The weather up here at Strathbeg over the past few days has been, to say the least, mixed! We've gone from sun and showers to very strong wind, none of which have arrived at time that's matched the forecast. It's been a particular nuisance for the wardens and volunteers who have been constantly arranging and re-arranging their spring bird surveys (most of which can't be done in bad weather) to try and take advantage of the dry spells.
The mixed weather has however bought some great new birds to the reserve. Along with the Shore Larks earlier in the week, Tuesday bought two new birds in the shape of a Wood Sandpiper, an annual visitor to the reserve in small numbers, from Tower Pool Hide and a stunning Yellow Wagtail, a very rare sighting indeed in Aberdeenshire, flitting between the low ground and the visitor centre pools.
Wednesday saw two very familiar black and white birds with long, curvy beaks landing on the pools just outside the centre...
(Avocets at Loch of Strathbeg in 2010)
Despite being on my day off, I managed to be the only member of staff who actually saw them after a tip off from a local birder I met in the supermarket car park while I was getting my shopping!
Another bird highlight turned up on Thursday when Tom saw an unusual-looking wagtail from Tower Pool Hide. It looks like it was probably a Blue-Headed Wagtail, the European race of our much brighter Yellow Wagtail.
This all hopefully points towards a very good day for the birders doing a Big Sit in the centre on Saturday. They'll be in the viewing gallery from 7am until evening, trying to record as many species as they can from a single point on the reserve. It's been a great day for finding rarities in the past, including Black Kite last year. In 2011 the Big Sitters saw 76 different species during a single day, so it's a great way of showing how much you can see in your local area without paying a fortune on petrol either. We'll update you with any good birds during the day in the centre and at www.twitter.com/RSPB_NEScot and let you know what the final total was on Sunday morning.