13 November 2025

Week 45 - Scotland Big Year

Week 45

5 - 11 November 2025

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

November 11 - Day 315: 206

Today, as I was walking to school with my dad, we got news of a single Waxwing seen by Mark Lewis on Stanley Street. Since it was nearby, we decided to keep our eyes and ears peeled for any sign of the birds. Soon, on Desswood place, I thought I heard some, but then dismissed them as a weird Starling or something else. But then, I heard them again with their trilling calls, and we watched in awe as 6 Waxwings flew over our heads, calling. We later had a group of 9 on Fountainhall place, number 206! Mark later had a group of 30+ over Ashley Road, but they were nowhere to be seen later that day.

Day 315: https://ebird.org/checklist/S283966452

Week 44 - Scotland Big Year

Week 44

29 October - 4 November 2025

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

November 2 - Day 306: 205

Today, Raymond, picked me up to go to Girdleness. When we arrived, the wind was quite cold, despite it being a southerly. We went into Walker Park, where we saw some Skylarks, Linnets and Goldfinches. We decided it was too windy to set up the net, so we went back towards the battery, along with Steve, who had just arrived. When we walked up to the back of the battery, we saw a Woodcock fly out of the vegetation, and down towards the sea. We then walked back up to the car, stopping to check the colour-ringed Shags on the South Pier. We argued over some of them before heading off to Cove Bay, where dad and my sisters would join us. Meanwhile, Raymond, Vicky and I went for a quick wander to see if any birds, were about. We saw a few Shags resting on the rocks in the distance, and to our surprise, a pair of Ravens. We then walked back to the car and drove down to the harbour at Cove. We had some cakes, before heading out onto the pier. We saw a Guillemot and a Shag, but it was very windy and a lot of froth was coming in off the sea. In the early afternoon, news came out of a Cattle Egret at Tillyeve junction, near Udny Station. Later on, at 3pm, we would be attending the annual Logie Buchan Kirk service, and since it was on the way, we decided to give it a go. We parked at the junction and started walking a bit further up the road, but, half way there, my dad convinced us to drive instead. So we went back to the car, and drove up. We saw Mark Sullivan's Car and some birders with large cameras point at a white dot in the field. I saw the Cattle Egret for barely half a second, since we couldn't find anywhere to park nearby. At least we managed to make it on time for the church service, even spotting the female Smew on our way. After the service, one centred around nature, we went for some food and drinks at the Logie Buchan hall. We ate loads of delicious sausage rolls and admired the pieces of art installed around the hall, from paintings of Herons and Long-tailed tits, to sculptures of Puffins and Corncrakes. Thanks to the Buchan family, of Auchmacoy House and Estate for hosting this event and providing the food.

Day 306: https://ebird.org/checklist/S282890122

7 November 2025

Week 43 - Scotland Big Year

Week 43

22 - 28 October 2025

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

October 22 - Day 295: 201

Today, my dad took an afternoon off of work. We decided to drive up to Rattray Head, where a Nightingale of the Eastern subspecies "golzii" was found. We parked at St Mary's Chapel, and walked along the single-track road to the gorse bushes where the bird was being seen. While I waited with David Capon and some other birders, dad, and my sisters went to the beach to have a wander and a quick picnic. We waited about 45 minutes - seeing some Chiffchaffs, Dunnocks, and a Buzzard - until the Eastern Nightingale flew out of the gorse bush in front of us, only to land onto an exposed branch where it stayed for a brief while!

Rattray Head Lighthouse was built in 1895 by brothers David and Charles Stevenson, and stands at 120 ft (37m) tall. Since February 1982, it is no longer maintained by a lighthouse keeper and is fully automated. The lighthouse itself lies offshore, and can only be accessed at low tide, when a causeway emerges. This site has long been known as a major migrant hotspot, capable of attracting some real rarities.

On the way back to the car, so saw some nice farmland birds, such as Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings, Tree Sparrows, and some Meadow Pipits. I had a quick scan of the Loch of Strathbeg, from St Mary's Chapel, where we saw a couple of Pintail, and had a flyover flock of Whooper Swans.

October 26 - Day 299: 204

Today, we went to Girdleness, to try to see some Little Auks, which had been passing the ness in small numbers over the past few days. When I arrived at the foghorn, Andrew, Mark Lewis, and some other birders were already there. We saw a many Long-tailed Ducks, a single Great Northern Diver, and a few Red-throated Divers. We also noted a few auks, mainly Guillemots as well as the odd Razorbill, eventually, the others saw a Little Auk, which then landed on the sea, I therefore didn't see it. however, about 10 minutes later, I saw a small auk flying south, when it passed a Guillemot, it appeared nearly 3 times smaller ; Little Auk!!! As we were about to leave, Andrew called us back to see a couple of Little Gulls, and I'm happy we stayed, because, suddenly, a Merlin flew in off the sea! 2 year ticks, and one of them being I lifer, I was very happy that morning.

We then decided to go to Montrose Basin, since it's my sisters' favourite birding place, and a Long-billed Dowitcher was being seen there fairly regularly. We stayed at the basin's Wildlife Centre, where the Dundee RSPB group was doing an outing. We were pointed in the direction of a Black Swan, an unusual bird to see in Scotland, although probably an escapee. We were also shown a Great White Egret. We were watching the feeder birds, mainly Tree Sparrow, when we noticed some movement in the willows. There were, in fact, a couple Chiffchaffs and a Goldcrest in the tree, and a pair of Bullfinches in the hedgerows. Then, another birder arrived, saying he had seen the Long-billed Dowitcher at Tayock, on the North side of the basin. We, along with the RSPB group, went to try to find it. When we arrived, we were shocked to realised that we were the first ones there. We rushed towards the hide, stopping on the way at an area, looking over the Basin. I saw some Teal, Wigeon, Black-tailed Godwits, and Redshanks. It was alongside the latter that I was expecting to find this bird. As I looked through the waders, I spotted one with a longer bill, stockier appearance, and an altogether different jizz, which I soon managed to confirm, was the Long-billed Dowitcher. My second lifer in a day! We got some quick digiscoped shots before heading home.

Day 295: https://ebird.org/checklist/S280824814

Day 299: https://ebird.org/checklist/S281481344 ; https://ebird.org/checklist/S281488173