Normally the first week that Paul is back onshore our midweek outing is restricted to Fife,but with a couple of really good birds around in Angus, I had to at least suggest the possibility of trying for them both, though I would be able to bus it to Montrose for one of them if Paul didn't quite feel up to it. The other would be out of reach as it wasn't anywhere on, or near a bus route a bus route. Thankfully, both birds (and a couple of other possibilities if time allowed) were enough to tempt Paul into going for them. Our second prospective problem was the weather forecast for the day - heavy rain and strong winds. Neither being particularly great birding weather and certainly not both together (though seawatching from a hide is doable in those conditions).
Hoopoe
We arranged an 0800 pick-up and I headed out slightly early having received a text to say Paul had arrived early. Not unexpectedly there weren't many birds to be seen in the gloom. Herring Gull and Feral Pigeon, then a Carrion Crow and a Blackbird started the list off rather slowly. A singing Robin in the same tree as the Blackbird couldn't be picked out among the branches as I hurried past. A wrong turn at the start of the journey gave us the opportunity to change our plans slightly to try for the bird which would have been our second target of the day - a Great Grey Shrike in Montreathmont Forest. A Pheasant wandered across the road in front of us just outside Forfar, only just avoiding becoming a casualty.
What we didn't know at the time was that the track I thought we were meant to be on to search for the bird wasn't actually the right one. We did see a flyover Redpoll, plus Woodpigeon, Chaffinch and a Buzzard in a field. A large Sparrowhawk female flew out from the trees and a skein of Pink Footed Geese circled round above the field adjacent to the track. The rain was thankfully only light drizzle though it did mean that the camera struggled in the gloom to get usable photos. After roughly an hour of searching we gave up and headed for Montrose and our second target.
A Jay flew up from the roadside as we headed along the road by the remainder of the forest. Arriving at Rossie Island a short while later we parked and walked along the path, noting Oystercatcher, Grey Heron, Curlew, Redshank, Mallard, Cormorant, Eider and Great Black Backed Gull. As we walked round a slight bend we found a trio of birders (Andrew Russell, Simon Ritchie and 1 other whose name I didn't catch) ahead of us watching the bird we had come to see - a lifer for me, a Hoopoe. The bird flew up into a nearby tree but a minute or so later flew down to a small section of fence where it posed nicely for photos and a video clip. It flew down to feed on the path and we were treated to some really good views of the bird over the next hour as the bird rested and fed with a few short flights interspersed.
In addition to the showy Hoopoe we also saw Redwing, Dunnock, Robin, Red Breasted Merganser, Teal, Wigeon, Shelduck, Blackbird and a Little Egret. There were also a few Grey Seals hauled out on the sandbanks. Another photographer arrived who was rather confused as to which bird he was looking for as he told us he'd seen photos of 2 or 3 of the birds together. It was apparent he was confusing the Hoopoe with Waxwings which had also been around in the town recently. Myself and Paul decided to head back to Montreathmont having discovered the correct track from Simon for another attempt at the Shrike.
As we got out of the car at the forest a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over. As we headed on down the track I heard Crossbills calling and we watched 5 or 6 fly into the treetops above us. A Yellowhammer was seen in the trees near the hide. There was however no sign of the Great Grey Shrike. A flock of Redwings and Fieldfares overflew. We searched for around 30 minutes but drew a blank. A Bullfinch and another Great Spotted Woodpecker as well as another Crossbill and a Wren were seen as we headed back to the car to head for Loch of Kinnordy in the slim hope of either Bearded Tits for Paul, or Bittern for both of us.
Black Headed Gull, Starling and House Sparrow were all seen before we reached the Loch. Things were very quiet out in front of the Gullery Hide with a few Mallards and a decent number of Teal around. A single Goosander, a few Goldeneye, some Tufted Ducks and a small number of Mute Swans were also noted. A flock of Lapwings flew over towards the fields to the northwest and a pair of Snipe flew up and away from the bogbean islands. A pair of Greylag Geese dropped in and a Reed Bunting was seen in one of the bushes off to the left. A distant bird across the far side of the loch, perched on a dead tree, had a hint of owl about it, but was most likely just a Buzzard.
With time increasingly against us we headed for the other hides for quick visits. The Swamp Hide added Gadwall to our list, and the walk between the hides gave us Coal Tit, Blue Tit and Great Tit and a Red Squirrel but there was nothing else added from the East Hide. Heading for home around 1400 a few Greylags in with the sheep by the road back to Kirriemuir, a few Rooks in Kirriemuir and some Pink Footed Geese by the A90 south were seen before Paul dropped me off back in Dundee.
A good day out despite the weather with a lifer (in bold) for me (Paul had seen one 40 years ago). Another attempt at the Great Grey Shrike is going to be required before December 31st though, assuming the bird overwinters in the area, as it, or another bird, has done in the past.
Pink Footed Goose
Sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Pink Footed Goose
Hoopoe
Hoopoe
Eider, Cormorant, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow & Red Breasted Merganser
Cormorant
Hoopoe
Wigeon, Cormorant, Curlew, Eider, Shelduck & Grey Seal
Little Egret
Hoopoe
Hoopoe
Hoopoe
Hoopoe
Hoopoe
Bullfinch
Mute Swan & Mallard
Lapwing
Reed Bunting
Greylag Goose
Mallard
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Cormorant, Crossbill, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Hoopoe, House Sparrow, Jay, Lapwing, Lesser Redpoll, Little Egret, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pink Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Snipe, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
