GO BIRDING
HIGHLAND
Search for wildfowl and waders on Cromarty Bay
MAX MILES ON FOOT: 3 MIN TIME: 3 HOURS
This large natural inlet of Cromarty Firth, on the Black Isle, includes mudflats, saltmarsh and inter-tidal slacks, complete with a myriad of creeks and sand bars, ideal for a wide range of wildfowl and waders, which supports internationally important numbers of wintering Pink-footed Geese and Scaup. The firth has a resident pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphins, as well as Grey Seals and an enviable record for attracting rare birds such as American Wigeon and White-billed Diver, while Waxwings often winter in nearby Cromarty.
WHERE TO WATCH
1 Either side of high tide, scan the mudflats from the RSPB hide for large numbers of feeding shorebirds including Curlew, Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Dunlin, Ringed and Grey Plovers, Turnstone, Sanderling and Knot, plus on autumn passage, Whimbrel, Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwit, along with flocks of gulls and maybe a few Sandwich or Arctic Terns. Thousands of wintering Pink-footed and Greylag Geese feed on eel-grass along with lesser numbers of White-fronted Geese and Whooper Swans. Shelduck are commonplace, while high tide should deliver a fair chance of Red-breasted Merganser, Goldeneye, Velvet Scoter, Pintail, Long-tailed Duck or Slavonian Grebe among the commoner sea ducks such as Wigeon, Common Scoter and internationally important numbers of Scaup off Jemimaville. A late Osprey fishing is possible, although Peregrine and Merlin are more likely, while White-tailed Eagle have also been recorded.
2 Check the small coniferous wood for a chance of Crested Tit and Scottish Crossbill amongst the more regular Coal Tit and Crossbill, plus Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin and Brambling. Tawny Owl is resident, while autumn can bring Redwing, Fieldfare and maybe a Long-eared Owl or Woodcock. Grey Wagtail and Kingfisher haunt the brook, which can attract a passing Common Sandpiper or a wintering Dipper. Autumn passerines on adjacent rough pasture often include one or two Whinchat, Wheatear and Stonechat, along with mixed flocks of Sky Lark, Meadow Pipit, Linnet and Reed Bunting. Short-eared and Barn Owl, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Buzzard regularly hunt this area plus, increasingly, Red Kite and Goshawk.
3 Another good spot to scan the bay for geese and ducks. Check for roosting waders in front of the dunes at high tide and gull flocks for a chance of Glaucous or Iceland Gull. The weedy strandline attracts Turnstone, Purple Sandpiper and occasionally Twite and
