Week 5

29 January – 4 February 2025

During my big year, I will update my blog most weeks. This is the fifth week's recap. We are counting down to our trip to Islay. There are only 2 weeks left! The number next to the day indicates my year list at the end of that day. Birds written in italics indicate year ticks.

February 1 - Day 32: 95

Today, we went to Loch of Skene to try to spot a reported Ring-necked Duck and some other new birds for my year list. When we arrived, I started scanning the large flocks of birds on the lake. I picked out many different species such as: Greylag Goose, Wigeon, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Coot and many Mute Swans, which were skating on the ice. We walked along the road for a while and soon accidentally flushed three small brown birds from a nearby ploughed field. We relocated them farther away and identified them as Skylarks. Flying over head, we spotted a Red kite and a Buzzard. As I kept scanning the ploughed field, we found a flock of about 30 Lapwings, as well as a Black-headed Gull. While we were walking along the south side of the loch, I heard, and then spotted a flyover Crossbill, followed by another two later on. After a while, the path became blocked so we walked back, seeing another Red kite, this time, with a missing flight feather. Back at the car park, I quickly scanned the lake again, finding a Goosander but no luck with the Ring-necked Duck. While I was scanning the lake, the rest of my family were busy watching the Coal tits and found one Siskin which would have been a year tick for me!

February 2 - Day 33: 100

After regular reports of Smew and Ring-necked Duck at Loch of Strathbeg, we decided to head up there in order to search for the two rarities. We arrived at around 11 o'clock, finding number 96: Gadwall. From the visitor centre, we spotted Teal, Wigeon, Mallards, Golden Plovers, Lapwings, Dunlins, a Curlew, Whooper Swans and a Little Egret. We unfortunately missed a Peregrine that had been seen by the others. We were joined by Ruth Howie, who said that she had just seen the Smew at St Mary's Chapel, Rattray. By 12 pm, we had arrived. While first scanning the south side of the Loch of Strathbeg, we saw many of the same species, as well as a dozen Pochards. Behind us, in the fields, there were many geese, so I thought I might want to scan them. Within seconds of setting up my scope, I saw 2 White-fronted Geese feeding with the Pink-footed Geese. My sister Maya was next to me and soon got eyes on it, too. My parents were farther away, so I shouted "LIFER!!!!!!!" which scared about half of the geese. Luckily, the 2 White-fronts stayed and, although my parents couldn't confirm, they still got some distant views. We walked closer to Rattray Head, but we soon turned back since we couldn't get any closer to where Ruth had seen the Smew. We climbed up onto a grass bank and my Mum said she thought she had seen it. She set the scope on it and she was right! We enjoyed distant views of this beautiful lifer and my second in a day in the North-East!

After having a celebratory lunch, we went down to meet Raymond Duncan at Collieston. We spotted a pair of Fulmars on the cliff, which was my 100th and Raymond's 101. We also got Raymond his first Kestrel of the year. Later, we went down to the Snub lay by but didn't see much apart from a single Goldeneye, some Whooper swans and 3 Greenshanks

Day 32: https://ebird.org/checklist/S211484700

Day 33: https://ebird.org/checklist/S211674581 ; https://ebird.org/checklist/S211675747 ; https://ebird.org/checklist/S211677144