Kincardineshire: The Mearns and beyond (1 Viewer)

OK so i know i should be posting somewhere else (and have considered starting a kincardineshire - VC91 apparently - thread for some time) so here goes.

I normally spend my time birding around Gourdon, Montrose and the Ness, so apologies if this extra thread doesn't completely add value. By rights, Kincardineshire is neither in Anus nor Torry so spotted a nifty gap in the local patch market. It is a bit of a land that time forgot in a few respects and i like it like that - but i wont go into the pros and cons of living here just yet.

Anyway, Junee and I have just returned from a week in Cuba and between mojitos, cigars and snorkelling, the birding was pretty good and all without much effort.

I thought the reader might appreciate a run down of the birds i managed to see over the course of the week in and around Cayo Coco and some of the Cuban mainland around Ciego de Avila and Moron:

1 Magnificent Frigatebird
2 Brown Pelican
3 Double Crested Cormorant
4 Neotropic Cormorant
5 Great Blue Heron
6 Reddish Egret
7 Great Egret
8 Snowy Egret
9 Cattle Egret
10 Little Blue Heron
11 Green Heron
12 Greater Flamingo
13 Turkey Vulture
14 Broad-Winged Hawk
15 Common Black-Hawk
16 Crested Caracara
17 American Kestrel
18 Clapper Rail
19 Purple Gallinule (18 & 19 spotted by June - missed by me!)
20 Black-Necked Stilt
21 Black Bellied (Grey) Plover
22 Willet
23 Kildeer
24 Laughing Gull
25 Royal Tern
26 Least Tern
27 Mourning Dove
28 White-Winged Dove
29 Common Ground Dove
30 Zenaida Dove
31 Antillean Nightjar
32 Cuban Green Woodpecker
33 Northern Flicker
34 Gray Kingbird
35 Loggerhead Kingbird
36 Cuban Crow
37 Cuban Martin
38 Cave Swallow
39 Northern Mockingbird
40 Red-Legged Thrush
41 Bahama Mockingbird
42 Yellow Warbler
43 Blackburnian Warbler
44 Common Yellowthroat
45 Oriente Warbler
46 Cuban Grassquit
47 Cuban Bullfinch
48 House Sparrow
49 Greater Antillean Grackle
50 Tawny-Shouldered Blackbid
51 Muscovy Duck

Not bad considering most of these were lifers, and i wasn't trying desperately hard - it was far too hot and mosquito-ish to go looking for some proper swamp dwellers and hummingbirds.

Anyway, i hope to spend some spare time updating this thread with local sightings and plenty of idiosyncratic twaddle in future and whenever i can get away with skiving from work. But until then,

Happy birding,

Kev T

31.05.09

Sitting outside on the decking this evening, smoking the last of the cuban cigars and getting back to a decent belgian beer at last.

We have swallows building a nest right at our front door. Always thought that would be a brilliant spot for them - i wonder if the last owners actively discouraged them. They're more than welcome and a fine addition to the house i say.

Out front on the rocks this evening we had the usual suspects, namely, greater black backs, stock doves put in a brief appearrance, oystercatchers, cormorant, grey heron, house sparrows, starlings (including some recently fledged young) and of course herring gulls including a nesting pair on the rocks - i only hope that the summer tide stays low enough not to engulf the nest.

Just above the rocks we had a couple of fulmar and heaps of swallows, flying round the rocks and in between the houses and of course our new found neighbours industrially nest building. A couple of mallard flew overhead - i think the usually hang out around the mouth of the river bervie just up the road.

Further out there were heaps of gannets flying east (which probably means north to most - we're south facing here) and razorbills and guilliemots doing their thing. The usual couple of pairs of eider were loitering further out to sea as well. They tend to shy away whenever we're out on the decking.

Pleasant surprises of the evening included a pair of sandmartins over the rocks and a solitary swift - both fairly uncommon on the house list.

