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

Lothian Birding (3 Viewers)

Birdspotter said:
Try the excellent website Birding Lothian also as most active Lothian guys directly text their news to the owner of that site who then puts it up in the recent sightings page.
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Never yet put that number into my phone, so thanks for the reminder.

I wonder if anyone with a smartphone could advise me. I was thinking of upgrading to a smarter phone as my LG is not up to it - either an iphone or equivalent. Currently I'm with orange which seems to have more 'not spots' than hotspots in East Lothian birding spots. Anyone with another provider got good coverage - Barns Ness, Tynningham, Aberlady Muss?

Thanks

Geoff
 
Morg said:
Never yet put that number into my phone, so thanks for the reminder.

I wonder if anyone with a smartphone could advise me. I was thinking of upgrading to a smarter phone as my LG is not up to it - either an iphone or equivalent. Currently I'm with orange which seems to have more 'not spots' than hotspots in East Lothian birding spots. Anyone with another provider got good coverage - Barns Ness, Tynningham, Aberlady Muss?

Thanks

Geoff
Click to expand...
Hi Geoff

The key is getting good 3G coverage or equivalent regardless of the phone you select as you rightly point out. I've got an iPhone 4 on Vodafone and use it for bird information via Birdguides email. Over the last few months I've had no problems on the Forth coast, having visited Aberlady, Gosford & Musselburgh, but the east coast has given me issues. At Torness for instance I had no reception all morning when there looking at the recent YBW, thus was effectively reduced to having nothing other than a phone and no bird news. That said at both Dunbar and Barns Ness I've had enough signal to get email through, so I think it's patchy and perhaps even temperamental?


Can't comment on other providers but would be interested to hear what anyone else in the situation as either of us is in with other provider information has to say. Hope that helps, even if only a little
 
Nae sign of yesterdays reported Turtle Dove sp today.

Although given the size of the gardens in a very affluent area there well may be a herd of Elephants somewhere down there too!

In case your wondering I just drove around the area because if I got out of my car I might have been arrested;) Other birders chanced it though.
 
Morg said:
Currently I'm with orange which seems to have more 'not spots' than hotspots in East Lothian birding spots. Anyone with another provider got good coverage - Barns Ness, Tynningham, Aberlady Muss?
Click to expand...

I'm also with Orange and have a HTC Wildfire - also useless in the same spots as you, and thats with trying to get a 2G signal through T-Mobile as well.
 
Blindwells

I walked from Tranent to Blindwells this afternoon, very glad I did.

The pond had

31 Teal
16 Wigeon
6 Mallard
4 Tufted Duck
7 Mute Swan (2 juveniles)
2 Grey Heron
100 Lapwing

Also saw female Kestrel, 3 Buzzards and a male and female Sparrowhawk. I hoped to see Short-eared Owl but didn't.

Interestingly there is an artificial reedbed for cleaning mine waste water. Didn't see anything in it today but it could be interesting in future.

David
 
Last edited:
Walked along the Roswell - Penicuik railway walk yesterday afternoon. Saw the following
a flock of Tree sparrow (>6), 2 Yellowhammers, a bull finch, along with the usual (Robin, loads of blackbirds, carrion crow....).

On the way to bonnyrigg, saw 4 buzzards sunning in the evening all within 500 metres along the road (glad I did not crash the car).
 
Absolutely corking views of the 3 Short Eared Owls by Dunbar quarry today-quartering the fields and criss crossing the road. 10 white fronted geese in the area too.
 
After the last couple of weeks Goose fest it was service resumed as normal with no sign of any geese on Saturday in the East Lothian fields.

Gulls then become the focus with at least 5 Med's at Mussi tonight. Last night we had a very coursely marked Iceland in the roost too that reminded me of a Kumlien's. Interestingly what was most likely this bird was found in Edinburgh today at Liberton.

You know winters finally here when you spend your whole weekend looking at Geese & Gulls:-C
 
markgrubb said:
Absolutely corking views of the 3 Short Eared Owls by Dunbar quarry today-quartering the fields and criss crossing the road. 10 white fronted geese in the area too.
Click to expand...

If all goes well, I'm hoping to get across to Dunbar quarry over Christmas to try to see the SEOs. I'm not too sure exactly where the quarry is, but looking at OS maps, it seems to be to the east of the single track road to Barns Ness - somewhere around grid ref 705773?
 
