0439 : Waders Wanted (12/9/17)

Having had a long day on Monday yet having drawn a blank on Curlew Sandpiper I needed a plan B option to try to get the species on my year-list. With a better weather forecast than Monday and no lift available, I would have to rely on walking and public transport. With high tide around 0715 or so I would have to make do with the tide receding again. Having had no sightings of the species from the Guardbridge hide I decided to head for the George Evans hide overlooking Balgove Bay, on the edge of St Andrews in the hope that the birds were passing through, but no-one was really looking in the right places. Time would tell.

Lapwing

It was yet another early start, though a bit later than Monday's, but I was still out the door slightly earlier than I usually am for work. Herring Gull was first on the list as I headed for the bus station to catch the bus at 0730. Feral Pigeon was next, followed quickly by Blackbird, then Robin and another flyover Meadow Pipit. A Magpie was seen at the junction of Arthurstone Terrace and Dens Road, where I see them regularly now. Carrion Crow was seen near the bus station. Woodpigeon was seen from the bus near the Fife end of the Tay roadbridge, with Rook and Starling added along with Jackdaw and House Martin in Leuchars.

Reaching St Andrews I got off the bus, to see Woodpigeons, Oystercatchers and Curlews on the playing fields between the main road and the Old Course Hotel. Both Black Headed and Common Gulls were also on the grass, while overhead Swallows and House Martins headed inland. More of a surprise was a single Swift headed the same way. Linnets and Pied Wagtails were on the golf course side of the road. At the end of the cycle path. a Greenfinch flew over when I stopped briefly to photograph the House Martins and Swallows resting on the wire fence at the edge of the driving range.

A White Wagtail was added as I headed past the Starter's Box across the golf course. A few more Meadow Pipits passed over and a couple of Skylarks lifted from the rough grass by the edge of the track out towards the hide. When I reached the hide, there was a little exposed mud, but I had more or less timed my visit to perfection. Lapwings and Shelducks were the predominant species near the hide with a large flock of gulls on the water round towards the western end of the bay. A few Black Tailed Godwits were spotted while a mix of Jackdaws, Rooks and Grey Herons were on the banking along from the hide. An Osprey was tucking into a fish on a wooden post among the gull flock.

A Sand Martin was a bit of a surprise as it flew past the hide, while further out a Common Tern headed upriver. I scanned around and found a pair of Pintail. There were Mallards a bit further out. With the amount of exposed mud visible increasing by the minute, birds were constantly moving. Oystercatchers and Curlews flew past, as did a single Bar Tailed Godwit. The first Dunlin of the day dropped in by the edge of the water. Black Headed Gull, Redshank and Woodpigeon gave good views down in front of the hide. A juvenile Stock Dove landed a little further away giving me the opportunity to get photos of a plumage that I've not seen before.

A small-ish wader flew past and I got the camera onto the bird and noticed the white rump just before it decided to land. Curlew Sandpiper, at last. I was constantly scanning through the birds as there was so much going on that it would be easy to overlook something. A single Ringed Plover was next onto the list. Another three Curlew Sandpipers appeared from somewhere, taking the total to four. A Ruff wandered around not too far from the hide and was also joined soon after by another three of the same species. A couple of Grey Plover were found out on the mud a little to the east of the hide. Out in the river were a number of Eider and Red Breasted Mergansers.

From the side of the hide I heard a Willow Warbler and peered out the side opening. The bird moved into the trees behind the hide so I had a look from the door and managed a couple of photos before the bird flew towards me and over the hide. A Cormorant flew downriver towards St Andrews Bay. I searched for a Great Black Backed Gull and found one without too much trouble. I had heard a Whimbrel calling and had a possible contender, though I wasn't 100% certain as the crown stripe wasn't particularly strong. I soon found an actual Whimbrel, which appeared to be a fresh looking young bird, and which chose to fly off, and call, as I videoed it.

Knot was the next wader onto the increasingly long list, with a couple of birds near where the Grey Plover had been found. Over Reres Wood a Buzzard struggled into the wind, giving me one final species before I decided that the tide was now too far out to make staying any longer particularly productive. I headed out to the cycle path and headed back towards Guardbridge. . I made a brief stop at Coble Shore but only succeeded in adding Greenshank and Mute Swan to the list for the day before noticing that the White Tailed Eagle had appeared on its post out in the Estuary.

