Although the weather looked less than promising for getting out birding on Wednesday with Nat, we made arrangements on Tuesday evening to try and get out anyway. The rough plan was to visit some of the hides in Angus (Kinnordy, Murton, Balgavies, Montrose etc). Doing so would mean we would hopefully manage to stay dry and with some luck also manage to see some good birds. Nat had stuff to attend to first, so it was around 0930 when I headed out to be picked up. As it turned out, the weather forecast had improved a lot with the really heavy rain not due until the evening, though it was likely we would still encounter a few showers.
 |
| Marsh Harrier |
Swifts circled round overhead, while a Herring Gull sat atop a chimney - unlike the one the previous morning (a suspected local breeder) which had swooped at me a few times as I headed for the bus stop. My plan is to try and distract it with food - throw some scraps of bread its way and see whether it decides it can always go back for the food while 'chasing' me away. Hopefully, its instinct will be to concentrate on the food and I can continue unhindered to the bus stop. A Feral Pigeon flew up onto another roof and a Woodpigeon gazed down from a lamp post. A small group of Starlings flew up onto a different roof. I could hear House Sparrows chirping noisily but didn't look for them.
Nat turned up seconds later and we were off. Lesser Black Backed Gulls were seen on Clepington Road. Very little was seen on our way north with only Carrion Crow and a circling Buzzard added before we reached Loch of Kinnordy. Although the car park was empty there was a novice birder in the hide, and a mini-bus from Kindrogan Field Centre arrived as we headed in. As it turned out they were in search of Orchids rather than birds with Common Twayblade being their target. Out in front of the hide things were rather quiet with only a few Mallards on the water, some Mute Swans further away, a few Lapwings and not much else except Swifts, House Martins, Sand Martins and Swallows zipping around low over the water.
Nat spotted the female Marsh Harrier low over the reeds as she quartered the area, before dropping back down out of sight. A Sedge Warbler which had been singing non-stop made a couple of song flights and I finally managed to see it, Nat having seen it a few times already. She didn't stay down for long and we had good views for a few minutes. A Black Headed Gull flew along the back of the Loch and a Moorhen flew across in front of the hide and into the reeds. The Kindrogan group came in and managed to see the female Harrier. Shortly after they left the male put in an appearance. We decided that with not much happening we would wander along to the Swamp Hide. A juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker showed quite well, and a pair of Treecreepers chased around among the trees. A Blackcap was heard but proved to be rather elusive.
The vegetation at the Swamp Hide was very high meaning that it was difficult to see much. A couple of Tufted Ducks were out on the water and a Common Gull flew past. A couple of Water Rails called from very near the hide but were impossible to see. A Lapwing flew in but we decided to move on again. We had a bit more luck with the smaller birds in the trees and bushes on our way back along the track. A pair of Goldfinches were first, followed by a male Chaffinch. A singing Willow Warbler went unseen, as did a Reed Bunting. A Large Red Damselfly gave us good views as it rested on a leaf by the boardwalk. Wren was heard singing loudly but not seen.
Great Tit and Blue Tit were next to be added, along with Long Tailed Tits. We tried to get Great Spotted Woodpecker for the novice birder, and he did eventually manage a glimpse of the bird after we'd left him. Tree Sparrows were seen on the way to the East Hide, but there was nothing else to be added other than a Goldcrest high in a conifer near the feeders, though the male Marsh Harrier gave us good close views as it flew past the hide, but my camera decided to not focus and I mostly missed the possible shots. After a heavy shower of rain had passed through we headed back to the car to move on to Murton. A pair of Collared Doves were seen at the end of the road as we arrived back at Kirriemuir, with Blackbird, House Sparrow and Jackdaw seen as we passed through the streets. Rook was seen near Forfar but otherwise it was rather quiet again.
At Murton, Nat decided to stay in the car to have a spot of lunch while I headed into the hide. A Small Magpie moth was resting on the window and I took a few photos with my phone before opening the hatch to look out on the pool. Black Headed Gulls, Coots, a pair of Redshanks, a pair of Woodpigeons, a few Lapwings and some Mallards were all that was to be seen initially. The heavy rain shower arrived minutes later, meaning Nat got stuck in the car, and I got stuck in the hide until it abated a bit. A few Pied Wagtails were seen out on the algae covering large parts of the pool, and a Robin showed in the gorse near the hide. A Song Thrush was seen across the far side of the pool with a Pied Wagtail.
I spotted a Teal drake, some Greylags and a couple of groups of Lapwing youngsters of slightly different ages over at the other pool while I waited for Nat to come in. When she did, I added Yellowhammer to the list, with a male singing from a small tree nearby. We headed for the other hide once the rain had almost gone off. A couple of Redpolls displayed overhead and a pair of Dunnocks were briefly seen in a bush by the path. A Chiffchaff sang from the trees behind the small wooden hut but wasn't seen. Once inside the hide the rain decided to resume with added vigour. Nat spotted a Pink Footed Goose among the Greylags and a number of Oystercatchers flew in. A singing Reed Bunting showed well in a small bush. A Grey Heron flew in just before the rain finally went of. As it was now after 1400, we decided to call it a day rather than pop into Balgavies, and headed back down the road.
48 species seen (and a few others heard only) despite the weather and time of year, was not a bad haul, and we managed to stay dry. The Small Magpie moth was a new one for me too, so well worth heading out after all.
 |
| Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Lapwing & Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Large Red Damselfly |
 |
| Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Pied Wagtail |
 |
| Coot, Redshanks & Lapwing |
 |
| Lapwing |
 |
| Yellowhammer |
 |
| Pied Wagtail, Lapwing & Song Thrush |
 |
| Pink Footed Goose & Greylag Geese |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
Heard only - Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Water Rail, Willow Warbler, Wren.
