Having postponed our planned trip to Aberdeenshire from last Wednesday to give ourselves a longer day out than we would have had, plans were made for our day out this midweek. An early start of a 0630 pick-up would see us at the Ythan Estuary relatively early. Much would depend on our chosen route. As Paul hadn't done any birding in Aberdeenshire, north of Aberdeen before, I wanted to show him as many sites as possible while also seeing as many species of bird as we could. Thankfully, the weather forecast looked to be mostly favourable, though rain would come in around the time we were likely to be thinking about heading back home and the winds were stronger than ideal.
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| Arctic Tern |
Less sleep than I had hoped for meant I was rather tired when the alarm went off but I made it out the door as planned around 0615 for the 10 minute walk to meet Paul at our usual rendezvous point. The walk proved relatively fruitful with Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Starling, Feral Pigeon, Goldfinch, Magpie and Woodpigeon all seen. We set off northwards up the Forfar Road adding Carrion Crow, Jackdaw and Blackbird before leaving Dundee. A pair of Canada Geese were overtaken as they flew alongside the road. A Buzzard was seen circling over trees as we approached the turn-off for Edzell.
Rather than taking the faster A90 to Aberdeen and running the risk of meeting the commuter traffic we had decided on the slower, but potentially more 'bird-y' road over the Cairn O' Mount and then following back roads to the Ythan Estuary at Newburgh. It would take longer but we had a chance to add a few species we might not see elsewhere during the day. Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, House Martin and Sparrowhawk were seen between the A90 and Edzell. A pair of Collared Doves on the road just inside the village and a few Swifts overhead were the sum total of species seen (apart from a few Jackdaws) in the village.
A Yellowhammer by the roadside just outside Edzell and a few Swallows, House Martins and Swifts at Fettercairn were added before we began the climb up the hill to the car park and viewpoint near the top. A brief stop here gave us a few Meadow Pipits but nothing else, though Curlew was heard but not seen. Things were very quiet as we crossed the grouse moorland and it wasn't until we found a spot to stop near the bottom of the first hill, but before the second uphill section, that we added some other birds. A few Chaffinches were seen before a bird flew up and landed on some wires running between two pieces of woodland. It was a year-tick for Paul, and a species I thought we might have a chance of running into, though a lot of luck would be needed - a Spotted Flycatcher. I managed to get a few photos but it refused to pose for Paul, so we moved on again. A potential Hooded Crow in a field looked more hybrid-like when it flew off across the field.
A Mistle Thrush flew over as we set off, and as we navigated our way along some of the back roads in Aberdeenshire I mentioned the possibility of Red Kite, and seconds later saw one low over a roadside field. Paul couldn't see it from the driver's seat, but a few miles further on Paul got one on his side of the car that I couldn't see. A Mallard flew out from a field near Lyne of Skene and our first definite Rooks of the day were seen as we neared Kintore. A pair of Grey Herons were stood in the river Don at Kintore. There were no further additions before we arrived at the Ythan car park at Newburgh.
It was relatively quiet at the car park and the Terns could only be heard rather distantly as we walked down towards the shed and the beach. A Black Headed Gull and a few Linnets flew over. We scanned from the shed. Most of the Eiders appeared to be roosting at the river mouth near the Grey Seals (and a few Common Seals) while the Terns seemed to be mostly around the Ternery area. Paul found a Brent Goose, and we added Cormorant, Oystercatcher and a sleeping Goosander to the list along with a single Bar Tailed Godwit which flew off upriver. We could see a few birders with a scope opposite the Eider roost and having drawn a blank on Elvis the King Eider among the closer Eiders we figued that perhaps those birders had found the bird we were hoping to see - a year tick for me, and a lifer for Paul.
The Seals as usual came close in to shore for a good look at us as we scanned around for birds. There were a handful of terns working their way down river, some fisjhing as they went. It didn't take too long to see the 4 main species - Common, Arctic, Sandwich and Little Tern, the latter another lifer for Paul. By the time we reached the place where we had seen the birders with the scope, the pair with the scope had moved on, leaving a gentleman from Tomintoul who was able to point out just where our hoped for
King Eider was, though he was resting up. Thankfully there were a few movements so Paul was able to get reasonable enough views, though obviously not as good as we had hoped for.
