0017 : Mediterranean Fife? (27/1/14)

  Adult Mediterranean Gull with Black Headed Gull behind

                                      

Adult Mediterranean Gull, Shore Road, Buckhaven

                                         

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull, Invergowrie Bay

                                         

Moulting Mediterranean Gull, Buckhaven

                                         

Moulting Mediterranean Gull, Buckhaven

                                         

When you hear the word "Mediterranean" you probably think of crystal clear blue skies, turquoise waters and sandy beaches and warm sunshine. Maybe some bikini-clad tourists enjoying the sunshine. When you add the word "Gull" you probably aren't transported in your mind to Fife. However, Mediterranean Gull and Fife go together rather well. Buckhaven in Fife in particular, and one street - Shore Road, to be very precise.

I have no idea what brings these birds from mainland Europe time and time again to a grassy area by the shore, sandwiched between a residential area and the Firth of Forth, with a childrens' play area close by. They mingle freely with the other gulls in small numbers, allowing close comparison with the Black Headed Gulls which are the most likely source of confusion. Side by side however confusion is limited. Black Headed Gulls in summer plumage have chocolate coloured hoods. On Med Gulls it is black. On Black Headed Gulls this hood curves upwards behind the eye, leaving the back of the head white. On Med Gull adults the black hood goes straight across, giving the impression (to me anyway) that the bird is wearing a polo neck jersey. The bill is much broader on Mediterranean Gull, more Common Gull bill shaped than the much finer Black Headed. It is also a more orangey-red in colour. The other feature to look out for on adult birds is the lack of black on the wingtips. Younger birds do have varying amounts of black but are still quite easy to tell apart from Black Headed Gulls.

I have never seen a juvenile Med Gull at Buckhaven, but I did find, and correctly ID one, on my own patch in Dundee in 2012. A single was by the burn and outflow pipe in Invergowrie Bay with other gulls in front of the hide. It looked like a very clean and sharply marked juvenile Common Gull, and stood out from the other birds as something different. Photos confirmed the identification when I got home.

Usually outside the breeding season there is a decent chance of seeing at least one Mediterranean Gull at Buckhaven, with small groups of 2 or 3 fairly common. Double figure sized groups have also been seen from time to time in recent years and there does appear to be a gradual increase in the frequency of sightings. Sometimes the birds are ringed, but I haven't managed to read anything off these rings as they tend to be hidden among the grass.

In Angus, Arbroath waterfront around Gayfield football ground is the most reliable site for Med Gull, but it is worth looking through any gull flock for something different. At different times of year, Iceland, Glaucous or Little Gull are all possible, with other rarer species also capable of turning up anywhere. Not all species are as easy as Med Gulls to ID, but it is always a good idea to get photos, if possible, of any "interesting looking" birds, and check later, if you can't ID it at the time.

0016 : It Isn't Just Birds.... (22/1/14)

                                          Badger (recently deceased)

                                          Red Squirrel

                                          Pipistrelle Bat

 

                                          Mountain Hare

                                          Hedgehog

                                          Brown Rat

                                          Red Deer

                                          Water Vole

                                          Common Frog

                                          Roe Deer

                                          Rabbit

                                          Red Fox

                                          Bank Vole

                                          Brown Hare

                                          Otter

                                          Toad

                                          Stoat

When I'm out and about looking for, and hopefully finding, birds, I sometimes chance upon other wildlife. Mammals such as Rabbits and Squirrels being the most common, even within the city, but it is surprising just how often that other mammals like Deer, Fox or Otter are the animals encountered.

Smaller rodents such as rats, mice, voles and shrews will also be around but tend to be glimpsed fleetingly at best, or more usually are found dead. Roadkill can be the likeliest chance of seeing species such as Badger up close, with rather surprising numbers of these large animals in certain areas going unseen until one is unlucky enough to be struck by traffic on the roads.

Frogs and Toads are generally found in wetter areas, although at times in the summer, Toadlets in particular are hard to miss at locations like Morton Lochs in Fife where thousands of them are around on, and along the edges of the pathways.

Other species you may encounter around Tayside and Fife in addition to those pictured above include Grey Squirrel (unfortunately a bit too common in certain places to the detriment of their smaller Red native cousins), American Mink (another unwelcome addition to the Scottish fauna), Weasel, Pine Marten (still rare but increasing - I've yet to see one), Wood Mouse, House Mouse, Mole (more likely to see their molehills than an actual above ground Mole), Beaver (another (re)introduced species, Adder, Slow Worm, Common Lizard and Newt species.


