Later today may be productive.
Right you are. Autumn: I'm a fan. You get good birds sometimes.
Things were certainly happening today, even though the number of common migrants was actually fairly small. Almost the first migrant I saw this afternoon was perhaps the best. Wandering along the north bank near Skate's Nose a small brown bird hoped along the concrete: a
Wryneck! It continued to strut about with the Rock Pipits for a few minutes before zipping up towards the Battery.
Around the Battery itself I twice saw a fairly large grey warbler that must have been a
Barred Warbler, although I only had frustrating views of it - either partially obscured or flitting off. Some white in the tail was clearly visible when it did the latter. Mark had seen a probable Barred Warbler earlier and one was seen well later in the afternoon, so presumably this was the same bird. I'd like to have seen it better though!
I followed up a report of a juvenile
Red-backed Shrike in Nigg Bay and eventually had very good views of it, sitting about in the weeds and small conifers between the reedy pool and Torry. Other migrants included a
Redstart, two
Whinchats, five
Wheatears and six
Willow Warblers. There must have been loads of other stuff about, but the vegetation seems particularly thick this summer and lots must be hiding.
Waders were also good. A
Ruff was roosting on Skate's Nose and there were also 49
Turnstone, 13
Ringed Plover, three
Sanderling, nine
Dunlin, 26
Knot and two
Common Sandpipers. Two
Whimbrel and two
Golden Plovers flew south. I can do a bit of a
Purple Sandpiper Totaliser:
7
Also about were a couple of
Reed Buntings near the waterworks and a
Peregrine.
Photos:
1. I love Wrynecks
2&3. The Royal Bank of Shrike
