With things still moving rather slowly at the beginning of Autumn migration season, I wasn't certain where to go for my Wednesday birding outing this week. However, I had been aware that a Humpback Whale had been seen at St Cyrus, just north of Montrose over the past week or so. I hadn't really considered trying to see it, but when word came in via a "tweet" by Gus Routledge on Tuesday evening that the whale was still there and showing not far offshore I decided to look into the logistics of getting there. It turned out to be possible to get a bus to the village of St Cyrus then a short walk would take me to the cliff edge above the reserve where a path leads down to the beach area. I decided to post on Facebook to see if anyone fancied joining me for the day, but no-one had responded by 2300 when I went to bed, with my alarm set to waken me at 0530 to catch the 0705 bus.
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| Peregrine & pigeon prey |
As I slept I received a message from Jaqcui to say that she was interested in coming with me but needed to be back for lunchtime. I messaged her back when I got up and we arranged a pick-up at 0700. This would give us around 3 hours at St Cyrus to watch for the whale before Jacqui had to head back. I would see how things had gone before deciding what to do with the rest of the day, with staying at St Cyrus and getting the bus back being my most likely plan, with or without any whale sightings. With rain forecast at some point in the afternoon, the weather would likely play a part in making my mind up too.
I headed out at around 0655 to meet Jacqui. A Woodpigeon was the first bird on the list for the day, followed quickly by Herring Gull. Feral Pigeon and a Lesser Black Backed Gull were seen as I walked along Dundonald Street. A Carrion Crow wandered around on the road as a small group of four Goldfinches flew over. I was distracted by a calling Willow Warbler in the tree by the corner of the grassy area at the eastern end of the road, near the car park. Jacqui arrived as I was trying to catch a glimpse of the bird (a species I haven't seen near home before, though I did get a Chiffchaff in the same trees a few years ago).
House Martins and a Blackbird were seen as we headed out of Dundee. Birds were in short supply as we headed up the A90, with Woodpigeons and Carrion Crows being the exceptions. When we turned off the A90 to head towards Montrose we saw a bird flicking its tail while perched on wires which might have been a young Cuckoo but with a car right behind us we were unable to stop. We both racked our brains for other options but drew a blank but I didn't put it on the list as views were inconclusive. House Sparrows were seen at Marykirk. A Common Tern flew over the car as we turned onto the Aberdeen road in Montrose for the short journey to St Cyrus. Jackdaws were around the bridge over the North Esk. I had a message from Nat asking if I'd got someone to go with me, and told her I was with Jacqui and we were almost at St Cyrus.
We arrived in the village a few minutes later and having done my homework on Google Streetview the night before I found the correct road to the cliffs easily and we headed down the narrow road. The sun was shining and the sea was very calm with great views down to the shoreline where we could see a flock of gulls and terns by the water's edge. As Jacqui got organised I scanned through the birds I could see, adding Black Headed Gull and Sandwich Tern immediately as well as Cormorants further north in the bay. A Meadow Pipit flew up from the field behind us and I heard a Yellowhammer but didn't see it.
A Peregrine flew low along the beach spooking the flocks of gulls and terns from their seaside roosting spots. As we wandered down the path a Buzzard cruised past us. Jacqui spotted a Dunnock that I missed but a Yellowhammer showed in a small bush. A Tree Pipit was picked up by its call as it headed south along the cliff top, and I managed to get Jacqui onto the bird. A nice bonus bird and evidence of vis-mig as were the House Martins we'd seen passing south as we stood at the top of the path. Kittiwakes were added among the re-settled flock on the beach. I found some small red flowers closed up by the edge of the lower reaches of the path down. Nat had told me what they were last time I'd visited so I pointed them out to Jacqui - Scarlet Pimpernel. I thought they might be open later in the morning and we'd get a better view (Jacqui did).
A Swallow zoomed past as we stood at the edge of the dune area scanning the hordes of birds we could see. Jacqui spotted a Skua out over the water, and photos showed it to be an Arctic Skua, a pale phase bird. We scanned out over the sea, adding a flock of sleeping Eiders to the list. At the edge of the dunes I found a pair of Stonechats and the male posed nicely atop a plant head. Jacqui spotted a Wheatear on the beach, before discovering there were actually two. A Curlew flew past as Common and Sandwich Terns fished just offshore. We sat on washed up logs and scanned through birds while also searching offshore for any sign of the whale. A pair of Sanderling dropped in briefly to scurry along the water's edge.
Further along the beach I stopped to scan the cliffs and found a Fulmar chick still at a nest, and adult bird glided round. A trio of Velvet Scoters flew past, low over the water, their white wing patches showing well against the black of their plumage. Another smaller flock of gulls and terns on the shore ahead of us contained Common Gulls as well as a few Great Black Backed Gulls and Herring Gulls, and Kittiwakes, but I didn't manage to re-find a Black Headed Gull with the camera to be able to read the yellow ring on its leg I spotted. Above the cliffs I spotted a pair of Stock Doves which landed near the tops. A Grey Heron flew over.
