 |
| Great Crested Grebe |
 |
| Redshank |
 |
| Shoveler |
 |
| Dunnock |
 |
| Lesser Redpoll |
 |
| Sedge Warbler |
 |
| Moorhen |
 |
| Black Headed Gulls |
 |
| Yellow Shell moth |
 |
| Common Blue Damselfly |
 |
| Common Blue butterfly |
 |
| Possible Ring Necked Duck? |
 |
| Osprey |
 |
| Jay |
 |
| Jay |
 |
| Osprey |
 |
| Grey Heron |
 |
Osprey
|
My pal, Jacqui Herrington was quite keen to try and get some photos of the Great Crested Grebe chicks at Forfar Loch so we arranged to head up there and then onto Murton Natuer Reserve to try for the recently reported Ring Necked Duck before finishing off a slightly shorter day out than usual at Balgavies Loch further on. The weather forecast was relatively favourable so things were promising for a decent day out.
The usual suspects went on the list just after leaving the house - Herring Gull, Starling and House Sparrow. House Martin was slightly more unusual close to home. Jacqui had driven closer to home to pick me up, although had I not decided to pop into the wee shop she was parked outside I might have walked right past without noticing her car, being distracted as usual by the sounds and sights of the birds.
Heading up the Forfar Road with the top down on Jacqui's wee convertible allowed us to add Swifts, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and eventually a Swallow as we turned off the dual carriageway near Forfar. As we turned in towards the leisure centre car park we spotted a Dunnock. Black Headed and Herring Gulls were both apparent over the water as we walked down towards the water. As well as a few nests close in to the shoreline, there were quite a few pairs of Great Crested Grebes dotted round out on the loch, some with youngsters. There were also plenty Mallards around as always, mostly congregated where they might easily get fed by passers-by.
While Jacqui headed down to try to get shots of the nearer nests, I scanned around the Loch to see what else was around. Coots argued with themselves and other birds out on the water. A few Greylags hung around near the Mallards. A Moorhen swam by and a Grey Heron flew in. A few Mute Swans could be seen much further out towards the western end of the Loch. A few Sand Martins scooted round above the birds on the water with one or two Swifts and Swallows doing likewise, feeding on the insects in the air. Tufted Ducks dived below the surface for a few seconds before bobbing back up again. A Lesser Black Backed Gull glided over in company with the Herring Gulls. A Little Grebe swam along the waters' edge
near the overhanging vegetation on the north side where the Gadwall and some Mallards were roosting. A small area of exposed mud held a family group of five Redshanks, not a particularly common sight at the eastern end of the Loch.
Another family group of birds flitted through the trees behind us with contact calls ringing out. A group of around a dozen Long Tailed Tits broke cover to fly to the larger group of trees by the corner. A sleeping Shoveler drake was another surprise in the same area as the Redshank family, but on the water rather than the mud. A few Oystercatchers flew by peeping loudly as always. We headed up towards the trees, adding Reed Bunting and Sedge Warbler en route and Robin, Blackbird and Chaffinch once we were on the path through the trees. A couple of male Blackcaps showed reasonably well in among the greenery. From the trees by the path a Woodpigeon watched us as we walked by.
Further along the path we found a male Yellowhammer and a party of three Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 adults and a youngster, stopped briefly in the trees near where we were standing. We headed along the path, passing dog walkers and families out for a wee Sunday wander. Goldfinches sang in the treetops, and a Wren loudly proclaimeed his territory from an exposed branch. We heard a Goldcrest singing in the conifers and managed to spot it among the thin branches as it foraged around above our heads.
As we neared the sailing club spit I heard Lesser Redpoll overhead and spotted another high in a tree. Jacqui managed to find a pair of Bullfinches but I missed them while watching the Redpoll. On the stones at the spit, a Common Sandpiper and a Pied Wagtail crossed paths as they searched for food. A Cormorant flew by low over the water. We headed back to the car adding Blue Tit, a family of Great Tits and a Song Thrush to the day list before heading off towards our next stop at Murton.
Driving into the car park we passed a small group of Rooks loitering near the entrance, unconcerned by the car passing by so close. We headed into the hide by the car park to scan around in the hope of picking out the Ring Necked Duck which had been seen a few times during the previous week or so. Unfortunately the Tufted Duck flock was mostly sleeping on the mud by the other main pool, and a scope would be needed to go through them properly. Out in front of the hide, the Black Headed Gull colony was very busy with brown and white youngsters hard to pick out against the dry earth and scattered feathers and droppings. Coot, Mallard and Mute Swans were on the water with a few Lapwings, Oystercatchers and Pied Wagtails around the edges. A few Greylags could also be seen further away. A Great Crested Grebe was a surprise here too.
We wandered down to the next hide but as it was locked we had to scan the other pool from the side. As there was no sign of movement among the Tufties it was difficult to even decide if the Ring Necked Duck was even possibly there among the flock. There were one or two contenders but I couldn't be sure without seeing the bill, which was tucked away among the feathers. We wandered round the path through the reserve, with lots of Yellow Shell moths and Common Blue damselflies and Ringlet and Meadow Brown butterflies flying around among the long grass and wild flowers. There were plenty Sand Martins around the nest bank and we stopped here briefly to watch them zip around. Heading up through the small young wooded area we found two Willow Warblers flycatching. A female Tufted Duck was on the small pool near the eastern end and a pair of Collared Doves flew up from the other side of the road beyond the fence.
We stopped in at the third hide and scanned again. Greylags, Coot, Lapwings, Gadwall, Mallards and a Pink Footed Goose, as well as a few Teal were spotted from here as well as more Pied Wagtails flitting around and a Reed Bunting singing. Once again it was difficult to be sure whether we could see the Ring Necked Duck with one bird in particular looking like a possibility owing to the shape of the white patch on its side. Although the shape was different to the more squared off general appearance of the same patch on the other ducks, google later confirmed that Tufted Ducks can also show a similar shape to the white area. The head shape was not distinct enough to make the call however, but I did take some photos with the hope of being able to check on the computer at home later.
We wandered back to the car to pick up the scope to scan through the Tufties with a bit of help, but despite having a better view the bills stayed mostly tucked away, although once or twice a promising looking candidate would lift its head showing the tuft on the back of the head briefly and ruling it out of the running. All mildly frustrating but good practice for looking 'properly' at birds. We then headed back to the car to head for our last stop at Balgavies not too far along the road.
The breeding Osprey pair here were perched on the dead tree next to the nest tree with their backs to us. The feeders were pretty quiet but a Jay flew in for a minute or two, although it spent most of the time on the feeders which is never a great option for a photo opportunity, but we both took photos anyway. Out on the water, Mallards, Greylags, Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks all swam around in small groups. A Goldeneye pair was a slight surprise but gave us another species for the list. Woodpigeons and Jackdaws overflew, while a Reed Bunting sang from the reeds out front. A Moorhen picked its way through the water lilies and an adult and juvenile Grey Heron loafed around near one another. A Cormorant flew west past the hide. One, then the other, Osprey took to the air with both birds circling round together for a short while. As Jacqui had to be home quite early we headed back to the car to head for home. A Buzzard was seen from the A90 just outside Forfar and walking back from the drop off point I watched House Martins, Swifts, Blackbirds and Herring Gulls.
A decent enough day out, though not seeing the Ring Necked Duck was a minor disappointment. The species was a bogey bird of mine about 4 years ago when it took repeated visits to a site in Fife to finally see the species. 55 species seen was a decent return for our efforts.
Species seen - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Sandpiper, Coot, Cormorant, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shoveler, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tufted Duck, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.