Wild in Aberdeen - City and Shire (2 Viewers)

checkers wanted

Hi guys,

I'm busy finishing a new edition of my book on the Best Birdwatching Sites in the Scottish Highlands.

I now have the draft chapters on Upper Deeside, and North-east Aberdeenshire ready.

If anyone is interested in having a look at these chapters and pointing out any mistakes, I will happily send them a copy of either or both.

The files are too large to go in a PM, so please email me at

gordon dot hamlett at btinternet dot com

Thanks very much in advance

Gordon

Does anyone know the latest on the King Eider and Surf Scoters? I'm hoping to have a look one day next week so any local info would be much appreciated.

There were three Surf Scoters (two drakes and a female) at Murcar today. The King Eider was last reported on the Ythan on 15th. I've not heard of it being seen since, although it may still be around. It doesn't sometimes seem to disappear around this time of the year. It's still worth looking out for though!

Thanks Andrew.

Andrew Whitehouse said:

There were three Surf Scoters (two drakes and a female) at Murcar today. The King Eider was last reported on the Ythan on 15th. I've not heard of it being seen since, although it may still be around. It doesn't sometimes seem to disappear around this time of the year. It's still worth looking out for though!

Click to expand...

I'm back from my Scottish trip where I did eventually (at the second time of trying) manage to catch up with the King Eider so thanks to all those in this thread who helped with my pre-trip research. In fact it was me that reported it on the 15th as well as the Temminck's Stint at Meikle Loch. Whilst at Ythan I did notice a local birder there surreptitiously trying to hide his binoculars so as not to give away the position of the King Eider so I do wonder if some of the locals resent outside birders and don't bother reporting the bird. For those who might be interested, there's a full trip report here.

Adam

Find it strange that someone would deny you the whereabouts of the bird.lt is quite common knowledge,that "Elvis" prefers one area of the river.We are quite friendly up here and sorry to hear about this but you always get one or two

I agree - I'd be very surprised if it was one of the locals. The bird gets found and reported by locals every year, after all. I can't imagine what anyone would gain by not pointing the bird out to you.

A lovely trip report Gnome.Still a bit confused by the guy hiding his binoculars though.I can't Imagine It being anyone local,although I could be wrong.Better luck with the Caper and Crossbill next time and It's a nice excuse for coming back again.

Ben Nevis said:

A lovely trip report Gnome.Still a bit confused by the guy hiding his binoculars though.I can't Imagine It being anyone local,although I could be wrong.Better luck with the Caper and Crossbill next time and It's a nice excuse for coming back again.

Click to expand...

Thanks Ben. The only reason why I thought he was a local was that he was walking his two dogs so I presumed that he probably hadn't come from too far away. I certainly am planning to return to Scotland again, it's a part of the country that I love.


Adam

Haven't posted here in a long while. It will be my last as well, as I am leaving the Aberdeen area permanently in a couple of weeks time, to Edinburgh for uni in the autumn and prior to that Glasgow.

The birding throughout the year, and particularly the spring has been a fitting farewell. Red-backed Shrike and Bluethroat were much enjoyed patch birds at Girdle Ness, as was an Eastern Subalpine Warbler at Cruden Bay Brickworks. A few days after the latter I had a singing Icterine Warbler at the very nearby Cruden Bay Woods, which was elusive but my highlight of the spring. June kicked off nicely with King Eider and Surf Scoter off Murcar/Blackdog.

Also this month, I did a two week volunteering stint at Strathbeg. It was superb, offering invaluable surveying and work experience and insights into parts of the reserve that are inaccessible to the public. Surveying work included monitoring the Gannet colony at Troup Head and tallying arable species. Birding wise, walking into Starnafin to discover a Spoonbill in front of the Visitor Centre on the first day was a good start. Another dutch-ringed Spoonbill was present the following week. The other main highlights included a very brief Turtle Dove whilst doing manual work, and bumping into a group of Bearded Tits at Fen Hide last week. 2 singing male Reed Warblers, several Grasshopper Warblers, 2 Short-eared Owls and great views of Badger were also much enjoyed throughout the two weeks. A Green Sandpiper over the Low Ground ended a memorable two weeks not just for birding, but for the volunteering experience as a whole and discovering parts of the reserve afresh; even after 10+ years of visiting the reserve.

Just want to thank everyone who has been involved in my birding in Aberdeenshire. I have met some inspirational people, who I hope I will see again at some point. Growing up as a birder here is something that will always remain core to my birding. Sated with rares, and nurtured into a patching mentality, it's done me great service. Hopefully I will bird up here every now and then in the future. Providing I volunteer at Strathbeg again, this could well happen.

Pic 1: Eastern Subalpine Warbler at Cruden Bay Brickworks
Pic 2: Spoonbill in front of Visitor Centre at Strathbeg
Pic 3: Gannet at Troup Head
Pic 4: Juvenile male Bearded Tit at Strathbeg
Pic 5: Badger at Strathbeg

All the best,

Joseph

Best wishes in your new life Joseph. Is this a work move, or uni?

