Despite rather low temperatures and strong winds being forecast for Saturday a trip out with Susan to try and find some target birds for her year-list was the plan for the day. I had worked out a list of possibilities and a rough plan for a route around Angus to try and find as many as possible. An early start at 0730 was arranged finishing up at around 1500 or so.
Green Sandpiper
I headed out shortly after 0715 to meet Susan. Herring Gull, Feral
Pigeon, Black Headed Gull, Great Tit, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit were all
noted on the walk to our rendezvous point. We decided to head first to
Monikie Country Park to see if the Green Sandpiper was still around.
Woodpigeon, Starling and Collared Dove were added as well as a Brown
Hare in a field near the village. We arrived at the park shortly before
0755 and set off across rather icy paths to try and find the bird. A
Robin and a Blackbird were seen while on the main reservoir Mallards,
Goldeneye, Cormorant (and a Muscovy Duck) were spotted.
Chaffinch
was seen as we headed for a better look at the Denfind Pond having
drawn a blank initially at the main reservoir. Teal, Mute Swan, Greylag
Geese and Black Headed Gulls were the only birds to be found on the
pool. Next we headed further along the banks of the main reservoir to
the far end of the island to try there. The water level was higher than
on my most recent visit reducing the likelihood of finding the bird
on any exposed mud. Goldfinches, Wren and Song Thrush were noted before I
spooked a Moorhen from below the trees. With a clearer view we found a
few Coots out on the water and a Grey Wagtail flew in and landed - a bonus year-tick for
Susan.
At the northern reservoir we added a Goosander,
some Oysteractchers, a pair of Redshanks and some Tufted Ducks. Rooks
were seen over the fields to the north and a Buzzard gave us close views
in the trees before flying off. A party of Long Tailed Tits were picked
out among the trees but Goldcrests were heard but not seen. I spotted a
distant Reed Bunting pair and Susan found a pair of Stock Doves in the
field north of the road. Heading back to the car we stood and watched a
pair of Treecreepers searching the tree-trunks for food.
Next stop was Carnoustie to try and find the Ring Necked Parakeet. My
original plan had been to head to the Angus Glens but the low
temperatures meant a bit of ice on the roads so we headed back to the
coast instead. House Sparrows were seen as we passed through the town.
Another Buzzard, a few Stock Doves and Woodpigeons, Black Headed Gulls,
Song Thrushes and Redwings were seen at the park but there was no sign
of any Parakeet. Undeterred, we headed next to Westhaven. Unfortunately
the tide was well out and there was nothing to be seen, except a distant
Stuart Green headed out along the beach.
Arbroath and
Elliot were next with Sanderling and Black Redstart the hoped-for birds
there. Dog walkers on the beach meant there were only a few gulls to be seen
at Elliot so we headed along to behind the cinema for a quick look from
there in case there was a Mediterranean Gull hiding. There wasn't but
Curlew, Eider and Rock Pipit were new additions. We searched near the
harbour next for the Black Redstart but there was no sign. A wander
along towards Gayfield football ground and back however was more
successful and Susan was able to add Black Redstart to her year-list
just as it was looking increasingly unlikely.
We headed
next for the cliffs to try and find Kittiwakes which had been reported
as back on the cliffs earlier in the week. Jackdaws were seen on the
short drive there. A quick check of the gulls above the car park in case of an
Iceland Gull seen earlier in the week by Alex Shepherd still being around proved
fruitless. It was rather windy up on the cliffs and we failed to spot
the Skylarks we could hear singing above the fields behind us. A flock
of Linnets flew off as we walked past. There was no sign of any
Kittiwakes on the cliffs though there were a number of Fulmars. Scanning
offshore however found a small group on the water. We also found a
distant Shag flying by as well as a Kestrel hunting along the cliffs and
a Guillemot among the waves.
Auchmithie was next and
more Kittiwakes were noted offshore there. A pair of Great Black Backed
Gulls flew by. We eventually added a single Razorbill and a 'bottling' Grey Seal while a few
Yellowhammers flew by. En route to Boghead Farm I spotted a Peregrine
over the fields on my side of the car, and then a little above it a
second bird. An unexpected bonus. As we got out of the car at the farm a
female Sparrowhawk shot through severely denting our chances of finding
any birds, let alone any Corn Buntings. A few Yellowhammers did
eventually show up but we decided to move on again, to the Lurgies at
Montrose Basin next.
While waiting at roadworks on the
main road just outside Inverkeillor I spotted distant movement in a field and found a few Fieldfares picking around. The wind seemed to
have picked up even more when we reached the Lurgies which made scanning
slightly tricky as the wind buffeted us around. Wigeon and Dunlin were
the 2 main new birds as we wandered along towards The Slunks. We were
hoping to find Greenshank there and we eventually managed to add a total of 4
of the birds. A Mute Swan swam into view as a lot of corvids took to the
air to the north and a Little Egret over the Swan distracted the search
for the cause. Shelduck, Common Gull and Dunnock were noted on the walk
back and what might have been the same Little Egret was seen preening
on the bank to the east of the car park.
With time
increasingly against us we decided to give the Angus Glens a miss and instead
have a second attempt at Green Sandpiper with a visit to Murton nature reserve. We
headed into the car park hide and managed to pick up the Green Sandpiper
relatively quickly, near a Pied Wagtail but quite distant. My camera
started acting up and it took a few minutes to work out what was wrong.
When we looked again there was no sign of the Green Sandpiper. Susan
relocated it on the spit of land behind the island directly in front of
the hide. The bird then wandered across to our side of the spit and
showed very well for the next 10 minutes or so until we decided we had
better quickly check the other hide before we ran out of time.
A
drake Shoveler and a few pairs of Gadwall were added here and a pair of
Raven displayed a little to the north. A raptor glided towards us but
turned out to just be a Buzzard. Something upset all the Wigeon which
were feeding on the grass and they all relocated back onto the water. We
had a very quick check of the empty pool further round and added a few
Coal Tits before finding the Green Sandpiper had now moved even closer
to the hide. Unfortunately the grass on the banking blocked a clear shot
of the bird so we gave up and headed for home, though not before
finding a male Pheasant on a track just south of the car.
A
pretty reasonable haul of year-ticks for Susan from the list of
possibilities we'd set out in search of, among the 67 species of bird (and 2
mammals) seen. The strong wind and tide state weren't helpful however
and I suspect if we'd gone inland first and then worked back down the
coast we would have been slightly more successful, though the road
conditions had put paid to that option.
Buzzard
Black Headed Gull
Buzzard
Black Redstart
Black Redstart
Black Redstart
Fulmar
Fulmar
Kittiwake
Kestrel
Kestrel
Kittiwake
Redshank, Teal & Dunlin
Greenshank & Redshank
Little Egret
Little Egret & Mallard
Pied Wagtail
Green Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Black Headed Gull & Teal
Buzzard
Teal & Wigeon
Jackdaw
Wigeon & Gadwall
Wigeon, Coot & Gadwall
Wigeon & Tufted Duck
Wigeon
Green Sandpiper
Species seen - Black Redstart, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fieldfare, Fulmar, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Linnet, Little Egret, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Razorbill, Redshank, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Rock Pipit, Rook, Shag, Shelduck, Shoveler, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
