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Wild in Aberdeen - City and Shire (16 Viewers)

August 29th went for a walk along St Cyrus beach today, a beautiful, windy day. We parked in the reserve car park and took the path directly behind the buildings onto the beach, hadn't gone that way before. Sat down on a tree trunk, there are quite a few on the beach, for our picnic with the plan to walk it off after. Right next to us a young Wheatear and mother perched up on another tree and sat staring at our sandwiches ...... or something for quite a while, beautiful to see so close up.

20230829 - Wheatear female watches over her youngster at St Cyrus beach.jpg20230829 - Wheatear youngster on St Cyrus beach.jpg

As we sat there I started to notice the Tern calls and there were quite a few, mostly Sandwich from what I could see but a mix I'm sure but while I was trying to identify them I spotted a bird on the surface, watched it for a good while and eventually recognised it as a diver, I logged great Northern due to white chest I got glimpses of but, I'll add a photo or two soon. Wrong lens with me, I really didn't expect to see SO many birds right on the shore, obviously plenty food for them, Guillemots, Razorbills, two divers, Terns, Black Headed and Gannets, although a little further offshore. Way out there was a raft of very dark coloured birds that I couldn't ID, too far for my wee binocs, if I had to describe them, around female Eider colouration and maybe a little smaller?
Anyway, suffice to say we saw at least two divers and a lot of others. WE walked by inland via Nether Kirkyard, saw a few warblers but not a lot else. Had a fabulous day though.
Heading up Glen Quharity for a wee explore this morning.
Cheers a'
20230829 - Diver off St Cyrus beach.jpg
 
Having spent the weekend up on the Moray Firth,I decided to visit the River Don/Donmouth for the last morning of my wee break from work and enjoyable couple of hours was had.As I looked over the Bridge of Don on arrival,my attention was taken by air bubbles coming to the surface of the River and sure enough,within seconds an Otter appeared with an Eel In It's mouth.While watching this,I heard and then seen a Kingfisher flying downstream.
I had a walk up to the Brig o Balgownie and the following were seen.3 Little Grebes,singles of Greenshank,Sparrowhawk and the long staying Whooper Swan.
There were the usual Mallards around and a couple of Teal,as well as six Goosander and several Grey Heron scattered along the river.
As I made my way back to the Bus Stop,I had a last look over the Bridge and the last birds I seen underneath my viewing point,was a couple of Red throated Divers.
 
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A surprisingly interesting walk to work today. There had been some reports of Waxwings in St Peter's Cemetery so I thought I would pop in and have a look for them, since it's on my way. I had just arrived there when a few distant people started shouting over to me. I wondered what they were up to and once I went over I noticed one was local ringer Raymond Duncan. I didn't know the other two guys. Raymond said 'Have a look what these two have just seen'. I looked through the viewfinder of their camera and saw a photo of a Red-flanked Bluetail! Apparently, they had seen it 15 minutes earlier but it had disappeared.

I guessed it would still be somewhere in the cemetery, so wandered about for a bit, having put the news out on the local WhatsApp. There was no sign on my look around but then, Mark Sullivan and his wife shouted over to me. There it was! It showed nicely on and off for several minutes, flitting about the trees and perching on the gravestones. Only the third ever Aberdeenshire record (and I think also the third I've seen in the UK).

Oh, there were about 34 Waxwings too, although they got upstaged for once.
 
Found a lonely swallow today! Up Stirling hill, Peterhead.

Also, last sunday just prior to going out I'd noticed there had been Northern Bullfinch reported in various areas of Aberdeenshire. I looked at a picture of one, couldn't make out any obvious differences and didn't really think much about it. But I went to Sandford Bay at Peterhead and found a single Bullfinch that seemed to be sheltering in the hawthorn on the side of the path and was in the same spot for at least half an hour, and didn't seem too bothered about me being there, though I figured maybe it was tired. It did pop into the open for a bit for some photo's. I would normally just assume it was a usual bullfinch, but how I noticed the bird in the first place was it's call, which I've attached. Is that a call that local bullfinches would make? It's one I've never heard. The bird did seem a decent size but with nothing to compare it to it's hard to say. What do you think?
 

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Waxwings still at N. Deeside Rd., Cults. at 13:50 First about a dozen flycatching from the 3 tall trees hear the Deeside Care Home, and I noticed that they were disappearing behind the next-door building called 'The Rowans', and that there was a larger flock perched on a tree, visible through the gap at the right side of The Rowans. Count from a dud quality video (couldn't keep my hands still in the rather cold air) was at least 28, with other birds suspected round about (they can;t keep still either). Occasionally some would cross the road to a bunch of trees opposite the Care Home.
 
Flock of Waxies behind 'The Rowans' N. Deeside Road now replenished and I would say 50-60, probably a pre-roosting-flight arrangement. But I guess they might be back. Something's keeping them here. I heard a few years back, in the days of the great invasion of 2004-5 (400 in my communal flats back garden area) that they roosted on a hill west of Aberdeen somewhere. Can't remember the name (or indeed my own sometimes these days). Redwing, Blackbird and Fieldfare, commonly passing about 2 weeks ago, seemed to have moved somewhere else. I'm hampered at the moment as someone 'complained' about my using binoculars and WALKING BACK AND FORTH (jeez!). So I'm making other plans for observations. Saw a flock of Long-tailed Tits though, about a week ago (13). Seemed to be doing OK after Storm Babet.
 
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Approx. 100 Waxwing have returned to N.Deeside at the north end of Dunmail Avenue at about 08:00. I haven't seen any since Friday, so they may not be the same flock . They are currently in the very tall tree over the road from Dunmail Manor, north end. Flocks still appear 'flighty' at the moment, peeling off and returning.
 

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