As always, keeping your eyes, and ears (and nose - in the case of foxes with their distinctive smell) open can result in some nice wildlife encounters. Animals, just like most birds, don't always appear to associate cars with humans so it can be possible to watch from a parked vehicle while the animals go about their business seemingly unconcerned. Hides at nature reserves can also be great for viewing animals as well as birds.

0015 : Talking To The Songbird .....(20/1/14)

                                          Goldfinch

Just a wee post tonight....

A little playlist of "birdie" songs, but without THAT Birdie song included....

A Murder Of One - Counting Crows
Birds - Aztec Camera
Crows In The Wheatfield - Del Amitri
Eagle Tax - Mogwai
Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Good Morning, Mr Magpie - Radiohead
I Like Birds - eels
Hummer - Smashing Pumpkins
Vulture - James
Gem Of A Bird - The View
Knots - Lisa Hannigan
When Doves Cry - Prince
Pigeons And Crumbs - Natalie Imbruglia
Songbird - Oasis
New Birds - Arab Strap

Links to YouTube videos of a few songs listed.

0014 : Seawatching (19/1/14)

                                         Guillemots

                                         Red Throated Diver

                                         Storm Petrel

                                         Manx Shearwater

Seawatching - it isn't everyone's cup of tea. Watching birds whizz by at distances varying from very close in to shore to way, way out on the horizon and trying to ID them as best as you can, is a challenge, but like most birding, the more you do it, the better you get at it (hopefully).

I am generally a fair weather sea-watcher, although being in receipt of a key for the Fife Bird Club seawatching hide at Fife Ness now, has increased the scope for me participating in slightly less favourable "outdoors" conditions. These wet, wild and windy conditions however can be the best conditions for this type of birdwatching.

What you can expect to see varies with the time of year, and even to an extent, the time of day. Strong winds blowing towards the coast from off the sea bring birds closer in than normal. Auks, Divers, Grebes, Cormorants, Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Gannets, Storm Petrels, Fulmars, Shearwaters, Ducks and Waders can all be seen with a spot of luck. Surprises can include raptors such as Ospreys and Owls coming in from off the sea on migration. Passerines can also be seen from time to time either funneling by following the coastline, or also arriving after a flight over the sea, on migration.

So, how do you seawatch? Find a prominent headland, such as Fife Ness, and sit. Watch what flies by. A scope is very handy for those distant specks, but using one constantly means that you are limiting your field of view to a small patch of sea and sky. I tend to use binoculars and my camera fitted with a Bigma (Sigma 50-500mm) lens to ID the birds. I ID them to family level with the binoculars, then hopefully narrow it down to species from the photo I have hopefully managed to get. It isn't always easy to track a bird against a choppy sea with binoculars and then pick up the same bird through the viewfinder of the camera. When it works, it is handy for studying the photos later, as well as initially identifying the bird. Other times, I am left with a blur, or a wingtip or head popping out from behind a wave.

The months from July to October tend to be seawatching season, with breeding birds passing by to their wintering grounds. My most enjoyable day spent seawatching was 25th July 2011. I had been out birding the previous day in Angus when a flurry of reports came in of Storm Petrels being seen in unusually high numbers from Fife Ness and Crail. As I was unable to get there that Sunday, and the Monday being a local holiday, I decided to head for "the Ness" in the hope it wasn't just a one-day wonder. As it turned out I wasn't disappointed.

Getting of the bus in Crail I walked down to the park overlooking Roome Bay and scanned over the water. The very first bird I picked up was flitting around over the waves like a black and white butterfly, backwards and forwards seemingly randomly. My very first Storm Petrel anywhere. It wasn't to be the last of the day. I walked along the coast, stopping to scan at regular intervals, invariably adding another Storm Petrel or two as I did so. Hundreds of Gannets passed by, unmistakable with their large white shape tipped with black wingtips and a pale yellowish tinge to the head, pointed at all four ends - wings, tail and head, routing to and from their breeding colony on the Bass Rock on the other side of the Forth.

Auks and Terns from the Isle of May shuttled back and forth also, fetching and carrying food for their young. Reaching the rocks at Fife Ness, I found a relatively comfortable spot to sit and hopefully see some of my other target species - Skuas and Shearwaters in particular.

I didn't have to wait for too long before I saw my first Manx Shearwater heading north, characteristically shearing the waves as it went, black on the upperside, white on the underside against the grey of the sea and sky. A little later, my second Shearwater species followed it northwards, a Sooty Shearwater.