I decided to make my way next to the hide at Guardbridge. House Sparrows were seen in the village. I was weighing up my options for the afternoon and was in the process of checking bus times to Ladybank as I crossed the old bridge, when a commotion over the water grabbed my attention. A Sparrowhawk was attempting to catch a Redshank just beside one of the old bridge pillars, while a couple of Black Headed Gulls got involved resulting in the Sparrowhawk landing on the nearest support to where I stood. I took the chance to get some nice perched shots. While ducking down behind the wall in an attempt to change my angle to the bird for a better photo, the bird flew off.

There was a young couple in the hide, setting up a video tripod, who had obviously not long arrived. I got set up at the window with the disabled ramp and scanned for birds new for the day. The feeders gave me a few new ones - Tree Sparrows, Great Tit, Blue Tit and Chaffinch. A few Goosanders were out on the water and a flock of Goldfinches were over the salt marsh. A few minutes after the hourly bus to Ladybank had passed through the village a text message arrived to say that a Little Stint was at the Wilderness with Curlew Sandpipers. Had I chosen to catch the bus on the off-chance that I might find Little Stint there, I would've been half-way there. I then had to decide whether it was worthwhile trying anyway, catching the bus just after 1400.

Kingfisher and Collared Dove were both added as I chatted to the others in the hide. James, was a tour guide with Speyside Wildlife and was more of a general naturalist than a birder but he enjoyed shooting videos and we exchanged cards, so that I could have a look at his work (www.jegsmedia.co.uk). A Peregrine put up most of the waders and I spotted it well out above the estuary. The others got onto the bird but James suddenly started clicking away rapidly. I glanced up to see what he was photographing, to find that there was a second Peregrine heading our way and I got a few photos before it flew over the hide. James's partner wondered why he'd been snapping away at such a distant bird, but hadn't seen the second bird. Wigeon were another addition to the list and a Grey Wagtail flew past before I decided that I should go to Ladybank and The Wilderness, in case the bird didn't linger till Wednesday and I missed out.

While waiting for the late running bus a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard calling from the trees behind the village but it stayed hidden. There was nothing new added from the bus as it wound its way through northwest Fife at speed, the driver obviously keen to make up a bit of lost time. I had worked out that I had roughly an hour to find the bird. Nothing was seen as I hurried out along the road. There had been a bit of a change since my last visit to The Wilderness with the pool to the west of the entrance now visible from the road. I added a few species, Tufted Duck, Greylag, Barnacle Goose (and hybrid youngsters), Little Grebe and Goldeneye. I scanned as best as I could from various points along the wall into the main pool. There were plenty of Lapwings and gulls and it was a struggle to get good views of many of them. I added Moorhen and Gadwall quickly, followed by Shoveler.

A Curlew Sandpiper and a Ruff were found and photographed, and Pied Wagtails scurried around being distracting as their small size from certain angles, in the poor light, and rain, gave false hope. I bumped into Nick Mutch who had seen Little Stint shortly before but we failed to relocate it, though he did find a Dunlin. He had to go, so I kept hunting. Two ladies, Caroline and Ann(e) who I've met before at Guardbridge showed up and they too hunted for the Stint. I was rapidly running out of time, to be able to make it back to Ladybank for the bus back to Dundee. I had added Teal to my list but the tiny wader was avoiding me.

As is so often the case, I had one last go at it, and among a few Curlews I spotted a small wader picking around at their feet. I took a few photos to confirm that I had indeed found my Little Stint and then ran along to tell Caroline and Ann(e). They had a wader too, which turned out to be a Dunlin. They offered me a lift back to Ladybank to save me from having to rush, so we stopped to see the Little Stint properly and I got a few more photos. I got a lift back along the road to wait for the bus (thanks again) and went home pleased to have added two more new year-ticks to my year-list. I chatted to a girl I've met on RSPB outings in the past on the bus, Heather Barnes. A Sparrowhawk and Grey Heron were seen as we chatted.

As it turned out when I was checking the photos at home I discovered that behind the Curlew Sandpiper at The Wilderness was the Little Stint, but the scope I was using balanced on the wall meant that my entire focus was on the bird I was looking at. Had I been using a better scope on a tripod, I probably would've spotted it and saved myself a lot of time and effort. Unfortunately, if I'm walking any sort of distance then my good scope and a tripod are too much weight if I'm already carrying my camera etc.

Another very productive day out with both target species for the year-list (in bold) successfully added and some nice additional species seen as well. In total I managed to see 74 species, which for a public transport day was a pretty good total.

