 |
| Magpie |
 |
| Moorhen |
 |
| Woodpigeon |
 |
| Sparrowhawk |
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| Robin |
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| Teal |
 |
| Waxwing |
 |
| Waxwing |
 |
| Waxwing |
 |
| Fieldfare |
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| Waxwing |
 |
| Waxwing |
 |
| Woodpigeon |
 |
| Black Redstart |
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| Black Redstart |
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| Twite |
 |
| Black Headed Gull & Common Gull |
 |
| Redshank |
 |
| Long Tailed Tit |
I don't often "twitch" rarities (in the grand scheme of things), as more often than not the opportunity to do so is not an option for me (rarities tend to show up while I'm at work, or in places well away from public transport). A Harlequin Duck in Aberdeen which showed up earlier in the month and lingered made it onto the "would be nice to see" list. However, Aberdeen is a bit further away than I generally feel comfortable suggesting as a location to visit to those of my birding buddies who have cars. Loch of Strathbeg and Speyside being another two areas I'd really like to get to more often (and the Lothian coast now that I think about it). My pal, Rhona, had suggested a day out so I mentioned the Harlequin Duck as a possibility and she thought it was worth going for. As things turned out, she managed to see one of her target birds......
With the weather forecast being quite mild for January, with no rain forecast till much later in the day, the omens were good for a straightforward sort of day. In addition to the Harlequin Duck, I had seen a photo on Facebook by Ian Hastie of a Mandarin drake in Johnston Gardens in Aberdeen, and Ian gave me directions to the location (thanks, Ian). This bird would be a nice add, and photos of a close-up bird even moreso, with only fairly distant shots of a bird near Glen Lethnot in a cow field so far. A small flock of Waxwings were also a possibility, and a bird that Rhona was especially keen to see and photograph. The Black Redstart in Montrose and maybe even the Twite on the other side of the basin were possible targets on the way home, if time and conditions allowed.
While waiting for Rhona to arrive, I started my day list with 4 of the local species seen from my window - Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Herring Gull and Feral Pigeon. Blackbird was heard along with House Sparrow but both remained out of my line of sight. Starling was added as I got into Rhona's car and discussed the plan for the day. Discussion over, we set off northwards. A skein of geese, most likely Pink Footed, was seen near Inveraldie, but went unidentified. Swans on Forfar Loch were likely to have been Mutes rather than Whoopers but stayed off the list. Woodpigeon, Rook, Buzzard and Pheasant did make it though, all being seen by the roadside, either in fields or perched on fence-posts.
The first Magpie overflew somewhere near Laurencekirk with a few more seen as we neared Aberdeen. We made a wrong turn (my fault) and found ourselves a bit off our route once we crossed the river. I managed to fix the navigational error and we found Beach Boulevard, which would make finding Seaton Park, near the north end, much easier than heading through the city itself. Or at least in theory it would. My second navigational error saw us turning left instead of right and missing the park entrance. This one was easier rectified and we made it into the park, pretty much on schedule just before 10am.
A Goldcrest was in the trees by the car park, a row of Mallards stood around on a frozen puddle. A few Black Headed Gulls stood on another while Carrion Crows and Magpies hopped and wandered around on the grass. We headed to the river, a few Blue Tits and Blackbirds seen on the way. When we reached the bank, a duck could be seen a little upriver, against the light, disappearing below the fast flowing river. Could it be the hoped for Harlequin Duck? As easy as that? No, it turned out to be a female Goldeneye. A few people walking past stopped to ask whether 'the duck' was still around, with one pointing to a bird a bit closer which promptly disappeared below the water. Harlequin? No, a female Goosander this time.
We chatted to a couple with binoculars who were also searching for the bird, who told us a bit about where the bird had been seen previously. We set off upriver to scan from a different angle, hoping that the duck was just up around the bend a little. A few more Blackbirds, a Magpie by a puddle and a few more Carrion Crows caught our eye while the main part of the river was out of sight behind a wooded island. The path was quite icy and we had to watch our footing. More ducks were a bit further upstream, but these were just drake Goldeneyes. A few Moorhens scrambled around below the bushes by the bank below us, and a probable Wren disappeared into the undergrowth. A Mute Swan battled against the fast flowing river before letting the current carry it downstream. A Grey Heron was stood by the river on the opposite bank, but there was no sign of the Harlequin Duck here either.
We decided to try further downriver, just in case and headed back to where we had come from. Dunnock and Great Tit showed relatively well, if briefly, and a Dipper was spotted on the river before it flew away from us a short distance. I managed a photo of it perched on a low branch, but it leant forward head pointing at the water meaning that I have a decent 'what is it?' photo, but not a decent Dipper photo. A Robin showed well a few feet in front of us and a Woodpigeon overflew. A minute or two later, I spotted the characteristic flap, flap, glide of a Sparrowhawk as it circled up across the river from us. Photos showed it to be a male. Rhona spotted a Treecreeper which needless to say, disappeared round behind the tree trunk when I pointed my camera at it.
I heard a flock of Redwings before I saw them, overflying above the treetops. A few more Woodpigeons, Blue Tits and Blackbirds were seen, and at the next set of rapids another few ducks. Mallards only this time. We doubled back again on ourselves, spooking two ducks from close in to the bank. Teal this time. A sinle duck splashed down on the river. Surely this time..... Nope, Goldeneye again. It flew off upriver. We arrived back where we had started by the river and got chatting to another birder, who had checked out the area where the Harlequin had been seen the day before but without success, as well as a bit further downriver too. He had seen the Waxwings earlier that morning so we got directions from him and decided to try for them, and if the duck was rediscovered while we were away we would return. Another Magpie and a Chaffinch were seen in a tree on the opposite bank before we headed back to the car.