More Manxies passed by, as groups of Gannets cruised past at a variety of distances, gliding upwards at times before dropping back down towards the wave tops. Kittiwakes and Sandwich Terns added to the list of species. The Sandwich Terns in particular being rather vocal as they flew past, sometimes diving headlong into the sea and emerging with a fish. Sometimes a Kittiwake would give chase attempting to deprive the Tern of its catch. A few more Storm Petrels were seen further out to sea. A mixed flock of Guillemots and Razorbills hunted not far offshore and Cormorants and Shags could also be seen as they flew out to and from the small rocky islands to the north of where I was sitting. The light was very good, with little haze, so I was able to get relatively good photos of most of the species seen.

A Gannet spotted a fish and plunged into the water. When it surfaced it had drawn the attentions of a mixed flock of Herring Gulls, Kittiwakes and a Great Black Backed Gull. It chose not to stick around taking off after a run along the surface of the water. An Arctic Skua scooted low over a group of Auks but paid them no attention as they sat on the surface. A Red Throated Diver passed over, not too far out, but slightly higher than most of the traffic. A few more Storm Petrels zipped around, with three at once dancing around inches above the waves. Another group of Manxies headed north and Fulmar was a late addition to the party.

Soon, it was time to head back to Crail for my bus home, after a very enjoyable couple of hours. Although not a typical day, it illustrates just what a variety can be seen locally. There are far better locations around further afield, but Fife Ness is within relatively easy travelling distance by public transport for me, so is my location of choice for this type of birding. Anything can, and does turn up while seawatching.

Species seen while seawatching that day were -
Eider, Red Throated Diver, Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Storm Petrel, Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Grey Heron, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Arctic Skua, Black Headed Gull, Hering Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Kittiwake, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Razorbill, Guillemot, Swallow, Pied Wagtail and Linnet.

More of my seawatching photos from Fife Ness and a few other locations can be seen here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonefaction/sets/72157635499223172/

0013 : Birding By Ear (18/1/14)

Mallard

                                         

Carrion Crow

                                         

Cuckoo

                                         

How many birds can you identify by call or song? Probably more than you think. The three photographed above for example. The "Quack" of a Mallard, the "Caw" of a Carrion Crow and the "Cuckoo" of....... a Cuckoo. You may never have seen one, but you would likely know what it was when you heard one.

A few others you may know, - the "pink" of a Chaffinch, the screaming of a Swift, the mewing of a Buzzard circling up on a thermal, or the noisy scolding of an Oystercatcher. Examples of possibly familiar birdsongs include the "little bit of bread and no cheese" of a Yellowhammer, or the constant string of notes from a Skylark making its way skywards on a sunny day. Robins sing in the depths of winter, sometimes even during the hours of darkness.

There are lots of birds that can be easily identified "by ear", and the more you are able to link what you hear, with what you see, the easier it becomes. Even when you can't initially see the bird, hearing a call or a song can help you find it. In a lot of cases, you may be unfamiliar with a particular call or song but you may think it sounds like something else, most likely from the same bird family.

Lots of times I have been out and about and picked up birds by ear. Waxwings, in particular, last winter were around in large numbers and I picked up several overflying groups by hearing their trimphone-like calls.

There are days when the ears are a more important tool for finding birds than the eyes. It can be tricky in late Spring to pick up birds by sight as the foliage thickens, but if one is singing it becomes easier to pinpoint where the song is coming from.

The easiest way to learn to ID birds by ear is to see them singing/calling, but there are other ways to learn. Online resources like the Xeno-Canto website has recordings of bird songs and calls from all over the world. There are also numerous books with CDs included that can be used as teachig aids. Whichever way you choose to learn, you won't regret taking the time, as it opens up a whole new means of finding birds.

Keep your ears and eyes open at all times and you will see birds everywhere.

0012 : Get Lucky....(17/1/14)

Mistle Thrush

                                     

King Eider

                                  

King Eider and sleeping Eider

                                           

Velvet Scoter

                                     

Stormy Fife Ness

                                      

Red Throated Divers

                                     

Herring Gull

                                     

A day's holiday from work in January last year inevitably meant heavy snow all day, but thankfully this year there has been no sign of similar conditions so far (touch wood!). However, checking the weather forecast and especially the rainfall map before I left the house, did appear to give a little cause for concern with showery weather at both the planned locations to be visited looking for new year ticks.

Target birds were Snow Bunting and Green Woodpecker in particular with a few other possibles, at Tentsmuir Forest, and a chance to see a female King Eider off Ruddon's Point at the eastern end of Largo Bay. Surf Scoter and various divers and grebes were also possible here.

My transport for the day was provided by my birding buddy, Jacqui, once again. Having the car meant we could pack a scope for seeing the King Eider at Ruddon's Point. Distant ducks in the sea are tricky to ID with just binoculars.

