After out family meal of the night before we had a full day to ourselves so, after a nice breakfast at the Brunton Hall, we headed down the coast to Aberlady Bay. I forgot to set off the route recorder so it missed off the bit between Musselbury and Aberlady but we parked in the usual parking spot and took the wooden bridge on to the reserve. It is a fantastic reserve and my decision to take my scope with me gave us a few good sea birds as well as the usual land based ones.
Right in the muddy bay there were Curlew and Redshank but in amongst the Dunes and the golf courses and fields there were Reed Buntings galore, Linnets, Goldfinches and even a Lesser Whitethroat – a year tick. I gather they breed here. Even more numerous than the Reed Buntings were the Skylarks which are just everywhere around you as you walk towards the sea. There were also Sedge Warblers and at least one Willow Warbler and one Bullfinch. Swifts and Swallows were abundant.
Down at the sea a scope was needed but when used Puffins were to be seen and Guillemots and Gannets plunging into the water. There was a small flotilla of Common Scoter and some Common Eider. It was a really great walk out to thesea and back and one that always seems to produce the goods.
It was boiling hot so we were a little surprised when we got to North Berwick. Around the harbour a stiff gale was gblowing and it was freezing cold. I managed to see a single Puffin from the harbour wall and there were more Gannets and a few Sandwich Terns.
We returned to Musselburgh where we had a walk around Inveresk House Gardens which was a real eye-opener. As a child I would never have dreamed I would see what was behind those high walls – unlkess it was stealing apples! We managed to flush a mystery game bird but I really couldn’t tell what it was. It surprised me as much as I surprised it.
That evening we ate at Crolla’s Italian Kitchen at Eskmills. Anne had a prety sumptuous meal though I had a modest pizza. It really is very nice and I can’t see why it has been so quiet every time we have been there. Perhaps it does more trade in the day.
Bird Sightings : Aberlady Bay 26th June 2018
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Common Shelduck | 10 |
| Mallard | 8 |
| Common Eider | 30 |
| Common Scoter | 8 |
| Northern Gannet | 3 |
| Great Cormorant | 6 |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | 30 |
| Common Redshank | 2 |
| Eurasian Curlew | 5 |
| Common Guillemot | 6 |
| Atlantic Puffin | 3 |
| Black-headed Gull | 20 |
| Common Swift | 6 |
| Eurasian Magpie | 8 |
| Carrion Crow | 4 |
| Sky Lark | 30 |
| Barn Swallow | 30 |
| Coal Tit | 1 |
| Willow Warbler | 1 |
| Sedge Warbler | 3 |
| Lesser Whitethroat | 1 |
| Common Starling | 20 |
| Reed Bunting | 10 |
| Eurasian Bullfinch | 1 |
| European Goldfinch | 2 |
| Common Linnet | 5 |
Bird Sightings : North Berwick 26th June 2018
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Northern Gannet | 3 |
| Atlantic Puffin | 1 |
| Sandwich Tern | 3 |
Bird Sightings : Musselburgh 26th June 2018
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Mute Swan | 2 |
| Herring Gull | 9 |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 4 |
| Eurasian Wren | 1 |
| Common Chiffchaff | 1 |
| European Robin | 1 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 1 |
| Dunnock | 1 |