Being off work for a week at the end of April/beginning of May gives me the opportunity to hopefully catch up with some of the summer visitors currently arriving in the country. Ideally I hope for dry weather and favourable winds, to allow me to actually get out and about, though rain/fog can bring migrant birds down making them easier to find, though the experience is less enjoyable to me than when the sun is shining. I also have a second week off, in a few weeks time, so between the two I compiled a list of species I would hope to be able to see within that timescale. Most of the birds on the list would still be around after that anyway, but it gives me a reason to ensure I get out and about as much as possible. There are 32 species on the starting list.
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
For Saturday I decided to head for the Tay Reedbeds and to drop into Riverside Nature Park on the way back. My targets were warbler species - Grasshopper, Sedge and hopefully Reed Warbler, which would be a lifer for me, as well as both Common and Lesser Whitethroats. I headed out nice and early at around 0735 to walk into town to catch the bus out to Errol. It was rather cold for what was a Spring day, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Blackbird kick-started the list followed by Lesser Black Backed Gull and a calling Collared Dove. A Feral Pigeon winged its way overhead before I found a Chaffinch and a Dunnock. The first Herring Gulls glided around as I neared Victoria Road. Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow followed them onto the list shortly after. I arrived in the city centre a bit early so I decided to walk around the City Churches and see if there was anything I could add. An Oystercatcher feeding on the grass out front was the only addition - not a bird you'd expect to find in the city centre.
I added a few more species to the list on the way out to Errol, Starlings on the Perth Road, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker keeping pace with the bus as we drove up past the Ninewells Arboretum. Jackdaws and House Sparrows were seen in Longforgan and a pair of Shelduck looked out of place in a field near Errol. Arriving in Errol, I walked down Gas Brae. It was a bit quieter than it sometimes can be in May. There were a few Jackdaws and House Sparrows around. A Blue Tit was in a small tree by the track downhill and a Meadow Pipit flew over. A Stock Dove landed in the field, though over the far side. Song Thrush and Tree Sparrows were heard but not seen at the small community garden. A female Mallard was in the drainage ditch at the bottom of the hill.
Yellowhammer and a male Reed Bunting were next onto the list before I headed down past the house to the open area beyond. A Great Tit was in one of the trees and photos showed it to be ringed. A Chiffchaff called from a small tree at the bottom end. I heard the reeling song of a Grasshopper Warbler and tried to work out where it was coming from. After a few minutes I had a fair idea of where it was coming from and moved towards the source of the sound hoping for a glimpse of the usually almost impossible to see small brown bird making the continuous noise. A small brown bird flew out from somewhere unseen and landed in a scrubby area. I managed to get a few out of focus photos which showed it well enough to ID it as a
Grasshopper Warbler. I wandered round some more happy that the first of my target birds was safely on my list.
A strange call caught my attention and I moved towards the area it had emanated from. A small brown bird flew out and disappeared into cover. I decided to record the call, if I could on my phone, which even if the views of the bird proved inconclusive, I would have something to help with an ID. I selected video on my phone and moved slowly towards where the bird had come down. It flew out again, giving the call once more before landing where I could see it, and it could see me. I was surprised to find it was the Grasshopper Warbler. I'd only ever been aware of the reeling song of the species. I suspect, as do others online, that the call I'd heard was an alarm, or scolding, call of sorts. Normally the species drops quietly out of sight and walks away out of sight when 'spooked'. Perhaps this one hadn't yet worked out where was safe to disappear to, if it had only just arrived back.
A small groups of Linnets circled round before landing in a tree. A Buzzard circled above the trees along to the west. A Song Thrush flew up into the trees near the house before a Jay noisily flew across the gap. A bit of patient searching eventually found a singing Willow Warbler, though the Blackcap proved a bit more tricky to pin down. A Coal Tit pair were in a small tree, looking like they were about to mate, not far from the pools. I found a slightly more showy male Blackcap down the slope here, along with a Wren. Out on the pools a Great Crested Grebe pair slept, Mute Swans sailed serenely on and small party of Tufted Ducks were up the far end. I stood on the banking where I could see over the tops of the reeds and listened. I'd heard a snatch of what sounded like Sedge Warbler as I'd walked along the track but it was quiet now.
A Kingfisher flew low across the pool, before a burst of
Sedge Warbler sung caught my attention. It was close, but it was also coming from somewhere within the reeds. Not easy to see at all. thankfully after a few minutes a small song flight gave me views of the bird, my second successful target bird of the day 'in the bag'. More scanning of the pools as I waited found a single female Goldeneye. A single Bearded Tit flew past along the tops of the reeds but I didn't manage to get the camera up in time. From a little further on, I could hear a singing bird which though similar sounding to Sedge Warbler seemed different. I knew
Reed Warbler song fitted that description, so I walked slowly towards the area the song was coming from, hoping to see the bird among the reeds. I had a few brief glimpses of a dark backed bird which dropped out of sight every time I managed to catch a glimpse. I recorded a short video clip of the song to confirm the ID before giving up on getting any sort of photo and heading back up into the trees, but not before a Swallow zipped past and a skein of Pink Footed Geese tracked overhead northwards.
