 |
| Whitethroat |
 |
| Whitethroat |
 |
| Pied Wagtail |
 |
| Wheatear |
 |
| House Sparrow |
 |
| Grey Wagtail |
 |
| Blackcap |
 |
| Kestrel |
 |
| Skylark |
 |
| Juvenile Blackbird |
 |
| Coot |
 |
| Lapwing |
With another day of reasonable weather forecast and no actual target birds pencilled in to try and get for my yearlist I was unsure where to spend the day. After some deliberation, I finally settled on a plan to get the bus to Balmossie then bus hop along the coast stopping at various points and seeing what I could find. Hopefully I might see something good, or at least get some decent photos.
I left home around 0820 to walk down to Arbroath Road to catch the 73 bus to Balmossie. House Sparrow and Herring Gull were first on the list, with Lesser Black Backed Gull shortly after. Blackbird and Carrion Crow were seen as well before I reached the bus stop. From the bus to Broughty Ferry, Woodpigeon, Starling, House Martin and Feral Pigeon were all seen, some more than once.
I got off the bus a bit earlier than I should have, giving myself a slightly longer walk than intended to get down to the shore. Great Tit, Starling, Woodpigeon and House Sparrow were all seen around the houses as I made my way down to the footbridge over the railway line. Scanning out across the exposed mud with the tide still rather low, I found some more Herring Gulls, and a few Great Black Backed Gulls quite far out. Mallard and Mute Swan were out near the burn outflow with a few Oystercatchers dotted around. A Goldfinch flew in and landed among the seaweed on the beach. A rather distant Goosander flew upriver and a few Swallows dashed past as I walked along the path towards Monifieth.
A Song Thrush was singing in a small tree by the dunes at Monifieth but I failed to see it. I did however see one feeding on the grass a minute or so later. A small flock of Linnets took flight from among the gorse bushes. passing the caravan park, I added Black Headed Gull to the list and spotted a Pied Wagtail in beside the caravans. Herring Gulls and Oystercatchers were seen in ones and twos along the shore. A few Starlings were on the football pitches, although they were staying well clear of the numerous dogs. I spotted two Bar Tailed Godwits and a Shelduck out at the edge of the river before I headed across the pitches to walk along the cycle path towards Carnoustie as the red flags flying showed the range was active. I was once again the subject of unwanted attention by a barking dog and two others which ran aggressively at me. The dog walker who was failing to control the 6 or 7 dogs she was walking rather than apologise for the dogs' behaviour merely offered the opinion that it was my bag that they was causing them to bark at me. No apology or attempt to get the dogs back under control. I do prefer dogs to cats but certain dog owners raise my hackles, and this woman was certainly one of those. I bit my tongue rather than give her the mouthful her attitude warranted.
I headed onto the cycle path, still angry at the woman, before spotting a distant buzzard circling far off over the trees on the camp. A Whitethroat, the first of many displayed from the gorse bushes by the railway line. A Wren singing high up in a small tree was next to go on the list, and a pair of Blue Tits flitted around among the bushes. A rather vocal and showy Yellowhammer perched atop a Gorse bush sang loudly. Skylarks lifted from the long grass and flew upwards singing as they went higher into the sky. The first Sedge Warbler of the morning proved elusive at first before popping into the open, calling loudly. The rest of the walk along parallel to the military training area seemed to be filled with either Whitethroat or Sedge Warbler song, sometimes both at the same time. The odd Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon flew over the golf course. A Rook followed suit. I watched a Whitethroat singing in a tree just a few feet away from me, and the first Willow Warbler of the morning popped up in the same tree but a clear photo was a bit more difficult.
Walking on a bit I spotted a Coal Tit perched right at the top of a conifer. A male Reed Bunting was next on the list for the day. A pair of Linnets perched on the fence but flew off as I got a bit closer. Surprisingly up until this point around 2/3s of the way through the camp I hadn't yet seen Chaffinch. A pair in a small tree put this right. I heard a Pheasant from over the railway line and managed to see it, a male bird, tucked in close in the corner of the field opposite, half-hidden behind the wooden fence. Reaching Barry Buddon station, I had the choice of continuing on over the golf course to Carnoustie, or cutting up towards Barry village to catch a bus through Carnoustie. I chose the former option and pushed onwards. Swallows darted low over the fairways with Starlings and Oystercatchers foraging around on the short grass, with the occasional House Sparrow joining them. Pied Wagtail was also seen along by the golf course with Woodpigeons and a few Feral Pigeons on the roofs of the houses. A Whitethroat sang from a piece of waste ground near the Leisure Centre.