We wandered back along the beach towards the wreck in the hope of some decent Little Tern views as we had seen 1 fishing at a small inlet. There was an Eider duckling creche so we skirted round them to avoid flushing them out onto the river. A Skylark was seen climbing skywards across teh river and we spent some time watching the terns relatively close up before a trio of Curlews flew over. A few House Martins zipped around by the dunes and a singing Dunnock perched atop a gorse bush serenaded us as we headed back towards the car. An unidentified butterfly flew past us - I suspect it was a Fritillary but it disappeared over the Gorse bushes before I could get a decent view or a photo.
We headed along to Inch Road to look over the river towards the bridge. A pair of Oystercatchers stood atop a roof by the graveyard while on the burn were a few Lapwings, Mute Swans, a few Shelduck and more Oystercatchers. From beyond the industrial buildings we found a few more Lapwings and Oystercatchers on the river as well as more Eiders, a few terns and a single Grey Heron. We drove the short distance to the bridge where we scanned upriver beyond the bridge and explored the dirt track round by the field. Here we found singing Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat but things were relatively quiet.
Having had the chance to scan from the bridge area it was clear there weren't too many birds around on the river so we chose to drive on towards the 2 small car parks overlooking the bend in the river. Here we added Song Thrush in the car park as well as s small flock of Wigeon and a single Gadwall on the water opposite. A mid-size wader took flight from upriver and climbed high into the sky but I lost sight of it as I attempted to switch between binoculars and camera. However this gave us the incentive to check the stretch of river the bird had appeared from. ather than visit the Waulkmill Hide we chose to visit the "Fisherman's Hut" site, though the hut is no more. Blue Tits and Great Tits were seen in the trees as we walked down to the river.
Black Headed Gulls and Lapwings were nearby while among a roosting flock of Herring Gulls a Great Black Backed Gull and a Lesser Black Backed Gull were added before Paul spotted a quartet of Redshanks on the far bank. After 10 minutes or so we decided to move on again. A Roe Deer was seen in the fields before we reached the Collieston crossroads. Cotehill Loch held a few Mallards and a Mute Swan but was otherwise quiet. We chose to head to the Forvie Centre car park and a walk down to Sand Loch. Tree Sparrows and Carrion Crows were seen around the buildings as well as a small Rabbit. Meadow Pipits and Skylarks provided a soundtrack as we walked downhill to the Loch. Reed Buntings were seen in the bushes and a Tufted Duck slept across the far side. A handful of gulls slept out on the water.
As time was moving on we decided not to do any sea-watching from the village, instead we'd continue on towards Strathbeg with a brief visit to Bullers of Buchan on the way. As expected we were able to add half a dozen seabirds here - Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots (including a few "bridled" birds), Fulmars, Kittiwakes and Shags. A Robin was seen on a roadside fence as we drove in to Loch of Strathbeg RSPB reserve. Unfortunately we found things rather quiet here, though there were plenty birds around but mostly of species we'd already seen earlier in the day. A pair of Shoveler were seen from the visitor centre and a Wren was by the small burn behind the centre.
We walked round to the Tower hide adding a Greenfinch (and a Chaffinch) on the wires before we passed birders coming the other way who told us about a couple of Corn Buntings singing from wires further on. The gentleman I spoke to turned out to be Dave Tanner who I follow on Twitter though I only found out later via the website via a tweet of his about the Corn Buntings at an otherwise quiet reserve. A few Small White butterflies flitted around by the track. Things were just as quiet from both the Tower Hide and the new hide in front and lower down, so we chose not to linger. We headed back to the visitor centre where a Tufted Duck was seen. We had a discussion of the various options available to us before deciding to try and get through Aberdeen before the evening rush hour traffic built up too much.
A Kestrel was seen north of Aberdeen but little else. By now it was beginning to rain and the City bypass roadworks slowed our progress somewhat meaning we caught slightly more traffic than hoped but by taking the road along the waterfront we made it through the city relatively quickly. Our next stop was Rigifa Pool just outside Cove. When we arrived it was raining so we initially scanned from the car. I found a Ringed Plover and Paul found a couple more. A Sand Martin hunted around the cattle on the field alongside Swallows and House Martins. Paul spotted another bird near his Ringed Plovers so I got out of the car to investigate as it was impossible for me to see through the windscreen well enough to find the bird. A Skylark lifted as I crossed the road and it appears that this might have been the bird Paul had seen as no other bird was spotted. A Common Gull was another welcome addition at the pool.
