Guilty Pleasures

I was congratulating myself last week on spending most of the day in Lancashire spending all day birding and keeping the amount of time spent in the car to a minimum. Pride comes before a fall as the saying goes and yesterdays driving extravaganza, going on for 450 miles in a round trip, certainly did absolutely nothing for my carbon footprint. Indeed for me is was almost a record, with only last years failed twitch to East Yorkshire for the Eastern Olly surpassing it.

Today I feel a mixture of emotions. I am pleased that we saw many of the birds that we came to see but this is offset by a sense of guilt at the environmental impact, not to mention the cost, of all the driving involved. Hypocritically, I will now go and vote for the Green Party on Thursday.

The original plan is to go to Moray to hopefully pick up White Billed Diver and then onwards towards Loch of Strathbeg . This is always going to involve a long day, however, a combination of underestimating the distances between places and the types of roads involved ultimately make it longer than perhaps a similar trip down the M6 for example would have been.

There had been negative news on 'The Diver' on the Saturday and so when Iain comes to mine for 5am the revised plan is to go to Strathbeg via the Ythan and 'on news' go for 'The Diver' at either Portsoy or Burghead.

By 8:45 we are at a sun bathed Ythan Estuary. We can feel the warm sun on our backs as we watch the many Eiders on the river:

Drake Eiders - in morning sunlight

In addition we soon pick up 3 Greenshank and a pair of Pintail and a singing Yellowhammer.

Yellowhammer

A local birder tells us that the Drake King Eider was still on the beach back in Newburgh and that the next layby North is where the Bonaparte's Gull had been frequenting of late. We decide to try first for 'The Eider' and quickly find the bird with a group of Common Eiders. Frustratingly, it spends most of its time asleep, only occasionally lifting its head to reveal its multi coloured face and bill pattern :


Drake King Eider




























There are hundreds of Sandwich Terns on the sands accompanied by smaller numbers of Common and a few Little. The dune system also holds a colony of Sand Martins some of which obligingly pose outside their entrance holes:

Sand Martins

On the way back through the dunes we see a House Martin, our first of the year.

We head back north to the 2nd layby and are soon enjoying the Bonaparte's Gull. Although some distance away, it is with a Black Headed Gull allowing for a good comparison. The thin black bill, pink legs and smaller size are all particularly noticeable.

Bonaparte's Gull

Moving like this from one twitch to another almost reminds me of Scilly. Indeed I  am having to remind myself that this is North East Scotland and not St Mary's. Dotterel have been reported from just West of Collieston and again a la Scilly there is no effort involved. We just head for the line of parked cars at the top of the field and hey presto Dotterel. 5 of them with a single Summer plumaged Golden Plover.

I had envisaged them being a bit closer to the road and perhaps photographing them from the car. In reality their distance and the now significant heat haze severely limits the view. Nonetheless, it obviates the need to climb the Cairngorns in June. However, unlike April & May, June is comparatively boring and so I will probably be itching for some good birding and may still try !

I still of course try to take a photograph but it aint going to win any competetions............... well other than the best bad photograph of course :

Hazy Dotterels

We head North again passing through Peterhead by 11:30. This grey fishing town almost looks attractive today in the warm Spring sunshine ! By midday we are at the Southern end of Loch of Strathbeg. The fields to the South still hold in excess of 1,000 Pink Feet. We soon find a Corn Bunting perched on wires and enjoy its 'key jangling' song. It is a bit disappointing only to see one ! I remember from my previous trip up here about 3 years ago seeing certainly more than 5 here.

The haze is a significantly limiting factor. We scan above the far dunes for Rough Legged Buzzard that has been seen recently. I get on 3 large birds heading South that are possibly Common Cranes but frustratingly all the scope is doing is magnifying the haze. The loch itself holds 2 Great Crested Grebes and a few Tufted Duck & Shelduck.

We move round to the Starnafin Farm Centre and quickly get on a Tree Sparrow at the feeder. Indeed there are c10 in the wildlife garden area adjacent to the Visitors Centre. Several Common Terns can be heard and seen over the pools in front of the Centre. Occasionally they land allowing an opportunity to photograph them:

Common Tern

Other than the Terns, there is not a great deal of other interest. We soon wander along towards the Tower Pool Hide keeping a close eye on the adjacient fields for Partridge or Corn Bunting but we see none.

I can sense that our enthusiasm is flagging. The combination of the early start and the sunshine is having an effect and the day is in serious need of some fresh impetus ! 10 Black Tailed Godwit, 4 Ruff and a calling Water Rail briefly raise our spirits. Perhaps the Cranes will make a return appearance ? Should we hang around and wait in the hope that they may return ? The pager is frustratingly silent on any of the White Billed Divers in Aberdeenshire or Moray. Should we 'go for them' regardless ? The fact that they are not being reported doesn't necessarily mean they are not there. The dearth of observer coverage may mean that they are simply not being looked for especially with them not being reported yesterday.

I am keen to see White Billed Diver. Every time I look at my list and see the tick next to the entry I get a feeling of guilt. Two years ago I twitched the supposed Little Loch Broom bird. The word 'Little' in no way means that the bird in question was sat on a small body of water. 'Little' Loch Broom is a bloody big loch. The Diver in question was some way out and like today the presence of haze did not help with the viewing. The bill was pale and at times appeared uptilted but the record still niggles and in truth I have never truely convinced myself that it was genuine. In my defence I did see it with Great Northern Divers and it was noticeably bigger and it was that that 'convinced' me that in all probability it "was one". Probably a 1st Summer ! Am I convincing anyone here ??/!

A quick check of the map and it is perhaps 25 miles to Portsoy. We decide to go for it ! My adrenaline is pumping again and any lethargy has gone. We make good time and find the harbour where up to 5 have been seen over the past week. On first sight the sea looks empty but on closer inspection we start to pick up Guillemots and Black Guillemots and there are Gannets, Kittiwakes and Fulmars passing. I get on a Diver, obviously a 'big' Diver. Momentarily, it has its bill in the water. It lifts its head to reveal a dark bill held at an obviously horizontal angle. As they say "Close but no cigar". It's nice, but its a Great Northern. 30 minutes further scanning reveals nothing further.

The other site where up to 3 have been getting reported is Burghead but its probably another 25 miles further West. We meet two other birders who spent 4 hours there yesterday and saw 'nothing'. There is no real logic to going on to Burghead and it is taking us further away from home. Nonetheless, we decide to go for it !

Again we make good time and reach Burghead by 5:45 pm. The sea is very choppy and there is a brisk Easterly wind. It's not looking promising. The birds have been getting reported off  'The Maltings'. We ask some locals for directions and are shown a grey building that is obviously a distillery. It all makes perfect sense now.

Fortunately, there are some containers that we are able to shelter behind. We are out of the wind, the light is good but the sea is choppy. We start scanning. The sea looks devoid of life. I catch the briefest view of what is possibly a Diver. It is not too far out. Momentarily, it disappears in the swell. It bobs up and the sun catches a gleaming white bill held upwards at any angle. There is no doubt in my mind that this is an adult White Billed Diver. I do not really need to look at it again to confirm, but of course I do. We watch it for a good 10 minutes and really enjoy it.

It all makes the effort and mileage to see it worth it. It brings the end to a really good day. The only downside is the 200 mile trip home ! The flip side is that it would have been far worse if 'The Diver' had not shown !