With the opportunity to make it to Edzell for 10am on a Sunday (for the latest ADBC outing) impossible via public transport, and a message to try and arrange a lift unseen, I had to change my plans for Sunday birding. Although there had been Wood Sandpipers at Loch of Kinnordy I decided that I'd rather get out and about and actively birding rather than have to wait till after 1100 before I could be seated in one of the hides. The thought of an hour on a bus didn't appeal much either, even if there was likely a year-tick at the end of it. I decided to head for Fife, to walk from Guardbridge to St Andrews and see if I could see anything of interest on the way. I was hoping for maybe a passing wader, like a Spotted Redshank, so I decided to try the George Evans hide overlooking Balgove Bay on the rising tide to see if I could be lucky.
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
I headed out at about 0840 to a Blackbird on the path, and a Magpie chuckled from a tree across the road.High above the street were a couple of Swifts. Great to have 'my' Swifts back again. A Blue Tit was seen from the bus stop as I waited for the bus into the city centre. Feral Pigeons were seen near the Wellgate Centre. The bus journey to Guardbridge was relatively productive with Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Pheasant as well as Rook and Starling all added near St Michaels. Collared Dove and House Sparrows went on the list as we passed through Leuchars. I decided to get off the bus by the old papermill to check out the small reservoir at the end of the short road which follows the Motray upstream a little.
Swallows zipped around overhead and there were House Sparrows, Starlings and Blue Tits seen on the short walk along past the houses. Just as I was about to cross to the small track down to the fence surrounding the reservoir, I heard something that stopped me in my tracks. A reeling Grasshopper Warbler. It wasn't too far away. One of the locals had wandered over in the direction of the reeling bird and I wandered over to the same spot. He wondered what it was, I told him that it was a small bird. Just at that, a small brown bird flew low across the field and into more weeds across the other side. I suspected that it was the bird, and when it started reeling again, we had confirmation. A short chat ascertained that the bird had been present for a wee while and was reeling regularly. I showed him the bird on the Collins app on my phone and then wandered over to try for a better look.
Thankfully, the bird proved quite showy and I managed a few photos of it peering out from among the tangle of weeds. Apparently planning permission has been granted for the field the bird was in, so the bird will likely have to go elsewhere next year unfortunately. Not too many Grasshopper Warblers quite so accessible for me, so would have been a handy site to try next year. I headed next to the Guardbridge hide for a brief stop, sending a text about the Grasshopper Warbler to the Fife bird recorder on the walk along the road. House Martins were seen above the houses and a Song Thrush flew into the hedge as I entered through the gate into the park area.
From the hide I added a few more species, though things were rather quiet. Oystercatchers were the most numerous waders. A few Mallards were on the river in pairs. A Pied Wagtail flew past. A Dunnock fed below the feeders. A large group of Mute Swans could be seen downriver, and there were decent numbers of Shelduck dotted around. Lesser Black Backed and Herring Gulls mingled near the bend in the river, while Tree Sparrows appeared at the feeders. A Cormorant flew past and a single Curlew was seen feeding out on the mud.
I decided that I should probably get on with my planned walk as I didn't want the tide to be too far in when I neared the hide at Balgove Bay or I would risk spooking the birds I was hoping to see. Goldfinches were seen near the Guardbridge Hotel, while near the track down to Coble Shore I had close views of a Skylark, with another choosing to sing from a fencepost rather than heading skywards. Out on the river I could see a few Eiders. A single wader down by the water's edge proved to be a Whimbrel and an Osprey chose the moment after I'd hit send on my second text of the day to Fife Bird Club's grapevine.
A few Jackdaws and Linnets were added as I wandered slowly round past the small fenced off nature reserve. A Wheatear flew up and perched on a fencepost. Meadow Pipit and Reed Bunting were seen in the reserve area but the ponds seemed to have almost completely dried out. A Buzzard was next on the list, being harassed by the local corvids to the south of the road. Scanning the river I found a single female Goldeneye and a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers. Checking the "Osprey posts" in the estuary, I found them both to be occupied and a third bird with a fish in its talons attempting to move on one of the already perched birds before it gave up and landed on a much smaller post nearby.
As I neared the hide at the western end of the golf course I added a few Black Headed Gulls which had dropped in, to the list. A Stock Dove and Woodpigeon dropped in for a drink at the small flow of water near the hide. A second Whimbrel flew off low across the river. A moorhen was in the reedy pond on the golf course and a few Whitethroats were in the bushes bordering the track. Once in the hide I scanned out across the bay, but apart from Oystercatchers there didn't seem to be too much. I did find a single Redshank in among them but it was disappointing for waders.
