Auld Reekie

15th February.  Today was a day for the children and grandchildren.  But as we had planned to meet at 10.00 I had time to do a bit of Edinburgh birding.  My hotel was just across the road from the Botanic Gardens but they did not open until 10.00 so I had to look for birds elsewhere.  Breakfast at 8.00 and off to Duddingston Loch in Holyrood Park.  I had been told how to use my phone as a sat nav system (pity no one told me about that the day before) so finding it was not a problem.  Getting access to see what was on the Loch was a problem though.  At Balgavies the day before there was a path all round the Loch.  Here the only way I could find to get near gave a view of just part of the water and no way of getting round.  I walked round one side and found a locked gate and a sign saying that the Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve of Bawsinch was not open to the public.

I was able to see some of the bird life.  There was an impressive heronry.  The nests were low down some only a few feet off the ground.  There was a lot of nesting activity.

Grey Herons

I took the opportunity to photograph some more common birds

Mute Swan

Mallard

The top bird however as not on the water.  It was way up high soaring over Arthurs Seat being chased by a Jackdaw.  It was a Raven

Raven and Jackdaw

At around 10.00 we all met at the Dalkieth Country Park.  It has a very impressive play area build on a steep river bank that allowed the designers to incorporate slides, tunnels and climbing apparatus into the landscape.  The tree house has four stories!

'Fort Douglas', Dalkieth Country Park

 After lunch they went back to the play area and I went on one of the woodland walks.

 I had hoped to find a Nuthatch.  I have read that they are in the Botanic Gardens, in the city so surely they must be in the ancient oak woodland.  If there were I did not see or hear them.  I did see a Dipper and a Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Dipper

And a rather impressive bridge

Montagu Bridge, Dalkieth Country Park

No new birds but a great day out.

Total on list still 119

Two new birds for the year list

Today I went to Haddo House, a stately home that used to be the seat of the Earls/Marquesses of Aberdeen.  It is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.  The parkland is owned and run as a Country Park by Aberdeenshire Council. The surrounding Haddo Estate owned by the 7th Marquess of Aberdeen and and Temair.  All very confusing.  The house was closed for the winter. The Country Park was open, all the signage seemed to have been done by the Haddo Estate and estate workers still had cottages around the park.  NTS has a gift shop, visitors centre and cafe all of which were open from 10:30.  The Haddo Estate also has a gift shop!  Here are two Country Park images.

This is looking each way along the 'Scots Mile'  The house is at one end and the huge urn is at the other.  A Scots Mile is 196 yards longer than a normal 'Imperial' mile.


Anyway I was there for the wildlife and the birds in particular.  There is a river running through the park which some Earl of Aberdeen dammed to form a lake.  This has plenty of wildfowl form the big......

Greylag Goose

Canada Goose

Mute Swan

(The Canada Goose is a new year tick.)

....to the quite small

Little Grebe

Wigeon

Goldeneye

Moorhen

There were two non wildfowl waterbirds a Kingfisher and a Dipper

Dipper

On land the bird life was not as diverse.  I did however seen the second year tick of the day, a Jay.  Others were the usual fare - including Robins, Chaffinches, Tits, Crows and most numerous, Jackdaws.

There were mammals as well.  I caught a fleeting glimpse of a Roe Deer and saw Red Squirrels on the side of the drive to the car park (it was too dark for a photo) and another on a rope specially made for Squirrels (it was also too dark for a photo but I took one just the same.

Red Squirrel

 I arrived at sunrise (8:00am).  There had been a frost:-

By 9:00 the dog walkers started to arrive, by 10:30 the car park was full, and the park nearly full with families, joggers, more dog walkers and just a few people like me with binoculars and cameras.  That was my cue to go to the cafe for a coffee and cake.  I did another quick tour round the lake but found nothing new.  The ducks, geese and swans had found lots of humans with bread and seeds so they were happy.

A couple or so more happy snaps -:

Teal

Teal

Total on list 115

Ythan

Before I go any further Congratulations to daughter Amy and her partner Jonathon on the birth of their third child, another boy, mine and Jill's sixth grandchild today.

The other night I was late to bed. I had been taking photos of an Aurora

This is the 'normal view you get in the NE of Scotland.  Occasionally the Aurora goes a bit mad and you see pillars of light, red and magenta colours as well as the green, but not on the night of 18/19th.  This photo, like many other Aurora photos I take is from the patio doors at the back of the house.  But that is not what this blog is about it is about birds.  As I said I was late to bed and at a quarter past midnight I heard a Tawny Owl to add to my year list.

The entry onto my year list is on the basis - if the British Trust or Ornithology 's BirdTrack  accepts the bird it goes on.  Hearing birds is allowed.

Today I went to the Ythan estuary.  The Ythan is a river that rises somewhere near Fyvie Castle and empties into the North Sea at Newburgh, north of Aberdeen.  It's estuary has been well studied by Aberdeen University for decades a permanent field station was first established in 1958.  On the North side of the estuary is Forvie Sands National Nature Reserve.

The reason for going was that a Kingfisher was known to hang around where the Foveran Burn enters the Ythan in the village of Newburgh.  No sooner had I got there than I saw the Kingfisher resting on the prow of a catamaran just meters from the road.

Kingfisher

It was only there for a few minutes but long enough to take this photo and another one

Kingfisher

It is a female.  You can tell that by the red base to the lower mandible

This quick capture of my target bird for the day (I had been prepared to wait around that area for some time) allowed me to explore other parts of the Ythan estuary.  The tide was well out leaving a lot of exposed mud,shingle and sand.  There were plenty of waders around.  The estuary is well known for its breeding Eiders (the largest colony in the UK) and there were plenty of them.  For the last few years they have been joined by a King Eider.  Two days ago a King Eider was seen 25 km North at St Combs.  There was speculation that the Ythan King Eider nicknamed 'Elvis' had returned.  I was unable to find it this morning.  The Ythan and Forvie NNR are also known for the seal colony and the four types nesting Terns.

On my way back North to Fraserburgh I stopped at the Snub car park where I picked up a second bird for the list - Golden Plover. Every year in November a flock of Golden Plover take up residence in a field just up the road.  I pass it every day on my way to the shops in Fraserburgh of to get the paper in Cairnbulg.  Frustratingly, for the purposes of year listing this flock moves on before the end of December so Golden Plover is a bird to seek out, or to wait for in anticipation of its return at the end of the year which of course may not happen.

My BirdTrack up load from the Ythan contained 30 species.  Here are a couple of them

Grey Heron

Red-breasted Merganser

Curlew

Wigeon

There is no doubt that I will be returning to the Ythan quite a few time during the year. 

 Total on list 105