A week off work on holiday timed to coincide with Autumn migration would hopefully give me some new birds for my year-list. Unfortunately, a lot depends on the weather, specifically the winds. Easterlies - good, Westerlies - not so good. What do we have? Westerlies. So with the best birds around being in Shetland and having not ventured out birding on Monday, I had to get some birding done regardless, on Tuesday. Where to go though? With high tide before 1000 it would be a day of the birds getting further away. Never ideal, but with the alternative being a day at home, birding it was. I settled on a trip to the hide at Guardbridge.
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| Grey Heron |
I missed a bus by seconds so had to walk into town with an over-laden bag, having decided to carry a spotting scope in addition to the usual kit. Birds were notable by their absence with only a Carrion Crow and a Herring Gull to show for the effort expended on the walk to the bus station (I did catch a bus for a couple of stops). A Woodpigeon was a surprise perched atop a lamp post by the roadbridge, and Cormorants were on Submarine Rock. Black Headed Gulls circled around the car park at the end of the bridge. Swallows swooped around behind the houses at Pickletillum, and Rooks were in the trees at St Michaels.
Arriving at the empty hide at Guardbridge, the tide was already on its way back out. The feeders were full of Greenfinches while opposite the hide was a line of Redshanks strung out along the narrow strip of mud while a Grey Heron strode purposefully by. Once I had the scope set up, I scanned through the Redshanks but found nothing on a quick first pass. Curlews and Lapwings were further over, with large numbers of the latter congregated together in the middle of the exposed mud. Skylarks called from overhead and I spotted the two birds as they passed southwards. I found a few Dunlin among the Redshanks when I spent a bit more time checking.
Blue Tit and Tree Sparrows appeared at the feeders. A Stock Dove circled around but didn't settle before disappearing over the hide again. A distant Mute Swan was spotted way out in the estuary. A few Chaffinches popped up outside the hide at the feeders. I checked through the gull flock finding a mixture of Herring Gulls, Black Headed Gulls and Common Gulls. A family group of Mallards swam by in front of the hide, and a Goosander surfaced nearby. A small group of Black Tailed Godwits in partial breeding plumage were near the gull flock, and I managed to find a few Oystercatchers dotted around. A pair of Knot were in among the Redshanks.
A Dunnock perched briefly on the fence by the feeders to the right of the hide and a Goldfinch passed overhead. The first Great Tit of the day arrived on the feeders. Shelducks were out on the mud though rather distant. A Robin showed well on the fence post by the gate. A single Great Black Backed Gull lazily flew by. The Lapwing flock suddenly took flight en masse and I looked around for the suspected cause. A Peregrine headed over the hide followed closely by a rather foolhardy Pied Wagtail. The Lapwings took a few minutes to settle again. There was a lesser panic among the Redshanks as a Buzzard flew along the fenceline opposite the hide and up into the conifers.
I was joined in the hide by a pair of birders from Kinross. A small flock of ducks in flight further downstream turned out to be Teal. Feral Pigeons from the old paper mill buildings flashed by. There was a bit of activity down in front of the hide among the rocks and I caught the flash of yellow from the undertail of a Grey Wagtail, not a common bird around the hide. I spotted another pair of ducks in flight showing quite a lot of white on the wings, quite far downriver. Another uncommon species to see from the hide - Tufted Duck. The loud call of a Great Spotted Woodpecker sounded as the bird flew out across the river towards the conifers.
Despite much searching and scanning I failed to add anything else to the list until I happened to look out and saw a male Pheasant on the grass out front of the hide but of to the left. Another surprise. Just as I was getting ready to pack up, an RAF Tornado GR4 decided to carry out a few practice approaches at Leuchars and I spent the next 10 minutes watching and filming the plane before finally giving up and heading for home.
Not the most exciting of day's birding with 41 species seen - Black
Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow,
Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Goldfinch,
Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit,
Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, Kingfisher, Knot,
Lapwing, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied
Wagtail, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Skylark, Stock
Dove, Swallow, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon.
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| Cormorant |
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| Redshank, Knot & Dunlin |
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| Lapwing |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Goosander |
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| Redshank |
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| Buzzard |
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| Tufted Duck |
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| Knot |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Redshank |
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| Mute Swan |
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| Curlew |
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| Pheasant |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Buzzard |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Grey Heron |
