• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Birds fae Torry (2 Viewers)

12 Swallows together this afternoon on Balnagask Road. Might just be my last ones for the year.

There have been quite a few over the centre of town today battling the breeze, and some House Martins over Mannofield (gone down from 12-15 to about 6 in the last week). Difficult to say if the Swallows are migrants. They've been going in all directions.

Now's the time to start to scrutinise any Swift very carefully.

Cheers,
 
Still plenty of Swallows about today, although no other hirundines. I've seen both House and Sand Martins around Girdle Ness during the week though.

In addition to inheriting Girdle Ness as a patch from Stuart Reeves, I've also inherited his old WEBS count from Cove Bay to Nigg Bay. It's a nice walk along the clifftops but doesn't usually hold too many birds. Today was probably quieter than usual with the undoubted highlight, and I say this in all seriousness, being a flock of no fewer than 25 Lapwings. Certainly the most I've seen on the count and only 19,975 short of being internationally important. Other stuff included a single Purple Sandpiper, my second of the autumn, at Greg Ness and nearly 200 Pink-feet going south in two flocks. I had a quick seawatch from Greg Ness and managed 'the usual' Arctic Skua and Bonxie and a couple of juvenile Arctic Terns. Not too much to add from the flat, although the dolphins were around all morning. I finally located a Curlew on a patch of shore near Footdee. Up until now they've been mocking me from just out of sight but this one wasn't following orders. That's 49 species on the house list now. There was also a veritable cavalcade of Grey Wagtails, with at least two and probably three knocking about on the warehouse roof opposite late morning.
 
I finally located a Curlew on a patch of shore near Footdee. Up until now they've been mocking me from just out of sight but this one wasn't following orders. That's 49 species on the house list now.

I had a Curlew from my kitchen window today. Oddly, since I live about a mile north of the River Dee, and a couple of miles from the sea, waders have been very infrequent over the middle of Aberdeen as visible migrants in the years I've been here. Golden Plovers swarm round the Ythan, a mere hop up the coast, yet I've not seen even one in six years of almost daily watching over the town. Lapwing is hardly commoner. I've seen terns, divers, ducks and geese from the kitchen, but hardly any waders. Most strange.

When I lived in Edinburgh, large waders such as Curlew and Lapwing were occasional flyovers, sometimes in numbers. They must surely pass over Aberdeen somewhere from time to time, but I'm blasted if I know where.

Cheers,
 
I've seen pretty much no waders over the city apart from the usual Oycs.

Which reminds me of something else I saw today and also provides an opportunity to introduce a local bird celebrity: The Freak. The Freak can normally be found in the Nigg Bay area, although I've once seen him (or her as we must add in these politically correct times) at Donmouth. Today he (or she) was at Greg Ness.

Behold The Freak!!!
 

Attachments

  • LeusisticOyc1601b.jpg
    LeusisticOyc1601b.jpg
    170.7 KB · Views: 751
  • LeucisticOyc1601c.jpg
    LeucisticOyc1601c.jpg
    173.1 KB · Views: 819
  • LeusisticOyc1601a.jpg
    LeusisticOyc1601a.jpg
    153 KB · Views: 741
I have seen him or her (pc correct) at Nigg Bay on and off for several years.He/She must be getting on in years,unless this bird is an offspring.
 
I have seen him or her (pc correct) at Nigg Bay on and off for several years.He/She must be getting on in years,unless this bird is an offspring.

That's certainly true; I first saw he/she at least ten, and probably nearer fifteen, years ago. Still in the same area though.

Stuart
 
The weather's certainly looking promising, both for migrants and seawatching. I'll keep an eye on developments.

I didn't get too many opportunities today but managed a few seabirds mid to late afternoon. Still lots of Gannets going through and also 1 Arctic Skua, 7 Common Scoters north and a Manx Shearwater going south. There were 2 Red-throated Divers north and another (or possibly one of the above not fancying it) south. 3 Knot were on the north breakwater and I had tantalising views of a few other waders flying north, some of which may have been Knot but a couple looked more like Ruff. I think waders are sometimes going to do that to me. I can do them when they're within a mile but it's a bit of a learning curve doing blurry silhouettes disappearing behind buildings. 50 Pink-footed Geese followed the Dee inland.

And then there was this crazy power boat coming into the harbour. It was advertising biofuels, which surely somebody has an opinion on.
 

Attachments

  • Freak Boat 3.jpg
    Freak Boat 3.jpg
    171.7 KB · Views: 352
Had a few glances out to sea today and managed a single Arctic Skua, 3 Common Scoters and 6 Wigeon, moving the house list serenely onto a well-earned half century. The 'usual' Bottle-nosed Dolphins were also bobbing about both morning and evening. Tomorrow, I'll be giving the sea a good, hard look and a stern talking to if it doesn't cough up a few shears.
 
Woodcock is one I'll have an eye out for if we get some easterlies over the next couple of months. I've seen some in some pretty unlikely situations here in Aberdeen.

My best one was flying down Union Street at 3.00 am one November!. Probably lured by the scent of Macca Pies. Generally see a few nipping up each autumn and early spring on my early morning cross city cycle commute.
 
Well, the sea was given a hard look. And I can tell you that coarse oaths were exchanged. Well when I say a hard look, I mean a few bits off and on from the flat and just over an hour from Girdle Ness late afternoon. And it was certainly a refreshing day here in Torry. But not refreshing in the sense of being knee deep in big rares but refreshing in the sense of it being cold. And windy. And raining a bit. Sadly the seabirds seemed to prefer to be elsewhere. In the AM, 1 Red-throated Diver on the sea, 1 Common Scoter and 85 'Goose sp' north and, err, the Bottle-nosed Dolphins again - half a dozen or so. The highlight, and the only house tick of the day, were 4 Mistle Thrushes going north. You'll have to ask them why. Also a couple of Swallows (which seem to have largely cleared off with these raging northerlies) going through.

Had a bracing seawatch from 4:15 to 5:30 up by the foghorn at Girdle Ness, hunkered down against the wind. The highlight was a flock of 4 Pale-bellied Brent Geese north. Also 13 juvenile Arctic Terns, 3 Common Scoter, 1 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Wigeon, 13 Teal and 31 Pink-footed Geese north and 2 Red-throated Divers south. As for the skuas and shearwaters, nada, rhien, nichts, nyet komrade. Down south probably. I will have my vengeance.

Some nice pictures:
1. The north breakwater. I've never known a night like it! Or a day for that matter.
2. Somewhere, over the rainbow... there's a great big tanker.
 

Attachments

  • Bears Arse 1.jpg
    Bears Arse 1.jpg
    154.1 KB · Views: 320
  • Over the Rainbow 1.jpg
    Over the Rainbow 1.jpg
    136.1 KB · Views: 309
Ah excellent, I see my digs are sorted for next time I'm in Aberdeen, even a window overlooking the sea ;) Hope you'll have bought a new sofa by then
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top