Well, 2017 seemed to promise much but then failed to live up to that apparent promise with chances not taken for a variety of reasons, though lack of birding friends with transport (and similar targets/interest levels) available to go birding at crucial times of the year was the main killer for what could have easily been a record breaking year for me. As it has worked out I've finished the year just 1 species behind my best ever total anyway but no trips to the Ythan Estuary or Speyside this year deprived me of Little Tern and Crested Tit at least, and likely other good birds too. On the plus side I did manage a few trips for birds that would previously have required a lift, but proved doable by public transport/on foot and will probably be done the same way in 2018. So on with the review of the year.....
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| Waxwing |
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| Jay |
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| Jack Snipe |
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| Shorelark |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| Surf Scoter & Common Scoter |
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| Dipper |
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| Red Kite |
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| White Fronted Goose |
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| Mediterranean Gul |
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| Brent Goose |
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| Pintail |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Glaucous Gull |
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| Stoat |
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| Crossbill |
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| Raven |
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| Mountain Hare |
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| Ptarmigan |
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| Ring Necked Duck |
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| Fallow Deer |
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| Twite |
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| Mandarin |
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| Hooded Merganser |
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| Nuthatch |
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| Brambling |
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| Red Throated Diver |
January started off well, with an early start on the 1st giving me an unexpected pair of Blackcaps, a small group of Waxwings and Brent Geese among the 55 species I managed to get on foot around Dundee. Meeting up with Jacqui in Broughty Ferry meant I was able to add another 9 at Riverside Nature Park including Jack Snipe and Snipe. The 2nd was less successful, but a trip to Tentsmuir on the 3rd gave me Shorelark, White Tailed Eagle, Surf Scoter and Slavonian Grebes amongst others taking me to within touching distance of 100 species in only 3 days. I managed to cross that threshold on the 4th in and around St Andrews with a very tame Dipper at the Lade Braes burn being the main highlight resulting in some close photos despite the really poor light under the trees.
A trip to the Angus Glens with Jacqui on the 8th added Raven, Black Grouse, Red Grouse and Red Kite. My first trip out with Nat of 2017 saw us find a couple of White Fronted Geese at Letham Pools and a hoped for Mediterranean Gull at Buckhaven. I was back out with Jacqui on the 15th and we successfully twitched the Glaucous Gull at Arbroath and found Corn Buntings near Auchmithie. Crossbills were a nice addition at Montreathmont Forest with Nat on the 18th and an ermine coated Stoat showed well at Montrose Basin. Jacqui had suggested we try for Ptarmigan at Glenshee on the 19th and we got exceedingly lucky with conditions with blue sky, temperatures above freezing and little wind. This meant that we comfortably found a showy pair near the top of one of the Munros near the ski centre. With those quickly added, along with nice views of Mountain Hares, we cut across country to Pitlochry and Killiecrankie for Ring Necked Duck and Nuthatch. Fallow Deer gave us amazing close views at Dunkeld Hydro Hotel.
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| Peregrine |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Skylark |
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| Red Breasted Merganser |
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| Great Northern Diver |
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| Little Egret, Shelduck & Curlew |
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| Robin |
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| Hawfinch |
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| American Wigeon |
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| Barnacle Goose |
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| Smew |
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| "Sinensis" Cormorant |
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| Pochard |
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| Red Necked Grebe |
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| Goosander |
Another suggestion from Jacqui was to head west to Balloch where her daughter had seen Mandarin Ducks so we arranged for an early start on the Sunday. The weather forecast hadn't predicted the snow that we found ourselves passing through en route. We easily found the ducks then headed to Lochwinnoch where a Hooded Merganser drake had been lingering and there was a chance of Hen Harrier and Brambling. A chance encounter with a friend of Stuart Green's got us the Merganser and we managed to get Brambling at the feeders (and Nuthatch too). We headed the dozen or so miles to the Ayrshire coast to try for Black Guillemot though we had to settle for Lesser Black Backed Gull. Another trip out with Jacqui on the 25th gave us flight views of a single Lapland Bunting with Skylarks near Crail. My first lifer of the year.
February was rather quieter than January had been with fewer target species to try for. A trip to Arbroath on the 8th on a blustery day looked to have been a waste of effort but a pair of Peregrines hanging in the air above me for a minute or so at the cliffs made up for the overall lack of birds. An attempt for Snow Buntings at Tentsmuir proved fruitless though the Great Northern Diver I found in the Tay was a nice bonus bird. The 17th saw me heading for Scone Palace by bus to try for Hawfinch which I eventually managed to get. The ADBC outing had drawn a blank earlier in the month. Another trip with Jacqui was made on the 19th to Gaddon Loch for American Wigeon and unlike 2016, the bird showed really well in the sunshine giving me the best photo opportunities I've had of the species.
The 22nd saw my first attempt at Loch of Kinnordy by bus. It did prove successful with the drake Smew being seen within the first 10 minutes in the hide. A chance encounter with an older birder resulted in a trip along to Lintrathen to try and find the Red Necked Grebe which had been lingering. We were successful though the white-knuckle drive (there and) back wasn't something I'd be keen to repeat any time soon. A trip to Lothian with Jacqui on 12th March to try for Water Pipit and Black Necked Grebe proved unsuccessful though the Iceland Gull and Wheatear at Skateraw did make up for it to a degree. I do have a couple of photos which show a possible Black Necked Grebe, but they could just as easily be a Little Grebe, so it didn't make the list.
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| Teal |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Whooper Swan & Mute Swan |
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| Grey Partridge |
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| Kestrel |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Rock Pipit |
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| Wheatear |
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| Herring Gull & Iceland Gull |
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| Razorbill |
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| Velvet Scoter |
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| Long Tailed Duck |
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| Wigeon |
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| House Martin |
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| Black Redstart |
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| Siberian Chiffchaff |
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| Siskin |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Scaup |
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| Grey Heron with Frog |
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| Coot |
I walked to Mains of Usan from Ferryden for the Black Redstart at the beach and farm on the 19th and this was successful even if the bird did go missing for a large chunk of time while I sat around. A very early House Martin was a bonus and a quick drop-in to the Bank of Scotland hide at Montrose Basin gave me fleeting but unmistakeable views of a speeding Water Rail. Another bus-hopping trip on the 22nd saw a stop at Keptie Pond for the Siberian Chiffchaff and I succeeded in getting decent photos. Alex Shepherd reckoned he'd had a second bird at the site, and while we were watching ours I'm sure I heard a second bird calling nearby but Graham Smith and Bob McCurley didn't hear it.
Nat was back from a 6 week break at the end of March and we headed to Kinnordy on the 29th where we managed to get our first Marsh Harrier of the year. A quick stop at Monikie on the way home got us Little Gulls seconds before the heavy rain we were trying to avoid hit. April started well with the first Sand Martins and Ospreys seen on the 1st at the Eden estuary. Swallows, Little Ringed Plover and a Green Sandpiper were all seen in Angus on the 2nd. The 4th didn't get any new birds but did give a whole day of close views of a variety of species in great light at Loch of Kinnordy. An attempt to get Bearded Tit at the Tay Reedbeds with Jacqui on the 5th was successful though again photo opportunities were lacking.
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| Goldeneye |
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| Dunnock |
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| Wren |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Gannet |
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| Red Kite |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Osprey |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Lapwing |
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| Redshank |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Little Grebe |
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| Shelduck |
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| Little Grebe |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Lesser Black Backed Gull |
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| Buzzard |
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| White Wagtail |
The 12th saw me find a single Barnacle Goose in among a large flock of Pink Footed Geese at Guardbridge. I had already seen the probable escapee bird with its Greylag mate and hybrid offspring at Gaddon Loch when we twitched the American Wigeon so it was good to get a 'wild' one without having to wait for Autumn's incoming birds to cancel out the slightly 'iffy' one. The 19th added another 3 species with Sandwich Tern, Puffin and Willow Warbler as well as White Wagtail. I tried for Grasshopper Warbler on the 29th at the Tay reedbeds and found one around the usual area. Sedge Warbler and, at last, my first ever Reed Warbler were also seen and heard. I even managed to get a video clip of the Reed Warbler singing with a Sedge Warbler in the background which made the differences clearer. Hopefully next year I will manage photos of the species as well as the Bearded Tits.
