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Aberdeenshire Bird Tours Bespoke birdwatching tours around Aberdeenshire and North East Scotland. Options include a couple of hours local birdwatching to full day trips.

Amidst the storms of the weekend, I had luckily booked in a client trip for Saturday morning, when, amazingly, there was...
28/10/2026

Amidst the storms of the weekend, I had luckily booked in a client trip for Saturday morning, when, amazingly, there was a calm weather window. I headed out with Alison Adams and her husband, visitors to the area from Glasgow, as she’d received a gift voucher for her birthday earlier in the year.

We started at the Beach Road in Newburgh and walked along the boardwalk to the viewpoint. The tide was coming in and there were plenty of seals in the channel. Lots of female Eiders were on the banks, Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser were fishing in the stream, and Sanderling and Oystercatcher were working their way along the shore.

Walking upstream towards the tin hut we got great views of Dublin, Turnstone and Bar-tailed Godwit, as well as Redshank and Curlew. No sign of any Golden Plover on the shingle from the tin-hut so we headed back round to the van and made for Inch Road. The tide was higher in than anticipated by the time we got there, but we saw plenty of Wigeon and Teal along the Foveran Burn, with Grey Heron on the main estuary.

Stopping at the cottages just over the bridge we scoped hundreds of Pink-footed Geese along the estuary as well as hundreds of Lapwing. Shelduck were there in good numbers, feeding across the remaining mud.

At the snub we saw six Little Egrets feeding along the shore, Greenshank on the far bank and eventually spotted the thousands of Golden Plover well upstream, with them occasionally taking off and circling before landing back on the mud.

The wind was increasing now, so we had a quick stop at Meikle Loch, adding Tufted Duck, Coot and Goldeneye, amongst others, and then a Yellowhammer on the wires was seen as we headed to Collieston. Scanning out to sea from the view point, things were fairly quiet, but we had good views of Red-throated Diver, this one still in summer plumage, unlike the one on the Ythan earlier.

As we were heading back towards Aberdeen an alert came out on the local bird WhatsApp group to say a Hume’s Warbler had been seen at Forvie, so we decided to have a quick look for it. Walking across the moor we saw Meadow Pipit and not much else, and at the location we thought we heard the bird but no sign of it amongst the, by now, heavily swaying bushes, as the wind has certainly started to pick up. We called it a day, heading back to the van, but adding Stonechat in the way.

A lovely morning out, and around 43 species seen, which was not bad given the weather. Thanks to Alison and Doug for their company.

After a half day trip this morning (luckily before the weather set in - report to follow tomorrow) it was back to the ho...
24/10/2026

After a half day trip this morning (luckily before the weather set in - report to follow tomorrow) it was back to the house and I got the production line going!

Caps and beanies all available if anyone would like to put in an order. It’s also possible to get other colours if there’s one you’re keen on, or just buy the badges separately.

Caps are ÂŁ15, Beanies ÂŁ12, with postage on top if required.

After a week away on a family holiday it was back to some local birding yesterday, when I guided Bob Jensen, a birder fr...
21/10/2026

After a week away on a family holiday it was back to some local birding yesterday, when I guided Bob Jensen, a birder from California, around the local area. Bob is a frequent visitor to the NE, visiting family, but we were still able to visit a few new locations for him, and add quite a few new species to his list.

The forecast for the day was windy but dry, so we started by heading straight up to Strathbeg for a look around there. Pink-footed Geese and Whooper Swans were the obvious new arrivals, with hundreds of both visible from the visitor centre. The pools were fairly quiet, but did hold Snipe, Little Egret, Lapwing, Wigeon and Teal. A Marsh Harrier was seen towards the main loch, with another over towards the farm.

Tree Sparrows and a Pheasant were around the feeders, and on the walk across to the Dunbar Hide, we saw Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer along the hedges.