Swallow & House Martin

Pied Wagtail

Redshank

Shelduck & Herring Gull

Shelduck & Pintail

Common Tern

Pintail

Redshank & Dunlin

Stock Dove

Stock Dove

Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper

Shelduck & Curlew Sandpiper

Knot

Grey Plover

Woodpigeon

Ruff

Oystercatcher

Lapwing

Willow Warbler


Pied Wagtail

Ruff

Shelduck

Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Black Headed Gull

Curlew Sandpiper

Rook

Great Black Backed Gull

Lesser Black Backed Gull & Herring Gull

Jackdaw & Rook

Meadow Pipit

Curlew, Redshank & Greenshank

White Tailed Eagle

Sparrowhawk

Peregrine

Kingfisher

Grey Heron

Lapwing, Black Headed Gull & Ruff

Lapwing, Curlew Sandpiper, Black Headed Gull & Little Stint

Lapwing, Curlew Sandpiper, Common Gull, Black Headed Gull & Little Stint

Black Headed Gull, Dunlin, Pied Wagtail, Curlew & Little Stint

Curlew, Little Stint & Black Headed Gull

Little Stint

Species seen - Barnacle Goose, Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Eider, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Grey Plover, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, ingfisher, Knot, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Grebe, Little Stint, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail (& White Wagtail), Pintail, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Ruff, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Whimbrel, White Tailed Eagle, Wigeon, willow Warbler, Woodpigeon.    

0438 : Legs Eleventh (11/9/17)

Having missed out on the Lesser Yellowlegs over the weekend, and being off on a week's holiday with the aim of adding to my year-list, I knew where I wanted to be on Monday. Nat was also free, so transport was going to be a bit simpler than a bus journey and a long walk. Unfortunately, she wasn't free until around 0915, which is a bit later than I like to get started birding, so I decided that with high tide at Dundee being around 0645 I should be able to catch the receding tide at Riverside Nature Park, where I hoped I might find a Curlew Sandpiper (or Little Stint, or Spotted Redshank) before Nat arrived to pick me up. While I waited for the tide to go back out I would do a spot of vis-migging and see what was passing through the airspace above the park on its way south (well, west, then south).
White Wagtail
I made it out of bed and out of the house for around 0620. As the sun hadn't yet risen, there weren't too many birds around, though Herring Gulls were already awake and busy. A Blackbird was picking around on the grass for food in the gloom. A Woodpigeon was perched on a lamp-post. Feral Pigeon and Carrion Crow were added nearer the City Centre and a Meadow Pipit was heard then seen passing high overhead, pointing towards vis-migging not being a waste of time. Nothing else was added on the way out to the Nature Park where I arrived shortly before 0655.

A Woodpigeon was first onto the park list, followed by a flyover Carrion Crow. As I reached the wooden gate at the eastern end a Jay flew from the trees and out of the park. Magpies were next and a small group of ducks flying over were identified from the photos I snapped as Goosanders. Feral Pigeon was next overhead followed by a couple of Cormorants. There was a charm of Goldfinches around already busy in the early morning light. A Chaffinch was seen at Buzzard Wood, and a Chiffchaff was heard and then found in the bushes by the boggy area. A few Swallows passed over and a Robin was seen in the trees at the car park, while a few Blackbirds scuttled around on the grass further on.

At the Lochan were a few Redshanks sleeping while on the water were a few Teal. The Moorhen family picked around in the grass between the water and the road. A Little Grebe popped up, giving good views. I continued on round towards the hill, a Meadow Pipit flew over, the first from the park. Out in the bay a party of Lapwings rose from their roost hidden out of sight by the lush vegetation on the slope down to the bay. A Lesser Black Backed Gull was on the water with Herring Gulls, Black Headed Gulls and Common Gulls. There were also a few more Teal and a few Mallards, but as it was a large high tide there was little to be seen down towards the burn mouth.

I headed up onto the hill and sat and waited. I didn't have to wait too long before Meadow Pipits passed over. A flock of around ten birds together turned out to be the first vis-mig Chaffinches of the morning. Siskins were next, their distinctive calls announcing their approach first. A flock of Curlews flew round from the airport with a couple of Bar tailed Godwits among their number. A Linnet headed west, as did a single Starling. A Grey Wagtail was seen on the fence surrounding the recently added new 'building' by the recycling area. The first of around half a dozen Tree Pipits went over, though frustratingly my camera struggled to pick it out against the blue sky. I almost missed a Sparrowhawk which was being mobbed by Swallows as it flew right over the top of the hill. A Great Black Backed Gull flew into the bay.

