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 Since February 1982, it is no longer maintained by a lighthouse keeper and is fully automated.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
