Bird Watching Round and about Greenbrae Farmhouse

We have seen the following birds from Greenbrae.

Heron, Whooper swan, Pink footed goose, Mallard, Wigeon, Hen Harrier, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Peregrine, Grey Partridge, Pheasant, Oystercatcher, Ringer Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Greater Black-backed Gull, Feral Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Tawny Owl, Swift, Greater spotted woodpecker, Sky Lark, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Wheatear, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Spotted Flycatcher, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting.

Aberdeenshire has a great range of habitats, from the estuaries to the high mountain tops, from moorlands to forest, from sea cliffs to farmland. There is therefore a great many species of birds to be found.

At Forvie National Nature Reserve just 15 miles from Greenbrae there are fours species of breeding tern and the biggest breeding colony of eider duck in the UK. Osprey regularly fish in the Ythan estuary.

At the Bullers of Buchan and Longhaven Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve and spectacular granite cliffs breeding puffins, razorbills guillemots, kittiwakes and fulmars can be found. The cliff tops also have a wide variety of flora and dolphins, porpoises, pilot whales and minke whales have been seen off this coast.

The Loch of Strathbeg is an RSPB reserve 12 miles from Greenbrae. In the winter there the reserve is home to 25% of the world population of pink-footed geese. There are also whooper swans and a wide variety of other wildfowl. Bittern is non a regular winter visitor as are hen harriers.

On the Moray coast Troup Head is worth noting as having Scotland's only mainland gannet colony. During the breeding season you can take o boat trip from Macduff along the coast to Troup Head.

Autumn and spring migration brings in a number of rarities. In 2004 these include; thrush nightingale, wryneck, barred, dusky, icterine and greenish warblers, rosy starling, pallid swift, lesser grey shrike, common crane, snowy owl and a scops owl which was found on an oil rig 150 miles into the North Sea. It was brought ashore and released at the Loch of Strathbeg.