We’ve  just finished a week-long birding trip to North East Scotland and the Highlands, stopping in Upper Teesdale & Forfar on the way up and Mussleburgh & Flamborough on the return leg, with ‘base camp’ at Aviemore. We had fabulous weather throughout with clear skies and warm days. We managed to see all of the regular specialities, together with a few ‘celebrities’. It’s difficult to pick out the highlights but duck and grouse species must be at the top of the list. We amassed a grand total species list of 160.

Top of the pops was this female Harlequin Duck at Sputie Burn. Not as glamorous as the male we missed in Aberdeen but a very nice bird in a fabulous location.

A spectacular male King Eider on the Ythan estuary – seen on our second visit

American Wigeon, at Holywell Pond, added interest on our homeward journey

Red Grouse, most common of the scarce ‘game birds’

Not seen in Scotland, Black Grouse – upper Teesdale

Capercaillie, seen on previous trips but not quite as well as this time!

Ptarmigan on the slopes of Cairngorm

Other birds of interest included, Greenland White-front, Udale Bay

Juvenile Iceland Gull, Arbroath harbour. I’m still trying to obtain ringing details – if anyone knows of a good website for non-European colour ringing schemes, please do let me know

Flock of Long-tailed Duck, Ythan estuary

Black-throated Diver, undisclosed site

Golden & White-tailed Eagle together, Findhorn valley

One of several Osprey seen – this one was at Loch of Kinnordy

Iconic Caledonian species – Crested Tit

Last of the interesting birds on our way home. One of two Blue-headed Wagtail, Flamborough

One of fifteen males – traditional lekking site, Teesdale

We’re on our way up to Scotland, so tonight we called in at the traditional Black Grouse lekking site in Teesdale. No sooner had we entered ‘the drop zone’ when we saw three males feeding in a field close to the road. Scanning around we eventually found three more in the adjacent field. We decided to press on to the lek site proper – cresting the hill, we looked down into the valley to see at least nine more males ‘strutting their stuff’. We only saw a couple of females further up the valley, apparently completely unimpressed with what the ‘fellas’ were up to. In total we saw an incredible 15 males and 2 females – just fabulous!

Traditional Black Grouse lek – Teesdale

Aythya hybrid – Felbrigg Lake

I’ve seen this duck at Felbrigg Lake a couple of times over the last few weeks but never really looked at it! Yesterday, probably because it was rather foggy, the Tufted Duck flock was closer to the edge than usual, allowing better views and a few rather grainy shots. In the back of my mind I knew there was something odd about it but I’d written it off as a first winter male Tufted. Yesterday it clicked, surely this is one of those notorious Aythya hybrids – but which one? Looking at various plates in my admittedly rather limited bird book library I’m inclined to think that it could be a Tufted Duck x Ring-necked Duck, but I’d welcome a more expert view if anyone would care to comment.

A couple more shots:

Postscript:

I’ve had a couple of comments back with the helpful suggestion that this bird could in fact be Tufted x Ferruginous. That would certainly explain the dusky flanks, this far into the breeding season ( although there is the curious white edging to the upper flanks, reminiscent of Ring-necked ) and the suggestion of a white ‘rear-end’. Also the very pale eye and the absence of any white ring around the base of the bill. Seen in slightly better light this morning, there are definite chestnut tones to the breast, which would also fit with Ferruginous parentage. Here are a couple more shots to ponder:

Yesterday we went to Kelling Heath, combining steam trains for the grand kids with a bit of birding for the grown ups. We managed to connect with both trains and birds I’m pleased to say, including a pair of Stonechat. Up in the clear blue sky there were plenty of Common Buzzard circling over head. A single bird slowly making it’s way east, between the coast and the heath, caught my attention, the profile seemed a little different somehow- longer in the tail and a more prominent pale head, paler underneath but with noticeable dark belly and carpal patches. Occasionally I thought I could see a pale upper tail, but mostly I was viewing from below. When I did get a chance to down load my photos, I was certain that my provisional identification of Rough-legged Buzzard was right. I guess this would be one of our wintering juveniles finally heading home.