I spotted a bit of action over the water but a bit higher in the sky than the gulls and terns of which there were plenty. I shouted to Jacqui and took some photos. It turned out to be an adult and juvenile Peregrine after a Feral Pigeon. My first photo showed the adult catching the bird and the sequence that followed showed the juvenile first chasing after the adult before grabbing a hold of the Pigeon while it was still being carried by the adult. I suspect that this made flying back to the cliffs an impossibility given that the adult bird looked like it was probably a male not greatly bigger than the Pigeon itself, and they touched down on the beach ahead of us.
We were still some distance away and stopped to scan out over the sea again for signs of the whale but again drew a blank. We continued on along the beach, closing the distance between us and the Peregrines and their prey on the sand. Keeping a wooden structure made of driftwood pieces between me and the birds I got a bit closer. We weren't the only folk on the beach and the birds took off as a dog walker headed in their direction from the other end of the beach. We were able to see the partially plucked and eaten (neck mostly) pigeon still on the sand and Jacqui checked to see if it was still warm - it was. We continued on a bit before heading up to sit in the dunes to see if the birds would return for their meal. The adult swept overhead first, but circled round again. The youngster did likewise. The adult made another pass and as it was clear the birds weren't comfortable with our proximity from their food, we decided to leave them to it and headed on again away from them.
Checking back from further away we were able to see that the youngster had returned to their kill and was tucking in. We sneaked back via the dunes to a position slightly further back than our previous attempt and were rewarded with good views of the youngster feeding on the kill. It eyed us warily but stayed put. Another couple of dog walkers came along the beach and I signalled to them to ask them to stay back. When after 30 seconds or so I attempted to sneak down towards them to thank them and point out the bird, it unfortunately chose to fly off. A large flock of dark birds on the water turned out to be Goosander. With the time now nearing 1000 we sat near the roped off area at the southern end of the reserve and scanned out again over the water. There were 100s of gulls at the mouth of the North Esk but we were pre-occupied with looking for the whale.
We sat for around 15-20 minutes scanning out across the bay, before I happened to be looking to the north-east and caught a glimpse of a long dark shape on the surface for a second before it disappeared again. Humpback Whale! I got Jacqui onto the area of sea I was looking at and after a couple of attempts she managed to see it also. My second view seemed to be to the right of where I thought I had initially seen it but it was still travelling left. There has been some suspicion that there may be two whales and if I didn't imagine it, there may well have been two close to each other at this point. Eventually the Humpback swam into the bay, with the northern tip of the bay showing behind it. The time was now after 1000, so we had to head back north anyway, in the direction of the car. Hopefully before we got there the whale would come in a bit closer.
There were more folk arriving on the beach and we let them know we had seen the whale and where to look for it, before heading on again ahead of the group. As we headed on, Jacqui spotted the young Peregrine perched atop the wooden structure I'd used to hide my advance earlier and I spotted the adult in front of it feeding among the other bits of driftwood. As we got closer they both flew off further along the beach carrying what was left of the pigeon with them. We were staying close to the water's edge to try to avoid spooking the Peregrines which were further up the beach near the edge of the dunes while still giving us a chance at seeing the whale if it came in closer, though there were now around 15 to 20 folk strung out behind us. Once again though despite our efforts off went the birds, this time the adult flying low past us just out over the water carrying the pigeon before the youngster headed inland towards the cliffs. I knew I had got some good photos and was pleased to get confirmation later as to just how good these were. My best Peregrine shots by far.
We'd had no further sightings of the whale but were nearing the path to the cliffs so we cut across the beach, Jacqui slightly ahead of me. She spoke briefly to a woman sat at the edge of the grass before heading just into the dunes. As I got closer I noticed that it was Nat, and stopped to introduce them both to each other. I hadn't made up my mind what I was going to do and had intended on heading up the cliff with Jacqui to see what the sky looked like to the west before making a decision. Having run into Nat, it was an easy decision. I'd stay with Nat at the reserve. Jacqui headed off back to the car and I told Nat of our close encounters with the Peregrines. We scanned out over the sea, adding a trio of Arctic Skuas chasing one unlucky gull, and another single Arctic Skua further out. We caught a glimpse of the whale not too far offshore,heading south along the line of the beach, but the sea was now a bit livelier than it had been and views weren't as good, despite the much closer distance.
We decided we should head back along the beach again anyway, as Nat's car was parked by the visitor centre. We added flypast Oystercatchers and a Gannet further out. An adult Peregrine was perched up on the cliffs, and a pair of Buzzards were hanging in the wind, one carrying a talons-full of grass, which it dropped and half-heartedly dropped after. An adult Peregrine was seen perched up on the cliffs. We hadn't seen any further sign of the whale but we sat on the logs near the roped off area and scanned out over the birds anyway. We were joined by Doug Milne and another whale watcher, who we ended up having an interesting discussion with, as it turned out he had been an editor on the BBC Natural History Unit's programmes based in Bristol (and other shows) as well as latterly a wildlife camera-man (and was still involved with various TV programmes). He had previously lived on Mull but was now living locally and enjoying what the area had to offer, despite its differences from the west coast.
We picked up a few other Arctic Skuas harrying the gulls and seabirds out in the bay and I found a young Guillemot not far offshore. Nat spotted a group of Redshanks flying low over the water before landing among the gulls along the beach from us. A few Linnets dropped in onto the beach. We were joined briefly by the reserve manager, and told her that we had seen the whale earlier as well as having had great views of the Peregrines. By now the wind had picked up and the sea was a good bit choppier than earlier in the day, and the temperature had dropped also. After another 10 minutes or so we decided to head back to Nat's car for lunch. A Skylark flushed from by the track. As we walked in further towards the visitor centre, what appeared to be a small brownish falcon glided low over a weedy area before dropping out of sight just in front of some trees. The choice seemed to be between Merlin and Kestrel, with the latter more likely, though I did think the bird looked more brown than the orange-y colours of a Kestrel. Another possibility was a young Cuckoo, but it had to go down as another one that 'got away', as we'd only managed rear 3/4 views of a gliding bird. A Blue Tit was seen nearby.
Pete, the camera-man realised he'd left his phone and headed back to get it while we had lunch (he was successful). Nat and I discussed options for the early afternoon. Rain was threatening and Jacqui had messaged to say it was already raining heavily down in north Fife. We decided to head for The Lurgies and if it was raining we'd continue on to Murton instead. On our way there we decided to pop along to the beach, but following signs took us to beside Links Park, the ground of Montrose FC. This did however get us a few more birds for the list with a Chaffinch, some Pied Wagtails, a large group of Starlings and an unexpected Bullfinch pair. With the rain still looking likely we chose not to walk over the golf course to the beach, and headed for The Lurgies instead.
Greylag Geese overflew us at the Ferryden roundabout and as we passed the Basin visitor centre the rain began. We decided to head for Murton in the hope of maybe an interesting wader or two instead. When we arrived it wasn't raining which was fortunate, but just in case we decided to head for the further away pool first. A quick scan of the other pool and islands showed it to be full of Greylags and Lapwings mostly. There was also a Mute Swan on the water. At the other hide we scanned a much quieter scene, though Greylags were the most numerous species here also. There were a few Mallards and Nat spotted a Common Sandpiper working its way along the bank near them. There was a single Canada Goose (as well as a white farmyard Goose, and a Swan Goose) among the Greylags. Sand Martins swept low over the water.
A Mute Swan family were round the corner on the smaller pool, but it was otherwise quiet so we headed back to the Carden Hide next to the car park. A Canada Goose was seen from here, though it may have been the same bird. I found a few Teal, a female Shoveler and a rather red Wigeon in eclipse plumage as well as a couple of pairs of Gadwall. There didn't appear to be any Tufted Ducks, or Coots around on either of the pools. A Rook was seen as we headed back out of the reserve and back towards Dundee and the rain.
A really good day out, split between both Jacqui and Nat, with brilliant views of the Peregrines and my first ever sightings and photos of a Humpback Whale. Despite birds not having been the main focus I'd managed to see 57 species. In addition we'd seen a few different moth species (Shaded Broad Bar, Yellow Shell and Silver Ground Carpet, as well as a small drab micro which appeared in Nat's car at lunchtime. All in all, a memorable day. I make no apologies for the number of photos, I hope you like them.
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| Buzzard |
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| Buzzard |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Arctic Skua & gulls |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Stonechat |
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| Stonechat |
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| Stonechat |
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| Stonechat |
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| Wheatear |
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| Wheatear |
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| Sanderling |
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| Velvet Scoter |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Peregrine & Feral Pigeon |
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| Peregrine & Feral Pigeon |
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| Peregrine & Feral Pigeon |
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| Peregrine & Feral Pigeon |
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| Peregrine |
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| Goosander |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Arctic Skua, Cormorant & Kittiwake |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Arctic Skua & Sandwich Tern |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Humpback Whale & Kittiwake |
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| Humpback Whale |
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| Peregrine |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Buzzard |
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| Gulls |
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| Redshank |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Goosander |
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| Arctic Skua & Curlew & Herring Gull |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Mallard & Common Sandpiper |
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| Greylag & Canada Goose |
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| Greylag, Lapwing, Teal & Shoveler |
Species seen - Arctic Skua, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Eider, Fulmar, Gadwall, Gannet, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern, Shoveler, Skylark, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Swallow, Teal, Tree Pipit, Velvet Scoter, Wheatear, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
