Summary of Scottish Birding 4th – 12th October 2013
Our Scottish holiday took in a quick stopover at Montrose Basin, a visit to Loch of Strathbeg and environs and on our return a stopover at WWT Caerlaverock. In between we had three great days of birding in the Highlands in Inverness-shire, Ross and Cromarty and Moray. Over all the sites we saw a minimum of 84 species of bird as well as Common Seal, Red and Roe Deer, Red and Grey Squirrels and Stoat. This gave us three more birds for our life list, Crested Tit, Capercaillie and Scaup. We also added thirteen birds to our UK year list.
Our full bird list was as follows
Species Sightings Count : Scotland 4th -12th October 2013
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Pink-footed Goose | Dunlin |
| Greylag Goose | Black-headed Gull |
| Barnacle Goose | Herring Gull |
| Canada Goose | Great Black-backed Gull |
| Mute Swan | Razorbill |
| Whooper Swan | Rock Dove |
| Common Shelduck | Common Wood Pigeon |
| Eurasian Wigeon | Eurasian Collared Dove |
| Mallard | Great Spotted Woodpecker |
| Northern Shoveler | Eurasian Jay |
| Common Teal | Eurasian Magpie |
| Tufted Duck | Eurasian Jackdaw |
| Greater Scaup | Rook |
| Common Eider | Carrion Crow |
| Common Scoter | Hooded Crow |
| Long-tailed Duck | Common Raven |
| Goosander | Eurasian Skylark |
| Common Pheasant | Barn Swallow |
| Capercaillie | Coal Tit |
| Black Grouse | European Crested Tit |
| Red Grouse | Great Tit |
| Northern Gannet | Common Blue Tit |
| Great Cormorant | Northern Wren |
| European Shag | White-throated Dipper |
| Grey Heron | Goldcrest |
| Red Kite | Firecrest |
| Common Buzzard | European Robin |
| Golden Eagle | Northern Wheatear |
| Common Kestrel | Eurasian Blackbird |
| Merlin | Redwing |
| Peregrine Falcon | Mistle Thrush |
| Moorhen | Common Starling |
| Northern Lapwing | Dunnock |
| European Golden Plover | Pied Wagtail |
| Ringed Plover | Meadow Pipit |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | Rock Pipit |
| Common Redshank | Chaffinch |
| Eurasian Curlew | Greenfinch |
| Black-tailed Godwit | Goldfinch |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | Common Linnet |
| Turnstone | House Sparrow |
| Knot | Eurasian Tree Sparrow |