Loch of Strathbeg and Rattray Head : 6th October 2013

Loch of Strathbeg RSPB and Rattray Head : 6th October 2013

Our trip to the north of Scotland started off with a visit to family in New Deer and on one of these days we all took a family walk out to RSPB Loch of Strathbeg. It was a nice day and we started off at the visitor centre. The first thing we noticed was a pair of Swallows which seemed quite late in the year – perhaps they were migrating from further north ? From the hide we could see a few wading birds, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew and Redshank as well as some Mute and Whooper Swans. As we were leaving this hide a chap mentioned to us that he had just been to Rattray Head, just a few miles away, and he said that a Firecrest had been showing well in the lighthouse keeper’s garden but since we were with family we decided to continue with our visit to Loch of Strathbeg and see if we had time to go there after we had finished our walk.

We walked along the path to the left of reception and down to the hide that overlooks a far part of the loch. The loch is a little confusing since it is shown on the map as one big loch but to us it looked like it was several distinct bodies of water. I did an internet search on this and found the following explanation from the Wildlife Extra web site.

The Loch of Strathbeg formed in 1720 following a storm blowing a sand bar across the channel feeding into the sea. At 206 hectares it is the largest dune loch in the UK. It has a shallow depth range between 0.75 and 1.25 metres, although in times of drought or flood can vary.

In all likelihood we saw it when the water level was quite low so it had changed into several distinct pools. Anyway, from the hide that overlooks the left side of the loch we could see more Pink-footed Geese and Whooper Swans, Lapwing, Mallard, Teal and Shoveler. As we walked back we saw Kestrel, Buzzard, Pied Wagtaill, lots of Corvids and Gulls. By this time it was getting near lunch but I pleaded with the family for a slight diversion to Rattray Head which wasn’t too far away but was a long narrow and rough path. When we eventually got to the bottom we found a classic hotspot for migrating birds. The lighthouse keepers house was a very big structure affording a bit of a wind break and there was also a walled bit of garden and hay bales and other features that afforded a tired migrating bird a place to shelter and find food.

When we got out of the car there were a couple of birders there already and more arrived as we stared into this small bush where we were told the Firecrest was definitely lurking. After about fifteen minutes it eventually showed itself before disappearing again. However it returned a few times and eventually gave us very good views of all its characteristic features. After about thirty or forty minutes we decided that we couldn’t keep the family waiting any longer and we got back into the cars and headed off for lunch pleased that we had not dragged them along on a “wild goose chase”. In Anne’s case this was her first ever Firecrest and for me it was only my second, the first being in Kew Gardens on 26th April 2006 – seven years prior to this sighting ! So, for me, a real highlight of our trip to Scotland.

We left Rattray Head and headed off for lunch to the coastal village of St. Combs where we dropped in to the Tufted Duck Hotel. Even though we arrived just when their service was finishing, they happily made us some sandwiches and because we were in our walking gear and we preferred not to eat in the rather posh restaurant, they let us use the public bar. They could not have been more helpful and the food was great. An additional benefit was that they had big panoramic windows and from there we watched lots of Gannets plunge diving into the sea looking for their lunch. We finished our lunch and took a little walk down to the sea and we had great views of around twenty Seals all looking like they were trying to rest on the sandbanks but, thanks to a couple of dog walkers, they were prevented from doing so and were just bobbing around looking for the chance to land.

A lovely ending to a great morning out with the family and lots of good birds as well.

Bird Sightings : Loch of Strathbeg and Rattray Head