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Lothian Birding (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter markgrubb
- Start date
markgrubb
Leading a life of quiet desperation
Out early to Tyninghame for high tide at 7.30 ish-the early bird.....catches sight of no less than 14 dogs on the saltmarsh...uuugh. Predictably the good weather meant that most of waders had scarpered. 9 grey plovers and a single whimbrel being the best of the few birds about. However there were 25 alba wagtails by the car park
Torness would not be Torness without the Keystone..err Torness police. And once again my unassuming presence caught their attention as I grilled the car park bushes.
What are you doing?
Looking for birds.
What birds?
Well, anything I can see (thinking at this point that even a robin would give a frisson of excitement after 10 minutes of seeing nothing).
Well you must be looking for something.
Well a peregrine.
But they are up on the power station.
Ahh but they often sit in a bush and try and ambush the small birds.
Really!
Yes, just sit here and watch sometime-you're bound to see them
So if you see the cops in the car park peering into bushes....
The nearest to hot migrant action were 6 wheatears on the walkway
Back to Musselburgh and sod all waders. It was a duck day on the scrapes with female shoveler, female pintail and a scaup that kept mostly hidden but was probably an imm
And a taste of the seasons to come with 37 pink footed geese over
Torness would not be Torness without the Keystone..err Torness police. And once again my unassuming presence caught their attention as I grilled the car park bushes.
What are you doing?
Looking for birds.
What birds?
Well, anything I can see (thinking at this point that even a robin would give a frisson of excitement after 10 minutes of seeing nothing).
Well you must be looking for something.
Well a peregrine.
But they are up on the power station.
Ahh but they often sit in a bush and try and ambush the small birds.
Really!
Yes, just sit here and watch sometime-you're bound to see them
So if you see the cops in the car park peering into bushes....
The nearest to hot migrant action were 6 wheatears on the walkway
Back to Musselburgh and sod all waders. It was a duck day on the scrapes with female shoveler, female pintail and a scaup that kept mostly hidden but was probably an imm
And a taste of the seasons to come with 37 pink footed geese over
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Spent five hours at Hound Point on Sat and Four hours on Sunday . both times from the high tide . Sat had a few bonxsies and the odd manx shear . Sunday had about 7 Arctic skuas through and a manx and a bonxsie .
The skuas aren't moving through the forth just yet in any great number
The Point on Sat also held GS woodpecker , a tree creeper 3 chiffs and a willow W.
and on Sun a whitethroat.
Rik
The skuas aren't moving through the forth just yet in any great number
The Point on Sat also held GS woodpecker , a tree creeper 3 chiffs and a willow W.
and on Sun a whitethroat.
Rik
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This, or another the same with left leg green+white letters, was nailed by Keith at Seton ystdy - he got a photo confirming it as green-3LV5. Together with another new one on Friday, red-PJU6, confusable with Cherry Blossom who is also still around, that made a good wknd with 3 darvics in just 5 birds. Also there, a presumed ad YLG, possibly the same bird mentioned earlier in this thread for 16 Aug. Hopefully it will stick around and better pics can be obtained...
Birdspotter
Well-known member
Hi Rik,
Not sure what your thoughts are regarding Skua migration at high tide are, but as far as I am concerned Skua's migrate up the Forth in any state of tide.
So dont worry if it's low or high tide just go and enjoy.
I was there on Sunday afternoon, although slow at first the wind picked up, not long afterwards the Skua's started to come through, a total of 50-60 in all, including 4 ad Poms.
I am also convinced I had a juv Pom, but as it was alone and it didn't come close enough in for close scrutiny it wasnt counted.
Had to leave just after 4 though as it was way too cold, convinced they were still coming through at this point though.
cheers
Neil Grubb
Well-known member
Roslin Glen / Polton
A trip to the Hewan Bog section of the N Esk was productive yesterday and today. Two kingfishers present both days; managed to obtain some brief video yesterday but the birds just flew through today a couple of times. Also numerous jays in and around the Hewan Wood and downriver towards Polton. Looks like a good acorn crop so there should be opportunity to get a good look at them over the next month. Also a couple of dippers, two grey wagtails and a grey heron on the river.
Also saw 55 pink footed geese flying high over Roslin and heading south at around 11.30 this morning.
Noted around 300 starlings on the electricity wires at the Sherriffhall roundabout at around 6pm. Last winter there were some nice pre-roost displays over Dalkeith Country Park, visible from the A68.
Have the day off tomorrow so will go back to record two or three hours video of an overhanging branch and no bird.....!
Neil
P.S. My impression is that the rowan berry crop is good this autumn, the trees seem very heavily laden.
A trip to the Hewan Bog section of the N Esk was productive yesterday and today. Two kingfishers present both days; managed to obtain some brief video yesterday but the birds just flew through today a couple of times. Also numerous jays in and around the Hewan Wood and downriver towards Polton. Looks like a good acorn crop so there should be opportunity to get a good look at them over the next month. Also a couple of dippers, two grey wagtails and a grey heron on the river.
Also saw 55 pink footed geese flying high over Roslin and heading south at around 11.30 this morning.
Noted around 300 starlings on the electricity wires at the Sherriffhall roundabout at around 6pm. Last winter there were some nice pre-roost displays over Dalkeith Country Park, visible from the A68.
Have the day off tomorrow so will go back to record two or three hours video of an overhanging branch and no bird.....!
Neil
P.S. My impression is that the rowan berry crop is good this autumn, the trees seem very heavily laden.
markgrubb
Leading a life of quiet desperation
I went up to Bavelaw and Threipmuir reservoirs as I had heard that they had lowered water levels to allow easy maintenance.
Bavelaw was almost empty. The reeds were very exposed and there were no less than 3 water rails out in the open, 40 Moorhens too. The only other species of duck I could pick out amongst the teal and mallards was a shoveler
Bavelaw was almost empty. The reeds were very exposed and there were no less than 3 water rails out in the open, 40 Moorhens too. The only other species of duck I could pick out amongst the teal and mallards was a shoveler
G Anderson
Registered User
Well the wind was 'out of the East' and I'd just spyed online that a certain Crane was on the move south, went down the coast for a look.
A couple of Chiffchaff at Thorntonloch and a Wheatear were the only small migrants seen, the weather not great but it was fairly obvious that there wasn't much around. Went along to Barns Ness and again quiet, single Bonxie and Arctic Skua and a few RTDiver on the Sea and five Barnacle Geese.
No Cranes of any type (tomorrow it's going over Lothian!?)
Stopped off Aberlady, great views of 3-4000 Pinks about ninety Barnacles, six PB Brents and a very obvious white Snow Goose, which was mostly asleep.
Didn't look for the amazing long-staying 'legs. (rpt today).
A couple of Chiffchaff at Thorntonloch and a Wheatear were the only small migrants seen, the weather not great but it was fairly obvious that there wasn't much around. Went along to Barns Ness and again quiet, single Bonxie and Arctic Skua and a few RTDiver on the Sea and five Barnacle Geese.
No Cranes of any type (tomorrow it's going over Lothian!?)
Stopped off Aberlady, great views of 3-4000 Pinks about ninety Barnacles, six PB Brents and a very obvious white Snow Goose, which was mostly asleep.
Didn't look for the amazing long-staying 'legs. (rpt today).
G Anderson
Registered User
Had a few hours on the East Lothian coast today, the weather was very clear with a light northwesterly. At Aberlady saw the Lesser Yellowlegs upstream of the bridge, been around more than 2 months now but has a bit to go for the Scottish long-stay record (Fife?).
Then went for a look round Scoughall, lots of Red Admirals and a couple of northern Chiffchaff. On the sea 3 Bonxies, 2 Manx (and a too distant Sooty..) in 20 minutes but didn't see any Poms, (seems to have been quite a lot again today down the East coast).
On the Ware road (Tyninghame), a couple of hundred Barnacle Geese (2000 rpt yesterday - Lothian record count?). Also here 13 Brent Geese (a lot of them this year) 8 Greenshank, Pintail and Peregrine over.
Back to Aberlady Bay where its all going on with the geese, loads flying in and out and the Snow Goose flying out over the main road about 4 pm. I got a fantastic picture!
Its the one that looks a bit like a Pelican, on the left. Also 3 Pintail here.
Cheers G
Then went for a look round Scoughall, lots of Red Admirals and a couple of northern Chiffchaff. On the sea 3 Bonxies, 2 Manx (and a too distant Sooty..) in 20 minutes but didn't see any Poms, (seems to have been quite a lot again today down the East coast).
On the Ware road (Tyninghame), a couple of hundred Barnacle Geese (2000 rpt yesterday - Lothian record count?). Also here 13 Brent Geese (a lot of them this year) 8 Greenshank, Pintail and Peregrine over.
Back to Aberlady Bay where its all going on with the geese, loads flying in and out and the Snow Goose flying out over the main road about 4 pm. I got a fantastic picture!
Its the one that looks a bit like a Pelican, on the left. Also 3 Pintail here.Cheers G
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david kelly
Drive-by Birder
On scrape @ Lunchtime today
2 Barnacle Geese
3 Black-tailed Godwit
1 Peregrine Falcon (over)
Cheers
David
2 Barnacle Geese
3 Black-tailed Godwit
1 Peregrine Falcon (over)
Cheers
David
david kelly
Drive-by Birder
Musselburgh for a longer viit this afternoon, nothing rare but a good variety of birds including
1 Black-tailed Godwit
2 Barnacle Geese
3 Whooper Swans (2 on the scrapes and 1 on the sea)
1 Wheatear
1 Stonechat
1 male Pochard on the boating pond
Lots of Golden Plover on the scrapes and good numbers of Red-throated Diver offshore with a few Grebes (mainly Great Crested but at least one Slavonian).
Cheers
David
1 Black-tailed Godwit
2 Barnacle Geese
3 Whooper Swans (2 on the scrapes and 1 on the sea)
1 Wheatear
1 Stonechat
1 male Pochard on the boating pond
Lots of Golden Plover on the scrapes and good numbers of Red-throated Diver offshore with a few Grebes (mainly Great Crested but at least one Slavonian).
Cheers
David
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markgrubb
Leading a life of quiet desperation
The police, again and again............
4 days holiday from this am-good
With a lightish westerly I thought it would be a good day to head out to S.Queensferry and Hound Point for some seawatching- the last time I was out in a light westerly 4 weeks ago produced 40 skuas in 3 hours- and at this time of year there is always the chance of a pom. Drove out there in a relaxed state to find the access road to the pier closed and 2 of L & B's finest blocking the road.
Encounter with L & B's finest-bad.
Looking with my bins (and the PC's told me to put them away, 4 or 5 vans were parked ahead with lots of activity)-so I don't know-a murder, a washed up corpse or the body of yet another yellow billed cuckoo-???-even the Evening News doesn't tell what was going on.
So with heavy heart I headed home to wrestle with the garden-a friend phoned to ask me if I fancied some diversion from aforementioned gardening tasks and head down the coast-so we did and it was ennervating to see the noisy throng of pink foots at Aberlady, the long staying lesser yellowlegs(quite different from my last visit now it is in winter plumage) and rather embarrassingly a lifer in the shape of a snow goose, 30 yards from the car-it had the decency to fly off into the reserve showing it's distinct wing pattern
Gosford Bay had a distant black necked grebe, back for? it's 6th year
Musselburgh initially produce some excitement when I saw a small goose hunckered down in one of the distant scrapes-it had a dark back and I thought Bean-however 15 mins of nervous, patient scrutiny revealed really quite a small goose next to the single Canada and a broad white tail band when preening-so just a dark pinkie. A little gull on the scrape, a pochard on the pond and rather pleasingly a first of the autumn, snow bunting , on the sea wall path in front of the scrapes finished off a couple of pleasant hours
That topped a weekend when I was in Manchester and was stopped by Lancashire's finest entering Old Trafford as my recent no1 haircut and generally hard looks apparently looked like some banned persons-and to complicate matters I had someone else's season ticket-thankfully I got in,
So here's to just a simple day out soon with uncomplicated birding.....