As Paul had popped into Letham Pools on his way to pick me up he was a few species ahead of me for the day and he realised that he was only 3 birds short of equalling his previous best day total. We discussed various options to pick up a few more possibilities that wouldn't mean huge detours to our route before settling on the Lurgies at Montrose Basin and Arbroath waterfront. Roughly an hour after the beginning of our stop at Rigifa Pool we were reaching Montrose Basin. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew past us as we neared the Caledonian Steam Railway station, though Paul was unable to see it from his side of the car.
We stopped at Bridge of Dun in the hope of adding Grey Wagtail at least. Pied Wagtail was first as well as a few Swallows. I spotted an unexpected Common Sandpiper by the water's edge before Paul spotted a Coal Tit in the tree on the other side of the bridge. I spotted movement by the side of the river and we had our Grey Wagtail. Paul had equalled his previous best day's total and we hadn't even reached the Lurgies yet. Thankfully it had stopped raining when we arrived, and we scanned from the end of the car park for anything new before we set off to walk along the path along the bank. I spotted a distant pair of Red Breasted Mergansers, and then a group of Goldeneye.
A Willow Warbler gave us another bird for the list further on. More scanning found a distant Osprey on a rock being stalked by a Carrion Crow. It took flight low across the Basin with Black Headed Gulls in pursuit. As we neared the bend we found a small flock of waders on the pebbles. A few Ringed Plover and some Dunlin. The Dunlin appeared to be from a few different races with noticeable differences in bill length and plumage tones. Among them was a slightly larger bird, much greyer than the rest and with a slightly decurved bill. It didn't look quite right for Curlew Sandpiper and there was nothing else that fitted. Photos of the bird in flight confirmed that it was just a winter plumaged Dunlin - most likely an Arctic breeding Alpina race bird.
Paul found a few Redshank and a Greenshank and when I looked I found a second Greenshank. An Osprey flew downriver into the Basin. As we walked back a bird ran across a gap by the small burn. Paul managed to see where it ended up and it turned out to be a Moorhen, yet another new bird for the list. Graham Smith from the local RSPB was at the gate and we stopped to chat to him and the female birder who was with him. Darell Berthon and Nat then arrived and before we left another birder arrived. I suspect there was an RSPB evenng outing about to begin. We headed down the road for a quick stop at Arbroath cliffs where we failed to find any Turnstones but did add a Rock Pipit and some Gannets offshore, as well as Herring Gull 'yellow T:524' in its usual spot.
I ended the day with 88 species, including 1 year-tick (in bold) and Paul had a few more from his brief Letham Pools stop on top of the day's sightings, though I had 2 he hadn't seen - Sparrowhawk and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Between us we'd managed to see in the region of 95 species, though by the time I arrived home I'd been out just short of 14 hours, and Paul was closer to 15 hours. Enjoyable even with the early start. With more planning and a slightly earlier date 100 species is definitely achievable.
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Common Seal & Herring Gull |
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| Eider & King Eider |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Arctic Tern |
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| Arctic Tern |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Arctic Tern |
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| Curlew |
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| Arctic Tern |
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| Little Tern |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Little Tern |
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| Eider |
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| Eider |
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| Arctic Tern |
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| Little Tern |
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| Little Tern |
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| Mute Swan |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Shelduck, Lapwing, Black Headed Gull & Curlew |
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| Lapwing |
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| Wigeon & Gadwall |
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| Wigeon & Gadwall |
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| Gadwall & Wigeon |
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| Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Great Black Backed Gull & Black Headed Gull |
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| Orchid sp. |
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| Tufted Duck |
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| Spider sp. |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Shag |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Guillemot & Razorbill |
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| Fulmar |
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| Fulmar |
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| Puffin |
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| Razorbill & Guillemot |
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| Puffin & Guillemot |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Skylark |
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| Goldeneye |
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| Mallard |
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| Dunlin |
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| Dunlin & Ringed Plover |
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| Dunlin & Ringed Plover |
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| Dunlin & Curlew |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Dunlin |
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| Dunlin |
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| Dunlin & Ringed Plover |
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| Dunlin & Ringed Plover |
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| Linnet |
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| Osprey |
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| Greenshank |
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| Greenshank |
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| Common Gull, Black Headed Gull & Mute Swan |
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| Herring Gull & Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
Species seen - Arctic Tern, Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Brent Goose, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gadwall, Gannet, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel,
King Eider, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Tern, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Ostercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Puffin, Razorbill, Red Kite, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Sedge Warbler, Shag, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Whitethroat, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterflies seen - Small White.
Mammals seen - Common Seal, Grey Seal, Rabbit, Roe Deer.
