Mike swims like a fish
Mike Hodgkin
I had a male at Aberlady last Sunday, my first of the year. They do seem to be very thin on the ground, which is hardly surprising given the last two winters really
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Lothian Birding (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter markgrubb
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I had a male at Aberlady last Sunday, my first of the year. They do seem to be very thin on the ground, which is hardly surprising given the last two winters really
Birdspotter
Well-known member
one kicking about between skaters & Barns Ness, we had one at BN last week too not far from the lighthouse.
Some migs on the coast today best being Sedgie (2), Whitethroat(4) Whinchat (1) Redstart (1) along with loads of Wheatears. Osprey heading lazily north, despite the attendant gull hordes was a Skaters tick for me:t:
Hoodie wis also around there.
Mike swims like a fish
Mike Hodgkin
I had a few migs in the mist yesterday as well - Sedgie X3 & a Yellow Wag at Seafield Pond, Groppers at Mussy, Blindwells & Barns Ness, loads of Wheatears & White Wags at Barns Ness (Tree Pipit & Whimbrel there too) & at least 2 Garden Warblers at Woodhall (plus 3 Redstarts there as well). Bloody cold though - didn't get much above 9 degrees with a cold east wind on the coast, which increased to 19 when I went up to Faseny Cottage around 16:00.......not many times that can have been the case I reckon!
Had a walk around River South Esk at Penicuik yesterday then around through the grounds of Penicuik House to Lowries Den.
Highlights included Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Chiff Chaff, 3 Nuthatch, 7 Blackcap, 6 Willow Warbler, and a Spotted Flycatcher. No Wood Warbler tho . Maybe still a bit early.
Highlights included Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Chiff Chaff, 3 Nuthatch, 7 Blackcap, 6 Willow Warbler, and a Spotted Flycatcher. No Wood Warbler tho . Maybe still a bit early.
Mike swims like a fish
Mike Hodgkin
I've had Wood Warbler on the 24th & 25th the last two years, but it is still quite early for them.....that said, 24th April is spectacularly early for Spotted Fly! I think, though am not certain, that this record would shave 4 days of the previous earliest Lothian record......whereabouts on your walk was it Rick, as I'm just about to head down there now as it happens?
Mike
Spotted Flycatcher was singing from a tree Esk side of the grounds near to the small pond . There's a clear felled area with hardwood trees still standing Landranger 66 ref. 587 217. Never thought of it being early, that said I usually catch up with them spring birding down south first .
Rik
Rik
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Mike swims like a fish
Mike Hodgkin
Its early even for my old county Notts, as away from the very south and the coast April records are very unusual, so well done on this one. I didn't get that far in the hour I had today, but did have a pair + 2 male Nuthatch, Green Wood & still no sign yet of Wood Warbler in the Den by the bridge
Mike swims like a fish
Mike Hodgkin
They definitely breed in the Den, as have seen newly fledged young just upstream from there before, as well as seeing them fly up and down Cuiken Glen from the house pretty much every day. Whether they are actually under the bridge there or not I don't know - never actually looked to see, despite proximity to home.
Expect to get up there a few times this week on the bike to check out when/if Wood Warblers are back in.
I've a record of Spotted flycatchers breeding within the grounds in 2009 in the Leylandi that edge the lawn in front of the house . I can't tie the date down exactly other than the first week of june 2009 .
Might bump into you then this week as I intend to try up there again , plus i'd like to check the Antonine wall area as well .
Rik
Might bump into you then this week as I intend to try up there again , plus i'd like to check the Antonine wall area as well .
Rik
2spot Ladybird
Well-known member
I frequently see Dippers in the Cuiken Burn, also seen them in the burn that goes through Beeslack Wood and along the Penicuik to Bonnyrigg Walkway (aka The Old Railway).
david kelly
Drive-by Birder
I went for a walk around the western side of Tranent yesterday. Lots of warblers in with Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Garden Warbler in the taller trees and scrub of The Heugh. Whitethroats and Yellowhammers were numerous in the hedgerows but I could only find one Lesser Whitethroat along the footpath which connects Birsley Brae with the Elphinstone road. Lots of Small Totoiseshells, Orange-tips and Peacocks too.
