0285 : Back To School (9/5/16)

At rather short notice I was given the opportunity to get out and about for a day's birding with Stuart Green of Angus Birdtours ( http://www.angusbirdtours.com/ and/or  https://www.facebook.com/angus.birdtours/ ). Stuart, known in bird reports and elsewhere as SRG, is one of the foremost birders in Angus, with a string of great finds to his name including Bonapartes Gull, Sabines Gull, Balearic Shearwater, White Rumped Sandpiper, Bridled Tern, Bee-Eater, Red Rumped Swallow, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler and Collared Flycatcher - a number of which were county firsts. My birding 'skills', such as they are, are mostly self-taught, having never really had a more experienced 'mentor' figure to go out birding with too often, so the chance to ask Stuart a few questions about finding rarities and gull identification among other things was too good to pass up.

Yellowhammer
We arranged to meet up at Forfar Loch around 0915 and I left the house at 0815 to walk the short distance to catch the bus to Forfar. It was a fairly typical set of species that started the list - House Sparrow, Feral Pigeon, Blue Tit, Herring Gull, Starling, Carrion Crow, Swift, followed by Lesser Black backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Goldfinch while waiting for a bus that was eventually almost 25 minutes late. A Pheasant was added as the bus reached Forfar. As things worked out I was around 10 minutes late and met Stuart scoping Forfar Loch.

There weren't too many particularly interesting birds around, mostly wildfowl. Moorhen, Mute Swan, Coot, Goosander, Tufted Duck, Oystercatcher, Gadwall, Black Headed Gull and Mallard were all out on the water. A Magpie flew in and Sand Martins hawked above the water. Great Crested Grebes at a nest were seen before we set off for Montrose Basin to see if the Glossy Ibis pair seen the previous evening had stuck around.

A quick stop on the way gave us Jackdaw, Rook, Swallow and a Common Sandpiper that I overlooked but that didn't elude Stuart's sharp eyes. We headed next for the Lurgies hoping for a possible sighting across the river. Unfortunately the birds were proving elusive and we were to draw a blank.  Eider, Goldeneye, Marsh Harrier, Shelduck, Shoveler, Linnet, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Red Breasted Merganser and Pied Wagtail were scant consolation, though Marsh Harrier is always a welcome sight. A stop at a different part of the Basin gave us Greenshank, Common Gull, Redshank and Curlew but still no Ibis. Another stop at a more wooded area overlooking part of the Basin gave us Wren, Sparrowhawk, Cormorant, Common Tern and Whitethroat. A calling Chiffchaff and singing Willow Warbler were both heard but too far away to see among the trees.

Next we headed to the coast in the hope of finding some rarities. A Willow Warbler sang nearby when we parked the car. Fulmars, Gannet, Razorbill and Red Throated Diver were seen offshore while on the landward side Yellowhammers, Meadow Pipits, a pair of Blackcaps and Chiffchaff were all seen. Stuart also spotted some Scoters offshore though as I was only using binoculars I managed to miss these too. On our way to our next stop on the coast we added Collared Dove. A Raven spotted by Stuart was a nice find when we stopped and below on the water we were able to see Guillemots, Razorbills and a single Puffin. There were more Yellowhammers but little else around though we did have nice close views of Skylarks lifting from the fields singing loudly.

Another coastal spot gave us a few more species with Buzzard, Great Tit, Corn Bunting, Tree Sparrow, Robin, Dunnock and Goldcrest but again it seemed that if there were any rarities on this stretch of coast they were definitely in hiding. I spotted a Tick wandering up the back of Stuart's top and knocked it off - a timely reminder of the need to be aware of the chance of picking up one or two of these potentially nasty creatures while out birding. A bit further on along the coast we stopped again and during the course of our wander we added Sedge Warbler, Treecreeper, Song Thrush and a low flying Peregrine among other things. Once again rarities were noticeable by their absence. Lothian and Aberdeenshire seemed to be picking up a few good birds but Fife and Angus weren't despite the seemingly good easterly winds.

A final stop gave us good views of House Sparrows dust-bathing, while Swallows swept by inches from our heads. A Greenfinch at the top of a tree gave us another species for our rather large list for the day. A quick stop at Cliffburn Gully gave us close views of a posing Woodpigeon but not too much else, though a Willow Warbler in the trees did give a few final photo opportunities. Driving down to the waterfront Stuart spotted a trio of Whimbrel heading along in the direction of the cliffs but unfortunately the lens failed to focus and the shot was missed. It was however a welcome year-tick for me.

