Day 18 of #30DaysWild takes a look at some of the wildlife we stumbled across when visiting Newburgh beach in Aberdeenshire.

Newburgh beach is a great place to visit for wildlife, especially if you are into birds!

When you are on the beach you can see across the estuary to Sands of Forvie where Eider Ducks come to breed each year. These birds are often in the water hunting for Mussels. The Terns are also out in the estuary hunting, they are interesting to watch as they almost hover for a few seconds before hitting the water like a spear trying to catch a meal.

On the sand banks Sand Martins are constantly flitting about going in and out of their homes gathering food for their young, this is great to watch but very hard to photograph! A nearby hut is home to House Martins with several nests dotted about.

One more unusual site however was a juvenile Guillimot sat on the beach. It was sat on the sand right next to a busy walk way and not moving much. Concerned about it we decided that if it was still there on the walk back we would call someone to report it as it may be injured.

Unfortunately the Guillimot hadn’t moved so we contact the SSPCA to report the bird. After providing details over the phone we received a call back to tell us on this occasion they were not going to come and rescue the bird. The handler said all of the Guillimots she had tried to rescue before all ended up dying, therefore she thought the best course of action was to leave the bird in the hope it was just resting. We couldn’t see any obvious injuries so hopefully the bird managed to recover and move on.

Another great sight at Newburgh beach are the seals. If you don’t see them first you can certainly hear their eerie calls over the water. The seals are so curious and quite often bob about in the water looking at you and following you as you walk along the shore. This seal however took it to the next level and was chilling out on the beach right next to where everyone would walk! Amazing opportunity to see a wild animal up close.

Also if you don’t know much about Newburgh beach last year there was a Humpback Whale out in the water for weeks. I never managed to catch a glimpse but the photographs of the patient photographers who managed to get pictures was amazing!

For any keen birder or wildlife lover I would recommend visiting Newburgh Beach and Sands of Forvie in Aberdeenshire as you will more than get your fill of nature!

Camilla – Erika and Robin Oleander x

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