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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Birds fae Torry (4 Viewers)

Not much out to sea this morning except 2 Red-throated Divers south. Quite a bit of the old vis-miggery going on though, with lots of small parties of Meadow Pipits moving southwards over the city. Also a Grey Wagtail.
 
Not much elsewhere either...still loads of gulls in nigg bay using the muddy puddles there, with mild interest provided by 2 ad sarnie terns and an ad kittiwake. 4 sanderling in nigg bay.
 
Are you around Andrew? You were copied in on a very interesting email from Andy Webb regarding the creation of a permanent wetland in Nigg Bay. Andy and I are going to get together later and throw a few ideas around, but we thought you might like to have some input too. The general idea at the moment is that creating a habitat suitable for breeding birds down there might not be such a good idea, so current thought is that some permanent water, some mud and some migrant cover would be in order.

At the moment this is just a proposed proposal (if you know what I mean) which might take a little enthusiasm and perhaps a little effort on the parts of those interested in seeing such a feature!

I assume you're interested! I'll let you know what Andy and I come up with....were going to discuss this at lunchtime so if you have any thoughts you want included in the discussion let me ken before then.

ttfn,

Mark
 
Are you around Andrew? You were copied in on a very interesting email from Andy Webb regarding the creation of a permanent wetland in Nigg Bay. Andy and I are going to get together later and throw a few ideas around, but we thought you might like to have some input too. The general idea at the moment is that creating a habitat suitable for breeding birds down there might not be such a good idea, so current thought is that some permanent water, some mud and some migrant cover would be in order.

At the moment this is just a proposed proposal (if you know what I mean) which might take a little enthusiasm and perhaps a little effort on the parts of those interested in seeing such a feature!

I assume you're interested! I'll let you know what Andy and I come up with....were going to discuss this at lunchtime so if you have any thoughts you want included in the discussion let me ken before then.

ttfn,

Mark

Yes - I saw that and will send something in. Sounds interesting.

Had a slightly surprising Chiffchaff in the garden this morning - the first warbler of the year from the flat. Let's hope it's not the last.

Two Arctic Skuas were off Footdee this morning. Late morning yesterday there were at least five. Not much vis mig today, just a group of four Meadow Pipits and a Grey Wagtail.
 
I'd start by making it a no-dog zone...

There is no chance of that Im afraid.All sounds good but this area is used for many recreational purposes,some of it not legal.Golfers,Dog Walkers,Quad Bikers and Scrambling Bikers all use the area and that wont do the birds much good.Also,there is a burn that runs through the area and goodness knows what kind of chemicals are in the water.It looks highly polluted from the East Tullos Industrial Estate.

However,good luck with the talks.
 
I had a swift wander round this evening and, in between picking blackberries, managed to encounter a few things. A Sedge Warbler was on the north bank and a male Blackcap at the Battery. That was your lot for migrants though. 10 Knot and 2 Purple Sandpipers, the latter the first for a few weeks, were on Greyhope Bay. A Teal was in amongst the Eiders there and 7 Goosanders were still about the harbour mouth. The pool at St Fittick's was looking good, unfettered as it was with any distracting birds.

The blackberries made a very nice crumble.
 
I spent 4 hours wandering around girdleness on Saturday morning before the bash....Apart from a few robins and wheatears there were no passerine migrants around. Seawatching was a little more interesting....a few red-throated divers going south and the back end of a larger diver going north. Also a tufty went south, and a ruff went through to the north. Also, a motley looking crew hanging around in the greyhope bay carpark....
 
Another 'interesting' seawatch, although ultimately a little frustrating due to a complete absence of shearwaters or any of the other interesting things that were seen of various parts of the east coast yesterday. In about 45 mins I had 3 arctic and 2 great skuas, good numbers of wigeon, teal and common scoter, whimbrel, black guillemot and best of all, 6 pale bellied brents.

A juvenile peregrine was also present, hunting just off the lighthouse pier.....was having a pop at the odd gannet from time to time!
 
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Must go 'proper' seawatching sometime, been twice but only watched for about ten mins and there was nothing much interesting apart from Cormorant and some waders.
 
Proper seawatching! You'll either love it or hate it (depending on what you see, I suppose!) Wrap up warm and take plenty of sandwiches, and don't be put off if you can't identify everything you see....we all have to put stuff in the 'don't know' bin every now and again.

Good luck!
 
Frustration this morning......as I was walking across the golf course for my morning seawatch, a distinctly crake like shape tumbled out of the sky and crashed into the gorse in front of me. It was only a small patch of gorse but try as I might I could not see it at all. I could hear it scuttling about in there but it just would not show! I saw no plumage details on the bird but I reckon due to it's size it was almost certainly a corncrake.

It may well be worth looking for as it won't move on until tonight (probably), if anyone has the time and patience. It was in the gorse that runs along the footpath that goes over the top of the golf course, between the clubhouse and greyhope bay. About 50 yards east of the cage like construction.

Seawatching was quieter than yesterday, but the shearwaters have showed up at last....had about 15 manx and 1 sooty north in about 50 mins. Not much else apart from a large diver south.
 
That's very interesting Mark, if you (or anyone else for that matter) sees the bird again, that will be great. Good luck on finding it again, presuming it doesn't fly off tonight, which it may well do.
 
An after school sea-watch at Girdlness proved rather productive, with 3 Arctic Skua, 2 Great Skua and up to 50 Manx Shearwater at the Coo today, as well as 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose south, 2 Red-breasted Merganser , 3 Tufted Duck a few Common Scoter, up to 4 Red-throated Diver, 15 Pinkfeets migrating, 15 migrating Redshank and an almost constant passage of Gannet, maybe up to 600 birds passing. This all took place within an hour and a half or so's seawatching. Half way through the sea-watch we met Mark Lewis (it was nice to meet you :t:), and watched with him until we had to leave. Prior to the sea-watch, a Wheatear was seen on the rocks by Nigg Bay. So definitely a sign of movement out at sea today, not just with shearwaters and gannets, but with geese, ducksz and waders. Hopefully this passage will continue for the next few days.

Joseph
 
Nothing to add to Josephs seawatch totals....Nice to meet you both too! Joseph....I think you should ask for a scope this christmas;)

The only other bird of note was a garden warbler at the battery.
 
Girdle ness. Every time. You might not see anything but at least no one would be able to call you a dirty twitcher;)

I still believe that an 'interesting shearwater' is due past the ness....
 

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