An enjoyable day out with plenty of bird-related questions asked and answered, plenty of good general birding discussion and plenty of birds seen. Corn Bunting, Raven, Peregrine, Whimbrel and Marsh Harrier are all good birds to get any day of the week. NOTE : Although this was a day's birding with Stuart, this wasn't actually a day's birding with Angus Birdtours, so shouldn't be taken as in any way indicative of what could be expected on one of Stuart's guided bird tours, or as any sort of review of Angus Birdtours. However, if I was a visitor to the area looking for specific target species in Angus (and nearby), or just a good day out birding I wouldn't hesitate to book Stuart for a guided tour. That was my opinion before going birding with him and it is certainly the case afterwards. The man knows his stuff.

Really good day out even if the rarities were elsewhere in the country, with a grand total of 77 species seen (though Stuart did get a couple that I missed that would take the total a little higher).

Shelduck

Linnet

Linnet

Yellowhammer

Corn Bunting

Corn Bunting & Chaffinch

Treecreeper

Great Tit

Great Tit

Chaffinch

Peregrine

Collared Dove

Goldfinch

Woodpigeon

Woodpigeon

Willow Warbler
Species seen (year-tick in bold) - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Coot, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gadwall, Gannet, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Puffin, Raven, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tree Sparrow, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Whimbrel, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.   

For more information on Stuart's guided birding tours see the website at http://www.angusbirdtours.com/
or Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/angus.birdtours

0284 : In Search Of Elvis (8/5/16)

Sometime in May or June I always like to get up to the Ythan estuary and Loch of Strathbeg in Aberdeenshire as they seem to attract a lot of interesting and sometimes rather rare birds. One of these is Elvis, the King Eider drake, who has been coming back to the Ythan for a few years now. With Nat failing twice to see the female King Eider on the Forth, Elvis is a very photogenic substitute. With this in mind, and the return of the tern species to the colony on the Ythan at Newburgh, a trip up north and east was planned. When a Lesser Yellowlegs was reported at tea-time on Saturday night near the Ythan, a detour was factored into the rather loose plan. As a long day was likely we opted for an 0900 start.

Lesser Yellowlegs
Off we went at the appointed time. As is often the case when headed up the A90 the birds were few and far between. Woodpigeon, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull & Blackbird seen before we reached the northern edge of Dundee, then only a few more species over the next hour - Rook, Oystercatcher, Jackdaw, yellowhammer, Swallow, Starling and Buzzard. reaching Aberdeen we had a Swift fly over the car and added Blue Tit and Carrion Crow as we passed through the city. Not a huge haul of birds given the miles travelled.

An email from ABZ-rare birds came through, reporting that the Lesser Yellowlegs was still around, but was now on the Ythan opposite the 'fisherman's hut' upriver from the Waulkmill Hide. Thankfully i had come prepared with a copy of the excellent "Birding Guide to North-East Scotland" and also a Philips Aberdeenshire Street Atlas. I quickly found where we needed to be and we navigated our way there. We encountered a bit of rain, which hadn't been forecast, but this seemed to peter out just as we reached our destination. Getting out of the car with a metal tripod in hand I wasn't particularly keen on the loud rumble of thunder that greeted us. Hopefully it was going away from us.

We wandered down to the track, picking up a Wren along the way,  to the small hut where two birders were scoping the other side of the river. A quick discussion followed and we were soon looking at a lifer for us both across the other side of the river. A Lesser Yellowlegs in the company of a Greenshank. After watching and photographing the bird for a while I checked around for other birds on the estuary. There were Shelduck, Pink Footed Geese, Grey Heron, Greylag Geese, Black Headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Mallards, Tufted Ducks and Redshanks while overhead Swallows, Sand Martins, Swifts and House Martins circled. As a reported Great White Egret just along the road at Cotehill Loch was still around we decided to head for that on our way to the mouth of the Ythan at Newburgh.

Skylark and Pheasant were seen on the way there and we didn't have to try too hard to see the large white shape of the Great White Egret in the reeds on the far side of the Loch when we arrived. Another birder/photographer - who I recognised from the Red Footed Falcon twitch and a visit to Kinnordy, Walter Innes stopped his car for a brief chat. As we chatted, Nat shouted across that the Egret was flying. It flew to the near side of the Loch so once Walter had headed off we drove up the hill and quickly took a few photos of the bird in the reeds before we headed for Newburgh.