A Treecreeper was spotted near Port Allen, and a Rook flew out over the Tay as I ventured down to the pool. A Grey Heron flew from one pool to the other, before a bit of a Mute Swan confrontation took place resulting in the trio which had just landed being chased off by the territorial male from the pool. I headed over to check the western pool, where I was able to add a few Teal to the list, and a Moorhen. A Snipe was a bit of a surprise here, though only because I'd never seen one before on previous visits. A Little Grebe was seen on the east pool and a Great Black Backed Gull flew upriver before I headed back through the trees hoping to catch the bus around 1300 in Errol.
A small bird flew across the track through the trees in front of me and down towards the pool. I was surprised to see that it was in fact a Kingfisher. I stopped for a few minutes where I'd heard the Sedge Warblers earlier but it was a bit quieter. A male Marsh Harrier quartering above the reeds was a nice bonus though. Heading back through the trees I eventually added Robin to the list as well as a pair of Long Tailed Tits collecting nest material. A vole ran across the track in front of me as I walked back up the hill. Arriving back in Errol, I was pleased to see that there were a number of House Martins circling up over the village. While waiting for the bus I added a few flyover Goldfinches as well as a second Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk overhead.
The bus journey came to an abrupt halt in Inchture however, as the bus was apparently overheating. The driver announced that it would be at least 30 minutes before a mechanic arrived, and then obviously however long it took to fix on top of that. I checked google maps for a route back to Dundee and the distance. I weighed up the options, sit and wait, or do some additional walking and maybe see how productive the countryside is for birds. The latter won, though it turned out to be more than 5 miles back to Kingoodie, where if I timed it right I could catch the bus to Invergowrie and save my legs a little. I had made provisional plans to meet birding photographer pal, Steph, at the park around 1500. I let her know that I might be slightly late and said I'd keep her informed of my progress.
Things were rather quiet mostly though a Pied Wagtail was seen not too far outsider Inchture on the long straight road to the south. Tree Sparrows were the only actual addition to the list after that until a Pheasant flew off across a field as I passed. Birds in general seemed very sparse though there were small pockets around any buildings. Blackbirds, Chaffinches, House Sparrows, Woodpigeons, Carrion Crows and a singing Chiffchaff were more or less all I managed to see along what was a rather tiring walk. A Stoat had ran across the road in front of me at one point but somehow managed to vanish in a rather small grassy verge. Arriving back at Kingoodie I did add Redshank, Curlew and Black Headed Gull before the bus arrived.
I let Steph know where to meet me at the park and hoped my legs wouldn't seize up on the short bus journey. Arriving at the park, I started a new list just for the park as I always do when visiting. Song Thrush and Chaffinch were first onto the list followed by Herring, Lesser Black Backed, Black Headed and Common Gulls. The tide was on its way in but still had a bit to go. Oystercatchers and Redshanks foraged around on the mud while a few Mallards slept by the burn. The vegetation around the hide is once again making viewing rather tricky which is slightly frustrating. A few Carrion Crows and Feral Pigeons popped in. Long Tailed Tits foraged around in the trees to the left of the hide screen. There were a few Shelducks out in the bay. Jackdaws and Starlngs mingled with Woodpigeons and Carrion Crows in the field as I set off to meet Steph.
We met where the track joined the main path network and decided to head round the western edge of the hill. Teal and Cormorant were added as we looked out across the bay and a Mute Swan could be seen back in the burn outflow near the hide. We added Goldfinch, Blackbird, Dunnock and Skylark as we wandered round the paths chatting about what we'd seen, and photographed, since our last meeting. Yellowhammer was added before a pair of Mallards dropped into the rather small puddle in the composting area. There were a few Teal at the Lochan but no sign of anything more interesting. We heard but didn't see Blackcap and Willow Warbler.
Things were just as quiet in the lower half of the park with a flyover Stock Dove, a Reed Bunting, a Swallow and a Meadow Pipit at the boggy area all we had to show for our exploration. No Whitethroats, either Lesser or Common, heard or seen. Still, it leaves a reason to visit again before my guided walk next Saturday morning. Steph gave me a rather welcome lift home to give my weary legs a much-needed break.
A successful day out with 3 target species added to the year-list (in bold) including a long awaited lifer. 62 species seen outwith the park and 28 at the park and over 13 miles covered on foot.
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| Great Tit |
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Blackcap |
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| Treecreeper |
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| Treecreeper |
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| Rook |
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| Mute Swan |
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| Mute Swan |
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| Pink Footed Goose |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| House Martin |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Lesser Black Backed Gull |
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| Cormorant |
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| Yellowhammer |
Species seen outwith - Bearded Tit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldeneye, Goldfinch,
Grasshopper Warbler, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kingfisher, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redsank, Reed Bunting,
Reed Warbler, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook,
Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Snipe, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Willow Wrabler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Species seen at the park - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Dunnock,Goldfinch, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
