Birds fae Torry (6 Viewers)

[delia todd]

I guess I should update this thread. I've not always been able to get out much this week, but haven't seen a great deal when I have. A Wheatear was still around on Tuesday 25th. Today was misty but a bit warmer than for a while. I've not been seeing young birds much this spring but today produced the first juvenile Starlings of the year, about a week later than normal. I also saw a family party of Long-tailed Tits at St Fittick's. A few Redpolls were around, with all those seen well looking like Lessers this week. A Red-breasted Merganser appeared out of the fog off Greyhope Bay. That was about it.

Interesting you said that about the Starlings Andrew. Mine are very late too. The adults seem to have been taking food to the nests for weeks. So I've been expecting the usual hordes of the vandals to descend for a while.

Yesterday I saw just one being fed by an adult, and the same today. Seems my window feeder is going to be spared any trauma until they produce the next lot!

 

[Cucurrucucu]

I've not been seeing young birds much this spring but today produced the first juvenile Starlings of the year, about a week later than normal.

The sparrows seem to have ignored all our nesting boxes instead have broken in under the roof to nest. They have pooed all over our new door only put in a couple of weeks ago. Now we have half a dozen babies sitting on the peanut feeder demanding to be fed along with a couple of fledgling starlings. But it is the two rooks in Tullos Primary's playground that were the stars of my early walk today.

 

[Cucurrucucu]

The sparrows seem to have ignored all our nesting boxes instead have broken in under the roof to nest. They have pooed all over our new door only put in a couple of weeks ago. Now we have half a dozen babies sitting on the peanut feeder demanding to be fed along with a couple of fledgling starlings. But it is the two rooks in Tullos Primary's playground that were the stars of my early walk today. View attachment 1388856

Oh, and first pipit fledgling today.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

It's gone a bit quiet on the thread lately and that's because I've not been seeing a great deal. Today was slightly more interesting, with three firsts for the year and also a non-avian patch first. St Fittick's was fairly quiet but I did find an Orange Tip butterfly, which I don't think I've ever seen here before. A fairly brief look out to sea around the middle of the day was more interesting than expected. A pale phase Arctic Skua headed northwards. Even more unexpected was a pair of Wigeon resting on the sea. I don't think I've ever seen them here at this time of year before.

An evening wander round the headland produced a summer-plumage Sanderling on the rocks between Greyhope Bay and the Coo. 30 Common Scoters went south. The Goosander flock in the harbour was up to ten birds and 24 Swifts was my highest count of the year so far.

 

[Cucurrucucu]

Orange Tip butterfly, which I don't think I've ever seen here before. Wigeon

How may orange tips do you think there are? Did we snap the same one up near the rail bridge or are there more of them? Only seen them in Dufftown before.
So it was a goldeneye under Victoria Bridge this morning. Two bathing under South Breakwater yesterday? Thought it must just be eiders so deleted the video of all the fluttering and spray.
And it was a wigeon I saw? Thought I must have got it wrong so wiped my blurry picture.
Gotta keep my images for a week or two to get the ID confirmed by people wot know better!

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

How may orange tips do you think there are? Did we snap the same one up near the rail bridge or are there more of them? Only seen them in Dufftown before.
So it was a goldeneye under Victoria Bridge this morning. Two bathing under South Breakwater yesterday? Thought it must just be eiders so deleted the video of all the fluttering and spray.
And it was a wigeon I saw? Thought I must have got it wrong so wiped my blurry picture.
Gotta keep my images for a week or two to get the ID confirmed by people wot know better!

The Orange Tip yesterday was fairly near the railway bridge, so perhaps the same one. I suppose there might well be others around though.

You might have seen the Goldeneye, although there are lots more Goosander and Eiders around at the moment, often starting to look a bit messy. The Wigeon I saw were only around for a short time, and they're normally really unusual at this time of year. They might have been Wigeon you saw if they really looked like Wigeon though.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I strayed a little from Torry today, with a wander along the coast from Cove Bay. Before doing that, I checked nearby Rigifa Pool, which has held some good waders lately. The only waders present today were three Ringed Plovers. The sea cliffs were busy with incubating seabirds: Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Herring Gulls, Guillemots and Razorbills. I was pleased to find four Black Guillemots along the coast, probably two pairs. A Puffin flew past fairly close in.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Here are a few miscellaneous bird photos from the past week.

 

[MKinHK]

Cracking shot of the Meadow Pipit!

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I had a look round the headland this evening in overcast conditions. There was a bit of movement offshore including 4 Puffins and 19 Manx Shearwaters. A Black Guillemot was also on the sea. The drake Goldeneye was still in the harbour.

 

[Cucurrucucu]

The drake Goldeneye was still in the harbour.

At 8 o'clock this morning.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

The Goldeneye was still around this evening. Not too much else about except for a dark phase Arctic Skua going north through Aberdeen Bay. Very little else moving though.

 

[Cucurrucucu]

Fledgling blackcap? Above the sewage plant. At least a wagtail is obvious.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

View attachment 1390339View attachment 1390340 Fledgling blackcap? Above the sewage plant.View attachment 1390341View attachment 1390342 At least a wagtail is obvious.

The first is a female Chaffinch. Young Blackcaps look a bit like adult females with a rufous-brown cap. I've seen one or two fledged Pied Wags around too recently.

 

[Ian Bell]

Great to see young birds make their appearances In the Park.

 

[Cucurrucucu]

female Chaffinch

Thanks. Thought the beak looked too narrow. Watched it being fed. Chick above, parent below. (My camera insisted I wanted the branch in front in focus, not the birds!) Fed chick.

 

[Ian Bell]

Plenty birdsong at St Fitticks Park this morning.However,things are a bit harder to see,with the trees being In full leaf and the vegetation growing and spreading.All the usual suspects were around,such as Sedge Warblers,Reed Buntings,Chaffinch and Goldfinch aplenty.A young Goldfinch was being fed on the grass on the Triangle Football Pitch,a Water Rail was calling near the Concrete Bridge and 5 male Bullfinch were low In the trees at the back of the bridge.
Last weekend,my Nut Feeder had disappeared and there was no sign of It,In the surrounding area.Today,It was the turn of my Fat Ball Feeder to have vanished and again,no sign of It lying around nearbye.Roe Deer ? Unlikely.Kids ? Possible.Adults ? Perhaps a cheap way to enhance their garden ? Who knows but I collected the remaining Feeders and with there being plenty natural food around at the moment,they shall go Into storage until early Autumn,where I shall put them In another area of the Park and away from openings,seen from the paths.

 

[Mark Lew1s]

Sorry to hear that your feeders are going missing! I should take this opportunity to thank you for putting them up in the first place - they certainly helped the birds and helped me to enjoy them over the winter. So, Thanks!

 

[Ian Bell]

Thanks for your comments,Mark.I have discussed where to put them back up,with Shuggie Falconer,who knows the Park as well as anyone.Once I put them up at the end of summer,I shall let you and Andrew know where they are,should you wish to visit them.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Thanks also to BN and the other folks putting feeders up around St Fittick's over recent months.

Today was pretty sultry and the hottest of the year so far in Torry. The drake Goldeneye was still in the harbour. Two Curlews along the north shore were the first for a while and were presumably failed breeders. Successful breeders were the Rock Pipits in Greyhope Bay, who were tending to at least a couple of fledglings. A couple of Redpolls flew south over the golf course and another was around St Fittick's. My first Torry odonata of the year was a female Common Blue Damselfly along the Tullos Burn.