Anyway, back to work tomorrow, so listing may die down until the weekend again, but next post i will post the house list to date.

Until then, happy birding, etc.

Kev

Lifelong House list (since last autumn)

in no particular order:

1 Mute Swan
2 Pink-footed Goose
3 Greylag Goose
4 Shelduck
5 Mallard
6 Eider
7 Goldeneye
8 Red-breasted Merganser
9 Red-throated Diver
10 Fulmar
11 Gannet
12 Cormorant
13 Shag
14 Grey Heron
15 Sparrowhawk
16 Buzzard
17 Rough-legged Buzzard
18 Kestrel
19 Peregrine
20 Oystercatcher
21 Ringed Plover
22 Purple Sandpiper
23 Dunlin
24 Whimbrel
25 Curlew
26 Redshank
27 Turnstone
28 Kittiwake
29 Black-headed Gull
30 Little Gull
31 Common Gull
32 Lesser Black-backed Gull
33 Herring Gull
34 Great Black-backed Gull
35 Sandwich Tern
36 Common Tern
37 Arctic Tern
38 Guillemot
39 Razorbill
40 Puffin
41 Rock Dove
42 Stock Dove
43 Woodpigeon
44 Collared Dove
45 Swift
46 Skylark
47 Sand Martin
48 Swallow
49 House Martin
50 Rock Pipit
51 Pied Wagtail
52 Wren
53 Dunnock
54 Robin
55 Stonechat
56 Wheatear
57 Blackbird
58 Fieldfare
59 Song Thrush
60 Whitethroat
61 Jackdaw
62 Rook
63 Carrion Crow
64 Starling
65 House Sparrow
66 Tree Sparrow
67 Chaffinch
68 Greenfinch
69 Goldfinch
70 Linnet
71 Yellowhammer
72 Reed Bunting

great stuff Kev, very interesting reading. Sometimes I think we spend too much time tearing up and down the country when there is plenty to see at home. I'll look forward to reading more.

Ken

Cheers Ken,

I look forward to receiving input/reports from others as well. I'm fairly new to the area and wouldn't consider myself familiar with all the area has to offer.

I do try to get to Fowlsheugh every now and again to see the Puffins. Would anyone care to comment about the numbers up there tho? I was there last a couple of weeks ago and managed to count about a dozen. Is this normal or has there been a marked drop in numbers here as with the rest of the country?

Any info would be gratefully received - one look at their wee sad clown faces and i start to feel sorry for them. Even more so when they can't get enough sand eels.

k

a dozen Puffins eh? That's more than I've ever managed. I believe they have never been plentiful at Fowlsheugh, so I think you have done OK. I must go and have another look soon.

Ken

Ken Hall said:

a dozen Puffins eh? That's more than I've ever managed. I believe they have never been plentiful at Fowlsheugh, so I think you have done OK. I must go and have another look soon.

Ken

Click to expand...

Hi Kev, took my daughter up there a couple of weeks ago and couldn;t find a single puffin.Plenty of other birds though, amazing how many birds are jammed onto these ledges ! well worth a visit.
gus

gus guthrie said:

Hi Kev, took my daughter up there a couple of weeks ago and couldn;t find a single puffin.Plenty of other birds though, amazing how many birds are jammed onto these ledges ! well worth a visit.
gus

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Hi Gus,

Sorry you didn't get to see the Puffins. If you get the chance to go back up to Fowlsheugh try and make it around evening time. The puffins tend to come into roost just before dusk. If you go right out to the end of the reserve where you can see the cave in the cliff face with the grassy/muddy entrance at the bottom of it and you should see them around there.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?...archp=ids.srf&dn=714&ax=387928&ay=781060&lm=0

For best results go round the head of that cove and look back towards the cliffs below the access path and you should be able to find a few more pairs.

Do take care not to leave it too late tho so that you have plenty of light to walk back to the car in.

