Andrew Whitehouse

It looks as though things may improve by the weekend. I should probably start wearing wellies to go to work!

Looking at the forecast, we should get to three weeks with rain every day in Aberdeen. And basically no sun at all in that time. It's the longest spell of bad weather I've ever known.

A superb Austral Pygmy Owl is sitting on a tree branch facing towards us but slightly up. In the background are green leaves and blue skies.

A superb Austral Pygmy Owl is sitting on a tree branch facing towards us. In the background are green leaves and blue skies.

Here's a superb Austral Pygmy Owl from Algarobbo in central Chile last month.
#SuperbOwl #Birds

Interesting! Hard to say if it's down to photographic effects/ light conditions. Mine looks more obviously contrastingly white around the bill base, as well as more solidly dark underneath.

A juvenile Glaucous Gull is flying left to right over a grey sea.

A juvenile Glaucous Gull is flying left to right over a grey sea, dangling its legs. Some other gulls are on the water and flying.

A juvenile Glaucous Gull is flying right to left against a concrete wall.

A juvenile Glaucous Gull is standing on top of a pier with other gulls around it, standing and flying. A rough sea is behind.

It took a while to pin down this lovely dark juvenile Glaucous Gull at Girdle Ness today, after it had been found nearby by @fatpaulscholes.bsky.social Eventually it turned up around the harbour mouth before perching on the pier.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #SuperSeabirdSunday #PatchBirding

Nice! Saw something that looked a bit like it from a long way off earlier.

A Black-bellied Storm-Petrel is flying over a silver sea. It's a small, dark seabird with a white rump.

A Black-bellied Storm-Petrel flying over a silver sea. It shows its white underparts with black belly stripe.

A Black-bellied Storm-Petrel is flying over a grey sea, angling its legs and feet towards the sea surface.

A favourite from the southern oceans was Black-bellied Storm-Petrel. Similar to the numerous Wilson's Storm-Petrels they share the seas with from above, they show their striking underside as they bank. Often seen delicately bouncing over the surface, feet pattering.
#Birds #SuperSeabirdSunday

A large group of Franklin's Gulls are landing on a sandy beach. Ocean waves are breaking in the background.

Part of a huge swarm of rose-tinged Franklin's Gulls that were wintering along the Pacific shore at Mantagua, central Chile last month.
#Birds #SuperSeabirdSunday

A Dolphin Gull is walking through some seaweed covered rocks and pools. It's a dark gull with blackish wings, greyish body and red bill and legs.

A Dolphin Gull busying itself amongst the seaweed in Ushuaia, Argentina recently.
#Birds #SuperSeabirdSunday

A Southern Giant Petrel is flying against a blue sky. It's a large brown seabird with a thick bill and paler head.

A white Southern Giant Petrel is flying against a grey sea.

Here are a couple of Southern Giant Petrels, seen recently in the South Atlantic and Antarctic. They have a face only a mother could love, but also a striking white phase that was regularly seen in Antarctica.
#Birds #SuperSeabirdSunday

See also:
bsky.app/profile/meto...

That's interesting, though a decline after a long increase. Wonder if the trends are different in different regions of Scotland over recent years. Not sure what the BBS figures are for NE Scotland, though an increase in reports was noted in the most recent bird report (2023).

Tree Sparrows have become much more frequent in my area (Aberdeen) in the last five years.

Think we still have another week of it at least. Must be causing havoc for a lot of seabirds and shorebirds.

It's probably been the worst few weeks of weather in my 29 years of living in eastern Scotland.

Probably the only one that could be described as pretty!

Saw my first there just over a month ago. Fantastic birds.

A Barnacle Goose is standing in short grass looking left. In the foreground is a patch of heather.

A Barnacle Goose is flying over green grass against a grey sky. Two golfers are walking over the grass.

A lost looking Barnacle Goose showed up on the golf course at Girdle Ness this afternoon, before inevitable dogwalker-induced displacement saw it off.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding #UKWildlife

A young Brent Goose is flying over a grey sea. It's a dark goose with a whiter tail. The white bands on the wings indicate that it's a young bird.

A young Brent Goose is flying over a grey sea. It's a dark goose with a whiter tail.

The young Pale-bellied Brent Goose was in Aberdeen Harbour again today but was rather flighty. It made a few close passes before heading northwards.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding #UKWildlife

A South Polar Skua is flying over a grey sea with its wings uplifted. It's a large brown seabird with white flashes in its wing.

A South Polar Skua is flying over a grey sea with its wings uplifted. It's a large brown seabird with white flashes in its wing.

A South Polar Skua gliding in the snow off the Antarctic Peninsula. These were common in the area but often hard to distinguish from the local form of Brown Skua.
#Birds #SuperSeabirdSunday

A Great Shearwater is flying right to left over a grey sea. It's mainly dark brown above and white below, with long wings.

Great Shearwaters were frequently seen in the south Atlantic from the Sapphire Princess cruise to Antarctica. It was wonderful to see the intricacies of their plumage up close.
#Birds #SuperSeabirdSunday

Thanks David!

Thank you!

A Great Northern Diver (Common Loon) is swimming on some grey water, facing left. It's a large water bird with black and white plumage and a spear shaped bill.

Great Northern Divers have been a familiar sight in Aberdeen Harbour this winter. There are two around now, including this one from earlier today.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife #PatchBirding

No, it's much too pale and a bit too small. Also GBBs are never that heavily streaked on the head.

Thanks - looks a bit similar, although more grown up. LBBs are actually really rare here at this time of year.

Thanks Tom! I reckon the tones are more accurate for the photos on the deck. Pictures were taken when it was very gloomy here. It was quite big too, so perhaps more at the dark Herring end of things?

Thanks Mark! Others have suggestion Herring x LBB as a possibility.

An immature gull is walking over a stony beach. Another gull is in the background.

An immature gull is standing on a stony beach, facing right.

An immature gull is flying away from us, over a grey sea.

An immature gull is flying away from us, over a grey sea.

This puzzling gull appeared in Aberdeen Harbour at dusk today. A bit bigger than most Herrings and somewhat darker than the darkest Scandinavian birds. Anyone any ideas what it might be?
#Birds #BirdID #BirdingScotland

A Brent Goose is standing among seaweed covered rocks and water, nibbling at the weed.

A Brent Goose is standing among seaweed covered rocks and water, nibbling at the weed.

Brent Goose is unusual at Girdle Ness at this time of year, but then the weather has been unusual lately. Not totally sure on the subspecies though probably an immature Pale-bellied in first winter plumage, despite the dark belly.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding