Hound Point (Grid Ref. NT 15 79)
This headland is just east of South Queensferry where the Firth of Forth narrows to form the Inner Forth. It is best known for the autumn passage of skuas which appear to be crossing from the North Sea to the Irish Sea over southern Scotland. All four species are seen annually but Long-tailed Skuas are very variable in numbers. Only a few pass in most years but in certain years large numbers may pass through in a few days. The best conditions appear to be a wind from the north or east and rain or cloud clearing from the west in the late afternoon.
There is a tern roost at Hound Point and Black Terns are not infrequent at low tide and waders and wildfowl can be watched passing up the Forth. Other seabirds such as Gannets, Manx Shearwaters and Fulmars are common too. Rarer species seen from here include Honey Buzzard, Osprey, Red-necked Phalarope and Iceland Gull. The woods around the Point hold Green Woodpeckers, Jays and Buzzards.
Linlithgow (Grid Ref. NT 00 77)
A relatively large loch, Linlithgow Loch is almost in the centre of the town of Linlithgow. The town side can be busy but the loch holds duck, especially Pochard, and swans. The largest breeding colony of Great Crested Grebes in the Lothians is found here and Ring-necked Duck and Red-crested Pochard have both been recorded.
Threipmuir and Bavelaw (Grid Ref. NT 16 63)
Bavelaw is a Local Nature Reserve in the foothills of the Pentlands, south of Balerno. The reserve is a marsh with a hide at the western end of Threipmuir Reservoir. In summer it is home to a large colony of Black-headed Gulls and a few Common Gulls. Other nesting species include Great-crested Grebe, Water Rails and a variety of ducks. Gadwall has occasionally bred and this is the only regular nesting site for Shoveler in Lothian. Ruddy Duck are reasonably regular and Garganey is an infrequent passage visitor. Both Black-necked and Red-necked Grebes have nested in the past.
The woods and scrub around Bavelaw and Threipmuir have Redpoll, Tree Pipit and Jay. The presence of passage waders depends on water levels which are usually too high but Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper and Ruff have been recorded.
In winter there is a roost of Pink-footed Geese and a small herd of Whooper Swans. Duck numbers increase and there are Pochard, Goldeneye and Goosander, with Smew also occasionally recorded at this season. There is a small Hen Harrier roost here or on the adjacent Red Moss. This is not a great site for rarities but both American Wigeon and Blue-winged Teal have been recorded while Osprey and Marsh Harrier have been seen on passage.
Aberlady Bay and Gosford Bay (Grid Ref. NT 47 80)
The oldest local nature reserve in Britain, managed by East Lothian Council since 1952. The reserve is east of the village of Aberlady, 17 miles east of Edinburgh. It covers 582 Ha of mudflats, saltmarsh, freshwater marsh, dunes, beach and woodland and is important both botanically and ornithologically. 550 species of plant have been recorded.
Birds that Aberlady is important for are wildfowl, especially Pink-footed Geese and waders especially Grey Plover and Sanderling. Freshwater pools attract passage waders and Garganey in spring when Osprey and Marsh Harrier may pass through in small numbers. Lesser Whitethroats and a few Grasshopper Warblers breed among the more numerous Whitethroats, Sedge and Willow Warblers.
Recent rarities have included White-billed Diver, Little Egret, Spoonbill, American Wigeon, King Eider, Montagu's Harrier, Long Billed Dowitcher, White-rumped Sandpiper, Short-toed Lark, Richard's Pipit, Great Reed Warbler and Marsh Warbler. Going further back notable rarities recorded here include Cream-coloured Courser, Caspian Plover, Greater Sand Plover and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.
There is a car park and well marked paths for visitors. No dogs. Groups please contact the ranger beforehand.
Ranger: Ian Thomson, 4, Craigielaw Cottages, Aberlady, East Lothian EH32 0PY. Telephone 01875 870588.
Gosford Bay, immediately south-west of Aberlady Bay, stretches from Port Seton east to Greencraig Point and is well served by car parks off the coastal road. From these one can look over the bay. Gosford Bay is the best site in Britain for Red-necked Grebe; there have been late summer counts of over 60 birds and the Grebes are present in most months of the year with peaks in early spring and late summer. Good numbers of Slavonian Grebes are found here too during the winter months and this is one of the more regular sites in the Forth for Black-necked Grebe, Great Northern Diver and Black-throated Diver. There are also flocks of sea duck but the regular appearance of Surf Scoters seems to be a thing of the past. At low tide the Bay is used for feeding by many of the waders and wildfowl which roost at Aberlady. Ferny Ness car park at the eastern end of Longniddry is the most popular car park for viewing the bay but the whole area can be busy on summer weekends.
Gladhouse (Grid Ref. NT 29 53)
This is the largest reservoir in Lothian and lies in the Moorfoot Hills. Black Grouse, Ring Ouzel and Merlin nest in these hills but access is more difficult here than in other hill areas. Nowadays the reservoir rarely drops low enough to expose mud but when it did it attracted good numbers of autumn waders including White-rumped and Baird's Sandpipers, Wilson's Phalarope and Temminck's Stint. Goose numbers have also dropped in recent years but a few Pink-footed Geese still roost. Small numbers of grebes breed but even in summer this can be a bleak place.
Gladhouse is the most regular Lothian site for Smew and attracts reasonable numbers of Goosander. There are good numbers of other duck but not in spectacular numbers and there is a gull roost. Ospreys are recorded reasonably regularly on passage and other raptors may be seen in the surrounding hills. Rare waders have been unknown in most recent years but in 1997 the water levels dropped their furthest for many years and Pectoral Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher were found. Other recent rare birds have included American Wigeon, Ring-billed Gull and White-winged Black Tern.
This large reservoir is a LNR and Ramsar site. Its size can make a telescope almost essential and viewing is best from the south-east corner. Please respect the private property which surrounds this reservoir.
Musselburgh (Grid Ref. NT 34 73)
Musselburgh is probably the best known birding site in Lothian. The lagoons were created by the South of Scotland Electricity Board (now Scottish Power) in the 1960's and have been gradually filled in. They lie to the east of the town of Musselburgh and can be reached from the road to Prestonpans or from Musselburgh town centre by following the river to Goosegreen. Waders, gulls and terns used to roost here in large numbers but do so today in much reduced numbers. A new wader scrape has added freshwater for passage waders while plantings of trees has increased the variety of passerines breeding in the area. It is managed jointly by Scottish Power and East Lothian Council who employ a ranger on site. Please contact the council for details or group visits.
Off the sea wall there are still good numbers of Eider, Velvet Scoter, Goldeneye and Long-tailed Duck; this is now the most regular site for Surf Scoters in Lothian. Slavonian Grebes are common and easy to see while Red-necked Grebe is regular in small numbers. The commonest diver is Red-throated but Black-throated and Great Northern are reasonably regular. The sea is best in the winter. The waders roosted on the ash lagoons but as the area of ash has reduced so have the numbers of roosting birds but there are still reasonable flocks of Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone, Oystercatcher, Knot, Dunlin and Ringed Plover. In autumn Golden Plover roost here with a few Grey Plovers. Spring is the best time for gulls, especially when there is a passage of Common Gulls when Mediterranean and Iceland Gulls may roost. Musselburgh is Scotland's most regular Mediterranean Gull haunt.
The new scrape has encouraged more wildfowl and freshwater waders and previously scarce Musselburgh birds such as Garganey, Little Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank and Greenshank have been tempted to linger by these shallow pools. Ruff have used these pools since their creation and up to a dozen have overwintered. A recent phenomenon is good sized flocks of Black-tailed Godwits going through on passage, as well as reasonable numbers of Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers. The trees have attracted warblers, including Grasshopper Warbler, to breed as well as Reed Buntings. In the last few years Musselburgh has been a productive rarity spot with Glossy Ibis, American Wigeon, Red-crested Pochard, Surf Scoter, Pectoral, Western and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Marsh Sandpiper, Grey and Red-necked Phalaropes, Laughing, Franklin and Ring-billed Gulls, Lesser Crested Tern, Forster's Tern, Brunnich's Guillemot, Desert Wheatear, Bluethroat and Ortolan Bunting all having been recorded in recent years.
