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Wild in Aberdeen - City and Shire (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ken Hall
- Start date
RyanEustace
Ecology Student
Hi all
I was wondering if any of you had any favourite spots for seeing birds in and around Seaton park in Aberdeen.
I have been going down early mornings now for a few weeks, and usually seem to see the same species knocking about, dippers coming to mind. Im really interested in good spots for photography, but if you have any recommended haunts i'd be interested to hear them.
Also if any one has photographs from Seaton park of the local wildlife I'd quite like to see them.
Ryan
I was wondering if any of you had any favourite spots for seeing birds in and around Seaton park in Aberdeen.
I have been going down early mornings now for a few weeks, and usually seem to see the same species knocking about, dippers coming to mind. Im really interested in good spots for photography, but if you have any recommended haunts i'd be interested to hear them.
Also if any one has photographs from Seaton park of the local wildlife I'd quite like to see them.
Ryan
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
Slightly further along the river, the mouth of the Don can be very rewarding. In winter there are often divers and sea ducks just offshore, and teal, goldeneye and goosander on the river, along with gulls and common waders.
In summer there are often good numbers of terns and during passage, well, anything can turn up really!
In summer there are often good numbers of terns and during passage, well, anything can turn up really!
danny_heptinstall
Active member
Hi Nick,
thanks for replying, I've sent the record to NESBREC and looking at their
online map there seems to be past records from the site too.
Had a great start to the new year yesterday - didn't manage to leave the house till past 12 but still saw 71 species before sundown! Including Bean Goose as a lifer
Happy New Year everyone
Danny
bombycilla
Well-known member
Happy New Year Everyone,
I am in the process of revamping my study and subsequently clearing out
superfluous stuff. I have Birdwatch Magazine Jan 2005 through to Dec 2009
complete and no longer need. It is free to the first uplifter (sorry can't
deliver). I live in Central Aberdeen. Will hold till Friday, then it's off to
the recycler ! PM me if interested.
Best wishes,
LC
I am in the process of revamping my study and subsequently clearing out
superfluous stuff. I have Birdwatch Magazine Jan 2005 through to Dec 2009
complete and no longer need. It is free to the first uplifter (sorry can't
deliver). I live in Central Aberdeen. Will hold till Friday, then it's off to
the recycler ! PM me if interested.
Best wishes,
LC
Hugh Addlesee
Well-known member
Had a great start to the new year yesterday - didn't manage to leave the house till past 12 but still saw 71 species before sundown! Including Bean Goose as a lifer
Happy New Year everyone
Danny
Hi Danny,
Out of interest, and assuming they were in the region, where were/was your Bean(s) yesterday, and how many were there? The numbers seemed to have dropped off dramatically from those before Christmas, suggesting that many may already have moved back across the North Sea.
All the best,
Hugh.
danny_heptinstall
Active member
Hi Hugh,
It was a single Bean Goose in a mixed goose flock (Greylag, Pinks, Barnacle and the Bean) of c.2000 individuals just 100-150m from the Rattray Road.
I reckon it was a tundra, not a taiga, bean; but as its my first Bean Goose I could be wrong.
I also had an interesting sighting of a leucistic Pink-foot in a mixed Greylag, Pink-foot flock of c.250 birds near Pennan. There was also a greenland white front in with them. It was a weird thing as it was totally washed out so was completely light brown in colour. I say it was a Pink-foot, it could have even been a Bean Goose as the colours were so weird.
Cheers
Danny
Hugh Addlesee
Well-known member
Thanks Danny,
Your Bean Goose was certainly most likely a Tundra, as they appear to have made up the vast majority of the recent influx, although I think Tim Marshall had a Taiga up at Rattray a week or two back. There was a decent flock reported from Portlethen again today, so there do seem to be a fair number about after all, though perhaps not as many as there were.
Leucistic Pink-feet are quite regular (though they do also occur in eg Barnacles). There are normally a few at Loch of Skene and on Deeside each winter, as well as a very striking returning individual with a white belly and white wingtips.
All the best,
Hugh.
Hugh Addlesee
Well-known member
On the subject of Bean Geese, it's perhaps worth referencing this useful document which shows the variation within Tundra and Taiga Bean Geese:
http://www.sovon.nl/pdf/heinicke_presentatie_rietgansdeterminatie_sovondag.pdf
Of course, I'm not quite sure how they decided where one type ends and the other begins. While looking at old BBs today, I came across a couple of articles from the '80s where there was much more mention of intergradation than seems to be talked about today...
http://www.sovon.nl/pdf/heinicke_presentatie_rietgansdeterminatie_sovondag.pdf
Of course, I'm not quite sure how they decided where one type ends and the other begins. While looking at old BBs today, I came across a couple of articles from the '80s where there was much more mention of intergradation than seems to be talked about today...
