Birds fae Torry (13 Viewers)

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 3, 2008

The keen-eyed amongst you will have noticed there have been no entries for over a week. Maybe this means there have been no birds. It's a distinct possibility. Although to be fair, the Glaucous Gull is keeping his end up, all night on occasions. He was still around on Saturday, favouring the warehouse rooves from where he eyes up the local talent. The dolphins seemed to disappear around Thursday and I've not seen any since. They'll be back.

I did do a proper sort of walk type thing around the Ness on Saturday. It was right windy. I was hoping for some 'interesting early spring seabird movement' action. I suppose a few Fulmars drifting north probably doesn't count as interesting though. There were two Ringed Plovers and a Curlew on the north shore. And err, that's about it. I might have to start making stuff up again at this rate.

turkish van · Mar 3, 2008

Andrew Whitehouse said:
Although to be fair, the Glaucous Gull is keeping his end up, all night on occasions.

I can never figure out if these regular strings of words with alternative risque connotations are intentional or not!

Jos Stratford · Mar 3, 2008

turkish van said:
I can never figure out if these regular strings of words with alternative risque connotations are intentional or not!

Considering they are followed by 'eyes up the local talent', you might be able to guess.

markgrubb · Mar 3, 2008

turkish van said:
I can never figure out if these regular strings of words with alternative risque connotations are intentional or not!

Some psychologists might say that the purported activities of the glonk are merely a projection of the wishes of his psyche

- the activities of the glonk being the desires of his id, being kept in check by the needs of his superego-having to keep the veneer of respectibility, being a ahem, respected member of society

There again he may just be writing a load of drivel to keep us amused........

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 4, 2008

More drivel for the easily amused...

There were loads of gulls in the harbour today, many of them drifting about on the rising tide and picking at the water. I went down to the north shore late in the afternoon when lots of gulls were gathered on the mud or on the water. I'd not seen the Glonk all day but eventually found it just as the sun set. I say 'it' because I don't think this was actually my regular drinking partner who's been around for the past few months. This bird had a distinctly dark breast (which I suspect might have been oil) and also looked a bit smaller and had more worn plumage than my mate. So I guess a new Glonk's in town. The only other gull of note was a thoroughly freaky looking 1st winter Herring Gull with a deformed bill. It was very long, with a strongly hooked upper mandible and much shorter lower mandible. Really an odd looking thing. A single Bottle-nosed Dolphin was swimming into the harbour, quite a few Ringed Plovers were on the shore and there was a female Red-breasted Merganser.

StuartReeves · Mar 4, 2008

On a minor note of pedantry (the best sort don't you think?) I think you'll find that that mammal swimming in the harbour was actually a Bottlenose Dolphin. A subtle but important difference I think.

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 5, 2008

StuartReeves said:
On a minor note of pedantry (the best sort don't you think?) I think you'll find that that mammal swimming in the harbour was actually a Bottlenose Dolphin. A subtle but important difference I think.

Ooh he's sharp. Feel him cut you. Although even more strictly speaking they were Common or Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. Three or four of them were around this morning, incidentally. I also saw the regular Glaucous Gull a couple of times today, looking very distinctly different to the one I saw yesterday. I had a quick look at the gulls on the harbour early in the evening (as it's now just about possible to say) but didn't see anything too exciting. Still lots of gulls about though.

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 7, 2008

My mate the Glaucous Gull has been loitering around the warehouse rooves for the past couple of days. Yesterday morning the Peregrine was on Triple Kirks for the first time in a while. There's been plenty of dolphin action - maybe around 8 or more today, with some mother and calf combos leaping about.

There were plenty of seabirds going through around midday today, mostly Gannets and Fulmars but quite a lot of auks and the odd Kittiwake. I wandered down to the Ness late in the afternoon but things had quietened down by then.

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 9, 2008

Yesterday there was more Glaucous Gull and more dolphins, although the latter didn't turn up until around midday. The Glonk was pottering about round the old pier at high tide. The roost count of Purple Sandpipers was 244, so not troubling the totaliser. Have we peaked for this winter? I only saw four colour-ringed birds, which maybe suggests a bit of a turnover of birds. 67 Turnstones and 100 Redshank also roosting. There was a bit of seabird movement offshore, with a few Gannets and Kittiwakes north, quite a few auks on the sea and at least 60 Fulmars loitering around the mouth Nigg Bay. Also a Harbour Porpoise briefly. In the harbour there was what looked to be a 'borealis-type' Eider - certainly one showing noticeable sails. After the flurry of birds in the autumn I've actually seen very few Eiders showing sails, despite looking.

