STONEFACTION BIRDING: June 2015

0176 : Edenside Exploration (21/6/15)

Sundays are not the best of days for birding when public transport is required, as if you are lucky your destination will have a bus maybe once an hour, sometimes once every two hours, and given the frequency they tend to be rather busy. However one exception to this 'rule' is St Andrews which gets two buses per hour from Dundee per hour on a Sunday. Still not brilliant but better than once every two hours (or none at all). Having not spent much time around the Eden Estuary this year so far and being at a bit of a loose end, I decided to visit both St Andrews and Guardbridge and some of the little spots around about.

Fox

I left the house at around 1010 to walk into town to catch the 1035 bus to Fife. I was undecided whether to head for St Andrews first and walk back from there to Guardbridge or vice versa. As I tend to buy a dayrider ticket to allow me to jump on and off buses this wasn't a major issue. I would decide on the way. Blackbird was first onto the day list, followed by Carrion Crow and Herring Gull. Within the space of ten seconds on Dens Road at the junction with Dura Street I had added three species of Pigeons - Feral Pigeons overflying, Woodpigeon feeding on the grassy area behind the flats and a recently fledged Collared Dove that didn't flinch in the slightest as I passed it on the pavement closer than 3 feet away. Before I reached the bus station I had also added Starling, Blue Tit and Robin.

Lesser Black Backed Gull and Herring Gull were both seen on the roofs behind the bus station, but there was no sign of the youngster from the week before. An Oystercatcher overflew as I waited to board the bus. Cormorant was added as we crossed the roadbridge, with Buzzards being relatively frequent on the way through Fife with 3 or 4 seen in flight. Swifts, Goldfinches, House Sparrows and House Martins were all seen before I decided to get off the bus at the northern end of Guardbridge and do a spot of exploring. Swallows zipped low over the road and under the bridge over the Motray as I crossed the road to check out the large pool at the end of River Terrace. A Dunnock sang from a bush, Mute Swan and Mallard were at the pool with a pair of Shelduck on the water as Sand Martins belted low across the surface. A large flock of Rooks overflew the village and a Reed Bunting male was singing from within the reeds by the burn.

I headed back to the main road to head into the small local nature reserve area opposite the old paper mill buildings. A rather ill looking Herring Gull looked up from the mud but made no effort to move (when I returned later the bird was dead). A Pied Wagtail flitted around across the mud, catching insects. Black Headed Gulls were around in small numbers. Reaching the mouth of the burn where it meets the Eden I stopped to scan. A few Curlews could be seen on the exposed mud over the river. A small group of Canada Geese swam upstream and opposite the hide I could make out the shape of a single Little Egret striding through the shallow water. A Great Black Backed Gull took exception at me being in this area and swooped down from its perch atop the building opposite. This seemed like the behaviour of a nesting bird and it would be interesting to discover if this was indeed the case as I'm not sure this species is commonly a nester on man-made structures.

I bumped into a lady with a camera around her neck which turned out to be a Nikon P900 just like mine and we had a short chat about the capabilities and what birds were around. I headed further along the path to scan out across the river, picking out a single Black Tailed Godwit in summer plumage and a distant Grey Heron. A Wren gave a burst of loud song from a bush nearby and after a bit of searching I managed to see a singing Blackcap. Out on the river, despite the heat haze I found a family group of Goosanders. A Sedge Warbler and a Whitethroat appeared to be competing to see who had the loudest song and I managed reasonable views of both. I decided to head for the hide next and picked up Chaffinch and Linnet before I made it back to the road.

Things were pretty quiet from the hide with only a few Redshanks to be added out along the river edges. The feeders were slightly more productive with Greenfinch, Great Tit and Tree Sparrow seen. After something to eat I decided I would walk out to St Andrews following the coast from the small nature reserve area on the southern side of the river. There wasn't much to be seen along the way there though I did encounter a couple of ladies I know from Riverside Nature Park as I passed the Guardbridge Inn. Skylark and Meadow Pipit welcomed me to the nature reserve but most of the birds were rather distant. The pools were quite dry with no sign of any waders, or any Yellow Wagtails - a rare species this far north but a pair was suspected of having tried to breed in this area a few years ago. This pair had given me my first ever sighting of the species when I chanced upon them on a day very similar to the one I was currently enjoying.

