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| Osprey |
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| Blackcap |
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| Ruff |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Little Grebe |
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| Snipe and Lapwing |
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| Greylag, Lapwing, Mallard, Coot & Carrion Crow |
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| Greylag |
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| Whooper Swan & Greylag |
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| Red Breasted Merganser |
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| Common Tern |
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| Rock Pipit |
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| White Wagtail |
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| Linnet |
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| Gulls, Terns & Oystercatcher |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Turnstone |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Black Tailed Godwit & Knot |
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| Common & Arctic Tern |
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| Arctic Tern |
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| Kittiwake |
Another day off work on holiday with no concrete plans on where to go and what to try to see when I got wherever it was. Enter Rhona Forrester via facebook with an offer to head out together. An excellent idea and one warmly welcomed. We arranged for an earlier start (8am) as Rhona had to be home for around 3pm. However, we would still have roughly 6 hours worth of birding time, With our previous outing together producing a list of 71 species, could we possibly improve on that total?
As arranged Rhona picked me up at 0800 and we set off for Forfar Loch. Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon started off the list with a Magpie on a lamp post on the dual carriageway down past Caird Park being a welcome addition. Carrion Crow was seen by the industrial estate opposite Fintry. Further up the A90 we saw our first Swallow of the day. It wouldn't be the last. A small flock of Starlings was seen just before we turned off the dual carriageway towards Forfar.
Arriving at the car park at the Leisure Centre in the town, a Blackbird was seen immediately, with a few Sand Martins swooping round towards the Loch. A Pied Wagtail flew over and there were an unexpected couple of Swifts a little higher in the sky. Out on the water were most of the usual suspects here - Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Mallard, Mute Swan, Moorhen, Coot, Greylag and even a few Teal. House Martins and Swallows zipped about catching insects in the early morning sunshine. A Buzzard was spotted gliding over the farm to the north. We wandered up through the trees past a singing Robin, adding Coal Tit and Chaffinch at the wooden viewing platform.
Heading further along the path, Rhona spotted a large bird above the trees flying away from us. My initial half-hidden view had me thinking it was an immature gull, but it turned out to be our first Osprey of the day. The bushes and trees seemed to be alive with birds, not always easy to see among the branches and berries. A family of Great Tits and another of Blackcaps were active among the Elders. A juvenile Song Thrush showed briefly and Blackbird and Blue Tit put in appearances also.
We arrived at the sailing club spit and a bird dashed into the reeds from beside the boardwalk. It could have been a Water Rail but it was a mere blur caught from the corner of my eye. Swallows still flocked around the building and a car was parked beyond with the driver scanning the pebble spit beyond the boats. A bit of scanning produced a nice bird in the shape of a Ruff. A few Lapwings were dotted around with various gull species including the first Common Gull of the day stood around. A Carrion Crow waddled about among the other birds and a few Mallards were just offshore. We had a short chat to the driver of the car, Stuart Green of Angus Birdtours, rarity finder extraordinaire who told us the Ruff had been present for a few days. He headed off and we got a few photos before walking back towards the car park.
Dunnock was a new species for the day singing from a perch in the top of a small bush. We stopped a bit further along to watch two Goldcrests (one very scruffy and worn, the other almost pristine) feeding among the branches of a few low trees. We both managed decent enough photos before we resumed our walk. A little further on we could hear a calling Sedge Warbler but Blue Tits flitting around in the same area made finding it trickier than it needed to be. Eventually the bird showed relatively well, and long enough for us both to see it. A single Lesser Redpoll overflew.
We found a tiny ball of black fluff out on the water which turned out to be a Little Grebe chick, the parent popping up to feed it more than once as we watched. From the viewing platform again we added Tufted Duck and a Great Crested Grebe to the growing day-list. We crept out through the trees to see if there were any waders in the corner of the loch where it has silted up and created a muddy beach. A family of Mallards eyed us suspiciously but stayed put, however a Grey Heron and a Kingfisher both took flight, neither of which had been visible to us previously.
Our next stop was to be Murton local nature reserve a mile or so outside Forfar. It can be good for migrating waders and I had not managed to see a Ring Necked Duck which had been in among the Tufted Ducks, so we had a few reasons to stop in there. From the hide by the car park, Black Headed Gulls and Lapwings were numerous, with a few Gadwall and Mallards dotted around. I spotted three Snipe on the muddy shoreline, with another bird further on. We wandered down to the second hide to scan the other large pool. The shoreline was covered in birds with large numbers of Lapwings and Greylag Geese all roosting together. Among them were a few Mallards, Coots and Carrion Crows. As we walked back up to the car park again we stopped to look over the water again and saw a Wigeon just as it took off and flew to the far side. A small flock of Goldfinches flew over as we headed back to the car. A small flock of House Sparrows flew up into a hedge as we passed a house by the road.
