Having done a minimal amount of birding on Saturday, I did hope to get out and about on Sunday, though once again I slept later than I had intended. A facebook message from Jacqui woke me up at around 0900 or so. I had apparently already managed to sleep through one sent an hour earlier, but this one somehow managed to wake me. Jacqui suggested a trip to Kinnordy but with both Iceland and Glaucous Gull having been seen at Arbroath, I wanted the opportunity to get them both for my year-list, so suggested that as an alternative. Thankfully, Jacqui agreed, sparing me the long drawn-out bus journey along the coast. We arranged to meet up at about 1100 and head to Arbroath.
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| Corn Bunting |
I headed out at around 1050. There were still some icy patches on the pavements though most of the snow had melted. I chose to take the route most likely to have been cleared and gritted, though this meant a slightly longer walk. A Blackbird was the first bird onto the list for the day, followed by a Blue Tit. I spotted a group of birds perched in a tree but didn't have time to investigate, though they could have been Waxwings. A Herring Gull was slightly later than usual onto the list, followed a few minutes later by Feral Pigeons. Nearing the car park where I was meeting Jacqui I added Great Tit and Chaffinch. I had heard Great Tits a few times on the walk down, which was slightly unusual.
We set off for Arbroath, adding Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow before too long, and then Oystercatchers and Curlews and Common Gulls on the football pitches as we neared the Claypotts junction. Jacqui spotted our first Buzzard of the day on a fencepost as we headed along the dual carriageway, and a Mistle Thrush flew out from a roadside tree a few miles further on. Rooks were in a field as we neared our destination. A few Jackdaws were on the roofs near the harbour as we found a parking space.
We headed first to Danger Point to scan through any birds nearby. Herring Gulls and Great Black Backed Gulls mingled on the rocks, rooftops and also on the water, but there was no sign of either of the hoped for duo. We added Starlings, Shags, Black Headed Gulls, Redshanks, Rock Pipits and Grey Wagtail as we scanned around, but we were having no luck, nor did it appear anyone else was. A drake Eider was out on the sea, and Jacqui spotted a Dunlin sleeping which when it woke up had a rather long and slightly curved bill, but was still only a Dunlin. We later found another three with similar sized bills.
We wandered along the harbour to check the breakwater but only added a couple of Grey Herons and and a few Turnstones, though there were other large gulls stood around also. With no sign of either of our targets we discussed our options. I suggested we give it a few more minutes and just seconds later picked up a large gull flying through a few hundred metres out from the harbour.
Glaucous Gull, a youngster, and a year-tick for me. It tracked along until it caught up with a fishing boat, and we walked back to the car with one of our targets in the bag. A flotilla of 4 Mute Swans swam in line astern past the mouth of the harbour. We stopped to film and photograph a singing Dipper on the burn. A second bird had joined it when we walked back to the car later.
We joined a couple of ADBC members looking for the Iceland Gull. Cormorants and Golden Plovers were added but the Iceland Gull remained frustratingly elusive. We decided to move on. Having driven past the Auchmithie junction and the field where we'd seen Golden Plover the week before, Jacqui spotted birds on the wires by the Kinaldie Cattery and Kennels. Stopping the car the first bird I looked at was a
Corn Bunting, perched alongside a House Sparrow. There were at least another 6 Corn Buntings. Jacqui pulled into the small car park where we added Dunnock and Wren as well.
It was fortunate that we had found the Corn Buntings at Kinaldie as there were none to see at Boghead Farm. There were Chaffinches, Yellowhammers, Tree Sparrows and Goldfinches but no Corn Buntings. A large flock of Woodpigeons could be seen whirling round towards the coast. Moving on again we found what was probably the very same quartet of Grey Partridges in the field near the turn off for Inverkeillor. This time they hunkered down to hide from us as we got out the car to take a few photos. I suspected that they were far enough into the field to not feel threatened enough to fly off, and so it proved, though we only lingered for around 20 seconds. Long enough to take a couple of photos before setting off again.
We decided to pop into the Bank of Scotland hide at Montrose Basin. This week the gate to the car park was open, so we parked inside and walked down to the empty hide. Mallards and a Redshank were on one of the pools. A pair of Goosander were out in the Basin. Further out were large numbers of Pink Footed Geese. A Red Breasted Merganser drake flew past. Jacqui spotted a Peregrine rocket through which put up a flock of Lapwings and some Dunlin from Rossie Spit. I found a large group of Pintail off to the west of the visitor centre. Jacqui then spotted the Kingfisher perched along to our left and we watched it catch a fish, before we once again moved on.
The sea off Montrose beach was almost empty of birds except for a small number of Common Scoters, Long Tailed Ducks and 5 Red Breasted Mergansers. A few Black Headed and Herring Gulls drifted past, but the tide was already too far in for any likelihood of us seeing the Black Redstart which had been seen the previous day if it was still around. A Wren did pop out into the open for a second onto the seawall but we soon moved on again. Collared Dove was added during a brief stop at Ferryden, before we moved on to check the gull roost at Lunan Bay. A Stock Dove was on Red Castle and a Song Thrush, some Blue Tits, House Sparrows, Goldfinches and Chaffinches were seen around the houses.
The gulls on the beach were almost all Common Gulls, though there were a few Herring Gulls and Black Headed Gulls. There were a number of Sanderlings on the beach also. A minute or so after we arrived in the hide, the gulls all took flight and headed out onto the water. I found 3 Wigeon out in the bay as well as small group of Shags. There were some Common Scoters out in the bay also, and one or two Long Tailed Ducks were seen flying in to join them. Jacqui had a possible Slavonian Grebe but lost sight of it behind the dunes and we failed to re-find it. I did manage to find a Red Throated Diver before we headed back to the car.
A Fulmar flew in from the sea towards Red Castle as we walked back. A Kestrel was on wires near the Inverkeillor junction and a little further on, Jacqui spotted a Great Spotted Woodpecker near the top of a roadside telegraph pole. A flock of Linnets wheeled round from wires, down into a roadside field and up and away again a few times before settling in a distant tree. Back at Arbroath, despite plenty of hunting around we failed to find the Iceland Gull, or the Glaucous Gull, though we had good views of Black Headed Gulls, Turnstones and Redshanks on the beach, with Great Black Backed Gulls, Pied Wagtails and Rock Pipits around the harbour. As the light started to fade we decided to call it a day and headed back to Dundee. I heard Redwings calling near home but failed to see them.
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Mute Swans |
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| Herring Gulls & Great Black Backed Gulls |
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| Dunlin |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Glaucous Gull |
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| Dipper |
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| Dunlin & Redshank |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Reed Buntings |
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| Reed Buntings & Goldfinches |
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| Grey Partridge |
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| Kingfisher |
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| Peregrine |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Sanderling |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Common Gull |
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| Linnet |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
61 species seen, including 2 year-ticks (in bold) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant,
Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dipper, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar,
Glaucous Gull, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Linnet, Long Tailed Duck, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Pintail, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Shag, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Tree Sparrow, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
(Had a house list tick earlier in the day when I heard and then watched a Coal Tit in trees nearby while preparing breakfast).
