Ythan and Smew

On Monday I got messages on the local rare bird messaging app. that  Smew and a King Eider were on the river Ythan.  There was nothing I could do about it at the time but in any case in previous years the King Eider has stayed around all summer.  He is such a regular that he is called Elvis.  The Smew is one of those birds that are here one day and gone the next and there has been one or two around so I may have a better chance of another Smew later. That is why I decided to go to Strathbeg not the Ythan yesterday..

This morning another message came through that a Green-winged Teal, a North American bird, was on the Ythan.  Now this is another bird that can be here on day and gone the next but it also a bird that may not be around again this year.  That is why I decided to go to the Ythan today. And who knows I might see the Smew and the King Eider.

I got to the spot where the GWT was last seen at about 14.30 and it had been seen at 13.20 so there was every chance of success.  There were three other birders at the car park each with telescopes trained on Inch Geck, the island where it had been seen.  None of the three had found he bird.  The general opinion was that because of the high tide it had gone elsewhere.  I searched the river banks further up stream but was unable to find the Green-winged Teal.  I did find, at Inch Geck, the Smew.

It was a female/1st winter one.  The weather had closed in it was misty and a long way off and only visible through the telescope so I'm sorry to say no photo and I haven't got one on file. So here is one I took from Wikipedia.

Smew

In fact the conditions were such that it was entirely possible that the Green-winged Teal was there.  Lets see what reports come in.  I'm free on Friday to give it another go!

In any case I found 27 different species including a couple of Greenshank and a vast number of Shelduck.

Total on list 138