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Scotland Aberdeenshire

Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus ŠNigel Blake http://www.nigelblake.co.uk/

Aberdeenshire (including the separately administered Aberdeen City)

Aberdeenshire makes up the north-east corner of Scotland, a large area including a very wide range of habitats. The habitat diversity, and the presence of many of Scotland`s speciality birds makes the region a magnet for birders visiting the UK. Here is a short list of the main habitats, and the key birds to find there:

Seabird Cliffs - granite and basalt, among the most spectacular anywhere, with Gannets, Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Shags, Fulmars, etc. in their thousands.

Cairngorm Mountains and foothills (overlapping into Highland Region) & Native forests - Scottish Ptarmigan (endemic sub-sp.); Scottish Crossbill (endemic sp.); Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Golden Eagle, Crested Tit, Dotterel, Ring Ouzel, etc.

Coastal Passage areas - especially in the hot bed between Aberdeen and Fraserburgh, with good spots at Girdleness, Balmedie, Newburgh, Cruden Bay and Rattray, these are essential places to visit whenever there is a south-easterly wind, April to June and again September to November. All of the regular passage birds can be seen, as well as good numbers of real rarities, and flooded pools in the Newburgh area are excellent for rare shorebirds. The North-east Scotland recording area holds the record for the most species of birds seen in 24 hours (in Scotland) and is second only to Norfolk for the UK.

Farmland - not generally thought of as particularly good birding habitats! But the north-east still has good numbers of Corn Bunting, Grey Partridge, Lapwing, and several other breeding waders, in marked contrast to much of the rest of the country. In winter the areas around Fraserburgh and around Newburgh play host to some 30,000 Pink-footed Geese, while further inland similar numbers of Greylags spend the winter. There are also usually good numbers of Barnacle Geese, Wigeon, Teal, and Whooper Swans.

Good bases for a stay of several days are set out below:

top sites

Aberdeen City

Rather busy for birders- but well placed to visit all the corners of the region. Several B&Bs and hotels (Aberdeen has a population of 250,000). Ask at the tourist information office or on the Noticeboard page of The Wildlife Web.

Banchory, Aboyne and Ballater

situated west of Aberdeen, along the river Dee. Top tourist spots (near to Balmoral Castle) hence can be a little pricey, but great bases to explore the Deeside Hills and the southern Cairngorms. Banchory is closest to Aberdeen, and handy for the Stonehaven seabird cliffs.

Braemar

Braemar - the furthest west village of the region, and well into the southern Cairngorms. Ideal for a walking holiday, or seeing the mountaintop specialities like Dotterel, Snow Bunting, Ptarmigan, Eagles, etc. but rather a long way from the coast. The scenery is beautiful and the hotels are moderately priced. If you only want the mountain birds, this is the place to be.

Cruden Bay

NK - 25 miles north of Aberdeen. Three hotels, within good reach of all the coastal sites but rather far from the hills and the Cairngorms.

Newburgh

(NJ997252)12 miles north of Aberdeen. A quiet village with loads of birds very close by (Forvie Sands NNR). Two small, comfortable, country hotels and several B&Bs. My own personal preference, as it means birding before breakfast is possible, even after the night before!

contributor

Paul Doyle
paul@wildlifeweb.co.uk
http://www.wildlifeweb.co.uk

county recorder

Andy Thorpe
30 Monearn Gardens, Milltimber, Aberdeenshire, AB41 0JN
+44 (0)1224 733296 (Home); +44 (0)1224 655705 (Work)
andrewthorpe4@aol.com

numbers

Number of bird species:?
There is no county bird as such but the top candidate must be Scotish Crossbill Loxia scotica as this is the stronghold of the UK`s only endemic.

useful reading

North Sea Bird Club report 1998

Available from Andy Thorpe - see Recorder.

Rare and Scarce Birds in North-East Scotland

Edited by Ian M Phillips 192 pages, 32 col plates, 60 illus, distribution maps.
ISBN: 0953125904
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Where to Watch Birds in Scotland

Mike Madders, Julia Welstead Paperback - 332 pages (May 1997) Christopher Helm
ISBN: 0713644877
Buy this book from NHBS.com

clubs

North Sea Bird Club

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/nsbc/
The North Sea Bird Club has recorded the movements and occurrence of birds, mammals, and insects in the North Sea and other British waters since 1979, making use of fixed and mobile platforms and vessels offshore. Data are stored on computer at Culterty and published in Annual Reports and Quarterly Bulletins. The club is financed by corporate membership of 14 major oil and gas companies and currently receives data from around 250 observers.

RSPB - Aberdeen Members Group

http://www.rspb-abdn-mbrsgp.org.uk/
This web site aims to provide information for our members and for anyone who is interested in the work of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, particularly in the North East area of Scotland.

RSPB - Ellon & District Members Group

The Ellon & District Group brings together Wildlife Explorers members of all ages in the area around Ellon, such as Tarves, Methlick, Balmedie, Newburgh and Udny...

SOC Grampian Branch

http://www.the-soc.org.uk/grampian-branch.htm
John Wills, Bilbo, Monymusk, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, AB51 7HA 01467 651296

museums

Aberdeen University

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/zoology/
Zoology department including the zoology museum.

reserves

Forestry Commission - Blackhall Forest

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/wildwoods.nsf/
Mixed flocks of great tits, coal tits, treecreepers, chaffinches and golden-crested wrens are moving through the forest in search of food, while in other areas noisy flocks of siskins are active...

Forestry Commission - Bunzeach Forest

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/wildwoods.nsf/
At present we are trying to improve the habitat for capercaillie and black grouse. The improvements involve thinning the woodlands, flooding areas of ground and reducing crow numbers which eat ground nesting bird eggs...

