Day 2 and the wind had picked up and was now blowing a gale. Along with another longer lie-in than intended this meant that my rough plan to go to Fife Ness for the day was shelved, just in case the buses were unable to get back across the Tay. Another option was required. As I had only managed to visit Ferryden and Montrose Basin the previous day I decided to 'do' the rest of the Angus coast. I suspected that waders would be thin on the ground and that songbirds would be in shelter so the list was unlikely to be a long one, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.....
 |
| Guillemots |
It was 0945 before I made it out the door and the start of the list was pretty standard fayre - Herring Gull, Blackbird, Starling, House Sparrow and Feral Pigeon. Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon were both added from the bus to my first stop at Balmossie. Unfortunately it was a very quiet balmossie wth birds in very short supply. Mute Swans were in the mouth of the Dighty as they always are and a few Oystercatchers were on the shoreline.
Even out on the river there were surprisingly few birds with only a drake Goosander seen. In addition to Herring Gulls there were also a few Lesser Black backed Gulls and a handful of Swallows zipped by following the railway line. A Collared Dove caught my eye just as the next bus passed the end of the road. Missed it. A 15 minute wait added Goldfinch to the list though.
A quick visit to the beach and football pitches at Monifieth didn't add much to the list either with only Mallard and Magpie new, though there weren't many other birds around anyway as at Balmossie. Carnoustie was next stop where I hoped there might be a wee bit more to see. I suspected this would be a rather forlorn hope. Rook, Jackdaw and Pied Wagtail were noted en route.
There was a slight improvement to the bird numbers at Carnoustie, but the wind seemed to be even stronger and possibly even colder. Cormorants stood out on the rocks. Eiders were out on the water. Gannets were picked out far out over the sea, their long white wings with black tips visible at long distance. Common Gulls glided by into the wind. Out on the rocks a small group of Sandwich Terns hunkered down against the gale, a Black Headed Gull stood alongside. Wandering along towards Westhaven added Great Black Backed Gull and a distant flight of Guillemots low over the waves.
I cut over the railway line up onto the road to walk out to Craigmill Den where I hoped that I might get a few smaller birds in the relative shelter of the den. A Dunnock was in the garden by te start of the path while a few House Martins hawked above the trees for any foolhardy insects risking flight in the wind. A pair of Long Tailed Tits flitted around among the Elders and a Chaffinch called. A Great Tit flew across the burn. A few Swifts were over the farm buildings at the northern end of the den. On the way back down to the road for a rush back to Carnoustie to catch a bus to Arbroath I managed to add another 3 species - Robin, Willow Warbler and Linnet. I made it to the bus stop despite the wind's best efforts to slow my progress with a few minutes to spare.
Deciding against Easthaven I headed for Arbroath and the cliffs to try a spot of sea-watching. The walk out along the front added Rock Pipit and Curlew to the day's rather slim pickings. The short walk along the cliff-tops were enlivened by Swallows and Sand Martins whizzing by with the wind behind them. A Skylark took to the air from the field behind me and I watched it climb higher into the sky before I edged down a steep track to a sheltered spot out of the wind on a small grassy section of slope and settled down to see what was passing out over the sea.
In addition to Gannets and Herring Gulls I managed to pick up a few Kittiwakes. A small group of waders flying west low over the water close in to the base of the cliffs turned out to be Knot. A few Cormorants and Shags passed by and there was a fairly steady passage of Guillemots and Razorbills close in to the cliffs. For the second day in a row I was also in the right place to see dolphins passing by, though fewer in number and less obvious than the day before. After around an hour or so I headed back via the small Kittiwake and Herring Gull colony further along the cliffs, to catch a bus back home, chancing upon a Dipper with rings on the Brothock Burn but missing out on a photo.
Not the greatest day out but a day out nonetheless somehow I still managed to amass a list of 45 species, though there were no new year-ticks to be had.
Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dipper, Dunnock, Eider, Gannet, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Knot, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Razorbill, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Skylark, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon.
 |
| Sandwich Tern |
 |
| Herring Gull |
 |
| Razorbill |
 |
| Kittiwake |
 |
| Gannet |
 |
| Eider |
 |
| Herring Gull |
 |
| Bottlenose Dolphin |
 |
| Guillemot & Razorbill |
 |
| Kittiwake |
 |
| Herring Gull |
 |
| Kittiwake |
 |
| Kittiwake |
 |
| Kittiwake |
 |
| Shag |
