STONEFACTION BIRDING: 04/28/15

0146 : Under The Weather (23/4/15)

The weather forecast for the latest evening birding trip with Nat had looked rather positive with relatively warm sunny weather with only light winds. We intended a trip to the Tay reedbeds so Nat could hopefully see Bearded Tits. However around mid-afternoon, mist started to form on the Tay and to the east a haar was growing in size over the mouth of the river. This wasn't a promising development with visibility likely to be minimal down by the river. A change of plan would be required.

Dipper

Nat arrived to pick me up and we discussed the alternatives. The coast was out as was down by the river, so inland it would have to be. Hopefully, the sunshine and clear skies of earlier in the day would still be in evidence towards the glens. North it was.

Carrion Crow, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Feral Pigeon and Woodpigeon then Starling and Herring Gull got the list off to a start as we headed out of the city. The sky was overcast and grey as far north as we could see. Jackdaws and then Rooks followed before we turned off the main road to take the back road via Glamis to Kirriemuir and a quick stop at Loch of Kinnordy. A few Pheasants and Oystercatchers were in some of the fields. Chaffinch and Blue Tit were seen in the trees by the roadside as we passed a farm. A pair of Mallards flew in and landed in a field as we neared Kinnordy. An Osprey could be seen hovering above the Loch as we turned towards the reserve.

We headed into the hide for better views of the Osprey which was still circling around above the loch. Within minutes it had dived into the water and came up with a rather small fish which it flew off to one of the large poles around the loch to eat it. Not a bad way to start. Scanning around we added Mallard, Lapwing, Moorhen, a Little Ringed Plover, Mute Swans, Teal, a few Black Headed Gulls, Pied Wagtails and Redshanks. Above the far end of the loch Sand Martins hawked for insects.

A couple of pairs of Shelduck were off towards the eastern end. Greylags honked loudly as they flew low past over the water. A Grey Heron could just be seen picking around at the very edge of the far reedbed, a thin curtain of reeds providing a little cover. The male Marsh Harrier briefly showed above the reeds near the lone pine tree before dropping out of sight again, before lifting again and flying a short distance before disappearing into cover again. A Swallow skimmed by at speed. We headed back to the car to carry on to our intended destination.

Blackbird and House Sparrow were seen as we passed through Kirriemuir and onwards. Red Legged Partridges began to appear along with more Pheasants. A Raven overflew, and a number of Common Gulls stood around in the fields. A Stock Dove took flight as we swept by. Arriving at our destination we parked the car and could hear a Mistle Thrush singing loudly from the top of a tree which made spotting it rather easy. A Goldcrest foraged around in another tree nearby.

With the time now around half past seven I decided we should go for a walk until eight o'clock and then head back to the car while there was still a bit of light to see where we were going. The overcast conditions meant that photography opportunities were going to be rather limited. We headed off along a path by the edge of a large wooded area. Siskins and a Willow Warbler showed quite well but were too quick for the camera. A Song Thrush was next, and a Dunnock dived back into cover as we got closer.

A Dipper was resting on a small stone in the river and it blinked continuously as I took a few photos and attempted to shoot a short video. The bird then flew off upstream. There was little else to see so we headed back towards the car. A Buzzard briefly appeared above some conifers then disappeared once again out of sight. The light was now rapidly going and Nat spotted some deer ahead of us just off the track, near a wooded area. These were mostly Red Deer but there were also a few Roe Deer too. They watched us for a minute or two before deciding to retreat into the trees until we passed. Nat heard a Tawny Owl calling a couple of times from in the trees.

Heading back down the glen in the car we spotted a few (probable Pipistrelle) bats flitting around above the road. We stopped at an open area to look for owls and to listen. We could hear Red Grouse, some probable Black Grouse and some definite Lapwings but it was impossible to see any of them. It was an interesting blend of sounds. We hoped for an owl at some point on our way home but as with our luck with regards the weather, we saw none.

A quieter evenings outing than some of our others, but a different experience. We somehow still managed to see 42 species
which was pretty good considering. Nothing new for the year list, but still an interesting evening.

Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Dipper, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Ringed Plover, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Red Legged Partridge, Redshank, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Siskin, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon.

Dipper

Red Deer

0145 : Springy Ness (20/4/15)

Having to change my plans for the previous day owing to Steph's car trouble I now needed a different location for my Monday annual leave day off. With a very early doctor's appointment first a lot would depend on how early I was seen and was then able to get to a bus stop, or the bus station. I managed to come up with 3 or 4 options, all of which had potential for some good birding.