The best sighting of the day was just ahead of me. I was unaware that not too far in front of me was a Fox, and that Fox was equally as unaware of me. When I spotted the bright orange back of the animal it was mostly hidden by vegetation as it listened for signs of movement in the long grass before it pounced and managed to catch something - a sequence I managed to capture on a not particularly great video clip. I approached as quietly as I could and got much closer than I expected to. At this point the Fox looked up, spotted me and disappeared into the vegetation and up the small slope. A little further on, a few minutes later I saw what was surely the same Fox trotting along the track at the edge of the beach, sending the Shelducks and Lapwings into the air. I shot some more nice video footage and then hurried on to try and close the gap a bit. The Fox eventually spotted me and took off running until I lost sight of it at a bend where a small channel runs out from the fields.

When I reached this particular point myself I decided to get up from the beach mud and onto the raised banking and to walk along that till I reached the golf course. At first this seemed like a good idea, until I started encountering lots of thistles on the path. With a tricky descent back down to the beach or a long walk back to somewhere I could get back to the beach I decided to push on. It certainly wasn't the most comfortable walk possible and birds were few and far between with only Linnets close by. Way out in the bay a few Great Black Backed Gulls were feeding on a Seal carcase. I found my first Damselfly of the year (a Common Blue) just before I reached the golf course. I stopped in at the hide there for a short while but there was nothing much to see except Linnets close by.

Rather more distantly I did succeed in picking out a few Eiders in flight and a Stock Dove flew in front of the hide. A Common Gull was in a small group of Black Headed Gulls out in the bay. Crossing the golf course I was passed bya Song Thrush and stopped briefly to photograph a Meadow Pipit on a fairway. A Mistle Thrush flew off across the rugby pitches as I passed the Old Course Hotel. There were lots of Woodpigeons and rather a lot of Linnets here too, despite the activity around with preparations for the upcoming Open golf tournament. I had intended on stopping off on the rocks at the West Sands behind the golf museum but the area required a large detour beacuse of more Open activity.

I eventually settled on a high viewpoint to scan out across the bay. I picked up a single Sandwich Tern hunting not too far offshore and a rather more distant Gannet. On the cliffs were the usual Fulmar nesting pairs and I eventually wandered up the hill to attempt to film a few of the birds despite the large number of tourists around. I succeeded in getting a couple of reasonable clips before heading up to the bus station to catch a bus home, after a reasonably enjoyable day's birding on foot.

55 species seen in total - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Tree Sparrow, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Canada Geese

Black Tailed Godwit

Robin

Great Black Backed Gull

Pied Wagtail

Fox

Common Blue Damselfly

Meadow Pipit

Linnet

0175 : Swannies Sojourn (20/6/15)

Another of those can't quite be bothered days, but I did eventually got myself out the door and mobile, and headed in the direction of Swannie Ponds, to check on a few things, rather than just perch at the computer for another day, having done so on the rather wet preceding Friday. Would the Coots still be around, and would the possible nest now be an actual nest? Would there still be any Moorhen youngsters left? Would the Portuguese ringed Lesser Black Backed Gull still be around, and would there be any ringed Black Headed Gulls around yet?

Lesser Black Backed Gull

I set off at around 1125 and started the short day list off with Blackbird and Herring Gull, both expected birds in my street. The two species that followed were also regulars on any local wander - Feral Pigeon and Woodpigeon. Jackdaws atop a tenement chimney and a flyover Lesser Black Backed Gull were next and as I walked towards Clepington Road I managed to add a small group of rather high flying House Martins and some even higher flying Swifts to the list. House Sparrows were next and as I walked along Clepington Road I passed more House Martins near the taxi offices and a little further on I could see the Swallows swooping up to under the eaves of a large house, where I suspect they have a nest, though I couldn't really stand and stare to check. With the sun more or less above the house, there was a bit too much shadow under the eaves to be sure, without standing around looking suspicious by what is a main road.

I soon reached the ponds where Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls lazed around out on the water and a handful of Black Headed Gulls stood around on the path. A bit of a commotion caught my eye round to my left and I watched the Coot chase one of the Moorhens out of the water and up onto the path, before it swam off a little and the Moorhen wandered on to drop back into the water away from the Coot's territory. In addition to the gulls, there were a few Mallards still around, as well as Tufted Ducks and the local Mute Swan pair. Starlings wandered around on the grass. Walking along the path a little I discovered why the Coot was so aggressive, there was now a fully formed nest by the island with the other Coot sat atop it.

I sat on one of the benches and watched the comings and goings of the birds, adding Dunnock and a male Chaffinch as well as a Blackbird all down on the path. Among the gulls I managed to re-find the Portuguese ringed Lesser Black Backed Gull and it did actually come rather close when someone showed up to feed the birds from next to where I sat. This allowed me a few more photo opportunities of the bird and it will be interesting to see how long it stays around (Lessers are summer visitors mostly on the east coast of Scotland, though they do overwinter to a degree in the west). Checking the Black Headed Gulls produced no ringed birds, though it will be interesting to see if any of the previously seen Norwegian birds re-appear and if they also bring any of this summer's fledged birds along with them. Time will tell.

I watched the Moorhens going about there business, with no sign of any youngsters at first. While watching House Martins skim low over the pond, I caught a glimpse of movement below an overhanging tangle of roses. A Moorhen chick, now much larger and approaching adult size, but still rather fuzzy and black. Although there was only one bird this was still good news as the closer it gets to adulthood the less likely it is to be predated by the larger gulls on the ponds. A Pied Wagtail scurried around the pond edge and House Sparrows were still picking insects from the sides. A pair of Collared Doves appeared in the trees on the island and I was surprised to hear, and then see, a pair of overflying Siskins, the first time I've seen this species from here.

Greenfinch was next onto the list, a single bird singing from the tops of one of the trees behind me. An Oystercatcher alerted me to its approach with its loud piping call ringing out and I managed to spot it as it flew past towards Caird Park. Carrion Crow and Goldfinch were added to the list before I decided that I would head for home. Although I hadn't seen too many species in the two hours I was out, I did get some decent video clips to add to my growing collection and answers to a few questions.

26 species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Coot, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon.

Herring Gull

Lesser Black Backed Gull

Herring Gull

Lesser Black Backed Gull

Herring Gull

Pied Wagtail

Herring Gull

Black Headed Gull

Coot

Blackbird

Moorhen

0174 : Afternoon At The Park (18/6/15)

When I woke up a bit later than intended on the Thursday morning and peeked outside it looked rather cold and grey and not very welcoming. However, rather than waste a complete day when I could be out and about birding somewhere I wrapped up warmer than I should have to in mid-June and headed out after 1pm with the intention of visiting Riverside Nature Park where it would hopefully be a bit quieter with regards dog-walkers and their pets than it is at weekends, giving me a better chance of seeing some birds, at least in theory.

Stock Dove

Despite it being afternoon, the local House Sparrows were still active and chirping from various locations. Herring Gulls glided above, and a Blackbird fed along the inner edge of the pavement below the overhanging rose bushes. From the bus into town, Lesser Black Backed Gull and Feral Pigeon were both added. Before reaching the park, I managed to add Starling to the non-park list for the day.

On entering the park, a Blackbird was wandering along the path in front of me before flying into cover, and a small party of Woodpigeons were in the field with the rabbits. A Carrion Crow hopped around off to my left and Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch were all seen within a minute or so, in the bushes just inside the park at the eastern end. A Blue Tit flew from there to Buzzard Wood and House Martins hawked low above the grass for insects. Herring Gull drifted over and a high flying Shelduck flew in the direction of the river. Feral Pigeons overflew next as I headed towards the bay. Jackdaws congregated in the field near the Lochan.

