Onehundredandeighty!!

Sunday 14th May started out well.

I came home from my morning walk with a tick for the year list.  It was just a 'heard' tick.  I did not see the Blackcap that was singing away.

Once I had got home I got the call that there was a Pied Flycatcher at Rattray.  Rattray is not far away so off I went.  No Pied Flycatcher in fact nothing of note to see unless you count the others who were looking for it as well.

Back home again and another call out.  This time it was a Wood Sandpiper at the Loch of Strathbeg.  Strathbeg is even closer to home than  Rattray so I had to go.  This time I was lucky.  The Wood Sandpiper was still there and I also saw a Ruff - one tick for the year list.

In the absence of any photos of the days ticks here are some others I took

Willow Warbler

Buzzard

Rabbit with nesting material

Female Bullfinch

Common Tern

Mute Swan and Cygnets

On 17th May I went to the Ythan Estuary to try out my new telescope and tripod.  Alex picked me up in the morning and as we both had to be back by lunchtime the time there was limited.  Alex's ulterior motive in doing the driving was three fold.  He wanted to see what the 'scope was like before he took the plunge to upgrade his equipment and he wanted to see if he could find a Roseate Tern among the Common. Arctic and Sandwich in the colony.  He also wanted to give he car a run as it was overheating.

It was a windy day and not very warm and soon our eyes were watering making it extremely difficult to see clearly.  The birds were not cooperating either.  They were mostly resting the sand with their heads tucked under there wing.  One of the main ways of telling Common, Arctic and Roseate terns apart is by bill colour and that was not possible.  The other trick that the terns played on us was to rise up into the air en mass, fly around and land again taking up their original posture of hiding their bill.  But they didn't land in the same place so you had to start again looking through the birds trying to find the Roseate.  It was a bit like a pack of cards being shuffled before you had a chance to see them all.  I haven't got a photo of the terns but i do have one of the seals that haul out at the mouth of the estuary.  The tern colony has been out of bound to the public for a long time the seal haul out area has only recently (this year) been designated as such and therefore officially out of bounds.  There has been a growing problem of people, some with dogs, trying to get close to the seals to take photos.  So close in fact that they have put themselves at risk and the disturbing the seals.  To find out more about the Ythan seals go to the Ythan Seal Watch Facebook page.

Seals at the Ythan Estuary

Anyway the good news about the trip was that I saw Little and Arctic Terns for the first time this year.

Total on list 180

RSPB Trip to Rattray and Strathbeg

I was asked to write the trip report for this event.  Here it is:-

RSPBAberdeen Members Group Trip Report 9^th May

Sunny Rattray and Strathbeg

The Trip started at the St Mary's car park at the South end of the Loch of Strathbeg. While we were waiting for people to arrive the opportunity was taken not just to catch up with everyone's news but to train bins and 'scopes on the Loch and surrounding fields. We were able to catch up with a hand full of farmland birds and a good selection of birds in and around the Loch. The Sedge Warblers were a first of the year for some and were good entertainment as they rose up out of the reeds fringing the Loch and glided back again.

As we were gathering I was told I had 'volunteered' to do this trip report and then told to make sure my spelling was correct. The reason I was given for 'volunteering' was that as I write a birding blog so I would be doing a trip report anyway. So shameless plug for my blog:– www.mikesbirding.blogspot.co.uk

From the meeting point we all crammed into as few cars as possible to make the journey down the track to Rattray Lighthouse cottages. The cottage gardens are a great migrant trap. Tim, who was leading the field trip said that the only resident birds were House Sparrow, Robin and Pied Wagtail, anything else would be a migrant and just passing through. We saw Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Linnet, Goldfinch, Swallows and Sand Martin

Gathering at the Lighthouse Cottages

The most spectacular sighting was a skein of over 100 Pink-footed Geese flying over our heads. 

From the cottages we headed for the beach. 

 

The usual sea birds were there but there was a passage of Whimbrel and Curlew flying North.

