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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Original PaulE" data-source="post: 3078342" data-attributes="member: 20992">Monday September 15th Day 3Rain predicted today but decided to head east anyway,drove through heavy rain to Portsoy however was dry when we arrived, A cold seawatch followed, no White-billed Divers , Lots of Gannets, a couple of winter plumage Black Guillimots, a few Guillimots and Razorbills flew by , 4 Red-throated Divers went east, and a Black-throated Diver went west. Had my first Shag of the year on the rocks <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />, several were present! A few Rock Pipits and some Turnstones were also on the rocks . Was a bit quiet though stuff was moving when I got on a Shearwater heading east, a large Shearwater,all dark ,silver flashes on the inner wings . My first ever Sooty Shearwater!! Pretty happy with that and thankful it was nice and close!! Getting cold we called it a day a quick stop at the bakers for a custard slice.Then on to Loch of Strathbeg, once again the whole way through heavy rain which stopped a mile from the reserve, which was pretty quiet a Juvenile Marsh Harrier in a tree and the lovely Tree Sparrows the highlights, on the advice of the locals we headed down to Rattray, stopping to scan the Loch, lots of wildfowl a couple of Goldeneyes and a Slav Grebe the best on the water, down to the beach, Toj was not happy the road was more potholes than road, a Wheatear on the road was good and from the carpark 2 buzzards and a Kestrel were observed hunting the dunes and there were 20+ Mipits on the wires. From the beach lots of Seals in the Sea which Margie spent ages photographing .Gannets going through and the odd auk,On the rocky outcrop were several Sanderlings,Ringed Plovers, Dunlins.and Curlew. On the way out in the garden of the hostel the bushes held a very posy Spotted Flycatcher and a very mobile warbler with a yellow throat later id’d as a Willow Warbler.Think there were Red-breasted Fiycatcher in these very bushes the next day, just my luck! There were now 5 Wheatears on the fence posts moving just ahead of the car catching the large Craneflys that were everywhere,they were then joined by several Stonechats and a single Whinchat. A quick stop to refuel at Morrisons Peterhead, Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake the highlight, and on to Blackdog again driving through the rain which stopped as we arrived, I spent a good  40mins searching through the masses of Common Scoter but couldn’t find the Surf Scoters <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite3" alt=":(" title="Frown    :(" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":(" /> indeed if I look at another Scoter I will probably shoot it or myself! Lots of Eider with the Scoter a Great Northern Diver,2 Red-throated Diver,and masses of Gulls an Artic Skua went north, obviously not quite got the hang of migration, but best was the Bonxie that came in like a beast attacking everything that moved including some of the Scoter! Then suddenly my luck ran out I suddenly realised I couldn’t see anything through my scope 10 seconds later I was soaked as the rain rolled in off the sea back to the car to a very smug Margie who had elected to stay in the warm! Back to Nethy Bridge only stopping to buy a couple of Marzipan cakes!It’s been a great couple of days in the east,a few disappointments no Capercaillie, Crested Tit, Red Squirrel or Ptarmigan although hardly a surprise as we put very little effort into finding them so pretty much my own fault, on to Ullapool and the Isle of Lewis &Harris for the rest of our tripPics here<a href="https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=6356FB2BA7828F28&id=6356FB2BA7828F28%211067" target="_blank">https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=6356FB2BA7828F28&id=6356FB2BA7828F28!1067</a></blockquote>

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