Hope that helps. If it's not clear drop me a line and i'll try and explain a bit better, otherwise next time i'm up i'll get a context shot to show exactly where i mean.

Happy birding,

Kev

choughed2bits said:

Hi Gus,

Sorry you didn't get to see the Puffins. If you get the chance to go back up to Fowlsheugh try and make it around evening time. The puffins tend to come into roost just before dusk. If you go right out to the end of the reserve where you can see the cave in the cliff face with the grassy/muddy entrance at the bottom of it and you should see them around there.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?...archp=ids.srf&dn=714&ax=387928&ay=781060&lm=0

For best results go round the head of that cove and look back towards the cliffs below the access path and you should be able to find a few more pairs.

Do take care not to leave it too late tho so that you have plenty of light to walk back to the car in.

Hope that helps. If it's not clear drop me a line and i'll try and explain a bit better, otherwise next time i'm up i'll get a context shot to show exactly where i mean.

Happy birding,

Kev

Click to expand...

Hi Kev, thanks for the information, we were there about 10 am so we'll try again later in the day, hopefully with more luck.
gus.

Not much to report but did manage a rather lovely afternoon relaxing on deckchairs overlooking the sea today.

There was perpetual stream of gannets heading north doubtlessly running into the hundreds and loads of guillemots and razorbills cutting back and forth across the water.

Have to say that there has been a poor showing of terns around the harbour so far this year, although its perhaps a bit early in the summer for that.

We have a herring gull sitting on a nest on the rocks out the front and did notice some passing black headed gulls taking it upon themselves to dive bomb and rather mercilessly harrass the gull for no good reason. Is there a reason for such BHG misbehaviour?

Other than that there were the usual GBBG, eider, herons, oystercatchers, swallows, sparrows and hunners of newly fledged stuckies.

Yesterday a walk along the coast a bit towards Johnshaven revealed at least a couple of singing whitethroats - I presume they have nested as i first spotted one earlier in the year.

A fine addition to the usual linnets, rock & meadow pipits, yellowhammers and skylarks on that stretch of scrub. It makes an almost magical background music to walks early on in the evening.

Apart from that there is nothing new or exciting to report, but i have to admit, i haven't been far beyond the garden, Ah well, hope your weekend has been more productive than mine!

happy birding,

Kev T

Does anyone know of any boat cruises that go out along the east coast in the local area?

I know there are boat trips from Stonehaven (Lady Gail) but she never seems to be sailing whenever i phone - more lucrative taking out fishermen i presume.

Anything between Arbroath and Aberdeen would be great.

regards,

k

good to see a kincardineshire thread. i grew up in catterline and stoney so will be keeping an eye on this one. was gonna go to fowlsheugh today but it was going to take two hours by bus to get there and then walk up from the main road and just couldn't fit it in. i'll try and persuade my wife to give me a lift at the weekend.

there's not just coastline in kincardineshire so i'll try and keep an eye out when i'm at work in banchory or if i cross the river on any walks from over the border in culter and update as and when.

Thanks for posting here Dave. I am fairly new to the area and only know the few places i have been already - mostly around the coast.

I hope to get round more as and when i have some free time, but thats pretty hard to come by at the moment - what with work and all. That said - i look forward to your posts.

Down here in Gourdon i haven't really been out birding much, but i did notice a group of about a dozen Sandwich Terns out on the rocks in front of the house this morning. Good to see them around. I imagine the fog probably brought them in.

Other than that the swallows are still busy flying over the shore picking up flies. But i did notice a couple of swifts flying about this weekend too.

