Moray Bird Club (the Moray branch of SOC)
Big Birdwatch 15-16 May
Results of the 2026 Big Birdwatch, and a summary of all previous years, can be seen here:
Big Birdwatch results May 2026
Big Birdwatch all years summary
The results of the Moray Bird Club 2025 Corn Bunting Survey can be seen here: Moray Corn Bunting Survey 2025 – Results
They are also available, together with more detail of the methodology, on this website under Surveys > Moray Bird Club Surveys
First dates for summer migrants in 2026:
Spotted Flycatcher 1 Cabrach 15/5
Little Tern 1 Lossie estuary 13/5
Swift 1 Rothes 7/5
Arctic Tern 2 Lossiemouth 26/4
Redstart 1 near Drynachan 24/4
Whitethroat 1 Hillockhead 21/4
Cuckoo 1 Hillockhead 21/4
Grasshopper Warbler 1 Dallas 18/4
Sedge Warbler 1 Laiken Glen 18/4
White Wagtail 1 Spey estuary 12/4
Ring Ouzel 1 Auchnahyle 10/4
Tree Pipit 2 Clunas 7/4
House Martin 1 Kingston 7/4
Willow Warbler 1 Fochabers 6/4
Blackcap 1 Fochabers 6/4
Common Tern 1 Cullen 6/4
Swallow 1 Hillhead 3/4
Wheatear 1 Findhorn Bay 1/4
Osprey 1 Spey estuary 28/3
Common Sandpiper 1 Garmouth 26/3
Sand Martin 6 Loch Spynie 20/3
Sandwich Tern 1 Lossiemouth 12/3
Chiffchaff 1 Rothes 4/3
Birds in Moray & Nairn 2023
The report on birds in Moray & Nairn in 2023 can now be found here:
Birds in Moray & Nairn 2023
Alternatively, look under ‘Bird Reports’ for this and previous editions
The Birds of Moray & Nairn
Thirty years on from the first book, the new edition of The Birds of Moray & Nairn has now been published. Look under ‘Publications’ – ‘The Birds of Moray & Nairn’ for more information and sample pages.
AGE CATEGORIES OF GULLS
Glaucous Gull [2CY], Lossie estuary March 2019 (David Main)
For example, such as the Glaucous Gull pictured above:
From hatching in June 2018 until 31 December 2018 = 1st calendar year (or 1CY)
From 1 January 2019 until 31 December 2019 = 2nd calendar year (or 2CY), as pictured
and so on through 3CY [1 January 2020-31 December 2020] etc.
Birds with no sign of immaturity = adult