An Oystercatcher passed over towards the bay as I watched a juvenile Pied Wagtail skirting the fringes of the Lochan, picking up whatever small morsels it could find. A Song Thrush whizzed past me as I continued along the track towards the hide. Stopping to scan the mud from the slightly raised viewpoint of further up the path down to the actual hide screen, I was surprised to see two small waders feeding along the edge of the wet mud. I could just make out that they were Ringed Plovers, but could not quite completely rule out Little Ringed Plover. Rather than carry my full photography gear I had brought only the Nikon P900 so I decided to check out its capabilities using the digital zoom (equivalent to a 4000mm lens) and the image stabilisation to see if I could resolve enough detail to decide. This actually worked quite well in that respect as the orange on the bill was quite clear, though the photos themselves were little more than record shots.

Common Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Black Headed Gull and Herring Gull could all be seen on the pipe and on the mud, with a few more waders than of late, a single Curlew, a single Redshank and a few more Lapwings as well as Oystercatchers, out on the mud. Mallards were on the burn, and a few Feral Pigeons and Jackdaws were on the upper reaches of the pipe. A rather distant Grey Heron also gave me the opportunity to test the capabilities of the digital zoom, despite it being by the shore line on the opposite side of the bay. A lone Sandwich Tern worked its way round the bay, heading away from me, and a Whitethroat sang from off to the left, showing briefly in a short display flight.

Swallows zipped by and I could hear a singing Reed Bunting near the foot of the hill and eventually tracked the bird down near the hill. A large dog despite supposedly being 'under control' and on a lead, lunged aggressively at me to within a foot of my face, held back only by the owner, who rather than apologise decided it was because the dog didn't like my camera (not the usual gear, and with no monopod), so basically my own fault. I know plenty of responsible dog owners with well behaved/trained dogs, and don't actually mind dogs, but owners like that one severely annoy me (putting it politely). In addition, I was loudly barked at for about ten seconds from a few feet away by another large dog (one of two - the other silent but close by) off the lead and ahead of its owner (who did apologise) and then later growled at by another small dog (again the walker - who had a number of dogs with her, and I suspect was a 'professional, dog-walker - apologised). All within just two hours on a mid-week afternoon. In other words, a quiet spell. Rant over.

Heading further round the bay, I scanned out across the rather grey river looking for Cormorants flying by, but saw none. Well upriver there is a large rock where these birds sometimes congregate and I once again tested the capabilities of the P900 and managed to get identifiable Cormorants on a photo despite the large distance involved. The P900 is far lighter for carrying than a scope but it can be used as a sort of spotting scope, with the added bonus that you get a photo for further evidence as well.

Behind me, a Skylark lifted from the hill-top flying up singing from the side of the raised area. Further round by the compost area, a pair of Linnets flew past me. Willow Warbler was the next addition and I decided to check the Lochan again, this time finding a Stock Dove having a drink just to the left of the relatively new hide/screen here. An adult and juvenile Magpie were on the ground in the open area behind the car park. A Dunnock and a family group of Wrens foraged in the bushes beside the path at the extreme west end of Buzzard Wood.

I decided to call it a day and headed for the exit, via the front edge of Buzzard Wood, where I managed to add a male Yellowhammer perched in a bush with a Goldfinch and a few Starling youngsters. As I got off the bus in the city centre I could hear a bird singing from one of the lamp posts by the bus shelters and spotted one of the local Goldfinches singing away despite the hordes of people passing by and standing around just below. A Chaffinch was singing and catching insects in flight by the bus stops beside Dundee High School.

39 species seen in total (birds seen both in and outwith the park in italics, bird in bold only seen outwith the park)- Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Feral Pigeon, Sandwich Tern, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

Lesser Black Backed Gull

Woodpigeon

Pied Wagtail

Jackdaw

Ringed Plover

Lapwing

Redshank

Curlew

Reed Bunting

Stock Dove

Highland Cow

Starling

0173 : Inland Expedition (17/6/15)

Another Wednesday and another welcome day off from work, and with it another day out birding with Nat. With little new of real interest around we pondered on the available options before deciding on an inland foray visiting some glens and lochs and seeing how the time available went and where we eventually ended up. Basically a day with only a very rough plan. Sometimes these sorts of days are among the best, and as things turned out this one was to be no exception.

Short Eared Owl

A trio of regular local birds began the list - House Sparrow, Starling and Lesser Black Backed Gull, all seen as I headed to the car to meet Nat. Once we were on our way we added Carrion Crow and Feral Pigeon, quickly followed by Woodpigeon as we headed out of Dundee. Passing through a small town en route we added Collared Dove, House Martin and Swift in quick succession, with Rook seen once we were back out in the countryside. Two more country road specialities were next, Buzzard and Pheasant. As we neared our first 'area', I mentioned having previously seen Whitethroat on this stretch of road and sure enough, up it popped on a gorse bush by the roadside.

Swallows swooped low over the road as we drove further on, at a slow pace. A largish bird flew out from the trees by the roadside. The proportions seemed wrong with a large and long, heavy-looking tail and a small head and pointed wings. A Cuckoo. Meadow Pipits began to appear on the roadside fences, and we watched a Kestrel hovering above a field a little down the road. A Snipe on top of an electricity pole was a welcome sight, and a second bird was perched on the next pole along. Neither bird was concerned by the car stopping to photograph them atop their lofty perches. We found a place to pull in and stop to watch some roadside conifers. We could hear birds calling and singing from within but seeing them was a bit trickier though we did eventually manage to see both Chaffinch and Mistle Thrush with some flyover Jackdaws adding to the mix.

Blackbird and Linnet were next, a single bird and a pair. Ahead of us we spotted a large pale-looking bird hunting low above the scrubby vegetation off the road. This was the bird we hoped to see here. A Short Eared Owl and we were rewarded with some close views of not one, but two, of these large silent hunters. Common Gulls and Curlews also put in appearances, though much further from the road. While watching one of the owls, it flew past a male Black Grouse that we hadn't noticed. A nice bonus bird. We could hear Skylarks singing but it took a lot of effort to finally see the tiny speck in the sky ascending higher and higher. Lapwings rounded off the list for this area and we pushed on to our second planned stop.

This was an area where a piece of rather open woodland on a steep hillside came down to meet the road. My one previous visit here had been quite productive, so I was keen to see what it could produce at this most productive of times of the year for upland areas, birdwise. On the way there we added Mallards, in a field, and Oystercatchers, which are more expected in roadside fields than the ducks. At our destination, we pulled in off the road to be welcomed by a Tree Pipit cascading down to land in the top of a tree just behind the car. A nice way to start. The high-pitched repetitive calling of a Common Sandpiper found a young bird running around among the sheep, and a party of Long Tailed Tits foraged through the trees as we explored a little. An overflying Lesser Redpoll was spotted when I heard the trilling call.

Nat picked out a Spotted Flycatcher flitting out from a tree near where we were stood and we were allowed rather close views before the bird flitted up to a higher perch. From the cliffs high above, the deep calls of a Raven echoed and we were able to watch a single bird for some time as it perched and wandered around along the cliff edge. It took flight and dived at a small-ish raptor as I was filming a video clip. From the clip we managed to decide that the bird in question wasn't the hoped for Merlin but merely another Kestrel. Still it was interesting to see. From the largest British passerine to the smallest with the next addition to the list being a Goldcrest pulling at the sheep's wool tufts caught on the rough tree bark.

We crossed the road and checked out the burn flowing by. We could hear, but not see, a wagtail. We did however get better views of the displaying Lesser Redpoll and found a Great Tit nest in a hole in a tree. Siskin was our final addition here before we moved on again. We decided against the long walk to the hide at Loch of Lintrathen, our next potential stop, instead choosing a quick look from the roadside hide further round. Great Crested Grebe, Swallows and a pair of Mute Swans were all there was to see here so we quickly pushed on again, deciding that a visit to Backwater Reservoir, and a spot of lunch, was a good plan.

We stopped by the dam, watching Meadow Pipits and a Wren while having something to eat before heading further up past the reservoir. We were looking for Cuckoos on the wires and maybe a Black Grouse or two among the trees. Nat spotted a Whinchat on a fence and a Pied Wagtail by the roadside before we saw our first Cuckoo here. Unfortunately, the light was in the 'wrong' place but I did manage a short video clip of the bird swaying around on the wires. A roadside Song Thrush and another Cuckoo or two, plus better views, and video, of the Whinchat rounded off the Backwater batch of birds and we headed for Loch of Kinnordy to see what we could add there.

