Having missed out on Grasshopper Warbler, along with White Winged Scoter, the previous day at Musselburgh, I decided that I would try for the species again at a particular area of the Tay reedbeds where I usually manage to see the species, though very rarely well. It would also give me a chance to add Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and hopefully, Reed Warbler. If I had time I would also drop into Riverside Nature Park on the way home to see if Lesser Whitethroat was back (having not been seen there in 2017). The weather forecast was dry with relatively light winds, so with a little luck, I had a decent chance of adding a few new birds for the year-list.
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
With the bus leaving the bus station at 0800, I headed out at around 0740. Feral Pigeon, House Sparrow, Herring Gull and Blackbird started off the list for the day with Blue Tit, Lesser Black Backed Gull and Magpie quickly following. A little further on Woodpigeon and Collared Dove were seen on Dens Road with a singing Goldfinch in a tree across the road. Carrion Crow flew over as I headed down Dens Brae. I made it to the bus station in time and was soon on my way towards Errol, though being a Sunday the route was a bit different. Starling, Jackdaw and Song Thrush were seen from the bus, with Black Headed Gull, Oystercatcher and a pair of Shelduck added as the bus neared Errol. Rook was a final addition before the bus reached the village.
Swallow and House Martin were spotted over the fields with a mixed flock of Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers and Tree Sparrow feeding along the edges. There was no sign of any Whitethroats which was disappointing, though I won't struggle to see the species. A Meadow Pipit landed in a tree near a Chaffinch, as Skylarks provided a soundtrack, with one eventually being picked out high in the sky. A pair of Roe Deer fed in a field. I took a bit of a detour to the area where I usually manage to see Grasshopper Warbler. A Blackcap showed relatively well in a small tree. After a few minutes waiting patiently, I was rewarded with a quick blast of 'reeling' and headed towards the vegetation that seemed to hold the bird. There was a bit of movement as the hoped for
Grasshopper Warbler clambered up the vegetation and reeled again, allowing me a few photos through the vegetation.
A
Sedge Warbler gave a little display flight as I headed on towards Port Allen where I hoped to find Reed Warbler. With 2 of the day's targets already in the bag, I was hoping to add the more difficult one. Reed Warbler was a bird that I hadn't seen mentioned much on social media, unlike most of the other expected migrants moving up through England and into Scotland. This wasn't promising and there were no Scottish records this year showing on Birdtrack. The odds were surely against me, though with another planned visit this coming weekend I wasn't too concerned. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew off through the trees. Great Tit, Wren, Dunnock and Chiffchaff were all found before I reached the eastern end of the eastern pool at Port Allen. I passed the local bird club's chairman and his latest birding companion heading away from the pool. This suggested that they'd had some success with Reed Warbler (seen on BirdForum later).
There weren't lots of birds on the water, but there was a decent selection of species - Gadwall, Wigeon, Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Mallard and Little Grebe. A couple of Sedge Warblers were singing loudly nearby, though there was no Reed Warbler song. I stood quietly for the best part of an hour, and only heard the same 2 Sedge Warblers singing. There were a few brief, and distant views of Bearded Tits and a male Marsh Harrier flew over rather low, though the camera decided not to focus meaning the photos were disappointing again. A short while later another Marsh Harrier circled up on a thermal where it joined a second male briefly before they both headed off over the trees at a good height. A Peacock butterfly flitted around at my feet.
With still not a hint of Reed Warbler seen or heard I moved on to the burn outflow. Again there was no sign of any Reed Warbler song from the reeds on either side of the burn. A male Kestrel circled above the pools and checking the time I decided I would try to catch the bus at 1255. This gave me around 90 minutes to try again for Reed Warbler and make it to Errol for the bus. A Grey Heron flew off across the pool. The local Kingfisher was heard but not seen. From the eastern end of the pool, I added Coot to the list but yet again there was no sign of anything but Sedge Warbler. If there had been a Reed Warbler around earlier, it certainly was remaining quiet and hidden for me. Even the songs were distinctly Sedge Warbler.
After another 20 minutes of waiting and watching I moved on again. As I headed back a Buzzard flew over high over the trees and a small flock of Tree Sparrows were in the bushes. More Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were seen. A Small Tortoiseshell was seen in the fields by the track, and while waiting for the bus in Errol I watched a skein of Pink Footed Geese heading north a little to the west of the village. There was nothing new added from the bus to Invergowrie from where I would walk into the Nature Park.
The tide was already quite far in and it was mostly Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulss that could be seen in the bay, although a pair of Mallard and a single Oystercatcher made up the numbers on the bit of pipe that wasn't yet underwater. Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon flew over and a pair of Mute Swan appeared in the burn outflow along with a pair of Shelduck. A pair of Black Headed Gulls dropped in and a few Feral Pigeons circled round. A distant Sparrowhawk flew up from the trees between the 2 halves of the park. I headed into the main body of the park. A few Jackdaws flew up from the field and a Goldfinch twittered its song from the top of the hedge near the Lochan.
A surprise at the Lochan was a new bird for the park's list - number 141, a Coot. A few Swallows swept over. A few Blackbirds were in the field along to the east from the Lochan. I added Chaffinch, Willow Warbler, Magpie, Robin and Blackcap as I wandered slowly further on. A Peacock butterfly was spotted. I headed round the path to the bench overlooking the bay where a distant Cormorant was seen well out on the river. A couple of Skylarks took off from the hill behind me and sang loudly as they flew upwards. A Song Thrush and a Long Tailed Tit were added along in front of the picnic tables, but there was no sign of any Whitethroats.
A small flock of Teal flew out over the bay. Moving on again, I spotted a Yellowhammer perched in a small tree. Most of the dog walkers in the park seemed to be obeying the signs asking for dogs to be kept on a lead, but a young-ish couple with 2 dogs on leads and a kid walked down from the hill-top to the picnic benches. Perhaps a fence round the hill-top is needed. My 2nd visit to the Lochan added a Grey Heron, with a Leech working its way up the neck of the bird, before the bird flew up and over the houses to land on a roof half-hidden behind trees.
A pair of Coal Tits were watched a few feet above me near the short path down to the lower half of the park, and a pair of Willow Warblers chased each other round. A Blue Tit was added a little further on. I heard a Moorhen in the bushes behind the car park and eventually managed to see the bird's red bill through the branches. A Pied Wagtail flew over as I headed to Buzzard Wood where I added a Buzzard high over the trees. House Sparrows were added near the fields to the north and a Starling flew over. As I headed for the bus at around 1530 there were a couple of Rabbits in the field, showing that Myxomatosis hasn't wiped out every last Rabbit in the park.
A good day out with a total of 57 species seen between the 2 places visited, including 2 year-ticks (in bold) and a park tick, the first for a while. The weather stayed dry too which was a bonus after getting a bit wet on Saturday at Musselburgh.
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| House Sparrow |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Roe Deer |
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| Blackcap |
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Blackcap |
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| Blackcap |
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| Kestrel |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Tree Sparrow |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Coot |
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| Coot |
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| Mallard |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Robin |
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| Lesser Black Backed Gull |
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| Skylark |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Mallard |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Grey Heron (Leech on neck just below head) |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Coal Tit |
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| Moorhen |
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| Buzzard |
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| Magpie |
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| Blue Tit |
Species seen - Bearded Tit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Coot, Cormorant, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldfinch,
Grasshopper Warbler, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook,
Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Swallow, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterfly species - Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell.
Mammal species - Rabbit, Roe Deer.