The 30th of April saw me head for Ferryden where a Whimbrel was added to the year-list and a Little Gull adult was just offshore with Common Gulls and Kittiwakes. The 2nd of May saw me head for the Crail and Fife Ness area where Whimbrel was seen again and my first Lesser and Common Whitethroats were found. Another trip to Kinnordy on the 3rd resulted in seeing the Barn Owl peeking out from the owl box on the lone pine and an unexpected Common Tern flying through. My first of 2 guided walks at Riverside Nature Park in Dundee added my first Swifts of the year, though the expected Lesser Whitethroats were a no-show (and they seemed to be missing all summer with no known sightings of the park speciality). The 7th saw me head for Guardbridge and I stumbled on a showy Grasshopper Warbler at River Crescent, followed shortly after by a Whimbrel at Coble Shore and a couple of Ospreys. A detour to Boarhills pond proved unsuccessful so I headed back to Guardbridge.
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| House Sparrow |
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| Puffin |
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| Stonechat |
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| Fulmar |
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| Bottlenose Dolphins |
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| Sand Martin |
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| Jackdaw |
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| Carrion Crow & Buzzard |
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| Skylark |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Blackbird |
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| Great Tit |
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| Treecreeper |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Eider |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Swallow |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Tree Sparrow |
Word of a Glossy Ibis at Kinnordy had come in as I'd waited for a bus at Boarhills but the logistics of getting to and from Kinnordy on a Sunday afternoon ruled out the attempt. As it happened, my luck was in anyway as a Green Winged Teal drake appeared with a pair of Common Teal opposite the hide. We also had good views of the White Tailed Eagles. Frustratingly, for some reason my sightings of Whimbrel, Grasshopper Warbler and Green Winged Teal weren't circulated via the FBC grapevine nor did they show up on the website round-up for the month. I made it to Kinnordy on the 10th and managed distant views of the Glossy Ibis. With that successfully twitched I headed back to Dundee and then onto Fife and the Wilderness to try (successfully) for Wood Sandpiper. A second one was seen at Letham Pools. All in all I used 7 different buses to get the 2 species that day. A lot of effort, but it proved I could do Fife and Angus by public transport in 1 day.
Another trip to Kilminning on the 13th added Spotted Flycatcher and Great Skua in the rather foggy conditions, though I missed out on Whinchat. As the fog cleared I added Arctic Tern during a spot of sea-watching and on my way back into Crail I had amazingly close views (within 6-10 feet) of a male Kestrel hovering next to me at Roome Bay. Only a dog coming along the path caused it to fly off after an amazing encounter lasting a few magical minutes. One of the highlights of the year. The Angus Glens aren't really doable by public transport and with Jacqui and Nat both unavailable through May my options for getting some of the summer visitors on the list were limited. I chose to head along to Glen Esk on the 14th with the local RSPB group and 4 of the target species were seen - Tree Pipit, Cuckoo, Whinchat and Ring Ouzel.
As I still needed Garden Warbler for my yearlist I headed for Mountcastle Quarry and Letham Pools on the 16th and found a singing bird which I eventually managed to see through the branches of the trees I was standing in below for around 10 minutes. The 17th saw me take the train to Pitlochry to try for Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler at Killiecrankie. A distant raptor circling above the mountains proved to be a Golden Eagle and I also found both my target species (and a Garden Warbler) before I got as far as Killiecrankie. A family of Dippers being fed was another highlight of the year nearer Killiecrankie.
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| Blackcap |
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| Lesser Whitethroat |
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| Whitethroat |
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| Pheasant |
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| Osprey |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Mallard |
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| Common Gull |
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| Guillemot |
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| Jackdaw |
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| Orange-Tip |
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Green Winged Teal & Common Teal |
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| Shoveler |
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| Greylag Goose |
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| Roe Deer |
The 18th saw me meet up with Paul Williams from Fife for a trip up the Angus Glens in search of the specialties. My own targets were Woodcock and Redstart but I hoped to find at least a few lifers for Paul. As it turned out we had probably my best day in the glens with more or less all the specialties seen in addition to my own target birds. Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher Cuckoo, Tree Pipit, Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Cuckoo, Red Legged Partridge, Red Kite, Ring Ouzel, Raven and Whinchat, as well as Lesser Redpolls, Common Sandpipers and Meadow Pipits. Our only 'miss' oddly, was Wheatear, which used to be one of the easier to find birds. All in all a really good day out, and one of the best birding days of the year, quality-wise.
On the 27th I headed for Montrose Basin to try for Spoonbill. A Facebook post on the way resulted in me being collected from the bus by John Clark's wife, Gail and driven round to the far side of the Basin where John was watching the 2 birds. Although they were distant they were a good addition. The rest of the morning was spent at Fishtown of Usan where a few new insects (including a tiny micro-moth) for me were found. On the 2nd of June I decided to walk to work and was surprised to hear a Whitethroat singing from waste ground where the multis at the top of the Hilltown had been. A pair of Swallows zipping around also seemed slightly out of place.
I found another Whimbrel and also an unexpected Little Gull at Guardbridge on the 11th. A trip to Fife Ness on the 14th with Nat got me my first Manx Shearwaters of 2017 and what was probably a Minke Whale well offshore. A fortnight later on the 28th the sea-watching was even better with birds everywhere. It was difficult to know where to look and we doubtless missed some good birds. Estimates of the numbers we did see were Arctic Skua for the year-list and at least 500 Common Scoter, around 1000 auks (Guillemots/Puffins/Razorbills), at least 100 Manx Shearwaters, well over 1000 Gannets, a Red Throated Diver and a few hundred Kittiwakes as well as a few other gulls. Shags and Cormorants were very few in number however.
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| Glossy Ibis |
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| Swift |
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| Water Rail & Wood Sandpiper |
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| Great Skua |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Cuckoo |
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| Whinchat |
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| Tree Pipit |
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| Snipe |
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| Black Grouse |
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| Golden Eagle |
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| Wood Warbler |
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| Pied Flycatcher |
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| Dipper |
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| Great Tit |
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| Pied Flycatcher |
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| Wood Warbler |
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| Garden Warbler |
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| Mistle Thrush |
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| House Martin |
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| Ring Ouzel |
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| Spoonbill, Herring Gull & Grey Heron |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Linnet |
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| Sedge Warbler |
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| Dunlin |
A much later than usual trip up the Angus Glens with Jacqui on the 16th of July gave us a variety of recently fledged birds and a late lingering adult Cuckoo. Another outing with Jacqui on the 23rd of July was a couple of hours at the Craigmill Burn outflow to photograph Little Gulls. A Whimbrel was also found. Jacqui persuaded Willie Irvine to try for a Hoopoe near Crianlarich on the 24th so along with his wife Anne, the 4 of us had a nice day out. I managed to get Hooded Crow for the year and we had decent views of Whinchat and Spotted Flycatcher as well as a couple of Red Kites in Glen Quaich and a Brown Hare, though the Hoopoe had gone.
