Birds fae Torry (4 Viewers)

markgrubb · Nov 26, 2007

Andrew Whitehouse said:
How's this for pin-sharp axillaries? Not bad eh. I'd normally claim that most of my pictures are 'record shots' but that won't be necessary with these. Works. Of. Art.

Well I'm glad that we've not had to see too many record shots then

A marginally sharper image at http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery9&start=13

Bit of a purple patch for Girdleness though!!!

Andrew Whitehouse · Nov 30, 2007

I've not been able to get out much lately, what with my media commitments. There's been the odd Long-tailed Duck around during the week and lots of Herring Gulls seem to be frequenting the rooftops, as if prospecting their breeding sites.

I saw my first Waxwings of the winter today: around 45 flying around St Peter's Cemetery when I was on my way into work. Really wonderful.

markgrubb · Nov 30, 2007

Andrew Whitehouse said:
I've not been able to get out much lately, what with my media commitments. QUOTE]

And not the merest hint of smugness-that's what I like a modest man

Saw my first waxwings of the winter too today coincidentally

Turkish Van saw haer first yesterday....

Wonder if our Peterborough correspondent has had such luck too

markgrubb · Nov 30, 2007

Andrew Whitehouse said:
I've not been able to get out much lately, what with my media commitments. QUOTE]

And not the merest hint of smugness-that's what I like-a modest man

Saw my first waxwings of the winter too today coincidentally

Turkish Van saw her first yesterday....

Wonder if our Peterborough correspondent has had such luck too

JWN Andrewes · Dec 1, 2007

Andrew Whitehouse said:
But she still seems to be content with a 'little bit of the other' with drake Common Eiders at present, so no King Pin wooed into town as yet.

He was obviously running a bit late! (Birdguides now reporting a 1st year drake with the queen off the foghorn today.)

James

Andrew Whitehouse · Dec 1, 2007

The Happy Couple

Ahhhhhh....

So she did pull after all. And a toyboy at that.

Andrew Whitehouse · Dec 2, 2007

Just to add a bit of flesh to the pictures above...

Yesterday morning I set off with Rob King (appropriate name), with the main aim to head up to Peterhead to look for Bonaparte's Gull. I suggested it would be worth a quick look to see if the Queen Eider was still around off the foghorn. Almost immediately the female was found and I remember using the directions 'it's near that immature drake Eider'. So, we enjoyed some very decent views of the Queen for five minutes or so. I was scanning around a bit and suddenly it dawned on me 'hold on a minute, that 1st winter drake is a King Eider too'. Very dark, with the only noticeable pale area on the breast (and even that was mottled brown), a squarish head shape, some scapular sails appearing and a bit of yellow coming through on the bill. It's an interesting looking bird - I've never seen one quite as 'immature' as this. And an all important 'self-found tick'!

I had rather a good day otherwise. We saw a flock of 26 Waxwings at St Peter's Cemetery again, this time perched up nicely in the trees. Then headed up to Peterhead and eventually had excellent views of the very dainty Bonaparte's Gull. There was also quite a good supporting cast of 2 Black Guillemots on the harbour and a female Black Redstart along the shore at Buchanhaven. Scanning to the north, two or three miles away in the dunes at St Fergus was a large dark shape. Which looked rather like the reintroduced White-tailed Eagle reported from there. And not like a fence post. Although it seemed equally immobile. When we headed up there there was no sign although there were perhaps around 20 Buzzards. I also year-ticked 3 Red-legged Partridges there and enjoyed the sight and sound of a mixed flock of Whooper and Mute Swans going right overhead. We finished at dusk at Strathbeg and watched the geese come down to the loch. I glimpsed a Peregrine whizzing low over a field.

Ken Hall · Dec 3, 2007

The king and queen (or should that be prince and princess) were still there mid morning, but where was everybody else? I had the place to myself. Then I headed south to Montrose, looked for the Lesser Yellowlegs in the basin (missed it by 20 minutes apparently), but found the Bonaparte's Gull at Usan after a hike along the clifftops. Back to Montrose Basin where a few birders were happily watching the LY. Joy at last. Ended the day watching a spectacular sunset over the Basin, and listening on the radio to Aberdeen thumping Hibs 3 - 1. Perfect end to a perfect day.

pmydon · Dec 3, 2007

Perhaps if we could have persuaded the Bonaparte's Gull to join the flock which normally flies around Pittrodrie, the crowd might have been a little better than the mere 10,110 (Quite poor when you consider we were playing Hibs and it is usually an attractive game). Great result though.

