11th January - A great day in Aberdeen

Today I joined the Aberdeen and District RSPB Members Grout on a walk in Aberdeen.  Lead by Mark twenty or so members walked from Hazel Head Park to Walkers Dam to see what birds were about.  Before we left Mark said that those  interested in see in Waxwings should talk to one of the group who had seen them in Cults An Aberdeen suburb).  That it turned our was not necessary.  We found plenty of Waxwings on our walk.

 Waxwing

In fact we found over thirty species in just a couple of hours.  Here is a selection.
 

                         Goldfinch

Waxwing

 

                                                                                  Redwing

                              Treecreeper

Little Grebe

                                                                                              Moorhen

 

Mistle Thrush

We managed to see the Mandarin Duck that spends its winters in the area.  It summers in Norway!.  I was able to provide the bread that coaxed it, and lots of Mallards out of their hiding place in the tangle of branches and weeds at the far side of Walkers Dam.  Its a good job I learnt my lesson from my trip to Speyside and took my lunch with me.  donating a few crusts was a small price to pay to see such a spectacular bird.  This photo of the same bird was taken in November last year at Johnson's Gardens because we only got a brief glimpse of it today.

Manderain Duck

 From Hazelhead, where we got a good cup of coffee and a piece we went to Den Burn Nature reserve.  There was not a lot at see but a buzzard and a Roe Deer

Roe Deer

Which makes a better picture than the other mammal we saw, a Brown Rat.

On the way home I called in at Inch Road, Newburgh to see if I could find the Kingfisher that  is often there.  No Kingfisher but there was a Snipe to add to the list.

Total on list 94