Forestry Commission - Cambus O` May

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/wildwoods.nsf/
Crossbills feed on the Scots pine cones, leaving behind a trail of torn cones. Buzzards often wheel overhead, and the laughing yaffle of a green woodpecker cuts the quiet of the wood...

Forestry Commission - Pannanich Forest

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/wildwoods.nsf/
As well as the small forest birds - siskins, treecreepers, goldcrests and coal tits - this forest is home to Capercaille... [possible sightings from car park]

Forestry Commission - Upper Deeside Forests

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/wildwoods.nsf/
Along with the flocks of small woodland birds, these quieter Highland forests have populations of capercallie, buzzards and sparrowhawks...

Forvie Nature Reserve

http://www.countrycottagesonline.com/Scotland/Newburgh.htm
The Ythan Estuary and Forvie Sands can be found just to the north of the village of Newburgh. There is a small car park to the right immediately after crossing the bridge.

RSPB - Reserve Loch of Strathbeg

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/lochofstrathbeg/index.asp
This superb wetland in north-east Scotland is a vital site for waterfowl and other wildlife. In winter, 20% of the world`s population of pink-footed geese spend time at the reserve. Large numbers of lapwings, golden plovers, whooper swans and barnacle geese are also found here during the winter as well as bitterns...

RSPB Reserve - Fowlsheugh

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/fowlsheugh/index.asp
Guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes breed in large numbers, with smaller numbers of fulmars, herring gulls, puffins and shags...

RSPB Reserve - Loch of Strathbeg

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/lochofstrathbeg/index.asp
In the summer, the meadows attract breeding wading birds, including lapwings and redshanks. On the small islands in the loch, Sandwich and common terns and a variety of wildfowl breed...

Ythan Estuary

http://www.the-soc.org.uk/ythan-sites.htm
The Ythan estuary lies 20 Km north of Aberdeen. This tranquil inlet, with its sandy shores, mudflats and mussel beds, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest within the Forvie National Nature Reserve, an area rich in aquatic and terrestrial life.

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you cant find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page give them a try!

tour operators

Birding Pal

http://www.birdingpal.org/Unitedkingdom.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

Greenbrae Birdwatching Tours

http://www.greenbraefarm.co.uk/
Mike Chandler will be your tour leader. Mike moved to Aberdeenshire from the English Midlands in 2002. Mike is a member of the RSPB and undertakes surveys of farmland birds as part of the Farmer and Volunteer Alliance Project. For the British Trust for Ornithology Mike takes part in the Waterways breeding bird survey, he has also surveyed 2km squares for the Scottish Ornithology Clubs exercise in mapping of breeding birds in Aberdeenshire. At home Mike together with his partner, Jill, who runs the B&B take part in the BTO garden bird survey and the garden bird winter feeding survey...

places to stay

Greenbrae B&B - Buchan

http://www.greenbraefarm.co.uk/
Greenbrae aims to be environmentally friendly. Energy will be conserved by not providing the usual B&B trappings of over wrapped individual soaps, and sachets of shower gel. Where possible local products will be bought, reducing transportation energy, gardening will be organic, the policy on waste will be to reduce, reuse and recycle. Guests using public transport, bicycles and walkers will be welcomed. We will produce our own food where possible and have free-range hens to provide eggs for the kitchen. We will actively encourage birds into the garden... ...The RSPB reserve loch of Strathbeg and the National Nature Reserve at Forvie sands and Ythan Estuary are only twelve miles away...

Self-catering cottages and other accommodation for bird watchers in NE Scotland

http://www.countrycottagesonline.com/Cottages_for_bird_watchers_in_NE_Scotland.htm
Several properties...

Windmill Guest House - Peterhead

http://www.s-h-systems.co.uk/hotels/windmill.html
Within a 7 mile radius there are the ruins of Slains Castle where Bram Stoker, author of Dracula stayed in the 1890s and it was Slains Castle that the coastal scenery and legends of Cruden Bay area were inspirational in his writing of the book. Count Dracula`s Castle is 1 mile from Bullers of Buchan which has views of spectacular sea cliffs with a walkway, from Cruden Bay, around the cliffs to Boddam where Puffins, Guilliemotts, Terns and an abundance of wild sea birds nest. The Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) Reserve is also located locally at the Loch of Strathbeg.

mailing lists

ABZ-Rare-Birds

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ABZ-Rare-Birds
To post to list:ABZ-Rare-Birds@yahoogroups.com
List contact:ABZ-Rare-Birds-owner@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to list:ABZ-Rare-Birds-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
An electronic grapevine for people interested in rare bird sightings in North-East Scotland (Aberdeenshire).

Studies & Logs

http://www.geocities.com/steve_extra/NEScotland_birds.html
Information on large gulls wintering in Banchory area, 1984-2004 + An annotated species list for the Loch of Leys, Kincardineshire + Analysis of Banchory Waxwing records + Garden bird log for a garden in NE Scotland

Wildlife Web

http://www.wildlifeweb.co.uk/wheretogo/grampian/grampian.html
The longest running andone of the most well-used bird and wildlife sites around. Established in1990, includes hundreds of photographs, latest news, a fledgling on-linefield guide, diary of events, interactive noticeboard, where to go birdingin Scotland complete with point-and-click maps, local guide service, etc,etc.

artists

Photographer - Duncan Shaw

http://www.duncanshawimages.com
Wildlife Photography website from a semi pro with pictures of birds and nature; mainly UK

Photographer - Philip Newman

http://www.nature-photographer.co.uk/
Following many years of photographing birds in Scotland, in 1999 I made my first overseas trip to Florida - and boy! what an eye-opener...

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