STONEFACTION BIRDING: October 2015

0227 : Incoming (28/10/15)

Easterlies were finally forecast for Wednesday, but were they perhaps just a little bit too late for the majority of migrant birds on the move? With a spot of mist and rain also forecast there seemed to be a chance for a reasonable 'fall' of migrants around the Crail/Fife Ness area, if our luck was in. I suspected that they were most likely a week or so too late, but that the winter thrushes - Redwings and Fieldfares, and perhaps a few Bramblings would be the most likely birds we would encounter. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as the saying goes, so I arranged to meet Nat at the end of the road bridge so we could head to Crail.

Brambling

The walk into town was anything but productive with the first bird not seen until I neared the bus station, with a singing Robin on a garden wall on Princes Street. A Herring Gull glided over, and that was that. Not even a Feral Pigeon to be seen. The car park where I met Nat let us add another two species - Black Headed Gull and Carrion Crow but we kept telling ourselves that these very same conditions should mean that any new arrivals would likely stop for a while. Woodpigeons, Feral Pigeons, a single male Blackbird and a Kestrel that remained in the middle of the road at the Wormiston junction until Nat stopped the car inches from the bird, when it flew off into the fields, were all we had to show for the journey to Crail.

We decided to try Denburn Wood first. It proved to be very quiet with a few Blue Tits and Woodpigeons all that was to be seen in the wood and a few Jackdaws around in the churchyard. We headed out to Kilminning, with our fingers well and truly crossed. Thankfully, there were birds to be seen here. The Rowan tree by the entrance had Blackbird, Redwing and Brambling feeding on the berries with a Great Tit aso nearby. There were more Redwings and Blackbirds dotted around, and birds passing over without stopping too, including a few Fieldfare flocks.

In addition to the thrushes, a few Linnets overflew and the local Magpies put in an appearance, as did a small flock of Starlings. We were joined by local bird photographer, John Anderson, and the three of us walked over to Balcomie to check out the walled garden. We met the owner who told us that another birder had seen something unusual but that she couldn't remember the names. We suspected it was likely to have been Will Cresswell, and a text which John received confirmed it. Black Redstart and Ring Ouzel were the rarities. Unfortunately we found neither. Collared Dove, Wren and Dunnock were what we did find at the garden.

Searching around back at Kilminning I found a Chiffchaff in the rose bushes. We heard a Yellow Browed Warbler but it went quiet and we failed to locate it. There were still plenty Redwings, Fieldfares and Blackbirds to see but the hoped for 'biggie' seemed to be hiding. Chaffinch and Coal Tit were both found as were more Bramblings among the trees. I flushed a Woodcock, which was a decent bird to get, but it wasn't visible to Nat from where she was. We drove down to check out the bottom end of the site. It was a bit quieter but there were more thrushes down there as well as Bramblings.

While I stood watching a Goldcrest in the bushes from behind a line of trees a duck whizzed past inches from my head, a Teal in a hurry. A large flock of birds over by the airfield fence turned out to be predominantly Goldfinches, though among the flock there were also Bramblings, Greenfinch and Yellowhammer. A bunting flew off out of sight, but was most likely to have been just a Reed Bunting but I'll never know for sure. A small group of Skylarks passed over, just below the low cloud base. A few Common Gulls drifted by on the wind, while a drake Mallard headed over a bit higher than the Teal had done earlier.

A Reed Bunting was seen as we checked out the area by the green shed. A Pied Wagtail was on the ground near the finch flock when we went back for a better look. Offshore there were plenty of gulls on the water and a handful of Gannets flapping and gliding by a bit further out. No doubt there were other birds out there shrouded by the mist, but we could only see a short distance offshore because of the conditions. We had something to east and had another check of the top end, where a female Sparrowhawk flew out of a conifer and off over the airfield buildings. The piles of feather around the area suggest some success for either this particular bird or another of its species.

