Seraphim was NFG in Aberdeen this morning #teammoth

2 Ravens flew south over Inchgarth during the WeBS count this afternoon, calling and being mobbed by other corvids - just my 6th record here but all in the last 9 years #birdingscotland

The Dotterel at Rattray are the first lowland records in NE Scotland since 2019 (and the first I’ve seen anywhere since 2011) 😱 Nearby an Arctic Skua by the lighthouse was my first of the year. Almost as scarce was a sighting of KD Shaw on one of his old stomping grounds! #birdingscotland

Nice evening made better by my first 2 Inchgarth Swifts of the year. Also one earlier at RGU. Just my 3rd April record of Swift here (earliest 27/4/20) #birdingscotland

Highlights of some overnight trapping in VC91 near Banchory with Helen Rowe; Scarce Prominent, Brindled Beauty, Early Thorn and a lovely Herald #teammoth

Just the second Marsh Sandpiper for NE Scotland- the first was in 1990 so a long time coming. That hypodermic needle of a bill! #birdingscotland #rarebirdsuk

Bean Goose at Collieston today was interesting- long bill suggests Taiga and the amount of orange on the bill was masked by caked-on mud. Difficult to assess neck length as it was constantly feeding, but didn’t look especially long or short! #birdingscotland

Garden Warbler at Inchgarth today, my earliest ever at the site, beating the record set last year by one day. #birdingscotland

At 944 pages + 2 volumes the new Birds of Fair Isle book will take time to digest. Spectacular achievement by @ijandrews.bsky.social @rogerriddington.bsky.social Paul Harvey, Will Miles @puffinpassion.bsky.social Now available for £85 + £7 UKp+p via [email protected] #birdingscotland #birds

@andymus.bsky.social @pilning.bsky.social @gyrcrakes.bsky.social

Unusually high (400+) numbers of Herring Gulls at the reservoir today with a new site record of 16 (sixteen!) adult Lesser black-backed Gulls. Perhaps surprising that Saturday’s Glauc didn’t reappear. Warm weather also brought out the Clarke’s Mining Bees #birdingscotland

Bumped into this brute of a Glaucous Gull at Inchgarth today, considering we’re just 6km from Aberdeen Harbour they’re ridiculously rare here- just my 2nd in almost 25 years and 3.5k visits 😱 also first Swallow of the year here #birdingscotland

Been noticing declines in the local population of Collared Doves for some time. Just one record at Inchgarth last year and none so far this! #birdingscotland

Significant Whooper Swan northwards movement over Inchgarth with flocks of 30 and 12 over late morning, most I’ve ever seen over here. 2 Greylags looking quite settled on the new scrape, and 3 Sand Martins were my first of the year here #birdingscotland

2cy Kittiwake off the dam at Blithfield this afternoon @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

A Swallow north over Ingestre this afternoon @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

A Beautiful Plume was a surprise find in my hallway last night, new for me here in Aberdeen VC92 #teammoth

Back home after a weekend away so the Inchgarth @webs-gsmp.bsky.social core count was done a day late, fortuitously coinciding with my new site record count of 32 Whooper Swans #birdingscotland . Flock included 2 immatures.

The prepublication offer price of £70 plus postage will be valid for orders received up to 27th March. After this, the price will be £85 plus postage. ORDER NOW

23 Whooper Swans (22ads, 1 imm) on the reservoir today, just 2 shy of my record count here. They flew out just after 5.30 #birdingscotland

I can’t for the life of me work out why we don’t call them Great Black-headed Gulls anymore- far better name than Pallas’s Gull (photo from Qatar!)

A Lapwing this morning over Inchgarth was a welcome surprise- I’ve only had 16 prior records so it’s less than annual for me here, far from guaranteed on the year list. March/April provides the best chance, but often associated with hard weather #birdingscotland

Some thermal video of a Beaver 🦫 in central Scotland earlier this month #mammals

Slow start to the year in Aberdeen VC92 with a Wogan yesterday but 5/3 this morning, 2 Hebrew Characters, a Chestnut and 2 Agonopterix her/cil aggregates #teammoth

Thanks to @alanknox.bsky.social for helping me solve a mystery bird I recorded last night while walking the dog - sounded goose-like but not a pink-foot, and I was wondering about White-front. Turns out it’s a white-front of sorts 😂…and also new for my home square #birdingscotland

