Saturday 19 October 2013

Wknd 19-20 October

Whoopers back near Rattlebags quarry, first spotted by Abbie on Friday. 19 adults feeding in stubble with a few thousand Pinkfeet, 12+ Barnacle Geese, no darvics or collars seen but one Whooper had a metal ring.

Atlassing - looked in a buckthorn bush at Linkhouse Wood, it contained a Woodpigeon nest as I hoped, so another gap filled, NT58H.

Ferny Ness at dusk held 450+ Golden Plover, flushed by a male Sparrowhawk.

Sunday - an adult white-phase Snow Goose with c. 4k Pinks in cereal and stubble north of Kingston Farm (above); also 39+ Barnacle Geese, Pinkfoot with silver collar TZI (Lintrathen Dec 07?), another Pinkfoot with dull orange legs (see below, otherwise entirely Pinkfoot, and similar to one seen Aberlady 29/9), one leucistic Pinkfoot (largely cream, some brown patches, see below - not the Snow Goose!) [see Dave Appleton's page for more examples of these three, especially the orange legs]; presumed same white Snow flew into Aberlady at dusk, c. 1k already there 17:50hrs, close to 4k arrived en masse just after 18:00hrs, whiffling into the roost.

More atlas: finally confirmed House Sparrow in NT58L, at Highfield (last gap in NT58), confirmed Woodpigeon in NT58S (first bush checked in Blackdykes strip) & NT58W (Gleghornie, where also c. 130 Mallard); walked Seacliff to Scoughall and found another 30+ Woodpigeon nests, for example at least 14 in < 100m buckthorn at the bank below gate above Car Rocks. At Seacliff confirmed Magpie (UN); at Scoughall confirmed Blackbird and Greenfinch for NT68B (UN), also Goldfinch nest found, but Collared Dove eluded me (6+ ads present); did confirm Collared Dove at Seacliff in NT68C, ad and 2 nice juvs (below). So Collared Dove still going strong but otherwise it is really just nests now, my rate of confirmations today only about 1 per hour, from averages of 3 or so in September, and 10 or so at peak in summer.

Final photos of coast from Chapel Brae - Scoughall to south and Bass Rock to north, now much more sparsely covered with Gannets.

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