull

Gannet Fishing

There was even the occasional Grey Heron.....

Grey Heron

 ....and quite frequently a fishing boat

FR249 'Grateful', a new addition to the fleet

 

 Total on list 201

The Blog is Back in Business

After an absence of more than a month the blog is back by popular demand.  I took the view that as I had reached my target of 200 birds species for 2017 that I could relax a bit and in doing so I have let the blogging slide.  But so many people have asked whats happened to the blog that I have decided to start it up again on a regular basis.  The next few blogs are by way of a catch up

Thee Wood Pigeons Can't Wait for the Next Blog Post. Is it Mum, Dad and the Youngster in the Middle?

Total on list 200

Five Raptors and a Humpback Whale

Today (13th August was a RSPB Aberdeen and District Members Group outing to Glensaugh and Glen Dye.

Brian picked me up just before 8 o' Clock.  It was about a two hour drive to the rendezvous at the James Hutton Institute farm at Glensaugh.  The first bit of the journey was straight forward. A952 to the Toll of Birness, join the A90 and follow it through to the other side of Aberdeen to Laurencekirk.  When we got near to our destination I switched on the Google sat nav on my phone.  Mrs Google, I assume that was who was giving us directions took us down all sorts of small narrow roads through farmland.  Fortunately is was early on Sunday morning and farmers were not up to drive their tractors along these roads as well.  



The original plan was to stay in the Glensaugh area however an earlier scouting trip had not found many birds so it was decided to split the day into two with the second half walking through Glen Dye.

Glashaugh is a research farm.  Unlike the vast majority of farms this one welcomes visitors and had a self-guided trail leads visitors on a circular tour, pointing out areas of geographic, social, landscape and historical change. 

We didn't go on this trail but went along one of the other farm paths running beside Slack Burn.  The first bird that was 'shouted' was a Red Kite.  This was a year tick for Brian. Next it was a Buzzard, the first of many.

Buzzard

Buzzard

 Next it was a Sparrowhawk flying high in the sky

Sparrowhawk

We had hardly started and it was becoming a bit of a raptor fest.  

The next birds were Wheatears and Stonechats.

Wheatear (top left) and Stonechat (bottom right)

One bird caused some confusion.  I took a photo of it and from the back of the camera we were told that it was a Redstart.  Unfortunately have got back home and looked at the picture, having given a few tweaks, on the computer screen I have to say that it is a juvenile Wheatear

Confusion bird Juv. Wheatear

 All told the morning walk produced 22 different bird species. Not bad for a place that didn't have many birds.

We than went to Glen Dye.  The road there goes over the Cairn o' Mount.  I had never been on this road before.  Its fame comes from the fact that it is often one of the first roads to be closed by the snow in winter.  It is the main route from the Dee Valley to the South.  At the top the views are fr reaching. I was told that you could see Edinburgh on a clear day.   It was a clear day so I waved to my daughters who live there.  I don't think they saw me.

Glen Dye, in contrast to Glensaugh held very few birds.  A Grey Heron, some Wheatears, Stonechats and Meadow Pipits.  A Wren was heard and a wagtail seen a great distance away and that was about it.  

Grey Heron

The nature highlight was a large herd of Red Deer across the valley.

Red Deer

The lack of bird life was nearly outweighed by the scenery.

Glen Dye

And there the RSPB trip officially ended.  Some people went home, some went to see a nearby Sand Martin colony.  I went with Brian and Trevor to St Cyrus NNR on he coast.  For the last few days a Humpback Whale had been feeding off shore.

For this journey we used Brian,s in car DVD based sat nav. and apart from taking us on an unnecessary tour round the village of St Cyrus got us to our destination.  The reserve car park was full, the roads leading to the reserve were being used as a car park. It was chaos. It was the first time that Brian and I had been here.  Trevor was a frequent visitor and had never seen the place so crowded.  

Eventually we did get a parking place, got all our gear out of the car and made for the top of the dunes.  Straight away we saw the Whale or rather its splash.  

Splash

We did after a while see he animal itself but we didn't get any tail slapping or breaching displays.  It was too busy feeding.

'Thar She Blows'

We had a good bit if chat wit the others who were there for Whale watching.  There was a family from Sheffield another from Australia (admittedly there were visiting relatives n the area as well!).  One bloke had negotiated the stony path, the narrow foot bridge and the dunes in a mobility scooter. 

The reserve is a place I will have to go back to. There was a great variety of bird life.  Peregrine and Kestrel were added to the days list of raptors.  

 

Kestrel

Off shore there was a large raft of Red-breasted Mergansers and a smaller number of Common Scoter.  There were plenty of Gulls and Terns and a few Arctic Skuas.
 
She? was making her way South so we decided to go further into the reserve and down onto the sands to get closer views and photos.  By the time we got there she was nowhere to be seen, presumably she had gone from the North Esk estuary to the South Esk Estuary which is on the other side of Montrose.

From the hide to the South of the reserve we found Dunlin, Common Sandpipers, Greenshank, more Gulls and Terns, Mallard and Canada Geese etc, etc. 

Brian finds some Common Sandpipers

We saw 26 different species on the reserve and there is a potential for many more. 

There are also some good landscape photo opportunities as well

Ship Wreck

Total on list 200