0035 : Not Quite Spring Yet (23/3/14)

Bullfinch

Long Tailed Tit

Kestrel

Kestrel with prey (insect/spider?)

Meadow Pipit

Oystercatchers, Mute Swan, Black Headed Gull & Starling

Reed Bunting

For some reason I have been unable to find much enthusiasm for visiting my patch at Riverside Nature Park this year but I decided to pay it a visit for a wee walk round this afternoon hoping for a Chiffchaff or maybe a Jack Snipe, or with a lot of luck, both to help me regain some interest in my usually quite regular haunt. The sun was shining although it was still quite cold in the wind, though not overly so. However as it is still March and this is Scotland, I shouldn't be too surprised.

I arrived at the park around 1425 and wandered in from the eastern end. First up was a Carrion Crow perched high in a tree near the entrance. Ahead of me on the grass in the park I could see something small flitting around. This turned out to be a Pied Wagtail, with this small fairly bare area one of its regular spots. A Song Thrush spotted me before I saw it and shot into the bushes on the right. A Woodpigeon clattered out the other side and over the field towards the railway line. Chaffinches and Goldfinches could be heard calling from the bushes and trees and were easy enough to see among the still bare branches. A male Bullfinch was doing his best to keep the branches bare, nibbling at the fresh buds. Wandering further on, a Blackbird spooked from the long grass into Buzzard Wood. I could hear Greenfinches calling wheezily from the trees but the strong sun made it difficult to see just where the sound was coming from.

The puddle at the southeast corner of Buzzard Wood was passable and the water levels were quite low within the wooded area itself. There wasn't too much activity here, except for a few Chaffinches and a pair of Long Tailed Tits. I decided to explore the flooded area opposite the wood in the hope of finding Jack Snipe. This area seems to retain water for most of the year, even moreso than the larger field behind the car park. A pair of Mallards flew past, having been spooked from somewhere else, and a Meadow Pipit rose from the vegetation calling as it flew over into the trees. A Herring Gull drifted over on the wind. I turned around and was surprised to see the male Kestrel hovering not too far away. He dropped lower and then again before dropping into the long grass. I hurried closer while he was out of sight but he lifted again with one talon closed around something small, which he proceeded to feed on, Hobby-style, on the wing. Looking at the rather poor photos I managed I suspect it was probably a large insect or spider, rather than anything more substantial.

I headed back into the boggy area walking towards the hedge that cuts across the area. A pale bird in a tree at Buzzard Wood caught my eye. Looking through the binoculars showed it was a male Reed Bunting. A pair of females were in the hedge ahead of me and as I got closer an unseen pair of Common Snipe burst upwards calling in alarm and shot off in opposite directions once clear of the hedge. Unfortunately I didn't manage a photo of this pair but as I don't encounter Snipe too often at the park it was still good to see them. I wandered back to Buzzard Wood where a Wren was hunting around low down. I heard a call from deep within the flooded area in the wood that I knew but couldn't initially place. After a few seconds thought, I recognised it as a Moorhen. A bit of loitering and listening resulted in hearing it again but no matter how hard I looked I was unable to see anything of the bird through the rather thick tangle of vegetation. It would be good if someone could get a positive look at this bird as it would be a new species for the park list.

Over the airport a flock of Starlings wheeled around and a pair of Carrion Crows loitered on an aerial mast. The path round to the bay via the car park was pretty much bereft of birds with hardly anything even heard. The tide was still quite far out and with the sun being rather strong and reflecting off the wet mud it was tricky to make out much against the harsh light. Redshanks and Oystercatchers were still around though numbers were rather low. A Teal was just offshore but there were none in the burn channel. A Carrion Crow glided along the edge of the hill over the heads of two dog walkers who turned to watch it as it flew down into the bay. I followed the fence line along to where the gulls bathe and scanned through the small group. Mostly Herring Gulls though there were 2 Common Gulls and 3 Lesser Black Backeds here too. A few Mallards and Redshanks were also close by, with a few more Mallards and 2 Shelducks in front of the hide.

Carrion Crows were foraging in the grassy field and looking towards the Lochan I could see Oystercatchers and Mute Swan. As I got closer I could also see a single juvenile Black Headed Gull and a Starling among the Oystercatchers. A young Herring Gull stood by the water's edge nearby. In the field with the Highland Cattle were a few Jackdaws and more Oystercatchers. A Robin was feeding in the hedge slightly further on. The small patch of trees on the hill had a few Chaffinches and I could hear a Yellowhammer calling from the oppoiste side of the path but failed to see it. Another pair of Carrion Crows were in the trees near the junction of the paths overlooking the low fields and I managed to see a Blue Tit flitting around in the tops of one of the smaller trees here.

I headed back to Buzzard Wood with only some movement of Woodpigeons to add en route. A pair of Dunnocks were hunting around among the branches on the fallen fir tree and the Long Tailed Tits could still be seen feeding among the branches further in. A female Chaffinch kept catching my eye as she moved from tree to tree, the drab colouring making me hope for a Chiffchaff but there was no sign of one, nor any calling from over by the railway line (although the clearing of a LOT of cover there won't have done much for the birtds). I wandered back through the boggy area just in case a Snipe or two had dropped back in. I did find 3 Meadow Pipits and I could hear Skylark over the airport but didn't try too hard to see one. Four Linnets flew low overhead as I reached the hedge and three Greenfinches flew out from the hedge towards Buzzard Wood. No Snipe or Jack Snipe however, so I decided to head for home around 1615.


31 species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed T|it, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Shelduck, Snipe, Song Thrush, Starling, Teal, Woodpigeon, Wren.
(Yellowhammer, Skylark and possible Moorhen heard).

0034 : Close To Home... (22/3/14)

Mallard

Kingfisher (old photo - not from today)
Iceland Gull

Iceland Gull

Iceland Gull



Having been ill for a week and stuck in the house for the vast majority of that time (excluding Monday when I went to work - bad idea), I was determined to at least get out of the house for a wee while today and make it slightly further than the Doctors surgery or the Chemist's shop. Thankfully, despite not being close to feeling back to normal, I did manage to get out for a walk for a few hours, and got a year-tick into the bargain.

I left the house at 12 o'clock picking up the usual Herring Gulls overhead as I did, hanging in the strong-ish wind. Next up was a Starling singing away from a TV aerial on a tenement block, throwing in odd bits of mimicry as it did so. A Collared Dove calling monotonously from a streetlight was the next addition to the list. oo-OOO-oo, oo-OOO-oo, oo-OOO-oo etc etc etc. I could hear a Chaffinch calling from some trees on the corner of the next street and managed to pick it out through the branches. Two Carrion Crows tussled and tangled in the air over the back greens. As I walked along Clepington Road, I could see a bird circling distantly to the north. I suspected Buzzard but it was too far away to be sure without taking the binoculars out of the bag.

I detoured from my direct route to Caird Park along Lammerton Terrace, in the hope of seeing Magpies, but there was no sign today. House Sparrows chirped from within the hedges of the gardens of Castle Terrace, with one or two momentarily popping into the open and then rushing back into cover on seeing me approaching. At the wasteground on Mains Terrace, there was plenty of activity, with two Dunnocks chasing each other around and Greenfinches singing from the tops of trees, with other half-seen birds fluttering about mostly hidden by the bare branches. Feral Pigeons on the roofs of the houses coo-ed to each other.

Crossing the Kingsway and into Caird Park, I was almost immediately distracted by a pair of Long Tailed Tits scooting about in a tree on the other side of the hedge. Further downhill, I could hear the sound of Goldfinches high in the trees and managed to spot them among the cones of the larches. A Great Spotted Woodpecker called sharply but I couldn't pick it out. Woodpigeon was next, a small flock of them on the football pitches, and throughout my time in the park was probably the most commonly encountered bird as they clattered out from trees or less often sat quietly watching me pass by.

A Pied Wagtail was perched on a wire by the golf course practice hole, before flying down to the grass to feed. I could hear a call I didn't recognise coming from a small tree close to the road. Usually if I'm not sure what it is, it will turn out to be a Great Tit. And true to form, it was. I wandered down to the ponds which were very quiet with no birds to be seen at all. It didn't look promising for seeing the Kingfisher. I headed up past the top pond and walked along the muddy edge of the Gelly Burn where a Robin sang from a branch a few feet from me and a Wren buzzed out from the undergrowth, wings whirring, and over to the reedy patch on the other side where it sang loudly for a few seconds before dropping back out of sight. A Chaffinch flew past me but there was no Song Thrush to be seen today. I reversed direction back to the ponds scanning the high conifers to look for roosting Grey Herons but there were none to see. A Buzzard briefly showed above the trees but drifted back out of view before I could get a photo. Just before I reached the bridge between the two ponds I heard the distinctive call of a Kingfisher, so I hurried to where I could scan the lower pond. Thankfully, the Kingfisher was perched in a small tree by the side of the pond. Unfortunately, it didn't stay there, instead flying off down the pond and out of sight. Ah well, a year-tick even without photos. A drake Mallard was snoozing among the water weed, as I wandered past, watching me with one eye without lifting his head. The Kingfisher saw me before I saw him again and calling loudly left low over the water in a flash of blues with a hint of orange.

I headed uphill and met a small dog which appeared to be without an owner. A Buzzard flew from the other side of the pond and perched in a tree, not too far along from where I was. The dog however trotted along the path and the bird departed back in the vague direction of where it had came from. A couple of Woodpigeons watched me from the trees, and I headed back towards the running track. A Blue Tit flew in and landed in the hedge a few feet from me as I wandered slowly past, as a group of cyclists chatted on the other side. The Goldfinches were still shuttling around in the tree-tops and once again the Great Spotted Woodpecker made his presence known, calling loudly from places unknown up above. However, this time my luck was in and I spotted the bird near the top of a tall conifer. The bird saw me as I raised the camera, and flew out of the tree and past me before swinging back and into the trees at the south end of the stadiums.

Again there was no sign of the Magpies on Forfar Road as I sauntered up towards the Swannie Ponds. The ponds themselves were a lot quieter than of late, with no Goosanders or Black Headed Gulls around. There were Mallards and Tufted Ducks as always and a mixture of Herring Gulls and Lesser Black Backed Gulls (at least 17 were counted) out on the water and around the path edge. A Carrion Crow fed on crumbs on the path. I sat for a wee while on a bench looking through the gulls but apart from a few potential 'Argentatus' Herring Gulls there was nothing of note. The Mallards were being very possessive of the females, chasing off other drakes and sticking very close to their chosen duck. One pair did mate in the water in front of me, the duck being completely submerged for about 99% of the (thankfully for her) short time.

I did add Mute Swan and Moorhen to the day list and a single juvenile Black Headed Gull popped in, looking out of place all on its own, unlike a few weeks ago when there were large numbers of these birds. More out of habit than expectation, I checked the chimneys favoured by the Iceland Gull during its stay and was quite surprised to see the bird still there. I wonder how long it will hang around for. A Common Gull flew up from the lower pond over my head. I took some photos of the Iceland Gull as it eyed me warily from its perch on high, then crossed the road and passed behind the bird. Looking back from a little further on, I noticed that the bird had disappeared when I had stopped watching it.

There wasn't much to see between here and Baxter Park, just a couple of Goldfinches singing and a pair of Blue Tits calling as they fed in a small tree in a front garden. The park itself was quite busy and again, Goldfinches were obvious as they called from up in the high branches of the mature trees. I popped into Brands Books where I managed to get a nice wee book on Falkland Island Birds from 1982, and the shop owner asked about my YES hat and whether I had any YES literature with me I could give her. Unfortunately the few flyers I have were in my other camera bag but I did point her in the direction of both Wingsoverscotland and Newsnetscotland websites. A small flock of House Sparrows near the Stobswell police station were the only thing seen before I got back home.

29 species seen (year-tick in bold) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Iceland Gull, Kingfisher, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren.

0033 : Hide And Seek (14/3/14)

Pink Footed Geese

Mute Swan

Pink Footed Geese

Teal

Curlew

Black Tailed Godwit

Peregrine

Grey Heron


My final day's holiday of the year (new one starts next month) had me wondering where to go. Should I try again for the Caird Park Kingfisher? Or maybe try Morton Lochs in the hope of Kingfisher and Shoveler? In the end I decided on the relative comfort of the hide at Guardbridge, overlooking the Eden Estuary. A much later start than usual, leaving the house around 1050.

First sighting was the customary Herring Gull, of which there always seems to be at least one overhead my street. Next up was Feral Pigeon and then Woodpigeon as I headed down to the bus station. The strong winds meant that birds were quite noticeably absent on most of the journey to Guardbridge with only a single Carrion Crow, a few Rooks and a couple of Jackdaws seen en route.

Once at the hide, which was busier than I expected, I checked the feeders at the side window as I sat down. A Greenfinch and a House Sparrow were on one of the peanut feeders. Looking out the front windows, 3 Goldeneyes were in the water out front. A male Chaffinch flew in to the feeders, the white on the wings showing well as it flew by. I scanned through the birds out on the large area of mud opposite. Redshanks were much in evidence with Black Tailed Godwits in small groups dotted around.

At the corner where the Motray meets the Eden a mixed roost of gulls were in their usual place. Black Headed, Herring, Great Black Backed and Lesser Black Backed but no Common Gulls. A pair of Oystercatchers wandered around among them. Scanning with the binoculars further out I added Curlew and Shelduck to the day list. Siskins flew in to the feeders, with one particularly feisty male seeing off a larger Greenfinch from the feeder he was eating from. A Great Tit fed on another feeder.

I spotted a couple of, probably injured, Pink Footed Geese over on the fields by the farm. I heard and then spotted a Wren foraging around in the rocks out in front of the hide. A raptor put in an appearance crossing the river and then swooping low over the pools. One of the other birders in the hide called it as a Merlin, but my initial thought was the much more likely Sparrowhawk. I had managed a couple of rather poor photos which seemed to show that I was correct, and looking at the photos later on the PC, confirmed my initial ID.

Searching through the waders along the shore opposite, I found one Dunlin in among the Redshanks, but as I was trying to get a photo, the whole flock spooked and flew around a bit, though there was no obvious cause for their alarm. Tree Sparrows seem to have had a good year in 2013 and are once again a relatively common sight at the Guardbridge feeders. I was checking the feeders regularly in the hope of adding some more species to the day list and finally found my Tree Sparrow feeding on the bird table out of the left side window. A Woodpigeon was dropping in at the feeders from time to time, but there was no sign of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. Ducks were in very short supply with only a handful of Goldeneye around, but I did finally find a small group of around half a dozen Teal close in to the northern bank of the Eden near the Motray mouth.

Checking through the gull flock again I managed to pick up a Common Gull, the first of the day surprisingly. Overall it was quite quiet with not too much happening. I did briefly see a pair of birds low over the water, but they disappeared out of my line of sight behind the trees. My initial thought was that they were maybe early returning Sand Martins but as one pulled up the fleeting view of the topside seemed very dark and more like a Swallow. Unfortunately, I couldn't be sure one way or the other, so unidentified hirundine species was as near to an ID as I could get.

There was a bit of a flurry of activity at the feeders, allowing me to add Blackbird, Dunnock and Blue Tit to my list. A pair of Mute Swans flew in from the direction of Balgove Bay and headed upriver. Checking the feeders again gave me a Robin. Next find was a Cormorant hunting close in to shore towards the airfield. I kept checking the fields by the farm in the hope of finding an early Wheatear, but a small flock of Starlings were minor consolation. Two Pink Footed Geese flew in and past the hide without landing. However a short while later a stream of Pinkies flew in and landed. Somewhere between 250-300 birds were involved but they only hung around for around 20 minutes before moving on again, heading south into the wind, possibly to gain height before continuing northwards with the wind behind them.

There were a few species that are almost always seen at the hide that hadn't put in an appearance at all. Buzzard and Mallard being the most common of these. A single drake Mallard sneaked in un-noticed opposite the hide with one of the other birders spotting it and pointing it out. With closing time approaching I decided to check out the small nature reserve to the north of the paper mill.

A Grey Heron was close in to the bank by the mill but it decided it wasn't hanging about and flew off, briefly touching down on a wall, before continuing west upriver. A small group of Teal and some Black Tailed Godwits were along the water's edge allowing me to get a few photos of both species. A Curlew gave me equally good photo opportunities next. On the mud opposite were the same gull flock I had seen from the hide with more Godwits and Redshanks further along the water's edge. Three geese which turned out to be Pink Feet didn't stay long, moving on while they were hidden from my sight by the bushes.

Turning back towards the road, I spotted a dark bird perched on one of the upper window ledges of the paper mill. A nice male Peregrine, and species number 37 for the day. The Grey Heron had returned to its pot by the wall and a small flock of Black Headed Gulls were in the sewage farm picking something from the 'water'. Not a great total but not the worst day out.

Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Goldeneye, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Siskin, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Wren.

0032 : A Tale Of Lifers And Fifers. (9/3/14)

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

Common Scoters

Curlew

Goldeneye

Whooper Swan

Kestrel

Firecrest

Peregrine
 

Well, it has been a very good start to 2014 so far with good birds showing up in places I have been able to get to, although there have been a few species that have avoided me so far that hopefully I will pick up before the end of the year. The recent trip to Fife with Gus Guthrie for the King Eider and Ring Billed Gull (and the Mediterranean Gull that has eluded Gus so far in 2014) passed by without us noticing that we'd missed a good bird from our original provisional plan. A Firecrest. Not a common wintering bird in Scotland by any means. In the intervening period however, another very good bird had turned up within striking distance -a Glossy Ibis at Kinross. Gus asked me if I fancied trying to see it. I wasn't going to say no....

Gus arranged to pick me up at Swannie Ponds again (get Iceland Gull on the list for the day again hopefully), so I left the house around 9am, having seen Blackbird, Feral Pigeon, Starling and Herring Gull when I looked out my bedroom window to check the weather earlier. Unlike the previous week, the birds were more elusive as I headed to the rendezvous point. Woodpigeon and House Sparrow were seen near Lidl on Dura Street. Carrion Crow and Chaffinch were added between Baxter Park and Pitkerro Road. Blue Tits were heard but not seen (though not looked for either).

At the ponds, I found the Iceland Gull posing obligingly atop the lighting pole at the lower pond, one of its favourite perches. Most of the usual suspects were around - Mallards, Tufted Ducks, Goosanders, Mute Swans, Black Headed Gulls, Herring Gulls and a Common Gull. A Blue Tit was feedng in the trees by the top pond and I managed to find a Dunnock in below the bushes before I was distracted by a chuckling Magpie. I wandered round for a better view and saw it down on the grass. A second bird flew in and joined the first. They flew back towards Forfar Road a few minutes later so may be the pair I watched gathering nest material the day before. Also saw a Carrion Crow in one of the larger trees near the old bus depot shed.

Gus turned up a few minutes later and we set off for Kinross. A Lesser Black Backed Gull was on a lamp post on the KIngsway and near Kinfauns there were a few Rooks in a field. Down below the Friarton Bridge was a large flock of gulls by a large pool, but they were too distant to identify from a moving van. Gus's sat-nav took us the wrong way when we reached Kinross but as I'd checked Birdguides to see where the bird had been I knew where we should be, so I took over navigation from the sat-nav to get us to it. The field it had been seen in was easy to find and we parked the van to scan the boggy edges of the field where it had been. Gus found the Glossy Ibis quite quickly, and despite the drizzle we both managed a selection of photos, though the bird faced us head-on the whole time, with a spot of preening to liven up the photos slightly. A few more folk joined us with scopes. Suddenly the bird took to the air. Thankfully it didn't go far, flying a circuit before dropping back down to the field edges a bit further away and mostly hidden by the vegetation. In the air the bird had a very prehistoric look. In the bushes where we'd parked the van, we saw Blue Tit and Goldcrest. Not far along past Loch Leven RSPB reserve we saw a few Yellowhammers by the roadside.

We headed to Buckhaven to try for Mediterranean Gull for Gus's list, but just as the previous week there was no sign of any of these 'exotics' in their customary place. Out on the water there was a small flock of Eiders and a larger flock of Common Scoters not too far offshore. Gus spotted a Fulmar gliding by. There were a few Herring Gulls around the roofs and a single Curlew was probing around on the grass by the playpark as we passed, heading for the small seafront car park to scan the western bay. As with the previous visit, there were Oystercatchers and Starlings down on the grass. A Black Headed Gull flew by. A Turnstone was on the stony beach with an Oystercatcher though both flew off together a minute or so later. Another flock of Eiders were out on the water. Scanning further out, we managed to add Long Tailed Duck, Velvet Scoter, Shag, Red Breasted Merganser and 3 Razorbills. Gus picked up a few Gannets further out and a Guillemot that I didn't get a decent view of to put on my own list. A Pied Wagtail landed on the grass, and the Common Scoter was coming closer, so we wandered over to the seawall for hopefully better views. Oystercatchers and Redshanks were on the rocks. I saw a Diver beyond the Scoter flock, but couldn't get a decent view for a photo as it would dive and then resurface in a different area, and then dive just as I refound it. I suspected it was just a Red Throated Diver but couldn't put it on the list. However I did pick up another much further out that I ID'd from the photo I managed. Woodpigeon was seen on our way out of Buckhaven.

Next stop was the car park at Leven overlooking the mouth of the river. There were plenty Black Headed Gulls here, as well as a few Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls, but no Mediterranean Gull here either. A Great Black Backed Gull was perched out on a wooden pole offeshore. A Red Breasted Merganser drake was fishing nearby. In the channel below the car park were a small group of Goldeneye swimming against the flow but giving us very good views. Gus found a Turnstone, and I found another one as well as a Rock Pipit. A few Carrion Crows wandered around the car park and perched on the fence and wall hoping for hand-outs. Out on a concrete outflow were a few Eiders and Oystercatchers. A small flock of waders dashed around before landing. From the photos we identified them as Sanderling, probably flushed from the sands by a walker. A single Mallard was further upstream with the gulls though Gus somehow managed to miss it. We had a brief look out over the Forth as we turned the van around, picking up a fly-by Curlew and a pair of Long Tailed Ducks on the river.

Letham Pools was next on the planned route so we headed back north towards Cupar. Again, birds seen en route were in very short supply though we did add Jackdaw to the daylist near Craigrothie and 2 Buzzards together by Springfield. There were quite a few birds on the pools at Letham as well as in the fields too. Whooper Swans and a few Mute Swans were initially the most obvious, with Coots closer in to the road. The other pool held a pair of Gadwall and a Coot. Mallards, Teal, Gadwall and a Shelduck swam around with a large flock of Wigeon both in and out of the water towards the top corner of the big pool. Pink Footed Geese grazed in the grass, with Greylags on the far side of the main road, with more flying in to join this gaggle. A small island held Black Headed Gull, Lapwings and 2 Ringed Plovers. A Skylark flew over singing as it went, just before a Kestrel flew in and hovered not far from the van allowing us good views. We moved further along the road and scanning the fields added Curlews and a single male Pheasant. Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon flew over.

Next stop was round at Mountcastle Quarry to search for the Firecrest. We bumped into Malcolm Ware, the Fife bird recorder, and two other Fife birders here who told us where they had seen the bird earlier. Goldcrests flitted around in the bushes giving us fleeting glimpses that needed proper checking just in case. Malc and co left to look for a Chiffchaff they had heard calling, and we kept looking for the Firecrest. More Greylags flew over as did a few Black Headed Gulls but the Firecrest was proving elusive. I wandered further along checking the tree line when Gus gave a loud whistle to alert me that he had the Firecrest in sight. I ran back and managed to get my binoculars on what was only my 3rd ever Firecrest. My first was at Auchmithie in 2011, and I self found one at St Abb's last Autumn while twitching the Sardinian Warbler with Gus. Being very small and highly mobile they are a nightmare to photograph well and so it proved once again with only one 'sharp' photo out of the small batch I got, although a couple of others had the bird in the open but not quite in focus. Better than nothing and number 132 for the year for me. While attempting to get the Firecrest a pair of Treecreepers appeared in the same small trees.

