Birds fae Torry (12 Viewers)

Mark Lew1s

My real name is Mark Lewis

• Jul 24, 2012

• #2,101

Son of Freak!

Anyone here old enough to remember the freak?

It's been a while since our old freind was last reported. On my lunchbreak today though I had an Oyc with almost entirely white primaries flying around in the harbour.

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Jul 24, 2012

• #2,102

I'm excited, but also slightly unnerved, at the prospect of Son Of Freak. I shall have to look out for him, or her. It's a couple of years since I've seen The Freak, so perhaps he, or she, has gone to that freaky place in the sky. Or to freak out some other place.

Will have to look out for the dolphins too - have still never had a proper view of White-beaked.

 

I

Ian Hay

Well-known member

• Jul 24, 2012

• #2,103

Well done on the Dolphins

Ian

 

Mark Lew1s

My real name is Mark Lewis

• Jul 24, 2012

• #2,104

Tomorrow morning will be as good a time as any for cetaceans - should be pretty calm and a wee bit overcast making viewing a bit easier.

Also worth looking out for...a friend caught 15 stormies and a leaches the other night at Newtonhill. Get your night vision goggles out!

 

Teamscotch

Well-known member

• Jul 25, 2012

• #2,105

Fat Paul Scholes said:

Son of Freak!

Anyone here old enough to remember the freak?

It's been a while since our old freind was last reported. On my lunchbreak today though I had an Oyc with almost entirely white primaries flying around in the harbour.

Click to expand...

I saw a horrendous looking oyc during winter/spring this year which I assumed was the legendary Freak. I'll have to look up details, but I'm pretty sure it was at Nigg Bay. So it may be that it lives on!

 

Mark Lew1s

My real name is Mark Lewis

• Jul 25, 2012

• #2,106

Thats the last time I try to talk up a cetacean watch....

Very quiet this morning, with only a few harbour porpoise showing on a flat calm surface. No seabird interest really, a few puffins, red-throats, and scoters.

A lesser redpoll feeding on grass on the golfcourse was of note though, as were the two rooks at the battery. Wader numbers beginning to very gradually build up too...

 

Mark Lew1s

My real name is Mark Lewis

• Jul 25, 2012

• #2,107

Three tufted duck in greyhope bay this lunchtime

 

Mark Lew1s

My real name is Mark Lewis

• Jul 26, 2012

• #2,108

A minke whale was this mornings highlight.

One or two seabirds knocking around, including 3 velvet scoter, and 2 each of great and arctic skua.

 

Mark Lew1s

My real name is Mark Lewis

• Jul 26, 2012

• #2,109

This lunchtime a juv wheatear and at least 43 goosander in the harbour. Some decent butterflies around at the mo, with common blue and meadow brown seen today. Also today, for the first time away from the sewage works, a ringlet in the rough on the edge of the golf course between the allotments and the battery

 

Mark Lew1s

My real name is Mark Lewis

• Jul 27, 2012

• #2,110

Who said July would be a little boring? It's been a little interesting this week so far, with little gull, little tern, and then today a little grebe in the harbour! A full on patch tick for me.

Also, a little influx of black headed gulls happening at the mo, with at least 120 around inverdee house this morning, and a large gull with white primaries seen badly at lunchtime. difficult to say whather it was abnormal wear or leucism, but an interesting looking bird. If I had to steak my house on it I'd have said lesser black back. But I don't, so I wont.

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Jul 27, 2012

• #2,111

I actually managed a bit of a proper wander round the Ness late afternoon. A very juvenile looking Wheatear was on the north bank. In Greyhope Bay were seven Dunlin, 38 Turnstone and a summer plumaged Knot. At least twelve Manx Shearwaters went north, along with four Common Scoter.

Quite a lot going on in the harbour these days, in a non-birding sense. Anyone know what's happened to the 'banana pier', which seems to have a big hole in it that wasn't there before?

 

Mark Lew1s

My real name is Mark Lewis

• Jul 29, 2012

• #2,112

Little grebe still in the harbour this afternoon.

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Aug 1, 2012

• #2,113

Had a look around the Ness early evening, but it was disappointingly quiet. Lots of young Linnets and Goldfincheswere around and Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler were all about on the north bank. Forty-two Goosanders were on the harbour. That was about it though.

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Aug 5, 2012

• #2,114

Calm and a bit misty again in Torry today. Goosander numbers were up to 47. Very large numbers of auks were on the calm sea. A Bonxie went north in the mist, as did a single Common Scoter. A Red-throated Diver and a Whimbrel were on Nigg Bay. That was about it.

Oh, and I also saw Son of Freak in Nigg Bay. Freak out!

 

Last edited: Aug 5, 2012

Joseph N

Lothian Young Birder

• Aug 6, 2012

• #2,115

Did a round of the Ness today, largely with seawatching in mind. Before getting to the Coo, I wandered through the harbour and Greyhope Bay. 49 Goosander were around, the vast majority of which were by Skate's Nose and 2 at the first breakwater. 50+ Turnstones were scattered around, 12 roosting on Skate's Nose and a group of 38+ at Greyhope Bay; among them were a few Redshanks.

There seemed to be some movement going on offshore. Kittiwakes were around in large numbers, with a large offshore passage, as well as significant numbers loafing about off the Coo and in the harbour; at least 500 overall, including many juveniles. There was also a good passage of Gannet, with a conservative estimate of 200+ passing through between 15:50-18:00. Many auks were also sitting around offshore.

In tow were 9 Sooty Shearwaters (7 north and 2 south), the calm seas allowing for decent views of these birds. Other offshore action included 3 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Bonxies, 11 Common Scoters and 2 Puffins all wending their way northwards. A Minke Whale gave a tantalizingly brief view as it surfaced above the water briefly at around 17:00, before submerging again.

Joseph

 

Last edited: Aug 6, 2012

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Aug 9, 2012

• #2,116

Plenty of birds around still, but nothing too unusual. A Wheatear was on the north bank. Quite a few Arctic and Common Terns were offshore, and a Manx Shearwater and a Bonxie went north.

 

Mark Lew1s

My real name is Mark Lewis

• Aug 11, 2012

• #2,117

Humpback!!!!!!!!!!

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Aug 12, 2012

• #2,118

Nice work on the whale Mark. No sign of it when I was out today, nor of very much else. 49 Goosander were in the harbour, a Wheatear was still on the north bank and two Bonxies went north. No sign of any obvious migrants, despite a scattering of stuff further south on the east coast today. The weather does look of considerable interest from that point of view over the next few days though.

*puts migrant head on*

 

Mark Lew1s

My real name is Mark Lewis

• Aug 13, 2012

• #2,119

One or two autumnal bits today. A few manxies, bonxies and arctic skuas offshore, as well as a few bottle nose dolphins - the first I've seen since the dredger started up. A flock of 9 snipe bombed through greyhope bay, and a kestrel mobbed a peregrine over the golfcourse. Not a lot of interest migrant wise (although hopefully that will change through the week) but a sedge warbler carrying food was of note.

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Aug 14, 2012

• #2,120

After overnight thunderstorms and prolonged southeasterlies I was hoping for an interesting wander around the Ness today. It was interesting, but maybe not in quite the way I'd expected. What I was hoping for were landbird migrants but it was soon pretty clear that very few were around. A Whinchat near the Battery was about the only obvious migrant. Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat were all about but were most likely local birds. A Green Sandpiper was heard calling in flight from the allotments but couldn't be seen. Two Lapwing were on the golf course and two Common Sandpipers on the north shore. In Greyhope Bay they were two Dunlin, 62 Turnstone and, I'm delighted to say, the beginnings of another Purple Sandpiper Totaliser:

7

In the words of Delia Smith, let's be havin' you. Things were of most interest offshore, where there was a reasonable passage of seabirds in the misty conditions. Six Bonxies, four Arctic Skuas and four Manx Shearwaters went through, as did an unexpected Shoveler. Most impressive were three Sooty Shearwaters that went north at very close range - probably less than 200 metres out.