Having failed earlier to see the Black Redstart at Balcomie, and with birds apparently still arriving, we decided to try the walled garden once again. Access to this area is generously allowed by the owners of the farm to Fife Bird Club members, which both myself and Nat are. We met another pair of birders on their way back from the garden and asked if they'd seen anything. They had managed to find the Black Redstart and told us where to look. We thanked them for the information and off we went to try again. Things didn't look too promising initially but a bird flitted around before perching on a wall. Black Redstart, my second of the year, and Nat's first ever. The light was poor and the cameras struggled for focus but I managed a few record shots.

We found a few House Sparrows but not too much else before heading back to the car and then across the golf course to try a spot of seawatching from the FBC hide. I had a quick chat to Dr Jim Cobb who rings the birds at "the patch" who said there didn't appear to be many fresh arrivals, so we decided to not pop up for a look. Offshore, there were Gannets going by, and the rocks held Cormorants and Shags. A drake Red Breasted Merganser headed past low over the water at speed. As we walked round to the hide, a Redshank flushed from the small pebble beach.

There was a newly arrived Blackbird below the hide when I opened the window hatches, while more Gannets passed by as well as Cormorants and Shags heading out low above the large waves. I spotted a Red Throated Diver heading south low over the water but lost it in the troughs. A Curlew flew up from nearby before turning round and heading back inland. We spotted a few more Blackbirds just offshore, a foot or so above the waves, obviously just arriving after a long flight over a rough sea with limited visibility. We did see a few more groups come in but overall there wasn't much variety. We found some Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers roosting out on the rocks. It was a rather high tide with Stinky Pool inundated with seawater from both ends.

We headed back upto Kilminning once more for another quick look before the light levels dropped again and the forecast rain arrived. I flushed a second Woodcock, and also a male Pheasant which had been calling loudly. As we decided to call it a day the rain started, having been at most light misty drizzle previously. By the time we reached St Andrews it was rather heavy and it was a similar story in Dundee. We'd managed to see 48 species which considering the conditions wasn't too bad with Nat adding another species to her growing life list.

Species seen - Black Redstart, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Brambling, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Gannet, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Shag, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Teal, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

Blackbird

Fieldfare

Redwing

Brambling

Greenfinch, Yellowhammer, Brambling & Goldfinch

Brambling

Redwing

Starling

Black Redstart

Gannet

Blackbird

0226 : Sunday Surprises (25/10/15)

Nat was free for another day out birding on Sunday so we arranged to head out again. Having 'done' the Angus coast the previous day and with Nat having 'done' the Fife coast during the week we decided that we would head inland for a change of scenery and birds. With the clocks having gone back overnight we decided to head out at 0900. We would start around Alyth and work or way eastwards.

Crossbill

0900 and I was out the door to meet Nat, and off we went. Although the day started quite bright and sunny, it soon clouded over and remained rather gloomy the rest of the day. There were a few species of birds around as things were quiet at that time of a Sunday morning with hardly anyone around. Starling, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon and Woodpigeon were all on the list before we left Dundee. A Mistle Thrush was seen from the Kingsway near Camperdown Park. A Buzzard was perched on a hay bale in a stubble field near Meigle. A male Pheasant was in another field a bit further on.

We passed through Alyth and out the other side. There was a different feel to the countryside, with a mixture of woodland, farmland and moor apparent. There also seemed to be fewer birds around. A Kestrel was perched on a roadside telegraph pole. A short distance further on, Nat spotted 3 Red Legged Partridges by the side of the road but they scurried off through the fence when we stopped to take photos. We stopped at the entrance track to a farm to turn the car around and while we did so, I spotted some birds in the tops of a stand of conifers. Could they be Crossbills? I got out of the car for a look. First bird I saw was a Chaffinch. The second wasn't. The birds were mostly Crossbills, at least 14 of them were seen in flight, when they moved on after giving us decent views, including seeing one bird actually carrying a cone almost as long as itself by its beak.

As we watched the flock in the trees a Meadow Pipit overflew. Doubling back on ourselves, Nat spotted a male Stonechat on a roadside fence. A second male was seen nearby too. As we drove past a small wooded area I spotted a Jay flying low across a small relatively open area and landing on a low branch just above the ground. A field with cattle in also had a number of Common Gulls roosting in it. A few Jackdaws chased each other across the road. A bird on a wire turned out to be a Fieldfare, with a Mistle Thrush on a different wire on the same stretch of road. A trio of Pheasants and a pair of Red Legged Partridges were also seen close by.

