Friday, 25 July 2014
Then the haar rolls in
Meikle held a Green Sand this morning, but whilst the rest if the UK basks, the haar rolls in...
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Hotting up
More movement birdwise locally over the last couple of weeks. With even some Willow Warblers seen around the village over the weekend, perhaps dropped in after the thunder storms moved through the area. Almost like early Autumn!
Mainly evident are the building wader numbers on the estuary and on Meikle Loch. One observer (PAAB) had a count in excess of 30 Common Sandpipers on the Ythan on Sunday for example. Lapwing numbers on Meikle are giving some counts of around 50 birds which is unusual. The main other highlights are a bright , adult Little Stint that was first seen on Saturday 19th, and it was seen again on Monday. Very poor images of it shown. There was two Green Sandpipers there as well that day.
A short seawatch on Sunday yielded a single Sooty Shearwater going north late afternoon, 30 plus Manx Sheawaters and a single Great Skua.
Mainly evident are the building wader numbers on the estuary and on Meikle Loch. One observer (PAAB) had a count in excess of 30 Common Sandpipers on the Ythan on Sunday for example. Lapwing numbers on Meikle are giving some counts of around 50 birds which is unusual. The main other highlights are a bright , adult Little Stint that was first seen on Saturday 19th, and it was seen again on Monday. Very poor images of it shown. There was two Green Sandpipers there as well that day.
A short seawatch on Sunday yielded a single Sooty Shearwater going north late afternoon, 30 plus Manx Sheawaters and a single Great Skua.
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| Little Stint, Meikle Loch |
Thursday, 10 July 2014
Lazy summer days
A well overdue update for the area. Wader numbers are gradually increasing again on the Estuary with a Little Ringed Plover reported this evening. Dunlin and Ringed Plover numbers have been gradually increasing over the last week or two. This has been reflected on Meikle Loch where Dunlin, Common Sandpipers and Greenshanks have all been seen in small numbers in the last week. This evening a Water Rail was associating closely with a Greenshank there, somewhat bizarrely.Some warm and still days see good numbers of Ringlets, Common Blues and Meadow Brown butterflies in the meadows around Meikle Loch.
On the fields the Slains area has done very well this season for breeding Lapwing, with multiple pairs being successful. This probably reflects the failed drainage attempts this winter.
On the sea the main impression is the constant stream of Common, Arctic and Sandwich Tern shuttling back and forth. On the bright days especially an impressive sight. Only the occasional skua just now to stir them up.
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| Water Rail and Geenshank, Meikle Loch |
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| Ringlet, Meikle Loch |
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| Fulmar |
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| Ythan Seals |
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