A few Skylarks were the next new species to pass over, these were a bit higher than the other species seen. Pied Wagtails also headed westwards over the bay. Out above the river a couple of Sandwich Terns headed eastwards. A distant Grey Heron was picked out on the shore beside the rather ugly modern house on the spit at Kingoodie. After around an hour's worth of vis-migging, my totals were roughly 6 Tree Pipits, 50 Meadow Pipits, 50 Chaffinches, 20 Siskins, 10 Skylarks, 10 Swallows, 3 Pied Wagtails, 1 Starling & 1 Linnet. Woodpigeons weren't counted though there were certainly birds passing.

I headed for the bay via the Lochan where a Grey Heron added to the species seen earlier. A Stock Dove flew over and Jackdaws were seen to the north. The tide had receded enough that there were some waders already searching for food in the mud. Unusually there were both Black Tailed and Bar Tailed Godwits, though numbers were low of both species. Redshanks made up the bulk of the waders and Feral Pigeons and Woodpigeons hung around on the pipe. There were a few gulls on the mud, mostly Black Headed Gulls and a Common Gull or two. However, there was a gull stood in the water which stood out from the rest - a Mediterranean Gull juvenile moulting into winter plumage. My second found at the park, and my 3rd in September (& 4th since August!). Unfortunately, it was now just after 0900 and I was running out of time for the rest of the waders to appear.

Nat messaged me to say she was on Riverside Drive, so I headed back to the car park to meet her. Even though I had failed to see any unusual waders, I'd had a good couple of hours with some nice finds among the 41 species seen, including tree Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Jay and Bar Tailed Godwit.
Carrion Crow

Goosander

Chiffchaff

Swallow

Woodpigeon

Goldfinch

Curlew & Bar Tailed Godwit

Sparrowhawk

Tree Pipit

Chaffinch

Meadow Pipit

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

Little Grebe

Redshank & Black Tailed Godwit

Mediterranean Gull & Redshank

Redshank & Bar Tailed Godwit

Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gull, Redshank, Common Gull & Black Headed Gull

Species seen at the park - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Jay, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Grebe, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Moorhen, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sandwich Tern, Siskin, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Tree Pipit, Woodpigeon.

Once Nat arrived we headed off for Montrose Basin, hoping that the Lesser Yellowlegs had hung around an extra day. Nat had tried and failed to find it on Saturday. On the way through Dundee we added Black Headed Gull and Lesser Black Backed Gull to the non-park list. Rook was added by the roadside near Arbroath and Buzzard was seen as we neared Montrose. House Sparrow was seen as we headed down the hill to Maryton Ditch, where the bird had been seen at times over the weekend. A Pheasant ran out from the stubble as we got out of the car.

There were plenty of birds out in the Basin so it was a slow process scanning through the 100s of birds that were close enough to identify using the scope. Black tailed Godwits, Redshanks, Greenshanks, Curlews, Lapwings and Oystercatchers made up the majority of wader species. Waterfowl included Goldeneye, Goosander, Shelduck, Canada Geese, Mallard, Mute Swan and Wigeon. There were also plenty of gulls - Herring, Black Headed, Common and Great Black Backed.. Jackdaws, Carrion Crows, Grey Herons, Swallows and House Martins were all seen, a Wren was heard but there was no sign of the target bird. An Osprey was seen hovering far across the Basin.

We headed round to The Lurgies around noon. An English birder we talked to confirmed that he'd seen the Yellowlegs around an hour earlier but that it had since disappeared. This was a bit of good and bad news combined. We scanned through similar species to earlier though thankfully there were less waders to go through. There were a few Little Grebes nearby and a very tame Black Tailed Godwit on the shore below us. The weather which had been sunny first thing in Dundee was now threatening rain, so I found a tree that provided at least partial shelter from the elements and started scanning. After five minutes or so, it began to rain, so Nat headed back to the car for some lunch and warmth. I was to ring her phone if I found the bird.

The light was quite poor so it was tricky to ascertain the leg colour on some of the Redshanks to ruke out yellow. Having no idea what plumage state the bird was in, and only a mental picture of the bird we saw well in Aberdeenshire last year to go on (a sort of Redshank x Wood Sandpiper cross with long yellow legs), it was once again going to be a slow process. However, despite the rain apparently trying to ruin my concentration I rather quickly found a bird which looked a strong contender. I took a photo to confirm the leg colour. Yellow. Lesser Yellowlegs safely on the year-list. I messaged Nat, just two short words - "Got it". She joined me a minute or two later and we spent a bit of time getting decent, albeit distant, views of the bird.

