In 2022 I put up a few barn owl boxes around my property. Despite seeing and hearing barn owl on occasion, they didn’t take to either box. That is until late winter this year 2026. Super excited to have them in the garden. This was tonight at 2143pm #Owls #Birding #Gardenbirds

Wader migration is well underway in north east Aberdeenshire. This lovely whimbrel was at Cairnbulg. #RSPB Strathbeg had 6 wood sands this evening too. #migration #Birdingscotland #Waders

One of my favourite birds is the white-billed diver. I’ve been lucky enough to find a few over the years. This one was from a boat trip off Port Soy yesterday.Whays not to like?! #birdingscotland #birds #divers

There’s been a dearth of white winged gulls in NE Aberdeenshire this winter so the 2 Glaucous Gulls that have turned up in Fraserburgh Harbour have been very welcome. This ringed individual is a bit of a beast as you can see next to a great black back. #BirdingScotland #Gulls #Birds

The North East Scotland bird report for 2024is out. Great quality and an amazing job by everyone involved pulling the records together and getting it out so promptly. Great read as always! #northeastbirding #birdingscotland #birdreports

In 2024 2 of my colleagues came to our house and did some owl ringing. They got 4 tawny owls, 3 barn owls and 1 long eared owl. Long eared owls are one of my favourite birds #BirdingScotland #Owls

Been a lot of interesting geese around over the last week or so. Taiga Bean is rare in North East Aberdeenshire so this one with pinks at Inverallochy was a welcome addition to the year list. #BirdingScotland #Geese

A bit of plastic fantastic in North East Aberdeenshire over last few days. Whilst a lot of birders will feel a bit ill looking at it, Egyptian Goose is a mega rare bird up here. In fact rare in Scotland. A county tick. I’m avin it! #BirdingScotland #Wildfowl

The Carroll Ecology team had a great get together in and around Peterhead and Fraseburgh. A bird race on Thursday saw both teams score 103 and 98 respectively. Great totals for the time of year and some great birds too. A curry and a few beers added to a great few days. #Birds #RSPB #BirdSurveys

On the 3rd of November 2022 just over a year on from finding greater yellowlegs, I was lucky enough to find a lesser yellowlegs at #RSPB Strathbeg. It showed for a short period then flew onto the back pools where is stayed for a few days. I do terrible photos very well! #Rarebirds #BirdingScotland

#RSPB Strathbeg is a good place for spoonbill. I remember my first in Norfolk many years ago (too many to remember the year!). It spent most of the time asleep (a bit like me). They are superb birds and brighten any spring day when Rhys decide to wake up #BirdingScotland #Birds

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On the 11th June 2023 a few days after returning from watching them on Shetland, I found this red necked phalarope at #RSPB Strathbeg. It’s a terrible video grab photo (as you can see) but this bird gave me a real buzz and I wondered if it would be on Shetland the next day. #BirdingScotland

We moved to Aberdeenshire in June 2021. This greater yellowlegs at #RSPB Strathbeg on 28th September 2021 was the first bird I found after moving up. Thanks to Tim Marshall for the photo. I’ve been told there’s not been one in the UK since. #UKRareBirds #BirdingScotland

One of the things I love to do is get to #RSPB Strathbeg early. There’s a few good places to look from and it’s a magical place as the sun comes up. I’ve been lucky enough to find a few pectoral sandpipers. This is Andy Lawsons photo of the bird on 13th May 2022. #BirdingScotland #Birdwatching

#RSPB Strathbeg is fantastic for geese. It’s a fantastic spectacle as upwards of 10,000 geese roost on the loch. It’s always great to look for and find more unusual species like Snow and Greenland Whitefront #Wildfowl #BirdingScotland #Birdwatching #Geese

On 30th April 2022 I found a red rumped swallow at #RSPB strathbeg. It vanished for a time but then 2 appeared. The photo is by Mike Chandler. Someone asked me if I was sure if was a RRS - pretty sure 😉. The only one I’ve ever found. Spring at its best! #BirdingScotland #RareBirds #birdwatching

#RSPB Loch of Strathbeg now has breeding Great Egret. Until relatively recently a rare bird in Scotland they bred at the reserve for the first time in 2024 and again in 2025. Pretty much a guarantee on a day list now, they are actually pretty cool in summer dress. #Strathbeg #Birds #BirdingScotland

I live very close to #RSPB Loch of Strathbeg. I’ve seen and found some great birds there. Like Rattray it forms part of my local patch. This ariel picture shows how appealing it must be for birds on the move. Bird pics to follow over next few weeks #BirdingScotland #Birdwatching #Strathbeg

So last Rattray one for now. On 20th October this year I found a nightingale at Rattray. Around an 8th for Aberdeenshire and first since 2007. Then as my photos hit the various channels it was identified as an Eastern Nightingale. 2nd for Scotland and 4th for Britain. #BirdingScotland #RareBirdsUK

Probably the penultimate of the Rattray series. Goshawk are more widespread than a lot of people realise. I’ve seen a few at Rattray. This is a terrible picture of a fairly distant juvenile female in January this year. #BirdingScotland #Raptors #Birdwatching

I’ve been lucky enough to find 2 Greenish Warblers at Rattray. The first on 2nd September 2024 and then a few months back on the 9th September 2025. The photos are of the 2025 bird. It’s a nice reward for getting there early. Also code for getting there before anyone else! #BirdingScotland #birds

I love the drive along the track to the gardens at Rattray. In April it’s a good place for migrant Wheatear. This cracking male was one of ten seen on a cold but sunny April morning in 2023 #BirdingScotland #migration #birdwatching #Rattray

Rattray can be a good place for some of the more common migrants. Pied and spotted fly are both regulars. Male pied flys are superb to watch. These 2 were present in spring 2023 #Scottishbirds #birdwatching #Rattray

May 9th 2023 on a slight easterly I found this Dark Eyed Junco at Rattray. A first for mainland Aberdeenshire and around the 11th record for Scotland. This bird prompted me to buy a camera as it vanished for 45mins before anyone else saw it prior to reappearing and showing well. #BirdingScotland

Never tire of seeing yellow browed warbler. This one at Rattray from autumn 2024. Not seen one in 2025!

Seems fitting to post a Pallas’s Warbler I found at Rattray on 17th October 2024. There’s a Pallas’s this morning at Rattray. Note to self - try getting out of bed before 10am on a Saturday!

Next Rattray bird was a find tick for me. On 21st August 2023 I had been along the track and searched the garden without much success. Then this icterine warbler flew across the car and showed well for about 20 seconds. Managed this dreadful photo with my phone. Still the only one I’ve found.

Decided to run a wee series of birds of Rattray. It forms part of my local patch and has been pretty good to me over the last 4 years. Here’s a lesser whitethroat - not common up here but a regular spring and autumn migrant. This was spring 2023 which was a good year at Rattray

Amazing how times have changed. I remember twitching great white egret in Cheshire in the late nineties At RSPB Strathbeg last Thursday there were 4 great white egret and 2 little egret. This pic is from the summer showing 2 GWE and a Little Egret at the reserve

For various reasons we are staying in an apartment in Aberdeen. The Shetland ferry arrived this morning, viewed from the balcony. For some that will invoke lovely memories of birding in the northern isles and for others the worst sea crossing of their lives - or indeed maybe both!

Rarity finders: Eastern Nightingale in Aberdeenshire A major prize was hiding among a fall of common migrants at Rattray Head for Andy Carroll, who discovered a fascinating nightingale from the east:

A couple of recent finds at Rattray. The nightingale and Greenish Warbler.