Following on from my early start on Wednesday morning to catch the first bus to Kinnordy, I somehow managed to sleep through 3 alarms for a similarly early start for a trip to the Tay reedbeds on Thursday. My plan had been to get down there early so that I would hopefully increase my chances of hearing a Grasshopper Warbler reeling (and seeing it too). Having failed to see Sedge Warbler on Wednesday at Kinnordy, that species was also on the list of potential targets. With Bearded Tit seen earlier in the year at Kinnordy, I could afford to not spend anytime trying to see 1 of these birds flying low above the reeds. There was 1 other target bird - Reed Warbler - a bird I have seen only twice before, and not yet particularly well. I suspected that it would probably be a little too early for that species though.
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| Marsh Harrier |
With the second bus to Errol leaving the city centre at 0810 I left the house at around 0745 for the walk down to catch it. Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Blue Tit were seen before I managed to once again add Grey Wagtail near the Bathroom World showroom. Oddly the bird was in hot pursuit of a Feral Pigeon which seemed to be quite worried as it sped by with the Wagtail on its tail. Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow and Goldfinch were spotted before I reached the bus stop in Union Street. There wasn't much to be seen on the bus journey out to Errol though a pair of Grey Squirrels chased each other up a tree trunk on the road up into Ninewells. A Lesser Black Backed Gull was seen with Herring Gulls in Invergowrie. A Rabbit was seen in a field near Inchture. A pair of Shelduck looked strangely out of place in the middle of a bare field. A drake Mallard was seen in a small burn and the first Rooks were noted near Errol airfield.
Arriving in Errol just before 0900 I spotted a House Martin overhead as I walked down Gas Brae. A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly flitted along the edge of the path. A few Sand Martins also zipped overhead. Yellowhammer and Great Tit were seen in the community garden though there was no sign of any Whitethroats which used to be seen here before it was tidied up. Skylarks were singing high above the fields and a pair of Roe Deer were seen distantly in a field to the east. I headed for my regular Grasshopper Warbler spot but was distracted by singing Blackcaps, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, though only the Willow Warbler was seen initially. Reed Bunting, Dunnock, Wren and Blue Tit were all seen before I actually managed to add Chiffchaff.
A 'normal' male and a very pale Marsh Harrier male circled over above the reeds giving me nice views against the blue sky. Apparently the paleness is an age related thing, though not mentioned in (m)any(?) books. A Grey Heron flew over and a Common Gull headed for the river. A Red Admiral butterfly was a slight surprise. I spent sometime looking for a singing Sedge Warbler I could hear but struggled to see. A Song Thrush distracted me as it sang from a nearby tree. A Linnet sang from another tree. Above the noise of the singing birds I heard a Grasshoper Warbler reeling and headed in the direction of the sound. I managed to narrow down the vicinity of the voice and waited for movement or more reeling. The reeling came first and I repositioned myself to try and see the bird. Having spotted me before I spotted it, the bird flew a short distance and dropped back into the reeds where it reeled again a few seconds later, confirming that the bird in flight was the
Grasshopper Warbler. Job done for me, so I headed off to try again for the Sedge Warbler.
After much more standing around watching Marsh Harrier mostly and listening for
Sedge Warbler I was finally rewarded by catching sight of a short song flight. The next time the Sedge Warbler flew up I was ready with my camera and managed to get a few photos. A Peregrine flew over heading eastwards. Based on the markings it was a 2cy bird, born last year. A Buzzard put in an appearance a little later. A Blackcap was spotted as were Peacock and Green Veined White butterflies before I moved on towards the Port Allen pools. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard calling but I failed to spot it, though I didn't actually look for it. A Robin skulked in the hedge by the path and a few House Sparrows were seen near the farm. I heard a possible Tawny Owl calling but only once.
I checked the eastern pool where Gadwall, Mallard, Coot, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Wigeon, Mute Swan, Little Grebe and Great Crested Grebe could all be seen on the water though the numbers of all except the Tufted Ducks were rather low. A Moorhen was seen along the edge. A pair of Long Tailed Tits flitted through the trees by the burn. An Orange Tip butterfly was seen at the grassy area by the houses. Teal were numerous on the water in the western pool. A pair of Greylag Geese could be seen out on the mud in the Tay. A Jackdaw flew over as did an unexpected Meadow Pipit. Having checked both pools I walked to where I saw Reed Warbler last year. My expectation levels for finding one were low and I couldn't hear any singing birds except a Chiffchaff as I got closer to the spot I hoped would hold another Reed Warbler.
I did eventually hear a singing Reed Warbler and was able to narrow the source of the sound down to low down among the reeds but despite the bird singing regularly and me spending well over an hour trying to see any sort of movement I eventually had to concede defeat and give up. I did record a short video clip of the bird singing. I heard a Bearded Tit calling and was rewarded with a relatively close fly-by though too quick for photos. A Cormorant was spotted over the river and a Chaffinch was seen in the trees. A pair of Bee Flies were a nice surprise as they flew low above the ground. The wind had picked up by now and I had to decide whether to go back for another look at the Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers or to hurry back to Errol to catch the bus back to Dundee. As rain was forecast for around 1600 I decided to try to catch the bus. This meant running up the hill as I had about 15 minutes before the bus was due, but thankfully I made it in time, though 2 male Marsh Harriers over the fields almost distracted me into stopping.
From the bus back to Dundee I added a Greenfinch that landed in a roadside tree as the we passed, just barely avoiding being hit by the vehicle. A Pied Wagtail was on the bowling green in Inchture and a Collared Dove was on a roof in the village. A Magpie was seen as the bus passed through the Technology Park but I didn't manage any more additions before the bus reached the city centre. The rain arrived slightly earlier than forecast as I headed up Reform Street for the bus home.
Another good day out with some nice photo opportunities - mostly the Marsh Harriers circling over the reeds, with lots of waiting patiently in the sunshine for little return except a fleeting glimpse of the Grasshopper Warbler as it flew a short distance and the song flight of a single Sedge Warbler. 57 species seen including 2 year-ticks (in bold), 5 species of butterfly and 3 of mammals.
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| Goldfinch |
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| Skylark |
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| Dunnock |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Red Admiral |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Linnet |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Buzzard |
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| Sedge Warbler |
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| Sedge Warbler |
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| Buzzard |
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| Little Grebe |
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| Great Crested Grebe |
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| Shelduck |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Bee Fly (Bombylius major) |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Gadwall |
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| Wigeon |
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| Goosander |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Blackcap |
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| Blackcap |
Species seen - Bearded Tit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldfinch, Goosander,
Grasshopper Warbler, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin,
Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterflies seen - Green Veined White, Orange Tip, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell.
Mammals seen - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit, Roe Deer.
Other interesting insects seen - Bee Fly (Bombylius major).
