Eight people attended the first outing of the autumn but it didn’t feel much like autumn as the weather was warm and sunny.
We met in the car park on the beach at Dornoch and saw red-throated diver and a few auks offshore. While we were looking out to sea a sparrowhawk flew over. After a short stay we moved to the car park at the aerodrome. We scanned the golf course and fields but failed to see the ruff that had been seen a few days earlier. A large flock of goldfinches including juveniles was seen perched in a tree. The dunes had meadow pipit and skylark still present with a buzzard and a single peregrine over the airfield.
A short walk brought us to the beach. High tide was at one thirty but as it was a large spring tide the water was already well up the beach. We had large flocks of dunlin as well as smaller numbers of sanderling and ringed plover. Gannets, wigeon and red-breasted merganser were seen flying offshore as well as a single juvenile common tern.
It is sad that we recorded eleven dead gannets and seven dead fulmars on the beach over a very short distance, likely to be victims of Avian Influenza; demonstrating that bird flu is still with us and likely to continue into the autumn and winter.
As we crossed the dunes on our return for a late lunch we flushed a sedge warbler.
Embo beckoned and we parked near the pier. There were groups of sanderling feeding close to us on the shore. Gannets were feeding offshore but very distant. No skuas were seen. It was distressing to see a live but ailing fulmar on the tideline.
At Loch Fleet we had a large flock of greylags, eiders, sandwich terns and common gulls. Seven greenshanks were seen on one of the spits. Eagle eyed Hugh spotted two distant ravens on the other side of the estuary.
It was our first chance to meet and to share memories of Lynda Graham who passed away recently. She was a regular on outings and led many, particularly the weekday bird watches.
A total of 55 species were recorded.
At Loch Fleet we had a large flock of greylags, eiders, sandwich terns and common gulls. Seven greenshanks were seen on one of the spits. Eagle eyed Hugh spotted two distant ravens on the other side of the estuary.
It was our first chance to meet and to share memories of Lynda Graham who passed away recently. She was a regular on outings and led many, particularly the weekday bird watches.
A total of 55 species were recorded.
Alister Clunas
RSS Feed
