Another 2 Iceland Gull today, an adult and a 2nd winter behind Home Bargains in Fraserburgh. ( Actually Aberdeenshire not Moray) .. 2 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull also seen here this afternoon. . A pair of Shoveler were also present in with the Wigeon out to sea . .
rob archer said
Tue Feb 18 9:34 AM, 2020
Short walk yesterday from Gardenstown up to Troup Head and back.. 2 Iceland Gulls ( adult and a juvenile off Crovie) and a Grey Phalarope off Troup Head was the best on a beautiful clear day ..
rob archer said
Thu Feb 28 5:12 PM, 2019
A few days on the Moray Coast from 16th Feb based at an Air B n B in Whitehills. Great weather all week and some nice walking.. Very quiet out to sea compared to other winter trips we have had here and fewer White winged Gulls about too. A couple of Glaucous Gulls, 4 Iceland Gulls, single Mediterranean Gull, a couple of ringed Herring Gulls from Aberdeenshire, plenty of Purple Sandpiper, 100+ Crossbill in the woodland around Binn Hill, plenty of colour ringed Shag around the Whitehills shoreline and a few Long-tailed Duck around the coast. One of the Iceland Gulls on the beach at Inverllochy was colour ringed and although I could not get the full details there was enough seen to know it had been ringed in NE Scotland. Still awaiting a reply.
Highlights of a few hours from chanonry point watching the Bottle Nosed Dolphins and Grey Seals on Monday morning: 2 Pomerine Skua Red Throated Diver 6 Black Throated Diver 100's of Pink Footed Geese over 15 Common Eider Long Tailed Duck 2 Red Breasted Merganser Purple Sandpiper 4 Turnstone Kittiwake Razorbill Black Guillemot Hooded Crow
Mike Chorley said
Wed Feb 5 10:48 PM, 2014
Cheers, Steve, I think you've just given me a new signature..."You don't HAVE to be mad to go birding but....."
Steve Suttill said
Wed Feb 5 9:35 AM, 2014
Mike Chorley wrote:
Highlights of a Highland day trip today with Messrs Rigby & Rayner.
A "day trip" to the Highlands?
I always retained a faint glimmer of hope that you lot might show some sign of sanity, but...
Mike Chorley said
Tue Feb 4 10:46 PM, 2014
Highlights of a Highland day trip today with Messrs Rigby & Rayner.
Loch Flemington:
American Coot, showing well when we arrived and associating with an Eurasian Coot from time to time. Whooper Swan 14 Yellow-browed Warbler heard in the willows on the small headland to the left of the lay-by on ourarrival but not seen or head again while we were there
Nairn Harbour:
Long-tailed Duck C20 including several smart males close in. Slavonian Grebe 2 Black-throated Diver 3-5 Great Northern Diver 1 close in Rock Pipit 2
Pete Welch said
Fri Jan 17 7:09 PM, 2014
Spent half a day along the Moray coast yesterday, highlights of which included:
Nairn:
Brent Geese Common Scoter Eider Long Tailed Duck Rock Pipit [the only place I can think of in the UK where I've seen a Rock Pipit on every visit!] ...missed out on the King Eider which had been a mile or so up the coast
Burghead:
Close in:
Eider - fishing for crabs and small flatfish Shag Long Tailed Duck [1M, 1F and 1imm M] Cormorant Turnstone Many of the more common gull species but no white wingers Kittiwake - originally mis-ID'd as a Little Gull - I was surprised to see one on the coast in winter in my defence :) Four seals mopping up the trawlers discarded fish Hooded Crow No divers within binocular range
Loch Flemington [a handy seven minutes from the airport]:
American Coot
David Lumb said
Sat Sep 29 5:10 AM, 2012
Moray Coast, from Findhorn Bay to Spey Bay. Sunny with a couple of short showers, not as windy as forecast.
Red-throated Diver Black-throated Diver Slavonian Grebe (approx 20 at Findhorn) Gannet Cormorant Shag Grey Heron Mute Swan Barnacle Goose (3 flying over Findhorn) Mallard Wigeon Teal Eider Common Scoter Velvet Scoter Long-tailed Duck Goosander Red-breasted Merganser Buzzard Peregrine Oystercatcher Ringed Plover Knot Turnstone Dunlin Redshank Bar-tailed Godwit Curlew Whimbrel (Findhorn Bay) Black-headed Gull Common Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Sandwich Tern (Lossiemouth & Spey Bay) Arctic Tern (Hopeman) Guillemot Razorbill Feral Pigeon Woodpigeon Collared Dove Swallow House Martin Rock Pipit Meadow Pipit Pied Wagtail White Wagtail Wren Dunnock Robin Blackbird Coal Tit Magpie (two, the only ones seen in over a week) Jackdaw Rook Carrion Crow Starling House Sparrow Chaffinch Linnet Siskin Greenfinch Goldfinch Snow Bunting (two at Hopeman) Yellowhammer (Findhorn Bay & Findhorn)
Grey Seal Bottle-nosed Dolphin
Peacock butterfly
rob archer said
Sat Feb 26 11:59 PM, 2011
Good weeks birding around Moray Firth from Spey Bay across to Loch of Strathbeg. Some great sea watching that would have been even better a month or so earlier.
Saw the following;
Red Throated Diver,
Black Throated Diver
Great Northern Diver x 1(Burghead Bay)
Slavonian Grebe x 1(Burghead Bay)
Fulmar
Gannet
Cormorant
Shag
Grey Heron
Whooper Swan
Mute Swan
Pink Footed Goose
Shelduck
Mallard
Gadwall
Pintail
Shoveler
Wigeon
Teal
Tufted Duck
Pochard
Long Tailed Duck.. Still hundreds in Spey Bay
Common Scoter
Eider
Goldeneye
Smew (2 RH at Strathbeg)
Red Breasted Merganser
Goosander
Buzzard
Kestrel
Red Grouse (Ben Rinnes)
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Golden Plover
Grey Plover
Lapwing
Dunlin
Knot
Turnstone
Ruff x 2 Strathbeg
Redshank
Black Tailed Godwit
Bar tailed Godwit
Curlew
Black Headed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black Backed Gull
Common Gull
Iceland Gull x 2 Spey Bay
Black Guillemot x 2
Guillemot
Rock Dove
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Skylark
Rock Pipit
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Dipper
Dunnock
Song Thrush
Blackbird
Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit and long tailed Tit
Jay
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Raven
Hooded Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Bullfinch
Yellowhammer
Snow Bunting x 1m Troup Head
Also saw Otter, (Spey Bay) Dolphin(Troup Head) Roe Deer ,Common Seal and Grey Seal
Rob Archer
Another 2 Iceland Gull today, an adult and a 2nd winter behind Home Bargains in Fraserburgh. ( Actually Aberdeenshire not Moray) .. 2 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull also seen here this afternoon. . A pair of Shoveler were also present in with the Wigeon out to sea . .
Short walk yesterday from Gardenstown up to Troup Head and back.. 2 Iceland Gulls ( adult and a juvenile off Crovie) and a Grey Phalarope off Troup Head was the best on a beautiful clear day ..
A few days on the Moray Coast from 16th Feb based at an Air B n B in Whitehills. Great weather all week and some nice walking.. Very quiet out to sea compared to other winter trips we have had here and fewer White winged Gulls about too. A couple of Glaucous Gulls, 4 Iceland Gulls, single Mediterranean Gull, a couple of ringed Herring Gulls from Aberdeenshire, plenty of Purple Sandpiper, 100+ Crossbill in the woodland around Binn Hill, plenty of colour ringed Shag around the Whitehills shoreline and a few Long-tailed Duck around the coast. One of the Iceland Gulls on the beach at Inverllochy was colour ringed and although I could not get the full details there was enough seen to know it had been ringed in NE Scotland. Still awaiting a reply.
2 Pomerine Skua
Red Throated Diver
6 Black Throated Diver
100's of Pink Footed Geese over
15 Common Eider
Long Tailed Duck
2 Red Breasted Merganser
Purple Sandpiper
4 Turnstone
Kittiwake
Razorbill
Black Guillemot
Hooded Crow
A "day trip" to the Highlands?
I always retained a faint glimmer of hope that you lot might show some sign of sanity, but...
Loch Flemington:
American Coot, showing well when we arrived and associating with an Eurasian Coot from time to time.
Whooper Swan 14
Yellow-browed Warbler heard in the willows on the small headland to the left of the lay-by on ourarrival but not seen or head again while we were there
Nairn Harbour:
Long-tailed Duck C20 including several smart males close in.
Slavonian Grebe 2
Black-throated Diver 3-5
Great Northern Diver 1 close in
Rock Pipit 2
Nairn:
Brent Geese
Common Scoter
Eider
Long Tailed Duck
Rock Pipit [the only place I can think of in the UK where I've seen a Rock Pipit on every visit!]
...missed out on the King Eider which had been a mile or so up the coast
Burghead:
Close in:
Eider - fishing for crabs and small flatfish
Shag
Long Tailed Duck [1M, 1F and 1imm M]
Cormorant
Turnstone
Many of the more common gull species but no white wingers
Kittiwake - originally mis-ID'd as a Little Gull - I was surprised to see one on the coast in winter in my defence :)
Four seals mopping up the trawlers discarded fish
Hooded Crow
No divers within binocular range
Loch Flemington [a handy seven minutes from the airport]:
American Coot
Red-throated Diver
Black-throated Diver
Slavonian Grebe (approx 20 at Findhorn)
Gannet
Cormorant
Shag
Grey Heron
Mute Swan
Barnacle Goose (3 flying over Findhorn)
Mallard
Wigeon
Teal
Eider
Common Scoter
Velvet Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Goosander
Red-breasted Merganser
Buzzard
Peregrine
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Knot
Turnstone
Dunlin
Redshank
Bar-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Whimbrel (Findhorn Bay)
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Sandwich Tern (Lossiemouth & Spey Bay)
Arctic Tern (Hopeman)
Guillemot
Razorbill
Feral Pigeon
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Swallow
House Martin
Rock Pipit
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
White Wagtail
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Coal Tit
Magpie (two, the only ones seen in over a week)
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Siskin
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Snow Bunting (two at Hopeman)
Yellowhammer (Findhorn Bay & Findhorn)
Grey Seal
Bottle-nosed Dolphin
Peacock butterfly