Loadsa Stuff

17/04/09

Loadsa Stuff
17 April 2009. Bright and sunny but a bitter wind. Lurking in the lee of The Coo, I checked out the Eiders, the Common Scoters and the passing Gannets. Nothing there to get wound up about. I moved on to Greyhope Bay and began to look over the gulls milling around on the choppy water. The very first one I focussed on was an Iceland Gull. No, I couldn't turn it into a Glaucous. Not even my dodgy ID skills could get me out of that one. I still need a Glauc this year! And I reckon that was my fifth Iceland at least. These things are becoming common. I had a quickish stroll around The Battery, braving the breeze, and turned up a small flock of Linnets, some Meadow Pipits and a Blackbird. Then I headed off to the Ythan.
I walked down to the river mouth, hoping for some tern activity. All I could see was a sea of Eiders oohing and aahing, and some lazy seals hauled out on the sand. The Inches was equally quiet, so I shifted to the car park opposite The Snub. As I parked, I recalled reading something on the web about an American Wigeon having been seen there. Some distant dots were indeed Wigeons, and the very first one I looked at was, well, different. I had to wait ages before it turned to face me, to reveal its white crown stripe. The head too was different from our Wigeons, basically two shades of grey, although the green sheen was just evident when the light caught it. Hey, why am I trying to justify my ID to you, I know it was the American Wigeon. One for my life list, and very welcome too.
On the way home I stopped at Potarch bridge over the Dee, on the hunch that a Common Sandpiper might be back from its winter hols in Africa. Standing on the bridge, I was sure I could hear one piping above the noise of the traffic and the water, but could I see it? Finally, I caught sight of movement on the rocks upstream from the bridge, and there were not one but a pair of them frisking about at the edge of the water. Now that was what I would call a good day. But better was to come........

20 April 2009. Although I had just had a trip up to Strathbeg last week, the lure of a Spoonbill, and some other reported goodies, sent me back again. For once, I spent the whole day there, apart from a short sojourn along the rocky road to Rattray, still looking for a Corn Bunting. This time, I found three of them.
As I said, I spent the whole day at Strathbeg, mostly in the company of some of the staff who were in the Tower Hide pinpointing Lapwing nests. The nests were out on the scrapes, not in the hide, just in case you wondered. It was as well they were there, otherwise I might have missed some nice birds. Sedge Warblers were singing in the reeds (I heard them myself), A summer plumaged Spotted Redshank appeared by the wind pump (thanks). My second lifer in a week too! A Whimbrel was feeding among the Curlews (thanks again) then a phone call from the office had us all outside just in time to see three Cranes disappearing into the distance. (thanks for that) A Marsh Harrier appeared over the pools, sending all the ducks into a panic.
When they settled again, the Garganey I had been searching for was suddenly out on the open water. (My find) And just to round things off, the Spoonbill appeared in the middle of the pools. None of us saw it arrive, but I was the lucky one to spot it.
Also seen today were a male Hen Harrier, a Short-eared Owl, the same Ruff as last week and three Ringed Plovers, none of which was Little, worse luck.