As with last year, my mid-week outings with Nat are on hold for the next wee while owing to her having other commitments. With less than favourable weather forecast (strong winds, cold temperatures and the chance of rain) and the best birds being out of reach via public transport, it meant that if I wanted to get out and about I would have to weigh up my options. After checking the weather forecast again when I got out of bed I decided that I would head to the coast to search for an off-course Iceland Gull in one of the gull flocks along the Angus coast.
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| Peregrine |
It was after 1030 when I headed out. Birds were few and far between. A few Herring Gulls were seen hanging in the wind above the houses but only a single Woodpigeon in a bare tree was added before I reached Swannie Ponds. I had decided to start my gull search there and then head to Arbroath Road to catch a bus to Balmossie, then on to either Arbroath or Westhaven. There were plenty of Black Headed Gulls, some Herring Gulls, a single Common Gull, the Mute Swan family, five Goosanders (one of which was a drake), Mallards, Tufted Ducks, a pair of Coots and a Moorhen. The only ringed Black Headed Gull appeared to be white J4U2.
I didn't hang around in the cold, instead I set off for the Arbroath Road. A Blue Tit was heard from a tree behind me, but I didn't stop to see if I could see it. There were two Carrion Crows on chimneys, and a singing Chaffinch in a small tree in a garden was a surprise, given the conditions. I made it to the bus stop just in time to catch a bus which was only going as far as Dobbies Garden Centre. As I was only going as far as Balmossie initially, this wasn't a problem. Feral Pigeon and an Oystercatcher in flight over Dawson Park were added from the bus.
At Balmossie, there were a few House Sparrows around in the gardens and a large-ish flock of Starlings in a tree, along with a couple of Woodpigeons. I found the tide already quite far in, so there wasn't too much to see, with Black Headed and a Common Gull along the edge of the water, with an Oystercatcher roost further along the beach. There was little point in hanging around, so I headed back to try and catch a bus to Arbroath or Westhaven, though Arbroath looked to be the better choice given the tide state already. A pair of Magpies flew over as I reached the bus stop, with a small flock of Goldfinches going in the opposite direction as the bus arrived a few minutes later.
There were Curlews on the practice golf range as the bus left Monifieth. A small group of unidentified finches lifted from a stubble field as the bus passed, and a few Jackdaws were seen. A male Pheasant wandered through the stubble next to the first house in Barry village. There was a much larger group of finches (or similar) seen behind the houses further along the road and another smaller group went unidentified in Carnoustie. An unexpected Great Black Backed Gull was hanging around beside the fast food restaurant as the bus headed into Arbroath, after turning off the main road.
I walked down to the harbour area from the bus station, picking up the first Blackbird of the day on the way. There were Herring Gulls and Great black Backed Gulls dotted around with Black Headed Gulls to the east of the harbour. The sea was rather wild, so I stood well back and scanned, but there were only the gulls to be seen. I found a pair of Cormorants in the harbour before setting off to walk along to the cliffs. A party of five Redshanks were joined by a single Turnstone, and a Curlew was seen a little further on. Out on the sea, and above the waves, there appeared to be nothing to see. A group of six Linnets dropped in to land on the sea wall. A single Guillemot flew low and fast eastwards just in front of the breaking waves, and another group of Redshanks and a single Turnstone were also seen. I was careful not to spook a roosting flock of Oystercatchers and Black Headed Gulls.
Nearing the cliffs, there was an area of fairly calm water where a small group of Eiders were added to the list. A Rock Pipit scurried along the path ahead of me. Two Knot dropped in close to the sea wall but I chose to leave the camera in my backpack. The light was poor, and the bird seemed rather wary, so I kept walking. Yellow ringed Herring Gull T:524 was in the exact spot I've seen it in the past, on the corner of the wall at the ramp down to the shore near the cliffs. Heading uphill, there was a single pair of Fulmars on the cliffs, but it was difficult holding the binoculars steady to scan out over the sea. Movement seemed limited to the odd gull. A Skylark was flushed from the stubble field, followed by a Meadow Pipit. I walked on a bit along the cliffs but there was appeared to be no point in continuing much further as there was still nothing to see out on, or above, the water.
Heading back down the gradual slope towards the esplanade, I stopped to scan and found a Red Throated Diver and a Guillemot out on the water. I managed to take a few photos of both (to illustrate this blog) and as I was about to continue on, I spotted a bird above me. A Peregrine, and not too high above me. It was hanging almost stationary in the wind, and I attempted to get some photos. As usual in colder conditions, the camera/lens combination decided it didn't want to cooperate. I managed a few photos but the next batch were all out of focus. The bird then went into a bit of a stoop, disappearing beyond the cliff edge at the corner of the field. When it appeared again, it had been joined by a second Peregrine.
The pair drifted slowly overhead again, and there was a spot of interaction between the pair, allowing me to get both birds together in a photo or two. Eventually the birds climbed higher into the sky above the field behind me, before then dropping down out of sight to the northeast. A rather nice surprise to see both so close, and it made up for the lack of birds so far. Looking at the photos at home I was surprised to see a pinkish tone to the undersides on both birds. I soon realised it was dust from the red sandstone cliffs where the birds had no doubt been perched. I found a second Red Throated Diver and another Guillemot offshore along with a pair of Eider before I walked back along the esplanade. Rock Pipits, Eider and gulls were all that were seen on the way and I tried again around the harbour, drawing a blank, though adding a Pied Wagtail to the list. I headed to the bus station and decided to head for home, rather than my original plan of Westhaven.
37 species seen, and not many photos taken, but I've certainly had less interesting days and the Peregrine encounter was quite probably some of the longest views I've had of the species in the air, and it was especially nice to see them so close. It shows that no matter how unpromising a day might look, there is always a very good chance that there will be something worth seeing if you do get out and about.
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Fulmar |
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| Guillemot |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Eider |
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| Pied Wagtail |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Eider, Fulmar, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Knot, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Skylark, Starling, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Woodpigeon.