We set off from Guardbridge towards the car park at Kinshaldy, in Tentsmuir Forest, arriving around 9am. The car park was very quiet and we set off through the dunes with Jacqui's wee dog, Archie, scampering around enjoying the fresh air. Unfortunately there weren't many birds around along the beach and the dune edges. We did spook a small flock which we hoped were Snow Buntings, but once we caught up with them again discovered were Linnets. I spotted a bird as it landed near the fence line at the southern end of Tentsmuir Point nature reserve. Through binoculars I could make out that it was a falcon and thought it looked Merlin sized rather than a larger Peregrine. I took a few photos but the light was very poor and the photos were very grainy and hard to get a good look at on the camera back screen. Later at home, I checked and still thought Merlin, so I posted on BirdForum where the consensus was that it was indeed a Merlin. New tick number 1.

Walking along the tree line, we spotted Mistle Thrush ahead of us, and a few Meadow Pipits called as they flew above us. Three Bullfinches flew up from the ground into the trees, and we encountered more of them a short distance on. There appears to have been a large influx of these lovely big finches this winter with lots being seen all over the place. Great Tits, Blue Tits and Coal Tits fed in a small flock among the bare branches of a small copse of trees with a solitary Goldcrest foraging among the lichen-covered branches nearby.

We approached the area where I find Green Woodpeckers most times I try and I walked through the trees while Jacqui stayed in the open space to the west, giving her a better view ahead than I had. We heard a calling Green Woodpecker and Jacqui saw it fly, but my view was blocked by branches. Thankfully, Jacqui had seen where it had landed, so I walked on scanning as I moved forward slowly. The Green Woodpecker spotted me before I saw it and flew off towards the main forest giving me flight views for around 10 seconds. Year tick number 2.

We walked back through the forest and saw another Green Woodpecker but little else except Robin and Wren. We headed for Jacqui's to drop the dog at home after his exhausting two hour walk. En route towards Leuchars village we passed a farm where Tree Sparrows and House Sparrows mingled with Starlings in the garden of the farmhouse. At Jacqui's I spotted a Collared Dove fly into a tree behind her house adding another bird to our day list total which was only around 30 species at this point.

We set off southwards for Ruddon's Point and picked up Grey Partridge and Pheasants in the roadside fields as well as a few Buzzards hunting on the ground. At the holiday park at Ruddon's Point we saw two Magpies near the road in and a Curlew ran across the road in front of us. Getting out of the car we added a Reed Bunting along with a female Chaffinch. We walked through the trees to overlook the small bay to the north. A small group of waders were on the beach - Bar Tailed Godwits mostly, with a single Dunlin, as well as a few Oystercatchers and Redshanks. Offshore there was a small group of Eiders, and a pair of Mallards and a drake Wigeon and a large flock of Herring, Common and Black Headed Gulls. We set the scope up and I scanned the water to the northeast. Velvet and Common Scoter were seen and Long Tailed Ducks were around in good numbers. We made our way out to the end of the path through the grass and scanned again. Similar species along with Oystercatchers roosting among the rocks were seen from here.

Rain had begun to fall as we walked out and it showed no sign of easing up. Looking south we could see 4 birders scoping the river to the south, so I turned the scope that way and scanned in roughly the same direction. Eiders were the predominant species offshore and I slowly worked through them, hoping that I would be able to ID a female King Eider among female Common Eiders if I chanced upoin the bird which had been seen here yesterday. Thankfully, my worries were unfounded and it stood out well, the different shape of the head and two small "sails" on its back being very noticable. I managed a distant record shot here, confirming the ID. My fisrt female King Eider. We walked down to join the other birders, but the lower viewpoint made finding the bird again slightly tricky, but eventually it was spotted again, and I managed to get a series of photos and both Jacqui and myself got very good scope views. A nice drake Velvet Scoter showed relatively close in, but hopes of re-finding the Boxing day Stejneger's Scoter seen at Musselburgh remained hopes, albeit very faint hopes. A Red Throated Diver slept beyond the Eider flock and Long Tailed Ducks and Common Scoters dived and surfaced time and time again among the waves. The King Eider dived a few times, coming up with food a least once.

As we watched the King Eider a few small groups of waders flew past - Bar Tailed Godwits with a couple of Dunlin and three Grey Plovers with them, then a Sanderling flock with another few Grey Plover, and a Ringed Plover and some Dunlin. The black "armpits" on the Grey Plovers was very conspicuous despite the lighting conditions. We headed back to the car, where a Robin was hopping around below as we arrived back. Another birder showed up and we gave her directions to where the King Eider was, before we headed off to see if we could find anything at Kilconquhar Loch a short distance away. We had intended on trying the small marsh area to the north of the village but it was quite flooded so we headed to the edge of the loch instead. Coots, Goldeneye, Mute Swan, a distant Tufted Duck and more gulls were the rather slim pickings on the water. We chatted to another birder who we had talked to at Ruddon's Point and as we did so, we heard a knocking sound to our right. It turned out to be a male Great Spotted Woodpecker who seemed rather unconcerned by our close proximity.

