News
Thursday, 2 April 2009
What You Missed July - December 2008
JULY
Blackdog produced its usual one or two Surf Scoters from the 2nd until the 27th of August. The resident Mandarin Duck was at Ugie mouth all summer and a couple were seen in Aberdeen on the 14th. The long-stay Glaucous Gull at Fraserburgh obliged those who stopped to look for it until the 6th of October. Cory's Shearwaters where seen off Kinnaird Head between the 15th and 21st. Reports were submitted to the rarities committee but Cory's are very difficult to get accepted. The only other sighting of note was a Red-breasted Flycatcher at Rattray on the 25th.
AUGUST
Things started to hot up this month with an American Wigeon at Strathbeg on the 1st and 2nd, two Little Egrets on the Ythan on the 8th, one of these birds showing regularly until the 18th of September. A White-winged Black Tern appeared briefly at Strathbeg on the 11th and four Gargany were there on the 12th. Barred Warbler were in short supply this year with singles at Girdleness on the 17th and another at Newtonhill on the 14th of September. A Wryneck was present at Forvie on the 20th and a fall of Greenish Warblers hit the coast on the same day with birds reported from Strathbeg, Forvie and Cruden Bay. The last bird of note was a Reed Warbler at Logie Buchan reed beds on the 25th.
SEPTEMBER
The best bird of the year for me was a Wilson's Phalarope that showed up at close range from the Visitor Centre at Strathbeg on the 1st. This was a lifer for me. Another very rare bird, a Greater Sand Plover, was on the Ythan from the 12th to the 17th. It was later reported to have decamped to Dunbar. The only passerine of note was a Common Rosefinch spotted at Rattray on the 17th. Strathbeg broke records again this month with the numbers of Pectoral Sandpipers. On the 19th two birds showed up, by the 22nd four were present, six by the 25th and seven by the 29th: there were sightings until the 4th of October. A Hobby showed briefly at Rattray on the 21st and three Common Cranes were on the Ythan on the 24th and 25th.
OCTOBER
The first half of the month was very quiet but the 17th found Anne and myself tramping over the St Fergus dunes looking for a White-tailed Eagle. In the end we nearly stood on it. It stayed around for quite a while. Also on the 17th a Hoopoe was seen at Kirkhill industrial estate, probably the same bird that was reported from Dyce on the 5th of November. Another mega-rarity was a White's Thrush which stayed for a few days in parkland near Dyce. A major twitch was organised for one day only but the bird was very skulking, as is the norm with this species, and most of us did not see
it.
Four Bearded Tits showed well at the Fen hide at Strathbeg from the 19th to the 26th and a Lapland Bunting was reported from Forvie on the 24th. Between the 24th and the 31st, Grey Phalaropes were seen along the coast with reports from Girdleness, Blackdog, Cairnbulg, Strathbeg and Fraserburgh. A Little Auk flew past Fraserburgh on the 31st and the first Waxwings of the year turned up at Strathbeg on the same day. They stayed at their usual haunts until the year's end with a maximum count of three hundred in Aberdeen on the 8th November.
NOVEMBER
Passerines came into their own this month with Pallas's Warbler at Forvie on the 6th and at Stonehaven on the 10th. Yellow-browed Warblers turned up at Stonehaven on the 14th and at Strathbeg on the same date. A Desert Wheatear gave birders in Aberdeen the run around between the 15th and the 26th, a bird being seen at Murcar, Bridge of Don, Girdleness and Nigg Bay. After numerous photos were examined it was decided that all sightings were of the same bird. A twist in the tail of this story was when a non-birder turned up with photos of the bird being hand-fed along Aberdeen beach a week before the first birder reported it. The annual Bittern turned up at Strathbeg on the 31st and was again seen on the 6th of December.
DECEMBER
Apart from the Bittern sighting, December was a very quiet month.
Let's hope the winter of 2009 is an improvement on December 2008.
Dave Gill