My midweek outings with Nat have been rather few and far between this year for a variety of reasons and I was looking forward to catching up with her this past Wednesday. However circumstances dictated it was not to be, so I had a decision to make. Where to go on public transport that could still give me a chance of adding to my year-list. I had 2 or 3 options that gave varying levels of likelihood of seeing 'new' birds. I eventually decided to explore the Angus Coast for the day.
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| Jackdaw |
It was around 0830 when I finally made it out the door which meant getting to the bus stop on the Arbroath Road for 0839 was going to be rather tight. At that time of the morning there is always the chance of the bus being late and with major roadworks in the city centre to contend with, the likelihood was that the bus wouldn't be on time. I couldn't take the chance that it would definitely be late so I knew I was going to have to maybe even break into a run to ensure I made it in time. The list for the day got off to a good start with 7 species seen within the first minute. Most of these were the usual suspects with Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull and Lesser Black Backed Gull, House Sparrow, Starling and Carrion Crow all seen in a short stretch.
Arriving at the bus stop a minute or so before the bus was due I was able to watch a male Blackbird and a Goldfinch rooting around on the grass behind the bus stop. A burst of song from a bird was familiar but it took me a moment to recognise what it actually was. A
Willow Warbler, and I could see it in the still bare branches of a small tree behind the bus stop. This was a nice stroke of luck, my first year-tick and I hadn't even made it onto the bus yet. I knew I was likely to see more of the species later anyway but it was good to get one of the targets so early on. I ha decided I would head first to Carnoustie where I would walk along to the Craigmill Burn and then up and down Craigmill Den before either heading back to Carnoustie or on to Easthaven depending on how soon a bus to Arbroath was due.
From the bus I was able to see a few more species with Blue Tit, Collared Dove, Magpie, Jackdaw and Rook all joining the earlier sightings on the list. As I walked down towards the beach at Carnoustie I was sure I could hear a Sandwich Tern's distinctive call on the cold wind. Reaching the grassy area overlooking the rocky shoreline I spotted a party of
Sandwich Terns out on the rocks. Year-tick number 2, and another easy one at that. Despite the colder than expected temperatures it was shaping up to be a decent day out. Scanning along the shore I hoped I might chance upon a Whimbrel, but my luck wasn't stretching quite that far. I did manage to add a few more species though with Oystercatcher, Eider, Cormorant and Grey Heron on the rocks along with a few Great Black Backed Gulls. Out over the sea I could see a few passing Gannets.
I headed down onto the beach after a passing dog spooked a party of Linnets in my direction. The first Pied Wagtail of the day was seen picking around on the sand. Curlew and Redshank were spotted out by the water's edge as I neared Westhaven. A Cormorant landed on one of the poles before a Rock Pipit flew past. A single Oystercatcher was the only wader on the sand though the number of dog walkers around probably played a part in that. I wandered on in the direction of the burn. A skein of Pink Footed Geese headed along the coast but still out over the water, obviously headed back home after their annual visit. Ahead of me I spied a pair of Shelducks on the beach which obviously had also seen me and waddled off towards the water's edge. A Skylark lifted from the field bordering the railway line, and a Meadow Pipit flew up from the grass behind the Murray Haulage yard.
A single drake Mallard was out on the rocks at the mouth of the burn and there were plenty of Herring Gulls also, but there was a distinct shortage of waders. I crossed the burn and headed up towards the level crossing to find that a train was due so I waited for it to pass, adding Stock Dove to my list as I did so. I checked the burn for Kingfisher but saw none, though a Dipper did fly upstream under the bridge. A Song Thrush pair flew across the burn to just below the house. I was surprised to find a trio of Teal on the burn warily watching me. Chaffinch and Great Tit were in the trees below the rather noisy rookery and the first Yellowhammer was added a bit further on. A Wren popped up across the burn before I heard and then saw another Willow Warbler singing from the top of a tree across the other side. It flew over into a nearby tree and I took a few photos.
One of the local Buzzards hung in the air above the trees towards the farm buildings at the top end of the Den. A male Bullfinch flew out of a tree next to the path and disappeared out of my sight-line round the bend. A pair of Buzzards were chased off by a number of Rooks, with one Buzzard giving me close views as it flew past me along the line of the road at the northern end of the Den. I wandered along the burn hoping for Grey Wagtail. A Dunnock was spotted first, and then a Grey Wagtail male with bright orange rings on both legs. A female Grey Wagtail was nearby along with a male Yellowhammer down for a drink.
I headed back into the Den where I heard but failed to see Long Tailed Tits. I did manage to add Robin and Blackcap to the list before a Swallow headed over. I cut up to the field to walk around the outside of the Panbride House grounds. I spooked a pair of Grey Partridges from the edge of the field but failed to add to the list before I set off for Easthaven. A male Blackcap was singing in trees by the wall at the road and gave me brief views. A few Skylarks and Rooks were seen on the walk to Easthaven but it was rather quiet. I arrived around 20 minutes before the bus to Arbroath was due, so I headed down to the beach to see if there was anything of note around.
A pair of Yellowhammers were in at the edge of the small burn which flowed down to the beach. On the beach I found a trio of Oystercatchers by the water's edge, and quite a few Pied and White Wagtails on the beach. A single Dunlin flew across the bay and disappeared in among the rocks on the beach before I wandered back to the bus stop. Coot, Mallards and a single Mute Swan were seen from the bus as we passed Keptie Ponds but I couldn't see any Tufted Ducks and I didn't really have much of a time window to explore as I wanted to catch a bus to Auchmithie in the hope of seeing Puffins, before walking back along the cliffs, with a few detours along the way, back to Arbroath.
I only had around a 15 minute wait for the bus and following the 20 minute journey I went to check the area around the football pitch behind the village. House Sparrows and a Greenfinch were easily seen here and after a bit of searching Tree Sparrow was also added. I could hear a Corn Bunting singing from somewhere to the south, but there was no obvious sign of the bird. I wandered down the hill to the bench around the half-way mark where I sat and scanned along to the north. Finding 3 black and white birds on the water, 1 of which looked Pufffin-like I took a quick photo which confirmed that in actual fact all 3 were
Puffins. My 3rd year-tick of the day, and just as easy as the first 2 as well.
Fulmars were on the cliffs as were a number of Herring Gulls, but I failed to see any more Puffins. I walked down towards the beach and was rewarded with views of the resident pair of Stonechats posing prominently atop the vegetation by the track. A surprise was a male Grey Wagtail which flew in and landed on the almost vertical face of the cliffs. Out above the water I picked up a few passing Kittiwakes. having seen most of what I was likely to around the village I decided to walk along to Windyhills Farm before taking the track down to the cliffs where I would walk south to Seaton Den. From there I'd head up through the Den then along the road to the caravan park where I'd walk down the track to East Seaton Farm and from there down the hill to Victoria Park at Arbroath.
I heard but failed to see a male Pheasant as I crossed the fields. I did manage to see a Reed Bunting though and reaching the south-west corner of the field at the main farm track I found a Corn Bunting along with a good number of Yellowhammers. One of the Yellowhammers looked rather green-ish with a very grey nape and had me wondering exactly what I'd found. Photos appeared to show just a slightly odd coloured Yellowhammer, but it did have me wondering for a few seconds. Reaching the cliffs, I scanned down into the bay where a few Guillemots and Razorbills were on the water, while on the cliffs I could see Kittiwakes nesting. A track led down from the path a short distance on and curiosity meant I had to see what I could find.
What I found was a small seabird colony that was invisible from the path, the birds on the water giving the only indication that there might be something to see. As Kittiwake was a bird I still had to get video of I took a short clip and found I'd also got Razorbill in the clip, another bird I didn't have any video of. A Shag was on the water with a mix of auks and gulls. There were also a few Fulmars nesting on the cliffs with one pair being situated next door to a Herring Gull pair with the female sitting on a nest. Uneasy neighbours I would suspect, with both being as likely to be aggressive and dangerous to the othres. At the top of the slope I found a dead Common Shrew. Nothing much else was seen until I neared Seaton Den where offshore out in the bay I spotted a pod of Dolphins. Always good to see, even if it is only their dorsal fins breaking the surface every few seconds. Seaton Den was relatively quiet though I did find a Chiffchaff near the top end. I heard a second one on the walk along the road towards the caravan park but didn't manage to see it.
The walk down the edge of the park proved to be almost fruitless with only a few Blue Tits and Chaffinches seen. A Swallow swooped around the farm buildings at West Seaton Farm. I walked along towards the cliffs where I was surprised to find a few Sand Martins hawking around near the end of the cliffs and over the nearby field for insects. I tried for a photos but the usual 'connection' problem made things tricky so I ended up with only a single worthwhile photo. Walking back along into town I stopped regularly to see if I could see anything offshore. Gannets, Kittiwakes, Cormorants and 3 Red Throated Divers took my final total for the day to 65 species, including 3 year-ticks (in bold). I stopped to photograph a pair of Jackdaws on my way along to the harbour area where there were only a selection of gulls on the water offshore at Danger Point. I headed to the bus station and home.
An enjoyable day, even if I ended up with rather tired legs after walking what turned out to be around 11 miles (measured on Google Earth out of curiosity), with 3 of the easiest year-ticks I've had all year.
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Pink Footed Geese |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Teal |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Great Tit |
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| Buzzard |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Swallow |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Blackcap |
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| White Wagtail |
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| House Sparrow |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Puffin |
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| Linnet |
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| Stonechat |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Razorbill |
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| Guillemot & Kittiwake |
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| Razorbill |
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| Fulmar |
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| Herring Gull & Fulmar |
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| Fulmar & Herring Gull |
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| Bottlenose Dolphins |
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| Sand Martin |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Jackdaw |
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| Jackdaw |
Species seen - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Coot, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dipper, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail (and White Wagtail), Pink Footed Goose,
Puffin, Razorbill, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sand Martin,
Sandwich Tern, Shag, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Swallow, Teal, Tree Sparrow,
Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