Driving towards Crail we had a flock of what were probably Linnets wheeling around over a field as we rejoined the main road. We decided to try for Geese in the fields north of Crail first but drew a complete blank, so headed to Kilminning instead. As I walked along the edge of the field I put up a Woodcock which flew up and over the trees and road, unseen by Jacqui. Another tick for me. A few Goldfinches and Greenfinches were all that was around, so we headed down over the golf course to Fife Ness.

The tide was almost all the way in, with large waves crashing in and the inlets full of thick sea-foam. Birds were in short supply offshore with Great Black Backed and Herring Gulls the most visible species. Eiders were feeding in small groups beyond the breaking waves. I spotted a Diver in the swell to the right of the hide, and got a better view a short while late which let me ID it as a nice Black Throated Diver - another year tick. Unfortunately I then lost it among the waves and despite searching for a few minutes in the hope of getting a photo, I failed to relocate it. Two Red Throated Divers did fly north together and Jacqui had a single Red Throated Diver offshore as I searched for the Black Throated, and also a flyby juvenile Kittiwake which I missed too. Two Long Tailed Ducks flew north and a Cormorant and a Shag flew out from the rocks near where the car was parked. Scanning these showed a large flock of mostly Oystercatchers huddled up. Among them were two Bar Tailed Godwits and some Curlews. A couple of Purple Sandpipers were picked up a little further along. Just after I took a photo of them, a large wave lifted a large flock of around 60 that had been out of sight behind the rocks on the island where the waders were roosting and they flew to some rocks a little further out where they touched down only to be chased off again by another large crashing wave. The light was starting to go, so we headed back to Guardbridge where Jacqui dropped me off to catch the bus.

Another very good day out with 59 species on my list and 5 new year-ticks (in bold).
Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Throated Diver, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey Partridge, Grey Plover, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, King Eider, Linnet, Long-Tailed Duck, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Merlin, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Purple Sandpiper, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Robin, Sanderling, Shag, Song Thrush, Starling, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Velvet Scoter, Wigeon, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Wren

Jacqui also saw Grey Heron, Kittiwake and Teal which I missed.

0011 : Is It A Bird? (16/1/14)

Long Eared Owl

Short Eared Owl

Tawny Owl

Well today at work I was asked a question that threw me a bit.

Now, when folk find out I have an interest in birds I will sometimes get asked about a strange bird they have seen, or about the birds they get in their garden. Usually the strange bird is a Rock Pipit, rather than a Jay. For some reason, nobody asks me about birds that turn out to be Jays (well, all apart from my pal, Garry, whose description didn't make it too easy to ID but we got there in the end), but about a small brown bird and then they send me the photo and it turns out to be another Rock Pipit. Now when I first saw a Rock Pipit (2 on the seawall at Riverside Drive in Dundee about 10 years ago, opposite Tesco - where I've never seen one since), I didn't know what it was either, so I can't blame any non-birder for not knowing what one is.

However, today the initial question had me wondering if I had heard the question properly.

I had.

"Is an owl a bird?".

"Yes, what did you think it was?"

Now the asker of the question was a young girl in her late teens, and the person who answered her wasn't me, but a girl of a similar age who was equally perplexed by the question as I was. To set the scene a little better, Girl number 1 had asked me what I planned to do on my day off, to which I replied that I would be doing a bit of birding. At that point I noticed that her pal was wearing a large picture of an Eagle Owl (I think) on her top. How I had failed to notice this all day, I have no idea. Anyway, I mentioned the owl, to which girl 1 asked the question that threw me. "Is an owl a bird?"

Girl 2 then proceeded to answer "Yes, what did you think it was?" and then to explain about owl pellets as a wee interesting snippet to which girl 1 replied with a "yuck!". Follow on questions were "Is a Penguin a bird?", "Is a Duck a bird?", "Where do Robins go in summer?" and "Why don't you see birds on holiday?". Some clarification was requested on the last one, just in case she meant birds sunning themselves on loungers by swimming pools with little sunglasses on, but she meant that she never saw any birds when she was abroad on holiday.  There was also "Do you shoot the birds?"

I've read a few things that suggest a lot of younger folk are growing up with little knowledge of, or interest in, the natural world but this was the first time I had experienced such a lack of very basic knowledge first-hand. I have no idea what is being taught in school now (or in the past 10-15 years) but it is rather worrying that someone in their late teens could possibly not know that an owl/duck/penguin was a bird. Whether her teachers had ever talked about birds I have no idea, or whether they had and she just didn't pay attention that day, again I have no idea.

