As this is my 800th blog-post I should probably do a special post to highlight the milestone in some way. So, firstly, thanks for all who read this blog with any sort of regularity - I only actually have 1 follower via Blogger so I can only assume that those who do see it are seeing it from links posted on Twitter, or Chirp Birding, though numbers are creeping ever lower, putting the future of this blog at risk again. Thanks also to Ian, in particular, for ensuring that I have managed some birding outwith Dundee this Summer - though again restrictions are in place which means I won't be doing any sea-watching, or much rarity-hunting on my next holiday off work (two weeks in early October). It has been that sort of year. 200 species for 2020 is looking unlikely so I will have to try and get 100 species in Dundee instead (I'm still a few short), to give me a reason to get out of bed and to go birding.
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| Red Flanked Bluetail |
I was struggling to come up with an idea for a post for 800 - so I decided to make a list of my 'best' self-found' birds. I don't really seem to find many amazingly 'good' birds myself though 'good' is subjective. A 'good' bird for Riverside Nature Park like a Whinchat or a Lesser Whitethroat isn't that 'great' at a coastal hotspot, though they are always worth seeing even there. Looking back it appears that most years I find maybe 2 or 3 birds that are 'good' birds within the context of the locations where they are found, though 2013 seems to have been exceptional and 2020, for obvious reasons, has been a bit quiet (so far?).
Although when I started birding casually back in 2004-05 I came across a few species at Forfar Loch that I hadn't expected to find, or had any knowledge of them being there I'm not counting either the 5 Ruddy Ducks in 2004, or the small group of Little Gulls in 2005 on this list.
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| Ruddy Duck |
As I only really started birding seriously in 2009-10 I'm starting the list from there. My first 'good' bird for this list was a Black Throated Diver at a mostly frozen Forfar Loch on the 23rd January (a few Scaup present that day too) which gave me great views as it fished close in to the shore around the sailing club spit. Bob McCurley 'abandoned' his car at the dual carriageway end of the Loch to hurry in to see the bird when I put word out. I still haven't topped these views of this species.
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| Black Throated Diver |
Not too long after that, on 7/2/10 I decided to visit Clatto Reservoir with my then girlfriend for something to do, as I had never actually been there. Around the far side we chanced upon a small gull roost and my brain picked out a young Iceland Gull before I had even really seen it. It stood out well among the Black Headeds and Herring Gulls and was a pleasant surprise. I think the bird was refound at the Tay a few days later.
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| Iceland Gull |
On 11/5/10, my girlfriend and I were on holiday in the north of England and had just returned from Holy Island and were scanning offshore when I happened to look up and saw a white bird flying over. It wasn't a gull, but a Snow Goose. I managed to take a couple of photos and submitted them to the local recorder. The record was rejected however as apparently there is a local feral population in the area, though a bird that had been at Loch of Strathbeg in Aberdeenshire had actually departed the previous day...
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| Snow Goose |
On 31/10/10 I was walking to Broughty Ferry for something to do when between Craigie Drive and Broughty Ferry Road I spotted a Buzzard drifting over from the east. Because of the houses around me I kept my camera and binoculars in my bag. The bird circled briefly before heading out over the Tay. This seemed odd behaviour to me and I decided to get a photo as by this time I was almost at Broughty Ferry Road. The one photo I managed to get showed a different-looking Buzzard and I contacted Jon Cook, the local recorder, for his opinion as to whether or not it might be a Rough Legged Buzzard. Jon suggested submitting the record to the Scottish rarities committee, which I did, and the record was accepted, giving me my first 'proper' rare find, and still my one and only Rough Legged Buzzard.
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| Rough Legged Buzzard |
2011 was a bit quieter after 2010's decent start. An out of area Corn Bunting heard singing in May and then again in early June when I saw and photographed it too, at Gas Brae near Errol was the best I could do in the first half of the year. On 8/9/11 I was walking from Arbroath to Easthaven along the coast when I spotted a tern that looked darker than the few others that were around. As I was looking into the light I wasn't completely certain but I managed to get slightly ahead of the bird and got a sequence of photos which did show it to be a young Black Tern. I've found a few more of these birds in recent years (with multiples twice including 3 in 1 photo) but at the time it was only my second ever after a Spring adult at Loch of Kinnordy.
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| Black Tern |
On 16/10/11 around 1630 I was seawatching with Steph Cowie when I picked up a Skua relatively close in. I knew what it wasn't - a Bonxie or an Arctic, but my indecisiveness meant I had to wait to check the photos at home later. It was a Long Tailed Skua and the low sun showed off the detail on the underside well. Like the Black Tern, I've seen the species a few time since with 2019 being a particularly productive year for them for me.
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| Long Tailed Skua |
On 29/10/11 I was at Arbroath to try and see a Dusky Warbler at Cliffburn Gulley which had been found by Stuart Green. I'd managed to hear the bird and even saw it for a few seconds but it had gone quiet and I got bored (not for the last time), so I went for a wander down to the wider end of the Gulley to see if there was anything else about. A warbler was in a small tree and I started trying to get photos of it. On seeing me taking photos I was rapidly joined by a few others present who realised there were actually 2 birds in the tree and that they were both Dusky Warblers. Although I can't really take any real credit for finding the 2nd bird I did inadvertantly set in motion the actions that helped discover there were actually 2 of these skulky rare birds together.
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| Dusky Warbler |
On 12/6/12 I headed for the Tay reedbeds and at Port Allen I caught a glimpse of a raptor as it disappeared over the trees. Despite having never seen one before my brain told me it was a Hobby though I figured I'd never know for sure. Seconds later the bird reappeared over the pool and caught a few Damselflies which it ate on the wing, giving me great views and confirming that it was indeed my first Hobby.
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| Hobby |
On 16/8/12 an odd young gull at Riverside Nature Park had me slightly puzzled as I watched from the 'hide' overlooking the bay. By a process of elimination I decided it had to be a 1st winter Mediterranean Gull and checking the photos later at home I was pleased to be able to confirm a new bird for the park-list. I've found another of the same age at the park since and with the species being increasingly more regular in the local area I've found a number since elsewhere - mostly at Arbroath, but also at Letham Pools and Fife Ness.
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| Mediterranean Gull |
On 30/8/12 at Riverside Nature Park I had been speaking to Charles Rough for a while during a vist after work which meant I was much later in leaving the park than I would normally be. As I headed for the exit a bird picking around in the brambles at Buzzard Wood caught the sun and made me stop for a better look. I knew it was something I hadn't seen before and took a few photos. It was a Lesser Whitethroat and the 'early' date suggested to me that it could be a 'local' rather than a migrant. The following year I decided to try and see if we had the species breeding in the park and we found a singing bird, and over the next few years we were able to prove that the birds were indeed breeding within the park. Unfortunately for the past few years as the vegetation has grown we haven't seen or heard any in the park.
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| Lesser Whitethroat |
Once again at the park, on 24/11/12, I was trying to see a Long Tailed Tit group I could hear in the bushes and trees by the car park when a large dark bird took flight but instead of flying out of the bushes it flew along the inside, which seemed odd for a Buzzard. It flew again as I moved and this time it showed well and it wasn't a Buzzard after all, it was an owl! When it perched on a post at the end the orange eyes showed it was a Long Eared Owl. It flew back into the bushes again as I tried to take a photo, so I moved back a bit so as not to stress the bird and was rewarded with really good views before I put word out. A second bird was also found but views were rather limited for those that turned up soon after with both birds relocating into trees behind the dump and out of sight.
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| Long Eared Owl |
2013 was an exceptional year for me with regards 'good' birds with 7 of my own, plus 1 I stumbled into without knowing it was there, 2 I was with others when we found them, and 1 that my photos helped get the record accepted. Not all were great rarities but all were 'good' birds within the context of where they were found. The first was a redhead Smew at Morton Lochs on 4/1/13 briefly seen when shooting nearby brought the bird into the northern Loch, before more shots fired saw it depart again. Thankfully I managed a few photos.
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| Smew |
On 24/3/13 after an outing to a very blustery Fife with the local RSPB group I decided to forego a trip out to Riverside Nature Park to see a Green Winged Teal which I'd already seen, choosing to visit City Quay instead. I was surprised to find a Red Throated Diver which I'd seen on Xmas Day was still in residence but I was even more surprised to find a Slavonian Grebe bobbing around. A few minutes later I realised there were 2, and just as I was putting out word on the local grapevine, up popped a 3rd one! Probably not a rarity as such - though I haven't seen any in the river since, but it was nice to find 3 of these diminutive Grebes in the Quay and 1 in particular hunted close in to the harbour wall, allowing me still my best photos of the species. The light improved in subsequent days meaning some others got even better shots.
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| Slavonian Grebe |
I sometimes check the small reservoir at Guardbridge, just off Motray Park (I have been calling it River Crescent incorrectly, for years!) and on 16/5/13 I found a drake Green Winged Teal there - which may or may not have been the same bird seen at Riverside Nature Park in late March. What also may, or may not, have been the same bird was
the one I found on the Eden across from the Eden Estuary Centre in the
village on 7/5/17.
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| Green Winged Teal |
Rather than head to the Tay reedbeds on 7/6/13 (figuring lightning couldn't strike twice - having seen Hobby there the previous year) I decided to head for Fife Ness. On the walk out from Crail I spotted some gulls in a distant field. As I had a look through my binoculars towards them I realised there was a raptor on the fence much closer with its back to me. It looked like a potential Hobby. I managed to get round along the track using some heaps of earth as cover and confirmed it was indeed a rather smart looking Hobby. Unfortunately it was flushed by the farmer in a tractor but not before I got a few nice shots from the front.
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| Hobby |
3 weeks later on 28/6/13 I was wandering along the Eden estuary edges around Coble Shore when I was sure I'd seen a flash of yellow out the corner of my eye. There were Pied Wagtails catching flies above the seaweed on the mud, and a few minutes later I had far better conclusive views - a cracking male Yellow Wagtail (I'd missed out on a Blue Headed Wagtail at Riverside Nature Park a few weeks earlier, found by Charles Rough) and a lifer. However, I was asked to keep the news quiet by the local recorder as it was suspected the bird was breeding there, having been found by someone else, which I did so.
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| Yellow Wagtail |
On 28/9/13 I was hoping for migrants around Crail and in particular I was hoping I might find my own Yellow Browed Warbler. As I walked out along the road, I heard the distinctive call of a YBW, in the trees by the entrance to the industrial estate on the airfield. With a bit of patience I finally got views of my 'own' Yellow Browed Warbler though photos were a different story. I've found a few of these birds since - a couple in the same roadside trees - but it was good to get my own first, after a few years of seeing others' birds.
(Minutes later I decided to check Balcomie where I bumped into Tim and Jonathan Drew who were trying to relocate a possible Brown Shrike. A possible Buff Breasted Sandpiper had also been seen - though the Shrike had taken precedence over the latter. Later with the Shrike having been relocated and others turning up to see it, the Golden Plover flock flew over. Ian Ford spotted the bird at the rear of the flock and I took photos which helped to get the record accepted. The Brown Shrike and Buff Breasted Sandpiper were both lifers for me).
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| Buff Breasted Sandpiper |
On 5/10/13 I headed to St Abb's Head with Gus Guthrie to try and see a long staying Sardinian Warbler which had apparently spent the summer there. We spent all morning staring at a particular stretch of bushes to no avail. After returning to Gus's van for lunch we headed back for more staring at the same bushes. With nothing much happening I wandered off rather than waste my time waiting for a bird that seemed like it would never show, and found myself stood below a Firecrest. I headed back to break the news but unsurprisingly no-one was interested. After more standing around I wandered off again and found a Yellow Browed Warbler calling - which I didn't see. When I got back this time, the Sardinian Warbler was showing and I managed a couple of rather rushed (blurry) photos before it disappeared back into cover.
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| Firecrest |
On 13/10/13 during an outing with Angus & Dundee Bird Club I got bored standing around at the back of a crowd staring into bushes at Denburn Wood for something (no idea what as word hadn't made its way back far enough) and wandered off on my own again. A bird perched on a branch near the small wooden bridge halfway up the wood looked a little warbler-like to my eyes. When I looked at it through binoculars however, it looked a lot less warbler-like. The white eye ring made me think Red Breasted Flycatcher for a split second but I then realised the flanks were orangey and my heart-rate increased as I realised that I had best check the tail - yes, it was blue! A Red Flanked Bluetail!! - which promptly flew off with my camera still in my bag. I rushed back to the group to alert them. Thankfully it was eventually relocated after some effort and it was seen again the following day - usually being chased by the local Robins.
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| Red Flanked Bluetail |
On the following day (14/10/13), after spending some time at the Bluetail twich I headed along to Kilminning where a Mealy Redpoll was feeding on Rosebay Willowherb seeds at the top end of Kilminning. I got a few photos before wandering round to check the area on the opposite side of the access road. A different Mealy Redpoll (unringed - the other was ringed) was feeding in the grass and gave us great close views. John McHale and I headed over to Balcomie where we found a Black Redstart on the wall by the Walled Garden and Orchard rounding off a rather good couple of days.
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| Mealy Redpoll |
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| Black Redstart |
Other 'good' birds have been covered in blog-posts since so I've posted links for those below -
30/5/14 - Red Backed Shrike, near Crail -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-early-bird-30514.html
13/10/14 - White Billed Diver, Fife Ness -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2014/11/does-lightning-strike-twice-131014.html
20/4/15 - Ring Ouzel, Kilminning -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2015/04/springy-ness-20415.html
24/6/15 - Smew, Vane Farm -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2015/07/all-in-vane-farm-24615.html
22/8/15 - Little Stint, Rigifa Pool, near Cove, Aberdeenshire - https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-longest-day-22815.html
6/4/16 - Black Redstarts x 2, Fife Ness -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2016/04/wind-of-change-6416.html
5/10/16 - Red Flnked Bluetail, Denburn Wood -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2016/10/lightning-strikes-twice-51016.html
7/5/17 - Green Winged Teal, Guardbridge -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2017/05/guardbridge-goodies-7517.html
23/8/17 - Cory's Shearwater, Fife Ness -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2017/08/corys-blimey-23817.html
26/9/17 - Sabine's Gull, Lunan Bay -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2017/09/mist-opportunities-26917.html
27/10/18 - White Billed Diver & Little Auk, Fife Ness -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2018/10/ducks-and-divers-271018.html
9/12/18 - Water Pipit (2nd bird), Cockermill Burn -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2018/12/water-water-91218.html
12/1/19 - Todd's Canada Goose, near Slamannan -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2019/01/going-for-gull-12119.html
23/9/19 - Little Bunting, Kilminning -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2019/09/a-little-surprise-23919.html
(10/10/19 - Pallas's Warbler, Kilminning -
having recognised Lainey McCormack's YBW was a Pallas's and put word out I helped her re-find it).
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2019/10/wanted-warbler-101019.html
10/7/20 - Nuthatch, Balgay Hill, Dundee -
https://stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2019/10/wanted-warbler-101019.html