Also great thread. Reminds me of when I was a kid and used to go down to the rocks in Torry to collect buckies and crabs which my grandmother then cooked up for us. Sadly I live too far away to either watch football at Pittrodrie or birds fae Torry.

Woodchatshrike · Dec 3, 2007

Andrew Whitehouse said:
Just to add a bit of flesh to the pictures above...

Yesterday morning I set off with Rob King (appropriate name), with the main aim to head up to Peterhead to look for Bonaparte's Gull. I suggested it would be worth a quick look to see if the Queen Eider was still around off the foghorn. Almost immediately the female was found and I remember using the directions 'it's near that immature drake Eider'. So, we enjoyed some very decent views of the Queen for five minutes or so. I was scanning around a bit and suddenly it dawned on me 'hold on a minute, that 1st winter drake is a King Eider too'. Very dark, with the only noticeable pale area on the breast (and even that was mottled brown), a squarish head shape, some scapular sails appearing and a bit of yellow coming through on the bill. It's an interesting looking bird - I've never seen one quite as 'immature' as this. And an all important 'self-found tick'!

I had rather a good day otherwise. We saw a flock of 26 Waxwings at St Peter's Cemetery again, this time perched up nicely in the trees. Then headed up to Peterhead and eventually had excellent views of the very dainty Bonaparte's Gull. There was also quite a good supporting cast of 2 Black Guillemots on the harbour and a female Black Redstart along the shore at Buchanhaven. Scanning to the north, two or three miles away in the dunes at St Fergus was a large dark shape. Which looked rather like the reintroduced White-tailed Eagle reported from there. And not like a fence post. Although it seemed equally immobile. When we headed up there there was no sign although there were perhaps around 20 Buzzards. I also year-ticked 3 Red-legged Partridges there and enjoyed the sight and sound of a mixed flock of Whooper and Mute Swans going right overhead. We finished at dusk at Strathbeg and watched the geese come down to the loch. I glimpsed a Peregrine whizzing low over a field.

Nice work. I went up with John and Tom. Interesting bird. An plumage tick for me. Nice and easy work in amoungst a group of only 10 eiders!

All the best

Jeremy

Andrew Whitehouse · Dec 3, 2007

Woodchatshrike said:
Nice work. I went up with John and Tom. Interesting bird. An plumage tick for me. Nice and easy work in amoungst a group of only 10 eiders!

All the best

Jeremy

It's amazing what's been in that small flock over the past month though!

markgrubb · Dec 3, 2007

Ken Hall said:
and listening on the radio to Aberdeen thumping Hibs 3 - 1. Perfect end to a perfect day.

Sounds like an imperfect end to an otherwise good day to me

Ken Hall · Dec 3, 2007

markgrubb said:
Sounds like an imperfect end to an otherwise good day to me

Hi Mark. I used to an awful lot of angling. You took the bait beautifully. I thought you might.

Andrew Whitehouse · Dec 5, 2007

Had a swing round the Ness this morning. The first news, that I'm sure will be exciting to many of you, is that the Purple Sandpiper Totaliser moves on apace to:

182

Woo-hoo! Thanks to everyone out there for all their efforts. And to the Purple Sandpipers too, which were roosting up on the old pier. At least 10 had red colour rings, with a couple also showing yellow flags. Also roosting were 138 Redshank and 39 Turnstones.

The sea was starting to get a bit heavy off the foghorn when I got there and it took a few minutes to located the 1st winter drake King Eider. There was no sign at all of the Queen. Maybe this crowd were a bit rough for her. Or is this her 'Scottish residence' and she's now down in Norfolk, possibly for a spot of raptor persecution? A Puffin, still with quite a colourful bill, was offshore and there were 2 Red-throated Divers and a few Razorbills and Guillemots too. Not many other seabirds about these days though - it's a little while since I've seen Gannet or Kittiwake. A female Stonechat was on the golf course.

A Peregrine was perched atop of Triple Kirks this morning.

Ian Bell · Dec 5, 2007

Andrew Whitehouse said:
The sea was starting to get a bit heavy off the foghorn when I got there and it took a few minutes to located the 1st winter drake King Eider. There was no sign at all of the Queen. Maybe this crowd were a bit rough for her. Or is this her 'Scottish residence' and she's now down in Norfolk, possibly for a spot of raptor persecution?

What a sense of humour3

A Peregrine was perched atop of Triple Kirks this morning.

I watched this bird at the same location this morning.

Capercaillie71 · Dec 10, 2007

As it was a sunny day today I made a trip down to the Torry Coo at lunchtime to see if I could find the King Eiders. There was a loose flock of about 20 Eiders in the area, so it didn't take long to find the first winter male King, although to be honest if I hadn't seen the photos of it I would have just passed it off as a young common eider. After a couple of minutes it flew off towards the harbour mouth (a house tick, Andrew?) and I lost sight of it. I turned my attention to looking for the female, and found it quite quickly, closer in than the male. In many ways it was a much more distinctive bird than the male, the head shape being quite strikingly different from the Common Eiders.

Andrew Whitehouse · Dec 10, 2007

Good stuff Paul - you're becoming quite a regular down here. I was at work today, so no house tick. I might have a fairly careful scan tomorrow though.

I've not seen too much lately, although the Peregrine was perched on Triple Kirks spire on Thursday and Friday last week. Work wasn't so bad today, with a lovely flock of 41 Waxwings right next to the building where my office is.

Capercaillie71 · Dec 10, 2007

Andrew Whitehouse said:
Good stuff Paul - you're becoming quite a regular down here.

Three visits in little more than a month! I blame the birdforum bash! I hadn't been to Girdleness for about a couple of years before November.

Dave Kennedy · Dec 10, 2007

pmydon said:
Perhaps if we could have persuaded the Bonaparte's Gull to join the flock which normally flies around Pittrodrie, the crowd might have been a little better than the mere 10,110 (Quite poor when you consider we were playing Hibs and it is usually an attractive game). Great result though.

Also great thread. Reminds me of when I was a kid and used to go down to the rocks in Torry to collect buckies and crabs which my grandmother then cooked up for us. Sadly I live too far away to either watch football at Pittrodrie or birds fae Torry.

Pmydon - I live in South Africa, and I watch Birds fae Torry. Cumbria is just over the border - it's just a nice drive from there to Aberdeen. In my recent visits to UK I have driven Cornwall-Glasgow, Gloucester - Glasgow, Campbeltown - Aberdeen, Glasgow - Cley-next-the sea........there's nothing to it.
Best wishes,
Dave Kennedy

PS - There is also a good Glasgow-Aberdeen train service. Catch the Glasgow train at Penrith or somewhere suitable for you, and you'll be in Aberdeen before you know it.

Andrew Whitehouse · Dec 12, 2007

The Peregrine was again on Triple Kirks spire yesterday morning.

This morning I had a wander down to the Coo. The two King Eiders were again about, bobbing around together as if they'd never been parted. Ahhh.... I saw half a dozen Gannets heading north, the first for a few weeks. There were good numbers of both Red-throated Divers (8+) and Guillemots (loads!) on the sea. Also 15 or so Purple Sandpipers and 1 Knot on the rocks. A drake Red-breasted Merganser was on the harbour. Lots of gulls were wheeling about in the afternoon but I couldn't do anything them with them from the flat. Other than watch them of course.

Birds fae Torry (4 Viewers)

Leading a life of quiet desperation

Professor of Listening

Leading a life of quiet desperation

Leading a life of quiet desperation

Poor Judge of Pasta.

Professor of Listening

Attachments

Professor of Listening

Well-known member

Grey Nomad

Registered User

Professor of Listening

Leading a life of quiet desperation

Well-known member

Professor of Listening

Registered User

Well-known member

Attachments

Professor of Listening

Well-known member

Well-known member

Professor of Listening

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread