Having failed to see the Spotted Redshank on Friday afternoon at Guardbridge I had originally considered getting up early and over to the hide in time to catch the tide on its way in, hopefully bringing the Spotted Redshank with it. However, not for the first time, rolling over and going back to sleep won the day when the alarm went off. When I did eventually get up, a quick look at Rare Bird Alert on my phone showed that the bird had actually been seen again. I knew that it was still around high tide, so I figured if I was quick enough at getting organised I would maybe time it right to catch the tide on its way back out, hopefully with the Spotted Redshank showing nicely for me as it went.
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| Otter |
I headed out at around 1040 to catch the bus towards the town. While waiting I was able to start the lit for the day off quite nicely with House Sparrow, Herring Gull, Magpie, Starling, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and a small flock of seven Siskins overflying. Not a bad bonus bird and not one that is seen, or heard too often so close to home. The bus to Guardbridge also proved to be slightly more productive than it can be. The usual Cormorants were added as we crossed the Tay followed quickly after by Woodpigeon, then Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and a Mistle Thrush on a telegraph pole. Rook and Jackdaw added to the corvids already on the list.
I reached the hide just before 1130 and recognised the car in the car park as Adam and Lainy MacCormacks'. Sure enough, I found them inside, along with Ian Cummings. Lainy moved up a bit to let me in at the window and we chatted a bit as I got organised before starting to scan for birds. The tide was just beginning to recede so the majority of birds were still rather distant, though the Tree Sparrows and Greenfinches at the feeders were the exception. There were a few Wigeon on the water. A flock of Golden Plover landed and the Lapwings circled round above the salt marsh. I heard a Skylark calling and managed to see the little dot high in the sky.
Ian Cummings left and I moved over the the left hand end window. Another photographer, John Brown from Glenrothes, came in soon after. More scanning added the expected Redshanks as well as Black Tailed Godwits and Mallard. Black Headed, Common and Herring Gulls drifted out on the water. A Grey Heron flew out low across the increasing expanse of wet mud. A Curlew was next. Jacqui had been messaging me and decided to join me at the hide for a few hours. I squeezed up to let her in at the same window. Although I had brought my Leica scope with me, I had decided against the tripod which proved to be a wise move. A pair of Common Sandpipers flew past.
Around forty minutes of scanning later I found what I was looking for. Among the Redshanks was a single paler bellied bird which was feeding in a different manner to the birds around it. The angle it was to me, meant it was proving tricky to see the bill and the light wasn't great for detail but it looked promising. I eventually managed to get a photo confirming that it was indeed the
Spotted Redshank, and I had my year-tick. Lainy and Adam headed off around 1230, and a young female birder came in for a while. We added a flock of Goldfinches and Great Black Backed Gull to the list, as well as a rather distant Mute Swan, a flypast Grey Wagtail and Blue Tit at the feeders. A Goosander flew upriver and a small flock of Meadow Pipits headed over westwards.
Distant Oystercatcher and Shelduck were next onto the list and a Robin was seen in the Elder bush. I had now moved to the right hand window which had been vacated. A Greenshank was spotted on the shore opposite. Movement in the water in front of the hide caught John's eye and he drew our attention to the fact that there was a rather large dog Otter hunting just in front of us. Needless to say the cameras got a good bit of exercise for the next few minutes as it cruised around, sometimes pausing to look up at the source of the rapid clicking sounds it was obviously hearing. However, it wasn't phased and continued hunting before heading off further downriver. A rather nice surprise and some nice photo opportunities. A very long drawn-out skein of geese could be seen off St Andrews which I suspected might be Barnacle rather than Pink Footed Geese. Checking books later at home confirmed that it was highly likely to have been the case.
A few Teal were seen well downriver, a few minutes before I heard the Kingfisher call just before it flew low upriver past the front of the hide. A single Little Egret flew in and landed opposite us giving me yet another species for the list. I eventually managed to get Coal Tit on the list, as one quickly visited the bird-table. The White Tailed Eagle was spotted out on one of the estuary posts, just before I spotted the Otter on its way back upriver towards us. It took a few minutes more before it reached us and it was equally as chilled as it had been before with the odd glance in our direction when cameras were in use. I willed it to come out of the water onto the small area of muddy shore in front of the hide, never for a moment thinking it might. But it did, and we were able to get a few photos before the line of the wall meant we lost sight of it, though the local gulls gave its position away as they noisily chased it further down towards the bridge.
Doug Milne arrived in the hide but didn't stay long when Jacqui mentioned that the Otter had just gone upriver, though he did return around 15 minutes later before heading off once again to try to get better views of the Spotted Redshank which I'd let hime see through the scope. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew across to the conifers where it perched at the top of one of the taller trees. Both Jacqui and John headed for home, leaving me at the hide, where I was joined once again by Doug not long after. I managed to find a flock of distant Dunlin before a lengthy discussion about Doug's Canadian holiday birds and the art of fieldcraft. He too headed for home around 1615 when I was joined by a couple of older ladies.
A Great Tit finally found its way onto my list for the day, taking my total to 50 species, the target number I had latterly set for myself. As time clicked on closer towards 1700 and closing time I was able to add another couple. There was a bit of excitement out in the estuary with groups of birds flying up as a probable raptor passed through unseen by me. As I watched, a flight of 5 geese low near the western end of Balgove Bay resolved themselves into Brent Geese, which I confirmed from photos when they landed. The source of the disturbance was also finally spotted, a Peregrine. Just before 1700 I headed for the bus and home.
A rather good day out, even with the later than planned start. Fifty two species seen in total including a year-tick (in bold). The Otter encounter in particular made it a rather memorable day.
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| Black Tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank & Redshank |
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| Redshank & Spotted Redshank |
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Black Tailed Godwit, Redshank, Common Gull, Black Headed Gull & Spotted Redshank
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Wigeon, Redshank & Spotted Redshank |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Barnacle Geese |
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| Kingfisher |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Little Egret |
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| Common Sandpiper |
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| Little Egret & Black Headed Gull |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Spotted Redshank |
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| Buzzard |
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| Buzzard |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| Starling |
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| Redshank & Dunlin |
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| Grey Heron |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| Magpie |
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| Redshank |
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| Curlew |
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| Brent Geese |
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| Golden Plover |
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| Peregrine |
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| Greenshank |
Species seen - Barnacle Goose, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Brent Goose, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Little Egret, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Sparrowhawk,
Spotted Redshank, Starling, Teal, Tree Sparrow, White Tailed Eagle, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.
