Well, this is embarrassing, innit? Haven't posted anything on here for many's the long age. Thought it was about time I confirmed that Rosie and I are still wielding the binoculars on the patch, and supplemented the New Year update provided by Collieston Birder.
Stormy is an understatement for what we've endured this winter. Little Auks were a constant feature from 2nd January until the weather settled, with several storm-driven birds appearing in the roads and gardens of the village. Precious little else was moving save for Kittiwakes and a few Gannets, but we did see a Bonxie fighting its way north on 4th. An immature Iceland Gull briefly dropped in at Cransdale on the same day.
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| Poor little auks! |
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Bonxie, viewed through a Force 9 and sideways rain
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On more settled days there has been a decent showing of Short-eared Owls on the patch, with two together at the Forvie Centre and several singles dotted around elsewhere.
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| Shortie... |
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| And again. |
On the estuary, three Scaup have been present for a few days, with another (perhaps the 'usual' wintering bird?) on the Sand Loch until it was frozen off earlier this week. A couple of Pintail there were also noteworthy last week, but they too were moved on by the ice.
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| L-R: Scaup, Scaup and Scaup. |
Am hoping this cold snap may produce a nice Ross's Gull or similar... wishful thinking, maybe, but watch this space!
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