Tarbat Ness
Jutting out into the Moray Firth, Tarbat Ness is the best seawatching point in the area - at its best from April-October but worth visiting all year round. At times, tens of thousands of seabirds pass by in autumn, mostly common species like Gannet and Kittiwake. Great Skuas, Arctic Skuas and Manx Shearwaters are regularly seen from April-September, with counts of the latter often in three figures.
Occasional Pomarine Skuas, Long-tailed Skuas and Sooty Shearwaters are seen in autumn, along with small numbers of Black Guillemots and Puffins. Red-throated and Black-throated Divers can be seen all year, with the former being numerous in spring and autumn. Great Northern Divers are often present between October-May, by which time many are in summer-plumage. Red-necked and Slavonian Grebe, Common and Velvet Scoter are also regular. Windy days are best for the more pelagic species, preferably with easterly or north-easterly direction, but calm days are also good, allowing better views of Black Guillemot, divers and grebes.
In autumn, north-easterly winds and rain can produce numerous Redstarts, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Blackcaps and Goldcrests. More often, it's a site to watch visible migration, flocks of geese, including Barnacle Geese are regular and it is not unusual to encounter species such as Whimbrel, Ruff and Iceland Gull. Look out for summer-plumage Turnstone in late spring and summer. Tarbat Ness is also a good site for Minke Whales in late summer and Bottle-nosed Dolphins in autumn.
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