As we reached the end of the reserve, we spotted a large brown bird low over the boggy ground just beyond the fence. The way the wings were held identified it not as the more typical Buzzard, but the female Marsh Harrier. Unfortunately as we were on a bend we couldn't stop, and the bird moved on away from us. Still, a great way to start our visit. Tufted Ducks were seen as we headed for the car park after our Harrier sighting. Once into the Gullery hide, we worked our way through the birds we could see, some of which we had already seen, but adding Sand Martin, Reed Bunting and Redshank, as well as Herring Gull and Shoveler. Grey Heron was added before we decided to visit the other hides.

Blackcap was added between the hides and Black Headed Gull was seen across th far side of the loch. Nat spotted a Coot near the reeds, and as a large raft of Greylags swam out into the open, I picked out a pair of Gadwall beyond them. An Osprey carrying a freshly caught Perch was a nice bonus but the best was yet to come. The female Marsh Harrier appeared off to our right but flew along towards us, a bit higher than if she was hunting. As she did so, she called, and the male bird appeared from somewhere, with food in his talons. Both birds headed for the back of the reserve where we were treated to our second food pass in just a few days. The light was better but the resultant photos weren't quite as sharp as I'd hoped. They did however show enough to identify the prey item as a duckling.

We headed back along the boardwalk stopping to try and find a singing Sedge warbler, which we duly did, and also finally managing to add Willow Warbler, a species we had heard but not seen at a few other locations earlier. A recently fledged Blue Tit showed really well. Black Headed Gull, and further Osprey and Marsh Harrier views were had before we moved on again, without even a hint of any white facial feathers of the resident Barn Owl(s?) appearing at the hole of the owl box on the 'lone pine'. We decided that Montreathmont Forest would give us the chance of a few species we hadn't yet seen, including both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Jay, so off we went.

Lesser Redpoll gave us good views in the pines as we walked along the track towards the ADBC hide tucked away in a small deciduous area of the largely coniferous forest. Once in place in the hide, the bird began to appear, Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits and a pair (later a trio) of Pheasants. Yellowhammers, two males at least and a female, showed well enough for me to photograph and be able to read most of the digits on a metal leg ring, which turned out to have been ringed the previous year by Chris McGuigan at the site (confirmed by Chris later). Coal Tit, Great Spotted Woodpeckers (at least 3, possibly more), and Jays (at least 3 different birds, but possibly as many as 6) were all added soon after, and we had great views of the Jays especially, allowing me some really good video clips.

In addition to the above, both Robin and Dunnock were added below the feeders. Rather surprisingly neither had been seen previously at any of the visited sites, so both were equally as welcome as the Jays in their own way. We wandered further up the track and had good views of a male Linnet perched atop a small tree. Heading back down the track, hoping for a Green Woodpecker (we had heard a few 'yaffling' but as usual they had remained unseen) we picked up a few Chiffchaffs, but had no luck with Crossbills, which continue to elude me this year. Although it was now after 7pm, the light was still good, so we decided on one last stop on our way home, settling on the hide at Balgavies Loch. One of the Ospreys was perched atop the tree next to the nest site tree, and a head could just be seen in the nest.

Greylags, Grey Heron, Mallard and Tufted Duck could all be seen out on, or around, the Loch, while Swifts, Swallows and Sand Martins circled round at various heights. A Buzzard was mobbed by a swooping Carrion Crow in a tall tree off to our left. A Coot fed a youngster among the water lillies, and after much scanning, I eventually succeeded in finding us a Moorhen for our list. This gave us our nice round total of 70 for the day, though it turned out I had managed to miss a couple of species and the real figure was 72, so we headed for home after another great day's birding.

The 72 species seen - Black Grouse, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Coot, Cuckoo, Curlew, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Short Eared Owl, Shoveler, Siskin, Skylark, Snipe, Song Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tree Pipit, Tufted Duck, Whinchat, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.