I spent most of the day at the Ness today. It was a windy affair, a brisk and unrelenting southerly battering the area, but despite this it still felt noticeably mild. Things were pretty quiet first off, with a Red-throated Diver in the harbour and 35 Turnstones on Skate's Nose being the best of it at very high tide.
Things started to pick up offshore at the Coo, where things were more interesting than anticipated. The highlight was a single Little Auk south at fairly close range early on, whilst the Great Northern Diver seemed to have found a companion, the two of them heading towards Aberdeen Bay. A few ducks struggled against the wind , including a smart drake Long-tailed Duck and a pair of Goldeneye south and 11 Common Scoters north. At least 80 Gannets moved through during the hour, whilst 4 Red-throated Divers were dotted around.
The South Bank and sewage works were quiet, the latter holding a couple of Goldcrests. Whilst making my way back towards Greyhope Bay a Buzzard winged its way southwards over the golf course. With no more than half an hour light left, I headed speedily along the North Bank. As I neared the first breakwater an almighty squeal sounded as I flushed something from right under my feet on the path. It headed quickly for the cover with legs dangling; a Water Rail . I climbed up onto the bank in an attempt to flush it again. A few muffled squeals were heard, but it proved typically recalcitrant despite being in dead cover. Mark appeared and we both tried to bash it out till dark, but needless to say to no avail. This is apparently only the third record for the Ness. A very nice end to a rather more productive day than originally expected.
Another nice find (?) today was this quaint little couch at the foot of South Bank. Thought this might be a good birthday treat for you to indulge in Andrew, unless you'd already discovered it previously? Hope you enjoyed your day.