0424 : Out Came The Sun (26/7/17)

Although heavy rain had been forecast to last most of the day on my midweek day off this week, I realised that it might be possible to squeeze in a bit of birding for a few hours from around 1400 when the rain looked like petering out and there was even a chance of some sunshine. By paying attention to an almost real-time radar map of rain, I was able to see that if I headed out for about 1400 I could watch the tide rise at Guardbridge. I hoped that there might be an interesting wader or two among the increasing numbers of waders.

Dunlin & Turnstone
I headed out at around 1345 to catch the bus into town, hoping to catch the St Andrews bus around 1400. It was still raining when I left and birds were keeping a low profile. A Blackbird was first onto the list as I waited for a bus, then a Woodpigeon and Herring Gull were seen from the bus. A Lesser Black Backed Gull and Feral Pigeons were watched around the bus station. Cormorants were seen on Submarine Rock, with a Carrion Crow on the grass verge at the Fife end of the Tay bridge. Jackdaw was added as the bus passed through Leuchars.

A Swift zipped over as I got off the bus and with the sun shining now I headed into the hide. I had hoped that the work going on beyond the fence to the north of the hide would have been rained off, but found that it was still ongoing, limiting the likelihood of birds coming in close to the hide. I had chosen to bring my scope and tripod with me so that I would be able to identify birds at distance, as most were likely to be. Thankfully the birds at the feeders didn't need a scope to see them and within the first few minutes as I unpacked the scope etc I had already seen Great Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Tree Sparrow and Blue Tit.

I opened the window once the scope and tripod were set up. A Black Headed Gull was gliding around above the river. A couple of Lapwings were on the far bank, and a Grey Heron waded along further downstream. There were a trio of Mute Swans on the water and I scanned the shoreline opposite finding a few Oystercatchers and a Curlew or two. A large flock of Lapwings wheeled around to the south of the bridge before drifting out of sight again. A Common Sandpiper flew low over the river in characteristic fluttering style. A Cormorant fishing had drawn the attention of two large and hungry Great Black Backed Gulls. The large flatfish the Cormorant had surfaced with looked rather too big to swallow easily. However, the aggressive attentions of the gulls hastened the departure of the fish down the throat of the Cormorant and the gulls swam off, leaving the Cormorant to attempt to get the fish further down its neck and into its stomach.

There were a number of Mallards and a few Goosanders alongside the Herring Gulls and Black Headed Gulls down near the bend in the river while up towards the bridge were a large flock of Redshanks. There was nothing obviously different among the ones I could see from the hide but I hoped that as the tide rose the birds would relocate to where I could see them better. More scanning with the scope found a pair of Shelducks with only a single youngster in tow. There were a couple of very distant Red Breasted Mergansers and a few Eiders well downriver. A trio of small waders landed on the mud at a similar distance. Size and behaviour suggested Dunlin, but the light and distance meant i couldn't be certain.

I didn't have to wait too long to find a few Dunlin, with a small group appearing opposite along with increasing numbers of Redshanks moving from upriver. A Swallow swept low over the water. A few miles out I could see the distinctive white shapes of Gannets diving in St Andrews Bay. A small group of Linnets flew over the hide and a Common Gull glided past. I was joined by a couple of regulars in the hide, the McPhersons from Peat Inn, who I run into here quite often and who are always chatty. As we chatted I found a Turnstone among the Dunlins and Redshanks across the river from the hide. Unexpected but not unprecedented. A Pied Wagtail was on the grass behind the pub.

I happened to be looking down the slope below the hide just as a Kingfisher flew past low over the water. A Sand Martin circled round a few times before disappearing westwards over the hide. More scanning as the water levels rose gradually found the orange of a Black Tailed Godwit catching my eye. We later found another four. A Little Egret was spotted out on the salt marsh among the Curlews. We heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling a couple of times but failed to see it. A pair of Magpies flew across the river and into the former papermill site.

As the tide rose further the Dunlin numbers increased as did the Redshanks but apart from a slightly different looking Dunlin there didn't appear to be anything out of the very ordinary among the wader flocks. A pair of Common Sandpipers showed across the river as the waders moved round the bend and a second, and then third Little Egret were found on the saltmarsh . The McPhersons left around 1630 and I headed for home around 15 minutes later. A House Martin was one final addition from the bus home from the City Centre.

A decent enough couple of hours birding even though there was nothing particularly unusual and not many good photo opportunities to be had, with a total of 41 species seen.

Cormorant & Great Black Backed Gull

Cormorant & Great Black Backed Gull

Turnstone & Redshank

Dunlin, Redshank, Black Tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Black Headed Gull & Little Egret

Dunlin, Redshank, & Curlew

Redshank & Dunlin

Dunlin & Redshank

Dunlin & Redshank

Magpie

Linnet

Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Gannet, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Swallow, Swift, Tree Sparrow, Turnstone, Woodpiegon.

0423 : Hoping For A Hoopoe (24/7/17)

I hadn't been very long back at home on Sunday evening when my mobile phone rang. This is quite unusual anyway - with text messages and Facebook messenger being the usual means of contact used these days. It was Jacqui. She had mentioned that she was going out on Monday with Willie and Anne Irvine to see some birds but that they hadn't yet decided where. In conversation with Anne, Jacqui had mentioned the Hoopoe at Crainlarich that because of changes to the Birdguides website I couldn't originally discover where it had even been seen, though with a 'region' showing as Forth it couldn't be too far away. I subscribed to Rare Bird Alert's app due to frustration with Birdguides (still ongoing as of Wednesday - changes implemented on Thursday last week, but still no fix!) and discovered it was just north of Crianlarich. Roughly 2 hours away. Unexpectedly, Willie had agreed to try for it, so with a cracking weather forecast for Monday, it was hoping for a Hoopoe time.

Red Kite
With pick-up arranged for around 0910 at City Quay I headed out just after 0845 into warm sunshine. Swifts screamed high overhead and a Lesser Black Backed Gull unusually went on the list before Herring Gull, which was added a few minutes later after Feral Pigeon. Blackbird, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow were all added before I reached City Quay, seconds before Willie, Anne & Jacqui arrived. Off we went westwards full of hope that in a few hours we would have had nice views and maybe managed to get a few photos of a Hoopoe in the sunshine.

 Heading towards Perth we added Swallow, Oystercatcher, Grey Heron and a couple of Buzzards to the list. Continuing west of Perth we were able to put a few more onto the list with Jackdaw, Rook, Wren, House Martin and Starling all seen. We kept a look-out for Red Kites as we neared Comrie but it looked like we were going to draw a blank before Willie spotted a tractor ploughing a field and said there was a good chance of one following the tractor. Seconds later, a red Kite showed really well gliding along near the car, though with traffic behind us we were unable to stop for photos. Mallards were seen at Loch Earn but it was otherwise very quiet.

Having studied Google Earth, and especially Streetview, the previous evening I knew exactly what we were looking for in terms of where the entrance to the farm where the Hoopoe had been seen was, and we found it without difficulty. Willie had a chat to someone at the farm to make sure we were ok to park the car where we were. He also found out that the bird hadn't been seen since Sunday afternoon once the weather had cleared up a bit. Undeterred we had a wander round looking for places the bird might be. There were Pied Wagtails, Swallows, House Martins, House Sparrows and Swifts to be seen before we even started exploring but no sign of any Hoopoe.

There were two crows in a field which one of the pair appeared to be a Hooded Crow - a year-tick for me. Unfortunately, a walk later proved that this bird was in fact a youngster being fed by a Carrion Crow and when it flew the views showed it to be at best a hybrid. As we explored around about the farm area I spotted a small walled graveyard with a couple of trees in the centre on the hillside. Movement of a bird flying onto the wall at the top of the cemetery caught my attention and I moved to get a better view. It turned out to be a juvenile Whinchat. As I wandered closer I added a young spotted Flycatcher and a couple of Meadow Pipits (at least one possibly being a young Tree Pipit though the bill base being yellow suggested Meadow, though pink legs and a short rear claw point towards Tree). A male Chaffinch also showed well here.

