Trip reports

Outdoor Meeting: FINDHORN AND ROSEISLE FOREST

Mike Langman (rspb-images.com)

Sunday, 15 March 2009

Eighteen members met, on a morning with high cloud and a chilly offshore breeze, at Findhorn beach car park where a Pied Wagtail started our list. A Stonechat was silhouetted on top of a bank of gorse bushes as we set off for the dunes overlooking the beach on which a solitary Oystercatcher dabbled briefly at the water edge, Sunday morning walkers keeping the sands clear of birds. Two Slavonian Grebes, one in winter plumage the other coming into summer plumage, swam close inshore just behind the breakers. A Guillemot and a Cormorant flew low over the water while several small groups of Long-tailed Ducks moved about.

On the far side of the mouth of the estuary about thirty seals were hauled out on a sandbank. Several small groups of Mute Swans swam in the river and further upstream, a Heron waded slowly past a group of Wigeon and on to a sandy spit on which stood a Curlew, a Hooded Crow, Herring Gulls and Oystercatchers. Further upstream a Red-breasted Merganser was spotted. As three high Goosanders flew downstream and out to sea, a Long-tailed Duck flew in from the sea and landed in the river quite close to us, giving an excellent view. As we admired the magnificent bird, a second joined it.

Having been exposed to the breeze for long enough, we moved to the shelter of Roseisle Forest At the car park a Treecreeper circled the trunk of a tree. A Coal Tit made use of a peanut feeder and a Blue Tit flew from tree to tree. Trevor announced that there was a hide in the forest - which was a surprise to the rest of the group most of whom had made several visits in previous years. The hide, quite commodious, overlooked a clearing well supplied with feeders at which a red squirrel soon appeared and demonstrated its expertise at opening a squirrel peanut feeder as it settled down to devour a succession of nuts. Later several other red squirrels came to feed. A Robin, a Dunnock, a Great Tit and a number of Chaffinches moved between bird feeders. A Great Spotted Woodpecker appeared briefly before a Sparrowhawk flew past.

Back at the car park, after picking up our lunches, the party split, one group setting off into the trees to seek Crested Tits. A new, wide path led to the top of the dunes from which the snow-capped hills on the far coast of the Moray Firth were indistinct in a thin mist. A group of Common Scoter, a few Eider and some small groups of Long-tailed Ducks were on the water. A single Velvet Scoter flew close to the surface of the sea. Lunch partaken, we returned to the car park where we watched Chaffinches, Coal and Great Tits, a Treecreeper and a Siskin at or near the seed feeders. Two red squirrels climbed up and down the trees. A Great Spotted Woodpecker made several visits to pick up peanuts. As a Buzzard circled overhead, the other group returned successful in their quest, having seen one Crested Tit and several Crossbills. As Trevor told us of this, a Crested Tit flew into a tree beside us but soon departed.
Crested Tits are reputed to come to feeders in gardens at the edge of Burghead where houses border Roseisle Forest. We tramped along sandy paths in the vicinity of the houses, but no luck. Perhaps some youngsters playing in a sandpit were a disincentive to the birds. Our only sighting was of a Coal Tit foraging in grass under bushes.

On to the heights above the harbour to survey the sea. On a flat rock at the edge of the shore five Redshanks foraged and on another stood a Great Black-backed Gull and a handful of Herring Gulls. There was little on the water but a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers and a Red-throated Diver. By now it was rather cold in a steady breeze so the proposal to repair to Baxters of Fochabers met no resistance. Our thanks to Trevor for leading the outing.
Bill Williams