Stuart Green managed to find a few Roseate Terns around the end of July and beginning of August so I decided to try and find 1 of my own. This meant scanning through hundreds of Common and Arctic Terns between Carnoustie and the Arbroath Cliffs without success (though I did find a Mediterranean Gull and Little Gull). Having bumped into Stuart in the morning he suggested a spot of sea-watching at Usan later in the day if I was still out and about. I was about to give up and head for home when he called me and I met him at Arbroath harbour and we headed up to Usan to meet up with Chris McGuigan. Unfortunately the winds didn't deliver and the rain arrived so we gave up. A few stops to check for Roseate Tern around Arbroath found Stuart working his magic and finding an adult and a youngster on the rocks behind Pleasureland in the pouring rain.
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| House Sparrow |
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| Stock Dove |
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| Little Gull, Shelduck & Curlew |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Bank Vole |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Manx Shearwater |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Arctic Tern |
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| Greenfinch |
The 9th of August saw me find the unusual duo of Kittiwake and Arctic Tern at Guardbridge as well as the more expected White Tailed Eagles and Ospreys. A Humpback Whale lingered off St Cyrus and Jacqui and I headed up early on the 16th to try and see it. We had great close views of a Peregrine adult and youngster with a Feral Pigeon kill on the beach before I spotted the Humpback Whale out in the bay. A number of Arctic Skuas were also seen around. Jacqui had to be home for lunchtime and we chanced upon Nat sitting on the beach watching for the whale as we were walking back to the car, so I stayed out birding with Nat for a few hours more rather than heading back down the road early.
The 19th saw another trip to Guardbridge where I glimpsed a Marsh Harrier over on the saltmarsh that Willie Irvine and the others in the hide had noticed before me (I was outside owing to a lack of space at the windows inside). Later in the afternoon having added Ruff to my year-list, I heard a Yellow Wagtail call which alerted me a second or so before it flew over the hide as I was writing up the list for the day. Another unexpected year-tick. I hurried to get the list finished so I could go and try to relocate the bird and as I was about to close the window I realised that only 1 of the 2 dark coloured birds just out in front of the hide in flight was a corvid. The other was the Marsh Harrier and I rattled off around 50 photos of which only 1 was properly in focus. Despite having reported the Yellow Wagtail via the FBC grapevine it was another sighting that seemed to be deemed unreliable and made it no further, neither being circulated via text/twitter or appearing in the monthly round-up later. Another was seen the same day in Lothian or Northumberland and having already watched and heard both Grey and Pied Wagtails from the hide that afternoon I have no doubt that my bird was 100% a Yellow Wagtail even if the views were only for a few seconds as it flew past and over the front of the hide.
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| Little Gull & Kittiwake |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Dunlin |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Carrion x Hooded Crow hybrid |
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| Canada Goose |
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| Swallow |
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| Lesser Redpoll |
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| Pheasant |
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| Siskin |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Sanderling |
The weather wasn't great on the 23rd of August but the winds were from the east so Nat and I headed to Fife Ness for some seawatching. Ken Shaw was leaving as we were arriving and he let us know that there were a few decent birds passing. Rab Shand was already in the hide and we soon started picking up birds passing including Manx Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwater, Arctic Skuas and Bonxies. Nat decided to head back to the car for some lunch and some warmth leaving me and Rab with the scopes. I picked up a bird going north. It seemed larger and greyer than either the Sootys or Manxies but it was flying like a Shearwater - disappearing down into the troughs before arcing up again, wings held out straight. I was trying to make sense of it and ruled out juvenile Gannet when I saw the underside which was white. I immediately asked Rab what it was - the tone of my voice highlighting the urgency of the query. Luckily he got onto the bird quickly and he also knew what it was right away - a Cory's Shearwater! A lifer for me and totally unexpected. I would have got to the ID by a process of elimination but I have no doubt that had Rab not been there the sighting would have joined the Yellow Wagtail and Green Winged Teal in the "seemingly rejected" category. Rab agreed to do the description for the bird so hopefully at some point we will find whether or not it is accepted by the SRBC. It is on my list regardless.
