Birds fae Torry (11 Viewers)

amilne · Mar 30, 2009

Took my usual walk from Cove Bay to Torry yesterday on the cliff path. First time of the year that I could carry the binoculars and camera exposed all the way, and omit gloves altogether. Sunny but still some wind, but well down. Might explain the lack of passerines, but I still had difficulty identifying them even with the few birds I photographed. Perhaps several hundred Razorbills and some Guillemot on the water, and the usual gulls and Fulmars on the cliffs. At least one Red Throated Diver and the usual Eider, Shag and gulls on the water, Curlew and Oystercatchers in the fields, Kestrel and Buzzard flying. Surprisingly there were also some Pigeons on the cliffs, I thought they were all in my garden. I tried to count the Purple Sandpipers on the Skates Nose by photographing them, but in my usual incompetent manner didn't manage to overlap the photographs. Well over a hundred, but probably not threatening the totaliser anyway. Didn't see much of interest around the harbour or up the Dee, but I was hurrying to get a pint by then. B

Much more interesting was the new wind turbine, now operating, and solar panels being built at Altens and the strange barrier the Council have erected in the South corner of Nigg Bay. It was muddy there, but with less timber, no concrete or wire, they could have easily made a walkway past the mire. The first time you get there, you either have to take a 1km detour or scramble past it. It looks as if most people do the scramble. Perhaps the problem will be solved the next time there is heavy rain as I would guess the posts and concrete bases will down on the beach.
I've got my photos for the walk AT THE LINK HERE for those who are dying to see the new wind turbine and solar panels but don't see the need for doing the walk.

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 31, 2009

Nice account - I shall have to have a better look around Nigg Bay next time I'm out. By the way, your possible Skylark is a Reed Bunting - nice shot!

There were five or six Bottlenose Dolphins at the harbour mouth yesterday morning. I did have a look around the Ness on Sunday but it was still quiet, apart from lots of auks and gulls milling about, a couple of Red-throated Divers and a pair of Kestrels.

Helenelizabeth2 · Mar 31, 2009

Andrew Whitehouse said:
Nice account - I shall have to have a better look around Nigg Bay next time I'm out. By the way, your possible Skylark is a Reed Bunting - nice shot!

There were five or six Bottlenose Dolphins at the harbour mouth yesterday morning. I did have a look around the Ness on Sunday but it was still quiet, apart from lots of auks and gulls milling about, a couple of Red-throated Divers and a pair of Kestrels.

Not much happening up there, is there? Maybe even Northants has had a better winter.

amilne · Mar 31, 2009

Thanks Andrew,
I must have spent an hour trying to identify it. The strong rufous colour and erect crest made me put down poss Skylark rather than poss Reed Bunting. One day I'll learn, maybe.
Alex

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 31, 2009

Helenelizabeth2 said:
Not much happening up there, is there? Maybe even Northants has had a better winter.

Well, Northants is pretty fantastic of course - much better than Peterborough

. And we'll be back - you watch.

Andrew Whitehouse · Mar 31, 2009

amilne said:
Thanks Andrew,
I must have spent an hour trying to identify it. The strong rufous colour and erect crest made me put down poss Skylark rather than poss Reed Bunting. One day I'll learn, maybe.
Alex

I'm sure you will Alex - streaky brown things are always a bit tricky. You're getting the Rock Pipits by the way!

Mark Lew1s · Apr 1, 2009

Lovely day yesterday around the ness but pretty quiet bird wise. No sign of any migs, apart from a lesser black back I suppose. 2 reed buntings singing around the STW. Of 'slightly local' interest, I've just been told of a flock of 12,000 kittiwakes feeding off Portlethen last night. That must have been quite a sight!

Mark Lew1s · Apr 2, 2009

Wheatear and sand martin reported from the ness today. Not by me though as I'm stuck at work. I'll try and get down tonight to meet this influx of migrants

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 4, 2009

I saw my first two Wheatears of the spring this morning, both females along the north shore. A couple of Blackbirds and a Song Thrush at the Battery were probably migrants too. Offshore a couple of Teal went south and three Wigeon north. I also spent some time watching an interesting gull, which remained rather distant and rather murky as it drifted in and out of the haar. After considerable deliberation I became absolutely certain that it wasn't a Herring Gull. If I was to write a description it might come out something like this one that Mark saw the other week. Sadly my views weren't really conclusive enough. Darn. It's not that I hate interesting gulls, I just don't like it when they remain 'interesting'.

Mark Lew1s · Apr 4, 2009

had a similar day to you, re wheatears and song thrush, and bad weather. Intriguing gull??? tell me more!

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 5, 2009

Fat Paul Scholes said:
had a similar day to you, re wheatears and song thrush, and bad weather. Intriguing gull??? tell me more!

Well, it looked a bit like a 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull. Quite big, dark bill, pale head with dark eye smudge, dark looking wings especially on tertials and pale underparts. No pale window on the inner primaries in flight and contrasting dark tail band and white uppertail. Sadly I didn't really see it well enough to see any details, so I'm nowhere near 100% on it.

Mark Lew1s · Apr 6, 2009

Sounds like a really interesting bird! Had a look round for it on Sunday but no luck I'm afraid. Very little around really, a few wheatears, and Jackdaw and pheasant!

amilne · Apr 7, 2009

Walked from Cove to Torry again today.
Highlights, if that's the word, were a pair of long tailed ducks and a Wheatear at Nigg, with Dolphins, Cormorant, Razorbill and Guillemot in the harbour sheltering from the wind. They didn't have the pub (with beer and stovies) like I did to warm me up before I went back. High tide but no Purple Sandpiper.
Photo of Wheatear attached, but if you need to see the Ophion Luteum, coasteering and the other delights of my walks, you'll have to go here.