Crossing the river north of the town we could see plenty of Eiders in the water. We then encountered the rather odd sight of a drake Mallard stood on the apex of a roof. Arriving at the car park near the golf course, fingers were crossed that Elvis would be around, and that the Terns would be easy to see, unlike last year's visit when they stayed very distant across the river. Linnet, Dunnock and Meadow Pipit were seen as we walked through the gorse to the beach,, after stopping to photograph the local House Martins collecting mud for nest-building. As well as seals and Eiders and Sand Martins there were plenty of gulls and terns around.

We set up the scope to scan through the birds. It only took seconds to add Common Terns, Arctic Terns and Sandwich Terns to the list though Little Terns did take slightly longer to find, but we eventually saw double figures of the diminutive little 'sea-swallows'. We moved along the beach to the tin shelter to scan from the slightly raised position overlooking the group of terns and gulls. This gave us a far better view and we soon managed to add a few more species to the list. A single Turnstone, a Red Breasted Merganser drake, a Mute Swan and a mixed flock of Ringed Plover and Dunlin. With time wearing on we decided we should probably move on again to Loch of Strathbeg.

Willow Warbler was added on the way back to the car, and during the journey we added another 4 species to the list for the day - Curlew, Common Gull, Collared Dove and Feral Pigeon. Arriving at the RSPB reserve we found that the visitor centre (and toilets) were closed due to refurbishement. This wasn't great news. We decided to walk to the hide overlooking the 'Low Ground'. Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, Chaffinch and Whitethroat being seen during the walk, the latter taking a fair bit of effort as it called from the bushes before eventually appearing in the open for a few seconds.

There didn't appear to be too much to see from the hide though with some searching birds were found, though always distantly. Lapwing, Stock Dove, Cormorant, Teal, Gadwall, Goldeneye and Wigeon. There was some discussion about a "dead" horse (identified as a cow by a rather vocal English birder) which was abruptly halted when it stood up. We headed back to the car park after a short while, adding Tree Sparrow and Goldfinch, while Willow Warbler and better views of the Sedge Warbler were also had. A few Terns could be seen over the roof of the buildings. I decided to try and peer through a wooden slatted fence with a rather limited view to see if there was anything of interest on the pools. Along with some Tufted Ducks I spotted the rear end of an upended duck that didn't seem familiar. When it surfaced the reason for the unfamiliarity was revealed. A duck I don't see often. A nice drake Garganey and another year-tick.

We headed round to the airfield hides but things were very quiet out on the Loch with only Great Crested Grebe added. House Sparrows were seen as we headed back to the main road to head back south. From the car I was able to see Gannets out over the sea flying along in strings. We decided to pay the cliffs at The Bullers Of Buchan a visit. A Pied Wagtail was in the car park. There were plenty of Kittiwakes and Guillemots on the cliffs as well as a few Razorbills, Fulmars and Shags. Two of the Kittiwakes were on very unfriendly terms with one grabbing the other by the bill and dragging it off the ledge and down into to the water at least 4 times. Out on the water, Nat spotted a single Puffin before we headed back to the car. Checking birdguides website we discovered that the Lesser Yellowlegs had relocated to the pool it had been discovered on. With the sun now shining and the likelihood that the pool in a field wasn't particularly large I figured we would get better views than we had earlier in the day.

Getting there however proved slightly problematical with a bridge appearing on my map that was no longer suitable for traffic, so we had to take a longer way round. Arriving at the correct road we discovered that it was more potholes than road as we drove along it. We could see the bird at the far end of the pool. I took photos from the window while Nat stood behind the car to take some. When a couple of walkers came down the road and the bird didn't flush we knew we were quite safe photographing the bird from the fenceline. By now the bird was working its way closer along the edge of the pool. I took some video and a lot of photos before the bird decided to double back on itself and headed away from us again. Happy with our lot we headed further down the track, finding that it was actually possible for the remainder to be more pot-holed than the first part. We did eventually reach something resembling road but it was quite slow progress to get there.

We headed back to the Ythan again to look for Elvis and maybe get some more tern pics with the light being rather nice. There was no sign of Elvis though we did get some nice views of the terns etc before we reluctantly had to call it a day at about 1945 and headed for home. Magpie was added on our way back through Aberdeen. About halfway home we discovered that Elvis had flown in just 15 minutes after we had left. Ah well, we will just have to go back again, maybe next month. There was another slightly later than ideal moment as we passed Forfar. An ADBC grapevine text about 2 Glossy Ibis at Montrose Basin came in. Had we stayed that little bit longer at the Ythan and seen Elvis we would have likely been in place to make a detour for these two. That's birding though.

