Birds fae Torry (4 Viewers)

A lovely evening here in Torry. I went for a walk around Nigg Bay. Plenty was singing but it was the usual fare. A Dunlin went south offshore. Of most significance to readers of this thread was a group of three Swifts over the south side of Torry. Later I saw presumably the same birds from home.

Andrew Whitehouse said:

Of most significance to readers of this thread was a group of three Swifts over the south side of Torry. Later I saw presumably the same birds from home.

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You beat me to It,Andrew.I had a group of four over Balnagask Road this morning.Summer Is here............well,until the weekend ! |8)|

Quite warm in Torry today, although I waited until it cooled down and started raining intermittently before heading out. Things were fairly quiet. A White Wagtail and three Wheatears were on the golf course. Two Knot in Greyhope Bay included one coming into summer plumage. Four Dunlin were also there. Offshore there were at least eight Common Terns and an Arctic Tern.

It was good to have the Swifts around most of the day. At least eight were over Victoria Road in the evening.

I got a chance for a walk round this morning in remarkably calm, pleasant conditions, although eventually it clouded over and rained fairly heavily. Things were fairly run of the mill but plenty was singing. A Whimbrel was heard calling and a Wheatear was on the golf course.

I thought it might be interesting to go through some of the current breeding species around the Ness and Nigg Bay areas and give some vague estimates of numbers. This might be of interest for those of you familiar with the area in the past. This doesn't cover all species, just those I've been paying a bit of attention to. It isn't based on any serious surveying so is fairly 'ball park'.

Mallard: One fledged brood so far this spring. Still eight young remaining.
Pheasant: A male has been calling regularly around Nigg Bay/ Tullos Hill.
Moorhen: Hard to tell the number of pairs but I suspect at least four or five.
Water Rail: Have been fairly quiet lately but they're still present so probably breeding.
Oystercatcher: A couple of pairs on the waterworks.
Lapwing: A pair at least attempting to breed.
Ringed Plover: At least one pair in Greyhope Bay.
Great Black-backed Gull: A pair nesting on the rooftops near my flat.
Lesser Black-backed Gull: At least six pairs on the same rooftops. Also 2-3 pairs on the waterworks.
Raptors: Probably none in the immediate area but, judging by sightings, Kestrel, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk are probably all breeding fairly nearby.
Stock Dove: Numbers suggest up to three pairs breeding around Tullos Hill somewhere.
Coal Tit: Getting much commoner around Nigg Bay probably at least 4-5 pairs.
Long-tailed Tit: 3-4 pairs Nigg Bay.
Willow Warbler: The main area is Nigg Bay where they're very numerous and a bit hard to estimate. Probably about 15-20 territories in that area. This year there seem to be more singing elsewhere e.g. 3+ in Torry and 4+ around the Ness. These last birds seem to be in more marginal areas (e.g. gorse) and arrived a bit later. They also sometimes have less fluid songs, so maybe are young birds. Area total perhaps c.25 territories.
Chiffchaff: Probably 4-5 territories around Nigg Bay.
Sedge Warbler: These are maybe still coming in. Probably 7-8 singing in Nigg Bay. Four were singing today around the Ness so probably c.12 territories.
Blackcap: Around 4-5 singing in Nigg Bay with another couple in Torry.
Whitethroat: Somewhere between 12 and 15 territories, fairly evenly split between Nigg Bay and the Ness.
Goldcrest: 4-5 territories around Nigg Bay. I'm not sure this species has bred here before, so this is quite a rapid change in status.
Song Thrush: Maybe 5-6 territories.
Stonechat: One pair.
Chaffinch: This species didn't used to be all that common as a breeding bird but is definitely getting more numerous as the trees grow around Nigg Bay. Somewhere around ten territories locally might be a reasonable estimate.
Greenfinch: This species is getting a bit commoner than in the recent past with probably at least five pairs spread around the area.
Bullfinch: Maybe three pairs now in Nigg Bay. It's only in recent years that this species has occured here at all.
Lesser Redpoll: Possibly one or two pairs in Nigg Bay.
Yellowhammer: Certainly two territories this year.
Reed Bunting: Maybe 7-8 territories in Nigg Bay.

A very Interesting read,Andrew.St Fitticks Park has been a real success story and we wait and see what the plans of the Council are for the area,once the new Harbour Is complete.
The area has changed so much In my time.Back In the 70s/80s,the only thing of Interest was watching the behaviour of young men searching the area,as they went looking for "Magic Mushrooms" !
Thankfully,those days are gone and for the better,as far as us Birders are concerned.

Today was a bit similar to yesterday weather-wise, with it being calm and sunny in the morning but then breaking down by early afternoon. Once again I got quite wet in a rain shower (though not as heavy as they've been since). The birds were also a bit on the familiar side. Plenty was singing in Nigg Bay. I was pleased to see a Lapwing again at the waterworks. Three Wheatears were on the golf course and a couple of Dunlin were on the shore. That was about it in terms of migrants.

I can already update some of yesterday's breeding estimates. I tried quite hard to count singing Willow Warblers today. I counted 23 around Nigg Bay (and this is probably still a bit short of the total) and five around the golf course. I would update the estimate to 30+ territories and suspect the total may be nearer 35. There were at least six Blackcaps singing in Nigg Bay and another Torry. The number of territories is probably at least eight. Eight Sedge Warblers were singing in Nigg Bay, which means a minimum of 12 in the area. I reckon we might end up with a few more.

Today was really quite chilly. To say the least. The weather was mostly bright but there was a strong wind from the North Pole rattling down the coast together with regular showers of sleet and hail. I was thinking it might do something interesting but wasn't sure what. The sea would likely be the best bet. And indeed it was fairly interesting for the couple of hours I managed before getting too cold.

The most notable birds moving were Barnacle Geese. There were five groups going north, with the largest of 46. In total 115 were counted. Another species moving in some numbers was Knot, with a few large groups and a total of around 65. Most were in bright red summer plumage. Twelve Dunlin also went north, with another on the rocks. As well as commoner seabirds, other birds going north included a drake Tufted Duck, three Bonxies, seven Arctic Terns, three Common Terns and three Red-throated Divers.

There wasn't too much else about, although a White Wagtail and three Wheatears were still on the golf course. A male Stonechat was on the south bank.

You are a brave man,going out In today's conditions Andrew.

Ben Nevis said:

You are a brave man,going out In today's conditions Andrew.

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It wasn't too bad if you were out the wind and the sun was shining. And if you were on the move. Seawatching by Coo in a sleet shower was a challenge though.

I popped out this evening, mainly wondering if anything would still be happening out to sea. I soon picked up a small looking auk heading north about a kilometre out with some Guillemots. After zooming in with my scope it was clearly really tiny, less than half the size of the Guillemots with dark underwings and small bill. A completely classic Little Auk, in other words. Quite a startling record - I've never seen one anywhere near May time. Interestingly it was clearly still in non-breeding plumage (like a surprisingly large number of auks at this time of year) so was presumably a non-breeding bird that may have been lingering further south than the breeding populations. Although the time of year is unusual, the conditions over the past couple of days have been absolutely perfect for pushing them into the North Sea.

Other birds moving included a Bonxie and 18 Knot. A summer plumage Knot was also in Greyhope Bay. Other stuff included 60 Purple Sandpipers and two Wheatears.

Really Arctic conditions here today with a biting wind. The sea was busy with commoner seabirds but not too much else was passing. The best were a nice intermediate phase Arctic Skua and three Sanderling heading north. At least four Wheatears were on the golf course.

It wasn't quite so cold today and the wind dropped by the evening, but it still felt pretty wintery. Seabirds were again the main focus. I saw a Bonxie on a brief scan from the flat. Out at the Coo early evening there was a good selection of stuff going past: another Bonxie, one Arctic Skua, two Manx Shearwaters, a Puffin, two Common Scoters, a Whimbrel and four Red-throated Divers. A Knot was again on Greyhope Bay and there were at least two Wheatears.

Lots of Sandwich Terns were feeding in the harbour, giving some fine views.

The usual drill for this week with an evening walk round the Ness. Waders were still on the move, with three Whimbrel, a Knot and a Dunlin. Out to sea, the most notable sighting was of four Shelduck going south. Also about were a Manx Shearwater, a Puffin, two Arctic Terns and four Common Terns. Three Wheatears were on the golf course.

More of the same today. A few waders were still on the move including two Whimbrel and two Dunlin. Offshore were three Puffins and a Common Scoter. Just one Wheatear on the golf course.

Warmer today but still quite breezy with some showers. There was still a fair amount singing around Nigg Bay. Three Moorhen chicks were in the marsh, which was good to see. The most notable sighting was a somewhat distant view of an Osprey. I saw it from the railway bridge but it was probably flying over the harbour initially before heading northwards. The recent run of Shelduck continued with a pair heading north over Nigg Bay. A Harbour Porpoise was offshore. There were also two Dunlin and a Wheatear.

A bit of a change in the weather today with warmer temperatures, a more southerly wind and some warm rain from time to time. The birds were interesting without being spectacular. Waders included two Knot, a Dunlin, 19 Turnstone and 11 Purple Sandpipers. Two Common Scoters and two Arctic Terns were heading north offshore. Relatively quiet otherwise.

One of the more interesting things to happen outside my flat recently has been a nesting pair of Great Black-backed Gulls on the rooftop colony of gulls down towards the harbour. They don't often tend to nest on buildings so it's been interesting to watch them. Today there were three small chicks around the nest. They've hatched well before any of the other gulls in the colony have. As you can see from the pictures, the adults are attentive and protective.

They're well camouflaged on that roof, aren't they!! That third picture I had to blow up to see one of them LOL.

Lovely to see that Andrew - it'll sure help to keep you entertained during lockdown, won't it.

In other news, it was quite pleasant weather for a stroll this afternoon. The birding was generally quiet. Two Wheatears were on the golf course and six Purple Sandpipers were in Greyhope Bay. Offshore, a Manx Shearwater went north and a Bonxie cruised around overhead.

Nice sunset this evening.

The warmest day for a while in Torry. I had a pleasant wander around late in the afternoon and evening. Things were generally fairly quiet, although the usual good selection of species were about. Three Whimbrel went north and two Wheatears were on the golf course.