 

The other highlight, fortunately not caught on camera, was a 'mini Tsunami' sending several group members falling over each other in a rush for higher ground. Some of the group had already seen that the tide was coming in and had already escaped the waves. The more stoical members stood their ground but got wet feet.

By now it was lunch time so a long convoy proceeded to the Loch of Strathbeg Visitors Centre. The birding highlight here was a Little Ringed Plover and not one but two Great White Egrets. The no birding highlight was a tray of fine pieces provided by Julie and Jim Pickering.

The group then went to Tower Pool hide. It wasn't big enough for everyone to be seated! Birding highlights here were a pair of courting Herons, A Sparrowhawk fly past and a visit from a pair of Swifts.

Whitethroat seen from the Path to the Tower Pool hide

 

A total of sixty species were seen during the day:

Mute Swan, Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Gannet, Cormorant, Great White Egret, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Curlew, Dunlin, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Skylark, Sand Martin, Swallow, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Wren, Starling, Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Greenfinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Siskin, Yellowhammer and Red Bunting.

Thanks must go to Tim Marshall who lead the group to such an impressive list and to Julie and Jim Pickering for the pieces.

Two new birds for the year list - Swift and Little Ringed Plover.  My photo of the plover was not good enough for the trip report but I'll put it up here.  

Little Ringed Plover

Total on list 174

Tickety Boo

Yesterday Alex and I went on a long trek (by car of course) to various bits of the Cairngorms.  I suppose we went the long way round to get to Glenshee.  We went via Strathdon and over the moorland to Balmoral.  Not a bad long way round.  This is what we saw:-
A very obliging Snipe that stayed on the fence post for quite some time while we took photos.  It even changed its pose every so often without being asked.

 n aloof looking Red Grouse that had clearly posed for professional photographers taking shots for whisky adverts and did not want to be associated with rank amateurs

 A Meadow Pipit that didn't stay around for long

and a Stonechat looking decidedly scruffy

Our target bird was a Ring Ouzel and we were told that it is often in the car park at Auchallater south of Braemar.  If there wasn't one there we were bound to see one on the four mile walk to the bothy at Loch Callater.  It was a hot day.  We didn't fancy a four miles there and another four miles back.  But our luck was in.  At the car park we got out to stretch our legs and straight away heard the plaintive song of a Ring Ouzel.  I have to confess it was a sound that I was not expecting.  The book says '...a few repeated notes or motifs at a slow tempo'.  This was one long call descending in pitch that had an unearthly quality.  It was not long before we saw the bird itself.  It wasn't with us for very long - a dash across the heather at the back of the car park, a short stop on a fence post and off across the road into the valley.

Ring Ouzel

That saved us an eight mile hike.

We carried on along the A93 t0 the summit at the Glenshee Ski Centre.  We did this mainly because it would have been churlish not to given we were in the area.  We may have sen some more Ring Ouzels or even a Ptarmigan or two or perhaps a Golden Eagle but we didn't, just more Red Grouse.

From here we retraced out steps and headed for Glen Tanar.  On our way we stopped outside the Boat Inn in Aboyne because we had been told that the trees on the river bank held Garden Warbler.  No luck on the warbler but we did spend some time trying to get photos of Sand Martins that were nest building in the river bank. We couldn't get views without a lot of vegetation in the way. There are much better photos of Facebook

Sand Martin

Alex wanted a picture of a Green Woodpecker.  On our last visit we heard one but it remained out of sight.  On this visit it wasn't even calling.  We did a short walk on the Juniper Trail.  It was full of Willow Warblers and Chaffinches we did hear a Chiffchaff and another warbler but ere unable to identify it by sound and couldn't see it.  Had we got a positive ID it would have meant one more tick for the year list.

The next and final stop was the Forest of Birse.  On the way I was given a lesson on the pronunciation of Doric place names.  The village of 'Strachen' is pronounced 'Straun' but the manager of Scotland's national football team is still pronounced 'Strachen'.

It is a long single track road running along side the Waters of Feugh (don't ask me how to say it) to the car park at the end.  What struck me was the number of Mistle Thrushes, there are very few in the Fraserbugh area.

