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| Snipe |
Doug arrived to pick me up just before 8am, a pair of mating Collared Doves on a nearby roof starting the list for the day off a wee bit differently to normal. The Blackbird and Herring Gull sightings that followed were much more standard. Lesser Black Backed Gull was seen on Clepington Road and a nice surprise was a Willow Warbler in a small tree at the bottom end of Caird Park while we sat at traffic lights.
With a summer plumaged Slavonian Grebe having been seen the day before at Loch of Kinnordy we decided to make a wee detour in the hope it would still be around. We added a few extra species on the way - Starling, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Skylark, Oystercatcher and Goldfinch. The car park at Kinnordy wasn't as busy as we expected so we headed along to the Swamp hide to see if the bird was still lingering.
The answer was unfortunately no, though there was a varied selection in its place. Black Headed, Herring and Common Gull, Blu Tit and Chaffinch, Greylag Goose and Mallard to start with. More scanning added Lapwing, Moorhen, Coot, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Rooks in the rookery as well as Sand Martins over the water. A Snipe dropped in unexpectedly on the boggy ground in front of the hide giving us great views in good light of a bird that can be very hard to see up close. A Sedge Warbler sang from the reeds to the right and as it moved around we managed to pick it out.
The male Marsh Harrier was spotted by Doug as it flew off to the east. A Pheasant wandered around among the vegetation across the far side further to the west. The apparent cause of the Marsh Harrier's departure soon became clear as a large Alsation type dog could be seen roaming around the far side in an area off-limits to the public, and their pets. The owner who appeared to be having some trouble getting her large pet back under control appeared shortly after. A minute or so later she succeeded in getting her dog back on the lead and they disappeared back behind the reeds and hopefully away from the reserve.
Dunnock, Reed Bunting and Swallow were added to the list before we decided that we should probably get underway again. House Sparrow was seen as we passed through Kirriemuir on our way to our first glen. Jackdaw and Buzzard were two further additions to the list before we reached the main road into the glen proper. A Jay flew up from the roadside into a small tree though just in the wrong place for a photo from the 'wrong' side of the car where I was. Always good to see one of these birds up close.
A Robin flew across the road a bit further on and our first Stock Dove of the day flew off across some fields. A small vole scurried at high speed across the road in front of us narrowly avoided becoming roadkill. A Pied Wagtail perched on a fencepost gave us another species closely followed by both Mistle and Song Thrush in another roadside field. As we drove through a wooded area I spotted two shapes on the ground among the widely spaced trees. Doug stopped and reversed back. A pair of Woodcocks stared up the hill at the car. I took a series of photos and some video footage before we moved off again. The birds barely moved, except for some blinking and feathers moving in the wind. No wonder they are hard to spot.
I had suggested that we open the car windows just enough to keep out the unseasonably low temperatures while allowing the bird sounds and songs to come in. This was mostly in case we chanced upon a hoped for Cuckoo but as we drove along the decision proved its worth when I recognised the song of a Tree Pipit. We were able to stop the car and find the bird perched up in a tree singing away. It then flew up and 'parachuted' down in a display flight to land in another tree where it sang some more, allowing me more video footage and photos.
Doug spotted a distant Red Kite circling further up the glen, and heading further on we got our first (of many) Meadow Pipits of the day. Grey Wagtail was added by the time we reached the end of the road and having parked we set off along the track to see what else we could find. Great Tit was the first addition to the list when we got out of the car, though there were plenty other birds around - Oystercatchers, Lapwings, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Meadow Pipit and Chaffinch.
A Goldcrest stayed hidden while it sang high in a conifer. A few Lesser Redpolls flew around overhead displaying. A drake Goosander sped over above the treetops. A Common Sandpiper flew off from rocks in the burn, landing further upstream and giving us nice views. There was no sign of Redstart where myself and Rhona had seen them. We had a short chat with two other local birders/photographers who told us there were plenty Ring Ouzels around which was encouraging.
