Glad you got to see them Mark. I had my first 'on the way to work' Waxwings of the winter, with 13 around St Peter's Cemetery just off King Street this morning.
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Wild in Aberdeen - City and Shire (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ken Hall
- Start date
RecoveringScot
Well-known member
Woodcock flying over Union Street, Aberdeen, just E of St Nicholas Church at 09:00 yesterday morning. Still brings me up short, even though I see them every winter.
Cheers
Cheers
Hugh Addlesee
Well-known member
The Grampian SOC branch will be hosting a dawn goose-watch at Loch of Skene this coming Sunday (18th). John Wills counted approximately 34000 geese leaving the roost on Sunday morning, so it should be a sight and sound worth getting up early for. The vast majority of the geese are Pink-feet, but a few hundred Greylags should also be present, and searching through the flocks should pick up a few Barnacles, the odd Greenland White-front and perhaps something rarer. Meet at 7am in the car park at the twin towers on the north side of the loch (please bear in mind that one of the towers is occupied, and so try not to disturb the residents’ peace too much!). All welcome.
Hugh Addlesee (Branch Secretary)
Hugh Addlesee (Branch Secretary)
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
I finally had the opportunity to catch up on some waxwing action today, when I dropped my son off at mother-in-law's in Westhill. A quick drive around the locations reported on ABZ-birds drew a blank, so I tried a new strategy of driving with my car windows open. This almost immediately succeeded as I heard the distinctive trilling within little more than a minute. Pulling into the side of the road I located a single waxwing with two starlings at the top of a tree at the junction of Kinmundy Drive and Westhill road. A short while later I found a flock of 20 perched up in trees at the bottom of Wellgrove Road, near Henderson Drive. Despite the apparently cold weather a few of them seemed to be fly-catching.
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I had a bit of a look around Kincorth this afternoon and had six Waxwings fly over Provost Watt Drive. Still a few berries in one or two trees but most have gone.
bombycilla
Well-known member
Grampian Ringing Group have now colour-ringed over 120 Waxwings, and quite a few of these still seem to be present in the city so please check all birds for rings. I believe Orkney have (single) colour ringed (Yellow) about the same amount, with so far only one of these spotted and a single metal ringed bird from Fair Isle being controlled !
We colour ringed 26 today.
Cheers,
Lindsay
We colour ringed 26 today.
Cheers,
Lindsay
Hugh Addlesee
Well-known member
The next meeting of the SOC Grampian branch takes place this coming Monday. The speaker is Stan da Prato, who will talk on “Greenland and Spitzbergen: The Scottish Connection”. The meeting will be held at The Sportsman’s Club, 11 Queen’s Road, Aberdeen, and starts at 7.30pm. All welcome, with a suggested donation for attendance of £2.
Hugh (Branch Secretary)
Hugh (Branch Secretary)
bombycilla
Well-known member
Grampian Ringing group have now ringed over 300 Bohemian Waxwings so please keep a look out for colour-ringed birds within and outwith the city.
Thanks,
Lindsay
Thanks,
Lindsay
gus guthrie
gus guthrie
Had a day out up north with my daughter Alex, went to Rattray Head and had superb views of the Desert Wheatear there.....it was blowing a real hoolie and it was feeding away quite the thing.
Next stop was strathbeg just up the road where we watched the drake American Wigeon for a while . It was in a big flock of wigeon which were quite flighty...especially after a Peregrine came through
Next stop was strathbeg just up the road where we watched the drake American Wigeon for a while . It was in a big flock of wigeon which were quite flighty...especially after a Peregrine came through
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Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
Glad you connected with the Desert Wheatear and the American Wigeon Gus, both cracking birds. Caught up with the former yesterday, which gave fantastic views and allowed for decent photo opportunities, albeit in poor light. At the south end we had two redhead Smew amongst a decent raft of ducks. Bay Hide produced plenty more winter wildfowl but nothing particularly out of the ordinary. For more info and more pics, see my personal blog.
Waxwings remain regular over Aberdeen Grammar School, with a maximum of 85 in the last two weeks.
Joseph
Waxwings remain regular over Aberdeen Grammar School, with a maximum of 85 in the last two weeks.
Joseph
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Colourful Loch of Skene
Black Swan amongst the Mutes yesterday, followed by Red Kite, came in from South over the loch, which I found quite unusual and disappeared over the trees going North, tagged white right and purple left but no id seen (reported) and then Multi-colour sky, believe these are called Nacreous clouds.
Jim.
Black Swan amongst the Mutes yesterday, followed by Red Kite, came in from South over the loch, which I found quite unusual and disappeared over the trees going North, tagged white right and purple left but no id seen (reported) and then Multi-colour sky, believe these are called Nacreous clouds.
Jim.
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I also saw those clouds over Aberdeen towards sunset yesterday. Really amazing mother-of-pearl colours.
I spent the Xmas period at the in-laws at Belhelvie, just north of Aberdeen. I managed a couple of local sojourns on foot (24th & 27th) and noted the following:
male hen harrier - Harestone Moss
woodcock - Harestone Moss
peregrine - pr Balmedie Quarry
regards
James Hanlon
male hen harrier - Harestone Moss
woodcock - Harestone Moss
peregrine - pr Balmedie Quarry
regards
James Hanlon
nicklittlewood
Well-known member
Hi James,
I've been to Harestone Moss a few times, mainly looking at insects. It is a wonderful and very seldom visited little spot. Well done for discovering it yourself too and well done with the Hen Harrier in particular.
Happy New Year,
Nick
Hugh Addlesee
Well-known member
The next meeting of the SOC Grampian branch takes place this coming Monday. The speaker is Peter Evans, who will talk on “Whales and Dolphins of NE Scotland”. There will also be a short presentation on the proposed new mammal atlas for the region. The meeting will be held at The Sportsman’s Club, 11 Queen’s Road, Aberdeen, and starts at 7.30pm. All welcome, with a suggested donation for attendance of £2.
Hugh Addlesee (Branch Secretary)
Hugh Addlesee (Branch Secretary)
Yes, I certainly got the impression it was rarely visited, Nick.
I always take a couple of walks out that way over Xmas after being given directions by a birder who'd seen Scottish wildcat there. When I spoke to a local I found that there had been regular sightings where one resident left food out for his own cats, but the place had then changed ownership and the wildcat trail ran cold. Frustrating as I'd like to see this creature more than any other! I've considered installing a camera trap at my in-laws' property a mile along the road to see if they ever visit!
laurie langan
Well-known member
RecoveringScot
Well-known member
The Stock Dove I first spotted in Union Grove, Aberdeen in May 2011 is, amazingly, still around. It has always associated with, aerial-chased and displayed to Collared Doves in the immediate area of the Nargile Restaurant. I heard it singing two days ago. Has it been successful in its wooing? No idea. Anyway, it looked very nice in today's mellow morning sunshine, and would be a relatively easy year-tick if you're passing by, and it's around. It frequently sits on TV aerials nearby.
Cheers
Cheers
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
I see that Waxwing is colour-ringed. Worth reporting to Grampian ringing group - see posts #1326 and #1328 in this thread.