It turned out girl 2's dad is a birder and a volunteer at the RSPB Loch of Kinnordy reserve near Kirriemuir, and we had a wee chat about birds and Kinnordy and a few folk I know from up that way. She said she wants to see a White Tailed Eagle, so I suggested a couple of likely spots for her, and we explained just how big and impressive a WTE is to girl number 1.

The difference in knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject between the two of them was night and day. It would be nice if there were more like girl 2 than girl 1 around looking out for the natural world, in more ways than one, but I have a feeling that sadly the opposite is probably nearer the truth.

Something needs to change somewhere, I think.

0010 : That Was The Weekend That Was....(15/1/14)

Fieldfare

Mediterranean Gull

Snipe

 

Tree Sparrow and Corn Bunting

Twite

The best laid plans of mice and men etc.....
I did intend to blog on a daily basis but unfortunately my PC had other ideas and decided it didn't want to play that particular game, so a rather frustrating weekend attempting to fix things meant no blog posts, though I did manage two good days birding. So rather than one massive post, this will be more an edited highlights sort of post covering the two days (Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th January).

Saturday involved a circular trip around the eastern side of Fife with my birding buddy, Jacqui Herrington. I picked up my first new year tick as I walked down to the bus station in Dundee, a nice wee Goldcrest feeding among the bare branches of a tree by a block of flats near the city centre. We started at Guardbridge where a Redwing was foraging below the trees at the paper mill. Black Tailed Godwit, a Long Tailed Duck and Tree Sparrows were the other highlights before we set off for our first stop at Letham Pools.

Whooper Swans and Fieldfares were here in relatively good numbers, with the Fieldfare flock showing really well in the field next to the road allowing a few photos. Mountcastle Quarry, a short distance away, held a mix of waterfowl though nothing too great.

Onwards to Angle Park which was well populated with a mix of Swans, Ducks, Gulls and Coots and Moorhens. A Sparrowhawk being chased by a crow was spotted above the car as we moved off from our parking spot. From here we headed towards Rossie Bog. En route we stumbled upon a large flock of around 1000+ geese, both Greylags and Pink Footed Geese at Kilwhiss. A surprise slightly further on was 4 Magpies together. More and more of these birds are appearing in Fife and Tayside these days. My next new bird for the year list was Stock Dove, a small flock in a field by the roadside before we reached Rossie Bog. No sign of the male Hen Harrier which had been seen around the area, with Lapwings the best bird here.

Mostly waterfowl along similar lines to Angle Park at The Wilderness, near Ladybank. We were intending to head to Largo Bay in the hope of maybe seeing Surf Scoter or Red Necked Grebe though it was a slim hope for both. As we travelled south, Jacqui saw a sign for Buckhaven and we altered the planned route to go and pick up the local speciality. As always (or almost always), it was where it always seems to be. Shore Road, standing on the grass between the flats and the river - Mediterranean Gull. There is something slightly ironic about a "Mediterranean" bird favouring the "delights" of Buckhaven. Whatever the reason for Med Gull liking that particularly place, long may it continue, as it is always a good bird to see, and with such a reliable location semi-locally, it doesn't take too much effort to get one on the yearlist.

The car park at the waterfront at Leven only produced a mix of gull species and a Rock Pipit or two, with Eiders offshore. The waters off the Fife coast were very quiet, with a few Eiders and not too much else visible among the waves. A similar situation was found at Lower Largo rather disappointingly, so we headed along the main road heading for Crail and Fife Ness. We stopped off at a couple of likely spots for Corn Buntings, near St Monans, but drew a blank, although at the first a Buzzard sat on top of a hedge was a nice bonus. At the second, a large flock of Tree Sparrows and Yellowhammers put in an appearance though they were very flighty which made checking for Corn Buntings among them rather difficult.

A large flock of Linnets was at Kilminning though there wasn't much else noticably around. Fife Ness next, where the hide provided a wind-break as we sat in the sunshine on a flat rock. Again, it was very quiet offshore. A drake Teal was a bit of a surprise. I added Guillemot and Kittiwake to my yearlist. A Red Throated Diver, a few Great Black Backed Gulls, Eiders and the usual Shags and Cormorants more or less completed the picture here.

A brief stop next at Kingsbarns saw another Diver, which on photos showed a few markings that hinted at a possible Black Throated, but the pics aren't good enough to be certain. The final stop was Out Head at St Andrews. Walking through the dunes we added Skylark and Reed Bunting but overall it was very quiet with the tide well out and the beach still quite busy with walkers.

