Wildlife in Seaton

Don mouth panorama

Seaton is well placed to take advantage of the Sea, the Don Mouth and the green areas around the links.

The River Don

The Don is 83 miles long, one of the many locations that the river runs through is Strathdon, an area that also has it's own totem pole made by the community but also by the same First Nation Artists as were involved with the Seaton Totem Pole.

Don mouth nature reserve

By the Don Mouth there is a small island between the Brig of Balgownie and the Bridge of Don, we like to call the Light Island, but have heard of other names, please let us know any names of history of this island.  On this island seal pups are born in November/ December each year.  The pup of a seal will suckle for 10 minutes 5 or 6 times a day, their birth weight doubles in one week, after a month the pups have grown at an amazing rate and the mother will leave to then mate with another bull.  At this stage the pup enters the sea to fend for itself.  The seal pup is born with thick white fur, but will lose this shortly after it is born and it will be replaced with a much darker sleeker coat.

Around this area of the Don you can see Pipistrelle bats.  Bats are more easily spotted in open ground, mainly at dusk, They change their roosting place from season to season and chose caves and trees in which to hibernate.

Midges can be found by the banks of the river in the summer time. The wings of midgies can be as many as a thousand times a second in contrast to those of a bee or wasp that can beat as many as 250 times a second during flight.

Nature reserve sign

Also on the river there are swans swimming, young signets are hatched with a complete covering of down and can take to water as soon as they leave the nest, which is within 24 - 48hrs of hatching.  From the beginning they can forage for themselves, but at least one parent remains with them, guarding, guiding and initially brooding them at night.  Their dark downy plumage is retained for 2 - 6 weeks and is then replaced gradually by the juvenile feathers. The flight feathers are last to develop taking from 5 weeks to 4 months.  By the age of 6 months the signets are practically indistinguishable from the adults in plumage and size.  With luck and cunning a wild swan may survive for 15 - 20 years.

The Hide

 Sea birds
Common and Sandwich terns, Ganets, Cormarants, Shags, Ducks and Flying geese can be seen just off the coast of Seaton.
Oyster Catchers, Turnstones and Ducks can be seen around the muddy area at the Don Mouth.

On shore there is a birdwatchers hide where you can view much of the wildlife Seaton has to offer without disturbing any of the birds or animals. This hide can be accessed by the boardwalk that spans from Powis Burn to the estuary mouth.  The boardwalk was constructed by the work of the Aberdeen Prison Service.

View from hide east

View from hide west

View from hide

Granite city forest

The Granite City Forest

The Granite City Forest is a network of newly planted forests across the city, with a tree planted to represent each person in the city.  The forests will provide shelter, oxygen and contribute towards combating global warming. 

Fossils
We can see how evolution has changed living things by examining fossils, Fossils preserve the body parts of living creature from long ago and we can see how they have developed over millions of year.

Hedgehogs
Although hedgehogs like woodland scrub and cover as their name suggests they prefer well cropped or cut grasslands to find the worms and insects, which are not their staple diet.  Hedgehogs do not tunnel but wrap themselves up in dense collections of leaves to form solid hibernation nests.  Hedgehogs roll themselves up into a ball with spines to protect themselves from most predators.  The spines are erect when they roll up and these form a sharp defense.  They are born with soft white spines with dark spines soon growing between these.  Fleas, ticks and lice enjoy life among there spines.

Urban Foxes of Seaton
Urban foxes are increasing in number and are now a common sight in Seaton, taking a daytime stroll in the Granite Forrest.  Foxes pregnancy lasts about 53 days, with peak mating in January.

The Grey Squirrel
The grey squirrel is bold and determined when it comes to finding food in parks.  It’s quite at home ignoring nearby people as it scurries about searching for nuts or cones and it will sometimes rob bird tables in private gardens reaching them by scrambling along washing lines if there are no trees about.

Feral Cats
Feral cats can be seen at Hillhead, just west of Seaton.
 
Dolphins
At the far side of the sea front from Seaton at the Harbor Mouth;  and other large sea mammals can be viewed, and if you are lucky you may see a Bottle-nosed, white Beaked Dolphin or even a porpoise.

Some wild poems selected by Murdoch
When?:
When do caterpillars turn into butterflies?
When do we see fairy rings?
When do bees make honey?
When do woodpeckers peck wood?
When do trees loose their leaves?
When did the first plants apear?

Dennis Claw
And the fans are beginning to roar
Yes it's claw on the ba' - will he score
Now the nets in his sight
But the angle is tight
It's a goal! claw mans done it once more

Robert the Puss
For King Robert the Puss things looked grave
He sat all alone in the lonely cave
Then he heard someone cry
You must try, try, try
So a spider saved Scotland the Brave

Don mouth sign

Mewin' McGregor
Young Mewin' McGregor a stray
In a galaxy far, far away
His adventures untold
He was daring and bold
You can see him in Purr Wars today

Nature/culture
A stream is nature
A canal is culture
A grunt is nature
A language is culture
Sex is nature
Marriage is culture
Nature is raw
Culture is cooked, seasoned, chopped and presented
Culture is fancy dress, not to be worn to seriously 

A large part of the Seaton area is made up of different green space.  These include the links golf courses, the Granite Forrest, areas of recently planted wildflowers, long grass, the beach, sea and River Don mouth.  Each of these areas contribute to the  bio-diversity of the area, attracting  a wide variety of birds, mini beasts and various sizes of mammals.

What have you spotted in Seaton?