On the way back to Guardbridge from Kirkcaldy on Saturday with Jacqui we had a discussion as to where I was thinking about going on Sunday. Jacqui suggested maybe visiting Kinnordy for a few hours in the morning before dropping me back in Dundee. As the discussion progressed the possibility of visiting one of the Angus glens came up though it was weather dependent. With possible additions to be had for the year-list at both I was most definitely up for it. An 0845 pick-up was arranged.
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| Red Grouse |
I headed out for the short walk to meet Jacqui at just after 0830. Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Carrion Crow and a few Redwings were seen before Jacqui arrived. We headed off up the A90 adding Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Pheasant, Roe Deer, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon and Rooks. We decided to head for the glens first though if the roads looked snowy or icy we would divert to Kinnordy. Goldfinch, Great Tit and Dunnock were seen by the roadside and a field further on had Fieldfare, Redwing and Mistle Thrush feeding together. Chaffinch was next before we spotted a pair of
Red Kites which showed nicely in the sunshine. A Buzzard was also in the same area.
Another field held a small flock of Common Gulls. Blue Tit was seen in roadside trees and a Rabbit was noted in an area full of Rabbit-holes. There was snow along the edges of the road but thankfully very little frost or ice so we continued on. A Raven perched on a fence post having been scared off from some roadkill by the approaching car. There was some damage to the tail feathers of the bird that was suggestive of something other than natural moult. Continuing up the glen we stopped regularly to photograph roadside Red Grouse which looked very nice in the winter sunshine. A Stock Dove flew over. About two-thirds of the way into the glen we stopped to scan around. A few Chaffinches were perched on wires, a few Red Grouse were noted and a Siskin flew over.
As we'd driven along the road we'd both seen a raptor low over a field but lost sight of it because of the lie of the land. The natural assumption was that it would be a Buzzard, or maybe a Red Kite. However what we weren't expecting was a ringtail
Hen Harrier, which was what it turned out to be, though views were very brief. A trio of female
Black Grouse flew along the side of a nearby hill giving me another year-tick to add to the Red Kite and Hen Harrier. On the way back down the glen we stopped to have a look at a flock of Redpolls feeding in a tree. Most appeared to be Lessers though there was at least 1 possible Mealy in the flock though I didn't manage to get a good enough look to be entirely sure. While walking back to the car a male Bullfinch flew over.
Yellowhammer was added on our way to our next stop at Loch of Kinnordy. When we arrived we found it mostly frozen over. The one plus was that the birds were standing around on the ice by the remaining open water making them a bit eaiser to see. Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Goosander, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Mute Swan and Whooper Swan were all noted along with a Common Gull and a Carrion Crow. There was no sign of life from the new Barn Owl box though. We chatted to the only other birder in the Gullery Hide who I thought I recognised. It turned out that I had met him before. He was Jonathon Drew who along with his brother, Tim, found the Brown Shrike and the Buff Breasted Sandpiper at Balcomie back in late September 2013 which were both lifers for me.
A visit to the other hides proved fruitless except for the arrival of a few Greylags and a trio of Pink Footed Geese. The feeders were busy with Chaffinches, Great Tits, Blue Tits and Coal Tits, Robin, Blackbird and a few Siskins. I managed to miss the Tree Sparrows though. We headed next to Forfar Loch to try and get Gadwall for my year-list. A Magpie was seen perched high in a tree as we wandered out to the wooden viewing platform.
Gadwall was found without any difficulty (at last!) and we added Coot and Little Grebe for the day. House Sparrows congregated in the nearby bushes.
We headed next for Murton to search for a Greenland White Fronted Goose which has been seen in the area recently. There was unfortunately no sign of it though we did have decent views of a small party of Bullfinches by the path and Oystercatcher was added to the list for the day. A few Greylags flew in before we headed along the road to Balgavies. This proved slightly more productive with Cormorant, Kestrel, Moorhen and a Great Spotted Woodpecker pair seen. A flock of Greylags arrived with a hybrid Canada x Greylag among them. A Grey Heron flew in just before we left. Jacqui dropped me off in Dundee and I was able to put another bird on the list for the day as I walked home when I heard and saw a Grey Wagtail in flight near the police station.
A good day out again with plenty to see and 4 year ticks (in bold) among the 55 species of bird seen. In addition 3 species of mammal were also noted. The Hen Harrier was my first ever in an Angus glen though I do hope the bird moves on elsewhere soon as otherwise its days may well be numbered in single digits given the location.
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
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| Jackdaw |
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| Buzzard |
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Buzzard |
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| Hen Harrier |
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| Raven |
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| Black Grouse |
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| Lesser Redpoll |
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Buzzard |
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| Mistle Thrush |
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| Mallard, Wigeon, Teal |
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| Buzzard |
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| Mallard, Wigeon & Whooper Swan |
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| Greylag Goose & Mallard |
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| Pink Footed Goose |
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| Gadwall |
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| Goosander, Black Headed Gull, Coot |
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| Wigeon & Tufted Duck |
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| Jackdaw |
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| Wigeon & Tufted Duck |
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| Teal, Goldeneye & Wigeon |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Greylag Goose |
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| Redwing |
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| Greylag Goose |
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| Common Gull & Black Headed Gull |
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| Greylag Goose |
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| Canada x Greylag Goose hybrid |
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| Greylag Goose |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Grey Heron |
Species seen -
Black Grouse, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Dunnock, Fieldfare,
Gadwall, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose,
Hen Harrier, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Redpoll, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oysteractcher, Pheasant, Pink Footed Goose, Raven, Red Grouse,
Red Kite, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Tufted Duck, Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
Mammals seen - Rabbit, Red Squirrel, Roe Deer.
