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| Osprey |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Coal Tit |
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| Coot |
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| Little Grebe |
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| Blackcap |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Mallard |
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
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| Collared Dove |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Grey Heron |
More blue skies forecast for the third day of my four day birding spree, so once again I was up and out of the door quite early. As it was also Easter Sunday I wanted to avoid the family groups out rolling eggs if at all possible. I decided to try for better photos/views of the Green Sandpiper at Morton Lochs that I had seen on Friday afternoon before the morning haar had burned off and heat haze had formed.
I left the house at around 0830. Unusually a Blue Tit was the first species seen, rather than the more usual Herring Gulls. I didn't have to wait long however to get Herring Gull on the list, with Blackbird, Feral Pigeon and Woodpigeon also seen almost simultaneously. As I reached the waste ground on Dens Road opposite the Alexander Street junction I heard the loud blast of a Blackcap singing from the trees at the rear. I walked closer and picked out the bird perched on a bare branch. I didn't have much time to stand and watch, so continued on my way towards the bus station. A Collared Dove flew into a Rowan by the path, and a Goldfinch flitted across the road, its tinkling call drawing attention to its presence overhead. A Carrion Crow glided across Victoria Road.
There wasn't much to see between Dundee bus station and Tayport, with a few Woodpigeons and a pair of Oystercatchers the sum total. walking across the golf course, a few singing Yellowhammers were seen and Chiffchaff was heard. On reaching the house just through the gate, a pair of Swallows were perched on the wires and a Blackbird flew off into the trees. Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Siskin were also around the garden edges, and a singing Song Thrush was perched at the top of an evergreen. On reaching the nature reserve itself I headed straight for the access road to try and see the Green Sandpiper before the temperature rose enough to produce a bit of shimmer. Chiffchaffs and Blackcap were both heard en route but I decided to come back and look for those properly after checking the pool. Passing between the two lochs gave distant views of Mallard, Mute Swan and Little Grebe. I did spot a Chiffchaff with its tail flicking downwards as it fed among the branches of a low tree before I reached the fields, and a Robin perched on a fencepost for a moment. Wren, Blue Tit and Coal Tit all put in an appearance
There was no sign of the Green Sandpiper around the edges of the pool despite scanning the mud every few minutes. There were a pair of Mute Swans though. Scanning over the fields produced a nice mix of birds, Woodpigeons, Stock Dove, Feral Pigeon, Starlings, Mistle Thrush, Curlew, Lapwing and Carrion Crow. The harsh call of a Jay made me turn around and I was fortunate enough to catch sight of the culprit as it flew out over the field before turning back towards the trees again. A male Pheasant called loudly from the edge of the field near the wood and a Pied Wagtail dropped in, tail wagging up and down rapidly as it ran over the dusty ground looking for insects. A singing Skylark lifted from the grassy field and was initially tricky to pick out against the cluttered backdrop of landscape behind. However once it reached a backkdrop of blue sky it appeared as if by magic. I watched it climbing higher until the mewing of a Buzzard distracted me. I found the bird circling above the trees by the northern loch, where it was soon joined by a second.
I headed back along the access road checking both lochs as I did so. A pair of Tufted Ducks were on the southern loch, and Moorhen was added to the birds visible on the northern. I wandered under the old brideg along the track to the southern hide. Chiffchaff, Blue Tit, Coal Tit and Robin were in the bushes and trees along the edges. As I reached the hide a Great Tit flew across my line of sight as a Pheasant darted into the undergrowth. The Loch was fairly quiet with a Grey Heron skulking around the edges. A pair of Coots called loudly in front of the reeds and the Tufted Ducks appeared from the other half of the loch. A few Stock Doves flew around above the loch, going from one set of trees to the other.
On leaving the hide and heading back to the track I had good views of a singing Blackcap in an Elder. A Robin with a grub in its bill flew on ahead of me, obviously on its way to a hidden nest nearby. Another Chiffchaff called from the top of a tree and a pair of Coal Tits showed well just a few feet above me. I caught up with the Robin by the bridge and yet another Chiffchaff disappeared into the foliage high in a conifer. There wasn't too much to see along the path which runs parallel to the hide paths by the northern loch, but a Wren caught my eye among the branches of a small bush about half way along. I popped into the first hide and scanned over the loch. Mallards, Mute Swan, 2 Greylags and Little Grebes were soon joined by a Moorhen and there were 2 pairs of Teal sleeping on the far shore. Another Blackcap sang from the trees to the right of the hide before flying into the bushes to the left.
Woodpigeon, a pair of Robins and a Blackbird in the bushes were all that was seen from the corner hide. Surprisingly there was no Blackcap in the Elders where they have been regular in the past. I spent a few minutes watching a male Red Squirrel with impressive ear tufts feeding on peanuts at the feeder in front of the new hide, which seems to be designed for watching the Squirrels but is in completely the wrong place for photos with the trees blocking most of the light. By bumping up the ISO on the camera a fair bit, I did manage some nice photos.
