Having missed out on the Spoonbill by minutes on Thursday afternoon, it was a relief to discover the bird had been re-found again still at Montrose Basin that same evening. That made deciding where to go on Friday much easier. An 0800 start and straight up to Montrose Basin for the 3rd visit in 3 days was the inevitable choice. Fingers were crossed that the bird had stayed to roost overnight and that it was still around when we arrived.
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| Spoonbill & Black Headed Gull |
Nat picked me up at 0800 and off we went, taking the A90 to Brechin then cutting cross-country to the Basin. Swift, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull were all seen before we reached the Kingsway. While waiting for the traffic lights to change we added a pair of Magpies and a Blackbird while Swallow and House Martins both passed overhead. A Carrion Crow was next as we passed Mill O'Mains. Woodpigeon and Buzzard were the only additions before we made it to Brechin. A text message had came in to say the bird had been seen that morning, we just needed it not to go anywhere, before we arrived. Jackdaw, Skylark, Yellowhammer and Sand Martin were seen between Brechin and the Basin.
We headed first to Maryton Steps where the bird had been reported from. Black Headed Gull, Greenshank, Mallards and numerous Mute Swans were all quite obvious around the Basin, some closer than others. A Pied Wagtail scurried around on the mud ahead of us. It was Nat who found the
Spoonbill though as it slept beyond the majority of Mute Swans. It was quite a distant view but it was easy to see that it was our target bird. A Wren and a family of Blue Tits were seen in the bushes and trees next to where we were scanning from. There were Shelduck and Goosander also out on the water and a Cormorant stood drying its wings on the shoreline. We decided to head to The Lurgies where it was hoped our views would be a bit closer.
Goldfinch was seen near the car park, while on the mud we could see Oystercatcher and a pair of Common Sandpipers flew around near the mouth of the burn. There were still plenty of Eiders around and a few Goldeneye also. The views of the Spoonbill were better, though still distant and we watched the bird striding purposely into shallower water as the tide came in. Behind us what sounded like a young water Rail called, and we scanned the reed edges hoping to see the bird but to no avail. We were then joined by another ADBC member, Doug Milne, who I pointed out the Spoonbill to, before we decided to see what else was around. We hadn't gone far when we turned around to see that the Spoonbill had once again vanished. Still, we had managed to see it this time, so it wasn't such a big deal. A year-tick for me, and a lifer for Nat.
There were Redshanks at The Slunks and a Stock Dove down on the pebbles at the bend. Linnets, Yellowhammer and Willow Warbler were al seen in the bushes by the track. A Great Black Backed Gull flew by but once again we drew a blank on Osprey. A distant Reed Bunting was seen, while a Chaffinch landed in a bush nearby. Among the gulls on the river were a few Common Gulls. A Meadow Pipit displayed over the cow field. As we walked back to the car park we added Coal Tit and a few Common Terns well out across the Basin, and a few Grey Herons roosting around the edges again. Back at the car we discussed what to do next before settling on heading to Ferryden and walking out to Scurdie Ness in the hope of some seabirds offshore.
Collared Dove and House Sparrow were seen at Barnhead as we drove to Ferryden. Dunnock and an adult Sedge Warbler were spotted as we wandered out towards the lighthouse. I found a half-hidden fledgling Sedge Warbler among a patch of brambles. There were a few Oystercatchers along the water's edge but disappointingly few terns coming and going. Eiders were offshore, and on the rocks, with a few ducklings among the groups. I spotted half a dozen Turnstones on rocks as we neared the lighthouse. A shower of rain threatened just as we reached the buildings around the Ness and we sought comparitive shelter in the lee of a small shed. Thankfully, the rain mostly skirted us and we stayed mostly dry.
A Rock Pipit was next onto the list and a family group of Goosanders, mostly almost fully grown youngsters were seen just beyond the rocks. Nat spotted a very distant Gannet well out over the sea and more scanning eventually resulted in a Fulmar being added. Among the Eiders out on the sea were a few Guillemots but there was little else. A few Meadow Pipits with beakfuls of caterpillars to feed their young were by the track on the way back, while a few Linnets and Swallows also gave us brief views. Better views of an adult Sedge Warbler were also had.
After lunch we decided to head for Lunan Bay and a visit to the ADBC hide. Feral Pigeons and a roadside Song Thrush were picked up en route. A roadkill Stoat was seen lying in the road as we neared the parking spot for the hide. A Whitethroat was near the chicken runs. Rather unsurprisingly, there wasn't a great deal out on the water in the Bay either, with no Scoters at all seen. Given the numbers up in Aberdeenshire this was a bit of a surprise. On the beach a few Herring Gulls and a Black Headed Gull stood around. Nearby a trio of Sandwich Terns (two of which were ringed) and a Common Tern were joined by a few Kittiwakes before a rather heavy rain shower hit. A few of the Kittiwakes stood with their bills pointed upwards into the rain, though whether they were open or closed it was impossible to tell from our angle. A string of 6 Curlews flew by once the rain had stopped, looking strangely orange.
Despite lots of scanning it proved impossible to conjure up much more than a few Guillemots and a Shag out in the Bay, so we headed back to the car again, stopping to look at a dead Mole by the cottages. We settled on popping to Auchmithie to see if we could get decent views of Puffins offshore from the beach. We did stop to look at, and listen to, a singing Corn Bunting on the wires above the roadside on the way there. At Auchmithie we wandered along the pebble beach, slipping and sliding as the pebbles shifted and moved below our feet. Above us on the cliffs there were plenty of Herring Gulls and Fulmars. A few Guillemots flew by. Out on the water were 2 groups of Puffins, one of 8 and one of 4, with a single bird very close into the rocks. I eventually managed to get a spot to shoot a short video clip while balanced precariously, me and camera, on a few 'plum-duff' rocks above a small rock-pool.
A rumble of thunder offshore and threatening looking clouds creeping over the edge of the cliffs persuaded us that it was probably time to head back to the car and head for home. Thankfully we stayed dry on our way back up the steep steps. A brief stop at Arbroath added nothing and we headed homewards around 1610. 62 species seen, including the hoped for year-tick (in bold).
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| Spoonbill |
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| Stock Dove |
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| Wasps |
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| Sedge Warbler |
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| Sedge Warbler |
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| Eider |
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| Goosander |
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| Goosander |
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| Goosander |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Sedge Warbler |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Sandwich Tern, Common Tern & Kittiwake |
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| Kittiwake & Sandwich Tern |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Puffin |
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| Puffin |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Puffin, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Sedge Warbler, Shag, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush,
Spoonbill, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Turnstone, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