Starling

On the way to the surgery I got my list for the day off to a reasonable start with 6 species seen - House Sparrow, Collared Dove, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Blue Tit and Carrion Crow. I managed to catch a bus to the bus station a little earlier than expected (adding Feral Pigeon and Woodpigeon) and managed to catch a bus for St Andrews. This also meant that I could catch the connecting bus for Crail and some birding around that area. While maybe not quite as good as in Autumn, Spring migration could bring in some good birds if I was lucky.

Cormorant on submarine rock, a Pheasant in a field near Drumoig, Rooks at St Michael's, Starlings, Blackbird and Jackdaw in Leuchars, Mallards on the Motray at Guardbridge and Oystercatchers in the fields between there and St Andrews kept me occupied as the bus rolled on through Fife. While sat at the bus station on the number 95 waiting to leave I watched some rather oversized visitors to feeders in the garden opposite. A Rook and a Jackdaw feeding on the peanuts. Not quite as nimble and agile as Blue Tits but showing their versatility nonetheless.

Heading for Crail I managed to add the firs Kestrel of the day as well as a few scattered Lapwings, a Yellowhammer on a roadside wire and a few Stock Doves in a flock of Woodpigeons in what appeared to be a recently planted field. I got off the bus at my usual stop in Crail and wandered along past the church towards the top end of Denburn Wood. First bird was a nice Goldfinch, followed by a Blackbird collecting food for young, a Blue Tit with nest material and a Song Thrush perched in the top of a small tree.

A few Woodpigeons flew off as I approached the burn, and a couple of Chaffinches were joined in a small tree by a Greenfinch. I wandered down through the wood noting a vocal Great Tit, a Wren by the burn and a few Blackbirds, but surprisingly no Chiffchaffs, Willow Wablers or even a Blackcap. This didn't bode particularly well for a mass of migrants. I had good views of a Woodpigeon and of a Collared Dove before I reached the end of the village and headed out along the straight road for Kilminning.

My main target bird for the day was Corn Bunting and it didn't take too long to hear one singing, and then it was a matter of checking likely perches for the singer in question. Within a few seconds I had my first Corn Bunting of the year, perched atop of a fence post between fields. A few Swallows swept low over the fields, and the first Skylark of the day took to the air singing loudly. A Meadow Pipit took flight also, calling loudly as it flew to another field and landed. Further on, a Buzzard was heard mewing and then watched as it glided over the buildings to the north beyond the cattle field. A pair of Woodpigeons displayed on a roadside pole before flying down to land on a brick building on the other side of the road.

A Pied Wagtail was by the edge of the very small puddle, rather than a much larger pool that it can be at times. A few finches, pigeons and tits were all that was seen until I reached Kilminning. As I wandered around what appeared to be a rather quiet site I heard a loud call that sounded a bit like a Blackbird but wasn't. It was clearly a relative though. I headed for the source of the sound and soon saw a bird land in the top of the small trees that back onto the former airfield and the industrial units. A male Ring Ouzel. My first of the year and nowhere near where I thought I might see one. A nice bonus.

I sent a text to the Fife Bird Club grapevine to put out the news and searched around to see if there was anything else of interest around. A possible second Ring Ouzel was heard but not seen, and it could have been the same bird. A Magpie flew into the conifers at the top end, and a Buzzard drifted over. I wandered down the track to check out the bottom end. Song Thrush, Coal Tit, Yellowhammer, Goldfinch and Dunnock were all that was seen though. A Gannet was seen out over the water.

I walked along the coastal path, a pair of Pied Wagtails and a Meadow Pipit or two but little else seen except for a passing Kestrel just after I had spotted a small rodent scurry across the path and into cover. A few Eiders on the water and a passing Great Black Backed Gull went on the list and I found the first few Linnets of the day as I neared Fife Ness. I considered sitting in the FBC hide but chose instead to perch out on the rocks.

Two male Wheatears which were perched atop the rocks, looking like new arrivals getting their breath back delayed me for a short while as I didn't want to cause them to have to move unnecessarily. Although the sea was relatively calm there was steady movement of birds offshore. Gannets mostly as is often the case but also a nice mix of other species. I finally moved out to the rocks for a closer view.

Great Black Backed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Kittiwakes, a few Sandwich Terns, Razorbills and a handful of Guillemots, three Red Throated Divers all at different times, Cormorants, Shags, Fulmars, a female Red Breasted Merganser and a pair of Puffins kept my attention for over an hour. Although the sun was shining it was still relatively cool, but thankfully the wind wasn't too strong. A Carrion Crow joined me for a short time, relatively close by and giving me some nice photo opportunities.

