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| Dipper |
Nat arrived to pick me up and we discussed the alternatives. The coast was out as was down by the river, so inland it would have to be. Hopefully, the sunshine and clear skies of earlier in the day would still be in evidence towards the glens. North it was.
Carrion Crow, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Feral Pigeon and Woodpigeon then Starling and Herring Gull got the list off to a start as we headed out of the city. The sky was overcast and grey as far north as we could see. Jackdaws and then Rooks followed before we turned off the main road to take the back road via Glamis to Kirriemuir and a quick stop at Loch of Kinnordy. A few Pheasants and Oystercatchers were in some of the fields. Chaffinch and Blue Tit were seen in the trees by the roadside as we passed a farm. A pair of Mallards flew in and landed in a field as we neared Kinnordy. An Osprey could be seen hovering above the Loch as we turned towards the reserve.
We headed into the hide for better views of the Osprey which was still circling around above the loch. Within minutes it had dived into the water and came up with a rather small fish which it flew off to one of the large poles around the loch to eat it. Not a bad way to start. Scanning around we added Mallard, Lapwing, Moorhen, a Little Ringed Plover, Mute Swans, Teal, a few Black Headed Gulls, Pied Wagtails and Redshanks. Above the far end of the loch Sand Martins hawked for insects.
A couple of pairs of Shelduck were off towards the eastern end. Greylags honked loudly as they flew low past over the water. A Grey Heron could just be seen picking around at the very edge of the far reedbed, a thin curtain of reeds providing a little cover. The male Marsh Harrier briefly showed above the reeds near the lone pine tree before dropping out of sight again, before lifting again and flying a short distance before disappearing into cover again. A Swallow skimmed by at speed. We headed back to the car to carry on to our intended destination.
Blackbird and House Sparrow were seen as we passed through Kirriemuir and onwards. Red Legged Partridges began to appear along with more Pheasants. A Raven overflew, and a number of Common Gulls stood around in the fields. A Stock Dove took flight as we swept by. Arriving at our destination we parked the car and could hear a Mistle Thrush singing loudly from the top of a tree which made spotting it rather easy. A Goldcrest foraged around in another tree nearby.
With the time now around half past seven I decided we should go for a walk until eight o'clock and then head back to the car while there was still a bit of light to see where we were going. The overcast conditions meant that photography opportunities were going to be rather limited. We headed off along a path by the edge of a large wooded area. Siskins and a Willow Warbler showed quite well but were too quick for the camera. A Song Thrush was next, and a Dunnock dived back into cover as we got closer.
A Dipper was resting on a small stone in the river and it blinked continuously as I took a few photos and attempted to shoot a short video. The bird then flew off upstream. There was little else to see so we headed back towards the car. A Buzzard briefly appeared above some conifers then disappeared once again out of sight. The light was now rapidly going and Nat spotted some deer ahead of us just off the track, near a wooded area. These were mostly Red Deer but there were also a few Roe Deer too. They watched us for a minute or two before deciding to retreat into the trees until we passed. Nat heard a Tawny Owl calling a couple of times from in the trees.
Heading back down the glen in the car we spotted a few (probable Pipistrelle) bats flitting around above the road. We stopped at an open area to look for owls and to listen. We could hear Red Grouse, some probable Black Grouse and some definite Lapwings but it was impossible to see any of them. It was an interesting blend of sounds. We hoped for an owl at some point on our way home but as with our luck with regards the weather, we saw none.
A quieter evenings outing than some of our others, but a different experience. We somehow still managed to see 42 species
which was pretty good considering. Nothing new for the year list, but still an interesting evening.
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Dipper, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Ringed Plover, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Red Legged Partridge, Redshank, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Siskin, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon.
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| Red Deer |