Owing to a slight breakdown in communication, I was getting ready to leave to catch the bus to Montrose to walk around to The Lurgies in the hope of finding a good wader or two, when Nat replied to my message from the previous evening. Plans were changed and she arranged to pick me up just over an hour later. The intention was to more or less follow the same plan - start at Montrose Basin, then head to Arbroath for tide coming in, as the Black Tern had been seen on Tuesday again, and end up at Westhaven for the tide receding again. Unfortunately, Nat had to be home for around 1430 or so, which meant I would probably do the latter stop by bus.
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| Common & Black Terns |
Birds were in very short supply when we set off with a Herring Gull being seen during a fuel stop at Asda Milton being the first. A Blacbird was added a few minutes later as we headed out towards the Claypotts junction. Carrion Crow and Common Gull were next, on the football pitches near Claypotts. Woodpigeons were next and a single Lapwing chasing a corvid over a field was an unexpected surprise at this time of year. A few Swallows swept past, heading west. With time against us to squeeze everything in, we decided to concentrate on first finding the Black Tern if it was still around, and then head for Westhaven and Craigmill Burn.
A brief check of Keptie Pond from the road gave us a Grey Heron on the island, a Coot, a Moorhen and a few Mallards, a Jackdaw on the grass, and a Starling perched on a chimney. We then headed for the area in front of Jumping Joeys and the cinema. Swallows swept by at head height as we got out of the car. A few Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails also passed by. Very obvious and quite heavy vis-mig was still in progress despite the time being around 1000. A House Martin shot past with a group of Swallows. We scanned the pebble beach where a group of Black Headed Gulls were roosting. A Redshank picked around by a pool in front of them. Out on rocks at the water's edge were a few Cormorants.
A Grey Wagtail called as it passed over and we both managed to see it. I scanned through the sleeping gulls and found what I suspected I might - a sleeping Mediterranean Gull, the black smaudge behind the eye catching my attention and then the lack of black wingtips confirming my suspicions. My third Mediterranean Gull find here (though I suspect this may be the adult reported earlier in the year with almost a complete black hood), following on from a 2nd year bird and a juvenile. Nat found a few Ringed Plovers picking around on the beach. Another flock out near the water contained a couple of Kittiwakes and Sandwich Terns. Offshore were a few Eider.
We walked along the road towards the harbour adding a small group of Goldfinches to the list. Oystercatcher and Curlew were both seen flying past as was a Great Black Backed Gull out over the sea, though there was little noticeable seabird movement. On the exposed rocks to the west of the breakwater at the harbour we could see a small-ish flock of terns, mostly Common Terns. The wind was making it tricky to keep the scope steady, so we stepped back so the camper vans acted as a wind-break. This made things much easier. A few Arctic Tern youngsters were still around.
I then found a smaller, darker tern. It certainly fitted the bill for
Black Tern and I mentally checked off the features I could remember to confirm it, before letting Nat see the bird in the scope. I took a few distant record shots before going back to the scope. Before I did so however, the birds all took to the air before landing again in different positions, though slightly closer owing to the arrival of a Great Black Backed Gull amongst them. I eventually re-found the Black Tern, a juvenile bird, almost hidden behind a Common Tern, but wasn't 100% certain. A bit more scanning and I told Nat I had the bird again, in much better position, atop a rock on its own. Nat had another look through the scope so she knew where to look through her binoculars. She then asked, "what's that along to the left of it then? Looks like another Black Tern". I moved the scope from the first bird following her directions and sure enough there was a very similar bird stood at the end of the same rocks. I checked and double-checked but it was definitely a second juvenile Black Tern.
There was another mass launch as I was photographing the birds again and it looked like the second bird flew off. I put out a text to the ADBC grapevine and shot a video clip before we headed back to the car. We decided to have a quick check at Easthaven, where a Linnet landed at the small burn as I scanned through the large numbers of Pied Wagtails foraging among the seaweed. I found a juvenile Ringed Plover but while attempting to skirt round away from it for a better view I inadvertantly flushed it and 5 other Ringed Plovers that I hadn't noticed against the brown sand. A pair of sand Martins swept past low, one over the water the other over the beach.
Westhaven was next stop and after a spot of lunch we scanned the rocks. It was mostly Sandwich Terns here, though there were also a few Redshanks and Turnstones on the rocks as well. House Sparrows, Starlings and Pied Wagtails foraged among the seaweed on the beach. We walked along the edge of the field to save time, adding a Skylark to the list. Out among the rock pools we could see plenty of gulls and terns, as well as lower numbers of Redshanks. Reaching the area near teh Craigmill Burn outflow we checked through the birds in the hope of finding a Curlew Sandpiper. There were a few Goosander and Mallards visible just offshore as well as Eiders further out and a trio of Wigeon. A pair of Dunlin were much closer but were the only smaller waders we could find. A few Feral Pigeons flew past but as it was still a while until high tide we walked back to the car. A Wheatear's white tail feathers caught our eyes as it flashed off from some of the stonework along the field's border with the beach.
I had a decision to make. What to do with the rest of the afternoon. My options were to stay put and wait for the tide to come in at Westhaven, catch a bus back to Arbroath to try for better photos of the Black Terns, head to Guardbridge to try for Curlew Sandpipers, or Riverside Nature Park for the same. I settled for Nat dropping me off in Dundee and catching a bus out to the Nature Park, where I've not been very often this year. We managed to overtake the bus I hoped to catch and I made it with about a minute to spare. Rather rude and irritating Harris academy pupils on the bus made the journey out seem to take longer than it normally does.
I reached the park at around 1405 and walked along the road to enter the park at the Invergowrie end. With high tide around 1600 and quite a big one, I was already within two hours of it being fully in. A tractor with engine running, but no driver kept birds away from the Lochan. Feral Pigeons overflew. When I reached the hide, I found the tide state to be virtually perfect with a sizeable triangle of mud still visible. The only thing was that there were no birds on the mud, or on the pipe (though a pair of Feral Pigeons did land). Not even a Redshank, let alone the hoped for Curlew Sandpiper. There were a few Black Tailed Godwits in the water nearer the reedbed, and out on the water the Herring, Black Headed and Common Gulls lazed around. A couple of Mallards and a few Teal completed the picture.
There was no sense in hanging around so I headed along towards the Lochan to find the tractor had moved, but its place had not been taken by any birds. A small charm of young Goldfinches did land in the hedge above, and a Meadow Pipit was seen flying by over the hill behind. Woodpigeon was added as I walked around to the hill viewpoint. A Skylark was seen here, lifting from beside the path before settling again a short distance away among the vegetation. A flock of Curlews flew from the direction of the airport into the bay. A Willow Warbler was the only bird seen at the car park. Wren and Magpie were heard but not seen on the way to Buzzard Wood, which was also 'dead' though a Robin did fly across the path. A Common Darter dragonfly was seen flitting around and a pair of Swallows overflew westwards as I headed for the exit, having clearly made the wrong decision as to how to spend my afternoon.
A Magpie was seen near the steps down from the roadbridge over the railway line near the Botanic Gardens and a young Dunnock was on the pavement around the corner from home rounding out a rather mixed day's birding, with the success of the Black Tern duo and the Mediterranean Gull finds being negated to an extent by the dearth of birds at the rather overgrown, and neglected looking Nature Park. Dog walkers are clearly still using it as the little full plastic bags left at various points around the park (some even where they should be) and the unbagged stuff left in situ bore testament to. 43 species including 1 year-tick (in bold) were seen outside the Nature Park, with 15 at the park.
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| Black Headed Gulls & Mediterranean Gull |
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| Black Tern & Common Terns |
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| Black Tern & Common Terns |
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| Black Terns & Common Terns |
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| Black Terns & Common Terns |
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| Black Terns & Common Terns |
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| Common Terns & Black Tern |
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| Common Terns & Black Tern |
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| Black Tern & Cormorant |
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| Black Tern & Cormorant |
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| Black Tern |
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| Black Tern |
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| Black Headed Gulls, Mediterranean Gull & Oystercatcher |
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| Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gulls |
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| Mediterranean Gull & Black Headed Gulls |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Black Tailed Godwits |
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| Meadow Pipit |
Species seen (outside RNP) - Arctic Tern,
Black Tern, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Common Tern, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Skylark, Starling, Swallow, Turnstone, Wheatear, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.
Species seen at RNP - Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Curlew, Goldfinch, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Skylark, Swallow, Teal, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon.