Must go and check out the whitethroats again too. They area a truly beatiful sight. Good to know they are breeding at either side of the village.

k

the coast is really where it's at round here but you do get some nice walks round the woodland and hills too. drumtochty glen is worth going to for a good walk and certainly along the dee near banchory is a fine day out as well.

i went for a stroll along the deeside way from culter the other day and saw my first definite red kite(seen a few maybes before), a common buzzard, a yellowhammer(first for me since i started paying attention to these things) and a good assortment of tits, chaffinches, pipits and thrushes. the kite was the definite highlight though. it was the main aim of the walk but unfortunately i didn't get any good pics as it was soaring too far away from me. i'm hoping to get some closer shots some day soon though as i have some good tips for the area and i'm pretty certain it would count as a kincardineshire tick too. anything west and south of peterculter is aberdeenshire not city and thus kincardineshire.

i also went to fowlsheugh yesterday and was lucky enough to get some puffins amongst the vast quantities of guilliemots, gulls and razorbills.

Puffin

Razorbills

Fowlsheugh

Well I have been out and about a few times recently but not much in Kincardineshire proper.

When no one was looking i was sloping off to Strathbeg to get a certain Stilt Sandpiper on to my life list. The Little Egret and duck Scaup with scauplets were certainly a bonus too.

Just beyond the southern extreme of my range i have been taking quick trips down to montrose basin looking for Green Sandpiper - rather unsuccessfully i may add. There are plenty of Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and Black tailed Godwits around however. Unexpected highlights have been the Ruddy Shelduck, Spotted Redshank and tonight, the Spoonbill - a UK lifer for me.

Think i might pop down to Kinnordy and Forfar Loch at the weekend. It's ages since i've been to either and I know a good cafe in Kirrie thats always good for a bacon roll a proper latte.

Apart from that, there's not much to report from Gourdon, save the baby eiders out the front and the swallows in the nest by our front door. We started off with five, but one unfortunately fell out of the nest and died. Still we now have four bouncing babies and they are getting bigger day by day.

I'll keep you posted with up to the minute news on their fledging. This is a first for the house so its quite exciting.

Until then,

Happy birding

Kev T

Spoonbill eh? Might have to take a trip to the basin myself some day soon.

I was in stonehaven all weekend for the folk festival but didn't get much birding time. I think the noise of all the fiddles and flutes at the harbour was putting off any prospective feathered talent from putting in an appearance.

Are Scaup breeding at Strathbeg? Wow!

Hi Mark,

I am pretty certain that what i saw was a female Scaup with ducklings in tow. Seen from the Tower Pool Hide (11 July 2009 around 10:30).

That said, i wouldn't say i was an expert, but the bird did show a distinctive white patch just at the base of the bill. I thought that was pretty diagnostic.

There was someone else in the hide who also had a look and agreed. (Hope he didn't do that out of politeness). I also said to the ranger (Dominic i think) up at Strathbeg and he did say "well stranger things have happened".

Anyway, i'm just putting it out there and would say that its well worth a visit if you're into your Scaup.

Female or otherwise.

Kev T

Manxies at last!

Spotted two Manx Shearwater from the house last night. I have been looking for ages for these - even up at Girdle Ness, Fowlsheugh and have flopped miserably since moving up to the North East.

I think part of it is havingthe patience to seawatch properly.

My recipe for success involved sitting out on the decking with a really boring book on reliability technology which i evidently wasn't reading, while wrapped up in my latest investment a "Selk Bag"

http://www.selkbag.net/

Ideal for the more sedentary birder, and highly recommended for those who are inclined to sit still in cold conditions for a long period of time.

Mine's is bright yellow as even i don't have the brass neck to go far from the house in one of these. But for those shameless enough to want to go birding without experiencing duvet loss anxiety it is available in a dark green or horrid brown colour.

Anyway, i shall make a point of giving over less of my posts to promoting consumerist trash and stick to the birds - as i find them

Happy birding,

Kev T

Hi Kev,

Scaup are extremely rare breeders in the uk...I think the birds are more likely to have been tufted ducks, which often show a large white blaze around the base of the bill and can look very scaup like, being best separated on rather more subtle (and difficult to see!) features such as bill pattern and head shape.

Although Dominics reaction might suggest that you were right all along......!

Mark