Northeast Aberdeen and Donmouth (1 Viewer)

[Borgehed]

Don Mouth this morning. When I arrived it was one Sand Martin who flying around in the mouth. A few minutes later they was to and when I left they was 10, the birds are arriving! 3 Sandwich Terns was flying in the mouth, one male reed bunting (my first this year) was jumping in the reed, 68 Sanderlings som miles north of the mouth and 9 Mute Swans still in the river.

 

[markhammonds]

9 Waxwings at Hilton Street this morning. And then a question, do we include Ythan Estuary in this thread?

I haven't seen the waxwings this year (but haven't looked around that area). I would put the Ythan in Wild in Aberdeen - City and Shire.

 

[Borgehed]

A nice afternoon at Don Mouth with some good birds. Dunlin 3, Whimbrel 1, Whitethrout 1, Wigeon 2, Red-throated Diver 35.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

It's a while since I've posted on this thread and that's mainly because I've not been seeing much in this area! I've been out a few times but have seen little of note, aside from a few common summer visitors. Today I showed a visiting friend the many sights of Seaton Park and Donmouth and we also ventured up to Murcar and the very northern limits of the patch. It was at the latter that we saw two drake Surf Scoters in amongst several hundred Common Scoters. Hopefully they'll hang around for the summer, with perhaps some other interesting scoter for company. I also bumped into Anders (good to meet you!).

Not too much else around: two Sanderling, several Red-throated Divers and a Goldeneye still on the Don. The most curious sight was of a Grey Heron trying to catch a Goosander duckling. It failed, as the duckling dived under the water and then clambered onto its mother's back, but it was touch and go for a while.

 

[Pancho85]

I've been in Blackdog today, and only I could find 1 surf scoter. There was a velvet scoter among all the common scoters as well.

 

[Borgehed]

Skuas

It has not been anything special to report from DonMouth the last weeks but today it was one Arctic Skua and one Great Skua just outside the mouth.

 

[Borgehed]

Or did I put wrong ID? Could it be two Arctic Skuas One dark phase?

 

[Hugh Addlesee]

Or did I put wrong ID? Could it be two Arctic Skuas One dark phase?

Yes, I would say so. To be honest, that was my thought as soon as I looked at your photo this afternoon - difficult to judge size, but it certainly seems to lack the bulk of a Bonxie. Arctics are much the commoner skua coming close inshore to harass the terns etc on the Aberdeenshire coast during the summer.
Cheers, Hugh

 

[Borgehed]

Thanks Hugh!

When I looked at my pictures did this feeling grow stronger. So 2 Arctic Skuas are what it is.

 

[Borgehed]

I have visit DonMouth the last days without any good records. Today I had a new "Aberdeen" butterfly for me, Six-spoted Burnet. A few was flying at the south side of DonMouth. Maybe are this butterflies common here but I post it if they aren't...

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

A while since I've had a look round here, but I had a fairly brief look around Donmouth and the golf course this afternoon in rather lovely weather. A Kingfisher was a bit of a surprise on the estuary. A Wheatear, a Whitethroat and three juvenile Stonechats were on the golf course. I might try looking a bit more often over coming weeks.

 

[andycoventry]

2 Kingfishers on the Don at the moment on your patch. One hanging about the Bridge of Don to Donmouth with occasion clashes with no 2 who's hanging about the Brig o Balgownie right round into Seaton Park. Both male.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I wasn't able to utilise the flexibility of my job to quite as much of a degree as I would have liked today. I did, however, manage a quick wander around the King's Links and the south side of Donmouth late in the afternoon. Unlike everyone else who went birding in Aberdeenshire today, I didn't manage to find anything particularly exceptional. Perhaps the most notable sighting was a flock of 18 Greylag Geese heading inland. With them was a smaller goose, which I suspect might have been a White-front but it was too distant to be sure.

There were some migrants about but it was all fairly common fare: two Blackcaps, two Chiffchaffs, a Fieldfare, a Reed Bunting, ten Song Thrushes, a Stonechat, a Wheatear and eight Goldcrests. Other stuff included two Wigeon, two Dunlin and 17 Sanderling.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I heard my first Waxwing of the winter today in Old Aberdeen (along Dunbar Street). I also took some students out for a wander around Seaton Park to look for birds. Not too much around but a few Redwings and a Dipper briefly. A couple of days ago there were four Little Grebes upstream of Bridge of Don and a Purple Sandpiper on the beach.

 

[Zephyrus Carrington]

No sightings of the now legendary Seaton Park Toilet Duck?

 

[andycoventry]

Harlequin 1st winter Drake

No sightings of the now legendary Seaton Park Toilet Duck?

Harlequin still present today feeding in one of the channels on the other side of canoe slalom.

 

[richardblackburn]

Harlequin duck still present at lunchtime today (17th) but further upstream (just east of the northern tip of Papermill Avenue).

 

[andycoventry]

A good weekend at Donmouth. 2 Peregrine Falcons on top of Lord Hays Court. Resident Common Buzzard and Kestrel on the Links and a Little Egret briefly visiting too

 

[Zephyrus Carrington]

Iceland Gull on the rugby pitch in Seaton Park on Saturday. FPS tells me it's likely the same one as at Girdleness recently.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Had a nice stroll around Seaton Park and Donmouth this afternoon. The Harlequin was up at Papermill Drive and, as others have noted, is starting to look a bit more 'full on'. Also had some good views of Dipper around there, as well as several displaying Stock Doves. Things were rather quiet elsewhere (well, I guess there weren't any mega rares anyway). Several Red-throated Divers were offshore and the flock of 24 Sanderling on the beach included one colour-ringed bird. Will be interesting to find out what its story is.