Andrew Whitehouse
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anthrobirder.bsky.social
Andrew Whitehouse
@anthrobirder.bsky.social
3.4K followers 1.2K following 580 posts
Anthropologist at the University of Aberdeen. Likes birds. A lot. Does stuff on environmental anthropology, landscape, conservation, human-bird relations, sound, perceptions of ecological change.
https://andrewjwhitehouse.wordpress.com/
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anthrobirder.bsky.social
Purple Sandpipers gathering on the rocks at Greyhope Bay, Girdle Ness today, their busy twittering cutting through the rolling surf. Their numbers are building up for the winter but changes in roosting habits make it harder to accurately assess the numbers these days.
#Birds #BirdingScotland
A large group of Purple Sandpipers are dotted about on a dark, rocky outcrop amidst frothy sea.
November 16, 2025 at 4:04 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
The young Great Northern Diver is still in Aberdeen Harbour, today ploughing head-first through the waters and pulling out fish.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife
A Great Northern Diver is swimming on dark, rippled water, facing left. A Great Northern Diver is swimming through dark rippled water holding a narrow fish in its bill. A Great Northern Diver is swimming through dark rippled water with its bill submerged beneath the surface as it swims forward. A Great Northern Diver is swimming on dark, rippled water, facing slightly toward us as it swims left.
November 16, 2025 at 3:49 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Things have come to a pretty pass when it takes until mid-November to see my first Lapwing of the year at Girdle Ness. This one was in Greyhope Bay this morning. Maybe the bird that's undergone the most perceptible loss in British avifauna in my lifetime.
#Birds #BIrdingScotland #UKWildlife
A Lapwing is standing on a rock in the foreground, showing its crest and greenish upperparts. In the background are more rocks with waves crashing onto them.
November 15, 2025 at 6:45 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Seawatching below grey skies and an easterly at Girdle Ness. After yesterday's late Sooty Shearwater, 2 more passed today. Also, 2 Little Auks, 3 Bonxies, a Manx Shearwater and a Little Gull. The highlight was my first Slavonian Grebe here for several years, heading north.
#Birds #BirdingScotland
A grey sea and sky, with waves crashing onto rocks. In the foreground is a grassy slope, a gravel track and a high fence.
November 15, 2025 at 3:35 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
My latest ever Sooty Shearwater headed north over some iridescent seas at Girdle Ness this afternoon. Bunched parties of Kittiwakes were heading the same way, looking for a route out to the Atlantic.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife
A shimmering, blue grey sea with blue sky and fluffy grey and white clouds. A concrete jetty goes out into the sea among dark rocks. Short grass is in the foreground.
November 14, 2025 at 5:08 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Foggy arrivals at Girdle Ness today: Short-eared Owl (primarily), the NS Iona (emergently), the sun (diffusely).
#Birds #BirdingScotland #weather #UKWildlife
A Short-eared Owl is flying away from the camera in a foggy blue-grey sky. A ship appears out of a bank of fog. Only the top half is visible. To the right is the beacon at the end of the harbour breakwater. A ship appears out of a bank of fog. To the right is the beacon at the end of the harbour breakwater. The sun shines through the fog above some short, dewy grass.
November 7, 2025 at 3:22 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
An immaculate juvenile Great Northern Diver in Aberdeen Harbour today.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding #UKWildlife
A juvenile Great Northern Diver is swimming right to left over calm blue water. You can see its reflection and feet slightly in the water. Pale edges to the wing feathers indicate the age.
November 7, 2025 at 3:07 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Like these, from April last year...
Wind turbines in the sunset along a rocky mountain ridge. A gravel road goes along one side.
November 6, 2025 at 8:34 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Proper #patchgold today in St Fittick's Park with this drake Gadwall on the main marsh. It's only my fourth ever record here and the first for five years.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding #UKWildlife
A male Gadwall is flying against a grey sky, showing the underside of its wings. A male Gadwall is flying against a grey sky, showing the upperside of its wings.
November 2, 2025 at 3:30 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Grey cold at Girdle Ness today, but the wind had eased from yesterday. A late morning flurry of 40 Little Auks was enjoyable. Other birds moving included 2 Sooty Shearwaters, a Great Northern Diver, 3 Little Gulls, a Merlin, and 26 Long-tailed Ducks.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife #PatchBirding
A grey sea crashes onto some dark rocks by a concrete jetty. The sky is grey.
October 26, 2025 at 2:24 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Arduous conditions at Girdle Ness this morning, with showers more on than off and a biting north-westerly. Relatively slow going at sea, with three Little Auks the highlight. Also one Great Northern Diver and 32 Long-tailed Ducks.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife
A rough sea is crashing onto a rocky shore with a rainbow and cloud in the sky. In the foreground is rough grassland.
October 25, 2025 at 12:56 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
A few tired looking Goldcrests arrived at Girdle Ness today. This one was gleaning insects in the willows but another had only got as far as a patch of thistles, before heading to the unlikely surrounds of the harbour breakwater.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife
A Goldcrest is perched in a willow tree, trying to find insects among the remaining leaves.