A Grey Heron flew low and slow past, and a Great Black Backed Gull went the opposite way. A few Sand Martins swooped low over the bushes behind the hide when I stepped outside to try and photograph the singing Whitethroat, before I went back inside. A small group of Sandwich Terns fished in the bay before a Common Gull tried to get one of them to relinquish its catch. I weighed up my options for what to do next before deciding that I would catch the bus to Boarhills and check out the small pond down by the coast. The walk to the bus station didn't add anything new and I made it just in time to catch the 1245 bus.
A Kestrel was seen hovering above the golf course. Walking down the track past the farm at Boarhills, I added Gannets to the list, with their obvious white shapes passing offshore standing out against the white-flecked blue waters. A Chaffinch popped up on a drystane dyke, and a Dunnock and a Whitethroat stayed ahead of me. A House Sparrow was less shy and allowed me a photograph before vanishing into the brambles. Things were quiet at the pond with a Yellowhammer being the only addition. A few Eiders and a pair of Mallards were among the rocks at the water's edge.
During previous visits, the local farmer has made his feelings about crows known, so I wasn't too surprised to find a Crow trap baited with a live Carrion Crow hidden among the bushes. As far as I'm aware of the law regarding crow traps this one appeared to be legally compliant - with food (a couple of eggs) and water supplied for the bait bird. Certainly not something I agree with, and I hate seeing them, but had I done anything to damage the trap I would've been the one 'in the wrong' even if morally it would have been the 'right' thing to do. With birders likely to want to continue to be able to visit the pond it also made sense to leave it well alone, so as not to cause problems later in the year for myself and others.
I also hate the fact that some farmers blame nature for the dearth of birds on 'their land'. Crows and Buzzards in particular. Of course, it couldn't possibly be that their reliance on pesticides and insecticides to increase their crop yields and profits have wiped out much of the lower links in the food chain resulting in very few breeding Lapwings, as there is little for them to eat. Having spent a fair bit of time in farmland of late, and on foot, it is plain to see just how much of a wildlife desert large swathes of agricultural land is now. There are exceptions, especially in those areas where the land is being managed to aid local populations of Corn Buntings. Grey Partridges appear to also benefit from whatever it is that is being done, and maybe also Yellowhammers and Linnets.
I got word via facebook that a Glossy Ibis had been found at Loch of Kinnordy. However, there was little chance of me being able to get there until around 1700, even if I managed to get all 3 buses I'd need, to line up perfectly to allow me a quick passage. It would also mean that my time to actually try to see the bird would be quite brief. I decided not to even try. However, with the Crow trap having really annoyed me I decided not to hang around and to try and catch the next bus back to St Andrews and then onto Guardbridge instead, in time for the tide receding again. I made it in plenty of time back to the bus stop and thankfully didn't have too long to wait in St Andrews either.
Once again at Guardbridge it was a similar mix of birds to those seen earlier in the day. I found a small group of Black Tailed Godwits and a few Redshanks on the north bank, but waders were still low in numbers. While scanning along the opposite bank I found a pair of Teal. With them however, was another drake, but this one had a white vertical stripe down the body, near the front. A
Green Winged Teal, a rather unexpected bonus bird and a year-tick. I took a number of photos and video clips before sending yet another text to the FifeBird Club grapevine. Soon after I was joined in the hide by Willie and Anne Irvine fresh from finding the Glossy Ibis at Kinnordy, where none of the bird photographers in the hide had noticed it. We were joined by recent facebook friend addition, Neil Redpath, who I've chatted to in the hide at Guardbridge before.
I eventually managed to get Neil and Anne onto the Green Winged Teal (Willie managed to find it himself) and not long after we had another nice surprise. Anne had spotted a bird circling high above the estuary. Adult White Tailed Eagle, and an Osprey below it too. A Buzzard took exception to the Eagle and swooped at it, causing the eagle to whip over onto its back, talons extended, a few times. Luckily for the Buzzard it stayed just out of reach. Eventualy the Eagle left the Buzzard behind and circled higher in the sky before drifting over to above the hide and then heading back eastwards. With the time approaching 1700 I decided I should probably head for home having had a really good day out.
59 species, with some really nice birds in the mix including 1 year tick (in bold), which made up for missing out on the Glossy Ibis and Wood Sandpiper at Kinnordy. There's something more satisfying in finding your own good birds rather than relying on others to do so. I'll still go to see other's finds when possible, but given the choice I'd take the enjoyment of finding my own.
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
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| Collared Dove |
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| Skylark |
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| Skylark |
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| Shelduck |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Osprey |
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| Wheatear |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Dunnock |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey |
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| Stock Dove & Woodpigeon |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Sand Martin |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| House Sparrow |
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| Eider |
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| Green Winged Teal |
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| Green Winged Teal & Teal |
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| Green Winged Teal |
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| Green Winged Teal & Teal |
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| Kestrel |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Buzzard & White Tailed Eagle |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Gannet, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Grasshopper Warbler, Great Black Backed Gull,
Green Winged Teal, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Wheatear, Whimbrel, White Tailed Eagle, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer..