From the Dunbar Hide we saw Buzzard, hundreds of Lapwing, five Little Egrets and a Grey Heron, along with Great Black-backed Gulls, Carrion Crow, and some very distant Gannets over the sand dunes.

After the visitor centre we drove round to the south end of the loch, where we used the van as a wind break to keep the scope steady. Lots of Skylarks were around the stubble field, along with a few Meadow Pipits. On the loch there were dozens of Mute Swans and a few Whoopers, along with Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Mallard and Gadwall. A Great Egret was on the shore, and a Ruff was spotted balancing on some rocks near the small island. It was super windy, so we decided to head towards the Ythan and some shelter for lunch.

On the way we stopped at the Ugie Estuary for a quick scan. Hundreds of gulls were lounging about, with over 100 Great Black-backed Gulls amongst them. Goosander, Wigeon and Mallard were on the water, and downstream we scoped a Great Egret as well as the hybrid Great Egret/Grey Heron, which has been found recently. Redshank and Oystercatcher were also seen.

We drove through to Waulkmill to scan the mud, and eat our sandwiches, with Buzzard, Kestrel and Red Kite seen on the way. At the hide, the tide was dropping, uncovering the feeding grounds for the shorebirds. The sun was actually a problem (I never thought I’d say that) as the glare was making a lot of the birds in front of the hide into silhouettes, but we were able to add quite a few species. Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Curlew, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit and Bar-tailed Godwit were all seen, with thousands of geese flying over the fields opposite.

We finished lunch having enjoyed good views of the birds, and moved to the Snub, where we added Greenshank, more Little Egret, Teal, Wigeon and Turnstone, with closer views of Curlew and Lapwing.

Next stop was Inch Road, and on the way in we scanned the Foveran Burn. I saw another two Little Egrets, Wigeon and Teal, and Bob picked out a wader feeding like the Greenshank we’d seen earlier, but which turned out to be a Spotted Redshank, a real bonus for the day.

At the end of the road we saw Bar-tailed Godwit, Eider, Red-breasted Merganser and plenty of wildfowl, but the wind soon drove us back into the van! On the way back out we though the Spotted Redshank had a companion, but it turned out to be a Greenshank, which allowed a great comparison in plumage and size as they fed next to each other.

Originally we’d planned to go to the river mouth, but thought better of it due to the strong wind. We instead headed for Loch of Skene, which ended up being a good plan. On route we had better views of Red Kite, and then as we walked in at the east end of the loch we saw Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit and, eventually, a couple of Goldcrest, which had eluded Bob when he’d been birding around Westhill.

On the water we saw Greylag Geese, Coot, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Wigeon and Teal, with some flyover geese as well.

That brought an end to a succesful, and dry, day! Thanks to Bob for his excellent company, and snacks, and hopefully we’ll meet up again the next time he’s in Aberdeen.

After the Girdleness outings earlier in the week, I had an unscheduled short stop at Forvie on Friday to look for some m...
04/10/2026

After the Girdleness outings earlier in the week, I had an unscheduled short stop at Forvie on Friday to look for some migrants which had been reported earlier in the day. It was tough going, but I was happy to eventually see a Red-breasted Flycatcher among the Robins, Wren and Reed Buntings. I also managed to spot the Long-eared Owl briefly as it flew over the moorland. No photos from Friday as conditions weren’t the best, and the birds weren’t staying still for long enough!

Then yesterday I was delighted to guide David McConnell, a visitor from the USA, around the area. He lives in Ohio, a fair distance from the coast of the US, so seabirds and shorebirds were some of the main targets.

Around the grounds of the hotel we had good views of Great-spotted Woodpecker, Magpie and Blackbird, before jumping in the van and heading north. The first stop was the Ythan Estuary, near the mouth of the river, and we were really spoiled by the light and the lack of wind. A lot of the male Eiders were back into breeding plumage, and we saw Goosander, Cormorant, Great Black-backed, Herring, Common and Black-headed Gulls on the river bank. A single Sanderling was spotted near the mouth, and then upstream near the wreck, we had amazing views of Turnstone, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Redshank, all looking very smart in the sunshine.

The original plan was to cut back to the van, but we spotted the large flock of Golden Plover upstream on the shingle, so headed upstream to get a closer look, also seeing Curlew and a single Grey Plover, my first of the season on the Ythan. We also had quite a few Skylark heading south, well into double figures.

Moving round to Inch Road, we added Little Egret and some recently arrived Teal and Wigeon. At the point we had more great views of waders, with both Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, as well as Knot and Lapwing. A small flock of Linnets were coming down to drink at the puddles in the car park, and Starling, House Sparrow, Rook and Jackdaw were spotted on the way back out.

The next location was the Snub, where the Pink-footed Geese put on a great show, as they came in to land on the mud flats. Hundreds gradually arrived as we watched, joining hundreds of Lapwing, Dunlin and lots of Curlew. A few more Little Egret were seen, a couple of Grey Heron, and a Greenshank made it on to the list.

Up at Meikle Loch three Snipe were along the shore, Goldeneye and Tufted Ducks were feeding, as well as Coot, Mute Swan, Mallard and a Greylag Goose.

Driving to Collieston we saw Buzzard and Swallows, still hanging on before they head back to Africa for the winter.

At the Cransdale view point, Rock Pipit were seen, and scanning the sea we found Guillemot, Razorbill, Red-throated Diver, Kittiwake and Cormorants. A very distant Great Skua was seen heading south, a nice bonus for the day.

After eating our sandwiches we drove north, getting a good look at a Sparrowhawk along the minor road to Whinnyfold, adding to the Kestrel we’d seen at Collieston. Through Peterhead we spotted a few S**g around the marina, and then as we approached the old church at the south end of Strathbeg we saw a Red-legged Partridge at the roadside, the first I’ve seen in the area.

Scanning the loch we saw Whooper Swans, again recently arrived from Iceland, as well as Gadwall, and dozens of Tufted Ducks feeding in unison. Another Buzzard drifted past and a Wheatear was on the bales in the nearby field.

At a very busy visitor centre we had just missed a Marsh Harrier, one of our targets for the day, but we did eventually spot the male drifting across the reeds, being harassed by a crow. An added bonus was a couple of Glossy Ibis feeding on the pools, having first been spotted that morning. My first for the year, of what is becoming an almost annual visitor to the reserve.

Great and Little Egrets were also on the pools, along with hundreds of Lapwing. Tree Sparrows were around the car park, giving good views in the sun again.

Time was getting on, but we had one last stop at Seaton Park in search of Dipper. No luck along the river, but we did add Stock Dove beside the pitches, our last species for the day.

Overall an excellent day out, so thank you to David for his super company, and also thanks to the weather for doing its part!

A fairly quiet start to the week ended up with two contrasting trips to Girdleness on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesd...
02/10/2026

A fairly quiet start to the week ended up with two contrasting trips to Girdleness on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Wednesday I was busy at home when news came in of a few migrants at Girdleness, after some wet weather and SE winds overnight. I headed across for a quick look in the afternoon, in between chores and school pick up, and failed to see anything of note, and got very wet from the rain that was meant to have passed! That evening news came out of a Skyes’s Warbler near Torry Battery, but I wasn’t hopeful it would hang around until the next day. This species breeds in Asia and winters in Pakistan and India, so a fair bit off course. Only about 19 records of the species in Britain before, although it was fairly recently separated from Booted Warbler to become a separate species.

Anyway, Thursday morning brought news of it still being present, and the sun was out, so after waiting until the plumber was finished at the house, I had a window to get across to see the bird. I ended up being amazingly lucky as when I got there the bird was sunning itself out in the open on a bush, and continued to do so for at least 5 minutes, whilst others earlier on had had to make do with fairly limited views. I even had time to set up the scope and get a couple of (poor!) photos. A lifer for me, which is always good.

