Birds fae Torry (20 Viewers)

[Mark Lew1s]

Actually, I can't really complain about events in France, even if I was on the wrong island for the Parula and the Vireo.....

I managed to find Rosy starling, red-breasted fly, lapland bunt, sibe chiffchaff, water pipit and three yellow browed warblers.....without really breaking into a sweat as it was a holiday with both my folks and the in laws.

I'd have traded it all for a girdleness raddes though! I'm quite jealous!

 

[Joseph N]

Join the club of people in France that have missed out on a good last few days at the Ness, Mark! I just arrived back from Corsica, and when my Dad told me about the Radde's and the Firecrest, I thought just how ironic it is that I miss the best weeks birding so far in Aberdeenshire. Hoping it stays good until the weekend, I should be able to get out by then. Well done on spotting the Firecrest Andrew, that's a cracking find.

 

[Mark Lew1s]

A nice french chap has just pooped into our office, and reckons he's had a black throated diver at the ness this morning....might be worth looking out for.

 

[Mark Lew1s]

And hot (ish) off the press, news of a girdle ness mega!! Micky Maher had a water rail yesterday...I'll try and find out where exactly...

 

[Ian Bell]

A nice french chap has just pooped into our office, and reckons he's had a black throated diver at the ness this morning....might be worth looking out for.

Hope there was Toilet Tissue available..!

 

[Capercaillie71]

Hope there was Toilet Tissue available..!

:clap: Well spotted Ben!

P.S. For a bonus point see if you can spot the typo in the very first post of "Kincardineshire: The Mearns and Beyond"

 

[Mark Lew1s]

Oooops...well spotted! Of course, I meant popped!

Thats the best typo I've seen in a long while!!

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Oooops...well spotted! Of course, I meant popped!

Thats the best typo I've seen in a long while!!

Well, it is the arse-end of Scotland.

 

[Jane Turner]

Oooops...well spotted! Of course, I meant popped!

Thats the best typo I've seen in a long while!!

In my alternative existence as a bookseller, I recently managed to describe a biography of Quentin Crisp as having a lightly bummed spine (as opposed to bumped). I only noticed it as I was printing the packing note!

 

[Mark Lew1s]

Richards pipit at the ness just now, rather appropriately found by Richard Schofield. I was out and about this morning but had no such luck.....mistle thrush was by far and away the best of it.

 

[Joseph N]

It seems like the rain yesterday managed to drift in another vagrants at the Ness. I hope this continues, as I haven't seen a vagrant at the Ness for some time.

 

[Mark Lew1s]

Richards pipit again at girdle ness, favouring the areas of long grass directly behind the derelict house next to the purple burger van. It seems quite reluctant to leave that area. With a bit of patience it can be seen on the ground, but it is usually quite flighty. Not calling either. Also a Jack snipe flushed off the nigg bay flashes by some mental dogs.

 

[Joseph N]

Headed down to see the Richard's Pipit once it was reported (Presuming you re-found it Mark?), and as Mark has said it was in the grass behind the derelict house. A good number of birders were watching it too. It was a little flighty, but mostly stayed in the grass with its characterstic stance with head turned upwards . Eventually, it was scared away by some loud kids, and flew onto the other side of the road, landing in the grass just in front of one of the several pools. However, when some of the birders went down to get better views (although you could see it from the path on the other side of the road, it was flushed up and flew out of sight. A cracking bird, and my first rare passerine at the Ness for a year or so.

 

[laurie langan]

Richards Pipit still there at 10am this morning.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Of course I was out of town yesterday when the Richard's Pipit was showing well. Today the weather in Aberdeen hasn't been what you would call good, but I did get out for a look around midday before the really bad stuff kicked in. I drew the Richard's Pipit to flight fairly swiftly from the rough grass by the derelict buildings and it gave some good chirping calls before disappearing a short distance away into the grass. Sadly it then seemed to vanish and I couldn't relocate it. I doubt that it had gone far and hopefully will still be around tomorrow.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

The weather's an awful lot pleasanter here today and I took the opportunity to have another look for the Richard's Pipit. It gave some decent views on the ground on three occasions, twice in the rough grass by the derelict building and once on the edge of the golf course right next to the burger van. It was a bit flighty at times but I was pleased to pick it out as it perched up in the grass. It's a really good chunky one, with a long bill. I also managed to record the flight calls with Remembird. The sonogram looks gratifyingly congruent with the ones in the Sound Approach.

There were a few other bits about this morning. Two immature Whooper Swans flew north and five Velvet Scoters went south. Off the Coo were 2 Red-throated Divers and the Freak was in Walker Park. Greyhope Bay held 5 Knot and an advance for the Purple Sandpiper Totaliser of:

64

Great stuff - cheers everyone. A Woodcock was flushed from the Battery. Otherwise just a scattering of Blackbirds and Robins and the odd Fieldfare and Redwing.

Below, the recording of Richard's Pipit and a sonogram of the same recording.

 

[Ken Hall]

Just back in from Aberdeen, and happy to concur with Andrew that the Richard's Pipit was indeed showing well about 11.00am this morning. I managed a few photos which I'll process later. Also in the same place, a Woodcock flew over. Lunch time at Greyhope Bay produced the following: Turnstones 31. Ringed Plover 8. Oystercatchers 100 or so, including The Freak. and drum rolllllll. Purple Sandpipers 146. I counted them individually four times, and was within one or two of that figure each time. Two of them had a red ring on the right leg, which I'll report. One Red Throated Diver off the Coo. Then I had to nip back to ARI to collect my OH, otherwise who knows what else I might have found.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Just back in from Aberdeen, and happy to concur with Andrew that the Richard's Pipit was indeed showing well about 11.00am this morning. I managed a few photos which I'll process later. Also in the same place, a Woodcock flew over. Lunch time at Greyhope Bay produced the following: Turnstones 31. Ringed Plover 8. Oystercatchers 100 or so, including The Freak. and drum rolllllll. Purple Sandpipers 146. I counted them individually four times, and was within one or two of that figure each time. Two of them had a red ring on the right leg, which I'll report. One Red Throated Diver off the Coo. Then I had to nip back to ARI to collect my OH, otherwise who knows what else I might have found.

Must have just missed you Ken. I wonder if the Woodcock you saw was the one I booted from the Battery - it would probably have been at around 11. Well done for boosting the Purple Sandpiper Totaliser. More must have come in once the tide came up. You should email Ron Summers with the leg ring stuff - they will have been ringed in Greyhope Bay, so they're very faithful!

 

[Ken Hall]

Must have just missed you Ken. I wonder if the Woodcock you saw was the one I booted from the Battery - it would probably have been at around 11. Well done for boosting the Purple Sandpiper Totaliser. More must have come in once the tide came up. You should email Ron Summers with the leg ring stuff - they will have been ringed in Greyhope Bay, so they're very faithful!

it was bang on high tide when I counted the Purps, and yes, there had been more arriving just before that. Do you have an email address for Ron Summers? I usually send stuff to Raymond Duncan and he passes it on I think.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

it was bang on high tide when I counted the Purps, and yes, there had been more arriving just before that. Do you have an email address for Ron Summers? I usually send stuff to Raymond Duncan and he passes it on I think.

I'm sure Raymond will pass it on to Ron. I can't find his email just at the moment but probably have it somewhere!