There were plenty of birds flying around with Tree Pipit, Goldfinch, Siskin and Lesser Redpoll all heard first then seen. Still no Hoopoe though. I wandered back down the track and managed to find a skulking Willow Warbler, as well as another young Whinchat and had better views of the frustratingly 'not Hooded' crows. Willie set up his scope by the car and did manage to find a pair of Hooded Crows high up on the hill near a pair of Ravens which flew over us shortly after. A Robin, Song Thrush and a Kestrel put in appearances but we eventually gave up on Hoopoe after we had something to eat and decided to head back through Perthshire.

We had decent views of Hooded Crows from the car near Loch Tay and a detour up and over the hills into Glen Quaich proved to be incredibly frustrating with no birds seen at all, until we neared the bottom of the hill on the other side where a Meadow Pipit or two finally put in an appearance. A stop by the burn a little further on added Lapwing, Linnet, Yellowhammer and 3 Sparrowhawks. We moved on a bit further stopping to photograph a Red Kite circling near the road by a field where a tractor was busy. A van stopped and Willie blethered away to the driver as we took photos of a Brown Hare in the field. A party of Pheasants were nearby. Black Headed and Common Gulls were also seen here. The original Red Kite disappeared behind trees and a short while later seemed to reappear. However, this was a second bird with a full forked tail unlike the rather untidy tail of the original bird.

There were no grouse, either red or black seen, though we did stop briefly near Loch Freuchie where I spotted Great Crested Grebe (1 adult & a youngster) on the water. Further along we found a large group of Canada Geese in a field with another large group on the water near the far "corner". Greylags were seen in a sheep field a bit further on also and Curlews were seen on the other side of the road. The glen itself was just slightly too busy with walkers and cars to deliver on its usual quality and quantity. Sand Martin was seen as we headed back onto the main road at Amulree. To avoid traffic in Perth, Jacqui suggested a stop at Loch of the Lowes on our way back home. We diverted to see the Fallow Deer at the Hilton hotel in Dunkeld first.

There were 3 Ospreys around the nest at Loch of the Lowes and an adult landed briefly on the nest, giving us a total of 4. At the feeders were a few Pheasants and Mallards as well as a Red Squirrel but it was quiet. Great Crested Grebes, Tufted Ducks and Mallards were the only birds seen out on the Loch. We moved on again after about 20 minutes, Mute Swan was seen on one of the Lochs on the road towards Blairgowrie and a Collared Dove was seen on a roadside house. Another Grey Heron was seen at the Isla near Coupar Angus but there were no further additions before Willie dropped me off in Dundee.

A really good day out, with a year-tick (in bold) among the 50 species seen, even if it wasn't the lifer hoped for. Photo opportunities were minimal though if I'd chosen to spend a few more minutes around the small graveyard I probably could have added some nice shots.

Whinchat

Spotted Flycatcher

Whinchat

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

Chaffinch

Carrion Crow & Hooded Crow hybrid

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Hooded Crow hybrid

Whinchat

Red Admiral

Raven

Whinchat

Red Kite

Brown Hare

Brown Hare

Buzzard

Canada Goose

Greylag Goose

Fallow Deer

Osprey

Tufted Duck

Osprey

Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Curlew, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Hooded Crow, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Red Kite, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Siskin, Song Thrush, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tree Pipit, Tufted Duck, Whinchat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

0422 : A Little Birding (23/7/17)

The weather of late has not been great for getting out and about for some birding. On the plus side, we are still in the relatively quiet 'lull' before Autumn migration kicks in properly, though the trickle of waders moving through is beginning to increase its rate of flow. The weekend just past was looking like being another write-off but as the weather started to improve around 1530 on Sunday I received a Facebook message from Jacqui, asking if I fancied a trip down to Westhaven in the hope of getting some photos of Little Gulls still in breeding plumage with their black heads. We arranged to meet at 1600 for a couple of hours worth of birding.
 