Greenshank & Lesser Yellowlegs

Great White Egret

House Martin

Sandwich Tern, Common Tern & Little Tern

Eider

Eider

Sandwich Tern

Little Tern

Sandwich Tern

Common Seal

Stock Dove

Buzzard

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Tufted Duck & Garganey

Kittiwake

Kittiwake

Kittiwake

Kittiwake

Razorbill, Guillemot & Puffin

Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Black Headed Gull, Dunlin, Eider & Oystercatcher

Sandwich Tern & Little Tern

Common Tern & Sandwich Tern

Sandwich Tern & Eider

Arctic Tern

A long but very enjoyable and productive day with 74 species seen, including a lifer and 5 other year-ticks (in bold). Species seen - Arctic Tern, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gadwall, Gannet, Garganey, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great White Egret, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Yellowlegs, Linnet, Little Tern, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink footed oose, Puffin, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Feral Pigeon, Rook, sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Sedge Warbler Shag, Shelduck, Skylark, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Whitethroat, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer. 

0283 : Warbler Wander And Wagtails. (7/5/16)

Technically the first day of my week's holiday, even though I'd have been off anyway for the weekend, I had a guided walk to lead at Riverside Nature Park to kick-off hopefully a lot of birding, and a lot of additions to an already better than normal year-list. With an 0830 start at Riverside Nature Park I had to be out the door for around 0740 to walk into town to catch a bus out to the park as the Saturday timetables were rather erratic to say the least.
Yellow Wagtail
House Sparrows chirping from the gutters above and a Herring Gull on a chimney, Woodpigeons on lamp posts and a few fly-over Feral Pigeons got the weekend's birding under way in fairly typical fashion. Blackbird, Starling, Goldfinch and Lesser Black Backed Gull were next with Swallow and Carrion Crow added in the city centre. With nothing more added from the bus out to the park, it was a fairly unspectacular start. Fingers were crossed that the warblers wouldn't disappoint on what I had billed as a 'Warbler Wander".

Carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon, Swallow, Starling and Woodpigeon were all 'repeats' for the day but early additions to the park-list for the day, though the Robin was new to both. As were the Oystercatchers and Chaffinch as I walked to the car park rendezvous point. Thankfully it was a much more managable group size than last October's turn-out with 6 (of which I think 4 were returnees, and 2 were from Aberdeen) plus 2 committee members from the Friends group. A Kestrel flew over the car park just before we got underway and a Blackbird flew across the path. Just as we were setting off A pair of Lesser Redpolls passed over calling as they went. Our second raptor of the day, a Buzzard, was next to put in an appearance. A Skylark was singing above the hill and everyone managed to pick out the tiny dot in the sky.

A pair of Mallards flew over, and a few Jackdaws did likewise. In and around the bushes by the path we added Yellowhammer, Dunnock and Goldfinch with the first showing far better than the others. We scanned out across the bay from near the bench and were able to pick out Black Headed Gull, Shelduck and a Grey Heron. A couple of Sand Martins swept over and a Song Thrush with its back to us caused some confusion initially until it turned its head. A Curlew could be seen out on the mud just beyond the pipe. Additional waders were in short supply with only a few Oystercatchers and a Redshank in the bay. A female Teal was near the gull roost.

A Swift was spotted zipping around ahead of us, then a few others slightly higher were noticed too. A Reed Bunting called from a bush. We spent some time watching Whitethroats singing and carrying out display flights - a year-tick for me, before having to move on. A Great Tit was in the hedge on the way to the hide, where nothing new was added except Herring Gull and Lesser Black backed Gull, though a Sedge Warbler was just audible off to the left. A few House Martins were feeding above us along with the Swifts as we walked to the hide. A Linnet overflew us. On the Lochan we were able to add Mute Swan for the day but it was very quiet.

We continued on into the lower half of the park adding Blue Tit and a low flying Great Spotted Woodpecker plus House Sparrows in 'their' hedge. As is usually the case the final part of the walk was slightly hurried though Magpie was added as we neared the car park. As I had no real plans I said to anyone that wanted to join me for another loop of the part we had rushed was free to. The couple from Aberdeen decided to join me so off we went again. A Pied Wagtail was a new bird for the list. A warbler in a small tree turned out to be a Lesser Whitethroat, which was a nice bonus the species having avoided us on the main part of the walk. A few Siskins passed over.