The following day I had another go at finding a Roseate Tern for myself and having got some nice White Wagtail photos I happened to have a Roseate Tern with only a single ring (usually Roseates have 2 - though from this year they will only have 1) land on rocks in front of me at Carnoustie beach as the tide came in to cover the rocks offshore. I was able to read the ring details from the photos and it was identified as a bird ringed on the Farne Islands though it has somehow managed to lose a ring from the other leg. Word came in as I waited for the bus home that the Avocet which had been seen earlier in the week at Guardbridge had reappeared. I did consider going for it but decided that an early start the following day might be a better bet.
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| Dunlin |
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| Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gull |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Roseate Tern |
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| Common Sandpiper |
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| Buzzard |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Stonechat |
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| Peregrine |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Grey Seal |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Kingfisher |
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| Lapwing |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Common Tern |
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| Starling |
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| Kingfisher |
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| Collared Dove |
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| Sandwich Tern & Common Tern |
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| Roseate Tern, Sandwich Tern & Common Tern & Arctic Tern |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey & Lapwing |
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| Osprey |
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| Little Egret |
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| Avocet, Redshank & Dunlin |
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| Greenshank |
An early start on the 25th saw me at Guardbridge for around 0700. The sun was directly in line with the gull roost on the salt marsh, so I headed round to try the Fife Bird Club hide at the farm where I hoped I might have a better angle. An Osprey was on the post in front of the hide with a large fish and another was nearby on a rock with another fish. I managed really good photos of both but failed to find the Avocet. There were 6 Little Egrets on the salt marsh together as the tide receded. White Tailed Eagle and Snipe were also seen before I wandered round to the Guardbridge hide to wait for Nat. A young birder was already in the hide and he'd seen the Avocet earlier but it had disappeared. Just my luck. Nat came in and a short while later the birder re-found the Avocet, and allowed me a look through his scope. Another lifer for me and the second in a few days. We headed off to the Wilderness and Letham Pools but heavy rain meant I spent the afternoon back at the rather busy hide as everyone tried to see the Avocet (successfully).
A Tree Pipit was heard over Arklay Street on the 2nd of September and I had better views of the Avocet at Guardbridge. Another trip to Westhaven and Arbroath on the 3rd with Jacqui to try and find either Black Tern or Roseate Tern drew a blank on both but I did find another Mediterranean Gull and Little Gull, as well as Manx Shearwater and a probable Sooty passing up the coast. On the 6th, Nat and I popped into Arbroath on our way to Montrose and tried for Black Tern. I found a sleeping Mediterranean Gull among Black Headeds and then we found a Black Tern near the harbour. A second bird was found by Nat and we had both in view together for a few minutes before one of them flew off. A Gadwall at Guardbridge was slightly unusual on the 10th.
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| Avocet, Redshank & Black Headed Gull |
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| Pintail & Shoveler |
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| Sooty Shearwater |
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| Little Gull, Common Tern & Black Headed Gul |
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| Common Tern |
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| Little Gull |
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| Mediterranean Gull & Common Tern |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Black Tern & Common Tern |
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| Common Tern & Black Tern |
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| Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gull |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Greenshank |
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| Gadwall |
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| Mediterranean Gull |
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| Lesser Yellowlegs & Black Headed Gulls |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Dunlin |
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| Rock Pipit |
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| White Wagtail |
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| Turnstone |
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| Stock Dove |
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| Curlew Sandpiper |
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| Knot |
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| Grey Plover |
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| Ruff |
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| Oysteractcher |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Rook |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Black Headed Gull, Dunlin, Pied Wagtail, Curlew & Little Stint |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey |
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| Golden Plover |
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| Curlew Sandpiper |
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| Common Darter |
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| Barred Warbler |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Barred Warbler |
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| Kittiwakes (mostly) |
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| Sabine's Gull, Kittiwakes, Herring Gull, Common Gull & Black Headed Gull |
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| Sabine's Gull & Kittiwakes |
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| Sabine's Gull & Kittiwake |
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| Sabine's Gull & Kittiwake |
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| Sabine's Gull & Kittiwake |
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| Sabine's Gull |
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| Pink Footed Goose |
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| Yellow Browed Warbler |
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| Yellow Browed Warbler |
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| Eider |
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| Whinchat |
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| Ruff & Redshank |
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| Rabbits |
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| Raven |
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| Silver Y moth |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Cormorant |
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| Moorhen |
An early morning visit to Riverside Nature Park on the 11th to see if I could find any interesting vis-mig resulted in yet another Mediterranean Gull find (my 4th self-found bird of the Autumn) as the tide came in. Nat picked me up shortly after and we headed to Montrose Basin to search for the Lesser Yellowlegs which had been seen earlier in the week and we found it relatively easily, although the views weren't as good as the one we saw in Aberdeenshire last year. On the 12th I headed to Balgove Bay at St Andrews to try for Curlew Sandpiper. I was successful with the search finding 4 of the birds plus 4 Ruff and a Whimbrel before heading to Guardbridge where a Sparrowhawk landed on the old bridge pillars in front of me. I rattled off a couple of quick photos before the bird flew off again.
I had debated heading to The Wilderness in the hope of a Little Stint but decided to go into the hide instead. A text came through a few minutes after the bus to Ladybank had left with the news that Little Stint had been seen at the site that morning. Onto the next bus it was, though as it turned out it was running late. This meant I had less time than I hoped and meant a fast walk to the flooded gravel pit. I found a Curlew Sandpiper and scanned from various points along the wall to no avail. Just as I was about to have to give up to catch the bus back to Dundee I found a Little Stint. Checking photos later at home I discovered there had been one near the initial Curlew Sandpiper sighting!
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| Manx Shearwater |
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| Great Northern Diver |
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| Great Skua |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Merlin |
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| Whooper Swan |
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| Blackbird |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Redwing |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Little Egret |
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| Redshank & Spotted Redshank |
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| Spotted Redshank |
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| Canada Goose |
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| Scaup |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Red Kite |
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| Wigeon |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Lesser Redpoll |
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| Coal Tit |
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| Treecreeper |
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| Herring Gull with crab |
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| Otter |
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| Otter |
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| Magpie |
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| Great Tit |
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| Brambling |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Grey Plover |
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| Tufted Duck |
I headed to Fife Ness with Nat on the 13th though a Sooty Shearwater was the only thing of note though we also had 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, one at Kilminning and one behind the hide, that may have been Scandinavian migrants just arrived. I popped into the hide at Guardbridge later where Neil Redpath was and we were both very fortunate to see an Osprey dive for a fish just slightly downriver from the hide. It then took 3 or 4 attempts to get airborne carrying the trout it had caught which meant we got some unusual photos of the rather worried looking bird half-submerged in the water. On the 19th, Nat and I headed for Auchmithie where we heard a probable Yellow Browed Warbler but the views of a bird in flight were inconclusive. An Arctic Skua was seen later in Lunan Bay.
I headed to Kilminning to try and see a reported Barred Warbler and anything else that might be around on the 23rd. I managed to see the bird but drew a blank on the hoped for YBW. I had good views again on the 25th but again no luck with Yellow Browed Warblers. On the 26th I decided to try the Angus coast. I would walk from Inverkeillor to Lunan Bay and then onwards to Ferryden. Unfortunately, the morning dawned rather foggy and the conditions weren't great for birding. I decided to pop into the hide at Lunan Bay where I found the beach covered in a couple of thousand Kittiwakes and assorted other gulls and terns. The visibility was very variable as the fog came and went. I scanned as best I could through the flock but grey and white birds in fog are not the easiest to search through with a small spotting scope balanced on a camera bag.
A bird I considered a possibility was Sabine's Gull though I thought it would be a slim possibility, though with so many Kittiwakes out in front of me, I would probably not have a better chance of finding one. Incredibly I did just that, a juvenile bathing in the river mouth, and I quickly got photos and video before putting word out. Chris McGuigan joined me within about 30 minutes but the bird had vanished by then. Chris scanned through the flock but drew a blank. Still it was another lifer for me. I headed on along the original planned route but the fog made birding almost impossible with even the closest birds just being a dark grey shape. I headed to Ferryden where the conditions turned out to be a bit better and searched for a reported Yellow Browed Warbler. Within a few minutes I had one, then a second one which chased the first.
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| Common Scoter & Slavonian Grebe |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Linnet |
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| Stonechat |
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| White Tailed Eagle & Oystercatcher |
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| Little Egret |
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| Little Grebe |
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| Goosander |
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| Redwing |
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| Grey Squirrel |
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| Robin |
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| Brown Rat |
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| Moorhen |
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| Redwing |
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| Cormorant |
Two days later in better conditions I repeated the first part of the walk, then chose a more coastal route for the second half via Fishtown of Usan where I found a Lesser Whitethroat, having had a flyover Raven near Boddin Point. At Mains of Usan I spent ages trying to get on a few birds up in the trees, one of which turned out to be a Spotted Flycatcher. I had glimpses of a bird that reminded me of the Barred Warbler but failed to get good enough views or a chance of a photograph. On October 4th, myself and Nat headed inland where a Merlin was the highlight. My second guided walk off the year took place on the 7th with only Adam and Lainey McCormack turning up and they'd only decided to at the last minute.
The winds were westerly for my week off in mid-October and I was feeling decidedly under the weather for most of it anyway though a visit to Guardbridge on the 14th gave amazing views of an Otter in front of the hide and also added Spotted Redshank to my year-list. A Fife Ness visit on the 18th produced the first Brambling of the winter as well as Arctic Skuas, Bonxies, Manx Shearwater and a Great Northern Diver followed later by a flyover Merlin. My enthusiasm deserted me in November and my birding was mostly limited to Dundee when I did venture out. A Brown Rat in daylight at The Howff was an unexpected mammal highlight on the 15th and a Kingfisher found by Stuart Green at City Quay on the 24th was seen in flight on the 25th by me.
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| Grey Heron |
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| Redshank |
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| Stonechat |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Peregrine |
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| Mistle Thrush |
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| Snow Bunting |
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| Common Scoter, Red Breasted Merganser & Herring Gull |
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| Stock Dove |
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| Common Gull |
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| Feral Pigeon |
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| Grey Partridge |
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| Roe Deer |
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| Curlew |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Mistle Thrush |
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| Buzzard |
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| "Sinensis" Cormorant |
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| Oystercatcher |
On the 29th, myself and Nat tried for Snow Buntings at Kinshaldy but drew a blank though the Slavonian Grebes we found among the Scoter flock were new for Nat's yearlist. After a morning of bad weather on the 13th of December I tried to squeeze in a rushed hunt for Snow Buntings again. Ice on the beach made the going tricky but I was successful with 3 birds seen at the usual site. Peregrine and Woodcock as well as distant but possible unidentified owls at dusk were the best of the rest. On the 20th, Nat and I tried for the Lapland Buntings at Balcomie but Twite in the Linnet flock were the best we managed. Sinensis race Cormorants were at City Quay on Christmas Eve. Rain put paid to my birding plans for my walk to work on Christmas Day though I did still manage 13 species in total despite the rain. A 'new' colour ringed Black Headed Gull from Norway was found at Swannie Ponds on the 27th.
I managed to see 4 lifers among the 204 species seen this year with 2 of those being rather unexpected self-found birds and which are among the outstanding highlights of the year along with my first photos of Ptarmigan, the close views of the Dipper at St Andrews, the Kestrel at Crail and the Peregrines and Humpback Whale at St Cyrus being a few of the others. I took some more video clips this year which can be found on YouTube -
https://www.youtube.com/user/stonefaction/videos and photos are on flickr -
www.flickr.com/stonefaction . As always thanks to everyone I managed to get out birding with, especially Nat and Jacqui, and everyone who has given me a lift anywhere, or shared information throughout the year. Let's see what 2018 brings.... Good birding.....