Final total for the day was 64 species - 6 of which were new for the year (in bold).
Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Eider, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greylag Goose, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Linnet, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Duck, Magpie, Mallard, Mediterranean Gull, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pink Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Shag, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

And, so to Sunday and an outing to look for waders along the Angus coast with the Angus and Dundee Bird Club. Starting at Balmossie we picked up a nice mixture of the usual suspects with Grey Plover probably the most unusual of these. A wee change of plan was in order with a nice Red Necked Grebe having been showing well for a few days at Monikie Country Park. Unfortunately we arrived to a virtually full car park with a bi-athlon event taking place. There was also no sign of the Grebe. I did manage to add a single Grey Wagtail to my yearlist.

We next headed to Elliot reedbeds on the outskirts of Arbroath, to look for Snipe and Jack Snipe. We only managed the latter when two birds flushed, although there was a possible Jack Snipe which only flew a short distance but wasn't seen well enough to be certain. Jack Snipe was however seen on Saturday at my own patch of Riverside Nature Park in Dundee during a guided walk led by Ian Ford.

We then travelled a short distance to near the harbour to try for Purple Sandpiper. A small wader roost here held around 20 or so, along with Oystercatcher and Redshank. A few Curlew were also nearby. The next stop was to be Montrose Basin visitor centre for lunch. A little discussion with Steve who was giving me a lift ensured a bit of a detour en route. Steve had never seen Corn Bunting and I needed them for my yearlist, so we headed for a farm well known for holding a decent sized flock in winter. Getting out of the car I could hear a few birds calling and soon located them in a large tree. There were also a lot of Tree Sparrows, as well as Yellowhammers, and a few Linnets and at least one Chaffinch and Reed Bunting. A large flock of Rooks and Jackdaws were spooked from a nearby field.

We headed back to the main road and caught up with the rest of the ADBC group at Montrose Basin. The tide was in so conditions weren't brilliant but after a spot of conversation and some help finding the birds I managed another two species for 2014 - Scaup and Greenshank. A group of 25+ of the former well out in the basin and a single of the latter feeding along the shore near the visitor centre.

Talking to Steve again, we decided we would find our own way back to Dundee rather than continuing with the main group. First target would be around the far side of the basin, along the path for the Wigeon and Shelduck hides. There is a large pile of grain here which draws in a flock of birds. Chaffinches and Twite mostly. As we walked along it looked deserted, but as we drew closer I spotted Twite feeding. Small flocks of birds dropped in adding to the number. These were mostly Chaffinches but other Twite also flew in. We managed to get pretty close to the feeding flock which were quite settled. Most of the Twite appeared to be colour ringed birds. Apparently a large proportion of these birds come from the Western Isles for the winter. Always worth seeing.

We then headed onwards to Montreathmont Forest in the hope of maybe picking up Crossbills or Green Woodpecker from the gate. Quiet was an understatement, with two flyover gulls being teh only birds seen. We then made our way to Monikie again, where we had heard the Red Necked Grebe had been reported again. When we arrived we bumped into another birder who had spent two hours looking for it and drawing a blank. We had a look too, but needless to say, drew a blank as well. The light was fading so we headed back to Dundee.

A decent day out with 60 species seen. Again 6 were new for the year (in bold).
Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Grey Plover, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Linnet, Little Grebe, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Purple Sandpiper, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Scaup, Skylark, Snipe, Starling, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Twite, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.


Over the course of the two days I sawe 81 species, taking my yearlist to 103. Not a bad start to 2014.

0009 : Blast From The Past - 8/1/12

Whooper Swan and Mute Swan

Black Redstart

A wee delve back into the notebooks for an "on this day" sort of post tonight. Just two years ago to Sunday January 8th 2012. An Angus & Dundee Bird Club outing to try and see as many wader species as possible along the Angus coast. A few more good birds around as well.

The route was to take us from our first stop/meeting point at Balmossie, then the short distance to Monifieth, then onto the Elliot reedbeds on the outskirts of Arbroath, then to Montrose Basin visitor centre for lunch.. A short detour to the Lurgies/Maryton Steps, then catching up with the others again at Lunan Bay before the trip was over.

My own list for the day was 60 species. Not bad for January, with 5 new for my yearlist, 3 of which were very good birds - Black Redstart (at Lunan Bay near the chicken coop and old farm machinery), Jack Snipe (at Elliot reedbeds) and Great Northern Diver (at Montrose Basin). We also missed a Black Necked Grebe which would have been a lifer for me at the time, but a decision to eat lunch in the quiet of the RBS hide meant we were unaware of the passing by of firstly, the Great Northern Diver, and then when we went hunting for a closer view, the Grebe showed in front of the visitor centre. Ah well, can't win them all, I suppose.....