Malc had told us that there was shooting at the quarry from 2pm, so we gave the Chiffchaff a miss and headed for Angle Park instead. Lots of gulls on the water, mostly Herring Gulls though there were also Common, Black Headed and Lesser Black Backed here too. Duck species were as expected - Mallard, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Teal and Goldeneye. There were also some Greylags and Coots. We could hear a few Little Grebes but struggled to find them. We did eventually manage to see three of these diminutive waterbirds, close in to the banks among the vegetation, constantly diving and resurfacing briefly before diving again. A few Chaffinches were in the trees behind us.

En route to Rossie Bog we saw Stock Dove in the roadside fields which always seem to hold at least a few of these birds. However they tend to fly off at the sight of a car, which isn't handy for photography. A brief check at Rossie Bog gave us another 3 Buzzards, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Black Headed Gulls, a few Lapwings and a Redshank. Two, probably injured, Pink Footed Geese were in among the vegetation in the field. The small pool in the field to the north held 4 Teal and a couple of Carrion Crows were nearby and a few more Chaffinches were in the bushes by the roadside as we passed.

As the light had improved from the grey of the morning we decided to attempt to get better photos of the Ibis so we headed down the road towards Kinross again. A male Pheasant by the side of the main road was a little bit of a surprise but once again there weren't too many other birds to see en route.When we reached the field again, there was no sign of the Ibis. We had a brief chat to fellow birder/photographers, Eth and Paul Jessett who had managed to get great shots of the Ibis from the path behind where walkers had been passing, ignored by the bird. Unfortunately at some point, possibly as a result of better weather, the bird departed. We did manage to see a pair of Magpies here though, as well as distant views of a Buzzard and some Tufted Ducks.

Neither myself or Gus had been to Vane Farm since it was rebranded as Loch Leven RSPB, so we decided to see if we could add some of the smaller birds that were missing from our day list by popping in. Two more Magpies were seen by the road before we got to the reserve. The feeders were full of birds as always, giving us Long tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Greenfinch, Siskin for the list as well as Blue Tit, House Sparrow, Great Tit, Goldfinch and Chaffinch. Not bad. We walked through the farm buildings and out the other side to scan the loch. Gus found a small flock of Pochards with some Tufted Ducks. One of the pools held Gadwall, Wigeon and Teal. A few mallards slept beside a single Shelduck and a female Goosander. Gus then found us a pair of Moorhens and then a Grey Heron which was flying away from us. Surprisingly, the first of the day. A few Lapwings were dotted around near the pools, but we decided the walk down to the hides was likely to be a bit of a waste of effort. We both turned as we heard the 'pruk' of a Raven, and saw it high above the hill heading westwards. Slightly unexpected but welcome none the less. Another two crows went over but were only Carrion Crows and a pair of Herring Gulls drifted over on the wind as well. Blackbird, Dunnock and Robin foraged around behind the building. Gus spotted a Wren that I missed, and we headed back to the van.

We decided Guardbridge gave us the possibility of adding a few species to our list which had exceeded expectation and which was already at more than 70 species. 60+ is usually a very good day, but more than 70 in March is very good going for me in Angus and Fife. A Kestrel was hovering opposite the glider field at Portmoak as we passed. Collared Dove had somehow managed to elude us all day but we did eventually find one as we passed through Balmalcolm then another a bit nearer Cupar. On reaching Guardbridge we took the road towards St Andrews to see if we could see the Brent Geese flock in the fields but as the tide state was wrong there was no sign of them though we did see a flock of Mute Swans in the field opposite where we turned around at the end of a farm access road. A flock of small birds milling around above a field were probably Linnets but went unidentified.

One of the birds we didn't have on the day-list was Peregrine so we popped into the small nature reserve on the north side of the Motray and managed to see one perched on the buildings opposite - a nice male which eyed us from its raised viewpoint. Feral Pigeons and gulls milled around behind. A few Mallards swam up the Motray towards the weir. Black tailed Godwits and Teal were feeding along the water's edge - the Godwits on the mud, the Teal on the water. Redshank, Oystercatcher and Curlew were on the main mud area opposite where we were with a large mixed flock of gulls grouped together. A few Great Black Backeds, Lesser Black Backeds, with larger numbers of Herring, a few Common and lots of Black Headed Gulls made up the group. We scanned out towards Balgove Bay but only managed to ID Shelduck among the distant birds.

Cutting up into the main area of the small reserve, we spooked a Blackbird. A Song Thrush flew away from us but landed in the top of a tree allowing us to confirm our suspected ID. From the thicker clump of trees we could hear what we thought was Redwings, and just as we were discussing whether or not it was a couple of them flew out from their hiding places, proving us right. In all there were around a dozen of these thrushes which have been in relatively short supply this winter. Just before we got back to the van, Gus spotted a Wren which I managed to miss. Thankfully a slight change of viewing angle got me views to get it on the list for the day. We headed for home with my own list at 78 species and Gus's at around 85 - having visited Loch of Kinnordy in the morning.

My day-list (new year-ticks in bold) -
Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Coot, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Firecrest, Fulmar, Gadwall, Gannet, Glossy Ibis, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Iceland Gull, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Long Tailed Duck, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Pochard, Raven, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Redwing, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Shag, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Velvet Scoter, Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

0031 : Spring In The Air? (8/3/14)

Grey Herons

Jay

Buzzard

Song Thrush

Magpies

Magpie

Goosander

Black Headed Gulls and Common Gull

Linnet



With the weather forecast once again not being too great and a need to be home for around 4pm, owing to an evening trip to Edinburgh to see Mogwai in concert, I decided to stay local with my birding. Once again, I targeted Kingfisher, trying to add to my year-list.