After the bird flew off to another clump of bushes I just had time for a walk along the lower path back to the car, adding a Yellow-browed Warbler to the year list, eventually spotting one moving about in a clump of willows - thanks to the birder who pointed us in the right direction after a couple of us spent a while looking from another vantage point with no success!

Then it was just time to race home.

I have a full day out with a client tomorrow, with the weather looking promising, so another report to follow after that.

Thanks to Keith Yates for the additional photos

An excellent start to the week, with a trip out yesterday with Alan Gess, who received a gift voucher for a half day tri...
22/09/2026

An excellent start to the week, with a trip out yesterday with Alan Gess, who received a gift voucher for a half day trip. He stays locally, so we arranged to meet at the Ythan and headed out for a few hours to see what was about.

We met at Beach Road and, with the tide being at it’s highest for the morning, we headed upstream in the van, to look around the local area before focusing on the Ythan itself when the tide had receded a bit. However, when passing the Snub we noticed there was still some mud visible so we had a quick stop there. At least five Little Egret were along the river banks, lots of Redshanks, Lapwings and Dunlin were feeding on the mud, and dozens of geese were visible upstream, with a lot of these being recently arrived Pink-footed Geese. It was great to see so much activity on the river, and there was more to come later on.

We moved up to Meikle Loch, where our arrival coincided with a fairly heavy drizzle shower, meaning visibility wasn’t the best. As we approached there were hundreds of geese on the water, including Greylag, Pink-footed and Canada geese. A couple of Snipe were visible on the point to the left of the car park, and Mallard, Teal, Tufted Duck and Coot were all feeding. I had a quick scan for the Wilson’s Phalarope along the far bank, with no luck, but visibility was not great.

Next was a quick stop at Collieston. We headed to the viewpoint and were able to use the scopes to scan out to sea, with the drizzle having moved on by then. Guillemot and Razorbill were close in offshore, as well as a few Red-throated Divers. Cormorant flew past, and Eider and Kittiwake were also seen. Rock Pipits were a noisy presence nearby as well. We didn’t spend too long looking out, but added quite a few species for the day.

We then headed back down to the Waulkmill hide, with the tide now much further out. At least two Curlew Sandpiper were in front of the hide, feeding with Dunlin, and the mud was covered in birds. Redshank, Curlew, Dunlin and Lapwing were everywhere, and there were also hundreds of geese and gulls upstream. Goosanders were feeding in the channel, as well as a couple of Goldeneye.

Next stop was Inch Road. Knot, Bar and Black-tailed Godwits were feeding on the mudflats, and the Golden Plover flock was on the shingle banks, with a constant whistling coming from the birds. A few Turnstone were living up to their names, searching for food amongst the pebbles.

Time was ticking on now, and with the sun coming out and the temperature increasing we finished with a walk out the boardwalk to the viewing platform near the river mouth. Eiders were along the banks and in the channel, as well as a few Goosander, and at the river mouth there were dozens of Cormorants and lots of gulls. Scanning through the birds I picked out one that was noticeably smaller than the rest, slightly on its own, and was pleased to find a Little Gull, with another spotted nearby soon after. A nice way to end the day.

Thanks to Alan for his excellent company over the course of the morning, and I hope it gave you an insight into some of the species we can see in the local area, and encouraged you to get out and about.

The weather’s looking fairly settled after this week, but the wind is still coming from the west, so migrants haven’t been really seen as yet - hopefully that will change soon!

Just back in from a great morning’s birding around the Ythan area with Keith Yates and Mark Sullivan. Managed to catch u...
18/09/2026

Just back in from a great morning’s birding around the Ythan area with Keith Yates and Mark Sullivan. Managed to catch up with a couple of new ones for the year list.

