Aberdeenshire
Boasting one of the most diverse landscapes in Scotland, this is also a great place to go birding!
An under-visited corner of Scotland that offers up diverse locations and sensational birding opportunities
Some areas in Britain end up with a tag which can confuse the wildlife enthusiast. The oil and gas boom put Aberdeen on the map, but the area has among the most diverse habitats in Scotland, with seabird cities, big glens, mountains, reedbeds, estuaries, lochs, rivers and more. In fact, the big rarity is visiting birdwatchers, but they don’t know what they are missing! My trips to this corner of Scotland have included getting married in Aberdeen itself, and having the in-laws living here. I’ve explored so much, but still have more to find.
Maybe the best place to start is Loch of Strathbeg RSPB. I first went there in the late 1970s, when it was run by an ex-gamekeeper and Aberdonian, Jim Dunbar. The first hides were across an abandoned runway looking over the loch and reedbeds, with the massive sand dunes of Black Bar holding back the North Sea.
It has always been famous for its large numbers of Pink-footed Geese and Whooper Swans, in winter. This was brought home to my youngest son, Ewan, and me when we stayed in the nearby bunkhouse at Rattray Head – we heard the sounds of the birds all night! The reserve can hold up to 85,000 Pinkfeet, dropping to around 30,000 remaining for the whole winter. Whooper Swans peaked in 2019, with 1,599 birds, not forgetting hundreds of Mute Swans.
In recent years, new scrapes have been carved out near the loch and visitor centre; and there are more hides at Starnafin, close to Crimond. The species list has extended, too, with Great White Egret and Spoonbill dropping in, along with Glossy Ibis and Avocets. The scrapes also attract passing waders, like Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Wood and Green Sandpipers, Spotted Redshank and a handful of North American waders.
The breeding of Little Gull in 2016 in the Black headed Gull/Common Tern colony was the first successful breeding attempt in the UK. Two young were reared but sadly, although adults were present up to 2019, no further attempts were made.
The reserve is becoming a staging
post for a rather larger bird, the Crane, which has come back naturally to breed again in Scotland. A record 11 birds were present in 2020, before flying south on migration – there’s still no information where they winter.
The reedbeds attract Bittern and Bearded Tit and plenty of Water Rails. Large flocks of ducks can be seen in winter with plenty of Mallards, Teal, Wigeon, Shovelers, Pintails, Goldeneyes and Tufted Ducks. These can be flushed by Marsh Harriers or even White-tailed Eagles. Autumn rarities are drawn in by the lighthouse at Rattray, with Yellow-browed Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher and even a Desert Wheatear recorded on the dunes.
Seabirds galore
Another RSPB reserve close by is Troup Head, on the Moray Firth, with its Gannet colony (rare on the mainland). This population is growing each year, with 5,000 pairs now. The reserve also has a mix of seabirds along with farmland birds as you approach the cliffs.
The firth is now known for its wintering and spring departure of White-billed Divers, with Portsoy, Sandhaven and Rosehearty worth a drop in if you’re looking for them. You might also get a close view of Long-tailed Ducks in the harbours. Other harbours for sea-watching (and especially white-winged gulls) are Fraserburgh and Peterhead.
Two other seabird cliffs are Fowlsheugh RSPB and Bullers of Buchan. The first has an impressive 130,000 seabirds nesting, with large colonies of Guillemot, Razorbill and Kittiwake, plus 10 pairs
THE BULLERS IS A VERY SPECIAL MIXTURE OF GEOLOGY, SEABIRDS AND MARITIME HEATH WITH SOME SPECTACULAR CAVES, HOLLOWS, STACKS AND COLLAPSES
of Puffin at one viewpoint.
The Bullers is a very special mixture of geology, seabirds and maritime heath with some spectacular caves, hollows, stacks and collapses. I rate this as one of the best seabird experiences in mainland Britain! There is a mixture of jutting out cliffs and hollows, with plenty of auks and Kittiwakes, and especially breeding Shags to look at. In June-July, the heath just adds to the experience, with thousands of Northern Marsh Orchids and many other plants.