David
David
Birdspotter
Well-known member
Hi Bill
Your best bet would be to join the SOC, the Lothians has a very active group with lots of outings.
Online there is the yahoo site Lothian Bird News and the very good web site Birding Lothian.
Hope this helps
Birdspotter
Well-known member
Birding today: ad Curlew Sand Tiners
Gropper & Yellow Wag Skaters
Other coastal migs inc Whitethroat, Sedgie and quite a few Wheatear's
Gropper & Yellow Wag Skaters
Other coastal migs inc Whitethroat, Sedgie and quite a few Wheatear's
Had Swift over Wester Hailes yesterday|:d|
Birdspotter
Well-known member
Coastal birding today inc Lesser & Common Whitethroat, Wheatear, Yellow Wag, Whooper Swan, Osprey, Black Tern & sinensis Cormorant
Impresive numbers of hirundines (mostly swallow) heading north inc the odd Swift and huge numbers of Gannets in close inshore off Torness & particuarly Thorntonloch which is unusual this far from the Bass ( a lot of them were collecting seaweed for nesting material, this can commonly be seen off Scoughall but I havent witnessed this on such a scale at Torness, if thats what they were up to that is!).
Pretty disapointing migrant wise really given the weather conditions.
Impresive numbers of hirundines (mostly swallow) heading north inc the odd Swift and huge numbers of Gannets in close inshore off Torness & particuarly Thorntonloch which is unusual this far from the Bass ( a lot of them were collecting seaweed for nesting material, this can commonly be seen off Scoughall but I havent witnessed this on such a scale at Torness, if thats what they were up to that is!).
Pretty disapointing migrant wise really given the weather conditions.
Saw exactly what you are describing off Scoughall yesterday morning - hundreds of Gannets gathering nesting material just offshore. Could find only a sprinkling of migrants between there and Barns Ness - a Yellow Wag being the highlight. Managed to time my visit to Dunbar after the Garganey and before the Black Tern...
A few more warblers around locally now - at Hermitage of Braid first thing this morning had Sedge, Blackcap, Garden, Whitethroat and a single Lesser Whitethroat, but only the two commoner phylloscs - it is a few years now since I've heard a Wood Warbler in there. After 2 Swifts over Liberton yesterday, numbers were briefly up to 38 by early evening today. No Cuckoo yet.
Geoff
A few more warblers around locally now - at Hermitage of Braid first thing this morning had Sedge, Blackcap, Garden, Whitethroat and a single Lesser Whitethroat, but only the two commoner phylloscs - it is a few years now since I've heard a Wood Warbler in there. After 2 Swifts over Liberton yesterday, numbers were briefly up to 38 by early evening today. No Cuckoo yet.
Geoff
markgrubb
Leading a life of quiet desperation
I've seen a few black terns before but they have tended to be distant. So it was a joy to see the bird hawking over Seafield Pond yesterday. The bird was often only about 10 metres away and oblivious to people watching
I met Bruce Kerr there and he told me that he has had blck grouse at 3 sites in Lothian in the last month. Presumably they are spillover from the Innerleithen road. Numbers there have been spectaular this spring. I had 60 blackcocks over a 5 mile stretch a few weeks ago. This is around double the number of a couple of years ago. The hard winter does not seem to have affected them though it probably has affected predators. I know the keepers have been feeding the red grouse and that the black grouse come in to feed too. One keeper told me last year that he had around 40 coming in to feed at one point!
I met Bruce Kerr there and he told me that he has had blck grouse at 3 sites in Lothian in the last month. Presumably they are spillover from the Innerleithen road. Numbers there have been spectaular this spring. I had 60 blackcocks over a 5 mile stretch a few weeks ago. This is around double the number of a couple of years ago. The hard winter does not seem to have affected them though it probably has affected predators. I know the keepers have been feeding the red grouse and that the black grouse come in to feed too. One keeper told me last year that he had around 40 coming in to feed at one point!
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