After trying for the Wilson’s Phalarope at Meikle
loch yesterday (and failing) I was pleased to see it reported again this morning, so we headed straight there. Pulling into the car park the birders already there said it had been flushed by a Peregrine a little earlier, and hadn’t been seen since. Without holding out much hope, I set up my scope and started to scan the far bank, and before too long was happy to spot the bird amongst some Lapwings. It moved constantly back and forth along the bank, occasionally swimming in the water as well, and although views were distant, they were much better than the one I saw last year at the Ythan. A Marsh Harrier flew over the loch, lots of wildfowl were present, and a few Slylarks also passed overhead. A Whimbrel also put in an appearance, slightly unusually for the location. A good start to the day.

Next stop was Waulkmill hide where the mud was covered in thousands of birds. Before too long we spotted a couple of Curlew Sandpipers amongst the Dunlin, which were the main target, but we also saw Bar and Black-tailed Godwits, Golden Plover, Greylag, Pink-footed and Canada Geese, Lapwing, Greenshank, Redshank, etc. A very busy place.

We next stopped at the Snub, where a small flock of Whooper Swans had just alighted on the estuary. A Peregrine overhead scared a lot of the waders and an Osprey fished over the channel later on - quite a late record.

Little Egrets and Grey Herons were dotted around the banks, Shelduck, Goosanders and Eiders added to the wildfowl list and another Curlew Sandpiper was with the Redshanks on the far bank.

A stop at the Tarty Burn proved to be a good choice when Mark found a Spotted Redshank on the riverbank. We turned away for a moment and it disappeared, but walking round the corner we found it in the channel, soon spotting another couple nearby.

Our final Ythan stop was Inch Road, where there were dozens of Knot feeding on the mud, hundreds of Golden Plover on the shingle banks and a handful or Turnstone along the rocky areas. At least five Little Egret were on the Foveran Burn as well. The Knot and Turnstone pushed out wader total to 18 species for the day - pretty good.

Just as we were leaving I scanned downstream in the hope of a Grey Plover, but ended up finding a pair of Brent Geese instead. A nice bonus for the day.

A final stop at Wilson Waters on the way home was fairly quiet, aside from three Jay in the trees.

Forgot to add when I first published this, but we ended up with 18 wader species and 6 raptors in a few hours out - not bad going.

Thanks to Keith and Mark for their company, and to Mark for driving.

Back at the Ythan on Monday for a client trip, so hopefully we’re as lucky then!

I ended up being pretty busy last week, so a bit of a delayed update. The weather still isn’t really playing ball, with ...
15/09/2026

I ended up being pretty busy last week, so a bit of a delayed update. The weather still isn’t really playing ball, with all the winds from the south or west meaning a real lack of autumn migrants, but there’s still things to see.

On Tuesday I walked around Glen Lethnot with Sheila and Alan from the local RSPB group. They’d missed the walk earlier in the year, and although it was a bit late for some of the summer breeding species, we decided to head up the Glen to see what was about. From the car park we immediately spotted Red Kite, Buzzard and Kestrel, and walking up the track we soon flushed a few Red Grouse from the heather. Some put on a good show, posing on the road before flying off. Dozens of Meadow Pipits were about, and we also saw a few Stonechat. We spoke to the gamekeepers, who were collecting the sheep in off the hillside, and by the time we reached out turn around point we’d been buffeted by the strong winds, but managed to stay mostly dry. A couple of Raven were in the distance, and Pied Wagtail and Snipe were also seen along riverside, but it was a bit quieter than in the summer. Back at the car park we added Sparrowhawk to the list, and a large flock of Mistle Thrush were in the pines. Thanks to Sheila and Alan for their company on the day.

On Wednesday I was up at Strathbeg to help with some work on the tern island. Birds were in short supply, but I did hear, and then see, my first Pink-footed Geese of the autumn. A Great Egret was feeding along the bank of the loch, and a Greenshank was on the pools as well.