There's loads of great birders in Edinburgh too you know

All the best with your new chapter In life Joseph and I shall continue to read your blog with great Interest.I'm sure you shall soon hook up,with some fine birders In the "Auld Reekie" area,as you did In Aberdeen shire and city and as the Bible truly states;"The Wise Men,Came From The East"..!

Good Luck and all the best for your future.

Good luck with the move Joseph. Will you be hitting the ness one last time?

Cheers everyone for the good luck wishes. I am moving for uni Delia, whilst rest of family is moving to Glasgow. As you and Ian have said, the Edinburgh birding scene should be fantastic as well; looking forward to integrating into that.

It's crossed my mind that I might need to do a round of the ness for the final time. I'd have a few days to fit it i somewhere, so now you mention it Mark, I probably should!

Pleased to see Elvis was still in the building when i visited the Ythan estuary today showing well near the mouth. I thought it was an excellent place to visit even without the King Eider.
Had a bit of a nightmare with the Surf Scoters gave it up as a bad job in the end but after the King Eider and a visit to the excellent Troup head i wont lose any sleep over the Scoters.

This morning I had a walk on the coastal cliffs from near Cove to Greg Ness.This Is the first time I wave walked the length of the cliffs,since I was a lad In the mid-late 70s.

Despite hearing about the crash In numbers of seabirds,I could not believe how quiet It was and the once thronging cliffs of bird life,were very quiet and In places,birdless.A very sad sign of the times.

Two recently fledged Kestrels on the cliff at the old Coast Guard,still with white down on their heads,brightened up the day a little.

Yhthan Estuary Mystery Warbler

Hi Everyone,

A little ID help needed……

I saw a warbler today I wasn’t familiar with and would appreciate everyone’s thoughts as I think it might be a bit interesting….

Two points to consider, first I have little experience of non-UK warblers and secondly I was looking at the bird through a telescope at 60x zoom.

Steve Palmer first alerted me to the bird as he said he thought he heard a warbler call that he didn’t recognise but we couldn’t see or hear any warblers before he had to leave. At c.1240 I then saw a warbler on top of a bush.

I was viewing in land from the sand dune directly behind the old boat shed at the Ythan Mouth. The bush was a hawthorn c.100m away surrounded by gorse which was in a direct line with the furthest left upper window of a pale house, with four windows on its upper floor and 2 chimneys. An obscure reference I know but you try describing the location of a hawthorn surrounded by gorse for 100s of metres on either side!

The bird had the following features:

Size – considerably larger than a willow warbler that briefly sat next to it, “chunkier” feel to it than willow warbler

Throat/upper breast – noticeably very pale (white?)

Lower Breast / flanks – pale but darker (greyer?) than throat with slightly darker (greyer?) flanks

Bill – broad, quite long (as in longer than a willow warbler..), pale lower mandible, possibly pale base to upper mandible

Eye – very dark – black?

Supercillium – not very bold but visible, pale and extended to just behind eye

Eye Stripe – sort of – was a darker line between supercillium and throat colours

Hint of pale eye ring

Body Colour – was a grey/brown colour

Hint of a paler patch extending up around neck but not to nape

Wings – contrasted with greyer colour of back, were browner colour with possible darker edges

Tail – long, similar colour to wings

Legs – pale

I didn’t hear it call

No bars or stripes visible on bird

Primary projection seemed quite long

I believe the above rules out any of the commoner warblers and looking through the Collins the three birds that it appears most like are Booted, Marsh and Oliveacous Warbler.

Just going by the illustrations in Collins (a bad idea I know…) I'd have said Oliveacous Warbler but that is obviously extremely rare and I didn't notice (but did not look for..) any excessive tail wagging. I’d have said it was a Booted Warbler over a Marsh Warbler. However, I think a booted warbler would be too small as it suggests they are similar in size to a willow warbler. That leaves me thinking Marsh Warbler?

I got a god awful picture which I’m not sure really helps using my phone which I will post online when I work out how…

So what do we think? Have I made a major mistake and its obviously a common warbler of could it be something more interesting?

Cheers
Danny

king eider on the ythan

also elvis was back on the Ythan Mouth - only just started eclipse so plumage still pretty good

yhthan warbler

Hi All,

My very poor pics of the ythan warbler. Having looked at more pics online I'm increasingly thinking it could be an oliveacous warbler and Steve Palmer has listened to the call and said this it is VERY similar to what he heard.

So I'm putting this down as a possible Oliveacous for now - would be great if other could look for it and get better views?

Comments welcome!

Danny

Hi Danny,

Impossible to say anything really with these images, other than it looks interesting! Any way you could post on a map roughly where the bird was? I might go up and have a look after work....