I scanned the shoreline on reaching the beach beyond the golf course. There were plenty Eiders by the water's edge and a Herring Gull and a Lesser Black Backed Gull side by side showed the differences between the two species well. A bit more scanning found a few Cormorants drying their wings further along the shore towards Westhaven, and a passing Common Gull. Swallows passed low along the beach catching flies. Starlings and House Sparrows were in the gardens. I wandered back down onto the beach to walk round to Westhaven. I was surprised to see a Wheatear hunting around among the seaweed halfway up the beach. A Pied Wagtail looked semi-promising for White Wagtail but I just wasn't 100% certain. I spotted a second Wheatear a few minutes later, a male this time, the earlier bird being a female. An Oystercatcher eyed me warily as it fed along the water's edge. I heard and then spotted a pair of Sandwich Terns which eventually dropped onto the rocks where another half dozen or so were standing. I headed up to cross the railway line, House Sparrows popping in and out of the ivy on the side of a house. A pair of Swifts swept round above the houses adding another species to the expanding day list. A Collared Dove was on a streetlight as I wandered out of the town towards Craigmill Den.
There wasn't much to be seen en route with only a few gulls out over the water and Woodpigeons and Carrion Crows closer to the road to be seen. There was nothing to be seen down on the burn at the bridge, so I headed up past the house where the dogs always manage to hear you pass, no matter how quietly you try to go. Loud barking ensued, as always. It was quiet in the Den, with not many birds out in the open. A Whitethroat flew down over the path and into the bushes. Further on a female Grey Wagtail called from up on the wires, and her mate called back and looked around for her from a small tree below. Further on I stopped to get better views of a Goldfinch when a male Blackcap landed on a branch just a few feet away for less than 5 seconds allowing me time enough to grab two photos. Up at the bridge another pair of Grey Wagtails were seen. There was no sign of the usual Buzzard in the area, so I headed back down along the path. A Robin popped out and the original Grey Wagtail pair were now down by the burn perched on the fence, the female with her bill holding two dead hoverflies. She disappeared down out of sight, to where I suspect they had a nest. The Whitethroat perched out in the open on the fence but my view was impeded by a fencepost so I didn't manage any photos.
I tried to decide whether to head back to Carnoustie and get the bus further on along the coast to Arbroath, or continue to walk on to Easthaven. As I reached the road I spotted a Kestrel hovering over the field by the railway line. It dropped into the long grass and came up with a vole in its grasp, flying up the Den with a Herring Gull following on a little behind. I decided to head for Easthaven. It was quiet with only a few Skylarks and a Reed Bunting seen before I reached the edge of the village. As usual, House Sparrows were in evidence and a Song Thrush hopped in below the hedge behind the bus shelter as two juvenile Blackbirds foraged on the grass. There was a small mixed group of birds on the grass beyond the railway line consisting of Chaffinch, House Sparrow, Starling and Pied Wagtail. I headed down to the beach but there were no waders to be seen. I wandered along the track to look for Stonechats but only succeeded in finding Reed Bunting. Walking back to try and catch the bus I spotted a Wheatear down on the beach but I lost sight of it before I could get a photo. Cutting back across the grass I found that three Greenfinches had joined the flock.
I didn't have too long to wait for the bus back towards Dundee. On the way back through Carnoustie I received a text message about a Temminck's Stint over at Letham Pools in Fife. I checked the times of the buses from Dundee bus station and worked out that it might just about be possible to catch the bus over, have a look for the bird, hopefully find it, then catch the next bus back. As we arrived back in Dundee, we seemed to catch every traffic light and the window of opportunity narrowed that little bit more. As things worked out a quick sprint down to the bus station resulted in me being the last passenger on board the X54 to Edinburgh and I was of to Fife to twitch a small wader without a scope to help me. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was worth a try.
I got to Letham around 1510 and wandered along the road to scan the pools. A few Coots were out on the water, with one or two Lapwings around the edges. Gadwall, Shoveler, Mallard and Shelduck plus a few Tufted Ducks shared the water, mostly in the left hand pool. I scanned the shoreline slowly and carefully finding a surprising Pink Footed Goose lying in the grass beyond the pool. Oystercatchers and a single Redshank were easy to spot, but a Little Ringed Plover demonstrated just how tricky my task was with just a pair of binoculars to help me, appearing tiny and very hard to see. With the Stint being even smaller the lack of other birders and/or a scope was making things very tricky. I kept trying however and found a single Dunlin. A few Greylags were in the field with Mute Swans. I changed viewpoint a few times but still had little luck.
As I headed back towards the bus stop I spotted a small grey and white wader near the top corner. Unfortunately the bus was more or less due. I decided to scan from the bus stop and hope that if it was the Stint I could get some pics, or if need be spend an extra hour trying for better views to confirm the ID. As it turned out I managed to identify not one but two birds which were feeding near to each other. They weren't the Stint but a pair of Common Sandpipers. I got a few photos then packed up quickly as the bus came round the bend. I headed for home having seen 59 species and walked further than planned.
Species seen - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Coot, Cormorant, Dunlin, Eider, Gadwall, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Ringed Plover, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sandwich Tern, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tufted Duck, Wheatear, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.