Having failed to get out with the ADBC on their outing the previous Sunday to Glen Esk, I was pleased to find that the local RSPB group's May outing was this Sunday to Glen Lethnot. One of the big plusses was that they meet up to sort out lifts in Crichton Street in the city centre, which meant I didn't have to find some way of getting to Edzell first. I miss out on a lot of outings through the lack of public transport before 0900 on a Sunday morning, and not wanting to commit to definitely going and then potentially have to cancel if I'm ill.
 |
| Black Grouse |
Although there was a chance of some showers the forecast was relatively decent, and temperature-wise a bit warmer than of late. I headed out at around 0835 to walk into the city centre, though I decided to take the bus as there was one due within a few minutes.Herring Gull, Blackbird and Feral Pigeon kick-started the list and a Goldfinch was in trees by the City Square. I met up with the group and was surprised to see Nat and her pal, Liz among the crowd. Once the car sharing was sorted out I was in a car with Nat and Liz being driven by Darell. There were another 3 car loads and just after 0900 we set off northwards.
Carrion Crow and Starling were seen on the way out of Dundee with a Kestrel near Inveraldie. Jackdaw and Oystercatcher were seen between Forfar and Edzell. Swallows, House Martins and Swifts zipped around above the rooftops in Edzell and there seemed to be quite a few Collared Doves on the chimneys. We stopped to get organised with regards the plan for the day ahead and to check the wooded area next to the park. House Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Rook, Blue Tit and Robin were all seen while a singing Blackcap remained elusive.
A Skylark was seen over the fields to the west. A Whitethroat and a Sedge Warbler sang from a scrubby area across a small burn. A Black Headed Gull was seen over fields to the north. A Pied Wagtail flew past. A Song Thrush was spotted singing from a tree by the houses and a Chaffinch was one last addition before we got into the cars again to head into the Glen. Unsurprisingly we soon added Pheasant to the list and a brief stop to look for Red Kite was successful with a rather tatty looking specimen seen circling high above in the company of a Buzard. Another couple of Buzzards were also visible, and a few Lapwings were spotted over the fields. I heard and then spotted a Siskin overflying.
On we drove and into the main part of the Glen itself. A Mistle Thrush flew across the road as we passed. We stopped as a group in a relatively open area with good views of the hills to the northm though a slope behind us limited the view in that direction. A few displaying Meadow Pipits were seen, and Curlews were seen in flight along near the tops opposite. Keith Edwards heard what he thought was
Ring Ouzel calling and he soon located at least 2 of the birds near a fence on the hillside opposite and a few hundred metres away. My first Ring Ouzel of the year and one of my target species for the day. A Grey Heron overflew heading up the Glen, and a Goosander went in the opposite direction. A Kestrel glided by.
We moved on again, spotting a pair of Red Grouse in flight over the heather to the south of the road. A spot of exploration near the end of the track proved very productive with a
Cuckoo (another first for my year-list) being spotted in a tree, as well as a
Whinchat perched on the wires, which proved difficult to pin down for a few minutes. This was another first for the year for me. A few Ravens were seen over the hills to the north before we found a displaying Lesser Redpoll, part of a small group of five. A few Spotted Flycatchers and a
Tree Pipit (my fourth first of the day!) were seen flitting around along with a Willow Warbler in the trees up from the burn. We tried for Dipper but drew a blank. As we headed back to the cars a Meadow Pipit chased a Cuckoo over the top of us before turning back while the Cuckoo continued onwards across the Glen and out of sight.
As we stopped a bit further on, two Snipe took off and flew away at speed. Keith found a Reed Bunting on a fence as others watched a Common Sandpiper and a Black Grouse from down by the burn. Another Whinchat was also added here. We moved on again to the car park at the end of the road for a spot of lunch and a wander along the track in the hope of finding an unlikely Merlin. We did add Sand Martin and Wheatear, as well as a Wren and a few Lapwing chicks, and I was able to add Common Sandpiper to my own list. A Mallard overflew as did a second Grey Heron. As we headed back down the Glen we stopped again for a case of mistaken identity, but while we were stopped I noticed a pair of Black Grouse wandering around up the grassy slope.
One final stop yielded a party of Pheasant chicks with their mother and a Grey Wagtail on the burn. There was some debate about where to go next but as Graham Smith who was leading the outing had a potential location for Grasshopper Warbler we headed there with the rest of the group. We saw Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and eventually Grasshopper Warbler too here, though most of the views were of birds in flight moving between bits of cover. With 54 species on the list for the day we headed for home.
A good day out with 4 of my target species seen (in bold). Only Redstart of the possibles was missed - though it wasn't really looked for, and Ring Ouzel was a slight surprise as sightings in Glen Lethnot can be hit or miss.
 |
| Meadow Pipit |
 |
| Ring Ouzel |
 |
| Kestrel |
 |
| Meadow Pipit |
 |
| Cuckoo |
 |
| Whinchat |
 |
| Grey Heron |
 |
| Spotted Flycatcher |
 |
| Tree Pipit |
 |
| Lesser Redpoll |
 |
| Snipe |
 |
| Lapwing chick & Rabbit |
 |
| Raven |
 |
| Raven & Lapwing |
 |
| Sand Martin |
 |
| Black Grouse |
 |
| Pheasant chick |
 |
| Pheasant & chicks |
 |
| Whitethroat |
Species seen - Black Grouse, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Sandpiper,
Cuckoo, Curlew, Goldfinch, Goosander, Grasshopper Warbler, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Redpoll, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Red Grouse, Red Kite, Reed Bunting,
Ring Ouzel, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Siskin, Skylark, Snipe, Song Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Swallow, Swift,
Tree Pipit, Wheatear,
Whinchat, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.
