Eden Estuary News (1 Viewer)

[edenwatcher]

A quiet week, though Sue saw 6 whoopers last Monday and a pair of siskins at the feeders on Wednesday.
Saturday was quite productive, with a kingfisher early morning getting things off to a nice start. An incredible 10 dabchicks were seen (double our previous record, though more winter further upstream), a drake long-tailed duck, peregrine and at least one great spotted woodpecker. I nipped over to Dundee late morning for the absurdly showy ring-billed gull. Why can't it nip over to Fife ...?
Sunday produced a female long-tailed duck, 2 greenshanks, at least 31 fieldfares and 2 male siskins at the feeders.

Rob

 

[edenwatcher]

Not much to report really. I was away in Spain at the beginning of last week (work) and came back with a flu like bug which confined me to bed for a couple of days. This produced a surreal sighting on Thursday afternoon where I picked up a treecreeper on the harled wall of the house reflected in a mirror!
Numbers of pinkfeet in the roost have increased dramatically over the past couple of weeks - probably over 1500 birds this morning. Greylag numbers still seem on the low side however. 2 whooper swans were present for almost the whole weekend. A slav grebe was around on Saturday morning and one or two long-tailed ducks have been present.
Occasional visitors to the feeders have been a couple of siskins and a party of long-tailed tits.

Merry Christmas to all who follow this thread.

Rob

 

[delia todd]

And a happy Christmas and New Year to you and the family, Rob.B

D

 

[999Ric]

Merry Xmas

Rob heres wishing you and yours and all who follow the thread a wonderful Xmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year

Keep up the sterling work on the thread.

Best Regards Richard

 

[Stuarty]

Visited the Eden Estuary Centre with the folks and the missus today, really nice place. Hadn't seen Siskins for a couple of years, but the feeders outside the centre were teeming with them along with good numbers of Greenfinch, Chaffinch, all four tits, and a solitary Linnet. Highlights on the estuary were masses of Black-Tailed Godwit, Shellduck, a single Red-Breasted Merganser and a distant pair of Peregrine that a fellow visitor kindly let me view on his scope (I only have a table stand as opposed to a clamp or floor-standing one, so my scope wasn't really much use).

After we left we decided to come inland a bit and had a dotter around Birnie and Gaddon Lochs where three redhead Smews were showing well. Also great views of Goosander, Goldeneye and Wigeon on the lochs, along with a Goldcrest literally feeding one foot away from me, and a flock of 20 or so Siskins jumping about (they're like buses, these Siskins...!) :t:

 

[edenwatcher]

Glad you enjoyed it. We have had a number of siskins on our feeders recently, maximum count being 5 on Christmas day. Having been to Birnie/Gaddon on New Year's Eve, I'm afraid your redhead smew were actually escaped white-cheeked pintail ...

It has been a fairly quiet couple of weeks, with a smattering of good species. 2008 finished with a slightly disappointing total of 122, but the high points were higher than usual, so to speak.
There was a further large influx of pinkfeet, with around 3000 in the roost from Christmas Day onwards.
Our 2009 list stands at 56 so far. The pick of those have been slavonian grebe, pale-bellied brent goose, goosander (unusual here in mid-winter), great spotted woodpecker, goldcrest, long-tailed tit, treecreeper and siskin.
Nobody mention that bl**dy little bunting.

Happy New Year

Rob

 

[Stuarty]

Having been to Birnie/Gaddon on New Year's Eve, I'm afraid your redhead smew were actually escaped white-cheeked pintail ...

D'oh!!! :C:-C

That's an impressive list for the year Rob, looking forward to seeing how 2009 fares :t:

 

[edenwatcher]

Mostly quiet, weekend gales not really helping ... Nor, if truth be told, was me being at a meeting darn sarf on Thursday and Friday, but I digress.
Saturday's highlight was the first ever redshank actually in the garden itself - it even came to look at the bird seed!
Yesterday morning there were huge numbers of pinkfeet in the roost (perhaps 4000) so as I finished breakfast I said to Sue that I was going to find a whitefront or a bean goose. After about a minute I turned up a very nice adult greenland whitefront, which gave excellent views. A real garden mega that one. Over yesterday afternoon's high tide 3 pintail (1 drake) were with the wigeon. So year list now at 58.

Rob

 

[edenwatcher]

A couple more additions to report. Sue saw the duck scaup on Monday and yesterday morning I bagged another garden mega in the form of a male bullfinch (60).

Rob

 

[edenwatcher]

Still slow going here, with pied wagtail the only addition over the weekend (61). Superb goose spectacle early mornings but they have been leaving before I get chance to find the greenland whitefront. Had a nice count of 196 black-tailed godwits on Saturday, best for a while.