The 2024 North-east Scotland Bird Report+ is about to hit mats! Another cracker. Covers birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies and Odonata. Available now at the new low price of £8.50 including p+p (!) from Mark Sullivan as usual - see tinyurl/NESBR #birdingscotland

The Hume’s Warbler at Lea Marston was very active mostly high up, showed fairly well on/off late morning but far too quick for my camera, and only called twice while we were there. Loosely associating with Long-tailed Tits #ukbirding

Nice bright Shorelark at Mow Cop today, just on the Cheshire side of the border with Staffordshire. Only my 4th inland record (including the Staines Horned Lark) #ukbirding

No sign of yesterday’s Slavonian Grebe at Inchgarth this morning, first here since 2014 #birdingscotland

Driving down the A92 early afternoon by Bridge of Muchalls and a flying barn door appeared parallel to the road - managed to pull over into a lay-by to enjoy my 2nd immature White-tailed Eagle in Aberdeenshire in 3 days. Corvids looked like flies buzzing around it 😂 #birdingscotland

Last couple of days have produced a Red-breasted Merganser and a Coot at Inchgarth, neither of which are annual here. Nearby the Ring-necked Duck was still at Loirston this afternoon. And it has stopped raining (for now!) #birdingscotland

The drake Ring-necked Duck was a little closer today at Loirston, still pretty grim weather though 😬 #birdingscotland

A quick tour around three local sites (before the weather turned truly dreadful again!) produced an Otter at Inchgarth, the Ring-necked Duck at Loirston, 2 Great Northern Divers and the Pale-bellied Brent Goose below the allotments at Girdle Ness #birdingscotland

Inchgarth still frozen over, but a male Brambling in my garden for the second time this week. No yellowhammers though, which I sometimes get in these hard weather conditions #birdingscotland

Inchgarth still frozen but worth the trudge through the snow today for a fly-through patch ✅ Little Egret, first record here since 1993 (when it was still a rarity in Scotland) #birdingscotland

Dead kittiwake at Inchgarth reservoir this lunchtime #birdingscotland

Always good to talk with Mark and the Out of Doors team. A short piece on Robins (European and American!) in the first few minutes of today’s programme #birdingscotland www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I’ve AviListed the North-east Scotland checklist, available as a free Excel download (v10 January 2026) from the SOC site below. Don’t shoot the messenger (!) #birdingscotland www.the-soc.org.uk/pages/local-...

Woodcock and 2 Crossbills at Inchgarth today, almost worth falling flat on my back for 🙄 #birdingscotland

Still wondering whether to visit the new Fair Isle Bird Obs in 2026? We are open for bookings 20th May to 31st October. Although there is only limited availability in May-July, we still have plenty of space from early August until the end of October. Our website includes information on how to book.

Cattle Egret nr Tillyeve, feeding amongst Wagyu cattle north of Potterton this afternoon - still a rare bird in NEScotland #birdingscotland

Decent sprinkle of seabirds at Girdle Ness on Saturday afternoon included my latest ever Sooty Shearwater and Arctic Tern. The Little Auk tap has been set to “trickle” with 2 - hopefully there will be more to come in the next few days #birdingscotland @birdtrack.bsky.social

Great to catch up with the Eastern Common Nightingale at Rattray today. Found by Andy Carroll. #birdingscotland

There are lots of better photos around but my camera packed up at the worst possible moment! Anyway, the Eastern Common Nightingale at Rattray found by Andy Carroll today showed much better than this suggests! #birdingscotland

It was a tough few days weather-wise on Fair Isle but we still had a fantastic time at @fairislebirdobs.bsky.social thanks to the wonderful staff, with Minke Whale from the bedroom window and Mealy Redpoll in the obs garden #birdingscotland

Barred Warbler showed well mid-afternoon at Loch of Clickimin, taking an Angle Shades moth at one point. The Rosefinch also put in appearance later on but light too poor for photos by then #birdingscotland

After a long wait in the drizzle we got fantastic views of the Siberian Thrush at Asta today #birdingscotland

The 2 Brent geese at Girdle Ness this morning came out of the water briefly in Greyhope Bay to show dark bellies before flying south - we get both of the main flavours here but DB the scarcer. The wandering Glaucous Gull also put in an appearance #birdingscotland

A late Copper Underwing sp. in my Aberdeen garden overnight was a surprise, not a particularly obvious specimen. All previous records in my garden have been Copper Underwing - only one previous Svenssons in VC92 #teammoth