A Day with a Difference

14/07/10

I met up with Gus and Alex at The Inches, on the Ythan Estuary and we immediately set to work sorting out the birds. Alex was desperate to see a Whimbrel and I was still short of a Greenshank for my 2010 year list. Can you believe it? Mid July and still no Greenshank. An Osprey flew over the river, but that raised little excitement for the Angus birders. They are well used to them. So we moved up river, to where the 4 Spoonbills had been seen only the day before. Despite careful searching, there was no sign of them. But Gus picked up a Greenshank for me, and soon I had found two more of them. There were quite a few Dunlins feeding on the far shore, and one bird with them was giving us problems. It was a bit different and had a different feeding method. Nevertheless, after prolonged watching and reference to the field guides, we decided it was a juvenile Dunlin, and not something more exotic.

After that, I took them to Waulkmill, where there was a gathering of Greylag Geese on the river but not much else. Then on to Meikle Loch, thence to Collieston. We had lunch there, perched atop a rocky headland, sea watching. Almost at once, I spotted what I though were three Arctic Skuas, heading north, a long way out and low over the water. No one else was able to pick them up before they were gone. Now I’m wondering if they were Sooty Shearwaters. Too late. We spotted a few Great Skuas, and watched the terns feeding close inshore.

To end the day, we went south to Girdleness, a new place for my guests. We had a look from Greyhope Bay – terns, Ringed Plovers, Rock Pipits, some Bottle-nosed Dolphin activity – the usual stuff, then moved round to the foghorn, the celebrated Torry Coo. This was better. There were several groups of feeding gulls well offshore, and from time to time they were joined by the odd skua. Just as we were thinking of packing up, I latched on to a string of Manx Shearwaters, far, far out, heading north. I attempted to count them, but it was not easy as they kept disappearing in the swell, and reappearing further along. I got to 34. Gus reckoned there was more than that. I reckon he was right. So ended a very enjoyable day. Gus and Alex got to see some places new to them, and they gave me information on a couple of spots near Kirriemuir that I just can’t wait to go and check out.