Having been suffering from a throat infection since Sunday I didn't want to pass it on to Nat, so we cancelled our midweek outing. Having stayed at home on Monday and Tuesday despite being off work on holiday, I decided that I should make some effort to get out somewhere even for an hour or so. With the Mediterranean Gull lingering at Arbroath and fairly regular buses to the town available from relatively nearby this looked like a decent option. However, it was some very welcome information from Stuart Green of Angus Birdtours as to the location of a reeling Grasshopper Warbler somewhere on the coast which he'd had brilliant close views of (see Angus Birdtours facebook page for the clip - https://www.facebook.com/angus.birdtours/?fref=ts ) that made up my mind for me.
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
I was later than usual in heading out to catch the Arbroath bus. The relatively short walk, (not helped by the addition of a pulled muscle in my neck caused by a sudden spasm while I ate my breakfast), to Arbroath Road gave up very few birds - Herring Gull, Carrion Crow and House Sparrow, while from the bus stop, a few high flying Swifts were seen. The bus trip added a few extras but not a huge amount - Woodpigeons and House Martins in Broughty Ferry, Jackdaws, Swallows and Collared Doves further on. As the Grasshopper Warbler had been showing well and often I figured that I could search for other stuff before attempting to find it, so I first headed for Easthaven to walk westwards along the coast to Westhaven and then to catch the bus to Arbroath for the Mediterranean Gull before finishing off with the Grasshopper Warbler then home.
Starlings and Feral Pigeons greeted me at Easthaven, with a Tree Sparrow and a few Goldfinches around near the railway line. Scanning from the beach added Black Headed Gull, Cormorant, Curlew and Sandwich Tern, with Grey Heron and Pied Wagtail seen soon after. Heading west I soon added Eiders roosting out on the rocks and well offshore I picked up a few distant Gannets. A Kestrel flew by above the beach and as I neared the Craigmill Burn outflow the first Oystercatchers of the day were seen. Common and Arctic Terns as well as a few more Sandwich Terns were also roosting out on the rocks, sometimes taking flight for short periods of restlessness.
I stopped for a breather at the burn. A pair of Common Sandpipers landed on a log in the water. A small group of Dunlin picked around among the rocks and pools. Redshanks flew in, landing near the mixed gull roost. Herring Gulls and Black Headed Gulls made up the bulk of the flock with a Lesser Black Backed Gull and a Great Black Backed Gull and a few Common Gulls amongst them. A pair of juvenile Linnets bathed in the burn beside a Pied Wagtail. There were a few more Wagtails as I walked to Westhaven and onto catch the bus at Carnoustie. Thankfully I didn't have long to wait and off I went to Arbroath.
I decided to get off the bus at Asda in Arbroath to walk east to the kid's play area to scan the beach where the bird had been seen. The area was very busy with families enjoying the sunshine. Thankfully on the rockier part of the shoreline I could see a small group of around 10 gulls. I waited until I had passed the majority of families before stopping to scan through the birds. Black Headed Gulls mostly, though just behind them, stood aloof on a flat rock was the distinctive black headed
Mediterranean Gull. I shot a short video clip as the bird preened and then moved a little further along the seawall for a few more photos. A year-tick for me.
I headed onwards to the bus station to catch a bus to the location specified by Stuart as to where I'd (hopefuly) find the Grasshopper Warbler. When I arrived and started walking in the specified direction, from ahead of me I picked up a very faint, but distinctive, sound. The reeling of a Grasshopper Warbler. And then it stopped. This meant I had little idea just how far I needed to walk to stand a chance of seeing the bird. I walked slowly. Thankfully the bird reeled again from cover allowing me to narrow down slightly the area I needed to be. There was a lot of stopping and waiting before I caught sight of a small bird flying low over the scrubby vegetation before dropping out of sight. I moved a little quicker to near where the bird had dropped out of sight. around 15 minutes later another burst of reeling from cover, not too far in front of me.
I adjusted my footing just enough to catch a glimpse of a dull brown shape disappear further into cover. Obviously the bird, but nothing like as showy as it had been for Stuart. Thankfully, 10 minutes later (and around an hour after I'd first heard it) the
Grasshopper Warbler flew a short distance away from me and landed in a small umbellifer type plant where it proceeded to reel loudly for around 5 minutes allowing me plenty of opportunity to shoot a few video clips and get a selection of photos. It eventually noticed me and dropped back down into the greenery. With both my hoped for birds safely in the bag I headed back to wait for a bus and the first part of the journey home.
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| Linnet |
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| Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gull |
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| Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gull |
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| Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gull |
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
Only 34 species seen, but both hoped for year-ticks (in bold) found, so a worthwhile if tiring trip out.
Species seen - Arctic Tern, Black Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Gannet, Goldfinch,
Grasshopper Warbler, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet,
Mediterranean Gull, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Feral Pigeon, Sandwich Tern, Starling, swallow, Swift, Tree Sparrow, Woodpigeon.
