 |
| Ring Ouzel |
We headed for the Kingsway and westwards beyond that. We saw a Lesser Black Backed Gull atop a lamp-post and had a flyover Feral Pigeon before we left Dundee. Oystercatcher, Mallard, Jackdaw and Woodpigeon followed before we reached Perth. Heading towards our first glen from Perth we added a roadside Yellowhammer, a few Swallows, a Pied Wagtail that narrowly avoided becoming roadkill and House Martins.
On the road into the glen itself, Robin, Chaffinch and Rook all showed relatively well as we passed by. Parking the car, we went for a walk. A few Common Gulls milled around and the first of many Meadow Pipits took to the air, landing a short distance away to watch us intently. A Common Sandpiper called as it flew off over the water. An Osprey was a bit of a surprise as it passed over, not a bird that I expected to see during this outing.
A Curlew called from the other side of the glen, and we watched it fly a short distance. A Wheatear flashed its white tail feathers as it flew to a rock where it perched for a few minutes before moving to a second rock further on. The first Ring Ouzel of the day showed well as it flew off further up the hillside from where it had been feeding unseen among the clumps of heather until we came along. A pair of Canada Geese was another rather unexpected sighting as they flew up the glen.
A Willow Warbler sang firstly from a small tree then from a perch on a rock. There seems to be very few areas where these small summer visitors don't get to. A Cuckoo was heard calling distantly though the wind made it difficult to try and pick out just where the bird was calling from. We wandered down another track a short distance to see if we could see anything in a large stand of conifers. Redpoll was heard but not seen, but a Siskin was.
Heading back to the car we had fleeting glimpses of Stonechat and a distant Red Kite gliding further down the glen. A Whinchat popped into view, stood out on the track before moving on into the vegetation nearby. Surprisingly we hadn't seen any Red Grouse, but one flew past us and dropped out of sight into the heather downhill from where we were. A Buzzard soared and hovered in the wind above the hillside. We had a spot of lunch at the car and watched the Red Kite come a bit closer.
We were undecided where to go for a few hours in the afternoon, so we discussed our options on our way back down the road out of the glen. Mistle Thrush was seen halfway down, with a Buzzard carrying the remains of a Rabbit a bit further on. Dunnock, Great Tit and Blue Tit were seen as we neared the main road again. Blackbird followed a minute or two later. On the way to our second glen birds seemed to be in much shorter supply, though the windy conditions probably played their part, with Lapwing, Buzzard, Kestrel and an unexpected Cuckoo on a wire being the only sightings.
We followed the road along the second glen, Black Headed Gulls seemed to be around in decent numbers though mostly a bit distant. A Redshank landed not far from the roadside. Nat continued her run of spotting Partridges, by finding a pair of Greys in a field on her side of the car. A male Pheasant was in the same field, a little further on. It was more of the same until the scenery changed to a much more moor-like appearance with no trees, but lots of heather and rolling terrain
As we drove along, Nat spotted a raptor patrolling low above the heather well in front of us. It wasn't a Buzzard, and it wasn't a Short Eared Owl, nor a Red Kite. I got a quick look at it through the windscreen but it was enough to see it was actually a Hen Harrier. Unfortunately, a car came along behind us and we had to pull off the road to let it pass. While we did so, the bird disappeared from view. We waited for a few minutes but there was no further sight of the bird which was very disappointing as it is a species I rarely have the good fortune to see.
A little further back down the glen I spotted the same bird gliding low along the slope above us. The camera wouldn't focus on the bird as I was viewing the bird through a fence and against the hillside. Once again, a car appeared behind us and we had to move on, losing sight of the bird once again. So, no photos, but a year-tick nonetheless.
We headed back across country towards Dundee, making a brief stop at a small woodland car park area where Song Thrush and Robin were seen, and a Blackcap was heard. Swifts and a Collared Dove were the only additions before we reached Dundee. Once again a productive day out with 48 species seen, though more quality than quantity, and a year-tick (in bold) after a few blank days on that score.
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Cuckoo, Curlew, Dunnock, Great Tit, Grey Partridge, Hen Harrier, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black backed Gull, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Red Grouse, Red Kite, Redshank, Ring Ouzel, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Song Thrush, Starling, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Wheatear, Whinchat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
 |
| Willow Warbler |
 |
| Osprey |
 |
| Osprey |
 |
| Common Gull |
 |
| Red Kite |
 |
| Whinchat |
 |
| Buzzard |
 |
| Lapwing |
 |
| Grey Partridge |