Little Gull

With a football match on there weren't many places for Jacqui to be able to stop without blocking a road, so we arranged to meet at one of the regular pick-up points a bit further away. I headed out just after 1545 for the 10 minute walk. Not unexpectedly there weren't too many birds showing at this time in the afternoon, the exceptions being the ubiquitous Herring Gulls, with the only slightly less commonly seen Woodpigeons and Feral Pigeons. There were still a few Swifts high overhead. Once we got underway I added Carrion Crow, Starling, House Martin, Blackbird, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Swallow and Rook to the list between Dundee and Carnoustie. House Sparrow was seen in Westhaven.

We scanned from the small car park first. There was a Cormorant atop one of the poles offshore, while further out a raft of Eiders in eclipse plumage could be seen. Black Headed Gulls and a single Common Gull were squabbling over something by the water's edge. Turnstones picked around among the seaweed. A young Common Tern was perched on another pole, and a Mallard bobbed around near the beach. Further out a few Gannets passed by, as did a number of Kittiwakes. There were a few Pied Wagtails picking around on the beach. We wandered along what little of the beach was still above water before moving up to the edge of the field. This had two benefits - less chance of disturbing the birds roosting further along the beach and a lot easier to walk on than sand.

A trio of Whimbrels flew past westwards. I stopped to scan out to sea again and added a Fulmar this time. A Stock Dove was seen north of the railway line as a train passed. Curlew and Oystercatcher were seen on the beach ahead of us, along with a large group of Mallards, Redshanks and Goosanders. Unfortunately, some of the birds decided that we were a threat and the more wary of their number either took flight or took to the water, though the more relaxed birds merely kept an eye on us as we passed by along the edge of the field. Among the birds that flew off were four Common Sandpipers. A Linnet lifted from among the Ragwort and assorted vegetation as we headed for the mouth of the Craigmill Burn. There were a large number of Gulls roosting there and we had to be wary of flushing them all.

A pair of Sandwich Terns called loudly as they passed east along the line of the beach. A Skylark flew away from us from among the vegetation as we neared the burn. Some of the gulls lifted briefly but quickly settled again as they spotted us. We were however able to get down to near the top edge of the beach where we could sit and scan through the gulls and other birds without flushing them again. I found a few Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper relatively close to where we were and a Herring Gull with a yellow leg ring (T:86H) perched on a rock (this was ringed as a chick in July 2015 near Montrose Harbour).

There were also a few Great Black Backed Gulls, as well as Kittiwakes and Black Headed Gulls. A single Lesser Black Backed Gull was also among the throng. It didn't take too long to find a Little Gull, and within a few minutes I had 3 black hooded adult birds and a 1st Summer all close together. A juvenile Sandwich Tern stood next to them showed just how little these gulls really are. More scanning around found a few Sanderling feeding along the shoreline. There were a handful of Jackdaws around and a Rook was chased off by a Common Tern adult. Among the Eiders and Mallards just off the rocks I found a single drake Wigeon. A Whimbrel showed for a few seconds in a gap between rocks. Well offshore I picked up a trio of Red Throated Divers flying in towards the coast.

After just over an hour or so we decided that we were unlikely to add anything else (though as it turned out, Stuart Green added a young Great Northern Diver later in the evening) and headed back to the car, stopping for a short while to photograph Dunlin feeding just a few feet away from us. Collared Dove was one final addition as we drove off taking our total for around 2 hours birding to 41 species. Some decent photos and the chance to just sit and watch the birds had made it a worthwhile exercise.
Kittiwake

Whimbrel

Common Tern

Common Tern

Common Sandpiper

Kittiwake & Little Gull

Dunlin, Herring Gull, Redshank & Black Headed Gull

Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull & Black Headed Gull

Black Headed Gull, Sandwich Tern, Little Gull & Kittiwake

Sanderling

Kittiwake, Black Headed Gull, Little Gull & Herring Gull

Kittiwake, Whimbrel & Black Headed Gull

Little Gull & Kittiwake

Black Headed Gull, Kittiwake & Herring Gull

Common Tern & Rook

Black Headed Gull & Little Gull

Little Gull & Kittiwake

Kittiwake, Little Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Jackdaw & Herring Gull

Red Throated Diver 

Black Headed Gull

Dunlin & Turnstone

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Gull, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern, Skylark, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Turnstone, Whimbrel, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.