Girdleness Patch Birding Treasures
19 September - 3 October 2026
Today, we had a somewhat short seawatching session with Andrew, where we saw 3 Sooty Shearwaters, a patch tick for me, as well as an Arctic Skua and some Common Scoters.
One week later, I was back at Girdleness with Raymond to whoosh net some small finches (Goldfinches + Linnets). On our way in, we saw the two Pale-bellied Brent Geese, that Andrew found the day before, swimming near the rocks by Aberdeen Harbour.
We then went to Torry Battery, searching for the Lesser Whitethroat. We didn't see it between the Battery and the allotments, but did see an unusually late Lesser Black-Backed Gull. Fortunately, along with some Tree Sparrows (patch tick), Goldfinches and Linnets, we found the Lesser Whitethroat in the South Pier Sycamore.
We then set up the whoosh net and caught mostly Goldfinches and Linnets, as well as a 1 Starling, and 1 Skylark. We also saw a Wheatear by the lighthouse.
We then stopped at Loirston Loch, where I saw the Great Crested Grebes with their 3 chicks, as well as seeing my first Aberdeen County Shovelers, and my first Wigeons of the autumn.
The next day, we were back at Girdleness, this time hoping to get a photo of the Lesser Whitethroat, which I didn't have the camera for the day before.
We soon saw Mark Lewis and his daughter, and ended up staying with them for nearly the whole time we were there. While having a picnic, we saw an Arctic Skua, some Wigeon, and our last Arctic and Common Terns of the year, as well as a couple Kestrels on the way out, by the South Harbour. Sadly we didn't see the Lesser Whitethroat or the Brent Geese, which I was also planning on photographing.
During my Japanese lesson today, news spread of a MEGA at Girdleness - a Sykes's Warbler. When my lesson ended at 18:25, we jumped into the car and rushed over, hoping to see it before the sun went down. Fortunately, we arrived just in time, and got some nice views of the Sykes's Warbler, though the low light made the photos we got look quite bad, and very blurry.
Sykes's Warbler
Since I wasn't too happy how my Sykes's Warbler photos looked, especially side-by-side with one some of the other birders got, I went back, this time by bike, to see it and get some better photos.
When I arrived, the others said I had missed it by about 5 minutes. However, I was still feeling good about my chances as it was still only quarter to six. However, after 20, 40, 60 minutes, we did see a Lesser Whitethroat, but the Sykes's Warbler was nowhere to be seen. Until, just before I had to leave, it showed briefly give me a final opportunity to get some photos.
I was a good thing, too, as the bird wasn't seen again the next day.
Slightly better photos of the Sykes's Warbler!
This morning, I step out the door and into the front garden, and thought to myself: "I'd better listen the call of Yellow-browed Warbler, to not miss one at Girdleness today". I opened Merlin and played the call. At that moment, I saw a small dark head with a yellow supercilium pop out of the holly bush in our garden - it was a Yellow-browed Warbler - a lifer!
I soon lost it but ran into the park to see if that's where it had gone. I soon heard it again, and eventually got eyes on it, though it was not posing out in the open as I had hoped. Soon, Raymond and Alex came, and we all managed to get some decent views as the original bird, joined by another flew around the rhododendrons in amongst the Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Song Thrushes and more!
YBW
Before going to Girdleness, we decided to start at St Fittick's. We soon heard another YBW, and managed to track it down. We found some good bird activity, including Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Reed Buntings, and YBWs, so we decided to set up a mist net. Our first couple of catches yielded a Robin, and 4 Chiffchaffs, but just as we were about to pack up, we went back to the net and extracted a Yellow-browed Warbler! We got great views of it up close in the hand.
Yellow-browed Warbler in the hand