Ken Hall · Apr 7, 2009

Now that I'm back from my travels overseas (to Islay) I thought I'd catch up on things at The Ness. There were in fact some Purple Sandpipers (about 20) on the rocks at Greyhope Bay, at high tide, but they were well hunkered down and only visible if they moved. Also a flock of about 60 Turnstones flew in and landed on the rocks and just as quickly disappeared. There were 4 Dolphins cavorting about once the tide started to ebb, sometimes leaping clear of the water. Best bird was a Sandwich Tern feeding (successfully) in the bay. A few auks and Red Throated Divers flew past the Coo. Nice to be back. And nice photo of the Wheatear Alex.

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 11, 2009

It was quite a pleasant, breezy spring morning here in Torry so I had my usual Saturday morning wander around the Ness, where I was confronted with my usual Saturday morning lack of birds. But there were a few heartening signs of the changing season, most of which were Wheatears. Seven of them in fact, mostly around Greyhope Bay and Walker Park with another in the gorse on the south side. My first two Sand Martins of the year were flying into the wind by the breakwater pier. Offshore a big group of Kittiwakes were feeding amongst the Eider flock and a few Gannets were moving. Not much else though. Around 120 Purple Sandpipers flew over the rocks below the Coo and there was an 'Eider with sails' in the harbour. A pair of Kestrels seem to be in residence on the south side.

On the way home through Torry I was pleased to notice a car operated by a driving school called 'Startkey & Clutch'. Disappointingly the car wasn't a Ford Torino with a big white stripe down the side. They go so far, but then don't go the whole hog. Ultimately a let down.

In the afternoon and early evening at least two Sandwich Terns and half-a-dozen Bottlenose Dolphins were fishing, in their own rather different ways, around the river mouth.

Some pictures:
1&2. Nothing quite matches the exhiliration of the first hirundine in spring, and I think these two photos perfectly capture that feeling.
3. An as yet unidentified shopping trolley noticed amongst the seaweed on the north shore. Any comments on identification gratefully received.

Ken Hall · Apr 12, 2009

can't quite ID the trolley. If it was on the north shore, possibly ship assisted. I'll try to examine it in hand next time I'm passing.

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 12, 2009

Ken Hall said:
can't quite ID the trolley. If it was on the north shore, possibly ship assisted. I'll try to examine it in hand next time I'm passing.

Would be exciting if it's an overseas vagrant.

Ian Bell · Apr 12, 2009

Could it have belonged to a Falconer ? It looks as though it is used to being handled..!

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 13, 2009

Ben Nevis said:
Could it have belonged to a Falconer ? It looks as though it is used to being handled..!

Hmm, maybe a falconer's hybrid making ID tricky.

I actually did some birding yesterday too, in decidedly braw conditions. And there were even some birds to look at. The slight warmth brought out both Small Tortoishell and Peacock butterflies around the Battery. A male Long-tailed Duck was feeding off the breakwater pier, where two Sandwich Terns were roosting. Three Sand Martins were now around the base of the pier, perhaps investigating the small sand bank at the western end of Greyhope Bay. I haven't noticed them nesting in that area previously, but the sand bank looks new. My first Girdle Ness Swallow of the year was flitting about the lighthouse buildings and Walker Park.

Off the coo there were still large numbers of feeding gulls, auks and Eiders and amongst them I found a 'not before time' 1st winter Iceland Gull. It was lingering about for a while but I eventually lost track of it. Two Long-tailed Ducks went south and four more were in Greyhope Bay. A female Wheatear was on the south shore. Later in the day there were also six Red-breasted Mergansers and seven Sandwich Terns on the bay. Three Lesser Black-backed Gulls were on the roof of the water works and a male Reed Bunting was on the surrounding scrub. Another female Wheatear was on Nigg Bay beach.

Three other interesting observations:
1. A steam train heading south yesterday afternoon.
2. The ice cream van in Torry is currently playing 'The Entertainer'
3. A Fulmar flying right past my bedroom this morning

Just outside our region, here are some pictures from the seabird cliffs at Cove Bay. There's also a picture of one of the signs placed around the south side of Nigg Bay, which demonstrate a unique approach to English syntax.

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 15, 2009

The fine weather of the weekend has been replaced by a good old-fashioned silver haar, which I took the opportunity to venture out into this evening. There was again a bit more going on than there was, if that makes sense, but still nothing big. Or even medium sized. Quite fetching was a summer-plumaged Black Guillemot inshore of the breakwater pier. Another one was in amongst the Eiders off the Coo. Also in the vicinity were an impressive 230 Common Scoters, which don't often hang about here in such numbers. The most distant group contained within its number a drake Tufted Duck - a bit of a Ness rare. Three Wheatears were in Walker Park and I had some good views of a Fox in the gorse on the south side. A drake Long-tailed Duck was in Nigg Bay.

Birds fae Torry (11 Viewers)

Well-known member

Professor of Listening

What?!?

Well-known member

Professor of Listening

Professor of Listening

My real name is Mark Lewis

My real name is Mark Lewis

Professor of Listening

My real name is Mark Lewis

Professor of Listening

My real name is Mark Lewis

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Professor of Listening

Attachments

Well-known member

Professor of Listening

Registered User

Professor of Listening

Attachments

Professor of Listening

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread