Already some dates for my diary there. I'll also be putting a bid in for Red-flanked Bluetail at the Battery on 16th October.
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Birds fae Torry (10 Viewers)
- Thread starter Andrew Whitehouse
- Start date
daveofficer
Well-known member
Indeed, edenwatcher.
Personally I think that bird of the Autumn will be a species of Wheatear; hopefully a Black-eared Wheatear hopping around where the Desert Wheatear was seen a few years back. :king:
my wife trumped me earlier this week with a greenland wheatear. only once we got back to the flat we were staying in on skye did she pull out her camera and ask what the funny bird was that she'd seen on a post. i'd been fannying about on the beach taking pictures of kelp.
Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
That's unfortunate, daveofficer. :eek!:
Went down to the Ness today. Nothing particularl was going on out at sea, just around 50 or so close in Gannets passed and some Kittiwake. However, on the breakwater just by the foghorn I observed 8 Knot, a Sanderling, 2 Ringed Plover, and a few Curlew, Redshank and Oystercatcher by some roosting eiders, which I thought was rather interesting. Also seen were two Northern Wheatears, one a juvenile and the other a female. No Goosanders down by the Harbour, and nothing but some Swallows zipping about at the Torry Battery.
Went down to the Ness today. Nothing particularl was going on out at sea, just around 50 or so close in Gannets passed and some Kittiwake. However, on the breakwater just by the foghorn I observed 8 Knot, a Sanderling, 2 Ringed Plover, and a few Curlew, Redshank and Oystercatcher by some roosting eiders, which I thought was rather interesting. Also seen were two Northern Wheatears, one a juvenile and the other a female. No Goosanders down by the Harbour, and nothing but some Swallows zipping about at the Torry Battery.
That's about the normal at The Ness at the moment, but better days are coming. Just a wee correction to your report
, the concrete projection in front of The Coo is not a breakwater, but the former Aberdeen sewage outfall. The building to the right of The Coo was the pumphouse. Now a good spot for Black Redstart. Or so I'm told! I'm glad you had better luck further north.
... and to the left of the Coo, there's now a big mast where the hole once was. Well, it's not that big really but it's full of technological promise.
I did my habitual late afternoon - early evening circuit of the Ness. Birds were a bit similar to what Joseph saw, although I did find some Goosanders (32 of them in fact) mostly upstream of the banana pier. A less expected duck was a Tufted Duck (a juvenile I think) in amongst the Eiders by the Skate's Nose. 4 Knot were on Greyhope Bay where there were still lots of Sandwich Terns and Kittiwakes. One adult Arctic Tern was amongst them. At least five Wheatears were along the north shore. Seawatching wasn't much cop, although plenty of birds were feeding. There's been a noticeable influx of Guillemots, which seem to be able to fly again after their late summer moult. I could hear lots of juveniles calling from the Coo. On Nigg Bay and the adjacent bits of the golf course there were around 20 Ringed Plovers and 9 Dunlin.
I did my habitual late afternoon - early evening circuit of the Ness. Birds were a bit similar to what Joseph saw, although I did find some Goosanders (32 of them in fact) mostly upstream of the banana pier. A less expected duck was a Tufted Duck (a juvenile I think) in amongst the Eiders by the Skate's Nose. 4 Knot were on Greyhope Bay where there were still lots of Sandwich Terns and Kittiwakes. One adult Arctic Tern was amongst them. At least five Wheatears were along the north shore. Seawatching wasn't much cop, although plenty of birds were feeding. There's been a noticeable influx of Guillemots, which seem to be able to fly again after their late summer moult. I could hear lots of juveniles calling from the Coo. On Nigg Bay and the adjacent bits of the golf course there were around 20 Ringed Plovers and 9 Dunlin.
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
No photo? :-(
Patience my dear.
No fewer than four Arctic Skuas carousing about the harbour mouth this morning. Also a distant Peregrine perched on Triple Kirks.
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Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Do you think they've noticed yet that it's a bit squint?
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Think that's the photographer, unless the horizon is tilting
Well, I'm surprised to hear my photography skills being dissed on this thread . I like to think it's an optical illusion caused by the wonky bit of fencing.
. I like to think it's an optical illusion caused by the wonky bit of fencing.
Joseph N
Lothian Young Birder
That's about the normal at The Ness at the moment, but better days are coming. Just a wee correction to your report
Thanks Ken.
Black Redstart? I have seen Black Redstart near the sycamore, but not there! That's interesting to hear; I hope it attracts them as well as Rock Pipits. Has anyone here actually seen Black Redstart on the concrete projection?
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Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Think that's the photographer, unless the horizon is tilting
Actually, I got my protractor out and even allowing for the sloping horizon the mast is still 3 degrees away from vertical. (Hint: Much of this sentence is a complete lie)
Thanks Ken.
Black Redstart? I have seen Black Redstart near the sycamore, but not there! That's interesting to hear; I hope it attracts them as well as Rock Pipits. Has anyone here actually seen Black Redstart on the concrete projection?
I've seen one on the rocks nearby. That one almost landed at my feet when I was standing by the Coo in fact. Black Redstarts can turn up pretty much anywhere at Girdle Ness.
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
A few bits and bobs around the ness today. Went around at dawn (ish) for a seawatch. Over 90 minutes, 1 manxy, 2 arctic and 4 great skuas, loads of terns and kittiwakes, and a single teal.
In the early afternoon I had a wander round looking for migrants.....despite the unfavourable conditions, there were 9+ wheatears on the golfcourse, a phyllosc at the battery, and last but of course not least, a spotted flycatcher in the battery willows. Quite a decent bird for the ness.....not something I get every year, for example. Also another teal south over the golfcourse. A few knot and dunlin at various places too.
In the early afternoon I had a wander round looking for migrants.....despite the unfavourable conditions, there were 9+ wheatears on the golfcourse, a phyllosc at the battery, and last but of course not least, a spotted flycatcher in the battery willows. Quite a decent bird for the ness.....not something I get every year, for example. Also another teal south over the golfcourse. A few knot and dunlin at various places too.
I saw a Willow Warbler in the north bank just below the Battery, so maybe that was your phyllosc Mark. I didn't find the Spotted Fly though - a species I don't think I've actually seen at Girdle Ness.
Not too much else around this afternoon - 3 Wheatears, a Knot, 10 Dunlin, 25 Ringed Plover, 3 Common Terns, 1 Arctic Tern, 33 Goosanders and 3 more Arctic Skuas.
Not too much else around this afternoon - 3 Wheatears, a Knot, 10 Dunlin, 25 Ringed Plover, 3 Common Terns, 1 Arctic Tern, 33 Goosanders and 3 more Arctic Skuas.
It might even become a bit more squint,once the October gales hit it...!
TheSeagull
Well-known member
At the Bay of Nigg yesterday there were lots of Ringed Plovers and Curlew!
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
Well, thats where it went after I nearly trod on it!
Spotted fly is a strange one....much less frequent than other 'common migrants' such as redstart, pied fly, lesser whitethroat etc.
In fact, i've seen more yellow browed warblers at the ness than I have spotted flycatchers, so you can be excused such a seemingly tarty ommision from your ness list
daveofficer
Well-known member
the peregrine breeds on triple kirks, when i lived in town i spent many a morning watching it bothering pigeons and starlings.
there was an rspb manny there a few years back with some spotting scopes and a wad of pamphlets educating the public about them, i don't think many folk were interested. there are a few regulars who look out for the tk's peregrines though and they can also be seen perching atop the cathedral on huntly street.
