Having missed out on Brambling on Thursday once again (though a Great Northern Diver was a nice consolation prize), I decided I would definitely head for Kinnordy on Friday morning. The birds sometimes visit the feeders at the RSPB reserve near Kirriemuir and having failed to find any wintering flocks it appeared to offer the best chance of connecting with the species before they headed back to Scandinavia for the breeding season. It still wasn't guaranteed and there was also a slim chance of finally managing to see a Bittern this winter too. Fingers crossed.
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| Pheasant |
I had to catch the bus at 0835, so left home at around 0825 which was potentially cutting things a bit fine if the bus was actually on-time. Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon were the first birds on the list with Blackbird and Starling added minutes later on my fast walk to the bus stop. The bus journey itself was relatively productive with a number of species added during the hour spent on the bus. Carrion Crows, Mallard, Kestrel and a Long Tailed Tit were seen before the bus reached Forfar. Jackdaws and Pink Footed Geese were seen while the bus was in Forfar and a Buzzard and Grey Heron shared a pool at Maryton, on the outskirts of Kirriemuir. A Skylark fluttered above a field. Collared Dove was seen around the Northmuir area.
A Blue Tit was the first bird seen on the walk out to the reserve along a rather muddy track, with small areas of snow still lying and also some icier parts as well as a few large puddles in places. A Pheasant was seen wandering across a field and a few Chaffinches were seen. Things were rather quiet though nearing the bridge that marks the end of the reserve, a bird flew up and landed in one of the conifers. Rather surprisingly, it was a
Brambling, and I hadn't even reached the reserve yet. I took a few photos before the bird flew deeper into the trees. I was able to see some of the unfrozen water at the eastern end of the Loch through gaps in the trees and bushes. Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks, Wigeon and Mallard were all easily seen, some roosting on the ice as others swam around nearby.
Reaching the East Hide a few minutes later, I could hear a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming but I concentrated on what was out in front of the hide. Whooper Swans, Teal and Goldeneye were all added as well as a single sleeping Shelduck and a drake Gadwall. A drake Goosander flew in and landed. A par of Oystercatchers stood sleeping on the ice. A Coal Tit was seen in the trees to the right of the hide. A few Common Gulls dropped in, but didn't settle for long before flying off again. More scanning found a few distant Coots before I decided to head for the Gullery Hide. Great Tit, Robin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blue Tit and Chaffinch were around the feeders as well as a pair of young Pheasants.
There was nothing else obvious when I got into the empty Gullery Hide but within a short while the first Greylag Geese of the day had shown up. A few Black Headed Gulls flew past before I was joined in the hide by Alex Shepherd, and soon after by Jon Cook. Lapwings and Rooks were added but despite lots of scanning we all drew a blank on Bittern. A few Roe Deer were seen between the main part of the Loch and the area in front of the Swamp Hide. A single Curlew was the only addition while Alex visited the other hides and feeders where he managed to see a Brambling. By now Jon had moved on elsewhere and a few others popped in but didn't stay long.
I headed out to the Swamp Hide after 1300 but there was nothing to see so I headed back to the Gulery Hide again. Siskin and Fieldfare were seen flying over as I wandered along the path between hides. Reed Bunting and a Redwing were both seen flying over the Loch as was a Lesser Redpoll in company with a few Siskins. With still no sign of any Bittern and the cold and lack of activity in general beginning to have a negative effect I decided to call it a day and head for the bus and home. I did succeed in adding Tree Sparrows at the feeders but no new birds were seen before I was almost home when a small group of Goldfinches flew over. One nice surprise on the way home was a field with 16 Brown Hares in it. The most by a long way that I've seen in one place.
Despite the lack of Bittern, it was a successful day out with the main target being seen and a total of 48 species seen (year tick in bold) and 2 mammals. The light was good for photos though the birds were mostly rather distant.
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| Brambling |
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| Whooper Swan & Wigeon |
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| Pink Footed Geese |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Whooper Swan & Wigeon |
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| Common Gull |
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| Tufted Duck, Oystercatcher, Shelduck & Whooper Swan |
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| Great Tit |
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| Wigeon, Gadwall & Teal |
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| Buzzard |
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| Greylag |
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| Lapwing |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Whooper Swan |
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| Whooper Swan |
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| Whooper Swan & Mute Swan |
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| Roe Deer |
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| Common Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Pheasant |
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| Pheasant |
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| Pheasant |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Carrion Crow & Buzzard |
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| Curlew |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Pheasant |
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| Pheasant |
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| Teal, Wigeon & Mallard |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Tree Sparrow |
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Pheasant
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Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit,
Brambling, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Curlew, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Goldneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Redpoll, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Starling, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.
Mammals seen - Brown Hare, Roe Deer.
