Yellow-browed's arrival

As part of a massive movement of Yellow-browed Warblers into the country there were at least 3 around Collieston today, though I am sure a number more likely to be scattered through local gardens. 2 were seen at Kirkton in the roadside trees and one was at Feu farm. Could be interesting to see the counts at the weekend locally.
Aside from that there was a Lesser Whitethroat at Kirkton as well, with a Ring Ouzel this evening in that area and a Snow Bunting along the back road. The pictures shows two Yellow-browed Warbler's taken a few days ago on the Shetland Islands.

Yellow-Browed Warbler

 

Westerly gales bring a duck

The first real wind of the Autumn arrived today, and with that two Black Terns flew past Cransdale Head in the morning. The same winds probably brought in the eclipse drake Ring-necked duck, the second of that species this year, to Meikle Loch (HM). 2 Little Stints were on Meikle also from at least Saturday. Maybe the same two were seen earlier in the week on Cotehill loch. on the same day a Balearic Shearwater was seen past Cransdale in the morning.
Migrant numbers remain low in the mostly Westerly winds, but there was a Spotted Flycatcher on Friday at Kirkton, and a Whinchat yesterday at Cransdale.
Along the estuary there are still good numbers of Black-tailed Godwit and also a few small groups of Curlew Sandpipers dotted around.
Small groups of Pink-footed Geese have been arriving in the area for the past week, giving that hint of winter round the corner.



Northern Wheatear, Ythan

Curlew Sandpipers

Sea Views

Some more welcome easterlies failed to produce anything migrant wise of notes, maybe it was just too sunny. Just before the weekend the hirundine numbers moving through the village were striking, with a few hundred on Thursday evening perching up on the umbellifers either side of the road down to Cransdale head and frantically feeding up. That mass of birds seem in the main to have moved on.

The NE winds main event was a good seawatch yesterday with single Long-tailed Skua and Pomarine Skua, reasonable counts of Arctic and Great Skua, over 30 Sooty Shearwaters as well as over 300 hundred Manx Shearwaters, over a 2 hour afternoon period.
Today the upper end of the Ythan estuary produced 4 Curlew Sandpipers, a Spotted Redshank and double  figures of Black Tailed Godwit and Ruff.
Raptors are on the move with Merlin and multiple Sparrowhawk roaming the Collieston area.

Juvenile Merlin

Passerine wise the main movement seemed to be of Wheatears and Robin, with little else of note except perhaps an increase in Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat numbers around the village.

Whitethroat

Water rails

With the rise in the water levels at Cotehill the waders have long since left to find more suitable feeding areas elsewhere.  However, two juvenile water rails skulking around the edges of the loch this week were hardly old enough to fly so must have bred at Cotehill this year.   It's been a fair few years since water rails have been confirmed as breeding at Cotehill and this is possibly related to the water levels being lower this summer than in recent years and the nests not being flooded.  Whatever, it was nice to see them and hopefully they'll be back next year.

Season of Mists

Septembers arrived, and with the wind in the west waders seem likely to be the most fruitful prospect after August's late flurry, the regional highlight during this period having being the Booted Warbler at Drum's bushes.

A number of Spotted Redshanks are on the Ythan with 3 today down at Inches point reported. There was one at the Snub yesterday evening. There are still 2 Little Egrets as well, with one today at the Snub car park, and one at the Fisherman's path this morning. There are good numbers of Ruff dotted around with 8 at Fisherman's, and around 30 Black-tailed Godwits there as well.
Meikle Loch held 8 Ruff this morning as well.

Belated reporting of another Greenish Warbler fairly locally, just beyond the Whinnyfold village turn off, on the 27th August, found by Cotehill Birder. A  poor image of the bird shown below. Passerine wise this weekend  most of the interest had gone, but a Whinchat remained just North of Mains of Slains and likewise there were a number of Wheatears along the back road.

Greenish Warbler, near Whinnyfold

Little Egret, Ythan

Spotted Redshank, Ythan

Icterine Warbler

The Greenish Warbler continued to show occasionally in the plantation across the road from the Forvie Centre. This morning it was even singing which made it easier to locate.
This afternoon, as the sun emerged from the mist, an Icterine Warbler became evident in the roadside Sycamores at Kirkton.
Otherwise there were two Spotted Flycatchers there and a single Pied Flycatcher.

Icterine Warbler, Kirkton of Slains, Collieston

Greenish Warbler

The promising weather, after a slow start produced a fine Greenish Warbler late morning in the trees along the roadside, just down from the Forvie Centre turn off. Picked up on its distinctive call it showed down to close range, though in very wet conditions at times. There were at least 2 other Greenish Warblers today in the region, with "Cotehill Birder" finding one of them at Longhaven quarry.
Otherwise there was a small variety of other migrants, with good numbers of Willow Warblers. In addtion there were two Pied Flycatches, both in the Kirkton area, with a Garden Warbler along the fenceline at the Mains of Slains turn off and good numbers of Meadow Pipits.
Otherwise there were three Lesser Redpoll frequenting the Kirkton area as well.