Tree Sparrow
Well-known member
Lucky you saw it yesterday. If the Cabrach road isn't closed already, I'm sure it soon will be as the snow is drifting badly. At least you got a record shot, mine wasn't much better lol.
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Wild in Aberdeen - City and Shire (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ken Hall
- Start date
Lucky you saw it yesterday. If the Cabrach road isn't closed already, I'm sure it soon will be as the snow is drifting badly. At least you got a record shot, mine wasn't much better lol.
daveofficer
Well-known member
Can I ask what might seem a very basic question? As i'm off work with a bout of manflu i've been compiling my lists, not that I'm a lister but I just wanted to give it a bash and I realised I don't know what my 'patch' is. So my question is thus, how do you define your patch?
My instinct is to go with Culter and its surrounding area as my patch, which would include the deeside way and my regular walk along the 'shoddy' up through the easter anguston woods and along the culter burn and a patch of wasteground at the top of school road where we walk the dog. These are the places I go regularly but I also regularly go to places like crathes and carnie woods but they seem slightly too far out to be my patch, rather just a place i go. Are there rules for this kind of thing? Perhaps some guidelines to setting out your patch?
As a birdwatcher rather than twitcher i've never been fussed about lists, but i've found it hard to keep track of what i've seen and think this would at least help my record keeping.
My instinct is to go with Culter and its surrounding area as my patch, which would include the deeside way and my regular walk along the 'shoddy' up through the easter anguston woods and along the culter burn and a patch of wasteground at the top of school road where we walk the dog. These are the places I go regularly but I also regularly go to places like crathes and carnie woods but they seem slightly too far out to be my patch, rather just a place i go. Are there rules for this kind of thing? Perhaps some guidelines to setting out your patch?
As a birdwatcher rather than twitcher i've never been fussed about lists, but i've found it hard to keep track of what i've seen and think this would at least help my record keeping.
Hi Dave
What an interesting question.
To me a 'patch' is somewhere you go regularly and are interested enough to record what you see there.
You can have as many patches as you want I suppose.
D
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
There are no rules. It's a hobby, not a competition!
Your patch could be whatever geographical area you feel comfortable with - if you spend most of your time around Culter, that would make a sensible patch. You could also keep separate lists for other places that you visit regularly (e.g. Crathes and Carnie woods). However, it's entirely up to you. You could also submit your records to the BTO Birdtrack website if you want them to serve a wider purpose.
daveofficer
Well-known member
thanks for that, i guess i'll stick with my original idea and keep my patch list as 'culter and anywhere within walking distance', at least until i buy a bike or get round to learning to drive.
i'm not sold on the idea of listing yet but it might help me keep track of things and make me better at id'ing birds too which is no bad thing.
i'm not sold on the idea of listing yet but it might help me keep track of things and make me better at id'ing birds too which is no bad thing.
My "Up the Hill" patch is/was actually divided into 3 rather different habitats. The moor with the loch, is one. Behind that is a pasture field lined with mostly deciduous trees on one side some old barns and a shelter belt of coniferous trees.
The third bit is a large forest, but I've given up going in there now as there's two gates which have to be climbed to get into it.
At one time it was all lumped together, but I found it more interesting to separately record the birds seen in these differing habitats.
D
Looks like the hide at Tarland is quite a good place to be: warm as long as the sun is shining, and lots of bird activity. GSWoodpecker and Chaffinches on the nut feeder, thousands of PF Geese in the area, Curlews, Golden Plovers, Lapwings, Redshanks, Oystercatchers, gulls, Snipe, Wigeon, Buzzard, and Mistle Thrushes all seen this morning.
daveofficer
Well-known member
had a cracking walk in culter today with about 5 or 6 buzzard round the fields and one in particular was closer than i've ever been to a wild buzzard. i managed to get a couple of good shots as well when it shot out of the trees being chased by crows, just next to the path we were walking on. they might be common as muck these days but they're still impressive birds.
also had another red kite who obligingly flew pretty close overhead. he was tagged but the light didn't give me much opportunity to catch them on camera.
aside from some impressive raptor action, lots of coal, blue and great tits, chaffinches, wood pigeon, pied wagtail and a few others that I couldn't quite identify as they were just brown flashes in the trees.
quiet day in the garden though, i guess now the snows melted the birds are getting on with the main business of spring and have far more important things to be doing than visiting my garden for seed. just had a couple of lone goldfinch, blackbirds, a rook and some wood pigeon today.
also had another red kite who obligingly flew pretty close overhead. he was tagged but the light didn't give me much opportunity to catch them on camera.
aside from some impressive raptor action, lots of coal, blue and great tits, chaffinches, wood pigeon, pied wagtail and a few others that I couldn't quite identify as they were just brown flashes in the trees.
quiet day in the garden though, i guess now the snows melted the birds are getting on with the main business of spring and have far more important things to be doing than visiting my garden for seed. just had a couple of lone goldfinch, blackbirds, a rook and some wood pigeon today.
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
I was at the Millers Retail centre in Midmar today and I noticed that they are selling Little Owl nest boxes for £17.99. I wonder how many disappointed customers they have?
daveofficer
Well-known member
is that right? are there many little owls even in scotland? i guess other birds may use the nest boxes.
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
There are only a handful of breeding Little Owls in Scotland, all in the extreme south. Yes, other birds will use the boxes but I doubt if the average punter would want a box for Stock Doves or Starlings!
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
common sandpiper on the River Dee at Dinnet yesterday. Lots of siskin, jay, redpoll, great spotted woodpecker etc in the woods.
Am I correct in thinking,thats quite an early record for Common Sand ? For some silly reason,I always associate them with late April/early May.
Then again,I am well known for silly things..!
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
It seems to be about the standard arrival time I think.
According to the 2007 NES Bird Report, the earliest was 22 March 1984, in Glen Ey. Last year mine was 17 April at Potarch on the Dee.
Thanks for the stats Ken.Us "Toonsers" dont get to see them too often,unless we travel..!
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
King eider hasn't been seen since but there is an Iceland gull there.....
Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
Hi all,
I have returned from my trip to Portland, Dorset and South-west England. I had a very nice time. I won't go into detail in this thread, instead I'll leave that to my blog, which I will be updating a lot in the coming days/weeks. There seems to have been quite a few things around in Aberdeenshire whilst I was away, which is good to hear. I wonder if that King Eider was one of the Burghead Bay birds?
I have returned from my trip to Portland, Dorset and South-west England. I had a very nice time. I won't go into detail in this thread, instead I'll leave that to my blog, which I will be updating a lot in the coming days/weeks. There seems to have been quite a few things around in Aberdeenshire whilst I was away, which is good to hear. I wonder if that King Eider was one of the Burghead Bay birds?