I had received a few Fife Bird Club text alerts about Yellow Wagtails near Crail as we had been walking but not knowing exactly where the birds were, or how accessible the site was on foot/public transport I wasn't sure about attempting to get them. However, a text from a pal, Gil who was thinking about going for them convinced me to try so we arranged to meet at Guardbridge at 1300. With those plans made and Lesser Whitethroat having been a target for the couple from Aberdeen now safely 'in the bag' we finished up and I headed for the bus back to the city centre. I had managed 43 species at the park which was a respectable haul.
Yellowhammer

Whitethroat

Song Thrush

Species seen at the park (year-tick in bold) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Lesser Whitethroat, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.

I caught a bus to Fife around 1220 which I hoped would allow me a short time in the hide. From the bus I added Swifts, Oystercatchers, Rooks, Mute Swan and Collared Dove to the non-park list. I headed into the park and made my way round the fenced off area to the hide - noting that it looked possible to get in/out near the gate at the north end, which would save a walk when Gil arrived. I failed after at least half-a-dozen attempts to get into the hide so I scanned from the side. There were very few birds around, though one in particular immediately caught my eye. A very black looking wader with a few Redshanks. A Spotted Redshank, and in breeding plumage. A year-tick for me, and the first time I'd seen one in its full summer finery. I took a few photos but the wind and a bit of heat haze made getting decent shots tricky. I looked at my watch and knew Gil was likely to be early so I hurried back to the car park, stopping to photograph a hovering Kestrel above the war memorial. House Martins circled overhead.

I met Gil at the car park and told her about the Spottie, so we decided to try from the bridge for a hopefully better view with the sun behind us. A Pied Wagtail flew ahead of us at the bridge. We were able to get slightly improved views of the bird from here, as well as noting Lapwing, Shelduck, Mallard and Goosander too. A minute or so later, the Spotted Redshank and a Redshank it was with took off and headed downriver, though the rest of the small flock stayed put. We decided to head for Crail.

Having consulted my small local road atlas I had an idea where to go so we headed out along the Anstruther road. I spotted Willie Irvine's car parked at the end of the roadside track where the Yellow Wagtails had been seen. Further on we could see Willie, so we stopped (as the traffic was unexpectedly quiet) and asked about the birds. Just at that, a cracking male actually landed on the white line in the middle of the road for a few seconds, in front of the car. With cars coming behind us we moved off along the road, choosing to park at the other end of the dirt track to walk back towards Willie and the birds. We had seen people walking along the track and the birds flying off a short distance into the field before returning when the folk had passed, so it was unlikely that we would inadvertantly chase them off.

We saw a few as we walked along to Willie, as well as Jackdaws, Skylarks and a Pheasant. We spent a short while watching and photographing the birds, mostly a single male, and a pair of females along the track, while a few showed over the field for brief flights, mostly in pairs. Out in the Forth it was easy to pick out Gannets low over the water. With a rather strong, and surprisingly cold, wind blowing we decided to head back to Guardbridge for hopefully better views of the Spotted Redshank. A Yellow Wagtail was on the farm track beside the car when we reached it. Willie decided to join us for the Spotted Redshank, so off we went.

On the way back we saw quite a few birds including a pair of Stock Doves in a field just outside Crail, 7 Grey Herons in a field at Cambo, a few Linnets, a Song Thrush and a Lapwing at the entrance to the golf course on the hill near St Andrews and a few Skylarks. At Guardbridge, Willie managed to get us into the hide - the keypad requiring a particular technique to get it to work properly. The tide was well in and there was no sign of any waders. Great Black Backed Gull and Cormorant were both spotted along with a Buzzard over the other side of the Eden and Tree Sparrows at the feeders. Black Headed Gulls flew past and surprisingly, so did a single Barnacle Goose. On the water were a few Eiders a bit further out.

I suggested paying a visit to the small reservoir just off River Terrace by the Motray in the hope that there might be waders there. There were a few birds around, mostly in the trees and bushes - Long tailed Tits, Blue Tits, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler. A Curlew was on the mud, while a bit more hunting found us Yellowhammer, Willow Warbler and Robin plus Reed Bunting, Dunnock and Chaffinch. Common Gull rounded off the list. Gil dropped me off at the bus stop and with 3 year-ticks to start the week off, I headed home happy with the day's birding.

Spotted Redshank & Common Redshank

Common Redshank & Spotted Redshank

Kestrel

Yellow Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Oystercatcher

Barnacle Goose
52 species seen outwith Riverside Nature Park (year-ticks in bold) - Barnacle Goose, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Gannet, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Spotted Redshank, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Tree Sparrow, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Yellow Wagtail, Yellowhammer.

  59 species seen in total.