Around 2pm I headed up into the 'patch' to see if there was anything around in there, but a Chaffinch was as good as it got there. Out on the rocks offshore were a mix of Cormorants, Shags and Eider, but no waders. A Grey Heron stalked Stinky Pool and after I took a few photos I crossed the golf course and headed uphill. Another Magpie flew by and a Starling perched on the wires in the sun gave me some nice photos. I spotted the kestrel perched on the small wind turbine. I heard a bird calling which I didn't recognise but it had a wader-like tone. Whatever it was I failed to see anything though it sounded like it was flying around.

A woman stopped her car to ask about the Ring Ouzel and I told her it had likely moved on, but we decided to search for it anyway. Within a few minutes we were joined by Willie Irvine and the three of us wandered down through the site searching for it, and my 'mystery wader'. We found neither, though we did find another 3 Wheatears perched on the fence and tyres near the end of the old runway of the airfield. Willie dropped me off back in Crail and from the bus back home I managed to add one final species in the shape of Mute Swan as I passed through Guardbridge.

A reasonably good day with the target species added and a nice bonus bird among the 52 seen (year-ticks in bold).

Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Puffin, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Red Throated Diver, Ring Ouzel, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Wheatear, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

Jackdaw & Rook

Blue Tit

Song Thrush

Goldfinch

Collared Dove

Woodpigeon

Corn Bunting

Ring Ouzel

Great Tit

Skylark

Woodpigeon

Kestrel

Pied Wagtail

Wheatear

Great Black Backed Gull

Red Throated Diver

Sandwich Tern

Great Black Backed Gull

Herring Gull

Red Throated Diver

Razorbill & Guillemot

Cormorant

Gannet

Fulmar

Red Throated Diver

Cormorant

Carrion Crow

Chaffinch

Cormorant & Eider

Grey Heron

Kestrel

Wheatear

0144 : Time For Beds (19/4/15)

Facebook, and social media in general, can be handy for keeping in touch with friends and family and also for keeping up with news from those folk too. It was through facebook that I found out that my birding pal, Steph's car had started to do a passable impression of a tractor. As we were planning on heading into the glens for some birding and photography, using the car as a hide of sorts, this wasn't particularly good news. When Steph turned up to pick me up on the Sunday morning, the apparent hole in the exhaust had also turned into a rather worrying rattling noise too. If we were going birding the car wasn't going to be much use as a mobile hide.

As I have no real idea with cars and the glens aren't always particularly great for mobile phone reception, if one requires the assistance of someone who does know a bit about cars and how to fix them, we decided a change of plan was probably a good idea. I had intended to head for the Tay reedbeds the following day in the hope of seeing Grasshopper Warbler and maybe Bearded Tits, but it made sense for us to drive to Errol and spend the rest of the day on foot. It just meant I would need a new plan for the following day, which wasn't a problem.

Grasshopper Warbler

As I waited for Steph to arrive I began birding, picking up a number of species - Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls sailing over, a pair of Blue Tits which appeared to have a nest site close by, flyover Carrion Crows and chirruping House Sparrows. Blackbird and Feral Pigeons were seen as we chatted in the car discussing the best plan for the day. Woodpigeons were seen on the Kingsway and Starlings were watched from the car while Steph popped into the petrol station shop by Invergowie.

Rooks and Jackdaws were in the fields as we drove in towards Errol. A few Swallows whizzed over as we parked outside the shops in the 'centre' of the village. A Jackdaw perched on a chimney opposite and a Goldfinch stared down at us from an overhead wire. A Chaffinch sang from a garden as we wandered slowly down Gas Brae. An unusual sight was a Woodpigeon perched on the top of a roof alongside a Collared Dove.

Where before there was an overgrown fenced-off area which was a great place to see Whitethroats there was now a small community garden. A lot tidier but possibly less welcoming for the local wildlife. We did however manage to see a few species here with a pair of Yellowhammers probably being the highlight. A male Blackbird and a pair of Blue Tits as well as a flyover Meadow Pipit kept us occupied for a few minutes. It was rather chilly and I was glad that I had put on an extra layer before we had headed out.

On the track ahead of us were a handful of Jackdaws with more of the species and a number of Rooks among the scrubby vegetation. A Dunnock sang from a small bush, and the first Skylark we had seen began its climb into the sky, singing loudly. A Buzzard was chased off by Rooks. We wandered down past the house by the trees and out into the open space beyond bordered by the reedbeds. It had been tidied up and appeared to be used as a motorcycle track from time to time. Not ideal but it hadn't deterred the warblers with Chiffchaff and Blackcap both heard almost immediately from either side of us. As I had yet to see Blackcap this year, it was the priority.

