A few bits today: a Lapwing around the harbour mouth, two Red-throated Divers, four Red-breasted Mergansers, two Long-tailed Ducks in Nigg Bay. Plenty of dolphin business too.
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Birds fae Torry (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter Andrew Whitehouse
- Start date
The first winter Glaucous Gull was again on the river by the Victoria Bridge this morning. It's a pale and rather large, long-billed individual.
No sign of the Glaucous Gull at Victoria Bridge this morning, but there was a rather disconcerting looking leucistic Herring Gull - probably an adult or near adult. It was more-or-less entirely white but was actually a little darker in the wing tips. The bill colour and shape looked normal for an adult Herring.
danny_heptinstall
Active member
i saw a winter plumaged Sandwhich Tern resting on skates noose at around 1pm and later saw it feeding in greyhope bay at about 3pm - not much else to report other than there was quite a lot of guillemots and razorbills offshore and a single Dunlin flying around the harbour mouth
Sounds like you did a bit better than me Danny. I managed very little on a wander round a bit later in the afternoon; five Red-throated Divers and two Long-tailed Ducks on Nigg Bay were about the best of it. Lots of dolphin activity but not too much else going on at the moment.
Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
Interesting to hear Danny. I had what must be the same winter plumaged Sandwich Tern at Donmouth yesterday. Presumably its moving around a little as it was first seen at Girdle Ness I think. I also had that Dunlin with Redshanks on the second breakwater yesterday.
There wasn't much else going on really yesterday, much the same to report as you folks although there was a pair of Red-breasted Merganser in Nigg Bay ; still waiting for that first Wheatear and searched yesterday to no avail. Any predictions for first Wheatear arrival date at the Ness this year?
Joseph
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Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
I'll go for friday morning. I'll stick my neck out and say that there will be chiffchaff and black redstart there as well!
Teamscotch
Well-known member
I had a quick look round the ness at lunch...no migs seen by me. Offshore there were several distant feeding frenzies of birds (mainly h gulls, kitts & auks) which were attracting much larger number of Gannets (100+) then I have seen before this year. Dolphins were prominent again.
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
Wheatear in Nigg bay this lunchtime, so no prizes for the predictions. Can we have a roll over to next year?
Teamscotch
Well-known member
Forgot to ask this yesterday...is there a Rock Pipit colour ringing scheme ongoing at the Ness?
Yes there is - quite a few of the local Rock Pipits are colour ringed.
The Glaucous Gull was again on the river by the Victoria Bridge this morning. Here's a picture. In the great traditions of this thread, it's not very good (only had a compact camera with me).
It's the bottom left bird, in case you're not sure.
Attachments
I hope you have copyright Andrew ?
Can just Imagine Littlewoods and Vernons,starting a "Spot The Gull"
As I predicted Thursday and you predicted Friday,I think that makes me the winner..!
Teamscotch
Well-known member
No proper migrants for me again this evening, but 3 mipits at the battery are the first I've seen here this year, likewise 2 goldcrests in the allotments.
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
What a strange but excellent morning!
In brief...a chiffchaff singing at the sewage works and a sandwich tern offshore.
A canada goose went south over Nigg bay...and while I was recovering from the shock, a yellowhammer did the same! While seawatching I had a couple of siskin going south over the foghorn and single chaffinches were observed moving south a couple of times. There were also good numbers of blackbird around and a few goldcrests too. There's probably a decent migrant out there somewhere.
All in all, it was a very pleasant, summery day. Loads of linnets singing, mepits parachuting all over the place, skylarks hovering etc.
In brief...a chiffchaff singing at the sewage works and a sandwich tern offshore.
A canada goose went south over Nigg bay...and while I was recovering from the shock, a yellowhammer did the same! While seawatching I had a couple of siskin going south over the foghorn and single chaffinches were observed moving south a couple of times. There were also good numbers of blackbird around and a few goldcrests too. There's probably a decent migrant out there somewhere.
All in all, it was a very pleasant, summery day. Loads of linnets singing, mepits parachuting all over the place, skylarks hovering etc.
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
Collared dove can be tricky in my end of Torry, but less so further 'up the hill'. I noticed a pair fly past my living room window a couple of saturdays ago and was surprised to see that they were the first ones I'd seen from the house. Probably the same birds you're referring to.
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
Good bit of fowl passage this morning - in half an hour I had 19 redthroats, 24 common scoter and 10 long tailed duck...with a further 14 redthroats in Nigg bay.
Something else I noticed though was a complete absence of any summer migrants (apart from sandwich tern) Sand martin and the first willow warblers are usually in by now...and although I've recorded wheatear a couple of times, there have generally been none around. No sign of any swallows either, and I've only heard chiffchaff singing once.
Anyone else noticing a dearth of common migrants?
Something else I noticed though was a complete absence of any summer migrants (apart from sandwich tern) Sand martin and the first willow warblers are usually in by now...and although I've recorded wheatear a couple of times, there have generally been none around. No sign of any swallows either, and I've only heard chiffchaff singing once.
Anyone else noticing a dearth of common migrants?
Teamscotch
Well-known member
I haven't come across any migrants apart from Sandwich Tern & Chiffs. I guess that the predominately northerly winds since the March 'heatwave' are responsible.
On the Collared Dove front I did see one fly past at the battery last weekend.
On the Collared Dove front I did see one fly past at the battery last weekend.
