ST CYRUS NNR
Seawatching and migrants on a scenic coastline
St Cyrus National Nature Reserve is one of the most picturesque sections of coastline in north- east Scotland.
The reserve comprises
227 acres (92 hectares) of mixed coastal habitat, including towering volcanic cliffs and yellow dunes.
WHERE TO WATCH
1 As you approach the reserve, scan the cliffs to the west for the signs of raptors using the uplift to circle around looking for prey. You may find a Buzzard, Kestrel or even a Peregrine using this area.
2 After parking up, start checking the many bushes for migrants, with autumn being especially productive, especially after an easterly wind. Species like Redbacked Shrike, Wryneck, Bluethroat, Pallas’s Warbler, Hoopoe and Black Redstart have all been found.
3
A section of the reserve can be closed in the summer for helping breeding birds. There was once a large tern colony here in the dunes, but now birds have moved to nest further north. In the scrub you will be able to look for Linnet, Whitethroat, Stonechat and even Grasshopper Warblers nesting in summer.
4 A small hide overlooks the North Esk estuary, where you may see a number of birds using the area. Summer sees Shelduck with young, along with Oystercatcher and Redshank. Other waders pass through, like Greenshank and Common Sandpipers. Both Goosanders and Red-breasted Mergansers fish here, along with Otter.
5 A bar at the end of the river has a collection of birds, from passing terns such as Sandwich, Arctic, Common and even Little Tern, Cormorants, Curlew on passage, and of course mixed gulls. Look out for Iceland and Glaucous Gulls in winter.
6 The sea has some great passage, with Great, Arctic and even Pomarine Skuas passing by in spring and autumn. Shearwaters include Manx, but sometimes even Sooty, while the three main divers are a great possibility in winter.
This is a walk of two distinct, contrasting parts, and that goes for the bird species, too. The circumnavigation of Humbleton Hill is in designated ‘wild country’ and requires strong footwear, map/compass and wet weather gear, just in case. You get staggering views that are well worth the effort. Most people do the hill walk first, then have lunch in the car park and finish by doing the short woodland loop. Bird feeders are topped up by locals, so sit and watch.
WHERE TO WATCH
1 The gate along St Cuthbert’s Way is good place to stop for a while. The drystone wall can give you Whinchat and Wheatear (in spring and summer), Merlin and Lapwing, and you can scan the hills and fields around you for Ring Ouzels, Buzzard, and possible Red Kite.
2 Halfway up this slow, steady climb is a gate where it’s good to stop for a breather and look out for Red Grouse, Sparrowhawk, Curlew and Carrion Crow. Raven and Hen Harrier are always a possibility.
3 The Woodland Park Walk can give Mistle Thrush, which are often seen by the picnic tables, and the pond can give you Mallard, Coot and Moorhen. The small reedbed has had migrant warblers visiting, and the bird feeders have Blue, Great and Coal Tit visiting as well as Chiffchaff, Siskin and Great Spotted Woodpecker, so it’s an ideal place to sit and watch the birds coming into feed.
4 The walk along the road back to the car park is bordered by mixed forest and marshy scrub. Treecreeper and Redstarts are often seen and the burn is always worth looking for Grey Wagtails and the occasional Dipper and Common Sandpiper.