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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Wild in Aberdeen - City and Shire (1 Viewer)

Humpbacks

Hi All,

2 humpbacks off Balmedie again tonight at 15.45. I waited 45 mins before seeing them but then we saw them for c.15 minutes before heading home. Weren't giving the best views - no tail flipping or breaching - but did clearly see their backs. We found the best way to view them was to look for the blows and the spray moving across the water.

They were moving both North and South quite frantically - perhaps feeding?

Cheers

Danny
 
Hey danny, Its mark wood.

Well done on the humpback sightings ! It'd be nice if those things decided to head down past fife. I tried on a few occasions to find that one off girdle ness back in the summer but to no avail.
You had a chance to see any of those Iceland gulls that have been frequenting aberdeenshire of late ?

All the best.
 
Hi all
just a quick question that's been annoying me the past couple of days. While watching a flock of black-headed gulls in Duthie Park I noticed that there are about 5-6 gulls with black heads whereas the rest seem to be in winter plumage, is this normal at this time of year or are they vsitors or something ?

Jim.
 
Hi all
just a quick question that's been annoying me the past couple of days. While watching a flock of black-headed gulls in Duthie Park I noticed that there are about 5-6 gulls with black heads whereas the rest seem to be in winter plumage, is this normal at this time of year or are they vsitors or something ?

Jim.

It's not uncommon for Black-headed Gulls to get their dark hoods through the winter. It's just individual variation rather than them being visitors (although most probably are from elsewhere rather than being local breeders).
 
Hey danny, Its mark wood.

Well done on the humpback sightings ! It'd be nice if those things decided to head down past fife. I tried on a few occasions to find that one off girdle ness back in the summer but to no avail.
You had a chance to see any of those Iceland gulls that have been frequenting aberdeenshire of late ?

All the best.


Hey Mark! How's things?

Yeah I failed repeatedly with the girdleness Minkes and Humpbacks last year... No luck with the icelands but did get a Glaucous in Fraserburgh on new years day. You had any good birds lately?
 
Hi All,

Had a look for those waxwings that had been reported on the langstracht this lunchtime but didnt see any.

Also forgot to mention I had Great Skua off Balmedie the other night at the same time as the Humpbacks. Does anyone know how common winter records are?

Cheers

Danny
 
Great photos Joseph. I might have to make a trip up there next week. Whereabouts exactly in Peterhead and Fraserburgh did you see the birds - On the few occasions I've visited in the past I've never really known the best places to look, places to park etc. so any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks Paul, it was a very enjoyable day and the light was beautiful for photography. I had the Kumlien's Gull and Icelands at Fraserburgh opposite the Balaclava Pub on Shore Street, the road which goes alongside the Harbour - I don't know if it has been opposite here since or elsewhere in the harbour. You can turn down and park up by the docks literally by the pub, and all the gulls were loafing about on the water there. There are signs to the harbour in the town which will take you down to Shore Street.

The gulls at Peterhead were as usual in the harbour. I am taking it you have tried for white-wingers here before, but if you are unsure of how to access this I can provide more info.

Had a very good few hours' birding on Sunday as well; 8+ Waxwings at Lang Stracht - seemingly pretty mobile as quickly after they were located they flew north - the female Lesser Scaup and the female Greater Scaup at Loch of Skene, interestingly with an Aythya hybrid. I also found an adult 'yellow-legged' gull here, which due to distance I was unable to get the primary pattern on and thus identify; whilst I was thinking Caspian or Yellow-legged due to an outstandingly full chest and long bill, it appears the yellow-legged eastern race of Herring Gull 'omissus' nor some sort of hybrid can not be eliminated on the basis of the photos. My hope is that this gull is re-found and the ID confirmed; certainly a very interesting bird.

Joseph
 
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Thanks Joseph - I had a look at both Fraserburgh and Peterhead this lunchtime. I'd not really been to Peterhead harbour before and found plenty of intimidating signs ('no public access' and 'no unauthorised visitors') but I just ignored them!

