I managed to fit in a little birding while staying at Ingrid's for a while. There was quite a bit around her garden, including regular
Bullfinches,
redpolls and
Siskins, plus a migrant flock of 40
Pink-footed Geese overhead on 31st. I set up a net in the garden, a fairly productive enterprise over the first couple of days but soon burning out, a smart
Bullfinch and a couple of
Coal Tits being the best catches. After the earlier Tawny Owl surprise, the woods just around the corner came up with two
Crossbills on April 9th.
Birding trips out were limited to visits to John Muir Country Park on 1st April, Musselburgh two days later and the Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick on 6th. The first two sites provided a nice array of coastal species, including 11
Velvet Scoters, a
Greenshank and a showy drake
Red-breasted Merganser at Musselburgh. I was mightily impressed with the centre at North Berwick and how well it engages the public with the wonder of our seabirds, with impressive displays and easy viewing of the seabird colonies on Bass Rock and Craighleith. Managing to connect with
Puffin and
Purple Sandpiper at the Seabird Centre, Bass Rock and its
Gannets provided the most spectacular presence.
|
Bullfinch in Edinburgh |
|
A friendly drake Red-breasted Merganser at Musselburgh on 3rd April |
|
Curlew at John Muir CP on 1st April |
|
The beautiful dunes and flats of Tyninghame Bay on 1st April |
|
Skylark at John Muir CP on 1st April |
|
Peregrine at John Muir CP on 1st April |
|
North Berwick's main attraction |
|
Scottish Seabird Centre display |
|
Purple Sandpiper at North Berwick on 6th April |
|
Bass Rock, smattered in Gannets on 6th April |
|
Eiders at North Berwick on 6th April |
|
juvenile Crossbill at Ravelston Woods on 9th April |
|
Nuthatch at Ravelston Woods on 9th April |