Birds seen - Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Pink Footed Goose, Shelduck, Mallard, Wigeon, Teal, Eider, Common Scoter, Long Tailed Duck, Goldeneye, Red Breasted Merganser, Pheasant, Red Throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Buzzard, Kestrel, Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Redshank, Greenshank, Bar Tailed Godwit, Curlew, Snipe, Jack Snipe, Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Black Redstart, Song Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Wren, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer.

0008 : Twitching And Hoping (7/1/14)

Iceland Gull

Iceland Gull

Iceland Gull

The bird(s) in the pictures above are Iceland Gulls. Most winters a few birds show up in Scotland, and if we are lucky at least one will make an appearance locally. The bird in the top two photos was my first ever "proper" rarity find - a 1st year bird at Clatto Reservoir on the outskirts of Dundee a few years ago. The bottom bird was another 1st year bird that wintered at Anstruther harbour and which was tempted in with some bread. A friend tried to tempt it in with lemon sole which the bird apparently turned its beak up at, leaving my friend with rather smelly fingers.....

The reason for posting photos of Iceland Gull will be apparent if you happened to read last night's post on my local patch - Riverside Nature Park, a short while after I posted it. Another regular at the site had discovered another 1st year bird at the park yesterday and had posted photos on BirdForum.

Naturally I was hoping that I might see the bird at some point. At lunchtime I received both negative and positive reports by text of the bird being in Invergowrie Bay this morning. The positive report was later than the negative so I weighed up the option of asking to leave work early to try and see the bird myself. When I mentioned the species, my boss, a non-birder asked "didn't you see one of those at Clatto Park?" (She lives near the park and it had obviously stuck in her head for some reason - I was impressed that she remembered. Moreso that she had actually listened to the original conversation....). As things worked out, I more or less managed to get my work up to date, so I asked and was granted permission to leave early.

Generally speaking, I'm not a "twitcher" as such, but if something unusual turns up locally and I can get there I will usually try to go. If it is on my patch, then I can't really give it a miss....

Leaving work at around 1445, I caught a bus to the Technology Park and walked down to the park, where I bumped into another local birder, Bob McCurley, who had been trying to see the bird, but had drawn a blank. As I had crossed the bridge over the railway I had scanned with the small pair of 10x25 binoculars I had with me and seen a pale looking gull flying towards the water's edge out in the bay. Bob set up his scope and scanned through the rather distant gulls. We walked down to the hide and tried again, but no luck. There was a large flock in their usual place over towards Invergowrie among the rockier part of the bay, but these were mostly Black Headed with a few Common dotted through with 1 or 2 juvenile Herring Gulls. Strangely the area on the Dundee side of the pipe was bereft of Gulls as was the pipe which is very unusual. A Buzzard flew by the hide quite close with a Carrion Crow giving it some unwanted attention. A Starling flew over as well.

I mentioned to Bob the possibility of getting down to the shore on the Invergowrie side of the bay so we walked to his car and drove round. It is possible to get along the shore by crossing the bridge at Invergowrie railway station and walking through the trees. Bob scanned from the bridge but still no luck. We walked on till we reached the edge of the bay. There was a steady stream of gulls low over the water heading into the wind towards Kingoodie to roost. Checking through them again produced no Iceland Gull. The light was starting to go, so we headed back to the park to once more try from the hide but the birds we had seen from the opposite side had moved on and there were only waders (Redshanks and Curlews) and ducks (Mallard and Teal) near the Dundee side. As we entered the park, I spotted a small group of Long Tailed Tits feeding in the hedge. A new species for Bob's yearlist, so he at least had something to show for his visit.

Bob decided to call it a day and head for home, but despite the rapidly fading light and my rather limited binoculars I decided to see if there was anything else around in the park. On the hill and by the Lochan was a large group of Carrion Crows, and more gulls continues to stream in from the north to roost in the river. As best as I could tell, none looked much like an Iceland Gull. The lochan held a pair of Teal and around 10 Mallards.

I skirted round the area behind the car park, spooking a lot of smaller birds from around the edges of the flood. Blackbirds and Redwings were heard calling as the flock dispersed into the trees but the visibility rendered them as blurs and silhouettes only. A few Woodpigeons noisily clattered out from the trees and these were recognisable against the lighter parts of sky, though the wing slaps were pretty conclusive on their own anyway.

Heading along by the cow field I spotted movement ahead by the edge of the trees and stopped to look. The dark shape did the same. I could just make out what it was. A Fox.

And no, I don't know what it said......

Rather short list of birds seen -
Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Curlew, Herring Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Redshank, Redwing, Starling, Teal, Woodpigeon