Mistle Thrush

From the car park the road became a private track leading to farms and into the mountains

We made two discoveries here.  The first was a Red-legged Partridge and the second a Slow Worm.

Red-legged Partridge

Slow Worm

It was then the long drive home.

Just for fun we put together a 'trip list'.  Here it is, in no particular order:-

Buzzard, Pied Wagtail, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Woodpigeon, Red Grouse,Black Grouse, Pheasant, Raven, Snipe, Common Gull, Lapwing, Willow Warbler, Stonechat Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Goosander,  Dipper, Chaffinch, Curlew,Jackdaw, Swallow, Ring Ouzel,  Mallard, Blackbird, Siskin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Carrion Crow, Rook, House Sparrow. Sand Martin, Dunnock. Robin. Blackcap. Great Tit, Starling, Herring gull, Magpie, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Greylag Goose, Feral Pigeon, Black-headed Gull, Teal Redshank and Linnet.  I make that 45 so a target has been set for future trips.

We also saw Red Deer. Roe Deer, Mountain Hare, Brown Hare and Rabbit.  A Slow Worm, Speckled Wood and some White and some Reddish butterflies but we were not paying much attention to them.

Today there were three 'Tick to add to the year list.

A Sedge Warbler heard on my morning walk it would not come out to be photographed.

And a Lesser Whitethroat and Whimbrel at Rattray this afternoon.  I took some time to find these birds.  The Lesser Whitethroat was in the garden of the Lighthouse Cottages and only came into view when I went back for a second look after seeing the Whimbrel which I only found after I had given up on the Warbler.  The Cottages had Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and loads of Swallows as well as Linnets, Robins, a Wren and a Dunnock and House Sparrows.  Meadow Pipits, and Sky Larks, Curlews, Lapwing, Jackdaws and Carrion Crows were in the adjacent fields with the Whimbrel. 

Lesser Whitethroat

Curlew on the left, Whimbrel on the right

Swallow, this one kept returning to this perch

And don't forget the rabbits

Back lit Bunny

Total on list 168

Five a Day - I Wish...

In wish every day was like today.  Five new ticks for the 2017 year list.

Whitethroat, Ruff, Dotterel, Shore Lark and Brambling.

The first of my 5 a Day
I saw the Whitethroat on my morning walk down the old railway line to Cortes.  There is a campaign to restore the railway which is gathering momentum. If the campaign succeeds I wonder what will happen to the wildlife that has taken over the line

Whitethroat

Rowe Deer by the old railway line

The second of my 5 a day
After my walk and breakfast I went to the Loch of Strathbeg Visitor Centre. After the last few days it was the place to go.  Here was the Ruff.  Not, I was told the same one I did not see the day before. (no picture I'm afraid)

The third
This was a Dotterel.  Just as I got back home I got a call from Alex to say he had found three Dotterel and a flock of summer plumage Golden Plover at Coralhill  just a few miles up the road.  I put the shopping trip on hold ad hot-footed it up to Coralhill.  The first part of the drive is straight forward on public roads, albeit single track with passing places.  The last few hundred metres was along a farm track full of potholes and with a grass strip down the middle.  Fortunately the car managed to get there without grounding.  Alex was still there as was Kenny.  My first sighting of the Dotterel was through Kenny's telescope, after that I was able to pick them out with my 'scope.

Golden Plover hiding in a ploughed field

 

Dotterel behind the Golden Plover

Dotterel (heavily cropped photo)

The above photo is of a female Dotterel.  They are one of only a few bird species where the female is more brightly coloured than the male.  It is the male that does most of the incubation of the eggs and therefore has to be camouflaged.  The female job is just to lay the eggs and to be attractive to the males so they can afford to be more flamboyantly feathered.  They breed on the high mountain tops and are only seen in these lowland places on their way there.
News of their presence soon got out ( I posted it to the NE Scotland Rare birds 'Whatsapps' Group) so I left the site before everyone arrived and made it difficult to get out of the single track road and farm track system.  Anyway I had to get home to do for lunch and to do the shopping.  