Birdspotter said:
Gulls then become the focus with at least 5 Med's at Mussi tonight.
Click to expand...

Spoke to Phil Bould yesterday-he said that he reckons that there were at least 7 around-he's counted 4 adults, 2 second winter and one first winter. Out of interest what did you have Calum?
 
bongofury said:
If all goes well, I'm hoping to get across to Dunbar quarry over Christmas to try to see the SEOs. I'm not too sure exactly where the quarry is, but looking at OS maps, it seems to be to the east of the single track road to Barns Ness - somewhere around grid ref 705773?
Click to expand...

It's beside the new road to Barns Ness. The old one was shut off a while ago and the OS maps are probably out of date. Take the A1 from Edinburgh. Go through the first 2 roundabouts at Dunbar. After the second one take the first turning left on to the A 1087 just before the cement works. Go through the mini roundabout and take the first right after this. Dunbar quarry is about 750m down this road. It's flooded now and a fair size. It's surrounded by rough grassland and this is the area to view over. You can see the water ie Dunbar quarry on Google maps on the other side of the road from Dunbar golf course but it is much bigger now
 
markgrubb said:
It's beside the new road to Barns Ness. The old one was shut off a while ago and the OS maps are probably out of date. Take the A1 from Edinburgh. Go through the first 2 roundabouts at Dunbar. After the second one take the first turning left on to the A 1087 just before the cement works. Go through the mini roundabout and take the first right after this. Dunbar quarry is about 750m down this road. It's flooded now and a fair size. It's surrounded by rough grassland and this is the area to view over. You can see the water ie Dunbar quarry on Google maps on the other side of the road from Dunbar golf course but it is much bigger now
Click to expand...

Thanks Mark.
 
Birdspotter said:
Last night we had a very coursely marked Iceland in the roost too that reminded me of a Kumlien's. Interestingly what was most likely this bird was found in Edinburgh today at Liberton.

You know winters finally here when you spend your whole weekend looking at Geese & Gulls:-C
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I don't mind the gulls - its the geese that drive me nuts - must be the only Lothian birder that hasn't managed to bump into a single WfG or beanie this winter. :C

Mind you, I did, as you mentioned, manage to pick up the Iceland Gull at Alnwickhill, Liberton,today and it sounds like the same one you saw if it made you think of Kumlien's. It could easily pass for one in Canada, but more closely matches what seem to be called dark glaucoides on this side of the Atlantic! Maybe someone else will get another look at it this week...

Geoff
 

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Morg said:
I don't mind the gulls - its the geese that drive me nuts - must be the only Lothian birder that hasn't managed to bump into a single WfG or beanie this winter. :C

Mind you, I did, as you mentioned, manage to pick up the Iceland Gull at Alnwickhill, Liberton,today and it sounds like the same one you saw if it made you think of Kumlien's. It could easily pass for one in Canada, but more closely matches what seem to be called dark glaucoides on this side of the Atlantic! Maybe someone else will get another look at it this week...

Geoff
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong I love Gulls, and looking through Geese it's just the time of year that I hate!

As for the Iceland I picked it up on the river in the near dark but even then you could see it was a dark individual complete with well marked primarys.

It would be nice to see it in better light.
 
david kelly said:
I walked from Tranent to Blindwells this afternoon, very glad I did.

The pond had

31 Teal
16 Wigeon
6 Mallard
4 Tufted Duck
7 Mute Swan (2 juveniles)
2 Grey Heron
100 Lapwing

Also saw female Kestrel, 3 Buzzards and a male and female Sparrowhawk. I hoped to see Short-eared Owl but didn't.

Interestingly there is an artificial reedbed for cleaning mine waste water. Didn't see anything in it today but it could be interesting in future.

David
Click to expand...
Where is Blindwells?
 
jambogaz said:
Where is Blindwells?
Click to expand...

Go along the A1 and turn off on the A198 for N Berwick/Prestonpans. A couple of hundred yards on your right you'll see an entry to a site and a large pond about 100 yards distant. That is Blindwells. It's the remains of an open cast mine and there isa huge area of rough grassland. There are plans to build a few thousand houses on the site in the future
 
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