Finally we had the RSPB group weekend trip to Fife. Leaving on Friday, Dad and I stopped at St Cyrus to look for some of the waders that had been reported, and were in luck, seeing Little Stint, Pectoral Sandpiper, Redshank, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Ringed Plover and Curlew. We had another stop at the Tay Reed beds, with no luck finding any Bearded T**s, but did see at least three Marsh Harriers and hundreds of Canada and Greylag Geese. Our final stop on Friday was the Eden Estuary centre. The tide was well out, but we picked out some waders on the mudflats and also saw a Kingfisher in front of the hide, which was my first of the year.

On Saturday we met at the Eden Golf course on, to look around the Eden Estuary and Out Head. The only thing letting us down was the strong winds, meaning we were being buffeted a fair deal, and keeping optics steady was an issue.

We walked through the golf course, almost immediately spotting a Blackbird (our nemesis from last year’s weekend trip) and got to the Evans Hide, which was locked! We had tried to obtain a code, with no luck, so we made do with standing along the embankment and scanning over the mudflats – the tide was well out so a lot of the species were fairly distant, but we saw Redshank, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Shelduck on the mud, and Stock Doves and a couple of Wheatear were a bit closer along the shore. With some dubious route choice from the leader, we attempted the walk along the shore, which subsequently took slightly longer than it should have, but no one was lost, and we didn’t get hit by any stray golf balls! Along the mudflats we spotted a single wader out on its own, which we were pleased to identify as a Grey Plover, a first for quite a few of the group. Shortly afterwards, we elected to take a short cut back to the cars, to allow us to drive round to Out Head, seeing Swallows feeding over the golf course and hearing quite a few Robins singing around the clubhouse area.

At West Sands beach we saw Meadow Pipit and Stonechat, and dozens of Gannets were diving offshore, but the wind was making things very difficult, and a few rain showers passed through, so we decided to go and grab some lunch, and to reconvene at Cameron Reservoir, in the hope we might get some shelter there!

The water was being turned into white-capped waves by the wind, but we managed to find some shelter along the south bank, amongst the trees, and we added a good few species for the weekend. Yellowhammer were around the car park, and in the trees we saw Blue, Great and Coal T**s, along with Chiffchaff, Chaffinch and Goldcrest. At the far end of the reservoir, where the water was a bit more sheltered from the wind, we found a lot of the species the reservoir is known for, with Great Crested Grebes present with young, and at least 37 Little Grebes were counted, including quite a few youngsters. A Gadwall was among the Mallards and Mute Swans, a Grey Wagtail and a Wheatear were near the western dam. Along the north bank on the way back to the cars we saw quite a few more Wheatear, brief glimpses of Long-tailed T**s and some gulls resting in the fields.

Our original plan had been to visit Fife Ness, but the strong winds meant we elected to change the itinerary and we instead headed for Guardbridge and the Eden Estuary Centre. The tide was now well in, but the trees provided shelter from the decreasing wind, and the sun was out. We enjoyed a very pleasant spot at the top of the embankment near the hide, and were able to add quite a few species to the list. At least 27 Little Egrets were roosting, and dozens of Curlew, Redshank and Lapwing were on the salt marshes opposite the hide. An Osprey was perched on a post, with another hunting over the estuary, and a Kingfisher initially flew past, before returning to perch on the far bank, meaning everyone was able to see it. Goosander and Eider were also seen. It was a great way to finish off a somewhat challenging day.

After a super meal out on the Saturday evening, we reconvened on Sunday at Morton Lochs with the wind having disappeared and the sun and warm temperatures making it feel almost summer like. We split into two groups to visit the hides overlooking the lochs, although things were slightly quiet, we did add a few species. At the north hide we saw a few fly-by Little Egrets, Little Grebe were feeding chicks and Mallard and Teal were in the distance. A flock of Long-tailed T**s were heard and seen along the path, and a couple of Treecreepers were spotted up in the branches.