We did indeed succeed in finding Ring Ouzels with a pair on the hillside and another pair near the path, both pairs having at least one colour-ringed bird. A recently fledged Mistle Thrush sat hunched in the middle of a small field, the parents initially nearby but then flying off a little further leaving the wee one on its own. A quick scan along the ridge-line produced a Peregrine and we then spotted a pair of Wheatears near one of the Ring Ouzel pairs. We could hear Black Grouse calling from somewhere but failed to pick them out.
We wandered back towards the car, searching for Redstarts as we went. Within a few minutes Doug had spotted a male flying around not too far from the track. Although I didn't get any photos or footage it was good to get one for the day list. A little further on we added Treecreeper and Coal Tit to what was already a decent sized list. We had decent views of a second male Redstart when we stopped to chat to yet another local birder/photographer for a few minutes. This particular bird showed much better and closer, and was likely one of the same birds from the previous weekend.
Back at the car we discussed the options for the afternoon. With the time around 1pm and Doug needing to be home before 6pm we ruled out trying again in Aberdeen for the Harlequin Duck. Although we had seen both of Doug's target species we had dipped on Cuckoo, so we decided to try a second glen in the hope we could find at least one. On the way back down the glen we added Curlews which were rather uncharacteristically foraging around in below trees in a wooded area. Further on a Red Grouse posed on a rock for photos.
The second glen proved to be rather quieter than the first with no sign of any Cuckoos in an area which in the past has proven to be good for the species. It may just be slightly too early in the season for the birds so hopefully I will get another chance to visit the glens before they leave again. A Kestrel flew off from a roadside pole, hovering briefly further away from the road. I knew what the next new bird for the day would be, but didn't tell Doug.
As we headed further up the glen, I spotted a few black shapes not too far from the road. There were around seven of them. Black Grouse and a couple of them were on the road side of the fence though still a bit back from the road. On the other side there were another five wandering around but not doing anything particularly interesting. We headed onwards to the end of the road, debating whether to go for a walk or not. With the temperature being quite low, we decided not to. A Meadow Pipit fed around in the grass near the car.
We stopped on the way back to watch five Ravens dropping down onto the hill-side before heading back towards the Black Grouse. We checked the burn for Dippers but drew a blank. There were now fifteen Black Grouse males and there were a few half-hearted confrontations taking place among them. Despite it being mid-afternoon we were watching a Black Grouse lek. Another plus for the day. With roughly 90 minutes of birding time available when we left the glen we had a few options, but roadworks and a wrong turn meant that we ended up settling for Forfar Loch.
A pair of Red Legged Partridges were our only addition during the journey to the loch, as we passed through quite a substantial downpour. Not unexpectedly, Forfar Loch gave us a nice boost to the list. Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe and Tufted Duck out on the water. Blackcap and Yellowhammer among the bushes and trees and a flyby Magpie. I hoped we might find waders on the sailing club spit but a couple of anglers already in place meant that hope was trashed.
The water levels in the loch were lower than I've ever seen (I wonder if Beavers on the Dean water are responsible for that), and a Cormorant and a few gulls were surrounded by a swarm of hundreds of Sand Martins and Swallows skimming inches above the surface of the water looking for insects to feed on. As we watched I picked up a single House Martin among the birds. As we walked back off the spit I glanced up and was surprised to see the rear end of a Swift hurtling away from us. My first of the year and the bird that most of all says "Summer is here", or when it is gone again "Summer is gone". A year-tick for me. A great way to round off what had been a really good day out.
My day list had 72 species on it (year-tick in bold) Doug had seen a couple that I missed, and I had a couple that he had missed but I had seen.
Black Grouse, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chafinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Red Grouse, Red Kite, Red Legged Partridge, Redstart, Reed Bunting, Ring Ouzel, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Skylark, Snipe, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tree Pipit, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Wheatear, Willow Warbler, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
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| Snipe |
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| Snipe |
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| Greylag Goose |
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| Moorhen |
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| Woodcock |
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| Tree Pipit |
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| Red Kite |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Ring Ouzel |
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| Ring Ouzel |
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| Buzzard |
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| Black Grouse |
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| Cormorant, Gulls & Hirundines |
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| House Martin |
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| Swift |
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| Common Sandpiper |