Quite a few white-winged gulls at both sites, but I found it quite a challenge to identify them as it is a few years since I have seen either species and gulls are not really my strong suit. I'm just about to post some photos on the ID forum.
 
Hey Mark! How's things?

Yeah I failed repeatedly with the girdleness Minkes and Humpbacks last year... No luck with the icelands but did get a Glaucous in Fraserburgh on new years day. You had any good birds lately?

Well glaucous is always good. Best i've got since new year is white fronted, brent goose, b. throated diver and smew. Going to try my luck with hawfinch up at scone at the weekend though. 8-P
 
Got good views of a goose flock (about 200) when I opened my bedroom window (north of Findon) this morning. There was plenty of noise but I don't have the experience (skill) to identify the species. They flew fairly low, heading south, as I was looking out to sea. Got home in the dark this evening (after a trip to Montrose Basin) and was surprised to hear some noisy geese nearby. Don't know if they were going to spend the night here or just getting more food in before heading elsewhere to roost... Inspired me to learn a bit more about geese anyway.
 
Got good views of a goose flock (about 200) when I opened my bedroom window (north of Findon) this morning. There was plenty of noise but I don't have the experience (skill) to identify the species. They flew fairly low, heading south, as I was looking out to sea. Got home in the dark this evening (after a trip to Montrose Basin) and was surprised to hear some noisy geese nearby. Don't know if they were going to spend the night here or just getting more food in before heading elsewhere to roost... Inspired me to learn a bit more about geese anyway.

Hi Mark,
Your geese are most likely to have been Pink-feet. Greylag's another reasonable possibility, but, particularly this winter, other species are worth considering. Bare part (leg and bill) colouration is always a good starting point for 'grey' geese if the light's ok.
Cheers,
Hugh.
 
Hi Mark,
Your geese are most likely to have been Pink-feet. Greylag's another reasonable possibility, but, particularly this winter, other species are worth considering. Bare part (leg and bill) colouration is always a good starting point for 'grey' geese if the light's ok.
Cheers,
Hugh.

Aye: will take a close look at the legs and bills of Geese next time I get a good view. The difficulty on Saturday morning was that they were flying relatively low and I was looking into the sun (and in the evening it was too dark for me to see anything). They were being fairly noisy so if I could recognise the calls I would have had a chance... The new 8x42s may help compared to the free 10x25s I was using before! Was a good thing to see, though. Cheers, Mark.
 
Last week I had the good fortune to stumble across a roost of 4 Short-eared owls in a field margin near Oldmeldrum. Two of the birds had circled around my head for a few minutes giving fantastic views before settling on fenceposts some distance away.

Yesterday I was back on the same farm and made a sad discovery. The roost was deserted apart from a few piles of pellets and droppings and the predated remains of one of the owls scattered over a wide area. Many of the feathers were bitten off across the shaft so most likely a fox had found them.
 
Yesterday I was back on the same farm and made a sad discovery. The roost was deserted apart from a few piles of pellets and droppings and the predated remains of one of the owls scattered over a wide area. Many of the feathers were bitten off across the shaft so most likely a fox had found them.

Sorry to hear about that but cheers for the report. Seemed sad reading it after having the pleasure of watching a Short Eared Owl on Balnagask Golf Course during my lunch break...
 
Sorry to hear about that but cheers for the report. Seemed sad reading it after having the pleasure of watching a Short Eared Owl on Balnagask Golf Course during my lunch break...

There are a few Foxes around the Golf Course as well but they are well fed by humans In the Battery Car Park.One day,I was about 5 yards away from one.
 
A superb winter day's birding on the coast yesterday, in brief including 13 Iceland Gulls, 1 sub-adult Kumlien's Gull, 3 Glaucous Gulls all at Peterhead, 38+ Twites and 27 Snow Buntings at the mouth of the Ythan, and finally adult Iceland Gull, Short-eared Owl and drake American Wigeon amongst others at Strathbeg. Pics and an account of the day can be found on my blog, which is linked in my signature.

Cheers,

Joseph
 
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