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| Wren |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Common Sandpiper |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Lapwing |
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| Snipe |
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| Black Grouse |
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| Raven |
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| Carrion Crow & Marsh Harrier |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey |
My birding pal, Steph Cowie hasn't managed to get out and about with her camera much this year owing to big happenings in her personal life, so she was champing at the bit to try and get out somewhere on Saturday. So much so, that she agreed to an earlier start than our normal Sunday start time for our outing on Saturday. With good weather forecast again, things were looking very promising for a good day out, so we decided that one of the Angus Glens might provide the best possibilities for some good birds and good photo opportunities.
A visit to the wee shop around the corner started my day list quite well with Blackbird, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon and a Pied Wagtail before the day had really started. When I did head out later to wait for Steph I managed to add Carrion Crow, Collared Dove and Starling too. We headed for Swannie Ponds in the hope of getting the Iceland Gull for Steph as she had so far managed to avoid seeing it. When we arrived there were plenty smaller birds around in the trees - Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch with a Willow Warbler being seen a short while after we arrived. On the water a single female Goosander joined the Mallards, Tufted Ducks and Mute Swan but gulls were in very short supply. A few Herring Gulls did drift over but they seemed reluctant to come down to the water. Lesser Black Backed Gulls were also overflying in smaller numbers but likewise stayed in the air rather than landing. Another birding pal, Darell Berthon showed up and all three of us made the most of the calm water to get some nice reflection shots of the birds in the sunshine. While lining up a photo of a Tufted Duck a Moorhen splashed down close by allowing some nice photos in good light. As there was no sign of the Iceland Gull showing up, we decided to head off up to the glens to make the best of our reasonably early start. As Steph got into the car, I scanned through the tree tops by the nearby crossroads and spotted a bird high up in one mature tree. It looked like a Wheatear, so I called to Steph and Darell and took a few photos. Steph managed to see it but it had gone before Darell got a look. Had I not seen a Wheatear up a tree the day before I'd have been a bit more surprised to see one in such an unexpected location.
We headed north up the A90 adding Buzzard, Oystercatcher, Skylark and a few more Woodpigeons to the list. We stopped off in a small village briefly which allowed us to get House Sparrow, Rook and a flyover Lapwing onto the list. Blackbird, Chaffinch, Starling and Woodpigeon were also seen here. As we left the village a couple of Yellowhammers were seen. Steph spotted movement along the edge of a field and we saw a Wheatear fly up to perch on top of a flowering Gorse bush. Unfortunately, as the car drew closer it flew off a short distance to another bush. It did this 3 times until it dropped into the field edge as we drove past. Pheasants were much in evidence as always, with mostly males, but a few females also, dotted around in the fields. Steph pulled up by a small stand of conifers where a striking male Goldcrest was flashing the bright orange feathers of his crown stripe to good effect just feet from the car window. Oystercatchers and Jackdaws shared the fields with the Woodpigeons and Pheasants before we headed into the main part of the glen.
At our first stop we quickly adjusted our plans when we heard Red Grouse calling from what sounded relatively close to the road. Normally we see these birds much further down the road so it was a pleasant surprise to hear them so early. A bit of scanning drew a blank, but I eventually found two males a bit further up the hillside than they sounded. There seemed to be a bit of a territorial dispute going on with one bird chasing the other off a short distance a few times. A Sand Martin and a Swallow sped over heading in the direction from which we'd arrived. A few Meadow Pipits lifted from among the grasses and heather as we watched the Grouse. Pairs of Curlews flew by and behind us on the hillsides opposite Lapwings, Jackdaws and Woodpigeons busied themselves. As we headed back to the car, a Wheatear flew away from us over the field. rather more expected here than at the Swannie Ponds in Dundee.
