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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Red Kite |
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| Wheatear juvenile |
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| Mistle Thrush juvenile |
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| Lesser Redpoll juvenile(?) |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Wheatear |
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| Small Heath |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker juvenile |
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| Common Sandpiper |
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| Linnet |
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| Whinchat |
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| Raven |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Rook |
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| Robin |
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Osprey |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Black Headed Gulls |
With another reasonable weather forecast for a large chunk of the day, myself and my pal Jacqui Herrington decided a visit to the Angus Glens was on the cards, having had only a few this year so far, thus missing out on decent views of species such as Redstart and Cuckoo. We decided on a departure around 0845, not too early but not too late either.
I left the house around my normal time and quickly got Herring Gull, Starling, Goldfinch and Swift on the list for the day before meeting up with Jacqui. House Martin and Blackbird were added before we exited Dundee northbound with Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon just to the north of the city. Not much else was seen as we headed up the A90 until we were near Forfar where a Swallow overflew the dual carriageway. A Buzzard drifted over and Jackdaw was seen a few seconds later.
We turned off the A90 to head up into the hills. House Sparrows were seen near a small group of houses by the road. Oystercatchers were in the fields with Black Headed Gulls a little further on. One or two Rooks were added, with Chaffinch, Linnet and Mistle Thrush all seen before we took the road into the bit we knew as the glen (although technically we had been in the glen for a few miles previously).
Our first bird in the glen was a rather pleasant surprise. A Spotted Flycatcher on the roadside fence, showing very well, indulging in frequent forays out to catch insects before returning back onto the wires. Another very nice surprise was a Red Kite, not yet a common sight in Angus (and the main reason for the vagueness of location in this particular blog post) which glided overhead. I had a short walk but only added Buzzard and Coal Tit. We drove on a bit further seeing Pied Wagtail and the first Lapwings of the day.
A brief stop gave us good views of Meadow Pipit and Mistle Thrush with a Sand Martin whizzing over. A Common Gull glided past as we drove on into the glen. The first Wheatear flew ahead of the car but chose to stay directly in front of the car instead of perching on the roadside heather making for less than ideal photo opportunities.
Our next stop proved to be very productive with just a few trees and bushes producing a surprising number of different species around and about them. A couple of juvenile Swallows perched on the wire fence being visited by an adult with food for them from time to time. Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail flitted down onto the dirt track. A warbler flitted around in the bush, giving brief glimpses before we managed enough of a view to ID it as a Willow Warbler. A family party of Great Tits passed through and Jacqui spotted a Wren low in the bushes. I wandered up the dirt track where I found a couple of juvenile Wheatears and a Chaffinch was in the trees as I headed back to the car. One or two Lapwings and Oystercatchers were seen here too, a bit further away.
Surprisingly we saw no sign of any grouse, either Red or Black despite having seen both in the past in the area we passed through next. A Curlew overflew calling loudly. A few Lapwings and Oystercatchers were in the fields by the road but the majority of waders appeared to have moved on already. A Song Thrush was a slight surprise and a male Blackbird needed a second glance to rule out the possibility of Ring Ouzel. We reached the end of the road and as we pulled in to turn the car around, a Wheatear showed really well on a fencepost. Stopping for a photo we were frustrated in our efforts by a Mistle Thrush which flew up to displace the Wheatear from its perch before flying off too. Thankfully the Wheatear showed well on another perch near the car.
We had a wander around the area in the hope of maybe a raptor or two, or maybe a Ring Ouzel, but had to settle for a Buzzard. We spotted a few 'moths' flitting around which turned out to be Small Heath butterflies with three on show together at one point. Meadow Pipit, Curlew, Lapwing and Sand Martin were also seen here. We could hear Common Sandpiper calling from the burn so we decided to try and find it. Despite looking along the edge of the burn we could see no sign of the calling bird. Movement caught our eyes as the bird lifted and flew upstream from a boulder in midstream. We were both surprised as it had sounded like the calls were coming from the grassy bank.
A Willow Warbler was perched on an overhead wire and telegraph pole as we drove back, and a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker flew deeper into the trees from near the roadside. Another stop further on saw a family of Oystercatchers by the roadside and a Common Sandpiper on the opposite side of the burn. Slightly further on we stopped to check four birds perched on the wires of a fence. Unusually they were four different species - a Lesser Redpoll, a Linnet, a Whinchat and a Meadow Pipit. A couple of Ravens were picked out at the top of a hill, perched on the skyline.
We stopped again at the area with the bushes and trees which had proved productive before. A Rook flew over. Curlew and Oystercatchers were in the field. The Swallows still zipped about. I wandered along the road while Jacqui watched from the car. I spotted a couple of Ravens hanging in the wind above the hills to the south. I spotted something flying low over the bracken down the hill. It turned out to be a large dragonfly but it was too far away to identify the species. Jacqui waved to let me know there was a Spotted Flycatcher on the fence between her and me. It flew off before I got a photo but there was a second bird on the fence up from the car. A Chaffinch and a juvenile Robin were in the bushes. A nice male Lesser Redpoll was on the wires by the humpback bridge. A few Meadow Pipits and Wheatear were all that was seen as we headed back down the glen. We passed a car with another couple of birders, one I recognised. I found out later that she had seen a juvenile Cuckoo being fed by a Chaffinch as well as Red Grouse. wo species we failed to see.
We decided to head for Balgavies Loch to see the Ospreys and anything else that might be around. When we arrived the feeders were disappointingly empty, limiting the prospects. A Red Squirrel popped in briefly to check out the feeders before scampering off empty-pawed. The Ospreys were perched in the trees - one lower down and the other by the nest. A chick showed briefly above the rim of the nest. Out on the water, Coots, Mute Swan, Mallard and Tufted Ducks swam around. Large numbers of Greylags were up the far end of the loch, at least 100 I estimated. Jacqui spotted a Moorhen near the two Grey Herons. I spotted a Jay flying from the island into the trees beyond the Herons. A Sedge Warbler and a Reed Bunting sang from the reeds. With the sky clouding over and Jacqui having to be home for around 4pm we decided to head off for a flying visit to Murton.
The Rooks were by the entrance as we drove into the car park. There was plenty of activity in the Black Headed Gull colony with a few Lapwings and Oystercatchers around the edges. We walked down to the other pond to scan through the Tufted Ducks hoping to find the Ring Necked Duck, but there were fewer than the previous week around, although they weren't asleep this time. Despite carefully checking through them, there was no sign of the Ring Necked Duck. Gadwall were dotted around the edges, preening and sleeping. A Redshank fed along the waters edge. A few Greylags were out on the water, and were joined by a Pink Footed Goose and a Great Crested Grebe. A flock of Starlings flew across the water. Jacqui headed back to the car, and I took a slight detour to check the pool further on. A Little Grebe was out in the middle. A Buzzard soared above. A quick check of the pool as the rain came on added a Teal to the day list.
We headed back down the road to Dundee. Herring Gull, House Martin, Swift Blackbird and Swallow were all seen as I walked home from Clepington Road. A decent enough day out with some good photo opportunities and 56 species seen in all.
Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Coot, Curlew, Gadwall, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lapwing, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet, Little Grebe, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Raven, Red Kite, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Song Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wheatear, Whinchat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer