I was undecided whether or not to go birding on Saturday. I was considering a visit to Edinburgh to see the Rip It Up exhibition on Scottish pop music in the morning and then take part in the AUOB march for Scottish independence in the afternoon with around 100,000 other like-minded folk. However, a message from Ian saying he was heading south and west for a spot of twitching for Taiga Bean Geese and Ruddy Duck as well as the Ring Necked Parakeets in Glasgow and did I want to go along, soon made my mind up for me. All 3 species would be year-ticks, so plans were made for a later than last time start from Perth.
 |
| Little Grebe |
I was out the door at 0740 and walked into town noting Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit and Blackbird before I reached the railway station. A Great Black Backed Gull flew over as I headed into the building. From the train through to Perth I was able to add a few more species - Pink Footed Geese, Woodpigeon, Sparrowhawk, Mallard and Mute Swan as well as Roe Deer. I met Ian in the car park of Perth station and we headed off to the area around Slamannan where the Taiga Bean Geese have recently arrived for the winter. Starling, Rook, Magpie and House Sparrow were all seen on the way there.
We didn't see too much when we found a spot to stop and scan over the fields though a few Skylarks flew over. We did hear Coal Tit, Siskin and possibly Bullfinch but as our focus was on finding the geese we didn't look for any of them. Drawing a blank we tried a few more spots before heading for nearby Fannyside Lochs adding a Buzzard on the way. There were no Bean Geese to be seen but we did add Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Goldfinch and Stonechat as well as a Sparrowhawk being pursued by Carrion Crows and an overflying Tiger Moth biplane. We met up with another birder, Mark from Balbeggie, who we'd also ran into at the Woodchat Shrike outing 2 weeks previously.
We tried another spot before heading for the Ruddy Duck location, with Mark following on behind us. This was more of a village pond than anything else and we had a wander round the perimeter slowly scanning along the way, though it was almost impossible to see from two sides. Coot, Black Headed Gull, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Moorhen and Mallard were all on the water but there was no sign of any Ruddy Duck. We kept checking just in case it was hiding among the reeds but to no avail. A few late Swallows stopped by for a brief drink and Siskin and Buzzard flew over. We eventually admitted defeat and headed for Victoria Park in Glasgow where we hoped to see the Ring Necked Parakeets which have bred there in recent years.
The park was rather busy and we headed for the pond where I'd been told the birds were often seen. A Grey Heron was perched in a tree while lots of Mallards, Feral Pigeons and gulls were being fed by the public. A Little Grebe adult had to keep a small fish out of reach of a Black Headed Gull until it gave up and the bird's youngster nearby was fed. We did see a young Magpie on the grass, as well as Robin, Dunnock, Moorhen and a Grey Squirrel. Long Tailed Tits were heard but not seen. We did manage to get further info on the Parakeets from a photographer. There was no sign of any Parakeets though. Things were not going to plan with all 3 targets eluding us, at least so far.
Undaunted we headed back to the Ruddy Duck site for another look. A Goosander was added to the rather short list for the day before we tried a couple of other small pools nearby where we found more Moorhens and a few Teal but no sign of any Ruddy Duck. Back to Slammanan on the way home we spotted Lesser Black Backed Gulls in a ploughed field with other gulls and corvids including Jackdaws from the car. A quick stop at Fannyside Loch was greeted with the news that the Ruddy Duck had been relocated in the same area as a Black Tern (quite possibly by Mark who had headed that way while we headed for Glasgow). Unfortunately Ian had to be back home for 1700 so we didn't have enough time to do a U-turn and try again.
Instead we headed for Falkirk and the Kincardine Bridge and homewards. A trio of juvenile Gannets headed inland near the Forth and a Kestrel hovered by the roadside a little further on. A large flock of Pink Footed Geese, a Shelduck and Oystercatcher as well as a gull roost which contained our first Common Gulls of the day as well as a Great Black Backed Gull, were all on the mud on the north side of the river. A few miles up the road I spotted a couple of Ravens high overhead and Ian spotted our first Collared Dove of the day as we passed through a small village. Ian dropped me off in Perth and I caught a train back to Dundee a while later, adding Pheasant to the list and a couple of sunbathing Roe Deer on the way.
Not the most successful of days out but there are never any guarantees when it comes to birding and it was an enjoyable outing regardless. The total for the day was 44 species of bird and 2 mammals.
 |
| Herring Gull |
 |
| Reed Bunting |
 |
| Skylark |
 |
| Stonechat |
 |
| Tufted Duck |
 |
| Buzzard |
 |
| Grey Heron |
 |
| Little Grebe |
 |
| Little Grebe |
 |
| Little Grebe |
 |
| Little Grebe |
 |
| Little Grebe |
 |
| Magpie |
 |
| Moorhen |
 |
| Magpie |
 |
| Goosander |
 |
| Pink Footed Goose, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Black Headed Gull & Great Black Backed Gull |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Dunnock, Gannet, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Grebe, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Raven, Reed Bunting, Robin, Rook, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stonechat, Swallow, Teal, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon.
Mammals - Grey Squirrel, Roe Deer.
