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| Bullfinch |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Carrion Crow and Osprey |
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| Carrion Crow and Osprey |
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| Moorhen |
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| Carrion Crow and Osprey |
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| Carrion Crow and Osprey |
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| Cormorant and Osprey |
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| Osprey |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Buzzard |
With Summer now allegedly here for the foreseeable future, the opportunity for a spot of birding in the evenings after work has come around again, so I'm hopeful that opportunities will ensure that my evenings are not all spent at home this year, but out and about seeing lots of interesting and photogenic (and some ordinary looking but no less interesting)birds and other wildlife. A conversation while out and about the previous week with my pal, Nat, suggested that she quite liked the idea too.
We arranged to head out late afternoon on the following Friday. The Angus coast seemed to be the most likely destination and as things panned out we did make it there in the end, though we did make a few stops on the way. I managed to get away from work an hour early which meant we were able to get on the road around 1630. On my way round to the pick-up point I managed to see Starling, Blackbird, Herring Gull and Feral Pigeon, with Lesser Black Backed Gulls atop lamp posts on Clepington Road a minute or so later.
A quick look at Swannie Ponds from the car added another 5 species - the usual Mallard, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck and Herring Gull and a nice bonus in the shape of Grey Heron (which Nat had seen earlier). We headed down the Kingsway picking up Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon. A Collared Dove was perched on a chimney on Arbroath Road and a few Rooks were by the roadside at the back of Broughty Ferry. We turned off the dual carriageway a bit further on to head to Monikie Country Park for a look.
The light wasn't great with a hint of a possibility of rain still hanging in the air. It also felt a bit chilly. We stopped by the recycling bins just outside the park to check the Denfind Pond. There were lots of Black Headed Gulls here, looking like there will be a sizeable and very noisy breeding colony here. Dotted around amongst them were a number of Coots and a few Mallard. A Blue Tit overflew into the trees, and I spotted half a dozen or so Greenfinches high in a conifer within the park with a Carrion Crow a few branches further down.
We headed into the car park with the intention of a rather short visit but as things turned out we stayed a little longer than intended because the selection of birds around was actually better than expected. Chaffinches and Blue Tits were around the car park area along with more Greenfinches and a few Woodpigeons up in the trees. Wandering along towards the causeway bewteen the two main reservoirs we stumbled on a pair of Bullfinches feeding on buds in a small tree by the path. They were joined seconds later by a Great Tit. A Blackbird hopped around by the base of the bushes opposite.
I thought I heard a Kingfisher calling so we headed for the side of the reservoir where I succeeded in finding the source of the call, a Kingfisher among the trees on the island. A Moorhen hurried away from the shore near where we stood. Way out on the water we picked out a few Goldeneye, and as always a number of Mallards and a few Tufted Ducks. Moving round to check the other reservoir we found a few more Goldeneye out on the water and a distant Little Grebe too.
There were more Woodpigeons and a handful of Carrion Crows around in addition to Robin and Blue Tits by the path. Nat spotted a Reed Bunting male in the bushes by the side of the main reservoir as we turned back towards the car. We heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling but couldn't locate it. A pair of Long Tailed Tits called to each other from the Rhododendrons by the path, and a Herring Gull drifted over. A Song Thrush sand loudly from the top of a tall tree.
We decided to head for Balgavies Loch next, our route taken us via Dunnichen. We did see a few House Sparrows and a Collared Dove as we left Monikie village. Our first Buzzard of the outing was seen near Crombie Country Park with Pheasant not much further on in a ploughed field. Woodpigeons and Carrion Crows and the odd Blackbird or Chaffinch gave us something to look at before we made it to Balgavies. The car park was empty surprisingly and before we headed into the hide we watched a few Blue Tits and Goldfinches flitting around in the trees. A Goldcrest was heard but not seen.
The feeders out front were fairly active with birds coming and going almost constantly - Blue, Great and Coal Tits, plus Chaffinches and the odd Blackbird mostly. A pair of Dunnocks dd put in an appearance a short while later as did a nice smart Yellowhammer male. Out on the water there were a few Mallards and Greylags around with Coot and Goldeneye a bit further away. An Oystercatcher called loudly - they don't seem to do quiet - as it flew by. A few Cormorants could be seen on the trees on the island.
