For this mid-week's outing with Paul there was discussion of the possibility of heading west to Ayrshire for the Chough that has been lingering near Turnberry. A Yellow Legged Gull near Irvine and Iceland Gull/Ring Billed Gull double act at Strathclyde Loch were all likely targets if we had decided to go for it. However, the high winds forecast in the west put paid to that idea. Instead we decided to try and add some new birds around Angus. With Paul having been offshore for 3 weeks in January he hadn't had any opportunity to get the upland species - Grouse etc, so an attempt for Jack Snipe at Riverside Nature Park would be followed by a trip to a few glens before finishing up at Loch of Kinnordy. Although it was unlikely that I would gain more than maybe 1 or 2 species, there was a good chance of Paul getting significantly more.
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| Long Tailed Tit |
Having arranged to meet up at 0745 I headed out around 0730. Herring Gull and Blackbird were the only birds seen in the rather gloomy pre-dawn light drizzle before I spotted a Blue Tit in the same tree on Victoria Street where I've seen 1 in the past. Black Headed Gull was seen on Riverside Drive. Arriving at the Nature Park we noted another Blackbird, a few Carrion Crows and a small group of around 6 Magpies. A Woodpigeon sat hunched up in a tree. Unfortunately for our Jack Snipe search there was very little water in the usually rather wet marshy area so we drew a blank on that species and also Snipe. We headed for the Lochan next.
On the walk there a Robin in a bush and a flyover Goldfinch were seen in addition to a small flock of Redwings which flew off when they spotted us. A party of Long Tailed Tits were moving through the trees and bushes by the path and at the Lochan we found Teal, Mallard and Redshank. A single Black Tailed Godwit stood alone nearby. Chaffinch was also spotted in the hedge. A pair of Curlews flew over towards the bay from the direction of the airport where the bird-scarer was noisily doing its stuff. The tide was fully in and among the gulls and ducks we found a few Shelduck. There were no further additions on the way back to the car.
Feral Pigeon was our only addition heading through Dundee with Rooks in a roadside field to the north of the city the only one until we neared our first glen. There were numerous Pheasants seen in fields. A couple of Oystercatchers were sleeping in another. Collared Dove and Jackdaw were seen roosting on the chimneys of a few houses along with a single Starling. Our first Buzzard of the day was seen hunting for worms in a muddy field. A small group of Mistle Thrushes were noted a little further into the glen. A small flock of rather flighty finches, possibly Redpoll or maybe just Chaffinches, flew up into trees and out of sight as we stopped the car for a better look having only seen a brief glimpse as we passed them. A Treecreeper was some compensation as it was a year-tick for Paul.
A small flock of Lapwings and a Red Kite were next, the Kite seemingly interested in some roadkill Rabbit ahead of us. A couple of Red Grouse standing on a rock gave Paul another year-tick. We decided to have a bit of a walk to try for Redpolls at the end of the glen despite rather showery weather. Thankfully the rain abated enough to not trouble us too much. A flock of Chaffinches were picking around in a muddy patch and Coal Tit, Blue Tit and Great Tit were in the trees nearby. Unfortunately there was little evidence of much life except a few Pheasants. I'd hoped for Woodcock but again we drew a blank.
With the time already around noon we decided to try another glen. This one produced a small flock of Common Gulls in a field as well as a small group of Yellowhammers further on. A few Red Grouse were noted from the car. We stopped at an area where I usually have some success with seeing Black Grouse - another target for Paul. Things looked very quiet though I eventually found a group of at least 9 on a hillside a good distance away. Thankfully photos showed them to definitely be Black Grouse, unlike a very dark Red Grouse seen earlier. For reasons unseen the flock then took flight and photos showed that there were many more birds than we were able to see on the ground with 1 photo showing there were at least 22 birds in the group which I think is my largest flock of the species ever.
A Rabbit was noted on our way back down the glen and a small flock of Fieldfare were added on our way into a third glen. I had thought we might find Red Legged Partridge somewhere along our route but again we were unsuccessful. A few Buzzards were all we had to show for our efforts in glen number 3. With no further likelihood of additions we headed for Loch of Kinnordy where we hoped it would be possible to get a few more for Paul and hopefully at least 1 year-tick for me, with Barn Owl the most likely option.
Surprisingly given the rather mild temperatures the area in front of the Gullery Hide was still almost completely frozen over. There were Lapwings and Oystercatchers stood around in the bogbean further out on the ice. In addition we were able to find Goosander, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan and Whooper Swan. A skein of Greylags took flight to the east of the Loch and a Cormorant flew past. More scanning found a single Coot over towards the reeds with a Grey Heron hiding behind it. There was no sign of the Barn Owl in the new box, nor of the hoped for (but not expected) Bittern. A party of Long Tailed Tits showed well in the trees outside the right hand side window, allowing me to grab a few photos.
We popped along to the Swamp Hide but added nothing new there though there was a rather unexpected Shelduck seen. The feeders on the way to the East Hide proved a bit more productive with plenty activity taking place and a Red Squirrel seen on the walk there. Best of the bunch was a nice male Brambling. In addition to a brief appearance by a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a few Siskins and a Moorhen were noted. With the lighting conditions never having really improved all day and Paul tiring we called it a day early, before 1600 and headed homewards.
Not the most successful outing for me, but Paul gained 5 year-ticks among the 52 species (and 2 mammal species) we managed to see. The flock of at least 22 Black Grouse was good to see and managing to get a photo of the Brambling closes a hole in my collection of photographed species this year.
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Grouse |
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| Buzzard |
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| Black Grouse |
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| Black Grouse |
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| Black Grouse |
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| Lapwing |
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| Lapwing |
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| Buzzard |
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| Greylag Goose |
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| Coot & Grey Heron |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Mute Swan & Lapwing |
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| Tufted Duck, Teal & Wigeon |
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| Goosander |
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| Goldeneye |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Whooper Swan |
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| Shelduck |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Brambling |
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| Brambling |
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| Tree Sparrow |
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| Common Gull |
Species seen - Black Grouse, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Brambling, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Fieldfare, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Red Grouse, Red Kite, Redshank, Redwing, Robin, Rook, Shelduck, Siskin, Starling, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
Mammals seen - Rabbit, Red Squirrel.
