1112 p14-18 Where to watch birds v3.indd

where to watch birds
Findhorn and Burghead Bays
Route planner
Target birds
Pink-footed Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Pintail,
Common and possibly King Eider, Longtailed Duck, Common, Surf and Velvet
Scoters, Red-breasted Merganser, Redthroated and Black-throated Divers, Rednecked and Slavonian Grebes, Peregrine,
European Golden Plover, Knot, Bar-tailed
Godwit, Iceland and Glaucous Gulls, Crested
Tit, Twite, Scottish Crossbill, Snow Bunting.
Introduction
The six miles of coastline between Findhorn
and Burghead contain a variety of habitats
including mudflats, sandy beaches, dunes
and rocky shores. Findhorn Bay encloses a
large tidal basin with extensive mudflats and
some saltmarsh. Burghead Bay provides
feeding for seaduck, grebes and divers, while
Burghead has a rocky shore with a good
selection of waders.
MARCUS CONWAY
A true Scottish speciality, the soughtafter Crested Tit is possible in the
Burghead Bay area.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The order in which you visit the sites
depends on the state of the tide, and you will
need to check this before setting out. Ideally
you should choose a day when high tide is
around late morning. This will enable you to
visit the east side of Findhorn Bay in early to
mid morning when the sun is behind you and
the tide is favourable.
As you approach Findhorn village on the
B9011 you will see a hide signposted on the
left-hand side of the road (NJ 053633); you
can park here. If the hide is locked, walk south
along a good track to the aircraft-viewing
platform (NJ 055629). From here you can
watch the waders being pushed towards you
by the rising tide. In winter, there are large
flocks of Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank
and Dunlin, with smaller numbers of European
Golden Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit and Knot.
Scan the sky for a hunting Peregrine.
Wildfowl include many Eurasian Wigeon,
and a flock of 50 or more Pintail often frequents
the edge of the bay in front of the runway lights.
From mid-winter onwards, Shelduck return.
You may find a few Twite on the saltmarsh, but
this species is more likely in half-mile square
NJ 0361 – beware of wildfowlers here.
When the tide is high in Findhorn Bay,
drive north, passing the Findhorn Foundation
on your right, and take the next road on the
right which leads up through the dunes to the
beach. From here, scan Burghead Bay for
seaduck, divers and grebes, although these
are often better seen at the next site. Snow
Bunting may be found in the dunes.
Leaving Findhorn, drive south to join the
B9089 in Kinloss and continue east. After
about three miles, at NJ 113647, turn north up
the road to the Forestry Commission
recreation area. Park in the forest and walk a
door to obtain access. The rocky shore at
Burghead can be viewed from a car.
Sites and access
Reads
Findhorn Bay is reached via the B9011 from
Forres. A bus from Forres to Findhorn (route
332) gives access to the east side of the bay.
The bus also passes the end of the Forestry
Commission road into Roseisle Forest but you
will have to walk nearly a mile to the shore.
Burghead is reached by car along the B9089
from Kinloss, or via the A96 and B9013 from
Elgin. Bus route 331 runs from Elgin to
Burghead. Call 01343 562569 or see www.
moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_1679.
html for timetables. The nearest railway station
is in Forres. Call 0845 748 4950 or visit www.
nationalrail.co.uk. Disabled access is available
to view Burghead Bay from the Findhorn dunes,
and the hide on the east side of Findhorn Bay
has a wheelchair ramp. The hide is currently
locked, but a phone number is given on the
• Where to Watch Birds in Scotland
by Mike Madders (fourth edition,
Christopher Helm, £18.99) –
currently out of print.
• Birds in Moray & Nairn (annual
bird reports available from the
bird recorder: martin.
[email protected]).
• The Breeding Birds of North-East Scotland
edited by Ian Francis and Martin Cook
(Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, £25).
16
BIRDWATCH • DECEMBER 2011
short distance through the trees to the edge
of the dunes, where you can view the central
section of Burghead Bay, which is an
excellent site for seaduck.
Typical species include Common Eider,
Red-breasted Merganser, Long-tailed Duck
and Common and Velvet Scoters. With luck
you may find a Surf Scoter accompanying
the Commons. This is also a reliable site for
Slavonian Grebe, of which 30 or more can
sometimes be present. Red-necked Grebe is
an occasional visitor. Red-throated Divers
can usually be seen and sometimes Blackthroated are present in small numbers. When
you have finished viewing the bay, spend a
while walking in the forest – Crested Tit and
Scottish Crossbill can sometimes be found
near the car park.
Now re-join the B9089 and continue to
Burghead. Here, the north-east side of the
headland has a rocky shore where
Turnstone, Knot and other waders can be
watched at close quarters, using your car as
a hide. A flock of Common Eider can be
found here, and it has been accompanied in
recent winters by a King Eider. Search
among the gulls for Iceland or Glaucous. If
the tide is high, the waders will be in
communal roosts along the coastal path
towards Cummingston.
If time remains towards the end of the day,
head back to Findhorn Bay, where you can
watch the impressive spectacle of flocks of
Pink-footed Geese arriving to roost at dusk. ■
In association with
Christopher Helm.
For more information on
Christopher Helm books,
please visit the website:
www.acblack.com/naturalhistory
and 28 (www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk).
Web resources
www.the-soc.org.uk for the Scottish
Ornithologists’ Club, with information about
all aspects of birding in Scotland.
ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPPING © CROWN COPYRIGHT. AM45/10
by Martin Cook
Bird news
Call Birdline Scotland on 09068 700234. Call
01292 611994 to report sightings.
Maps
OS maps: Explorer 423 and Landrangers 27
WWW.BIRDWATCH.CO.UK