In the conifer a couple of Carrion Crows sat. While we were watching a Red Squirrel feeding on peanuts in front of us I became aware of one of the crows sounding a bit agitated. I soon discovered why, though it wasn't immediately obvious. Perched in front of the vocal Carrion Crow perched an Osprey with a rather large trout in its grasp. With the bird's back to us it was relatively difficult to make out the shape of the bird against the branches on the tree. Still it was my first Osprey sighting of 2015. I pointed it out to Nat who also remarked how well hidden it was.
A Grey Heron flew in to land in the trees off to the right where it apparently has a nest. A pair of Mute Swans swam into view. The Osprey was being watched closely by one of the crows which decided to creep closer and see if it could maybe snatch a piece of trout. It got within a few feet before deciding that perhaps he'd pass on the fish and off he flew. Minutes later the Osprey managed to lose his grip on the fish and it fell down through the branches below. A Robin showed at the feeders once the Red Squirrel had left, as did a pair of Moorhens who wandered in from the reeds to see what they could collect from the ground.
A distinctly different but loud call from one of the tits nearby signalled a predator was around, so when the Sparrowhawk flew through over the reeds I wasn't too surprised. A Reed Bunting showed among the reeds. We were joined in the hide by a couple who regularly visit to watch the Ospreys. They didn't notice the bird initially, so I told them it was in fact there and set them the challenge of finding it for themselves, which they did, though they did agree that it was surprisingly well hidden in plain sight.
The green ring on the Osprey's leg was read of through a scope confirming it was coded BF, the same male bird as last year. He took off and decided that a Cormorant lower down in the tree, though minding its own business, should find somewhere else to perch. He swooped repeatedly at the Cormorant who called out loudly. I can't recall having heard Cormorant's calls before but this one was certainly loud and annoyed. It eventually decided to vacate its perch and flew down to the water allowing the Osprey to return to near his original perch.
We left Balgavies at around 1830 with Lunan Bay our next stop. We had to make a large detour on the way after finding a road closed for repairs. This did mean that we ended up on roads I'd never been down before which is always interesting. The birds we saw were similar to earlier with Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Rook and Pheasant in the fields. A Pied Wagtail flew up from the road. One or two Starlings were seen in a field and Nat spotted her first ever Red Legged Partridge by the roadside.
We headed into Inverkeillor where a Magpie and a Collared Dove were seen before we set off towards Redcastle and the ADBC hide overlooking the bay. A few Rooks and Pheasants were in the fields on this stretch. The light wasn't particularly great when we reached Lunan Bay and seemed to be getting worse by the minute. However, we decided to see what we could see from the hide and wandered out that way. A few Blackbirds, House Sparrows and Chaffinches were around the gardens of the houses. A couple of Meadow Pipits displayed past the chicken runs.
From the hide we could see the gull roost starting to increase in number. It was made up of mostly Black Headed and Herring Gulls, though with a few Common Gulls mixed through, and joining them a few minutes later were a few Great Black Backeds. One or two Oystercatchers could be seen and while checking through the gulls I spotted movement by the Lunan Water mouth. A pair of Sanderling could just be made out as they scurried and stopped then scurried along again.
Offshore four dark birds took off and flew low over the water showing flashes of white as they went. Initially I suspected auks, but eventually worked out that they were in fact Long Tailed Ducks moulting into summer plumage. There wasn't much else out in the bay, so we closed up the hide and headed back towards the car. A Yellowhammer called from the post behind the chickens and a Meadow Pipit displayed again. Two Herring Gulls stood atop Redcastle along with a single Jackdaw. On the way back to the car we saw another Yellowhammer perched on a post and on a telegraph pole a Buzzard watched as we got closer before flying off away from us towards Redcastle.
With the light fading fast we had one last stop to visit. A brief stop at Auchmithie to scan the sea for any signs of Puffins. However when we arrived we drove to the northern end of the vilage to scan from the clifftops. A few Herring Gulls could be seen on the water, and a pair of Fulmars could be seen on the cliffs to the south, but there was no obvious Puffins to be seen. I thought I had one when I found a dark bird, but looking a bit closer I discovered it wasn't even an auk, but a female Eider, the drake a little to her left giving a bit of scale and showing that I was looking at a bigger bird than I initially thought. A Great Black Backed Gull flew by and we decided to call it a night and head for home.
51 species in total (1 new for the year in bold) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chafinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Greylag, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Duck, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Red Legged Partridge, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sanderling, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.