A number of Rooks by the roadside and a Robin on a fencepost were next on the list with Magpies in a sheep field following them onto the list for the day. Two drake Mallards together on a small burn were seen before we stopped at an area we had decent luck at earlier in the year. It was much quieter however, with a few Siskins and a Goldcrest all that were seen here. We headed next to Backwater Reservoir which can either be very good or very dead, rarely is there a middle ground. Despite a few Cormorants near the dam and a pair of Ravens flying down the glen, there were almost no birds to be seen until we reached the top end car park.

Even from here there was little to be seen, though a small group of Canada Geese on the water were a surprise. A Little Grebe dived nearby. Just as we were about to leave a pair of Crossbills overflew into the trees. At Kirkton of GlenIsla, a large mixed flock of Siskin and Lesser Redpolls flew around. We headed next to Loch of Lintrathen to walk to the raised hide. A Pied Wagtail was on the road near where we parked the car. A single Pink Footed Goose called loudly as it circled above the trees as we headed along the track to reach the hide.

There were a number of birds out on the Loch, mostly Canada Geese with a single Greylag amongst them. Coots and Wigeon were the next most numerous and there were also a few Tufted Ducks around. Two Grey Herons were along the far shoreline perched on low branches a foot or two above the water. Nat found a small group of Pochard among the ducks as I searched for Goldeneye, one of which I eventually found rather distantly. A flock of Long Tailed Tits and a few Blue and Great Tits fed in the branches below the hide windows just as we were about to leave. There was not much else to see at the other hide but another Little Grebe added to the species seen at the site.

We headed for Loch of Kinnordy next, hoping to add a few extra species and maybe be lucky enough to see the Bittern. We weren't the only ones hoping that the Bittern would show up, with Jimmy Mair, the birder we had met in Aberdeen while watching the Red Footed Falcon in September already in the hide, having apparently been there since before 0800. Kinnordy regular, Gus Guthrie was also in. There is a running joke that Gus keeps the Bittern in his van, and we once again joked about this. Needless to say, it looked like the bird had decided it wasn't going to show. This is usually what happens when I look for the Bittern. I've seen it once in about 5 years of looking, earlier this year.

There were other bird around though, thankfully. A flock of Lapwings roosted out on one of the bogbean islands. Mallards, Mute Swans, Moorhen and Greylags were on the water. There were also a few Wigeon and Teal dotted around. Tufted Ducks and a few Goldeneye were seen towards the eastern end of the Loch. A family group of 4 Shoveler flew in, and a Goosander flew past at speed heading west. There were plenty of Snipe among the bogbean on the islands, with more than 10 to be seen at one time, more than once. There were also a few Gadwall to be found. Gus had to head off and a short while later, Jimmy admitted that it wasn't going to be his day and headed off on his long journey home.

We decided to check the feeders and to see if there was anything different to be seen from the other hides. The light hadn't been great throughout the day, and as the afternoon wore on, it had got worse. Even with the ISO pushed up and the shutter speed dropped down, it was a real struggle to get usable shots of the birds in the trees between the hides. We could hear Redwings but it took a while before we eventually managed to see them. Before then though, we did chance upon a small group of Bullfinches by the side of the path which gave us reasonable views despite the gloom. Coal Tit, Dunnock and Goldfinch were seen around the feeders, as well as Red Squirrel..

From the east hide we had a better view of the Barn Owl box and could see the bird's white feathered face showing at the entrance hole. We had better views of the Goldeneye and Tufted Ducks from here. We could hear at least two Wrens but we failed to see them among the reeds in front of the hide. With the light levels dropping we headed back towards the gullery hide. A small group of Roe Deer crashed off through the trees when they realised we were nearby. The Bullfinches were once again seen by the path. We decided against trying the swamp hide, instead deciding to spend another short while in the gullery hide.

Starlings had started to gather and we watched, and listened to, the murmuration of around 300-400 birds swirling around above the Loch. Something caused the Lapwings and the Rooks to take flight and the air was filled with 100s of birds in 3 groups. Despite the gloom it was great to see. Two Buzzards were harassed by the Rooks and a large flock of Jackdaws arrived to also swarm around above the Loch. I predicted that we might have a visit by a Sparrowhawk and minutes later I spied one speeding low across the Loch towards us. It landed in the trees just to the right of the hide. There was still no sign of any Bittern, so we too gave up and headed for home. Somehow we had managed to see a total of 58 species with some decent birds among them, like the Crossbills, Bullfinches, Stonechats, Raven and Pochard.

Species seen - Barn Owl, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Crossbill, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Redpoll, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Pochard, Raven, Red Legged Partridge, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shoveler, Siskin, Snipe, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stonechat, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.

Red Legged Partridge

Crossbill

Fieldfare

Mistle Thrush

Canada Geese

Coot & Wigeon

Coot, Wigeon & Pochard

Shoveler

Greylags

Snipe

Bullfinch

Lapwing

Starlings

Jackdaws

0225 : Last Day Of Summer (24/10/15)

With the clocks going back an hour, time for actual birding lessens until there is little over 6 hours worth of daylight to work with. Thankfully, the days soon begin to lengthen again by the end of January but from late October till early February it is "squeeze as much birding into the available time as possible". Although the winds weren't favourable for bringing in fresh migrants and with the main migration period coming to an end, I still wanted to get out and about on what was the last day of "British Summertime". Thankfully, Nat had the same idea. With nothing in particular around to try for, we would just head out somewhere and see what we could find.

Peregrine with Redshank kill.

With heavy rain forecast initially but clearing we decided on a 1000 start. Nat picked me up and we decided to head for Westhaven first. The first birds on the day list were a fairly standard mixture - Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon. Common Gull and Herring Gull were seen from Arbroath Road with Black Headed Gull, Oystercatcher and Curlew on football pitches near Claypotts. Near Dobbies we added Starlings and Rooks to the list while a bit further on a Kestrel hovering near the roadside flushed a flock of what were probably Redwings from a bush. A flock of what appeared likely to be Golden Plover headed northwest away from us.

As we headed down towards Westhaven we decided to take a detour into Craigmill Den first. Sometimes it can be productive with plenty to see, and other times you see practically nothing. What sort of day would we have. Time would tell. A pair of Mallards were on the burn near the bridge. We could see birds on the wires further down the Den. A quick check showed them to be Goldfinches. They were joined by a flock of Linnets. I spotted movement in the trees across the burn above the rockface. A female Sparrowhawk threaded her way through the greenery and briefly out into the open before flying up into the trees again.

A few Blackbirds foraged in an Elder bush. A Meadow Pipit overflew and a Grey Heron lifted from a bend in the burn. On the wires, the finches were joined by a few Tree Sparrows and a trio of Yellowhammers. The call of a Grey Wagtail as it passed over us ensured we added the bird to our list for the day. Jackdaws called loudly from the mature trees further on, while a small group of Song Thrushes proved tricky to see as they too foraged among the Elders and other trees nearby. A Wren flitted around among the greenery across the fence and a Dunnock showed for a second or two close to the path.

At the road end of the path, there were House Sparrows in the garden but nothing to see on the burn at the bridge. We doubled back up along the path, adding Robin at last to the list, having heard several which had proved elusive.Blue Tits and Chaffinches fed among the trees. A pair of Skylarks headed west. Just down from the weir we could hear Long Tailed Tits across the burn but they were tricky to see. I followed the calls to where the birds had crossed the burn into the bushes by the bend in the path and was rewarded with decent views. Nat spotted a male Blackcap feeding opposite and I eventually had a glimpse of the bird. A Treecreeper crawled up the trunk and branches of one of the trees across the burn.