The dolphins and the Glaucous Gull were both around this morning, the latter on the North Pier for a change.

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 21, 2008

*Brushes dust of thread*

Well, it's been a while. And with the wind we've had here today, I probably didn't even need to blow the dust myself. March is proving to be 'in like a lamb and out like a lion' at the moment.

The Glaucous Gull was blowing about in the wind quite a bit today. Nice to know he's still about, although I've turned down the offer of a night on the tiles tonight. The local Herring Gulls are hunkering down on the various rooves where they nest. Quite a few have been displaced by recent building demolitions, which perhaps explains the impressive agro I watched on the colony below my flat yesterday. Two gulls had a big piece of each other's wings for several minutes. All very serious stuff. Intriguingly it seemed to be two female gulls scrapping, whilst a bigger male stood by and watched. They must have been females because they were pulling at each other's feathers, which is clearly a girly way of fighting.

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 22, 2008

It was another day of eye-watering weather here in Torry, although the wind was slightly less vigorous than yesterday. I took a wander round the Ness early in the afternoon hoping to count some roosting Purple Sandpipers on the high tide. Well, what with the waves lashing the north shore they weren't to be found on the old pier but I did count 79 huddled amongst the rocks on Greyhope Bay. 'Nearby', as they like to say on birdline, there were 2 Red-breasted Mergansers on the harbour and another on Nigg Bay. Quite a lot of Kittiwakes, Gannets and Fulmars were out to sea, and one Common Scoter went north. Two Stonechats were on the south side of the golf course. If I'm being entirely honest with you, it was a bit dull. I didn't even see the Glonk, although it seems to have been reported today.

More excitingly, there have recently been a few interesting discarded women's shoes around Girdle Ness.

Picture 1: A pair of furry boots I found a couple of weeks ago. I like these.
Picture 2: A lone stiletto from Greyhope Bay today. It seemed quite big to me, and I hoped it might once have belonged to some statuesque Norwegian lady, and then floated across the North Sea. Then I noticed that it was made by George at Asda, so it probably isn't, unless they have Asda in Norway.
Picture 3: Some rugged, masculine weather.

Ian Bell · Mar 22, 2008

As you may know Andrew

,the Car Park areas around Girdleness are well known for ladies (of the night) taking things off but the shoe situation,is a new one on me..!:-O

Laurence H · Mar 22, 2008

I had an idea a few months back for a photographic exhibition of discarded shoes. There were a couple on the A1 near me. But not being a photographer meant that it remained just an idea. Perhaps you could take up the baton? Then again, probably not...

Laurence

StuartReeves · Mar 22, 2008

I think the boots are a joke in the local dialect, as in "Furryboots are ye fae?"

Ian Bell · Mar 23, 2008

StuartReeves said:
I think the boots are a joke in the local dialect, as in "Furryboots are ye fae?"

Glad to see the Doric language is so strong in Suffolk..!:t:

Jane Turner · Mar 23, 2008

That is a size 8 stilleto!

markgrubb · Mar 23, 2008

Jane Turner said:
That is a size 8 stilleto!

Hmm, you don't happen to be size 8 do you, Dr W?

Capercaillie71 · Mar 23, 2008

My wife wears a size 8 - the same as me. Very handy when you're looking for some shoes when you need to go out and fill the bird feeders!

Ian Bell · Mar 23, 2008

Capercaillie71 said:
My wife wears a size 8 - the same as me. Very handy when you're looking for some shoes when you need to go out and fill the bird feeders!

So that explains,why sometimes you look 5ft 10 and at other times 6ft 2..!:eek!:

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 23, 2008

markgrubb said:
Hmm, you don't happen to be size 8 do you, Dr W?

Well, I don't like to boast but you know what they say about big feet...

... big shoes!

Birds fae Torry (13 Viewers)

Professor of Listening

Number 1 celebrity badger

Eastern Exile

Leading a life of quiet desperation

Professor of Listening

Local rarity

Professor of Listening

Professor of Listening

Professor of Listening

Professor of Listening

Professor of Listening

Attachments

Registered User

Well-known member

Local rarity

Registered User

Well-known member

Leading a life of quiet desperation

Well-known member

Registered User

Professor of Listening

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread