STONEFACTION BIRDING: 0603 : Gunships And Goodies (17/11/18)

0603 : Gunships And Goodies (17/11/18)

Earlier in the week, Ian messaged me to see if I fancied a trip down to Lothian to try and see the Rough Legged Buzzards that have been seen in the uplands south of Edinburgh recently. Obviously I said "yes". Rough Legged Buzzard is a species I've only seen once before and there is always the chance of other good birds around in the same general area. Arrangements were made to meet him at Perth station at 0815 and to head south. The weather forecast was to be dry which was definitely a plus.

Common Crane

I headed out at 0720 noting Herring Gulls milling around above the local roost making a lot of noise. Feral Pigeon was added in the city centre but nothing else was seen until I was on the train. Pink Footed Geese were flying up from the Tay and a Carrion Crow was seen in Invergowrie Bay. A small group of Roe Deer were spooked by the train and Mute Swan and Woodpigeon were seen as we neared Perth. I met Ian as arranged and we set off. Black Headed Gulls were at the Inches along with a few Rooks.

Further south we added the first of a number of Buzzards, as one glided along by the road. A Magpie flew across the road a little further on and a flock of Starlings swirled around over a field. Buzzards, Magpies and Woodpigeons made up the majority of sightings until we were south of Edinburgh. Collared Dove, Blackbirds and House Sparrows were seen as we waited at roadworks in a small village on our route. Chaffinches and Redwings were noted as we headed towards the higher ground. Kestrel and Pheasant were seen before we reached the area where the Rough Legged Buzzards had been seen earlier in the week. There were plenty of Red Grouse around, as the hills echoed to their calls and birds flew around in all directions.

A trio of Buzzards appeared above the skyline, but they all turned out to be Common Buzzards. It was colder than expected and visibility wasn't great at hilltop heights with really poor light which didn't help things much. A Kestrel hovered over another hillside, and a few Ravens passed overhead. A Mistle Thrush sped through the glen. There was still no sign of anything resembling a Rough Legged Buzzard so we drove round to a nearby reservoir. Bullfinch was seen by the roadside and Tufted Ducks and a Little Grebe were on the water along with a few Mallard. A Great Black Backed Gull flew over. A small flock of Goldfinches were added as we drove back to try again at the original spot.

We discussed our options - stick around in the hope the bird showed or head 25 miles south to Coldstream at the border where a juvenile Common Crane had been frequenting a field by the river Tweed and then try for the Rough Legged Buzzard again on our way back. We chose the latter option. A large group of Red Legged Partridges were seen as we descended down from the moors and a pair of Jays flew across the road in front of us as we passed through a wooded area. By now the sun was shining and the sky was rather more blue than it had been higher up. Jackdaws and Rooks filled a field not far from Coldstream.

We found the field without any difficulty. A flock of Canada Geese took off as Ian was getting organised. We decided to walk the anti-clockwise route around the field so the sun would be behind us when we were close to where the Crane had been seen earlier in the morning. A Lynx Wildcat helicopter flew low along the river, followed seconds later by an Apache attack helicopter. A rather nice bonus for me. What happened next was even better. Another Apache appeared and headed into the field we were walking around. It then hovered nearby giving us amazing photo opportunities before flying a circuit and returning to hover nearby again.

Lots of photos were taken and it almost looked like the crew were twitching the Common Crane which we'd spotted in the distance near a large flock of Mute Swans feeding. The Apache moved further down the field to near where the Swans were but the birds were totally unperturbed by the very low flying helicopter which was probably a very good thing, even if the Apache is heavily armoured. As we watched the helicopter a dog ran into the field (signs ask for dogs to be kept on a lead around the walk) and chased the Swans which took flight. Unseen by us at the time, the Crane did likewise. A flock of Golden Plover and lots of other birds took to the air - corvids, pigeons, ducks (mostly Mallards but also a few Wigeon). All because of a single dog owner who figured the rules didn't apply to him.

A Brown Hare ran across the field towards us but stopped to check us out before continuing on into the large gardens bordering the field. Although our target bird had flown off we decided to continue on round in the hope that it might return. Another 2 Apaches appeared and the 1 which was hovering over the field flew off with them back westwards. We found a flock of Fieldfares and Redwings in the trees by the river. Another Apache came in and hovered in the field where it was joined by another briefly before they too headed off ending our own rather special 'airshow' that we had been treated to. Once things had quietened down the Mute Swans returned to where they had been feeding. A Reed Bunting showed in a small tree by the track and a flock of Skylarks milled around in another smaller side field.

I scanned around and thought I saw the Crane flying around across the river in England but lost sight of it above a field full of sheep when it flew behind the riverside trees. Ian managed to refind it and we watched as it flew in our general direction before dropping down to land in the field, not too far away. Photos and a video clip were taken before we wandered back towards the car. A Common Gull was seen flying along the river as we neared the car park. We headed back up into the hills via a slight sat-nav hiccup detour, and the blue skies disappeared once more. A Peregrine was added flying above the road relatively high in the opposite direction to the way we were going. It was more of the same - lots of Red Grouse and a few Buzzards as well as the same Kestrel. A bird that may have been our target bird disappeared behind the hill before I managed a photo and before Ian managed to get on the bird.

With the time now around 1500 we called it a day and headed back up the road. A flock of Long Tailed Tits and an unidentified wagtail were the only new birds seen on the way back. During our foray into the hills we had also seen another unexpected bird along the way which we had relatively decent views of and I even managed to shoot some video as we watched from the roadside. A "ringtail" Hen Harrier which was a year-tick for me and a much welcome one at that. Given the persecution of raptors in general, and Hen Harriers in particular, in the area of the uplands south of Edinburgh but north of the border I have chosen not to say where we encountered this bird.

We ended the day with a total of 41 species of bird, including 2 year-ticks (in bold) and 2 mammals. Rather more successful than our most recent attempt to twitch birds further west and the amazing helicopter close-ups made it a really enjoyable day.

Kestrel

Pheasant

Buzzard

Raven

Mistle Thrush

Raven

Red Grouse

Buzzard

Canada Goose

Golden Plover

Mute Swan

Brown Hare

Reed Bunting

Common Crane

Mute Swan

Common Crane

Golden Plover

Red Grouse

Roe Deer

A few Hen Harrier photos.....

Hen Harrier

Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Crane, Fieldfare, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Hen Harrier, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pink Footed Goose, Raven, Red Grouse, Red Legged Partridge, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Skylark, Starling, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.

Mammals seen - Brown Hare, Roe Deer.

Oh, and here's some bonus helicopter photos.....

First 3 are Lynx Wildcat....