October 19, 2025 at 7:18 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Today brought the autumn's first real arrival of thrushes at Girdle Ness, mostly Redwings and Blackbirds but a few Fieldfares strutted the short grass too.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife
A Fieldfare is standing on some dewy grass, facing left. An out of focus Goldfinch is in the background. A group of Redwings are feeding on some green, dewy grass.
October 18, 2025 at 5:57 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Pixels win prizes. This resplendent adult Pomarine Skua was the seawatching highlight at Girdle Ness today, picked out by @inchgarthbirding.bsky.social
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding #UKWildlife
A Pomarine Skua is flying over a grey sea. The picture shows the long, thick tail projections known as 'spoons'.
October 18, 2025 at 5:47 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
A pale phase Arctic Skua directs aggro towards a Common Gull off Girdle Ness today. It then gets chased off by another Common Gull.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife
A pale Arctic Skua is flying downwards towards a Common Gull. A grey sea is in the background. A pale Arctic Skua is flying across towards a Common Gull. A grey sea is in the background. A pale Arctic Skua is flying behind a Common Gull. Their mouths are wide open with noise. A grey sea is in the background. An Arctic Skua is being chased in flight by a Common Gull over a grey sea.
October 17, 2025 at 7:22 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
My first Long-tailed Ducks of the autumn arrived in to the harbour mouth at Girdle Ness today, encouraged by a light northwest wind. Interesting to see their feet.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife
Two female Long-tailed Ducks are flying over grey water. Two female Long-tailed Ducks are flying over grey water, gathering to land. Two female Long-tailed Ducks are flying over grey water, gathering to land. Two female Long-tailed Ducks are flying over grey water, about to land.
October 14, 2025 at 4:40 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
The 2nd calendar year Glaucous Gull reappeared at Girdle Ness today, sweeping across the bay before settling on the south breakwater.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife
An immature Glaucous Gull is flying over the sea, in front of a red and white ship and a yellow and white wind turbine. Some distant coastal land is in the background.
October 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Terns seem to be staying later at Girdle Ness these days. This adult and juvenile Arctic Tern wandered between Greyhope Bay and Aberdeen Bay this afternoon.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #UKWildlife
An adult (asleep) and juvenile Arctic Tern are standing on seaweed covered rocks by the sea. An Oystercatcher is on the right.
October 13, 2025 at 7:33 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
An unusual view of a group of Long-tailed Tits that forayed along the north side of Girdle Ness today. There were eleven in the flock and they circled out over the harbour for a short time. Like other tits, they seem to be wandering more widely than usual this autumn.
#Birds #BirdingScotland
Three Long-tailed Tits are flying left to right against a grey sky. Another bird is in the background.
October 13, 2025 at 7:27 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
A flat-screen TV sea at Girdle Ness today, stitched by lines of auks, gulls, Shags and rolling Harbour Porpoises. A Great Northern Diver blended the seasons in its plumage.
#Birds #Cetaceans #BirdingScotland
Various seabirds are scattered across a silvery-grey sea, including Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls, Shags, Guillemots and Razorbills. A Harbour Porpoise shows its small dorsal fin as it surfaces on a grey, calm sea. A few gulls are in the distances. A Great Northern Diver is swimming on a calm, grey sea. Some summer plumage remains, including the white spots on the back and white collar on the neck.
October 12, 2025 at 6:04 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
Regular Moorhen appreciation post. St Fittick's Park, Aberdeen, today.
#Birds #BirdingScotland
A Moorhen is swimming greenish waters, some water weed dripping from its red and yellow bill.
October 11, 2025 at 8:48 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
It was warm, calm and muggy at Girdle Ness today, feeling rather between seasons. Birds included a few Grey Wagtails, my first Little Grebe here this year, lots of Long-tailed Tits and three Stonechats.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding
A Grey Wagtail is walking left to right over a rock, holding its pink foot up as it walks. A Little Grebe is swimming in calm, grey water just offshore from some rocks. A Long-tailed Tit is perched in a tangle of bare twigs. A male Stonechat is perched on top of a dry dock flowerhead.
October 11, 2025 at 8:42 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
I was delighted to find this Twite in the field by Girdle Ness lighthouse today. It's my first here for 13 years. They used to be almost annual but have become much less frequent, in common with their decline nationally.
#Birds #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding
A Twite is sitting on a concrete pillar, facing right. A Linnet sits on the other pillar with its back to us. In the background are parts of a ship.
October 6, 2025 at 5:41 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
A strong Icelandic feeling to the birds at Girdle Ness today:
Juvenile Pomarine Skua
Brent Goose (Pale-bellied!)
2 Great Northern Divers
25 Whooper Swans
33 Red-breasted Mergansers
5 Greylag Geese
440 Pink-footed Geese
2 Little Gulls
3 Golden Plovers
Bar-tailed Godwit
#Birds #BirdingScotland
October 5, 2025 at 5:40 PM
anthrobirder.bsky.social
The two Brent Geese were along the shore at Girdle Ness this morning but then headed off high to the south. A mea culpa that these are actually Dark-bellied Brents, which are much rarer here. I should have waited to see them out of the water!
#Birds #BirdingScotland
Two Dark-bellied Brent Geese flying south against a grey sky, looking dark-bellied.
October 4, 2025 at 3:58 PM