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markhammonds
Well-known member
I ended up driving around Loch of Skene sometime last year but couldn't work out the best place to stop and look. Didn't see any Red Kites. Also went to Meikle Loch at sunset and watched a few hundred geese come in to roost. It wasn't the thousands I was expecting, though... Don't know if I got the time of day or time of year wrong (can't remember exactly when it was now).
I will also keep track of the Girdle Ness thread, cheers (it's very easy for me to take a lunchtime walk there).
markhammonds
Well-known member
Ken Hall, a local birder, died recently, but his wife has kept his website activated. You will find some helpful details athttp://www.thenatureofnortheastscotland.com/section295030_97732.html.
You will find lots of geese between your house and Cove, at fields on both sides of the road. Local water bodies nearby are Rigifa Pool, the puddle in the left hand field on the coast road to Cove from Findon and Loirston Loch on the left side of the dual carriageway into Aberdeen.
Helping you with Raptors is difficult, as even the mention of the subject gets people thinking that you are making up a list of nests to plunder.8-P
Take a walk round Girdleness, you are likely to see weird characters equipped with telescopes, binoculars or large lens cameras, perhaps all 3. It will likely be one or more of the people on these forums. Stop and chat,we'll be happy to talk to you, unless there's a recent page about a rarity, then you'll have to wait.
Cheers for the link.
Saw what seemed like a decent number of geese at Rigifa Pool this morning on the way to work. Had a look to see if any of them appeared 'different'. Although I stayed in my car it wasn't long before they flew off (and I failed to work out what they were)...
Was happy to see a Hen Harrier (ringtail) and Merlin before Christmas but will keep my eyes peeled for raptors. More Eagle sightings would be great this year!
Will keep my eyes peeled on Girdle Ness for suitable characters, and I'll hopefully be in a friendly enough mood to say hello
markhammonds
Well-known member
I briefly popped into Loriston Loch today. Spent a while watching what looked like an Otter swimming around at about 3pm (although I'm not sure how to distinguish Otter from Mink). Couldn't get close enough (or wasn't patient enough) to work out what the ducks were...
Duthie Crow hybrid ?
Hi all, my first posting on Shire, was down Duthie Park at weekend with g-children and this guy was wandering around the grass area in front of the winter gardens, is this a hooded/carrion hybrid of some sort or just a pale crow, or a hooded ? No other crows with him, though some carrion crows down by boating pond, managed a couple of shots before some dogs scared him off, thanks
Jim.
Hi all, my first posting on Shire, was down Duthie Park at weekend with g-children and this guy was wandering around the grass area in front of the winter gardens, is this a hooded/carrion hybrid of some sort or just a pale crow, or a hooded ? No other crows with him, though some carrion crows down by boating pond, managed a couple of shots before some dogs scared him off, thanks
Jim.
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As you suspected, that's a Hybrid Crow (Carrion x Hooded). They're fairly frequent in northeast Scotland and quite variable in appearance.
markhammonds
Well-known member
Had a pleasant walk up Clachnaben this morning. On my way back through the forest/wood closest to the car park, falling pine cones alerted me to the presence of Crossbills. I have never seen them before and had a pleasant half hour lying on my back, looking up at the tress and watching them feed. I assume they were Common but wondered if anyone enlighten me on to tell if they were Scottish (if they are likely in this area). Cheers!
Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
White-winged gull paradise today, with a total of at least 9 Iceland Gulls and a third winter Kumlien's seen. 4 Iceland Gulls at Peterhead at least, and 5 Iceland Gulls with a 3rd winter Kumlien's at Fraserburgh. Truly astonishing stuff, and the near perfect weather made it an extremely enjoyable day out.
Image 1: Iceland Gull 2w, Peterhead
Image 2: Iceland Gull 2w, Peterhead (different individual)
Image 3: Iceland Gull 2w, Fraserburgh
Image 4: Kumlien's Gull 3w, Fraserburgh
Image 5: " "
Joseph
Image 1: Iceland Gull 2w, Peterhead
Image 2: Iceland Gull 2w, Peterhead (different individual)
Image 3: Iceland Gull 2w, Fraserburgh
Image 4: Kumlien's Gull 3w, Fraserburgh
Image 5: " "
Joseph
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Capercaillie71
Well-known member
Most likely Common Crossbills, but Scottish Crossbills do occur in Glendye and even Parrot Crossbills have been recorded there, apparently. Do you know what sort of trees they were feeding in?
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
Great photos Joseph. I might have to make a trip up there next week. Whereabouts exactly in Peterhead and Fraserburgh did you see the birds - On the few occasions I've visited in the past I've never really known the best places to look, places to park etc. so any advice would be gratefully received.
markhammonds
Well-known member
Afraid my tree identification skills are more limited than my bird ones... They were on the edge of the wooded area at about NO 642 867 (a pleasant spot). The trees only had branches/ leaves/ cones high up so the birds were quite far away.
