Scotland 2025 Day1 Scoterfest!

 2nd  May 2025

Our Holiday this year was a two week extravaganza, to Scotland!! Yes I know we go every year, but it's pretty awesome so no apologises from me!! The first week would be spent on the East Coast based in Carnoustie with the second week spent on the Isle of Skye. 

The journey was pretty standard a Cuckoo flew over the M25 as did a Great Spotted Woodpecker and we had various sightings of Red Kites and Buzzards. We stopped at Annadale Water services just over the border to eat our pack lunch, had a nice stroll around the lake where we were serenaded by Willow Warblers Blackcaps, Chaffinches and a couple of Garden Warblers!! Our route took us past a spot where a White-winged Scoter had been spotted pretty much everyday for the previous couple of weeks and with just a 25 minute diversion we decided to go for it, a lifer for me!

We found the spot and I was pleased to see a small group of birders, scanning with scopes, I was equally pleased to see large flocks of Scoters lounging on the sea, I joined the group, the bird had been seen but no one was on it, so the scanning began!! It should be noted at this point that Margie totally let the side down by refusing to join the search, instead wandering off to explore the area!!! Disgraceful!!!😡

It was lovely to see the large amount of Common Scoters, interspersed with small groups of Velvet Scoter and I lucked into one of the drake Surf Scoters, that had also been reported, an obvious bird with a huge white patch on the back of his head!! But no luck with the WW Scoter! 

A beautiful Shoreline by Margie

Not really what I was expecting from the "view from the car park" instructions on Birdguides

Surf Scoter

Surf Scoter

Velvet Scoters

Velvet Scoters leading Common Scoters

Common Scoter

Common Scoter

Velvet flypast

I kept my eyes to the scope and eventually one of the other guys found the target bird!!! Phew!! Rather underwhelming as it isn't an adult, but noticeably different to the Velvets it was associating with! It was a good job the other birders were present as I think I would have struggled to find it on my own, I struggled enough following their directions😏, fixating on the wrong Buoys and Gulls multiple times before actually connecting with it!! The pictures are pants as it was unfortunately amongst the most distant birds!

White-winged Scoter with Velvets, the one with the Pink bill and the larger white bit around the eye!

White-winged Scoter with Commons and Velvets!

It wasn't all Scoters, there were a couple of Long-tailed Ducks, miles away, which I originally ID'd as Puffins😮😯Yeah I know but they were at great distance and with the Isle of May in the background I just assumed!! There were lots of Eiders.I had my first Shag of the year!! Hurrah!!😲 A  couple of Red-breasted Mergansers and several Gannets going through!!

Eider

Gannet

Bass Rock covered in Gannets

At this point Margie reappeared, rather than be ashamed of herself for dereliction of duty, she was full of beans as she'd found a castle!!!! Both my regular readers will remember she's obsessed with em😁!! She'd also been exploring a cave system she'd also found !!! She'd only been gone half n hour!!😲 A few of her pics below!

Wemyss Castle, trying to hide from Margie, a hopeless task she can spot a Castle at 5 miles!

Me with the "Scoter Crew"

Apparently she Couldn't find Scooby Cave!

A cracking start to proceedings, we headed on to Carnoustie and spent the rest of the day unpacking, once again Margie packing 85% of our total belongings😁!!! 

Few more Scoter pics below!

Though the Scoters were close, everything is relative, they were close for Scoters but still a good few hundred yards out, which is my excuse for the rubbish pics!!!  It was a pleasant enough drive, just the 9 hours!  With a good ending to the day!