After some inclement weather, a decent day with a chilly breeze.
I went to Aberdeen beach.
There were plenty of birds on the sea, but fortunately a few were close enough in to identify. Amongst these were
Eider, a couple of drakes Guillemot Razorbill Red-throated Diver, juvenile type bird Shag Common Tern, one was fishing right in front of me. Other Terns were too far out to be certain of their identity. Gannet
With the better weather in the east today's holiday destination from Nethy was Aberdeenshire. Amazingly overnight there had been a fall of Bluethroats, how lucky were we? But seeing one may be a different thing!
We first tried Collieston as a bird had been there but the sea mist was so thick that we gave up. Next we went to Bullers of Buchan where the mist was whispier. Here we watched the fantastic seabird colony with Shags, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills all in big numbers. A short search revealed 3 Puffins on the sea. In a garden as we walked back a strangled croaking proved to be a trapped Razorbill in a rose bush. Risking fingers to that scalpel-sharp beak I managed to free it without damage to the bird or me!! We released it on the cliff edge be it flew unharmed, strongly out to sea.
We next went to Longhaven Cliffs SWT Reserve where a short way in we came to a group of stunted sycamores. This was a location of another earlier Bluethroat sighting. After a short search a brief view was had but another patient wait paid off when the bird showed for long periods out in the open. It was an immaculate summer plumaged male Red-spotted Bluethroat, what a bird!! Also in the same area we had a Spotted Flycatcher, a Yellowhammer and a Whitethroat.
Our next location was the Ythan Estuary and here a short watch added Eider, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern and Little Tern to our lists. Then the final port of call was Blackdog. Offshore our final new birds of the day we're Common Scoters and a lone Gannet. Another cracking day with a totally unexpected rarity!
Our annual trip over to Aberdeenshire whilst on holiday happened today. We started at Blackdog with a seawatch. This produced a beautiful Velvet Scoter, hundreds of both Common Scoter and Eider, over 30 Red-throated Divers, Shags and Red-breasted Merganser. Then we travell a short distance north to the Ythan Estuary. Here were Little, Arctic, Common and Sandwich Terns, and more Eider. Then further north to Bullers of Buchan where we discovered a real gem, a seabird city on the cliffs there with close views of Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Shags, Gannets and Fulmars. Also here was a juvenile Wheatear, a Yellowhammer and a Yellow Wagtail.
Hope it's ok to start a new topic, none there for Aberdeen at all!
Latest leg of our Scottish holiday was our usual trip across to the Ythan Estuary on the Aberdeenshire coast. Lots of Eiders but no sign of 'Elvis' the returning King Eider! Fantastic spectacle of hundreds of terns in the tern colony allowed me to get a digiscoped shot of Little, Arctic, Common & Sandwich Terns all together! Lots of Dunlin too along with big numbers of Tundra race Ringed Plovers. Quite a few Red-breasted Mergansers hauled out with the Eiders too.
A bit of a seawatch produced several Red-throated Divers, Kittiwakes, Gannets, Manx Shearwaters and Razorbills. All to the backdrop of the ooo-ing of the Eiders & moaning songs of the several hundred Common & Grey Seals in the colony here