We parked again a short distance along the road, and had another walk to see what else we could find. I could hear a Snipe calling but there were trees between me and where I suspected the bird to be. I did manage to find a Mistle Thrush while I searched with the binoculars. A Wren's song burst through the quiet air but we failed to spot the bird, suspecting that it was hidden below a fallen tree trunk among the vegetation. We wandered off in different directions, Steph heading further along the road, me clambering over a small fence to explore along by the steep edges of a burn. A few Chaffinches and a more visible Wren gave me good views, as did a pair of Great Tits. I headed back to the main road to catch up with Steph. Some Swallows were darting around near a farm steading and while walking back downhill to the car we came across two Robins eyeing each other, and us, warily in the roadside hedge. A few Siskins flew over calling and a Lesser Redpoll briefly dropped into a tree above the car. I heard and then spotted the fast moving blur that is a Dipper as it flew inches above the burn upstream.
The landscape opened out somewhat with much more heather moorland around where we stopped next, but birds were in shorter supply than usual here. Three Goosanders followed the line of the burn as they headed further into the glen. I heard a Raven quite distantly but drew a blank when trying to find it on the hillside. There were a few Carrion Crows around but in general it was a much quieter spot than usual. Red Grouse was seen again slightly further along the road and Meadow Pipits lifted and fell back from the roadsides as we drove slowly on. We found another parking space by the roadside and decided to explore a rather steep track up a scree and boulder strewn small hill. It turned out to be a larger and steeper hill than it appeared but the hoped for Ring Ouzel was nowhere to be seen. Peacock butterfly was a surprise, and a Curlew ran and then flew off from near the track, possibly from a nest site. Coming back down the hill, three Mistle Thrush flew in, with one singing loudly whilst in flight, something I hadn't seen or heard before. A Meadow Pipit gave Steph good photo opportunities and I wandered away to see if I could find Tree Pipit but again, I drew a blank. Possibly still a little early in the season for these summer visitors and quite a few others.
One or two more Red Grouse were seen as we progressed up the glen, with one showy mail standing in the sun with Steph around 20 feet away, half hidden behind a telegraph pole snapping away. I managed to find a male Pheasant across the other side of the burn and an Oystercatcher flew upstream calling loudly as it went. There was no sign of Black Grouse in their usual spot but we decided to stop to check the burn. A Pied Wagtail and Oystercatcher wandered around among the tussocks of spiky grasses on the boggier areas. Surprisingly there was no Dipper to be seen, with the burn being rather quiet in general. Steph found a Willow Warbler in a tree by the burn which it shared with a male Chaffinch. I heard a familiar summer call and turned back to check among the rocks in the burn. A small wader flew low over the water and bobbed up and down when it landed. My first Common Sandpiper of 2014, and a bird I hadn't even considered we might see. There turned out to be a pair and I managed a few photos from behind the small copse of trees on the bank. I spotted a Black Grouse male perched on a plastic tube which protected a sapling among a small plantation, but it soon dropped down out of sight. A few more Carrion Crows glided over, while a Swallow shot about chasing the early flies. A male Kestrel appeared from nowhere and hovered in the sun before flying away over the burn and out of our field of view. Another surprise was 2 Redshanks which appeared from beyond the crest of the hill as an estate Landrover drove by and landed on rocks in the burn near where we were. Not a bird that we have encountered too many times in the glen.
We decided to head on to the end of the road to have something to eat and to search for Ring Ouzels and to photograph displaying waders on our way back. En route we did finally manage to see a couple of Buzzards, one attracting the unwanted attentions of the local crows which chased it into the taller conifers. A few Woodpigeons and Lapwings fed in the fields, and a female Pheasant was spotted by Steph perched on the top of the roof of one of the estate buildings. There was no sign of any Ring Ouzels, though there were plenty Meadow Pipits to be seen as we walked a short distance further along the glen after parking the car. Lapwings swooped and called slightly further up the hillside, landing among the open areas from time to time before displaying again a short while later. A small group of Swallows sped over and I found a couple of raptors along the ridge line, but the heat haze made identifying them tricky, but as they gained a bit of altitude they showed well enough to decide that they were only Buzzards. Another Red Grouse was seen up near the top of the hill opposite, with another further down the slope among the heather. A large bird spiralled up in the distance, heavy winged. It turned out to be an unexpected Grey Heron gradually gaining altitude above the heather covered slopes.