It didn't take long to find this particular Blackcap singing from a bush and Steph set up to try and photograph it while I wandered off to explore. A pair of Linnets landed in the small tree near the pipe down through the reeds. I walked out along the pipe for a few minutes but it was very quiet so I turned around and headed back to scan out over the reeds. From a particular point, it is possible to see a good distance to the east out over the tops of the reeds and it was from here that I spotted first one, then a pair, then finally two pairs of Marsh Harriers gliding round with Dundee and the Tay railbridge in the background.

I called to Steph, but she didn't hear me, so I walked over to give her a heads-up on the harriers. As we walked back, a call burst from the reeds relatively close by. A reeling Grasshopper Warbler! Never an easy bird to find, and even harder to see, but when they are recently arrived they can sometimes show reasonably well. Fingers were crossed as we hurried to where the sound was bursting from. (Grasshopper Warblers are so named because they sound like Grasshoppers and their 'song' is known as 'reeling').

We spotted movement among the reed stems and raised our cameras in anticipation as the bird moved around among the reeds stopping to give short bursts of 'song' from time to time. Eventually we managed a few photos with only a few stems breaking up the Grasshopper Warbler's outline. Mission accomplished and with relative ease. Thankfully. We decided to walk along through the woods to the Port Allen pools. A Wren sang loudly from the undergrowth and a Song Thrush did likewise from the branches of a mature deciduous tree above us.

Wandering through the trees we were inundated with calls and songs of birds - Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Chaffinches, Wrens, Blue TIts, Great Tits and others. However, not all were easy to see. A Great Tit showed relatively well, as we searched for a calling Chiffchaff which we eventually did manage to see. A pair of Long Tailed Tits passed through the trees above us, calling to each other as they went. We stopped to scan across the large expanse of the reedbeds from an opening in the trees but there was little to see.

We wandered down to the corner of the first large pool, and using binoculars added a few more species to the list for the day - Mallards, Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks, Goldeneye, Wigeon, Great Crested Grebes, Little Grebes and Coots. A Grey Heron flew out from below the trees as we walked slowly along the raised banking between the pool and the reeds. Steph stopped to photograph something and I wandered on ahead.

A call came from the reeds - a 'ping' and a Bearded Tit flew low along the tops of the reeds. I called to Steph as the bird dropped back into the reeds. A few seconds later a second bird zoomed up and along the tops and dropped back on. Unfortunately, Steph missed seeing the bird, and I failed to get a photo as the autofocus chose to focus on the reed-tops.

We wandered on to the small bridge down from the houses at Port Allen to have something to eat. Swallows and Sand Martins were whizzing around above the trees catching flies. Once we'd had a bit of food we wandered along to the west to see if there was anything on the other pool.A Lapwing overflew. A Willow Warbler sang from the top of a tree. We decided to head back to Errol but taking our time.

A slight detour along to the end of the channel added a decent amount of Shelduck and some Teal. A large skein of Pink Footed Geese overflew. We spent a bit of time watching birds flying in and out of the vegetation by the bridge. A Blackcap, some House Sparrows, a Dunnock, Blue Tits, Chaffinch and even a rather early Sedge Warbler. Wandering through the trees we watched Blackcaps and Reed Buntings flitting through the trees. Stopping at another opening, I spotted a pair of House Martins over the field. From the main viewpoint out over the reeds we watched a male Marsh Harrier with a single yellow wing tag fly down the edge of the reedbeds.

Further on through the trees, we ran into a Treecreeper feeding on surprisingly small trees, as well as a few Coal Tits, Long Tailed Tits and a Robin. We decided to have a quick check to see if we could see the Grasshopper Warbler again, but it wasn't nearly as showy second time around with just brief glimpses among the reeds. As we watched a Marsh Harrier appeared high overhead and circled up and away to the north over the trees.

We walked back up Gas Brae, a few Yellowhammers, Jackdaws and Woodpigeons being all we saw until we reched the village again where we were greeted by House Sparrows and another Woodpgeon. With the car sounding like a tractor we took the back roads to Invergowrie, adding Pheasant and Black Headed Gull to the day list on the way.

A surprisingly productive day, despite the change of location, with a nice mix of species among the 53 seen (4 new for year in bold).

Bearded Tit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Coot, Dunnock, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Grasshopper Warbler, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Pheasant, Pink Footed Goose, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Teal, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.