All I've had is a text through the local grapevine. There's certainly been a WWB there today though, although I don't know if it's the same bird that was earlier reported as a Black Tern.
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Wild in Aberdeen - City and Shire (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ken Hall
- Start date
All I've had is a text through the local grapevine. There's certainly been a WWB there today though, although I don't know if it's the same bird that was earlier reported as a Black Tern.
Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
Oh right. If anyone can give more info then that would be great. I think I will check the Loch of Strathbeg recent sightings page. 
I forgot to mention, I saw a Hedgehog outside my house today. I made a thread in the Mammals forum which shows pictures of it, and there is a video I took of it on Birdforum TV. I would be very happy if you'd watch it. Thanks if you do!
I forgot to mention, I saw a Hedgehog outside my house today. I made a thread in the Mammals forum which shows pictures of it, and there is a video I took of it on Birdforum TV. I would be very happy if you'd watch it. Thanks if you do!
Last edited:
Oh right. If anyone can give more info then that would be great. I think I will check the Loch of Strathbeg recent sightings page.
I forgot to mention, I saw a Hedgehog outside my house today. I made a thread in the Mammals forum which shows pictures of it, and there is a video I took of it on Birdforum TV. I would be very happy if you'd watch it. Thanks if you do!
According to Birdguides the WW Black Tern is present for its second day.
Tree Sparrow
Well-known member
A good days birding today. The day didn't start so well (if you exclude my reports of my Dad and I going to the Ness, see Birds Fae Torry). At the Ythan there were a lot of waders, but they were just the commoner bunch, Dunlin, Curlew, Redshank and the odd Greenshank. The highlight of the Ythan however was a Peregrine sitting in a field near Meickle Loch eating a Redshank, the Redshank being identified as the Peregrine noticed us and flew off with its prey in its talons.
The Loch of Strathbeg, however, proved to be the best place to be today, especially at Tower Pool, as all the waders had moved away from Starnafin due to slightly the slightly flooded pools there. Wader wise there were about a dozen Ruff, 5 Greenshank, a couple of hundred Golden Plover, 2 Snipe, and around 1200 Lapwing. Other birds included 3 Marsh Harriers, some cracking views of a female Sparrowhawk sitting on a post very close to us, and a female Shoveler, and over 5 Buzzards. However, the main higlight at Tower Pool was the long-stay juvenile White-tailed Eagle, known as Ralph. "Ralph" flew in from Savioch, sending all the waders around him up, which was what attracted our attention to him. He then landed on the pools, and proceeded to wash himself in the water, which was a rather fantastic site. He then flew away. He was honestly the biggest bird I have ever seen in the UK, barn-door is just the word to describe White-tailed Eagles. I have never seen a White-tailed Eagle before, let alone an eagle in Britain, so this was fantastic for me. Whilst at Tower Pool, the warden David Parnaby picked up a marsh tern on the loch, which was a long way off. David, my Dad and I were interested by this, and thus went down to see if we could see it on the actual Loch. So we went to the Loch, and scoured it for this marsh tern species. Eventually, although it was a long way off, we found it, and discovered it was a juvenile Black Tern, not a common bird in these parts and the first I had ever seen in Britain. We only got around a minutes view of it, as eventually it flew out of our vision. A good days birding nonetheless though.
Cracking to see a WTE Joseph :t:. I still haven't seen one, nor Marsh Harrier. Sounds like you had a brilliant day. I'll definitely have to go to Loch of Strathbeg one of these days.
TS
Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
Thanks Tree Sparrow, I did have a fantastic day which seems to have got even better:
My Dad managed to get in contact with the warden David Parnaby, who watched the juvenile marsh tern with us. David told my Dad that this was the same bird, so I was actually watching a White-winged Black Tern! I'm delighted! :king:
Quote from RSPB Loch of Strathbeg recent sightings: 'The marsh tern that was seen distantly on Saturday was slightly more obliging Sunday evening and its true identity came to light - it was the reserves fourth white winged black tern (previous records were in 1992, 1997 and 2008). It roosted on the Loch on Sunday night and has spent most of Monday feeding on the Loch.'
My Dad managed to get in contact with the warden David Parnaby, who watched the juvenile marsh tern with us. David told my Dad that this was the same bird, so I was actually watching a White-winged Black Tern! I'm delighted! :king:
Quote from RSPB Loch of Strathbeg recent sightings: 'The marsh tern that was seen distantly on Saturday was slightly more obliging Sunday evening and its true identity came to light - it was the reserves fourth white winged black tern (previous records were in 1992, 1997 and 2008). It roosted on the Loch on Sunday night and has spent most of Monday feeding on the Loch.'
Last edited:
TheSeagull
Well-known member
Oh right. If anyone can give more info then that would be great. I think I will check the Loch of Strathbeg recent sightings page.
I forgot to mention, I saw a Hedgehog outside my house today. I made a thread in the Mammals forum which shows pictures of it, and there is a video I took of it on Birdforum TV. I would be very happy if you'd watch it. Thanks if you do!
Good video, nice pictures. I have two that often come to my street, took some pictures once but the flash blew there eyes, went searching for them and keep waiting for them to come back. The closest I've got is while walking with a camera at midnight (was getting strange looks :-O ) seeing a glimpse of one running into a bush.