I left the house around 1110 having seen Starling, Feral Pigeon and Herring Gull earlier in the morning from my window while checking the weather. In contrast to my early morning trip round to the bus stop there were only Herring Gulls to be seen. Further on up Arklay Street, Carrion Crow was added. A House Sparrow chirped noisily from a small bit of hedge on Graham Street, retreating further into the tangle of branches, when I stopped. A single Starling flew over and a Blackbird scurried off the pavement and under a hedge. On the sports pitches a few Black Headed Gulls were roosting and feeding.

Crossing the Kingsway into Caird Park, I cut across the rather busy golf course filled with weekend golfers. A few Carrion Crows were in the conifers bordering the path as a few Coal Tits fed among the needles and a little further on, I was surprised to find a pair of Mallards in the water in a small drainage channel running down the side of the path. A Song Thrush spooked and flew over the burn into the trees on the other side and a Wren flew down into the scrubby vegetation by the bridge. A few Chaffinches flitted around. I walked along by the burn hoping to see the Dipper, but there was no sign, possibly owing to the dog walker coming the other way with his two dogs. A Buzzard drifted over the trees by the golf course. The next sighting was a Goldcrest feeding unconcerned in a bush by the top pond. Another Buzzard joined the first bird high above the ponds circling on a thermal before drifting back out of sight towards the golf course. I spotted a Jay fly towards the old graveyard and then what looked like another Buzzard flew into the conifers by the road.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of the Kingfisher again, and so I began another circuit of the ponds. Two Grey Herons flew west below treetop height before landing in a tall conifer. These would have been very easy to overlook had I not seen them fly in, and I managed good views when I drew level with the roosting birds on the opposite side of the top pond. There were a few more dog walkers around so my chance of seeing the Kingfisher had gone. A pair of Mallards and a Moorhen took flight from the edge of the lower pond as I approached, flying to the island. I headed down through the graveyard and found a pair of Jays in the trees near the road. I managed quite close views before the birds flew across the road to the trees by the Dighty Burn. A Woodpigeon crashed out of the trees its wings clapping loudly as it went.

Down by the burn the Jays stayed ahead of me until a jogger ran past causing them to fly back across to Caird Park. Further on along the Old Claverhouse Road, Blue Tit and Robin were heard and then seen. At Trottick Ponds, the main pond held Mute Swan, a pair of Goosanders, a few Mallards and some Tufted Ducks. A few Black Headed Gulls flitted around. Walking around the ponds, I found a few Long Tailed Tits collecting nest material and Great Tit and Blue Tit in the same small stand of trees. I wandered further on up the burn to a small footbridge. A Dipper flew out from the bank and upriver. A few minutes later, two, possibly three, Dippers flew back downstream with one returning upstream having seen off the interlopers from its stretch of the burn. A Kestrel circled then hovered above the reeds, before heading off over the houses to the northeast gaining height as it went. Moorhen and Blackbird were the only other additions before I headed back towards Caird Park.

Arriving back at the park, I spotted a Buzzard flying over the trees and was surprised to see that it had landed on the Mill O'Mains side of the road in the top branches of quite a small tree. I managed to get closer, photographing it from my raised viewpoint through the trees in the park. As I turned to head up towards the cemetery again, I spotted a bird gliding towards Mill O'Mains. Raising my binoculars I found it was a male Sparrowhawk which circled above the housing scheme rapidly gaining altitude before dropping out of my line of sight possible after some prey unseen by me. A small 'charm' of Goldfinches flitted around calling and feeding in the mature trees near the cemetery gates. Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow flew over.

At the ponds the Grey Herons were still in the trees and I managed to find another pair of Long Tailed Tits further up the Gelly Burn towards the main part of the golf course. A couple of Blue Tits and a Coal Tit were seen near the stadiums. I crossed the Kingsway and decided to walk along to the Forfar Road instead of up Mains Loan. This proved to be a good decision as I stumbled upon a Magpie perched on a house opposite me. The bird flew down into a driveway area and I crossed the road and got the camera ready thinking that I might get a flight shot from what are usually quite wary birds. However, it turned out there were actually a pair of these black and white corvids. Not only that but they were rather busy collecting nesting material. Magpies have been slowly increasing in number in Dundee for a couple of years but this was my first sighting of positive breeding behaviour in Spring. I'm not sure how large a pair of Magpies territory is in an urban setting but I suspect there are between 2 and 4 territories not too far from my home, though a lack of trees nearby have meant I've seen none from my window yet. I suspect the day I do, won't be far off now.

At Swannie Ponds, the young Iceland Gull was in its usual place atop the chimney of the house on Pitkerro Road that it favours most of the time for spending its days. On the water, the usual selection of Mallards, Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks, Goosanders mingled while around the edges of the path the majority of gulls roosted out of the water. As always, Black Headed were the most numerous with a variety of Herring Gull plumages next in number. Two Lesser Black Backed Gulls and just a single Common Gull made up the numbers. A foreign-accented girl asked me if there were any interesting birds around so I told her about the Iceland Gull before letting her see it through the binoculars and showing her a photo on my phone. Next up was another birder who though not originally from Dundee was trying to discover the best places locally to see the good birds. We chatted for a while then headed back towards Baxter Park, picking up a Pied Wagtail by the lower pond as we went.

We went our separate ways by the park, with City Quay my next destination. Birds were in short supply en route. I crossed the footbridge over the railway line near the Sea Cadets building and scanned the water of the outer quay area. A drake Red Breasted Merganser and Dave the Diver (the resident Red Throated) were bobbing around on the small waves. On the quayside behind the wall a pair of Oystercatchers and a small flock of Black Headed and a Common Gull were roosting. A small flock Of Linnets flew over and landed on the derelict(?) sheds by the submarine memorial, allowing me good views. Herring Gulls and Starlings as well as a couple of Woodpigeons were on the opposite side of the channel by the dry dock, but there were no other birds to be seen in the main quay area by the frigate Unicorn. I wandered to the river and scanned the 'submarine' rock. Cormorant, Oystercatcher and Herring Gulls were roosting there and a large flock of a couple of hundred gulls were further east out on the Tay. As far as I could tell they were mostly Herring Gulls but time was against me so I decided to head back into town to get the bus home to get organised for my night out.