4 days holiday from this am-good
With a lightish westerly I thought it would be a good day to head out to S.Queensferry and Hound Point for some seawatching- the last time I was out in a light westerly 4 weeks ago produced 40 skuas in 3 hours- and at this time of year there is always the chance of a pom. Drove out there in a relaxed state to find the access road to the pier closed and 2 of L & B's finest blocking the road.
Encounter with L & B's finest-bad.
Looking with my bins (and the PC's told me to put them away, 4 or 5 vans were parked ahead with lots of activity)-so I don't know-a murder, a washed up corpse or the body of yet another yellow billed cuckoo-???-even the Evening News doesn't tell what was going on.
So with heavy heart I headed home to wrestle with the garden-a friend phoned to ask me if I fancied some diversion from aforementioned gardening tasks and head down the coast-so we did and it was ennervating to see the noisy throng of pink foots at Aberlady, the long staying lesser yellowlegs(quite different from my last visit now it is in winter plumage) and rather embarrassingly a lifer in the shape of a snow goose, 30 yards from the car-it had the decency to fly off into the reserve showing it's distinct wing pattern
Gosford Bay had a distant black necked grebe, back for? it's 6th year
Musselburgh initially produce some excitement when I saw a small goose hunckered down in one of the distant scrapes-it had a dark back and I thought Bean-however 15 mins of nervous, patient scrutiny revealed really quite a small goose next to the single Canada and a broad white tail band when preening-so just a dark pinkie. A little gull on the scrape, a pochard on the pond and rather pleasingly a first of the autumn, snow bunting , on the sea wall path in front of the scrapes finished off a couple of pleasant hours
That topped a weekend when I was in Manchester and was stopped by Lancashire's finest entering Old Trafford as my recent no1 haircut and generally hard looks apparently looked like some banned persons-and to complicate matters I had someone else's season ticket-thankfully I got in,
So here's to just a simple day out soon with uncomplicated birding.....
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Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Those polis really love you, don't they?
I'm going to get a badge made for you which says "I am a respectable pillar of the community, please let me pass."
david kelly
Drive-by Birder
Encounter with L & B's finest-bad.
Apparently it was "a jumper" off the bridge, a friend got delayed getting to Dunfy from the airport.
David
Apparently it was "a jumper" off the bridge, a friend got delayed getting to Dunfy from the airport.
David
On Wednesday we made a rare foray south of the Edinburgh Ring Road and, stopping only to have a look at the Lesser Yellowlegs at Aberlady (what an obliging bird), went down to North Berwick. The weather was much wetter and windier than forecast but it was a good place for waders. Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Little Stint, Turnstone and (my first ever) Sanderling. Also Rock Pipit and Wheatear.
Michael
Michael
markgrubb
Leading a life of quiet desperation
What a quiet autumn it's been-a little activity at the start of last week with a barred warbler and YBW at Torness. I spent 5 hours in glorious weather between Barns Ness and Torness seeing sod all. Bumped into A few good local birders wrer also out but drew a blank.
Today at Musselburgh it was quite grey but completely still. The sea had 6 pale bellied brent geese and 2 red necked grebes. Golden plover numbers building nicely-675 on the scrapes at high tide
Today at Musselburgh it was quite grey but completely still. The sea had 6 pale bellied brent geese and 2 red necked grebes. Golden plover numbers building nicely-675 on the scrapes at high tide
Stuarty
wut
Took the missus up Bavelaw today (no that's not a euphemism), never seen the water level so low! Seemed to be good for the birds though, Golden Plover and Teal being particularly numerous. Nice couple in the hide kindly pointed us in the direction of where they had seen Water Rail earlier, and right enough, a quick wander back to the bridge gave us both a lifer.
markgrubb
Leading a life of quiet desperation
The reservoirs havebeen drained for maintenace-pity it was not so in August/early Sept when waders were passing through.
Managed a couple of hours off work this pm and saw the firecrest north of Skateraw. It was elusive for a while but eventually flew into an elder in the open giving great views. Bumped into Calum who told me it is only the 12th or 13th lothian record. Also a YBW at thorntonloch today and a ring ouzel at Torness
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