Also in the same area as the Treecreeper were a number of other birds including Blue Tits, a Coal Tit, a Great Tit and a Goldcrest. A rather nice mixed flock to find. Having reached the top end of the path, we wandered along the road a bit, hearing what might have been a Jay, and also a Pheasant. We had a look in the stubble fields but saw neither, though we did discover that there was a path along the edge of the field that I will definitely explore in future when in the area birding on foot. A large pond to the north of the road was something I was previously unaware of so we wandered along the farm track to have a look. It was devoid of birds but a pair of Stock Doves and a Woodpigeon did fly over as did a single Goosander. As we headed back to the car a pair of Siskins showed high in the trees.

It had been a productive visit after all with plenty variety. We headed next to the small car park at Westhaven. There wasn't much room to park and with a few folk walking along what was left of the beach (as the tide was in) there wasn't much hope of us seeing too much, so after a quick look which produced Cormorant, Shag and Redshank we headed for Easthaven. Pied Wagtail was seen from the car as we had something to eat. The initial plan had been to walk eastwards along the beach but there were quite a few birds on the beach - Oystercatchers, Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, Redshanks and a single (probably injured) Pink Footed Goose while just offshore there were numerous gulls, including the first Great Black Backed Gull. Rather than disturb these we chose to head west along the beach instead.

As well as Pied Wagtail on the beach, a male Stonechat perched atop the grasses near the small burn outflow. Out beyond the gulls we picked up a single Red Throated Diver. Further along the beach, there were a number of Rock Pipits picking among the seaweed. A few Greenfinches were with a small Linnet flock. Starlings, Redshanks, Oystercatchers all fed along the shoreline. A small group of Sanderling dropped in behind us, scurrying up and down the beach as the waves broke on the shore. A drake Eider was spotted near the Red Throated Diver and a few distant Gannets were seen near the horizon. Ahead of us were some Bar Tailed Godwits feeding further up the beach than the majority of waders. Out on the rocks were a large group of Turnstones. A flock of Wigeon swam a little beyond the rocks.

Somewhat surprisingly there were no Dunlin to be seen, or Ringed Plovers. Rather than walk back along the beach, we decided to cross the railway line and walk back along the cycle path instead. There wasn't too much to be seen until we were almost back at the village. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird pass in front of the trees behind one of the houses. I quickly took a series of photos as it flew past, struggling to stay airborne. A Peregrine with a freshly killed Redshank in its talons. Unfortunately only 1 of the photos was in focus. It landed up on one of the telegraph poles in the field where it called a few times, drawing some attention from a nearby Carrion Crow before it flew off again, dropping out of our line of sight beyond the rise in the field. A Kestrel was on another pole further along to the east. A Magpie landed in the top of one of the large conifers the Peregrine had flown past.

To the north of the village I picked up a distant Buzzard circling up on a thermal, before we headed back to the car. Close in to shore a juvenile Gannet circled round. e debated where to head for next before deciding to head inland towards Kinnordy where hopefully we would have a chance of seeing the wintering Bittern. It took around 45 minutes to reach the reserve and as I got out of the car I saw a bird fly through the trees and land in the trees just beyond the car park near the east end of the car park. The flight had reminded me of Great Spotted Woodpecker so I walked over for a look and I was pleased to find that my suspicions had been correct.

There were a few folk in the hide and we settled down to scan across the loch. As well as Mallards, there were Gadwall, Greylags, Moorhen, Teal and double figure counts of Snipe on the bogbean islands. The Barn Owl peered out from the box on the lone Pine, partially hidden by the height of the reeds. A flock of Lapwings roosted on another bogbean island. Mute Swans were dotted around on the water. A drake Shoveler was spotted swimming around but there was no sign of any Bittern. A pair of Reed Buntings flew up from the far side of the Loch and a female Goldeneye was picked out diving distantly. A small flock of Tufted Ducks were just visible at the eastern end of the Loch. I finally added Pheasant to our larger than expected day list when I found 3 males feeding in the fields to the north of the Loch. We headed for home just after 1600 with a rather surprising total of 72 species having been seen.

Species seen - Barn Owl, Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Gadwall, Gannet, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Shag, Shoveler, Siskin, Skylark, Snipe, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.