I wandered out the access road seeing much the same birds in the fields as I went. A Collared Dove landed in a tree by the caravan club site and a Yellowhammer and a Chaffinch were also seen here. A Buzzard missing a couple of tail feathers flew out and circled up over the main road before disappearing over the wood opposite. I crossed the main road and walked along the nearby road signposted for Kirkton Barns. A large piece of waste ground to one side looked like it should be good for birds but only a pair of Great Tits was seen here, though I did find a few butterflies (Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshell). A little further along the road I spotted a Reed Bunting singing in a conifer by the cattery garden. The same Buzzard from earlier flew out from another tree and flew away over the fields. A Meadow Pipit flew up calling from a field with three horses in it and a Swallow chittered from an overhead wire before flying off to circle over the gardens and fields. I made a short detour to explore an old graveyard just off the road. Here I found a few Tree Sparrows in among the overgrown areas as well as a small group of Jackdaws just over the drystane dyke in a ploughed field. One or two Woodpigeons clattered out from the trees when they spotted me. A little further on along the road a Kestrel flew off a telegraph pole and hovered before circling up high into the sky. A few more Meadow Pipits and Tree Sparrows as well as Robin, Feral Pigeon and a Dunnock were all seen before I reached the main road to Leuchars, where I managed to catch a bus to take me to Guardbridge within seconds of arriving. A nice piece of luck.
En route to Guardbridge we passed the rookery at St Michaels where the birds seemed to be busy. The hide at Guardbridge was empty and there wasn't a huge amount of birds to be seen initially. There were a number of Redshanks on the far shore and Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Blue Tit were around the feeders outside. A few Mallards were on the river, along with a Black Headed Gull. Further out there were small white dots which turned into Shelducks when seen through binoculars. Further scanning added Herring Gull and Oystercatcher as well as Carrion Crow. Among the Herring Gulls were a few Lesser Black Backeds and at least two Great Black Backeds also. A small flock of Starlings were in the horse field and there were a few Swallows hawking for insects nearby, with Sand Martins amongst them. Greast Tit and Tree Sparrow visited the feeders as did Woodpigeon. The local Feral Pigeons from the paper mill flew back and forth over the hide, their wings whooshing audibly as they went.
As it was so quiet I decided to head off to catch the bus, but I got sidetracked into checking the bushes and trees outside for small birds. While I did so I glanced up and spotted a raptor just above treetop height as it flew behind the bare top branches. I grabbed a quick photo which turned out rather well and confirmed my suspicion that the bird was an Osprey. Given that it was rather low above the river, I figured there was a good chance it might stop to hunt, so I hurried round to the hide to watch. The bird did indeed stop to hunt, a quick hover turning into a dive into the Eden, where it emerged a second or so later clutching a medium sized flatfish before flying off eastwards low over the mud. It settled down to eat its catch at the four small stumps that stick out of the mud at low tide. It didn't stay there for long as it drew the attention of the Herring Gulls and Carrion Crows nearby. I was joined by a couple and we chatted about the spectacle they had just missed and birds in general. As the wind was slightly chilly we headed into the hide. Greenfinches dropped into the feeders to the delight of the lady who had just mentioned that she hadn't seen one for a long time having been regular visitors to her garden previously.
One of the local Buzzards was quite active changing its perch every 10 minutes or so, sometimes on the ground, sometimes in a tree and sometimes on the small box hide for the waterfowlers. A Pied Wagtail flew around above the pools opposite and a handful of Black Tailed Godwits dropped in to join the Redshanks. One bird showed a good bit of summer plumage, the orange showing really well in the sun. A Curlew dropped in before wandering around probing the soft mud with its long curved bill. Two Oystercatchers landed in front of the hide on the exposed mud and fed here for a while. A group of Pink Footed Geese were in the horse field and I found a few others on the salt marsh later on. A Cormorant flew upriver, returning almost immediately and following the Eden back past the hide and round the bend downstream. A Grey Heron announced its presence before flying by, low above the water and then landing for a spot of fishing mid-stream just to the right of the hide.
I spotted another osprey hunting, much further out, but without binoculars it was just too far away for the couple to pick out until it flew closer above RAF Leuchars before passing away to the west out of sight. A few distant Buzzards and Great Black Backed Gulls caused a false alarm or two as the heat shimmer threatened to convince me that they were Ospreys. We did have one other confirmed Osprey sighting while a holidaying family from Luxemburg were in the hide, but I'm not certain they managed to get on to the bird. Three Mute Swans flew upriver and as it was now around 5pm I decided to head for home. I did see a few Goldfinches as I crossed the park to the bus stop. The Rooks at St Michaels and a singing Song Thrush on Arklay Street were the only things of note seen before I made it home.
A decent enough day out with 58 species seen.
Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Grebe, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.