I wasn't feeling like going anywhere on Sunday despite the good weather that was forecast. I'm not a huge fan of too much sunshine, especially when coupled with hotter than normal temperatures. This is also one of the reasons I have no great urge to travel abroad. However, I also didn't want to waste the day sat at home. Having looked at the weather forecast I discovered that the expected temperatures at the coast were in the low double figures - temperatures that I can cope with. The question was where to go. I weighed up 3 options - Crail/Fife Ness area, Montrose Basin, and Ferryden/Usan coast but was still undecided when I headed out the door just after 1000 on my way to the bus station.
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| Skylark |
Although the travel time for all 3 options was similar (roughly an hour), Crail meant 2 buses each way. As I walked into town, I ruled that option out, leaving the 2 in Angus. Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon and Jackdaw started off the day's list. Swifts were spotted high overhead before Woodpigeon and Starling were seen. Nothing else was added before I reached the bus station where I managed to catch the 1020 X7 express bus. Carrion Crow, Blackbird and Lesser Black Backed Gulls were seen on the way out of Dundee, with Swallows and House Martins seen as the bus reached Arbroath. House Sparrow and Oystercatcher were seen in the town and Rooks were the final addition before I reached my stop at Ferryden.
I had decided I would walk out the direct route to Dunninald Castle and then along the road to Boddin Point which sticks out into the sea to the north of Lunan Bay. I would spend some time seawatching in the hope of adding a Skua species or 2 to my year-list. There was also a slim chance of picking up a migrant or 2 at either Fishtown or Mains of Usan on my walk back to Ferryden and the bus home. First though I would have a look at Montrose Basin from Rossie Island.
Goldfinches flew past as I wandered under the railway bridge and a pair of Linnets could be seen by the telegraph pole and bench on the other side. There was an Oystercatcher roost visible across at Rossie Spit but no other waders could be seen. A few Eiders were close in to the shore and I was able to see Common Terns fishing further out in the Basin. A few Mute Swans could be seen and a large sand bank held numerous Eiders and Grey Seals though surprisingly no Cormorants.
As I began to walk back towards the railway bridge I spotted a bird beyond the trees by the main road to the south. It apeared to be a raptor and when I looked through binoculars I was surprised to see it was a Red Kite rather than the expected Buzzard. Not a bad way to start my walk, though heat haze was playing havoc with my photo attempts. I walked up through Ferryden and could see that the Red Kite was being harassed by corvids. By the time I reached the farmland beyond the crows had given up and the Kite could still be seen gliding around the same area I had originally seen it.
I watched it for a while as it came closer once or twice but my photos were really poor with the lens connection issues increasingly being a problem of late. A Buzzard glided over the trees at the far end of the field as I walked up the road. A Tree Sparrow was seen in trees near the first large house south of Ferryden. Further on a Pied wagtail flew over and a male Chaffinch was seen in another tree. The first Yellowhammer of the day was found minutes later. A male Pheasant spotted me and ran off across the field it was in. Skylarks rose up from the same field, climbing steadily higher, singing loudly.
A Blue Tit flitted around in another large tree before I spotted a bird in an Oilseed Rape field - a male Reed Bunting perched atop one of the yellow flowers. A Stock Dove flew over, the yellow from the field reflecting off the bird's undersides. Jackdaws and Rooks were seen as I neared the castle grounds. I heard more birds than I saw as I walked down past the grounds, though a Song Thrush was seen. Heading down towards the lime kilns at Boddin Point, I watched a pair of Sand Martins struggling into the wind, and a Great Tit flew into the Gorse bushes by the railway line. A few House Martins and Swallows zipped over the fields nearer the farm buildings.
A pair of Rock Pipits with food for youngsters warily watched me from the roof of a building and a Meadow Pipit was seen down on the rocks. A Pied Wagtail peched on the remains of a large rowing boat. There were Herring Gulls in the water on the leeward side of the point. I made my way to the end where the ground rose up to the roof height of the lime kiln buildings. Although the view from here was decent, the wind felt stronger so I found a spot to watch the birds passing offshore. It was mostly Kittiwakes and Guillemots that I could see, though there were also a few Razorbills on the water.
Fulmars glided and flapped by, while Herring Gulls and Common Gulls dropped onto the surface of the water from time to time. Cormorant and Shags flew past while strings of Gannets headed past northwards mostly much further out near the 4 moored oil supply boats in the bay. A distant bird heading south turned out to be a (racing?) Pigeon. A Great Black Backed Gull passed by. With no sign of anything particularly interesting, I decided to move on again. Heading back up to the railway line I stopped to try and see a singing Sedge Warbler but it failed to show itself.
As I headed for Fishtown of Usan I managed to see a Whitethroat near the road and a distant Corn Bunting singing from wires over another Oilseed Rape field. Collared Dove was seen as I walked down through the farm but there was nothing new to add by the Salmon fishery site. I headed next for Mains of Usan. This was slightly more productive. Swallow and Goldfinch shared a wire near the walled garden and an Orange Tip butterfly flitted along the grass verge. A pair of Tufted Ducks were on the pond where a Moorhen joined them briefly. A young Rook was perched on the wall surrounding the pond, with the adults and other youngsters across the far side. A male Pied Wagtail caught a few insects along the wall, and posed nicely for photos.
Heading back out from the farm I managed to find a singing Willow Warbler, a Robin, a Dunnock and a single Garden Warbler as well as a Song Thrush. Woodpigeons and Blue Tits were also around. I had a few nice photo opportunities on the walk back towards Ferryden with a pair of Yellowhammer males posing nicely on a fence and a really close view of a Skylark singing while stood on the wall of a ruined building by a junction in the road. The Red Kite had moved on and things were quiet at the Basin where only a Mallard and another Song Thrush were close enough for decent views while I killed some time before heading to the bus stop and home.
Not the most successful of outingswith regards my target species for the day though I did still manage to see 54 species. I will certainly revisit Boddin Point for more seawatching as the slightly raised position does give a decent view out over the sea. Although Fishtown of Usan sees more use these days by birders, if the conditions look promising (and dry) I will likely head for Boddin if I'm seawatching in Angus.
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
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| Buzzard |
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| Stock Dove |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Rock Pipit |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Guillemot |
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| Cormorant |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Gannet |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Fulmar |
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| Common Gull |
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| Common Gull |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Shag |
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| Rook |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Sand Martin |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Tree Sparrow |
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| Linnet |
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| Swallow |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Rook |
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| Rook |
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| Moorhen |
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| Moorhen |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| House Sparrow |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Skylark |
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| Skylark |
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| Skylark |
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| Song Thrush |
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Song Thrush
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Species seen - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Tern, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Garden Warbler, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Razorbill, Red Kite, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sand Martin, Shag, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
Butterfly species seen - Orange Tip.
Mammal species seen - Grey Seal.
