Wild in Aberdeen - City and Shire (1 Viewer)

[daveofficer]

Ah, so this is where the action is these days. I completely missed this thread being created, finally a place where my culter and deeside wanderings can find a home!

We drove up to the lecht on Saturday and saw some good birds with a few new ticks for me. Highlights were a hen harrier perched on a telegrath line near strathdon and about 7 red grouse frolicking near a viewpoint on the lecht to ballater road.

 

[daveofficer]

Stupid phone. I tried to delete one of those posts but it hasn't worked.

Also a pair of red kites just passed over my bus in drumoak, heading towards garlogie. Amazing what you see looking out the window.

 

[delia todd]

Stupid phone. I tried to delete one of those posts but it hasn't worked.

Also a pair of red kites just passed over my bus in drumoak, heading towards garlogie. Amazing what you see looking out the window.

LOL Dave... your phone is being really silly!:-O

I've deleted that post and the duplicate of this one

D

 

[daveofficer]

LOL Dave... your phone is being really silly!:-O

I've deleted that post and the duplicate of this one

D

aye, it has a habit of doing that. bah.

very annoyed to discover yesterday that my neighbours(it was confirmed to be them but 5 minutes ago) decided to chop down 2 trees at the back of our shared garden to let more light into the garden, and i suspect to clear their view of clachnaben and mount keen from their window. really shortsighted stuff as the trees were a big selling point of the flat for us and house a great variety of tits and finches.

anyone else also being driven mad by oystercatchers this year? they're everywhere and making a bloomin racket at all hours of night!

in other birdy news while waiting for a bus last month on great western road, i had a good 30 minutes watching a redwing who creeped ever closer to me until he was a metre away on the wall, staring straight at me. first time i'd seen one and hopefully not the last!

i've not had any goldcrests in my garden this winter which is a worry. has anyone had any in the deeside area? a lack of wrens just now too has me worried that the smaller birds have struggled this winter.

 

[Ben Nevis]

A large number of Geese flying north along the coastline this morning,at first light.Also a Peregrine sitting quite comfortably,on the Triple Kirks,on the ledge they bred on last year.

Had some early morning song from a couple of Hedge Sparrows outside St Nicholas House,which was nice to hear.

(In my youth,we never called them Dunnock,so they will always be Hedge Sparrows to me..!)

 

[Ken Hall]

Ah, so this is where the action is these days. I completely missed this thread being created, finally a place where my culter and deeside wanderings can find a home!

We drove up to the lecht on Saturday and saw some good birds with a few new ticks for me. Highlights were a hen harrier perched on a telegrath line near strathdon and about 7 red grouse frolicking near a viewpoint on the lecht to ballater road.

Hi Dave, glad you've found your way here at last . I'll look forward to reading about more of your meanderings.

A word to all posters on this thread please, it might be a good idea to keep the location of the sightings of any raptors in potential breeding territory very vague. Each one is precious.

 

[Joseph N]

Great Grey Shrike reported near Ryhnie on Birdguides today. Was seen on Thursday and is reported to have been 'perched on top dwarf willows 200m southeast of the Forestry Commission car park at NJ431269 west of Rhynie'. I wonder who saw this bird? I should be getting out birding tomorrow, but don't really know if it is worth it going all that way for a species that may not be there anymore. Nonetheless, it's an interesting find, the first GG Shrike reported up this way in a while.

 

[Tree Sparrow]

Great Grey Shrike reported near Ryhnie on Birdguides today. Was seen on Thursday and is reported to have been 'perched on top dwarf willows 200m southeast of the Forestry Commission car park at NJ431269 west of Rhynie'. I wonder who saw this bird? I should be getting out birding tomorrow, but don't really know if it is worth it going all that way for a species that may not be there anymore. Nonetheless, it's an interesting find, the first GG Shrike reported up this way in a while.

I'll go and look tomorrow. It's not too far from me.

TS

 

[Joseph N]

If you happen to be there during the morning, it is just possible that we might meet. Will maybe see you there, will maybe not. Either way, best of luck.

 

[Tree Sparrow]

If you happen to be there during the morning, it is just possible that we might meet. Will maybe see you there, will maybe not. Either way, best of luck.

Did you go? I did and amazingly I did see it. Got there and parked in the car park and checked out all the bushes but didn't see it so wandered up the road for an hour or so, lots of siskin, goldfinch, crossbill, thrushes, skylark etc. Wandered down into a little fenced off nature bit and checked that out and then walked back down the road, quite certain that I wasn't going to see it. Checked the bushes again just before I got back to the car and there it was!