Another local birder from Ferryden joined us and we let him see the bird in the scope before wandering upriver to see if we could see anything else of interest. A Grey Wagtail flew past and I missed out on Kingfisher, which Nat saw as it flashed up the drainage ditch. A few Goldfinches were seen in the bushes along the track. A Pied Wagtail and a Stock Dove were down by the water on the pebbles at the top end of the track but there were no waders opposite, though there were a few Teal. A few Swallows and Meadow Pipits overflew. When we were heading back to the car I had a chat to an Aberdeenshire birder down from Fordoun and found the bird for him.

We headed round to the visitor centre to see if we could add to our list from there. We did - I got Kingfisher on my list, Dunlin, Bar Tailed Godwit, Red Breasted Merganser, Tree Sparrow, Eider and Collared Dove. Long Tailed Tit and Blue Tit were seen in the car park foliage. Nat had to be home for around 1500, so we headed back down the coast. As I had the rest of the afternoon to fill and high tide wasn't until late afternoon, I decided that I would walk from Elliot to Carnoustie, hopefully adding to my list as I went. Starlings were seen on the chimneys as we drove down through the town for a quick stop near the cliffs at Arbroath which added Sandwich Tern, Common Tern and Linnet to the non-park day list.

Nat dropped me off by the railway footbridge just before Elliot at around 1400 and I wandered down to check out the burn mouth area. A Reed Bunting and a large flock of Goldfinches were first. The gull flock on the shore contained a couple of Kittiwakes. A small group of Dunlin and a single Ringed Plover gave me close views and photo opportunities before a loose Spaniel sooked them all, though thankfully they returned when the dog ran off again. A dog walker flinging a ball close to the gulls for her dog to chase cleared the beach so I moved on. A Skylark flushed from the edge of the track. A few hundred metres on a pair of Arctic Terns were on the beach, along with a Sanderling. More Sanderling were seen a few minutes later. A Wheatear's white rump/tail caught my eye as the bird flew off a short distance when it saw me.

There were plenty of Pied Wagtails along the way, picking around in the seaweed and assorted detritus on the shore for flies. Among them were a few rather smart-looking White Wagtails, the continental race of our Pieds. I had some really good views of a couple of White Wagtails near Easthaven, where I also added Rock Pipit. Offshore I could see a few Gannets, but there was not a lot of movement. The burn mouth at Craigmill Den was mildly disappointing, though I did add Goosander here and a juvenile Turnstone was seen well nearby. Thankfully, I was able to jump across the narrow, though deep and fast moving section of the burn, without getting too wet. More Turnstones and a few more Terns, plus a couple of  Redshanks and an unexpected pair of Teal were seen at Carnoustie before I headed for the bus home. A Coal Tit was in the bushes behind the bus stop just as the bus arrived.

I arrived home rather tired at 1845 having been out birding for twelve and a half hours. Among the 64 species seen outside of the Nature Park, I'd successfully twitched a year-tick (in bold) and seen a nice mix of species. It had been a long day with 74 species seen (& 1 identifiable sub-species) in total but it had also been a good way to start my holiday week proper.

Cormorant, Carrion Crow, Mute Swan, Redshank, Wigeon, Canada Goose & Herring Gull

Common Gull, Black Headed Gull & Lesser Yellowlegs

Black Headed Gull & Lesser Yellowlegs

Black Tailed Godwit

Common Gull, Black Headed Gull & Lesser Yellowlegs

Greenshank

Sandwich Tern, Common Tern & Arctic Tern

Dunlin & Carrion Crow

Cormorant

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Herring Gull & Great Black Backed Gull

Dunlin

Goldfinch

White Wagtail

Ringed Plover & Dunlin

Sanderling

Lesser Black Backed Gull

Goldfinch

Pied Wagtail

Sandwich Tern

Common Tern & Black Headed Gull

Rock Pipit

White Wagtail

White Wagtail

Eider

Wheatear

Bar Tailed Godwit

Stock Dove

Turnstone

Turnstone

Sandwich Tern

Turnstone

Species seen outwith the park - Arctic Tern, Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Tern, Cormorant, Dunlin, Eider, Gannet, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Yellowlegs, Linnet, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail (& White Wagtail), Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern, Shelduck, Skylark, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Turnstone, Wheatear, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.