Rob

 

[999Ric]

Rob approximately what time do the geese leave the roost

Regards
Richard

 

[edenwatcher]

Hi Richard,
It's partly weather dependent but I guess the pinks are going around 8.00 and greylags rather later. With the mornings getting lighter this will of course shift ... The A91 layby would be good place to watch from - the geese are likely to pass low overhead. The day I saw the greenland whitefront they were in until 8.50 - high winds keeping them grounded and also they may have been out feeding by moonlight during the night.

Hope this helps

Rob

 

[edenwatcher]

A scattering of new species for the year this weekend. Saturday produced a female long-tailed duck, a rock pipit (also seen yesterday) and a kestrel. Sunday gave a flock of redwings and an early fulmar flying downstream taking us to 66.
Other highlights have included siskins and great spotted woodpecker on the feeders. Goose departure has averaged around 8:00, though it was earlier today (7:50).

Rob

 

[edenwatcher]

No updates for a bit as we sloped off to warmer climes with a week on Fuerteventura (of which more elsewhere).
The cold weather has led to an influx of tufted ducks with 8 birds on Thursday and again yesterday. They have probably just come from Guardbridge pool.
Saturday saw 3 additions to the yearlist, beginning with a party of 11 fieldfares over as I filled the feeders. A further 27 went over around lunchtime as part of a hard weather movement. Half a dozen greenshanks were the first of the year and other wader highlights included 59 grey plovers. The same hard weather movement produced our final addition of the day in the the shape of 20 or so golden plovers (69). Other highlights for the day included 5 long-tailed ducks and a slav grebe.
Sunday was a superb day with an amazing 60 spp. seen - remarkable for a winter's day - and no fewer than 9 year ticks. First new bird for the year was a wren, followed by 2 stock doves and a meadow pipit. Several thrushes fed in the field in front of the house including a redwing, 4 fieldfares and the first mistle thrush of the year. The afternoon began with a stonechat and song thrush in the same scope view, a knot with the dunlin flock and a female grey wagtail in the field. Finally 3 whooper swans were feeding with mutes across the estuary, before coming to stand on the mud until dusk. The year list leaps for a meagre 66 to 78 in one weekend!
Other Sunday highlights were 6 long-tailed ducks and a slav grebe.

Rob

 

[edenwatcher]

Wednesday produced a westerly movement of about 30 fieldfares, whilst a cold weather movement saw about 20 skylarks go through on Friday morning (79). Friday also gave a count of 9 tufted ducks. Saturday was another good day with over 50 spp seen. More than 100 skylarks went west during the morning. The saltmarsh was popular being snow free, playing host to at least 6 meadow pipits, a rock pipit, several fieldfares and a mistle thrush. I also managed to pick up a snipe, which spent much of the day in the same place. Bizarrely, though it was palpably a common snipe (80), it began feeding with the characteristic bouncing of a jack snipe. Has anyone else seen common snipe do this?
Other highlights were 7 long-tailed ducks (5 drakes) and the stonechat once again.

Don't think we've ever reached 80 for the year in Feb. before.

Rob

 

[edenwatcher]

A quiet week, not helped by being out most of both Sat and Sun.
However I added another species to the year list yesterday with a male yellowhammer coming to seed on the drive (81). A male bullfinch was in the garden yesterday afternoon (still a real mega for us).
We have a regular goldcrest (bit of punning there) which picks up bits of sunflower from beneath on of our feeders.

Rob

 

[edenwatcher]

After a quiet week it was a weekend of two halves ...
Saturday saw shades of spring with the first lesser black-back of the year, along with 2 gannets south past the estuary mouth, taking us to an unprecedented 83 species by the end of February. Other notable sightings for the day were a drake long-tailed duck, a hunting peregrine and 2 rock pipits.
Sunday's theme was more wintry, with 5 whooper swans on the estuary throughout the day. I also just failed to add snow bunting to the garden list - they were very distant and the views were inconclusive (certainly for a garden first). Other hghilights included an unexpected flock of 23 golden plovers, long-tailed duck and a single rock pipit.
Two drake tufted ducks were present this morning.

Rob

 

[djnd2]

I have a wee question about the gannets you saw Rob, I was in the balgove hide today and looking out to the estuary mouth I saw a large flock of white birds, maybe 30+, out past the low tide mark in the sea a bit. I think they might have been gannets but they where too far away and where diving into the water at quite a speed. I wasnt really sure though so drove to the end of west sands but where gone by then. was this where you saw them? Anyway, wont be adding them to my year total as i wasnt totally sure

 

[edenwatcher]

The birds I saw were flying south out in the "heat" haze. They are often visible fishing at the estuary mouth however, albeit usually later in the year. Not much else is likely to be diving into the sea at this time of year though.

Rob

PS 4 whoopers still present this morning.

 

[djnd2]

Thank you for that Rob, I guess ill just have to leave it a mystery whether or not they where gannets.

Darran