At the southern hide, a raptor in the distance turned out to be a Peregrine, a nice bonus for the weekend, and a couple of Buzzards were also soaring. The Railway hide on the southern loch was very quiet to start with, with only a Grey Heron to be seen, but some movement spotted in the reeds, and a bit of waiting with bated-breath, allowed us to see a very obliging Water Rail, which crept out to feed in the shallow water. A first for a few of the group.

We finished at Morton with a walk through some of the clear fell areas, with another couple of Buzzard on dead trees, and Chiffchaff calling.

Our final stop for the weekend was Tayport, where we had a lovely walk along the shore as the tide started to come in. There were lots of waders out on the mudflats, and we were able to pick out another Grey Plover, Greenshank and Dunlin amongst the numerous Redshanks and Lapwings. Wheatear, Linnet and Stonechat were along the old anti-tank posts, and Little Egrets fed along some of the channels. Once we’d gone downstream a bit, we decided to start back to the cars, and as the tide came in we added a few more species. An Osprey was high overhead, circling in the thermals with some gulls, another Peregrine was seen in a similar area, and as we scanned the waders and gulls a couple of Brent Geese were spotted swimming offshore, before they flew and landed behind a shingle island offshore. A nice way to end the weekend.

Overall we saw around 83 species as a group, with a few more added by individuals over the course of the weekend. Thanks to everyone who attended and made the weekend so enjoyable.

The winds don’t look like they’ll change much this week, but I have a trip planned on Friday so will see what that brings!

I was lucky enough to have another outing yesterday, when I guided David and Jana Lagan around the local area. They’d ar...
04/09/2026

I was lucky enough to have another outing yesterday, when I guided David and Jana Lagan around the local area. They’d arrived on a cruise ship overnight, so I collected them from the south harbour, and we started birding almost immediately.

A mention of Razorbill and Rock Pipit as possible targets meant we nipped up towards Greyhope Bay and the lighthouse, and as soon as we got out of the van we had a Rock Pipit along the shore, although we had to wait a while until we all got a view of it, as it was a bit flighty. We scanned the water, seeing quite a few Guillemots, but we eventually got good views of Razorbill near the foghorn. Linnets and Goldfinches were feeding on the thistle heads, and offshore Cormorant, S**g, Gannets, Kittiwakes and gulls were plentiful, with a few Eiders closer in. A Pied Wagtail was on the rocks, and on the old jetty there were Redshank, Ringed Plover and a Knot.

After a quick look at the south breakwater we headed up the coast to the Ythan. On the way we saw our first of three Kestrels for the day (a good number these days) and also a Buzzard, before we stopped at Inch Road in Newburgh. A Little Egret was on the Foveran Burn, lots of Redshanks were feeding on the mud, and we also saw Dunlin, Knot, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, and Oystercatcher, but things were definitely quieter than last week.

We drove to the Snub car park, where Grey Heron, Greenshank, Lapwing, Canada Goose, Goosander and another Kestrel were all seen. Lapwings and Curlews were all over the mud and a single Wigeon was at the point. Again, slightly quieter than last week, but still good numbers of birds about.

Next stop was Meikle Loch, and Coots were spotted, with quite a few youngsters present. Teal, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye and Mute Swan were on the water, along with Mallards and hundreds of Canada Geese were along the far bank.

Time was running short, so we headed back towards the city, stopping at Seaton Park for a quick search for a Chaffinch. A Moorhen was in the wetland area, and Jackdaw and Crow were pecking on the grass. At the ornamental gardens Robins were in full song, and we eventually tracked down a couple of Chaffinch, having heard their call in one of the taller trees. That completed our whistle stop tour of the area, and so I dropped Dave and Jana back at the south harbour after an enjoyable outing. Thanks to them for getting in touch and for an enjoyable outing. I hope the rest of the cruise goes well.

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