Nothing new for the year-list but 39 species within a mile and a half radius of home on a Saturday isn't too bad. Species seen -
Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Dipper, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Iceland Gull, Jay, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Red Breasted Merganser, Red Throated Diver, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren.

0030 : Well, (S)he Was An American Gull....(2/3/14)

Eider and King Eider

Eider and King Eider

Common Scoter

Skylark

Skylark

Ring Billed Gull

Ring Billed Gull

Oystercatcher

Ring Billed Gull

Shelduck

Brent Geese

Brent Geese

Having yesterday's plans for a spot of twitching in Fife with my pal, Gus Guthrie, being postponed owing to me not feeling 100%, I wasn't sure where I was going to go today. However, it turned out that Gus hadn't managed to get out and about round Fife yesterday either, so plans were made to try today instead. Gus texted me to see if I could manage an earlier than planned departure owing to the weather forecast for mid-late afternoon showing heavy rain moving in. As I was almost ready to go my answer was "yes".

I arranged to meet Gus at Swannie Ponds so as to get a few birds on the day list that we possibly wouldn't get elsewhere. Leaving the house around 9am I decided on a different route from the usual, to see if it was any quicker. I could hear House Sparrows chirping loudly from a bush across the road and saw one perched on top getting the list off to a nice start. A few Herring Gulls drifted over, and a Blackbird shot across the path in front of me from a garden. Further on, I heard the distinctive chuckle of a Magpie and saw one fly from the Manhattan Works building roof. A Goldfinch was singing in the top of a tree near the police station and a Pied Wagtail was scurrying around on the footpath by a large puddle as I passed. Cutting up past Baxter Park, I could hear Blue Tits but didn't stop to look for them. A Woodpigeon was in the trees by the Morgan Academy and a Starling was calling from a rooftop. A Jackdaw was perched on a chimney in Pitkerro Road but there was no apparent sign of the Iceland Gull.

On the grass by the ponds were around 30 Black Headed Gulls. The usual birds were on the top pond - Moorhen, Mute Swans, Mallards, Tufted Ducks and the Goosanders. A Common Gull was perched on a roof near where the Iceland Gull usually hangs around. Walking around the top pond, I saw a Blackbird feeding on the path and a Dunnock in the bushes. A few Herring Gulls flew in and landed on the pond and a flock of Feral Pigeons swooped around above the houses opposite the north side of the park. Wandering back along the road to wait for Gus, I saw a Blue Tit fly in and land in the top of a small tree. I then stood and watched a Collared Dove displaying, flying up then descending in a large curve before doing the same again.

Gus arrived a minute or so later, so we set off towards Fife. Our first stop was to be Ruddon's Point at Largo Bay, not far from Elie where the female King Eider had been seen again over the past few days. A few Rooks, Woodpigeons, Black Headed Gulls and a flock of Mute Swans in a field near St Andrews was pretty much all we saw en route. Arriving at Elie Caravan park we found the gate in closed, so we had to park and walk to the point. This had its pluses as well as its minuses - pluses included seeing more birds, minuses included the distance.

The first bird spotted here was a Curlew over towards the caravans circling round. Next was a female Stonechat near the small water filled ditch. Always a welcome bird to get, though unusually there was no male bird around that we could see. A Magpie was next, hopping around on the grass. The tide appeared to be quite far out which meant that the sea ducks likely would be too. We cut through the gap in the trees at the north side of the caravan park and scanned along the beach opposite. A few Bar Tailed Godwits, a small flock of Sanderling, some Dunlin, a Curlew and three species of gulls - Common, Black Headed and Great Black Backed were strung out along the shoreline. Lots of Chaffinches sang in the trees with one male flying down onto the seaweed to forage. A small group of Oystercatchers were down on the beach below the rather eroded banking below the muddy path we were on. Just offshore were a few Eiders, the white on the drakes showing really well against the grey water. A couple of Skylarks could be heard singing, one rather distantly but another rose into the air from quite nearby giving us another day tick.

We scanned the bay from the raised area above the rocky shore at the north end of the point, but most birds were very distant except for more Eiders and a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers. We spotted a couple of birders with scopes looking out over the water so we headed down to ask if they'd had any luck. It turned out that they were two Fife Bird Club members - Cathy Evans and Kim Blasco, and that they had seen the King Eider and were now searching for the (semi-)resident Surf Scoter in Largo Bay. They pointed out roughly where the King Eider had been seen so we wandered down to the edge of the grass and Gus set up his tripod to scan through the Eider flocks offshore. The light was better than on my last visit but the birds were slightly further out and the water wasn't as calm, so using just binoculars and camera I struggled to make out the King Eider. A few Common Scoters and Oystercatchers flew by, as Gus worked through the Eiders. I managed to see a Long Tailed Duck flying east, and also a lone Fulmar just over the tip of the point.

Gus went to ask Cathy and Kim for some more clarification on where to look, so I took the opportunity to scan with the scope. This made things much easier and I soon found the elusive King Eider in with a group of Common Eiders. I beckoned Gus over and he got to see his first female King Eider. The bird is smaller than the Common Eiders and has a different shape overall with a much less prominent, and differently shaped, bill. The colouration is also more gingery than the dark brown of the female Eider. Seen side by side the differences are quite apparent. But only once you see it do you realise that it isn't quite what you were expecting. I spotted three Razorbills but they dived before Gus got onto them and we failed to relocate them amidst the waves. The wind was picking up and we decided to move on. A few more Skylarks showed well,  as we stopped to chat to a few walkers who asked if there were any good birds around, landing on the path behind us. A little further on we had even better views when one descended and landed on a rock not too far away from us, where it proceeded to sing loudly from its perch. A Meadow Pipit flew past as we followed the path back through the grass. We scanned the rest of the bay but only saw three rather distant Mallards. Before we got back to the car, we saw a Buzzard briefly above the trees, and the female Stonechat flew down to near the ditch again. Gus also saw a male Reed Bunting here that I missed.