Yesterday, whilst on duty at Cley NWT, I was walking along East Bank towards the car park when I noticed a pipit fly up from the grass at the edge of the drain and drop down a short distance away. Knowing that there’d been a report of a Water Pipit on the Serpentine a couple of days before I was keen to see the bird at close quarters. When I did eventually locate it, at medium range, I was somewhat surprised to find that I was looking at a pipit sp with obvious apricot underparts! However, it was quickly apparent that this wasn’t the hoped for Water Pipit but a probable aberrant Meadow Pipit. Despite at times looking rather reminiscent of a Red-throated Pipit, apart from it’s distinctive coloured underparts, all other id features conformed to Meadow Pipit – with olive tones on it’s back and head, weak but defined streaking on the flanks and pinkish/yellow legs. The bird didn’t call whilst I was watching but  it was heard to do so later in the morning – giving confirmation of it’s id as Meadow Pipit.

I remained curious about the bird and mentioned it to Steve Gantlett and Carl Chapman – who saw the bird shortly after me. Steve very kindly alerted me to an article by Richard Porter in Birding World, in which he recounts a similar encounter with a pipit on Blakeney Point in March 2004. The question examined in the article is whether or not such ‘orange breasted’ Meadow Pipits are possibly of the Irish or western Scottish race whistleri? Due to the general variation of plumage in Meadow Pipits, shifting taxonomy and the apparent infrequency of records of ‘orange breasted’ pipits, the question of the origins of such birds goes largely unresolved.

For a more coherent account of the issues raised by ‘orange breasted’ pipits read Birding World  2005 (18: 169-172) and watch out for much better photos of the Cley bird on Carl’s blog. I leave you with these cautionary words from Richard Porter:

In the mean time you’ll have to put up with my rather inferior grab shots!

‘orange bellied’ Meadow Pipit – Cley NWT, 30th March 2015 

This afternoon, on our second attempt, we were successful in tracking down the adult male Ring-necked Duck at Hardley Staithe. Despite the ferocious winds and lashing rain, we located the RNG on the more distant angler’s pond, in the company of Pochard and Tufted Duck. Managed to hold the ‘scope steady enough to see the salient  features and take a few grab-shots of this increasingly scarce American vagrant. A Norfolk ‘tick’ for me.

  Ring-necked Duck, Hardley Staithe – 29th March 2015

We’ve had our good friends Neil & Eunice here for a few days birding. Despite the rather unfavourable weather forecast we managed to get out every day and catch up with most of the local ‘celebrities’/ long-staying visitors. The highlights of which included: Black Redstart, Mandarin Duck, Woodlark, Dartford Warbler, Iceland Gull, Garganey, Snow Bunting, Rough-legged Buzzard, Richard’s Pipit and these beauties:

Shore Lark, Blakeney Point

Garganey, Weybourne beach pool

Black Redstart, Felbrigg Hall

Distant Rough-legged Buzzard over Holkham dunes, digiscoped  from the A149

Dartford Warbler, North Norfolk heath

Woodlark, North Norfolk heath

Richard’s Pipit, Breydon Water

Snow Bunting, Weybourne

We did an extra day’s volunteering at Cley NWT today, to help with their Members Weekend pre-view of the new Simon Aspinall Centre. It was overcast and drizzling most of the day with a bitter northerly wind, making it feel like the depths of winter again. Not surprisingly then that the birding highlight of the day was a small flock of winter visitors – Snow Bunting.

Spent yesterday afternoon on a north Norfolk Heath. Having visited on three previous occasions this year without success, I was delighted to find a pair of Dartford Warbler, nest building. Not unusually, they were in the company of a male Stonechat. A little further along the track were a pair of Woodlark. Across the road, at the base of a sunny bank, we were treated to a mesmerising display of basking Adders. The milky cast to their eyes being an indication, apparently, that they are about to slough their skins.