After having something to eat we drove back down the glen to the boggy field favoured by the Lapwings, Curlews and Oystercatchers for nesting in. A pair of Meadow Pipits scurried away as we got out of the car, and a Curlew took flight low over the field. There were Lapwings already in the air, their wings beating the air audibly and their electronic sounding calls echoing around. Two male Mallards and a lone female flew upriver followed a short while later by a pair of Common Gulls. The female Mallard returned a few minutes later alone away from her potential suitors. Two Treecreepers chased around among the birches in one of the fields. A pair of Common Snipe broke cover and flew off low over the spiky vegetation before one of them gained height and proceeded to display, extended tail feathers producing the characteristic 'drumming' sound as it swopped down before climbing again to repeat the pattern. Oystercatchers piped loudly as they chased each other round, their loud shrill calls competing with the Lapwings to see who was the loudest.
Somehow among the wader calls I picked up the distant sound of Black Grouse lekking, and looking over to the spot where we have seen them in the past I was delighted to spot 8 black dots. We drove around to hopefully get a better view, the birds being back far enough from the road to ignore a car, but in just the wrong place to get particularly clear photos, a fence being between us and the birds for the vast majority of the time. We counted 13 males who were joined by a Mistle Thrush and a pair of Oystercatchers as they strutted and postured with one or two taking their efforts to be the main man a bit more seriously than most of the others. One in particular seemed more aggressive than the others, although we didn't see any obvious female audience (Steph excluded) to witness his actions.
As time was wearing on, we decided to head for Loch of Kinnordy to finish off the day, though we did manage to see a Grey Wagtail, a small group of Feral Pigeons and a Blackbird before we headed back out onto the 'main' road. Another good addition for the day was a calling Raven perched on a fence way up on the hill opposite the road. En route back to the dual carriageway we were briefly joined by a Stock Dove which matched our speed while gaining in height and distance from the car as we drove along. A Song Thrush flew off as we passed and Woodpigeons and Pheasants were around in good numbers as before.
The water levels at Loch of Kinnordy were still rather low and Redshanks waded up to their bellies in the water. Further out on the water, Mallards, Tufted Ducks and Mute Swans swam around in pairs and small groups. The Rooks called loudly from the rookery along to the west. Within a few minutes our first raptor showed up, a Carrion Crow in close pursuit. It was a female Marsh Harrier, and she glided on veed wings before dropping into the reeds to escape the attentions of the persistent corvid. An Osprey was next to show, making an unsuccessful stoop into the shallow water before circling round for a second attempt. This time with more success, lifting with a small pike clutched in its large hooked talons before flying off with a crow in close pursuit.
Scanning over the bogbean islands, a few waders could be seen - Lapwings, Oystercatchers and Redshanks mostly, though we did eventually find a pair of Common Snipe too. There were a few Greylags around and a skein of around 60 or so Pink Footed Geese dropped in beyond the reeds. The male Marsh Harrier put in a short appearance which was quickly noticed by the local corvids, and a Buzzard got similar treatment. Two Black Headed Gulls rested on the islands and a Redshank landed in the very soft mud a few feet in front of the hide resulting in the sound of camera shutters firing in concert. A few Coots were discovered half hidden among the vegetation to the left and a Moorhen appeared from the reeds on the right, from where the squeals of a 'sharming' Water Rail also sounded. Sadly this particular species went unseen though they have put on some very good shows of late to other birders and photographers. There were also a few pairs of Teal still around mostly asleep. Two Grey Herons skulked along the margins of the main reedbed opposite the gullery hide, but once again there was to be no Bittern putting in an appearance for us. A Reed Bunting fed low down to the left of the hide before flying off to the east. Along the eastern end of the Loch a large flock of Sand Martins swarmed around in the early evening sunshine. The female Marsh Harrier once again popped up from the reeds but stayed well away from our waiting cameras, although the usual distant shots were grabbed. As it was now after 6.30pm and we had been out for just over 10 hours we decided to head for home for some food. Not much seen on the way down the road except the usual gulls, pigeons and corvids.
62 species seen ( 2 new in bold). - Black Grouse, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Coot, Curlew, Dipper, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Raven, Red Grouse, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Siskin, Skylark, Snipe, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Wheatear, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer