Birds fae Torry (14 Viewers)

Mark Lew1s · Apr 15, 2013

Very windy out there this morning...

No sign of the wheatear today, but a sand martin was a suitable replacement. No other summer migs, but still plenty of redwing and the odd fieldfare around. A great skua went north through greyhope bay too, where there was a wigeon in with the eiders.

Mark Lew1s · Apr 16, 2013

Still windy and wet out there, and the migrants keep on coming. At least 4 chiffchaff and two willow warbler dotted around today (but mainly at Nigg Bay), with small numbers of redwing, fieldfare and goldcrest too.

Mark Lew1s · Apr 16, 2013

Common sandpiper and bar-tailed godwit on the shore in front of the sycamore this lunchtime.

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 16, 2013

Sounds like I should try and get out again soon. I'll have to watch out for 'wild sea animals' though:
http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/3200437

Mark Lew1s · Apr 18, 2013

Plenty of migrants around this morning, with 2 each of willow and chiff, and 3 each of sand martin, wheatear and sandwich tern.

There was a 3cy Iceland gull in the harbour too. Which was nice.

Mark Lew1s · Apr 18, 2013

9 greylag geese just flew south over inverdee house too....

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 18, 2013

Fat Paul Scholes said:
9 greylag geese just flew south over inverdee house too....

I should look out my window more often. Having said that, a Swallow whizzed past later on.

Mark Lew1s · Apr 19, 2013

Not so much going on this morning - wheatear numbers were up to 8, dotted around at various parts of the headland, and a shelduck went south over the walled garden. Large numbers of herring gulls around over the last few days too.

Mark Lew1s · Apr 20, 2013

Pretty quiet today. I had my first swallow of the year on Victoria road, but that was it for interesting migrants. Sea watching was slightly more fun, with a couple of puffin south and a Manx shearwater north.

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 20, 2013

I was thinking I wouldn't see any migrants at all today, but eventually I managed a few. A Bar-tailed Godwit was on Greyhope Bay but three Long-tailed Ducks and a Red-breasted Merganser were about the only other birds of note until I got to Nigg Bay. There, at least five Sand Martins were around the bank on the south side. At least one Willow Warbler was singing around the water treatment works. I thought there weren't going to be any Wheatears, but then one popped up in St Fittick's marsh.

Other developments: there's a bright shiny new fence on the Skate's Nose, which may be good news for fans of the Purple Sandpiper Totaliser. The Purps haven't been roosting there very much during the winter because of the increased disturabance after the old fence was destroyed in a storm. Nearby was the rather unsettling sight of a dead fox along the north bank path. I wonder what happened there.

Oh, and I've got a new camera, which I was playing with today hence...
1. Wheatear
2. Long-tailed Duck
3. Linnet
4. Rock Pipit
5. Turnstone
The local ringers have been busy, you'll note.

Teamscotch · Apr 22, 2013

Did a bit of gramping today - and finally saw some common migrants. 6+ Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Swallow & Sand Martin. On my way home I passed through Nigg Bay where there were 3 Wheatears, 2 nice bright males & a female that was getting a hammering from a Skylark wherever she went - not seen this before! In the bay 6 LT Ducks and a couple of RT Diver.

Teamscotch · Apr 25, 2013

Gramping still slow today, although 2 drake Wheatear on t'hill were nice and a Rook seemed to come in off, seems to be a bit of a feature of local corvid watching?

Passing through Nigg Bay tonight a female wheatear was along the gravel path.

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 25, 2013

Teamscotch said:
Gramping still slow today, although 2 drake Wheatear on t'hill were nice and a Rook seemed to come in off, seems to be a bit of a feature of local corvid watching?

Passing through Nigg Bay tonight a female wheatear was along the gravel path.

Funnily enough I had my first 'Torry Rook' of the year today, out of my front window on Victoria Road. At the weekend I had a pair of Jackdaws that seemed to come in off. Wouldn't have minded a better look at them!

Andrew Whitehouse · Apr 27, 2013

Still a bit wintry in Torry today with hardly any more migrants than last week. The only new one for the year list was a Whimbrel going north. Otherwise there were eight Red-throated Divers, two Red-breasted Mergansers, three Teal and four Long-tailed Duck. The only Wheatear was a female in Nigg Bay and I didn't see any hirundines all day.

Mark Lew1s · Apr 28, 2013

I spent a good few hours on both thursday and friday at the ness, but with very little reward! common tern (thursday) and collared dove (friday) were highlights.

Mark Lew1s · Apr 28, 2013

A bit better this morning, with highlights being a whitethroat singing along the railway embankment, and best of all, 2 little tern bombing north past the foghorn.

Andrew Whitehouse · May 4, 2013

A bit more like spring today with a few more migrants around. Some totals included 14 Willow Warblers (very numerous around the waterworks), 10 Swallows, two Sand Martins, two Common Whitethroats and six Wheatears. A Lesser Whitethroat showed quite well in the willows around the waterworks. Also in that area were a Reed Bunting, two Long-tailed Tits and two Grey Wagtails. Two Whimbrel went north overhead and another was heard from the Coo. Two Long-tailed Ducks were still in the harbour and 40 Purple Sandpipers were on Greyhope Bay. Large numbers of commoner seabirds were feeding just offshore and these attracted the attention of a Bonxie and, rather more distantly, an Arctic Skua.

Having a new camera means I can get great shots of loads of birds. I still get bad shots too though, like this one of the Lesser Whitethroat.

Andrew Whitehouse · May 5, 2013

Generally less happening today, in the rather warm weather. Lots of dolphin activity, which seemed to be attracting numerous photographers. Bird stuff included nine Common Scoters, six Long-tailed Ducks and five Wheatears. Quite good numbers of Sandwich Terns were about but otherwise the sea was a bit subdued.

Here are some pictures, which are slight improvement on yesterday's.

1. Sandwich Tern
2. Sand Martin
3. Willow Warbler

Jane Turner · May 5, 2013

Show off... what is the camera?

Andrew Whitehouse · May 5, 2013

Jane Turner said:
Show off... what is the camera?

It's a Sony A77 with 70-400mm Sony lens. I've had the lens for a while but the camera makes a bit of a difference.

Birds fae Torry (14 Viewers)

My real name is Mark Lewis

My real name is Mark Lewis

My real name is Mark Lewis

Professor of Listening

My real name is Mark Lewis

My real name is Mark Lewis

Professor of Listening

My real name is Mark Lewis

My real name is Mark Lewis

Professor of Listening

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Professor of Listening

Professor of Listening

My real name is Mark Lewis

My real name is Mark Lewis

Professor of Listening

Attachments

Professor of Listening

Attachments

Well-known member

Professor of Listening

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread