LOCH OF SKENE
A wide variety of habitats with birds to match
Loch of Skene is partially manmade, being dammed at its outflow on the southern shore to form a reservoir. Before 1905, water from the loch was used in the making of tweed to turn the mill wheel at the nearby Garlogie Mills. WHERE TO WATCH
1
With the A944 so busy and the entrance to the Tower House closed since lockdown, it is best to cover the area via one good walk and a drive/ride around the loch. Parking on the Dunecht Estate allows you to use the lovely walk down to the loch via several habitats giving you a better chance of birds around the seasons.
2
You will pass many conifer plantations, so listen out for Crossbills, Siskin and Goldcrest, while mixed woodland species like Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper, mixed tits and other finches are likely. An evening walk in spring may well get Woodcock and Barn, Tawny and even Long-eared Owl.
3
The Corskie Burn runs into the loch, so look for Grey Wagtail, Moorhen and Water Rail here. Once viewing the loch, you have masses of geese in winter, with terns and gulls in winter and summer. Pink-footed Geese use the loch for roosting and can add oddments like Snow, Richardson’s and Todd’s Canada, both Greenland and
Russian White-fronted Geese, Icelandic Greylags and Taiga Bean Geese. Other winter ducks can include Ring-necked, Tufted, Scaup, Goldeneye, Smew, Wigeon, Teal and Mallard. A big gull roost has had Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, along with lots of Herring, Common and Blackheaded Gulls.
4
Drive around the loch, checking the fields as you go – there are plenty of Red-legged Partridges, but with Quail found in some summers. Look out for raptors like Buzzard, Red Kite and Osprey heading for the loch. Both Velvet and Common Scoter have been found here.
5
Another view is from Leadside, where geese and Whooper Swans can feed in the fields, but check for terns, especially Common Tern, using the loch in summer.
6
A short walk from a small car park at grid ref NJ 792 069 allows you to scan from the lochside onto islands and the wider loch. Look out for Mute Swan and Great Crested Grebe in summer, but Slavonian Grebe has been found from here in winter, along with Great Northern Diver. Grey Heron is common, while Great White Egret just drops in.