Dear all,
I am going to spend few days in your beautifull country and of course I need to do some birding
.
I will start from Glasgow and I will move with a Van.
I know are only few days and in a difficult period for birding (whether conditions/daylight hours) but I am sure I can make nice observations.
It would be great to receive advices on the best locations for birding or simply nice natural areas to visit!!
What web sites should I check for bird news?
My main target would be the Scottish Crossbill. And here I list other species interesting for me (I am not pretending to see them all, a couple of them would be great
)
bewick's swan
Pink footed goose
brent goose
purple sandpiper
grey phalarope
iceland gull
glaucos gull
black guillemot
lapland bunting
Thanks for your help!!
I m really really curious about this short trip:t:
Best,
Pietro
PhD Student in Ornithology
Hi Pietro,
A few comments on the species you're interested in seeing:
Scottish Crossbill:
You will probably need to go to areas in the Highlands such as Speyside or Deeside. To identify them with certainty you will need to make recordings and sonograms. Parrot and Common Crossbills are found in the same areas.
Bewick's swan:
Not very common in Scotland and I don't know of any regular sites. Maybe someone else knows though. You should be able to find Whooper Swan more easily.
Pink footed goose:
Common and numerous in many areas of central and eastern Scotland. The best place to find them will depend a bit on other areas you plan to visit, but this is much the easiest bird on your list.
Brent goose:
Not particularly numerous in Scotland but small numbers of pale-bellied are often found on various estuaries e.g. the Eden in Fife. If you go a little south of Scotland to Lindisfarne in Northumberland I think they're more numerous.
Purple sandpiper:
Fairly common on rocky coasts in both the east and west. They're quite numerous here in Aberdeen at Girdle Ness, but can be found further south too e.g. at St Andrews in Fife and I suspect near Edinburgh too (less sure on the best sites though).
Grey phalarope:
Rare in Scotland, particularly in winter. One might be reported somewhere but this isn't a species you should expect to see at all.
Iceland gull and Glaucous gull:
Numbers vary from year to year but they are most regularly found in fishing harbours. They're normally quite scarce so check for reports. They can potentially be found in lots of places, but Peterhead and Fraserburgh in northeast Scotland are particularly good.
Black guillemot:
Easier on the west coast than the east, where they're generally scarce south of Inverness. Oban is a very good place to see them but it should be possible to find them along much of the Argyll coast.
Lapland bunting:
Usually scarce in winter and there are no regular sites. Check for reports but otherwise I don't think you're very likely to find this species.
Whilst there may be bad weather it's probably more likely to be in the form of wind and rain than snow and ice (though both are possible). Also be prepared for the short day length.
In terms of places to visit, I think the best options would be to either head to the east or west coasts. A day in Fife could take in Vane Farm (geese and widlfowl), Largo Bay (some seaduck, perhaps including Surf Scoter, grebes, divers, Purple Sandpiper), St Andrews and Eden Estuary (maybe Brent Geese, Purple Sandpipers and other waders). Lothian could produce similar opportunities e.g. Musselburgh, Aberlady, Dunbar. The west coast e.g. Oban should produce Black Guillemot and maybe some good gulls. It could be combined with a trip to Mull for White-tailed and Golden Eagles etc. The Ayrshire coast is also good, although I don't know it very well.
