STONEFACTION BIRDING: November 2015

0233 : Estuary Expedition (25/11/15)

At this time of year, there can be a nice mixture of species across a wide range of families to be found around Tentsmuir Forest and the Eden estuary. For our usual mid-week outing, Nat and myself decided on a visit to this part of the local area. Mid-week has the advantage of less disturbance as there are generally less people around so the chances of seeing good numbers of birds is increased. We decided on a slightly later start than our usual 0800 start. With daylight hours lessening as the weeks advance towards the year end, this wouldn't really have any impact on what we were likely to see.

Stonechat

I left the house at around 0830. Herring Gull and Feral Pigeon went onto the list within seconds. A fly-over Goldfinch was next, while a Blackbird foraged below the bushes by the path. A Carrion Crow cawed loudly from its rooftop perch, and a Black Headed Gull glided across the road as I walked down into town to catch the bus to meet Nat. Near the bus station I stopped briefly at a small car park where a number of Blackbirds were picking around in the dead leaves on the ground to watch a few Goldcrests in the bare branches of the trees above.

I arrived at the Fife end of the bridge to wait for Nat who was delayed slightly by an accident. I used the few minutes extra available to add a couple of new species to the list - a single Redwing, and a pair of Jackdaws. We headed for Leuchars to take the road out to Earlshall Farm. Rooks were seen at St Michaels. Arriving at the farm we saw Chaffinches and a Great Tit as we got out of the car. A Starling flock flew into the trees at the military base. We set off to walk out to the beach. We stopped to scan for Buzzards and found 2 perched on lighting poles at the moto-cross track. Another Buzzard was eating something on a fence post a bit closer. A few Fieldfares, Redwings and a Robin were around the corner of the same field.

We stopped a bit further on to check an open area for Woodcocks but drew a blank. There was a small flock of Long Tailed Tits nearby however. Coal Tits were feeding in the conifers by the track. Further round we added Greenfinch with a small flock of Goldfinches. We scanned across the muir for Stonechats and found a pair perched atop tall plants. Dunnock and Wren were both added as we headed for Reres Wood. Stock Dove was our next addition as 4 flew westwards. Rooks were noisy in the trees at the rookery site at the start of Reres Wood but with the exception of a few Chaffinches on the base fence there was nothing else seen until we reached the beach.

We could hear Curlews calling from across the Eden as we reached the beach, and soon picked them out on the sand. To the north a number of Cormorants could be seen perched on the wooden poles with wings outstretched. A few Linnets and Chaffinches lifted from the strand-line and flew up to the fence as we walked along towards the runway lights. A long line of roosting Oystercatchers could be seen across the river. Three birds close into the far shore were identified as Red Breasted Mergansers. Ahead of us along the shore on our side of the river were a few Bar Tailed Godwits. Scanning further ahead we found the large shape of a perched adult White Tailed Eagle atop one of the wooden posts in the estuary.

A Great Black Backed Gull was on the far bank. A single Pied Wagtail scurried around among the shell fragments on the beach ahead of us as we walked back northwards. A Pink Footed Goose overflew from the direction of the sea. We decided to walk towards the Goosepools. A pair of Buzzards were seen in the trees as were a few rather noisy Mistle Thrushes. Blue Tits were seen around the reedbed. As we stopped to scan across the muir from the eastern end a Sparrowhawk flew across the open area. We decided to head back to the car rather than heading further north. Out across the sea, a huge movement of waders headed north. Mostly Knot, but also including Grey Plover, Dunlin and Bar Tailed Godwits. There were easily well over one thousand birds involved and they circled round to land on the beach off to the north.

As before there wasn't much else to see on the way back to the car, although we did have distant views as a Rook chased the White Tailed Eagle before we lost sight of them among the trees of the main body of Tentsmuir Forest. A Grey Heron at one point crossed the flight path of the Eagle allowing me to get an unusual photo. We found a male Bullfinch in the small copse of trees by the track and eventually managed to see a pair of rather distant Woodpigeons - a rather surprising omission to this point. It was just after 1300 when we arrived back at the car. After grabbing something to eat we set off for St Andrews West Sands to hopefully make the most of the remaining daylight.

A Mute Swan on the Motray at Guardbridge and a few House Sparrows in the village were new for the list as were Common Gulls in the fields between the village and St Andrews. A small group of Lapwings and some Curlews were further on. A Song Thrush hopped around on the grass as we headed out past the golf course. Once we were parked up we walked to the edge of the dunes to scan out across the bay. There were large numbers of Common Scoters strung out across the bay. A Cormorant and Shag flew by. Further north were a flock of Eiders. Scanning through the Scoters I found a Great Crested Grebe. Nat had a look through the scope and found another few Great Crested Grebes.

There were one or two Long Tailed Ducks passing by further out and Nat found a Red Throated Diver a good distance out. Scanning through the Scoter flock again I found a single Slavonian Grebe among them. A nice bird to get. We headed north towards the point in the hope of seeing Snow Buntings, which had been seen a few times over previous days in small numbers. Among the dunes we saw at least 5 Stonechats, some of which posed rather nicely for a few photos. A Linnet and a Reed Bunting were also seen perched on the stalks of the grasses in the dunes.

The tide was starting to recede and there was an area of washed up material on the beach. This was where I suspected we might see the Snow Buntings if we were lucky. Unfortunately for us, there were only a single Sanderling initially. A Pied Wagtail and a Rock Pipit soon appeared to pick through the washed up material on the beach. We set up the scope to check Balgove Bay. There were large numbers of sleeping Shelducks in the bay and amongst them I found a small group of Brent Geese. Neither species was particularly unexpected but both were additions to the list for the day. A pair of Pink Footed Geese headed upriver.

We decided to sit in at the edge of the dunes looking out on the area we hoped the target birds would pop into to feed. A female Goldeneye overflew and Ranald Strachan the Fife Countryside Ranger walked past, stopping to ask if we'd seen anything interesting. As he chatted away I heard Linnets calling from behind us. Also among the twittering calls I could hear a quieter trilling sort of call. It had to be Snow Buntings. And it was. A pair dropped in, slightly further away than we had hoped, but as they were a lifer for Nat, we weren't too bothered. The light was fading fast so the views weren't as good as they could have been. We did get a few photos and video clips despite the light before we headed back towards the car. A flock of Linnets and a Curlew on the golf course rounding off the birds for the day.

As always a decent day out with some rather nice birds seen among the 61 species seen. - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Brent Goose, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Plover, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Knot, Lapwing, Linnet, Long Tailed Duck, Long Tailed Tit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Red Throated Diver, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Shag, Shelduck, Slavonian Grebe, Snow Bunting, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, White Tailed Eagle, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Buzzard

White Tailed Eagle

Linnet

Pink Footed Goose

Sparrowhawk

Grey Plover, Knot and Bar Tailed Godwit

Wader flock

White Tailed Eagle & Rook

Grey Heron & White Tailed Eagle

Buzzard

Common Scoter & Slavonian Grebe

Stonechat

Shelduck & Brent Geese

Snow Bunting

Oystercatcher

Pink Footed Geese

Snow Bunting

Snow Buntings

Curlew

0232 : November Rain (18/11/15)

There had been some decent birds around at the weekend, Mediterranean and Glaucous Gull reported from Lunan Bay, Black Redstart in Montrose, Great Grey Shrike at Lintrathen all via the AGV grapevine text message service. There were also White Fronted Geese reported from Kinnordy both days via the ADBC website. On Monday, a Green Winged Teal was found at Lintrathen too, so despite the rather unpromising date, there were clearly opportunities to see some good birds. Having spent the weekend at home feeling a bit run-down and thus missing out on all of the above, I wanted to get out and about with Nat on our usual Wednesday outing despite some very heavy rain and low temperatures being forecast. I was also hoping to give my new Tamron 150-600mm lens a better work-out than the previous week.

Greylag Geese

We decided to make a later start than usual with the whole of Angus under varying degrees of heavy rain until late morning. All 4 of our intended destinations for the day had hides which would provide shelter from the elements, however 2 of these would require a bit of a walk to get to. Nat picked me up at 0930 and having checked the weather a short while before, we decided to change our original plan and reverse our direction from roughly anti-clockwise to something resembling clock-wise around Angus. There wasn't much to see on our way out of Dundee with only a single Carrion Crow and Herring Gull to kick-off the list.

We headed off the A90 onto the road for Glamis which would help add a few species to the list, even if the weather was far from perfect. A flock of Common Gulls and a single Herring Gull were roosting together in one field while there were a few male Pheasants dotted around in others. Woodpigeon was next onto the list. We turned off along the Linross road adding Blackbird after a short distance. A flock of Redwings were in the trees near the farm. A small flock of Starlings overflew the car a bit further on and there were good numbers of Fieldfares around the trees at the farm. A Feral Pigeon flew off one of the sheds as we passed. Two Robins chased each other from bush to bush along the roadside.

The first Buzzard of the day was spotted on a roadside pole as we headed for Auchindorie and Kinnordy. It was raining steadily when we arrived at the reserve so we headed into the Gullery hide where there were a few birders already in. A drake Shoveler was feeding close to the hide along the edge of the reeds. Out on the bogbean islands were numerous Lapwings and Teal, and well over 100 Snipe, despite the water levels having risen a bit higher. Scanning around added Goldeneye, Mute Swans, Mallards, Greylags and a Cormorant. A Reed Bunting male was found among the reeds as the rain got heavier.

A few Wigeon appeared among the Teal and a flash of white at the hole of the box on the 'lone pine' gave us first views of the day of the Barn Owl, which later showed really well, as it preened at the opening to the wooden box. A trio of Gadwall were next onto the list. There was no sign of any of the more interesting birds that have been seen recently on the reserve. No Hen Harrier, no Bittern and no Great White Egret or Smew either. There was still plenty to see however, and Goosander was added to the list as the morning progressed. Eventually we had a break from the rain and decided to take the chance to head to Loch of Lintrathen to see if we could see either the Great Grey Shrike or Green Winged Teal which had been seen in the area recently.

We walked along the rather wet track to the raised hide, hearing a few birds but seeing none. From the hide, we could see a mixture of species out on the water. Mallards, Wigeon, Tufted Ducks, Teal, Mute Swans and Coots. There were a few roosting Grey Herons in the trees along the western edge of the Loch. I found a Great Crested Grebe diving among the ducks before I started scanning through the Teal flock. The rain which had been very light previously increased its ferocity and we wondered if it would stop for long enough to allow us to stay dry when we headed back to the car. I scanned slowly backwards and forwards through the Teal but there was no sign of the Green Winged Teal among them. The rain went off and we took the opportunity to hurry back to the car for lunch.

We stopped briefly to watch Coal Tits and Goldcrests in the trees. As we neared the car I spotted a small flock of birds among the weeds beyond the fence. These turned out to be mostly Lesser Redpoll, though there was also a single Reed Bunting feeding lower down. Another Goldcrest was in the trees and a small number of Bullfinches flew in to the few trees nearby. We drove further round the Loch road to an area that I though offered our best chance of seeing Great Grey Shrike if it was still around. Blue Tit, Chaffinch and Siskin were all I managed to find here, though Nat did find a Green Woodpecker that I missed. After lunch we debated whether to head to the coast to the gull roost at Lunan Bay or to return to Kinnordy.

With limited daylight at this time of year we chose the latter option. A bit further round the Loch we spotted a Jay in flight which then landed in a tall tree, but as soon as Nat stopped the car it flew off again. A flock of Jackdaws and Rooks were seen in the fields near Kingoldrum. As we neared Kinnordy, we could see large skeins of geese in the distance but flying towards us. These turned out to be hundreds of Pink Footed Geese and they continued on their way west, rather than dropping in to join the Geylags at Kinnordy. As we headed into the hide from the car park I spotted a nice wee flock of Siskins in the trees above the path and we stopped to watch them for a minute or two.

A Dunnock was in the trees by the wooden walkway as we headed into the Gullery hide again where we found a similar mix to earlier in the day out in front. A single Pink Footed Goose overflew eastwards. The Lapwings took to the air and as they circled around a small flock of Fieldfares passed westwards over the Loch. We walked along to the Swamp hide stopping to watch some Bullfinches and a Reed Bunting feeding in the trees above the boardwalk. Out in front apart from Greylags, a few Teal and Mallards there wasn't too much else to be seen. With rain looking likely once again we headed for the East hide but a Great Spotted Woodpecker near the feeders was the only highlight and addition to the list. With the light beginning to go we chose to head for home and reached the car as the rain started to fall once again.

Despite the weather we had enjoyed a decent day out and the Tamron lens had proven to be a bit quicker to react to birds in flight than my Bigma. Only 43 species seen but a nice mixture and some decent views.

Species seen - Barn Owl, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Jay, Lapwing, Lesser Redpoll, Mallard, Mute Swan, Pheasant, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shoveler, Siskin, Snipe, Starling, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.

Snipe

Shoveler

Greylag Goose

Wigeon

Snipe

Teal

Pink Footed Geese

Siskin

Bullfinch

Reed Bunting

Buzzard

Snipe

Barn Owl

Greylag Geese

Greaylag Geese

Snipe

Greylag Geese

Greylag Goose

Greylag Geese

0231 : Testing Times (11/11/15)

With both Tamron and Sigma having brought out 150-600mm lenses in the past year or so, I had been considering buying one. Unfortunately, the Sigma lens required an upgrade to the software of the D7100 camera for it to work properly, apparently. Not wanting to be without my main camera body for any length of time, I ruled out the Sigma. However, the price of the Tamron lens when it was released was a bit too high for me to justify buying it for the extra 100mm of magnification. An email from Ffordes coupled with a catalogue from Wex had me looking at prices. The price for a new lens had dropped to an almost justifiable to myself price. However, Ffordes had a second-hand lens in stock for quite a bit cheaper. Temptation proved too much...

Song Thrush

Having waited in all day Tuesday for the delivery to arrive I was a bit disappointed to find not only was the light beginning to fade but that it was also a very grey and drizzly day. I would have to wait till my Wednesday outing with Nat to give it a work-out. We decided to head for Vane Farm where a Green-Winged Teal had been seen earlier in the week. Leaving the house slightly later than intended, I was lucky to find a bus on its way down the road which I managed to catch into town. Herring Gull and Robin were both seen on the way to the bus stop, with Feral Pigeons seen at the Wellgate. However, the recent changes to the bus routes mean a longer walk than previously so I was cutting things fine as I arrived at the bus station. A Carrion Crow was on the roof of one of the blocks in the Seagate.

I met Nat at the end of the roadbridge, adding Black Headed Gull and Woodpigeon as we left the car park heading for one of Nat's local patches. A previous visit here had proved quite productive so fingers were crossed for a repeat, and a good work-out for the new lens. As we were about to get out of the car a flock of what looked like Golden Plovers could be seen off to the north but they had disappeared by the time we were out of the car. We didn't have to wait too long for birds however, with a Buzzard and a Cormorant passing overhead in different directions. A flooded area nearby held a mixture of waterbirds - a pair of Gadwall, a pair of Mute Swans, a few Coots, a Moorhen and a few Teal around the edges.

Walking on a Grey Wagtail overflew, and 4 Pied Wagtails could be seen scurrying around on the ground beyond the flooded area. A skein of Pink Footed Geese flew by, while on nearby wires a trio of Goldfinches were joined by a single Greenfinch. We then found a mixture of birds feeding on the ground, Blackbirds, Dunnock, Robin and Wren. A small tree down a track held a few Redwings and a another Yellowhammer. They were soon joined by a couple of Song Thrushes. A flock of Woodpigeons passed westwards, while a smaller group of Fieldfares did likewise, their chuckling call catching our attention. A Stock Dove briefly landed in the top of a tall tree but changed its mind and flew off again.

Chaffinch and Reed Bunting were next onto the list with an adult male of the first and a young male of the second being spotted. More Woodpigeons went west, a loose flock of around 60 birds this time. We came to another larger pool. This one had a mix of species with a few Canada Geese, Mallards, Tufted Duck and Wigeon to be seen. A Coal Tit flew into a tree behind us. Some more scanning of the pool found a Little Grebe. We headed back towards the car. I heard a Mistle Thrush calling and spotted it on wires across a field. A small group of Lesser Redpolls overflew. We had heard Meadow Pipits earlier and as we neared the car we spotted a pair perched on top of a fence.

Further west we turned off the main road to check out another flooded field. There were a lot of Common Gulls stood around, while on the pool could be seen a large group of Greylags, a Pink Footed Goose or two, Mallards, Wigeon and Teal. Among them wandered a lone Lapwing. The fields on the other side of the car held a single Curlew and in another field a bit further away we spotted a male Pheasant. There were a few Jackdaws flying around here too. Next we headed to Letham Pools, a few miles down the road. It was rather quiet there with a number of Teal, a few Black Headed Gulls, a small group of Goldeneye and a handful of Goosander.

As Nat had never been to Rossie Bog we made this our next stop, but even with all the recent rain it was still dry. However, in the trees there was a small flock of birds moving through. A family group of Long Tailed Tits were joined by a pair of Treecreepers, a few Goldcrests and Coal Tits. Nearby were Blue Tits and a few Chaffinches. A Carrion Crow overflew. Angle Park was our next stop. There were good numbers of birds here but despite scanning through the ducks, the only addition to our list on the water was a Shoveler drake. Great Tit and Blue Tit flew by as we wandered along the road in search of a calling Magpie. We found the bird perched in a small tee by the horse field. We decided to check the pools beyond the car park. I wandered in ahead of Nat, and spooked a Jay which flew up into the trees across the water. I suspected we might find a Grey Heron here and sure enough a single bird flew out from the trees on the small island.

We drove through Ladybank to check out the Wilderness. There was no sign of any Snipe which was a surprise and a disappointment. There was a mix of ducks and gulls but nothing new among them. Our only addition here being Whooper Swan. There were a few family groups with the greyer youngsters much in evidence. We decided to take the scenic route to Loch Leven, going via Falkland and over the Lomonds. Rooks were seen on the outskirts of Falkland, and on the way down the other side of the Lomonds we stopped to watch a few Skylarks hanging in the wind above the roadside fields.

The list of possibilities at Vane Farm/Loch Leven that we hadn't already seen wasn't particularly long, but as things turned out, the additions we did get here were rather few. The feeders were rather quiet, so we headed down to the hides. With heavy rain clearly approaching from the west, we decided to hurry to the furthest away hide first so that if we did encounter rain we would, in theory, be nearer the visitor centre/car when we did so. In addition to lots of Teal, there weren't too many other species on the water in front of the rather empty hide. I scanned back and forward through the roosting Teal flock but there was no sign of the American bird among them. There were obviously other birds that couldn't be seen from the hide and it could have been among those. A pair of Shelduck were the only new species here.

We decided not to bother with the middle hide, instead heading back to the first one, which was also empty. Only a single Moorhen was on the pools out front. Out on the Loch, Nat spotted a few drake Pochards among the Tufted Ducks and Whooper Swans. A few Cormorants could be seen much further out on the Loch. I found a winter plumage Great Crested Grebe but with the rain blotting out the northern side of the Loch we headed back up to check out the books in the visitor centre. For once there was nothing to tempt me. With the heavy rain which had been forecast arriving a bit earlier than it was supposed to, we decided to call a halt to proceedings and head for home. A Kestrel on a telegraph pole was the only addition before Nat dropped me off near Drumoig. As the bus stopped the rain came on quite heavily. Nice timing.

A good day out despite the early finish and drawing a blank on the target bird (though expectations of finding it were rather low) and a respectable total of 62 species seen. The lens seemed to perform reasonably well, though conditions were rather poor with grey, flat conditions meaning a higher than hoped for ISO setting was required. The extra reach the lens provided was welcome though and the autofocus did appear to be quicker than the Sigma 50-500mm lens I usually use. Time will tell which is better though, and which gets most use.

Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, 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, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.