Tyninghame (Grid Ref. NT 63 79)
Tyninghame is a village at the mouth of the River Tyne north-west of Dunbar but birders use it as a general name for the area around the Tyne estuary including Tyninghame and Belhaven Bays, Seafield Pond and the John Muir Country Park. This is a much less explored area than Aberlady or Musselburgh and consists of saltmarsh, extensive woodlands, pastures, fields and brackish pools. Access is from Belhaven Bay in Dunbar, West Barns, the Ware Road or Limetree Walk.
The Tyne estuary is large and can be difficult to work especially at low tide when birds may be far away and hidden in river channels and creeks. It is also a rather underwatched site and many birds, especially mid-week, may go unseen. In winter Tyninghame is home to a small flock of Greenshanks as well as the more usual assortment of Lothian waders. It is also the most important site in south-east Scotland for Wigeon with a regular wintering flock of over 1,000 birds. Jack Snipe are frequently found in the saltmarsh areas.
The area is a goose roost, especially after the shooting season ends, and the fields around Dunbar are the best area in Lothian for Whooper and Mute Swans and occasional Bewick's Swans. The waders attract regular raptors, especially Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and Merlin while Buzzard nests in the area. The woods and plantations have Jay and both Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker while Hawfinch has been recorded in the past. Kingfisher is reasonably regular on the burns and River Tyne.
Tyninghame, especially the Spike Island saltmarsh was the best place in Scotland for Shorelark but these have not been recorded recently. Lapland Bunting, Snow Bunting and Twite are still regular. A feature of recent winters have been Water Pipits which winter on the seaward side of the north shore among Rock Pipits and Pied Wagtails.
In spring there are good numbers of breeding Shelduck on the estuary while the odd Wigeon may summer. Wader numbers increase as they pass northwards. Summer is a quiet time with a non-breeding flock of Mute Swans and the odd moult migrant Canada Goose on the estuary but the breeding terns seem to be a thing of the past. Things pick up again in august when the waders return. The head of the estuary is good for Green and Common Sandpipers while on the estuary itself there is a sizeable flock of Greenshanks. Spotted Redshanks are regular and there have been large influxes of Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint.
Being on the east coast Tyninghame has attracted its share of rarities with recent records including Little Egret, Spoonbill, Black Kite, Kentish Plover, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Red-rumped Swallow and Golden Oriole. Two of the best known birds found here include Scotland's first Green Heron in 1987 and a female Black Duck which spent two summers here in 1985 / 1986.
Barns Ness (Grid Ref. NT 72 77)
This low coastal headland is south of Dunbar on East Lothian's North Sea coast. There is a caravan site with plantation and areas of gorse and elder. Further inland is the derelict village of East Barns which also has good cover for migrants. This is the main migration site in the Lothians and in good conditions can attract falls of migrants in both spring and autumn. Species recorded regularly include most of the common migrants and these can also be seen further south at Skateraw, Thorntonloch and Dunglass. Rarities in the 90's have included Richard's Pipit, Olive-backed Pipit, Icterine Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Dusky Warbler and Red-breasted Flycatcher, with Pied Wheatear and Desert Wheatear at Thorntonloch, Pallas' Warbler at Skateraw; Dunglass may still hold the odd Marsh Tit.
Bass Rock and North Berwick
North Berwick is the launching place for boat trips around the famous Gannetry of the Bass Rock. There are over 20,000 pairs here and trips leave from the harbour during the summer months. There are other islands and there are a number of seabird colonies on these. From the boat you can expect to see Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins, Kittiwakes, Shags, Cormorants and Fulmars as well as Eiders and Grey Seals.
Behind North Berwick is the volcanic plug of North Berwick Law which is a good spot for Green Woodpecker and which has a small marsh at its foot where Snipe and Teal may be found. To the east of North Berwick there are a number of small coastal sites such as Seacliff, Scoughall and Pefferside which may attract migrants and are not worked by many birders.