Work today involved a survey literally on my doorstep, well almost! Highlights included an imm m White-winged Scoter, 2 m scaup, 2 GND, 4500 eider, 3000 common scoter. #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

Male White-winged Scoter Ferny Ness, with a male at Gullane Bay today also. The St Andrews bird perhaps? Unfortunately, both were very distant, but thanks to the incredible #swarovski115mmscope so much closer! #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

A brief interlude from reading/looking for shag darvics today produced a male White-winged Scoter at Ferny Ness, and then yesterday's 1st w Caspian Gull whilst checking Port Seton harbour area! Once again though very few darvics noted for a lot of effort!😕 #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

The Aberlady Green-winged Teal was still on the river today, along with 2 greenshank. Unfortunately, a dash back to the house failed to get the Teal on the house list! A Drake White-winged Scoter was still present on Saturday at Ferny Ness. @birdinglothian.bsky.social @BirdingScotland

A male Surf Scoter amongst the throng today during a brief look this morning, with 200+ velvets. This sighting 2 wks or so after I last saw it alongside another male. 2 Whooper SW over Aberlady village, with 5 Barnacles in the bay. #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland

A cracking walk to Craigielaw Point once the rain stopped! Highlights being m White-winged Scoter, 121 Barnacles, 30 Twite, Greenshank. 1920 Golden Plover, 523 Lapwing. As per usual with me, I forgot to take my camera! 🤣 #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

A good days birding in Lothian with @kgbirder.bsky.social today, resulting in 2 mm surf scoter, 55+ little gull, brent goose, 42 barnacles, 6 crossbill, 20 slavs, and the usual 1000's of seaduck! #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

The football pitch RBF showed better today! A nice rush of migrants onto the island also today, the highlight of which was @ianricketts.bsky.social Red-backed Shrike at Nasg this evening! #BirdingScotland #BarraBoys #BirdingHebrides

My 3rd wk on Barra,its been a slog! The last couple of days have seen some migs, pick of which were 2 RBF today (football pitch & Gleann), with a flash of white outer tail feathers as i drove past some bushes turning out to be a lesser whitethroat! #BirdingScotland #BarraBoys #BirdingHebrides

A quiet time on Barra so far, today at least some thrush movement, but it was more an eagle & diver day, with 42 black-throated diver, 4 golden & 2 white-tailed eagle. #BirdingScotland #BirdingHebrides #BarraBoys

First full day on Barra, on what is our 24th year, provided a Barra tick in the shape of 2 Black Tern! This takes me to 226 for the Isle. Pretty quiet elsewhere though. #BarraBoys #BirdingBarra #BirdingHebrides #BirdingScotland

Last day in Lothian for a while, where i had very little time for birding today, although managed a late afternoon shift at Musselburgh with @laziobirder.bsky.social Marsh Sandpiper, White-Winged Scoter, 2 Spotted Red, Curlew Sand the pick of the bunch! #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

Wind speed, or rather lack of, was conducive to checking for seaduck & grebes today! Unfortunately, the scoter were miles out, with just a Red-necked Grebe and 3 scaup seen. A rising tide saw the Spot Red still present at Aberlady, along with 181 Barnacle Geese. #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

Since moving to Aberlady, my old stomping ground of Hound Point, west of Edinburgh, has been neglected. This changed today with my first visit in c.3 years! A single bonxie, c10 arctic skua, with a Marsh Harrier south over the Forth best. But just great to be back!! #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland

It's been a good Curlew Sandpiper year, and I've seen a few so far! This continued today in East Lothian with 8 juvs, as well as a single juv Little Stint. Also 2 Barnacle Geese amongst the pinkie hordes! #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

My favourite wader is Spotted Redshank, and this autumn has been good to me with 4 found so far! The latest of which was today on the patch, my 1st here since moving 2 yrs ago now! Also, Curlew Sand & 3 Pintail. #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

On the Isle of May for work, for a couple of nights, an osprey was a nice bird for out there!

A six hour drive home from Skye passed Musselburgh, so it would be rude not to go and see my 2nd Lothian, and 3rd Scottish Marsh Sandpiper, a lifer for Trish no less! #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

Great end to the trip today with 2 juv Sabine's Gull & 5 Grey Phalarope, also juv Black Tern, 3 Little Stint & c.55 Curlew Sandpipers! Back to the Hebs, though, in 2 weeks with the #Barraboys for a month. #BirdingScotland #BirdingHebrides #BirdingOuterHebrides

Today, it not only rained heavily, but it rained Curlew Sandpipers! At least 93 juveniles at Ardivichar, with 40+ at Northbay! A flock of around 100 in Northbay arrived in torrential rain but was unsure if Ardivichar birds were also involved? #BirdingScotland #BirdingHebrides ##BirdingOuterHebrides

After 19 Curlew Sands at Loch Paible last night, we returned this morning to find 9 CS, Baird's Sand, 2 Little Stint, 6 ruff, then a calling bird alerted me to an incoming Spotted Redshank! I punched the air at that one as I just love em! Black Tern Coot Loch #BirdingScotland #BirdingOuterHebrides

Strong southerly winds today, so it was no surprise when news came through of a Glossy Ibis nearby, a lifer for Trish! Elsewhere, we had a total of 8 Curlew Sandpipers, along with two ruff, & 2 blackwit. #BirdingScotland #BirdingOuterHebrides #BirdingHebrides

Trish spotted yesterday's N Uist American Golden Plover on the South Uist Ranges this evening, a relocation of around 27 miles, which was pretty cool! Also 2 Curlew Sand Ardivichar. #BirdingScotland #BirdingHebrides #BirdingOuterHebrides