I moved the car round so that I was facing in the right direction and sat there for a while hoping it would move to a closer bush but it didn't. I did at least get a really bad record shot of it. A scope and a longer camera lens were both sorely needed lol.

I've attached the photo but you'll need good eyesight to make it out. :-O

It was still there when I left so if you didn't make it today it might be worth your while going tomorrow.

TS

 

[Joseph N]

Fantastic Fiona, well done. Persistence paid off. That's not a bad shot either. I didn't go to look for the Shrike today, and instead did patch birding, which was very quiet today, with the highlights being Peregrine, 115 Whooper Swan and 9 Barnacle Geese at Strathbeg. Otherwise it was very quiet, but it was great to watch the wildfowl on the reserve.

However, now you have seen this Great Grey Shrike, I've struck a deal with my Dad that we'll go to see it tommorow morning (not much birding took place today and Mum is away in Edinburgh you see) as you have suggested. The thing is though that I'm not really sure where it's exact location is. Presumably it is in the same place as it was on Thursday when you saw it? If so, then we should be able to suss out where to go.

Well done,

Joseph

 

[Tree Sparrow]

Fantastic Fiona, well done. Persistence paid off. That's not a bad shot either. I didn't go to look for the Shrike today, and instead did patch birding, which was very quiet today, with the highlights being Peregrine, 115 Whooper Swan and 9 Barnacle Geese at Strathbeg. Otherwise it was very quiet, but it was great to watch the wildfowl on the reserve.

However, now you have seen this Great Grey Shrike, I've struck a deal with my Dad that we'll go to see it tommorow morning (not much birding took place today and Mum is away in Edinburgh you see) as you have suggested. The thing is though that I'm not really sure where it's exact location is. Presumably it is in the same place as it was on Thursday when you saw it? If so, then we should be able to suss out where to go.

Well done,

Joseph

I was watching every car that came along, looking to see if you were in it. It's a fairly quiet road lol.

I'm useless at grid references but I thought they were a bit out, which is why I walked up the road a bit. But the carpark area is the best place to see it from. Will you be coming from Rhynie? I'll pm you my phone numbers and I might be able to meet you there to show you where I saw it.

Fiona

 

[Ken Hall]

well done Fiona, a fantastic find. Joseph, I hope you manage to find it too. Shrikes can be elusive so don't give up too easily - it can turn up at any moment.

Sorry I've been a bit quiet lately, but I've had the most awful stomach bug or something. Nearly back to normal now, just in time for catching a few migrants. Any way, after the rugby today I'm in heaven. Just for the record, I'd a kite over the house a couple of days ago and that cheered me up a bit. Also been watching a pair of Magpies building a nest just 50m from the house. Fascinating stuff, I felt like giving them a hand. Suppose that's what I get for feeding them all winter.

 

[Joseph N]

I was watching every car that came along, looking to see if you were in it. It's a fairly quiet road lol.

I'm useless at grid references but I thought they were a bit out, which is why I walked up the road a bit. But the carpark area is the best place to see it from. Will you be coming from Rhynie? I'll pm you my phone numbers and I might be able to meet you there to show you where I saw it.

Fiona

Thank you for the info. Yes, I will be coming from Rhynie. I've now got your phone numbers, and you can probably expect a call in due course about meeting places/times etc.

 

[Tree Sparrow]

well done Fiona, a fantastic find. Joseph, I hope you manage to find it too. Shrikes can be elusive so don't give up too easily - it can turn up at any moment.

Sorry I've been a bit quiet lately, but I've had the most awful stomach bug or something. Nearly back to normal now, just in time for catching a few migrants. Any way, after the rugby today I'm in heaven. Just for the record, I'd a kite over the house a couple of days ago and that cheered me up a bit. Also been watching a pair of Magpies building a nest just 50m from the house. Fascinating stuff, I felt like giving them a hand. Suppose that's what I get for feeding them all winter.

Just to make it clear, I wasn't the finder of the bird, someone else did the hardwork, I don't know who but I'm very grateful to them. I was just very pleased to know it had been spotted there so that I could go and see it.

I'm meeting up with Joseph and his Dad tomorrow morning so fingers crossed it's still about.

Sorry to hear you haven't been well Ken. I've had a few friends going down with a bad tummy bug so you're not alone. I'm just about recovering from the winter blues. Really has been a bad winter this year, it seemed never ending. Envy you the kite... I keep hoping they'll head this way but no sign yet.