The forth of the 5 a day
This was a Shore Lark or Horned Lark.   I got the 'Whatsapp' message about this bird just as I was to leave for my shopping trip.  Getting my priorities right I did the shopping first before heading out to Rattray where the Shore Larks had been seen.  I am not sure which track is in the worst condition the one at Coralhill of the one at Rattray.  Halfway along this track I met a birder coming the other way .  He told me that people had walked all the fields and could not find the birds.  I carried on anyway and met up with Alex and Kenny again.  They told the same story, the birds were not to be found.  I went with Alex to chase up a report of a Lesser Whitethroat seen t the Rattray Lighthouse Cottages.  We did see a Willow Warbler.

Willow Warbler

 And a baby Rabbit

We caught a glimpse of a bird that could have been a Whitethroat but were were that sure it could be counted.

Meanwhile Kenny left for home.  During our futile search around the Lighthouse cottages Kenny phoned, he was looking at the Shore Larks.  We got back to where Kenny was as quickly as the 'road' conditions would allow and looked through his telescope to see a Shore Lark.  After that it just disappeared blending in to its surrounding so perfectly that it could not bee seen.

The fifth of the 5 a Day
Kenny, Alex and me were getting into our cars when I got a message from Jill.  She had seen a Brambling in our garden.  I invited the others home for a drink and a look at the Brambling.  Needless to say when we got there the only sign of the Brambling was the photos Jill had taken.  This was the second time that a Brambling had been in our garden while I was out.  And I needed it for my year list.

Coffees were drunk good byes were said and I set to work cooking the tea.  All of a sudden under the bird feeders just outside the Kitchen window the female Brambling Jill had photographed appeared.  I had got my 'tick'.  It went before I could get my photo.  Twenty minutes later it returned.  Here is my photo

Female Brambling

It is the same bird that Jill saw it had a silver ring on its right leg.

Five 'ticks' in a day.  If ticks came that easily we would have to raise out target for the year to a lot higher than 200.

Total on list 164

Rattray

Rattray is a dune system to the South of the Loch of Strathbeg.  This mornings visit was my first of 2017.  It certainly will not be the last as Rattray is the local Mecca for migratory birds.  All sorts of things are likely to turn up in Spring and Autumn.

For non birders the lighthouse is the main point of interest, that and the fantastic expanse of sandy beach.  If the tide and sands are right wrecks are exposed, great for explorers of any age.

Lighthouse Keepers Cottages

Rattray Lighthouse

Rattray Lighthouse

The lighthouse is unmanned and the old cottages are now a B&B and hostel.

I did not expect to see many birds here.  Its the wrong time of year and it was blowing a gale.  Any bird that were there would have kept their heads down.  That said Curlews, a Shelduck, Crows and Herring Gulls were in the dunes.  On the way down to the car park by the Cottages there were Pink-footed Geese in the fields.  One group held some Barnacle Geese - tick Barnacle Goose.

Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Geese wit h Pink-foots

I don't think any of my posts have shown Pink-footed Geese except as above, at a distance.  The Loch of Strathbeg hosts a quarter of the worlds population of these geese (up to 90,000).  It is for many their first stop off point on their journey from Iceland to their wintering grounds further South in Scotland and England. This is what they look like.

Pink-footed Goose

Pink-footed Goose

As you can see they do have pink legs and feet.  Quite a lot of people come up here to shoot these birds,  sometimes for the pot but often just for sport.  The bird in the second of these photos has a damaged wing, probably from a shooting incident.  The one behind was limping.  These birds will not be able to return to their breeding grounds in Spring and will stay around the area trying to keep away from predators.

 On the way back home for lunch I paused at Bilbo Farm because I had seen another 'tick'

Skylark

A Skylark.

This afternoon I was off to the Loch of Strathbeg visitors centre and Tower Pool Hide.  Not a lot to report but I did get this photo of a Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawk

Total for list 113