A cracking day with @Aberladybird at Loch Paible with juv Baird's Sand, 20 Curlew Sand, juv Little Stint, Ruff, blackwit, 2 WTE, SEO, Hen Harrier and this stonking ad American Goldie found by @hebridesbirds.bsky.social whilst trying to relocate the bairds! #BirdingScotland #BirdingHebrides

After the washout the other day at Loch Paible a return was on the cards, and so glad we did when we picked out this Baird's Sandpiper! #BirdingScotland #BirdingHebrides #BirdingOuterHebrides

Balranald today, highlights c.70 blackwit, 1 ruff & an otter by the car! Hammered by the weather at Loch Paible but managed a juv Curlew Sand before the retreat, most disappointed at that, will go back soon! Spotted Redshank calling over the digs tonight at 10.05. #BirdingScotland ##BirdingHebrides

The 1st full day on the Uists and already into passage waders, although all from the East. A curlew sand, 5 ruff & 2 blackwits were on offer, and all juvs, a lot more of these to follow in the next two weeks, i think! #BirdingScotland #BirdingHebrides

A decent crossing from Uig-Lochmaddy today resulted in c.10 sooties, 30+ stormies, c.10 arctic skua, 1 bonxie, 20+ manxies. Presently getting chucked on by weather system from the W so here's hoping! #BirdingScotland ##BirdingHebrides

Last day on the patch for a while but my 1st juv Curlew Sandpiper of the autumn was cool, also blackwit & a greenshank. #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland

Cracking flock of 17 little gulls dropped onto the mudflats today during a heavy shower, weather cleared up, and they were gone! #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

6 red-necked grebe, a migrating marsh harrier crossing the Forth, 3 ruff, a scattered pod of c.30 bn dolphin, a water rail and an emperor dragonfly was not too shabby a day despite dipping a bridled tern earlier in the day! #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland

This water rail continues to show well today, with wader movement ramping up with over 1K smalls, but unfortunately, no yanks yet despite being battered the last few days with weather systems from the west! #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland

A cracking evening walk last night resulted in 2340 arctic tern, amongst which was 4 roseate tern & 2 little tern. #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland

Sat sipping a beer, it's so hot! On hearing a commotion I went to investigate! Blackbirds were not happy! Greenshank on a rising tide today, but no sign of the dark phase juv Marsh Harrier from yesterday! A 1st for me rather than the usual cream crowned individuals #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland

I think @jakegearty.bsky.social puts the Orkney fieldwork trip that both myself and him were involved in wonderfully!

So 3 wks of surveying on Orkney has come to an end, and what an end, when a pod of Orca were seen off Hoy today. Sadly, no migrants other than Honey Buzzard, Osprey & Marsh Harrier in that time. #BirdingOrkney #BirdingScotland

A boat trip around the cliffs of Rousay today in order to survey the breeding seabirds saw an inquisitive bonxie checking us out! #BirdingScotland #BirdingOrkney #seabirds

Spent the day counting seabirds on Westray in fantastic scenery & company! Many thanks to @stevedudley.bsky.social for help with logistics, as well as a great chat, mostly about island birding! #BirdingOrkney #BirdingScotland

Birded the South Walls, Hoy area today, so much potential!! Quiet there, but a flock of 40+ Crossbill south through Ratwick in the north was cool, soon followed by a single or one of the above. Also, siskin heard twice overhead passing through valley. #BirdingOrkney #BirdingScotland

A long day surveying Skua's on Hoy today was occasionally interrupted by 2 WTE, with an Osprey also over the hill! A scarce bird on Orkney, I think? Also, excellent views of breeding Dunlin, Golden Plover & Red-throated Diver. #BirdingScotland #birdingorkney

Fantastic days surveying around the Old Man of Hoy, Orkney today! Outstanding scenery, just another two and a half weeks to go! Hopefully, find time to do some actual birding!

Yet more extreme scoter crops, but it was most amusing to watch with @aberladybirder.bsky.social as the (always distant) 3cy White-winged Scoter at Yellowcraig tried its luck with a female eider and actively saw off any male eider that came too close. It clearly has identity issues. #birdinglothian

It's not every day you see a White-winged Scoter trying to mate with a female Eider! Other than that, it's been very quiet today!

It's been a quiet few days locally, but this extremely short billed Curlew was interesting tonight!

Aberlady today with @kgbirder.bsky.social resulted in a male Marsh Harrier S, 9+ Whimbrel, 90 P-f Geese N, & 3 Barnacle Geese W past Gullane Pt, one of which was neck collared but was unread! @birdinglothian.bsky.social #BirdingScotland #BirdingLothian

Great to catch up with the Gullane White-billed Diver again, also seen the male 2nd-w White-winged Scoter, with bonus Black Guillemot & Great Northern Diver. @birdinglothian.bsky.social #BirdingLothian #birdingscotland

2nd w White-winged Scoter Gullane Bay, also GND. #BirdingLothian #BirdingScotland @birdinglothian.bsky.social

Been meaning to check North Berwick Law for some time for migrant Ring Ouzel. Saw my first Wheatear of the year as well as heard a Ring Ouzel, unfortunately flushed by walkers ahead of me! Also, Crossbill over. #BirdingLothian @birdinglothian.bsky.social #BirdingScotland

A planned early morning coastal walk between Gullane & Aberlady was delayed due to haar. It wasn't quite guerrilla's in the mist, more scoter in the mist! Once out, snow bunting Gullane Pt, with 2 little Egret and a twite at Aberlady, the only highlights! @birdinglothian.bsky.social #BirdingScotlan