Fi

 

[Joseph N]

Just to make it clear, I wasn't the finder of the bird, someone else did the hardwork, I don't know who but I'm very grateful to them. I was just very pleased to know it had been spotted there so that I could go and see it.

I'm meeting up with Joseph and his Dad tomorrow morning so fingers crossed it's still about.

Sorry to hear you haven't been well Ken. I've had a few friends going down with a bad tummy bug so you're not alone. I'm just about recovering from the winter blues. Really has been a bad winter this year, it seemed never ending. Envy you the kite... I keep hoping they'll head this way but no sign yet.

Fi

According to the ABZ Rare Birds service it was spotted by someone who isn't a birder as such but a reliable observer. The observer told a friend who is a birder in the area of the Shrike and thus it was reported on Birdguides and on ABZ. Looking forward to meeting you there tomorrow Fiona, hopefully things will go well for us.

ATB

Joseph

 

[Tree Sparrow]

According to the ABZ Rare Birds service it was spotted by someone who isn't a birder as such but a reliable observer. The observer told a friend who is a birder in the area of the Shrike and thus it was reported on Birdguides and on ABZ. Looking forward to meeting you there tomorrow Fiona, hopefully things will go well for us.

ATB

Joseph

See you tomorrow. Fingers crossed it's still there.

Fi

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Had a wander along the Dee in Aberdeen today, which was really rather pleasant in the spring sunshine. I started at Inchgarth and then worked my way back to Torry. It was a bit tricky at first because the high water on the river has flooded the bankside path in places, so I couldn't follow the river all the way.

Anyway, there were plenty of signs of spring, with Celandines, Periwinkle and Butterbur all in flower and my first bumble bee and Small Tortoiseshell of the year. Sadly there weren't any summer migrants yet but lots of stuff was singing. I was particularly pleased to encounter quite a few of the more 'vulnerable' species that are normally badly affected by cold winters. There were several Wrens that seemed to have made it through, at least three or four pairs of Long-tailed Tits and three Goldcrests, one of which was singing. Also in the woods were a few Treecreepers and a Stock Dove. Along the river there was a good scattering of Goosanders and Goldeneye, and also a Teal and a pair of Grey Wagtails at Inchgarth. I had a brief view of a Fox there, which I disturbed from the side of the track. A couple of Meadow Pipits went over, lots of Lesser- Black-backs were about at Duthie Park and the regular Pink-footed Goose was on the river around the railway bridge. Disappointingly, I didn't see any Dippers. Maybe the high water was putting them off a bit.

Here's that plucky Goldcrest singing.

 

[Ben Nevis]

Bewicks Swan

A Bewicks Swan has been reported with the Whoopers in a field near the Waulkmill Hide,in case anyone is Interested.A good bird for the area.

 

[Joseph N]

Good news today from the moors around Rhynie. The Great Grey Shrike was showing superbly, perched the willows by Forestry Commission car park, seen straight from our arrival at around 8:15, where I met up with Fiona (Tree Sparrow). Every now and then it flew to different willow bushes (there were several), but on each occasion we came back to the car park it was seen, so basically for the majority of the morning. The views were fantastic, and it attracted a small but steady flow of birders to the area. It was very nice to meet Gus Guthrie and his daughter Alex there briefly too, both of whom watched the bird with us for a short while before heading to Burghead to see if they could see the King Eider present there (hope you saw it :t. Anyway the views were top quality, so if anyone wants to make a day trip next weekend it may be worth going up there to look for it. In the forest behind the car park there was a sizeable number of Siskins, as well as a few Redpolls and Common Crossbills. Plenty of Buzzards were enjoying the sun too and Lapwings, Curlews and Skylarks were widespread.

After having had reasonably prolonged views of the Shrike at first, we drove a little into the moors, where it was fantastic to come across two cracking male Black Grouse, a lifer for me, with a hen Black Grouse seen seperately from the males. Got fantastic views of the males, as they were simply sitting feeding in a field.

By the way Ben, I noticed the report of the Bewick's Swan from the Ythan and went to have a check to see if it was there. However, despite giving the fields round Waulkmill a thorough look and also checking any other possible places on the Ythan that they could be,there was no Bewick's Swan to be found. Nor were there any Whoopers. There were a small number of Mute Swans on them though, however. Perhaps the flock in which the Bewick's Swan was amongst was just passing by?

Nonetheless I'm very happy with the days birding. I'd like to thank Fiona for what was a lovely day out. I cannot describe how much I enjoyed it. I don't think that without you we'd have seen what we did today. Thank you very much!

All the best,

Joseph