Having managed to see a Canada Goose on the Tay on Saturday afternoon, my provisional plan to head to Morton Lochs to see one became unnecessary, so I needed an alternative. With public transport on a Sunday not particularly good, my options were rather limited. One of the birds I'd yet to see this year was Puffin, so I decided to get the bus to Arbroath then walk out to Auchmithie to hopefully see one. A Firecrest had been seen at Windyhills Farm for a few days, so a short diversion would be worth attempting also. All going to plan I would catch one of the few buses back to Arbroath, saving me a walk. The weather forecast was decent enough too, though not as warm as Saturday had been.
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| Fulmar |
I headed out at around 0955 to catch the X7 at 1020 from the bus station. Herring Gull, Blackbird, House Sparrow and Feral Pigeon were on the list immediately followed minutes later by a Magpie and a Carrion Crow. Blue Tit and Lesser Black Backed Gull were seen on Dens Road along with Woodpigeon. I made it to the bus station in plenty of time. The bus journey added a few more species to the list - a Buzzard perched in a tree, Rooks in the fields, a Yellowhammer flying alongside the bus, a male Pheasant in another field and a couple of Oystercatchers in another. Starlings and Jackdaws were seen as the bus made its way through the town to the stop at the Saltire Leisure Centre which saved me the best part of a mile's walk.
I headed through a housing scheme to reach Seaton Road which would take me past the caravan park and out to the junction to Auchmithie. A Dunnock was seen on the edge of the town, with a Skylark hanging in the sky above the fields opposite. Taking my binoculars out of the bag, I discovered that the strap had frayed right through - not something that has ever happened before to me with less expensive gear, and something that I was less than impressed by. I managed to salvage the situation and re-attached the remainder of the strap - though the other end looks like it might go the same way.
I added Chaffinch to the list with a male being chased around by a very tenacious Blue Tit. A Willow Warbler was heard singing but I failed to find it among the trees. Walking along the road to Windyhills Farm I added Goldfinches, Linnet and a Song Thrush to the list. As I started to walk up the long driveway at the farm, a Roe Deer buck started to walk across further up. I stopped and photographed the animal walking slowly across and into the wooded area to the right. It was only once it was in there that it noticed me, and it headed off into the field beyond. A few Tree Sparrows were in the trees by the farm buildings.
I headed down the hill to the top end of Castlesea Gulley where the Firecrest had apparently been seen. I picked up movement in the tree beside me and there was small bird flitting around in the branches, but it was only a Goldcrest. There were a few others around, as well as a Robin, Wren and a pair of Dunnocks. From further along the path I was joined by a couple of others who had also been hunting for the bird without luck, Darell Berthon from the local RSPB group and Nat. With 3 pairs of eyes looking every movement was scrutinised but we drew a blank, though Yellowhammers, Chaffinches, Linnets and Woodpigeons were all in the gulley. A Pied Wagtail flew over and landed on the roof of the house behind.
I eventually decided to walk down to check the small seabird colony on the cliffs. There were a few Eiders in the bay, and Fulmars, Kittiwakes, Herring Gulls, Razorbills and a few Guilemots were all soon added to the list. On the water not far offshore I found a pair of
Puffin bobbing along. This was a bit of a bonus as it meant I didn't really have to walk to Auchmithie if I didn't want to. I could just walk back to Arbroath instead. A Rock Pipit landed on the grassy slope above where I sat. A trio of Cormorants flew past, and well out to sea I spotted a pair of Bottlenose Dolphins passing northwards. A Common Gull glided by.
I decided that I would catch the bus back to Arbroath rather than walk so I took a slow walk along the cliff path to the village. A Great Black Backed Gull drifted past and I spotted a single Red Throated Diver going north low over the sea. I watched a pair of House Sparrows mating at the church, with the male appearing to feed the female a couple of times before mating commenced. I walked along to the north end of the village rather than down the gulley to the beach. From the road I was able to see down into the bay. There were more Puffins, some distant Razorbills, the local Fulmars and Herring Gulls as well as a Red Throated Diver close into shore below me.
I watched the Diver diving for 15 minutes or so before walking along to the bus stop. A Grey Heron flew north along the cliffs and a pair of probable Corn Buntings (though they might also have been Skylarks) chased each other above the street before flying back towards the fields. I caught the bus after a 5 minute wait. I hadn't realised at the time but I'd dropped my lens caps for the binoculars when I'd taken them out of the bag. I watched for them from the bus and they were where I'd stopped to take them out, so I got off the bus to recover them. This meant I had over a mile to walk back to the bus station. I managed to miss the X7 by a few minutes so decided to catch a train back to Dundee rather than wait another 40 minutes for a bus. A Rabbit was added from the train.
A successful trip with the main target added to the year-list (in bold) though only 39 species of bird seen in total.
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| Song Thrush |
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| Roe Deer |
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| Roe Deer |
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| Roe Deer |
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| Linnet |
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| Wren |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Dunnock |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Razorbill & Fulmar |
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| Cormorant |
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| Guillemot |
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| Fulmar |
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| Puffin |
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| Razorbill |
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| Feral Pigeon |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Fulmar |
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| House Sparrow |
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| House Sparrow |
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| House Sparrow |
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| House Sparrow |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Grey Heron |
Species seen - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail,
Puffin, Razorbill, Red Throated Diver, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Tree Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Mammals seen - Bottlenose Dolphin, Rabbit, Roe Deer.