Although the directions were very comprehensive, they were also rather long, so I decided technology was probably more helpful than my memory and resorted to Google Maps to get us to Lang Stracht. We made it but weren't entirely sure where we needed to be, or where we could park. We passed a few trees with pink berries near the start, but these appeared to be our best bet, so we had to turn back then find a place to park off the main road. Unfortunately we found that there were lots of double yellow lines and cars parked where there were none. We finally found a spot and wandered back round to the main road, passing yet another Magpie and a few Crows. The trees on our side of the road proved to be rather empty and those opposite appeared to be very quiet also. It was difficult to be certain though as the presence of houses behind the trees made scanning through binoculars a bit tricky.
We doubled back on ourselves again and when we were opposite the trees with the berries I figured we may as well cross the rather busy road for a closer look, just in case. No sooner had we made it to the other side, when I heard the tell-tale calls of Waxwings, and there they were perched in the top of a tree without berries. Rhona hadn't seen them, so I called to her and pointed up. We got a few photos before one or two of the birds flew down to feed on the berries. A Mistle Thrush chased them out of that tree. A Fieldfare guarded one of the others but it wasn't quite as determined to chase them off when they flew down into that particular tree. We snapped away when the feeding forays happened, Rhona very happy at seeing her own target bird for the day.
Back at the car, we had some lunch and checked Birdguides website on my phone but there was still no news of the Harlequin Duck, so we decided to try for the Mandarin instead. Johnston Gardens where it had been seen wasn't too far away and we found it with help from Google Maps once more. Goldfinch and Woodpigeon were in a tall tree in the picturesque little park surrounded by houses. On the small pool, Black Headed Gulls and Mallards mingled, but there was no sign of any drake Mandarin. We did a circuit of the pond but drew a blank again. Blue Tit, Blackbird and Dunnock completed the list here in what was a rather short visit. Yet again, the target duck had vanished. Still no word via Birdguides of Harlequin sightings, so we set off south for Montrose instead.
The sunshine we had been lucky enough to have enjoyed in Aberdeen seemed to turn immediately to a blanket of grey cloud as soon as we left the city. We took a turn off the A90 signposted for Inverbervie. A large flock of Rooks and Jackdaws milled around above a field, with a Starling flock nearer the road. We also saw plenty of Buzzards on our detour, as well as a few Pheasants. Before trying for the Black Redstart we headed to Ferryden for a quick scan of the river. Eiders were much in evidence, with a few Cormorants flying upriver. Oystercatchers and a few gulls roosted on the far bank. A Red Breasted Merganser drake was a little further downstream towards the sea.
We headed back into Montrose to try to find California Street which we eventually did. A small bird was perched on the apex of the roof. A quick look suggested it might be the Black Redstart, but it flew a short distance onto the next door house. A grabbed photo from outside the car showed a Robin perched. A few seconds later and on a different roof, we found the Black Redstart. It led us a bit of a merry dance moving from perch to perch though never moving too far. The light was pretty poor and the ISO on the camera had to be pushed up further than I'd have liked. Still, a good bird to get, and quite easy to find too.
With that one on the list, next up was a quick visit to the site where Twite are usually around in decent numbers at this time of year. However, reports of these small finches this winter have been few and far between, although Stuart Green of Angus Birdtours had reported just two birds the previous day. Still, nothing ventured....so off we went around the basin to try for them. A brisk walk from the car park saw us see very few birds, a Wren, a few Blue Tits, 2 Blackbirds but little else. There was no flock at the usual feeding site but wandering onto the path to the Wigeon hide, I spotted two birds feeding on seeds scattered around. A quick check. Twite they were. We edged slightly closer but the birds took flight, so we headed back to the car to check the Lurgies to see if we could add anything else to the day list, and my year list.
We added House Sparrows to the list for the day as we passed the small cluster of houses between Bridge of Dun and the Lurgies. With the light growing increasingly dull, the photographic opportunities were diminishing by the minute. I intended a quick scan of the basin from near the car park, but we ended up walking along the path to the bend in the river. The rising tide meant the birds were quite far away from us, but checking through binoculars gave us Wigeon, Common and Black Headed Gulls, Shelduck, Goldeneye, a few Curlews and some Carrion Crows from near the car park.
Rhona spotted a Little Grebe out on the river, but true to form it dived as soon as binoculars were pointed at it. Nearing the bend, there was still some exposed mud, with a small group of Redshanks feeding. Two Lapwings roosted on a small islet. An Oystercatcher was a little further over. A group of Mute Swans fed in a field on the opposite bank. A couple of Buzzards tussled with crows further round the bend. Rather than head straight back, I decided we should cross the field to check the boggy areas for possible Snipe.
Gulls streamed overhead towards the basin going to roost. We found no Snipe at all, which was a bit of a surprise. A flock of Linnets overflew, and we spooked some Teal from a small pool hidden behind gorse bushes. We arrived back at the car park just before 4pm, but not before adding a distant Great Black Backed Gull out on the basin. A small mixed flock of tits fed in the trees behind the car. Blue Tits, Great Tits and a number of Long Tailed Tits. We decided to head for home after another enjoyable day out.
Despite missing out on the main target bird(s), we still managed to see 51 species, 10 of which were new for my year list (in bold). A good day out with decent Waxwing photos as the main reward.
Species seen - Black Redstart, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dipper, Dunnock, Eider, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Linnet, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Teal, Treecreeper, Twite, Waxwing, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.