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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Birds fae Torry (3 Viewers)

Oh- and you better be that good in Spain and find a WP first or something...... ;)

Just out of interest, is it the kind of area of coast that could hold it, if it isn't battered to death tomorrow?


Will
 
Oh- and you better be that good in Spain and find a WP first or something...... ;)

Just out of interest, is it the kind of area of coast that could hold it, if it isn't battered to death tomorrow?


Will

I will probably be rubbish in Spain. There's as much of a chance of it sticking around here as anywhere else I suppose but it's impossible to say what will happen. How it responds to the likely battering tomorrow, if it's still here, will be significant. It might come onto the harbour, which could make it a bit easier to see at close range. There's good feeding with the River Dee coming out nearby, so that might help to keep it here.
 
Excellent post Andrew, a great sense of the thrill and the hint of uncertainty-well done to find it. And I won't even comment on.....
 
There were one or two other birds about. I briefly noticed a Puffin amongst the auk flocks - so that was, err, just the five species of auk today.

Nice find Andrew,

Very jealous. I was too busy sat in a basement office in London to even hear anything about it until getting home this evening.

You might want to revisit your Auk sp. count! Has that no. been done in a day in the UK before, I wonder? (Well since the early 19th century anyway!).
 
Well done on a great find Andrew. The local patching finally pays off!

Funnily enough, I'm more envious of the Little Auks, as I've never seen one before, although I have seen Brunnich's (many years ago and not in the UK, though).
 
If anyone finds a skinny ginger birder struggling along under the weight of his scope between Aberdeen station and Girdle Ness tomorrow morning do offer him a lift, he will be most grateful!!
 
Superb reward for the patch-bashing efforts! Nice one. You won't forget that in a hurry! :t:

Incidentally, your little fabrication a few posts ago was totally transparent to those in touch with what REALLY goes on in the UK birding scene - Steller's Sea Eagles are allergic to Wandering Tattlers. They never eat them.

Six auk sp., by the way! No envy. None at all........|=)|
 
I think it's heading here too, Tim. The forecast is for 72mph gusts in Aberdeen tomorrow. Orkney and Shetland look they'll get even worse winds. Best hang on to something solid.
We're all staying in - all schools tomorrow were officially closed today at 3.30 pm - at least I no longer have a polytunnel to worry about!
Good look down your way!
 
I think the idea of seeing six species of auk in a day was so unimaginable that I was unable to add them up properly.

Was down there from about 7:30 this morning along with quite a number of other folks. There weren't as many auks offshore as yesterday, although gradually more began to appear. As they did so, the seas got rougher so it was a hard task sorting through them. There were one or two false alarms and 'interesting' birds that others had seen but nobody was really convinced of anything. I suspect it might still be 'out there' but it's a big, rough old sea today with winds gusting well over 50mph already.

I had a bit of an early morning seawatch while I was looking and managed 3 Little Auks, 1 Great-northern Diver north, about four Red-throated Divers, 2 Common Scoters north with 2 more offshore, 1 Long-tailed Duck north and 2 offshore, 2 Teal north, 3 Goldeneye and a Puffin on the sea.

When I walked down to the Lighthouse at dawn, I flushed a Woodcock from the gorse at the top of the golf course. Walking back along the harbour mouth produced 2 Red-throated Divers and 3 Purple Sandpipers. There were one or two auks on the harbour but no more than that.
 
I was there most of today and I must say I was hugely impressed by my dogged determination. It was quite entertaining in a somewhat bizarre way, watching most of Aberdeen's detritus heading out to sea. The gulls kept pouncing on the endless stream of polybags and other strange things, only to discard them in disgust. No sign of the BG, and very few auks showing. Best of the day was a Glaucous Gull that paid a brief visit. I felt sorry for the car load of blokes all the way from Nottingham. No bird, and one of the stormiest days imaginable. I can't decide whether to go back again tomorrow. The forecast is for an improvement, but my wee lassie is getting married. I'll probably do the decent thing.
 

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