We decided not to stop at Balgavies Loch or Montreathmont Forest. Passing the former an Osprey was just visible perched in the high branches in one of the island trees. At Montreathmont we had a Jay fly up into the trees from the roadside, with four possibles further on. One or two Woodpigeons were also seen as we passed the forest area. We were headed for the Lurgies in the hope that the tide state would be favourable and we might add a few waders on passage.
A flock of Linnets overflew the road as we neared the car park. I wandered out to the edge of the water as Rhona locked up the card. Looking back up the burn, I spotted a Kingfisher as it landed on a rock in the water just before it spotted me and flew back up the burn. Late summer/early autumn appears to be a good time of year to see this species. An Osprey was being harassed by a couple of Sandwich Terns high above the basin. Out on the mud opposite were a few Redshanks and Shelduck. A Cormorant overflew and a group of 3 Red Breasted Mergansers flew upriver before swinging round and headed back the way they came.
Scanning ahead of us we could see a large-ish group of Canada Geese on the water, with a few Herring Gulls, Black Headed Gulls and what turned out to be a Whooper Swan. A Greylag was also in among the Canada Geese. As we got closer to the birds I spotted movement along the far bank. Two Common Sandpipers were foraging along the mud by the edge of the reeds. Jackdaws picked around among the pebbles as some of the Canada Geese waddled up out of the water. A pair of Common Terns flew in and landed on a dead tree in the water. A Redshank waded around in the water a little further on. A few Common Gulls were spotted among the other gulls with a youngster joining the terns perched on the dead tree.
We bumped into Arbroath birder, Alex Shepherd and had a chat for 10 minutes or so before the three of us wandered back to the car park. Linnets and Goldfinches were seen in the bushes with one or two Blue Tits and Swallows also around. I heard a Wren at the car park and as we hadn't yet seen one, I tried to spot it. It didn't take long before it perched on a branch visible through a gap in the foliage. A Grey Wagtail flew in and landed by a puddle down the access track into the car park. A nice surprise. With roughly 90 minutes worth of birding left we had a decision to make as to where we would go and where we would miss out.
We decided to head for Arbroath via Boghead Farm. We did manage to see a Yellowhammer en route, but the wind was quite strong so there was an apparent shortage of birds at the farm so we didn't stop. We did add Rook to the list as we turned down towards Cliffburn with a couple of birds on the grass by the shops.
The tide was almost fully in at Arbroath Cliffs but there were enough birds around to keep us occupied. Below us on the rocks and few remaining pebbles were Turnstones and a couple of Ringed Plove. Rock Pipits also foraged where they could. Among the Tern roost were a few Arctics, some Common and plenty Sandwich Terns. Oystercatcher, Kittiwake, Herring Gull and Black Headed Gulls made up the numbers. A Redshank waded around a little further away. Rhona was in her element snapping away at the Turnstones and Ringed Plovers, both species she was unfamiliar with.
A Rock Pipit perched up on the sea wall down the ramp to the water and I stopped to grab a few photos. A bird flew in and ran across the path before stopping. A Wagtail and quite a pale grey and white bird. Above the tail the feathering was a similar grey to the back rather than blackish. A
White Wagtail, the continental European cousin of our Pied Wagtail and a new year-tick for me (although it is only a sub-species, I count it separately owing to its distinct differences and its semi-uncommon status). A few Great Black Backed Gulls flew by but there didn't appear to be too many birds passing by offshore.
We decided on one hurried stop at Westhaven to see if we could pass our 71 species total with a few wader species a possibility if we were lucky. When we arrived we could see a few Eider out beyond the rocks and plenty of terns but not many waders about. We decided to walk along the beach for a wee bit more in hope than expectation. I spotted a very distant Skua harassing a gull which based on size, probability and behaviour seemed a good fit for Arctic Skua. Rhona spotted a flyover group of waders. Surprisingly they weren't the expected Bar Tailed Godwits but were actually Black Tailed Godwits with a single Knot tagging along with them as they flew eastwards. The three main species of terns were mostly roosting though some flew up before settling back down again.
Among the rocks I spotted two roosting Dunlin, with Herring Gulls and Curlews in and around the Tern flock further west towards Carnoustie. A few Turnstone and Redshank foraged about among the main flocks. A Great Black Backed Gull and a Cormorant perched on the large poles in the water (these may or may not be world war 2 era vintage anti-glider poles). A Goosander was in the water while nearby swam a few Mallards in eclipse plumage. With time wearing on we hurried back to the car and set off homewards. Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Swallows and Starlings were seen on the way back to Dundee where Rhona dropped me off by Swannie Ponds so she could get back onto the Kingsway to save here a bit of time. Mallards, Mute Swans, Herring Gull and Moorhen were seen before I walked home with Swallows and House Martins seen before the rain started.
77 species seen - a really good day, especially a curtailed one with 1 new year-tick on the list (in Bold).
Species seen - Arctic Skua, Arctic Tern, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Black tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kingfisher, Kittiwake, Knot, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet, Little Grebe, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Ruff, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Snipe, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tufted Duck, Turnstone,
White Wagtail, Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.