Tree Sparrow
Well-known member
You certainly picked the right day to go. I'll have to look up White-winged Black Tern now as I've never even heard of it :-O.
TS
Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
Indeed I did Tree Sparrow. I feel very fortunate!
That would be great if the bird at Strathbeg ended up at the Loch of Skene; if it stayed at the Loch of Skene for a while we could then go down and see during the Scottish Bash weekend.
Indeed I did Tree Sparrow. I feel very fortunate!
That would be great if the bird at Strathbeg ended up at the Loch of Skene; if it stayed at the Loch of Skene for a while we could then go down and see during the Scottish Bash weekend.
OK, forget Loch of Skene.
Saw the WWBT today at Strathbeg. Gosh, that was difficult, among several juv commic terns. It helped that it was the only one not being fed by incoming adults, but it took an hour to work it all out. Had the Fen Hide all to myself. The bird was on the little island in front, well, quite a long way in front actually. Loads of Wigeon, Teal, and a few Great Crested Grebes there as well. From the Visitor Centre, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Little Egret, Dunlin and Ruff. No sign of the big boy Ralf, or the Curlew Sandpiper though.:-CInverallochy and St Combs was interesting too, with lots of Gannets, Sandwich Terns, 5 Swifts, Bar-tailed Godwits, Knots, and Redshanks.
Tree Sparrow
Well-known member
Tawny Owl calling in my garden on Sunday night. You've reminded me to go and check on the deer too! I can't hear them from home.
TS
Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
OK, forget Loch of Skene.
Inverallochy and St Combs was interesting too, with lots of Gannets, Sandwich Terns, 5 Swifts, Bar-tailed Godwits, Knots, and Redshanks.
Sounds like a great days birding, Ken, well done. May be going down to Strathbeg later this week to get better views of the WWBT if it stays.
Good luck with the WWBT Joseph. I think I'll be haunting the coast somewhere looking for all the migrants that are heading this way even as I write. Not before time I think.
Here at home I've just been invaded. In spite of the rain, the wires in front of the house have just been festooned, first with about 70 hirundines (mostly House Martins) then with about 85 Starlings. Difficult to get an accurate count because I'm looking along the wires and the birds were packed closely together. Oh, and one Song Thrush. Now they're all gone.
Here at home I've just been invaded. In spite of the rain, the wires in front of the house have just been festooned, first with about 70 hirundines (mostly House Martins) then with about 85 Starlings. Difficult to get an accurate count because I'm looking along the wires and the birds were packed closely together. Oh, and one Song Thrush. Now they're all gone.
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
Lets hope you're right about that Ken!....certainly looks like we might get one or two things up on Shetland so lets hope we get a few hits down here.
Most definately not a migrant was the fox that I shared a couple of minutes with up at the exhibition centre overspill carpark (incidently, some excellent and unwatched? migrant cover) We sat eyeballing each other for a wee while and then the fox yawned, stretched, and proceeded to completely ignore me while I sat less than 20 yards away. I watched it have a little scratch and scrape around in the dirt before it eventually slowly wandered off, turning it's head to have the odd glance at me as it went.
People often ask me why I'm into birds and wildlife. Well, its for the moments like that, and the sense of privilege that comes from them.
Most definately not a migrant was the fox that I shared a couple of minutes with up at the exhibition centre overspill carpark (incidently, some excellent and unwatched? migrant cover) We sat eyeballing each other for a wee while and then the fox yawned, stretched, and proceeded to completely ignore me while I sat less than 20 yards away. I watched it have a little scratch and scrape around in the dirt before it eventually slowly wandered off, turning it's head to have the odd glance at me as it went.
People often ask me why I'm into birds and wildlife. Well, its for the moments like that, and the sense of privilege that comes from them.
TheSeagull
Well-known member
Can't wait! Hope for some vagrant goodies and of course I'll look forward to the Waxwings returning to my garden! Just a query, has a walrus ever turned up as a vagrant in Aberdeen or in the entire east coast of Scotland?
Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
Thanks Ken, once I have had better views of the bird (providing it stays) then I feel I will have had a proper experience with it, rather than seeing it distantly through my bins. I too hope this treacherous weather has brought in some vagrants! May get out this weekend and have a good old scour of the Battery, the Foveran Bushes and the bushes at Rattray to see if there is a rare passerine in them this weekend as long as the weather is good. However, that is yet to be confirmed. But if I do go out, I'll make sure I'll report back in here.
Calvin, I would have thought that was highly unlikely! :-O
Calvin, I would have thought that was highly unlikely! :-O
TheSeagull
Well-known member
Thanks Ken, once I have had better views of the bird (providing it stays) then I feel I will have had a proper experience with it, rather than seeing it distantly through my bins. I too hope this treacherous weather has brought in some vagrants! May get out this weekend and have a good old scour of the Battery, the Foveran Bushes and the bushes at Rattray to see if there is a rare passerine in them this weekend as long as the weather is good. However, that is yet to be confirmed. But if I do go out, I'll make sure I'll report back in here.
Calvin, I would have thought that was highly unlikely! :-O
Well I've researched it some more and in recent history there has been 13 sightings in Shetland, there was the famous "Wally the Walrus" who turned up on the East England coast in 1981, there was one on North Uist a couple of years ago and low and behold there was one regularly seen in Aberdeenshire in 1954 :-O
