Hi all
I was up home in the NE for 4 days last weekend and had quite a marvellous experience on at the house. Its in the middle of a very large forestry commission plantation, at a farm steading. There is a mixed residency of up to 30-40 swallows and house martins and one could sit for hours in the front or back garden and have them reeling and swooping all round, passing at times within feet of you.
There were still quite a few young fledging, being fed on the wires oustide the house by the parents, which at this late stage in the summer surprised me a little.
I was able to watch a common buzzard early one morning working some grassland from the vantage point of the top of some electricity poles and there seemed to be a family of three in residence. One swooped low over the houses for a few minutes, which was impressive.
A slightly unexpected sight was a blackcap, but very nice nonetheless. The full list there would be
Common Buzzard
Blackcap
Chaffinch
Magpie
Blackbird
Wren
Pied Wagtail
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Swallow
House martin
Kestrel
Carrion Crow (no hoodies, which is unusual)
Pheasant
Wood Pigeon
Robin
Tawny Owl
Red Grouse
Meadow Pippit
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
I would like to add Red Kite to this list, as the call I briefly heard sounded very like one, but I don't think I could claim it. A high two or three note whistle.
I also went over to the Loch of Strathbeg, seeing en route Rook, Jackdaw, Grey Heron, Starling (plus some on the list above). The reserve office/shop is being updated so theres almost nothing there. The viewing area is good and from it the assistant and others there pointed out a rough and (likely) ringed plover. I also saw Greenshank, Curlew, Moorhen and there were Godwits but I didn't have time to linger unfortunately. Before we left, I think there were Tree Sparrows in the garden area.
We did go out onto the airstrip to the southerly hide for which a decent pair of bins would really help. An eerie spot. From there we saw large conglomerations of wildfowl but a combination of lack of experience of them and poor bins let me down. Looked like quite a few Tufted Duck. Certainly a high number of Mute Swans and a colony of Cormorants.
I posted a couple of swallow pictures and may add one or two others - the buzzard shots weren't great. There were a lot of butterflies and I have posted one and will post another in due course, of a small tortoiseshell. Also took some footage of some bees and insects, which was fun.
cheers
andy hunter
[QUOTE=andy hunter;988344]A slightly unexpected sight was a blackcap, but very nice nonetheless. [/QUOTE]
Blackcaps have really increased in numbers in the last few years in NE Scotland. Even as recently as 5 years ago I rarely saw or heard one but earlier this summer I seemed to be finding them everywhere.
[QUOTE=andy hunter;988344]
I would like to add Red Kite to this list, as the call I briefly heard sounded very like one, but I don't think I could claim it. A high two or three note whistle.
[/QUOTE]
Depends where you were. The reintroduced birds were released on lower Deeside. At the moment the birds seem to be favouring the area to the south and west of Garlogie, where there are loads of rabbits. I saw five flying together there on Saturday.
hi capercaillie
i havent seen many blackcaps, still working on warblers, just assumed that an upland setting (c.200m altititude) in a wood massively dominated by close planted spruce, albeit in a farm clearing with a few mixed trees, wouldnt be a likely spot, but i plead ignorance as my excuse ! a nice siting though.
we were up above the Rhynie Dufftown road, so a distance from those areas, though not massive. i read reports by a environmental/ecological consultancy firm on the area when a wind farm was proposed and i cant remember if they said anything about red kites but they didnt mention a species, not by name, but in a slightly secretive oblique way, as if it was protected or fragile. that led me to wonder about r.kites. dont know if you know the reports but they make interesting reading - do a google on windfarm and clashindarroch and you should find them. think theres three, one of which is on birds.
its good to hear the efforts for r.kites up there. the countryside out of aberdeen, say from donside round to the upper deveron is some of my favourite.
cheers though
andy