Week 21

21 – 27 May 2025

During my big year, I will update my blog most weeks. This is the twenty-first week's recap. The number next to the day indicates my year list at the end of that day. Birds written in italics indicate Scottish year ticks.

May 24 - Day 143: 177

Today, since our friend Raymond was doing a ringing demonstration at Glen Tanar for the Deeside Nature Festival 2025, Girdlenesting was not happening. We, therefore, had 9 o'clock brunch, and then got a report of a Marsh Warbler at Girdleness from Andrew Whitehouse on the ABZ Rare Birds WhatsApp group. We exchanged a few messages with Andrew and made our way to Girdleness at about twenty to eleven. When we arrived, at five to, we immediately saw Rob Leslie and Craig Gordon, watching over an area of gorse and brambles, SE of Torry Battery. We joined them, hearing the bird from the reeds. Within seconds of waiting, the Marsh Warbler jumped out of the vegetation and sat up to sing for a brief moment. A lifer! We followed the bird around the bushes, South of Torry Battery. Eventually we said goodbye to Rob, and then Craig, who wanted to check out the Glaucous Gull that Andrew had just reported. We waited around and got some more very brief views of the Marsh Warbler as well as seeing a few Reed Buntings, Dunnocks, Linnets, Goldfinches, and Skylarks. We walked back to the car park, bumping into Ian Broadbent on the way. He said that he had seen three Arctic Skuas off South Pier, so, after telling him where the Marsh Warbler was, we headed that way. We saw Craig again, who had the gull in view, however it looked very long-winged and very small for a Glaucous Gull, and looked more like an Iceland Gull. Later, we found out that Andrew was reporting a different bird, and that the bird that we saw was indeed an Iceland Gull. Sadly, we didn't see the Arctic Skuas, but not a reason to complain, as Marsh Warbler is the 200th bird species I've seen in Scotland. Once we got home, I edited some sound recording that I managed to get and the few very blurry photos that we also got.

May 27 - Day 147: 177

Today, like most Tuesdays and Thursdays, I visit Fittie, to see what's about. With the Iceland Gull being seen relatively frequently, I started by scanning North Pier, seeing many Kittiwakes, Commons Gulls and Herring Gulls but no Iceland Gull. While seawatching, I noticed a pale gull land in front of my telescope. I turned the focus dial to find out that the Iceland Gull had landed right in front of me! I managed to get some great photos as it sat on the pier, within several metres of me! Before long, it flew north, up the beach. I sent a message with a photo to my dad, who had been walking along the beach. I decided to try and re-find the Iceland gull, which didn't take long, since it had landed in a flock of gulls on the South of Aberdeen Beach. I watched it surfing on the waves and slowly drifting away from the Common Gulls and Herring Gull. I was putting the news on RBA and on ABZ Rare Birds, when my dad came over and got the bird. In fact, the Iceland Gull was so pale, that it could be picked out with the naked eye from the other gulls! Luckily, I was already packing up my scope when the heavens opened, and we rushed back to the car.

Day 143: https://ebird.org/checklist/S241853011

Day 147: https://ebird.org/checklist/S241853011