The Puffins here are on grassy banks south of the first stack. Further along is Dunbay Island, with Cormorants and
Herring Gulls nesting at the top above a cascade of Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Shags. The island looks normal until you walk further south, when it reveals a spectacular collapse, leaving an amazing arch. You can carry on to Slains Castle and Cruden Bay to look for rare migrants.
The Ythan Estuary, south of here, is a wonderful place to spend a day watching the tide draw in the waders such as Curlew, Redshank, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Turnstone, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, plus rarities like Pectoral, White-rumped and Semipalmated Sandpipers. There is a breeding and moulting Eider flock, which is worth scanning for an elusive drake King Eider, and don’t forget the breeding Black headed Gulls. Up to four species of tern can nest here using the dunes and shingle. Little and Arctic nest lower down than the Sandwich and Common Terns, but they can draw in passing species like Roseate and even Sooty Tern, not forgetting skuas looking for an easy meal!
The estuary joins the Sands of Forvie NNR, with its extended dune system which provides a wonderful autumn walk, checking the bushes for migrants such as Redwings, and rare warblers like Pallas’s and Radde’s. Winter brings large flocks of Twite and Snow Buntings. The area is noted for its large seal haul-out at the end of the Ythan, with both Grey and Common found here. The Commons use the river to mate, away from the crowds!
Many coastal areas are well watched for rarities, and further south is Girdle Ness, Aberdeen, with its allotments and bushes offering potential Bluethroat, Black Redstart or even a Short-toed Lark.
A pod of Bottlenosed Dolphins can often be spotted from this site.
Moorland and pinewoods
Aberdeen itself is famous for its Waxwings in winter, with a dedicated ringing team adding colour rings, the birds then moving through Britain looking for more berries. Black Dog, just north of the city, is famous for its sea ducks, often having Black and Surf Scoters.
Aberdeen is also the end of two great rivers, the Don and the Dee, both with great birding histories. The Don had a drake Harlequin Duck in 2015 and is well used by both gulls and waders, easily scanned from the country park in the city, and Ospreys now nest in its upper reaches.
The ‘Royal Dee’ has a number of large estates in its upper reaches, like the now-famous Mar Lodge, which belongs to the National Trust for Scotland and is open to the public.
This massive 72,000 acres of floodplain, Caledonian forest, and moorland up to mountain top has become a magnet for birdlife, with White-tailed Eagle finally nesting there in 2020. Golden Eagles are common on the estate, while Hen Harriers are just getting a foothold after years of persecution, and there are now six to eight pairs. Merlins use the extensive moorland to nest in, along with Short-eared Owls and Red Grouse, while Golden Plovers like the flushes and open areas on the moor, also moving onto the tops with species like Dotterel.
This wonderful wader breeds on the extreme tops, blending in with the lichen and mosses. It often shares its space with Ptarmigan, but leaves for the winter for Africa, leaving the Ptarmigan to change colour to blend in with the snow. Rarer
THE YTHAN ESTUARY, SOUTH OF HERE, IS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO SPEND A DAY WATCHING THE TIDE DRAW IN THE WADERS...
breeding birds on the high tops include Purple Sandpiper and Snow Bunting.
The Caledonian pine woods lack Crested Tit, and sadly Capercaillies are in short supply (like at most sites in Scotland), but Black Grouse are present in good numbers, feeding on the pine tops and Bilberry.
The Muir of Dinnet (2,880 acres) is a great place to visit. There is more woodland and two lochs, offering species such as breeding Goldeneye and crossbills, to name a few. Glen Tanner is a private estate encouraging the public with trails in its woodland and moorland, and was the first to have Hen Harriers nesting in the area, even as a commercial moor. Even Balmoral has a ‘ranger’ service and offers rides onto its moorland and woodland to see their species breeding.
Between the two big rivers lies the Dunecht Estate, where a recent Red Kite reintroduction brought these birds back to the area. The estate is famous for the Loch of Skene. This water acts as a roost for thousands of geese, formerly only Greylag, but now more often Pinkfeet in winter.
It has a large number of wintering ducks including Wigeon, Teal, Tufted Duck and Goldeneye, and is used by a large population of Mute Swans. Smew are a great find in winter along with rarer geese like Snow and Tundra Bean Geese. Ospreys fish there in summer and inland terns are not unusual.