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

Birds fae Torry (5 Viewers)

The Glaucous Gull was around again this morning, just downstream from the Victoria Bridge. It was next to a Great Black-back and looked relatively small in comparison, so perhaps it's a female. A lovely lady for company. The Goldeneye was again on the river but more interesting from a Torry perspective was a female Tufted Duck.
 
I managed the glauc today, looking upstream from the allotments. There was a lot of stuff on the move today....mainly pinkies but also a regular northerly movement of woodpigeons and a few flocks of lapwing....including a bunch of 40 moving south.

There were snipe and woodcocks all over the place, and at least three jack snipe on the stream in nigg bay. With patience these can be seen really well...I got some cracking views today (see pics on the blog) but walking the stream flushes the 4 or 5 redshank and 10+ common snipe that are feeding there. It's an excellent opportunity to see these birds well but please bear in mind these other birds if you go and have a look. The dead redshank at the nigg bay end of the stream was a reminder that times are hard for all birds at the moment. I have to confess I got so engrossed in the jack snipes that I spent a lot longer there than I really should have.
 
Nice shots of the Jack Snipe Mark. I expect some will even suggest that they're better than mine.

Agree with your comments about the need to be a bit careful about how much disturbance we cause in these sort of conditions. In some ways we probably shouldn't go birding at all in cold weather! I expect the birds along the stream are also being disturbed a lot by locals out walking, particularly if they have dogs. I hope the thaw sets in soon and these birds are able to move back to places where they're less vulnerable.
 
As well as the glauc there were some more excellent patch birds to be had today. Still loads of snipe and woodcock, and a jack snipe was accidently flushed at the western end of the football pitch stream.

The best stuff was around the railway embankment...5 (possibly northern) bullfinch and 3 long tailed tit, and a stock dove over with some woodpigeons. Only my second ever on patch!!!

Good numbers of woodpigeon and pinkfeet on the move again today.

Last, and probably least, 2 eiders with humongous sails displaying off the foghorn.
 
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Slightly less glamour than yesterday, but 25 snow bunting over Nigg bay was very nice indeed. Also a tufty (almost certainly the one that Andrew had the other day) among the eiders in the harbour.

Woodcock numbers seemed to be on the increase with a pretty conservative count of 11 and there are still plenty of woodpigeons on the move.
 
Andrew Whitehouse said:
And the Glaucous Gull was again downstream of the Victoria Bridge mid-morning. Regular as clockwork. Also a drake Goosander there.
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Congratulations on finding the Glauc Andrew, looks like a very nice bird, and also well done to both of you for some good birding at the Ness. I am hoping to catch up with it this weekend if I can (even though it hasn't been reported today), and I was wondering, where do you mean when you say downstream of the Victoria Bridge? Where would I have to go to get to where you saw it yesterday? Would you reccomend checking other nearby areas for it as well? If you can give me any information that would be very much appreciated |=)| .

ATB,

Joseph
 
Joseph N said:
Congratulations on finding the Glauc Andrew, looks like a very nice bird, and also well done to both of you for some good birding at the Ness. I am hoping to catch up with it this weekend if I can (even though it hasn't been reported today), and I was wondering, where do you mean when you say downstream of the Victoria Bridge? Where would I have to go to get to where you saw it yesterday? Would you reccomend checking other nearby areas for it as well? If you can give me any information that would be very much appreciated |=)| .

ATB,

Joseph
Click to expand...

I didn't see it today, but I expect it's still around. When I say 'downstream of the Victoria Bridge' I mean just downstream i.e. I've been seeing it from the bridge on the seaward side. The only other place I've seen it was on the warehouse roof (see picture above), which is at the junction of Crombie Place and Sinclair Road. There are often quite a few gulls on that warehouse, so it's worth checking. I guess otherwise it just gets about the harbour area.
 
Andrew Whitehouse said:
I didn't see it today, but I expect it's still around. When I say 'downstream of the Victoria Bridge' I mean just downstream i.e. I've been seeing it from the bridge on the seaward side. The only other place I've seen it was on the warehouse roof (see picture above), which is at the junction of Crombie Place and Sinclair Road. There are often quite a few gulls on that warehouse, so it's worth checking. I guess otherwise it just gets about the harbour area.
Click to expand...

I see where you mean now, I wasn't quite sure at first. Thank you very much for the information Andrew, I really appreciate it! I will check the areas that you have mentioned and keep an eye out on Birdguides and ABZ for more reports of it.

ATB,

Joseph
 
The glauc was showing well today on various rooves around Sinclair road, mainly the warehouse roof that Andrew mentioned. It also spent some time on the roof of the chalmers bakers....a bird after my own heart! Photos will be on the blog soon.
 
Our friend the Glaucous Gull was still around earlier today, hitting those rooves by the harbour again. Around the Victoria Bridge were four Goldeneye and six Goosander.
 
Andrew Whitehouse said:
Madame Glonk was again around this morning (just now in fact). Not so much on the rooves (or even the roofs) but in the same area.
Click to expand...

That's good news, hoping to catch up with her tomorrow - will report back and attempt at some photos. If I get any photos, I will post them on here.

ATB,

Joseph
 
Was that a pun by Dr G? Hard to tell isn't it...

The icy grip of winter has been relieved over the past few days here in Torry and the Ness is now largely free of snow. That's probably why there weren't so many birds around today, although I did manage a thrilling patch tick.

A Fieldfare and Song Thrush were still around the allotments. 11 Common Scoters and a Red-throated Diver headed north and a Linnet was in Greyhope Bay. A strongly be-sailed Eider was off the Coo and a Snipe headed over Nigg Bay. A couple of Harbour Porpoises were out to sea. All a bit quiet really. Then I had a patch tick, and what a splended one it was too. Walking along the edge of the rough ground by the football pitch in Nigg Bay I put up no less a bird than a cock Pheasant. Whoop-de-do. Six Long-tailed Tits were in the trees by the embankment and a Buzzard flew over.
 

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