Next stop was to be Buckhaven to try and see Mediterranean Gull, with the grassy area near the shore the most reliable area in east central Scotland for the species. En route we saw plenty Woodpigeons, and Jackdaws and Rooks were in some of the fields. We stopped briefly at Leven waterfront where the river flows out into the Forth. A small group of Goldeneye were just offshore here. Starlings, Herring Gulls, Black Headed Gulls, Carrion Crows and Common Gulls were all seen from the car park. Feral Pigeons were on the roofs opposite and a Pied Wagtail was seen as we moved on.

Surprisingly when we reached Buckhaven there were very few gulls to be seen at all, with only a few Herring Gulls hanging in the wind above the houses. We drove along to the car park and scanned the water from here. A group of Eiders were just offshore with Common Scoters a little further out. A Shag dived among the waves a little further out and Oystercatchers probed the soft ground near the sea wall. A few Black Headed Gulls drifted past but no Mediterranean Gulls were seen. Gus scoped the river further round to the west and managed to pick up a couple of Slavonian Grebes. My first of the year. A pair of Red Throated Divers proved tricky to ID as they stubbornly refused to turn side on, leaving us to try and decide what they were with head-on views only. There were at least 20 or so Long Tailed Ducks strung out on the water with a few Velvet Scoters further out and a single drake Red Breasted Merganser visible closer in to shore further round to the west. Another two Red Throated Divers gave slightly better views a little closer to us, but nearer the shore to the northwest. Carrion Crow and more Black Headed Gulls plus Eiders and Common Scoters were all seen from the opposite end of Shore Road before we set off northwards to search the Tay for Ring Billed Gull.

Birds en route were once again in rather short supply with Woodpigeons, Rooks and Jackdaws again being the most obvious birds. A slight navigational error by me took us along the back of Rossie Bog where Gus spotted a Cormorant overflying southwards, and a couple of Buzzards in the trees. Nearing Newburgh we added Pheasant to the list when a car in front of us stopped to let the bird wander across the main road. Arriving in Newburgh we headed down to near where the gull had been seen yesterday, having been found by Newburgh resident and birder, Tommy Ross. Gulls were in short supply once again with two Herring Gulls perched on one navigation pylon out in the river and a single Great Black Backed Gull on another further towards Mugdrum Island. We moved the van further east along the waterfront. Out on the river were small groups of Goldeneye, but not much else. Small groups of Feral Pigeons were perched on rooftops behind us and Starlings sat noisily in some mature trees beyond the houses.

A Common Gull flew by, the large 'mirrors' on the wings ruling out Ring Billed Gull. As Gus walked on ahead I spotted a second gull that looked much more promising flying low over the river. I checked the 'mirrors' on this bird and called to get Gus's attention. The bird then flew up and landed on a green navigation bouy where the American visitor had been reported perching. It was then quite easy to see that it was indeed the Ring Billed Gull. My second year tick of the day. Despite the distance, the bird was easy to study through the scope and the photos I managed to get showed most of the distinctive features, especially the black 'ring' on the bill. A few Oystercatchers and Black Headed Gulls flew by, but we decided to head for Loch of Lindores. A couple of Collared Doves were seen as we left Newburgh.

We managed to miss the road for Lindores so decided to head for St Andrews and Out Head instead. Another Buzzard and Pheasant were seen before we reached Cupar, and again corvids in the fields were predominantly Rooks and Jackdaws. Gus wanted to see Brent Geese, so I mentioned the George Evans hide on the golf course and the possibility that the high tide would mean that the geese would be in the fields nearby. Gus didn't know about the hide so we decided to walk across the golf course, hopefully before the forecast rain arrived. As we drove along the Guardbridge to St Andrews road it looked like there were Brent Geese and Shelduck in one of the fields together. Mute Swans were in another, and Curlews and Shelducks in a third. Promising.

Parking up at the golf course, a few Rooks were chasing around in the treetops. Oystercatchers were dotted around on the golf course. A Grey Heron circled above the fields to the south and a few Carrion Crows hopped around on the fairways. We popped into the George Evans hide where we saw Wigeon out on the water. There wasn't anything particularly close in, so we walked along the raised banking to try for decent views of the Brent Geese. A Wren buzzed about among the vegetation in a small flooded area at the edge of the golf course. We could see the Brents through the bottom of the hedge separating the fields with Shelduck in the closer field. Some of the Shelduck flew out into Balgove Bay as we approached but a few stayed put. A Brown Hare that we hadn't noticed however sparked a bit of panic among some Curlews and Woodpigeons further over in the field as it ran off at speed (hared off in fact). Some of the Shelduck in the same field as the geese also took flight. Once we had a clear view of the geese we stopped and let the birds get used to us being there. At first they stood and looked at us for a bit before deciding we weren't a threat and going back to feeding. There were 16 of them, all pale bellied birds. The size of the wintering flock here seems to fluctuate, with 16 being around half of the total of some other years.  Whether there have been larger groups  seen here this winter, I don't know. Walking back towards the golf course we got our first Redshank of the day as one flew low across the bay calling noisily.

Time was wearing on so it was back to Dundee. A flock of Lapwings were in a field near Pickletillum, co-incidentally seen just after we'd been discussing the species in the van. When we reached Dundee we stopped at Swannie Ponds again in the hope of getting the Iceland Gull at least, onto the day list. However, there was still no sign and yet again, there were very few gulls of any description around. The usual suspects were out on the water - Mallards, Tufties, Goosanders and Mute Swans. Gus threw out some bread which brought the Goosanders closer in, with much quarreling and chasing among them as they squabbled over the pickings. This brought in a few gulls - Common, Black Headed and Herring Gulls, including a rather pale youngster, but still no Iceland. We did add a single Lesser Black Backed Gull though, and as we walked back a small bird flew over trilling as it went. A Lesser Redpoll, the first of the day, and a not too bad bird to finish the day's birding with. Gus headed up the road and I walked home. Carrion Crows and a few gulls being the only birds seen en route.

57 species seen (year ticks in bold)
Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Brent Goose, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, King Eider, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Long Tailed Duck, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Ring Billed Gull, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sanderling, Shag, Shelduck, Skylark, Slavonian Grebe, Starling, Stonechat, Tufted Duck, Velvet Scoter, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren