0854 : Unplanned Outing (24/4/21)

Having read in various places online that Grasshopper Warblers were beginning to appear again in Scotland as they returned from their wintering grounds much further south, I decided to see if some  insider information, courtesy of Lainy McCormack, could be put to good use. During lockdown last year, Lainy had discovered at least 3 or 4 birds in the general area of Clatto Reservoir on the outskirts of Dundee, including a juvenile bird later in the summer. Although there was a possibility that I would be a few days too early, I decided to give finding one a go early on Saturday morning.

Grasshopper Warbler

As it is roughly an hour's walk to the reservoir I decided to attempt to get there before 0700, which meant an 0600 departure from home and a rather brisk walk. As I would be searching for a skulking bird that likes a bit of cover I decided as I was en route to try a different way in to the reservoir. The walk to get there actually saved me a bit of time and is likely to be my preferred route in future. Given the early start there was plenty to see along the way, with a singing Linnet on the wall at Dundee United's Tannadice Park stadium the first welcome surprise. Further on, Siskin, Bullfinch, Goldcrest, Oystercatcher, Song Thrush, Greenfinch and Collared Dove were all noted.

I reached the northern edge of the city and found the track I wanted. A calling Yellowhammer, a male Pheasant and a Skylark singing its way upwards welcomed me to the area. I wandered slowly up the track adding a small flock of around 8 Linnets, plus more Yellowhammers, a Willow Warbler and a Blackcap before a Peregrine swept low over the field to the north. As I attempted to take a photo it was clear something wasn't right with my camera. Eventually I was able to grab a photo as the Peregrine swept upwards and away after the low pass. After a bit of deliberation I worked out what the problem was. The camera had somehow slipped onto timer mode. I fixed the issue and continued my hunt for Grasshopper Warbler.

I reached a semi-wooded area adjoining the eastern end of the reservoir and slowly wandered, looking and listening intently as I did so. A Rabbit, a Chiffchaff or two, more Bullfinches, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps as well as Blue Tit, Great Tit and Coal Tit among others. With almost no-one about there was plenty to see and hear but no Grasshopper Warblers in any of the locations Lainy had seen and heard them last year. I walked through the wood that lies north of the Reservoir and back down the edge of the field to where I'd exited the track into the wooded area to the east a short while before. Another circuit produced more of the same.

I thought I could hear the reeling of a Grasshopper Warbler but it was very faint and mostly drowned out by other singing birds. I wasn't sure. I attempted to fix the location by moving and stopping. A pair of squabbling Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Great Black Backed Gull both overflew. Eventually, I heard just enough of the Grasshopper Warbler to confirm that there was indeed one within a fenced off area. A noise to my left made me turn just in time to see an unexpected Fox running off. While attempting to gain a view of the Grasshopper Warbler as it reeled on and off I added Rook and a Wren. Eventually, after a lot of moving bits of bush and grass, the bird popped up in a small tree for a few seconds worth of reeling 'song' before disappearing back into cover.

I continued to wander around to see if there was more than just a single bird around as well as exploring a little wider. In doing so Long Tailed Tit, a grey-ish displaying Lesser Redpoll and a Jay were all seen. A Mallard drake flew over towards the Reservoir as I headed in to see if there was anything of note there. It was much quieter than on my previous visit though Mute Swan, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted Duck and Great Crested Grebe were all noted. I messaged Lainy to let her know my hunt had been successful and she asked if I would like a trip to see the flock of Golden Plover she'd found near the hills to the morth and which I'd managed to miss on my walk the previous weekend.

Although I don't like to impose on others, Lainy was insistent that it really wasn't a problem if I wanted to go and she was keen to get me the birds for my year-list and to get out and about for a change of scenery - as she's been limited lately by an injury incurred while birding earlier in the year. Lainy and her husband, Adam, have a camper van which would be the vehicle used, with a seat right at the rear where I would be sitting, meaning we would be well socially distanced and with masks being worn and windows opened we'd be taking as many precautions as possible to allow us all to stay safe. They arranged to meet me at the car park at 0930.

We headed out of the city along some of the smaller roads to the northwest that I was unfamiliar with but had considered exploring. Stock Dove in a field and a Swallow perched on a wire were noted as well as a Brown Hare which we stopped to watch for a few minutes as it ran around in another grassy field. We found the field where the Golden Plover had been but there was no obvious sign of the birds. Lapwing and Oystercatcher were at the pond along with Tufted Duck and Canada Goose. Towards the northern edge of the field I spotted movement which I thought might be Grey Partridge but a quick check showed that I'd actually found a small flock of around a dozen Golden Plover, in breeding plumage, and mostly looking rather smart.

We then added Rook, Jackdaw, Skylark and Meadow Pipit as we watched the Plovers for a while. Lainy asked if there was anywhere else I wanted to go. I was conscious of the fact that Lainy would be limited to what she could see from the passenger seat and tried to think of anywhere nearby where there might be something worthwhile. Tentatively I suggested one of the Angus Glens where there are a few reasonably decent stopping points where a variety of birds might be seen, as well as a few other species  that can often be seen by the roadside. With low levels of road traffic it is often possible to stop for a few minutes if there is a particularly showy bird.

We headed into Forfar to allow Lainy and Adam to pick up some supplies, having not planned on making a day of things when they left home earlier. The rather claustrophobic position at the back of the van was making me feel a bit queasy as Adam was in the supermarket, so I stepped out of the van for some air for a few minutes to see if I felt any better. As I stood outside I spotted some gulls circling to the north. A bird in the same bit of sky didn't seem to be acting particularly gull-like and I had my suspicions what it might be. I got Lainy onto the bird and she had a nice bonus Osprey on her list for the year. A welcome surprise which when Adam returned he was also able to pick out though a bit more distantly.

We headed for the Glens, stopping at a small roadside pool which proved quite productive giving us Pied Wagtail, Teal, Black Headed Gull, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Pheasant and Greylag Goose as well as Lapwing, Oystercatcher and an Orange Tip butterfly. A second Brown Hare for the day was seen as we neared our destination Glen. A Red Kite was seen after we'd gone a little way down the road into the Glen and our first brief stop added Chaffinch, Curlew, Goldcrest and another Red Kite as well as a number of Common Gulls calling loudly from high on a nearby hill. Moving on again, a Wheatear was spotted, my first of the year, as well as a Blackbird (sadly not a Ring Ouzel) and a Buzzard. A distant pair of Ravens were also heard then spotted before we moved on again. A male Red Grouse was spotted by the side of the road but didn't want to linger, but a second bird stood by the side of the van allowing me to take a few photos through the side window.

Setting off again, we added a few Meadow Pipits perched on wires and another Wheatear before another stop which proved a little disappointing. A short wander by myself discovered an unwelcome sight - a Larsen trap with a Carrion Crow as bait inside. The estate(s) in the Glen seem to have upped their efforts to eradicate anything that might be deemed a threat to them making money from killing things - with most of the trees in the Glen being removed over the past few years and an apparent increase in traps etc (though perhaps they were always there but hiden from view by stands of trees). Our next stop was to search for Black Grouse at a location that can be very good for connecting with the species. We found 2 Black Grouse males in behind a wire fence and a number of Sand Martins zipped around. A Pied Wagtail was on a nearby burn.

We continued on towards the end of the road. A Red Squirrel ran across the road in front of us. I had hoped we might find a Ring Ouzel at the end of the road but despite much scanning only a Siskin flying over and a Mountain Hare sunning itself on the hillside, found by Lainy, were new for the day's list. A few stops on the way back only added a Mistle Thrush. A young gamekeeper gave us the usual friendly interrogation/chat routine I've come to expect in a few of the local Glens. He'd seen 6 Ring Ouzel up the top of the hill he'd just came down, but going up wasn't an option for us, so we didn't see Ring Ouzel. We headed out of the Glen just before 1600, stopping to photograph a Red Legged Partridge by the roadside (another year-tick for me) before spotting a pair of Roe Deer in the far corner of a nearby field.

We called it a day and headed back to Dundee after what had been a relatively successful day's birding - though as it is still a wee bit early in the 'season' for the upland birds returning, coupled with the removal of most of the potential tree nest sites, it wasn't quite as good as it might've been in previous years. Lainy and Adam dropped me off at home almost 11 hours after I'd left in the morning having had a really enjoyable and unplanned day out thanks to their generosity. In total I managed to record 70 species of bird (6 year-ticks), 6 of mammal and 1 of butterfly. Big thanks to Lainy and Adam for their company and the opportunity to get a bit further afield and some good birds, once again. Much appreciated.

 

Yellowhammer & Willow Warbler


Peregrine


Blue Tit


Skylark


Linnet


Pheasant


Pheasant


Willow Warbler


Great Spotted Woodpecker


Song Thrush


Blackcap


Yellowhammer


Pheasant


Lesser Redpoll


Willow Warbler


Jay


Lesser Redpoll


Mallard


Wren


Grasshopper Warbler


Great Crested Grebe


Great Crested Grebe


Moorhen


Moorhen & Coot


Blackbird


Golden Plover


Golden Plover


Buzzard


Osprey


Red Kite


Wheatear


Red Grouse


Pied Wagtail


Black Grouse


Buzzard


Meadow Pipit


Red Kite


Red Kite


Lapwing


Mountain Hare


Rabbit


Meadow Pipit


Curlew


Rabbit


Sand Martin


Sand Martin


Red Legged Partridge


Red Legged Partridge

Birds - Black Grouse, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Curlew, Dunnock, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Grasshopper Warbler, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Red Grouse, Red Kite, Red Legged Partridge, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wheatear, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

Butterflies - Orange Tip.

Mammals - Brown Hare, Fox, Mountain Hare, Rabbit, Red Squirrel, Roe Deer.


0853 : Back To The Bay (21/4/21)

Having heard from Mark Wilkinson that he'd seen a flock of around 57 Black tailed Godwits at Riverside Nature Park on Tuesday I made my mind up that I would head down to the park to hopefully finally manage to get the species on my year-list the following day. There was also a possibility of other summer migrants fresh in. With 5 Avocets being seen in Lothian there was a slim chance of them appearing in Invergowrie Bay. Some of the summer Warbler species were also on the list of possibilities as well as Osprey, Wheatear and maybe even some of the birds I usually have to head inland to one of the Glens to see, such as Redstart, Cuckoo or Ring Ouzel.

Black Tailed Godwit, Redshank & Black Headed Gull

I decided on an early start and a different route. I would head down to Slessor Gardens which can be good for seeing Pied Wagtails in the hope that a Yellow Wagtail might just drop in there. I didn't think it was particularly likely but I knew I should take the chance to check - just in case. I headed out at around the same time as I go to work, meaning I should arrive at the park before 0800. A Grey Wagtail was heard as I stepped outside and a selection of the usual suspects were seen or heard as I walked down towards City Quay. Chiffchaff at Dens Brae was probably the best of the birds noted on that section of my journey.

A lady walking her dog at Slessor Gardens meant there was only a grand total of a single Pied Wagtail in the general area. Rather than my original plan of heading out along the river, I decided to take the cycle path which runs along to the north of and parallel to the railway line as there is some wasteground and some bushes and trees. A surprise was a pair of Mallards which flew out from the direction of the Science Centre towards City Quay. A Willow Warbler was noted a little further on, before a Greenfinch was added and a Meadow Pipit was heard overhead. Magdalen Green added Song Thrush and the University playing fields added Blackcap while an Oystercatcher was seen as I approached the airport where I found a pair of Linnets in the hedge by the car park at the flying club end. Nearing the Nature Park I added Long Tailed Tit and Wren.

I reached the park at 0745 and decided to head through the park to the bay end first to check the waders and gulls before winding my way back to the entrance over the course of a large chunk of the day. Blackbird, Blue Tit, Dunnock, Skylark, Carrion Crow, Mallard, Feral Pigeon, Chaffinch and Woodpigeon gave me a decent start to the day's park list. The first Rabbit was noted before Blackcap, Wren, Herring Gull, Teal, Stock Dove, Jackdaw, Willow Warbler and Reed Bunting were noted on my Bird Journal app. Moorhen at the Lochan, as well as Robin and Yellowhammer were next.

The bay proved to be relatively productive. There was a decent sized flock of Bar Tailed Gowits and another of Redshanks, but oddly no sign of any Dunlin. There was also a flock of around 55 Black Tailed Godwits all resplendent in their orange breeding plumage in contrast to the still winter plumaged Bar Tails nearby. Oystercatcher, a a pair of Mute Swans, Common Gull, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull and Lesser Black Backed Gull were in the bay, some sleeping, some feeding. Goldfinch and Long Tailed Tit were in the trees and bushes in front of the hide. I watched the tide getting higher bringing more birds into my field of view from the hide including Curlew and Shelduck.

A single Knot was found in with the Redshank flock. A Pied Wagtail flew past while a Chiffchaff sang from the trees behind the hide. A Starling and a Buzzard both overflew the bay. With a relatively small high tide the waders never quite came close enough though I did manage to photograph a couple of Black Tailed Godwits with colour rings - one of which was possibly ringed in France (awaiting confirmation). I eventually decided to leave the birds in the bay and to go and spend some time checking out what else was around.

As I wandered up the path from the hide I noticed a lot of commotion from the gulls that had been lazing around in the bay. There was a good chance that the cause would be an Osprey, and sure enough it was. I managed to grab a couple of photos of my second year-tick of the day before it disappeared behind a tree before reappearing shortly after heading out into the river carrying a fish with a small mob of gulls in tow. Small Tortoiseshell butterflies flitted around in search of flowers to feed at. A Cormorant was seen well out over the river. From the top of the hill I added a Sparrowhawk to the north and a pair of Linnets which joined me briefly before flying off again.

A single Sand Martin was seen feeding above the earth piles to the south of the park boundaries. A Grey Heron caught a newt (sp.) at the Lochan though things were rather quiet there with just 3 Mallards and a Moorhen before a few Jackdaws dropped in. The bottom half of the park proved to be a bit quieter. As the clock ticked into the afternoon I watched 2 Sparrowhawks tussling with 2 Carrion Crows (I think) as well as each other distantly to the north. Green Veined White and Peacock butterflies flitted around and I managed to catch a pair of Bullfinches in flight before also noting Siskin.

I had set myself a target of 50 species at the park but was looking like coming up a little short as I headed towards the exit at around 1410. However, having taken the decision to check the trees between Buzzard Wood and the fields I managed to get one of the species I was still missing - Coal Tit and as I headed out towards the road a quick check of the trees produced a pair of Great Tits taking me to 51 species for the park list, including the very welcome 2 year-ticks (in bold). On the walk back home I added a surprise male Orange Tip butterfly flying across the road near the Botanic Gardens as well as Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies around the cemetery.

Stock Dove and Nuthatch were added to the 'outside the park' list as I wandered slowly back homewards through Balgay Cemetery and along the paths at the hill itself. One final addition before I made it home around 1640, after 9 hours birding was Jackdaw, near Dens Park football stadium. A pretty decent day's birding, with a total of 55 species recorded, with 29 of 33 species seen outwith the park also being seen at Riverside Nature Park and 22 of the species noted at the park not being seen elsewhere. The 2 year-ticks were as always very welcome, taking my Dundee list to 105 for 2021. I only need another 20 to reach my target of 125 - though it gets a lot harder to add anything new after I reach about 110.

Blackcap


Skylark


Stock Dove


Chiffchaff


Reed Bunting


Reed Bunting


Wren


Yellowhammer


Black Tailed Godwit & Bar Tailed Godwit


Common Gull


Teal


Mute Swan


Blue Tit


Dunnock


Song Thrush


Mute Swan


Long Tailed Tit


Curlew


Long Tailed Tit


Long Tailed Tit


Reed Bunting


Reed Bunting


Shelduck


Skylark


Mallard


Black Tailed Godwit


Common Gull


Shelduck & Mallard


Black Headed Gull


Lesser Black Backed Gull


Herring Gull


Shelduck


Black Tailed Godwit


Lesser Black Backed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull & Common Gull


Black Tailed Godwit & Bar Tailed Godwit


Bar Tailed Godwit, Black Headed Gull, Common Gull & Redshank


Redshank, Black Tailed Godwit & Common Gull


Buzzard


Black Tailed Godwit


Blackcap


Redshank & Black Tailed Godwit


Black Tailed Godwit


Black Tailed Godwit, Black Headed Gull, Bar Tailed Godwit & Knot


Osprey


Reed Bunting


Chaffinch


Starling


Black Headed Gull


Blackcap


Buzzard


Sparrowhawk


Sparrowhawk & Carrion Crow(?)


Sand Martin


Linnet


Curlew


Meadow Pipit


Blackbird


Blackbird


Sparrowhawk


Sparrowhawk


Grey Heron


Grey Heron


Grey Heron


Stock Dove


Grey Heron & Newt sp.


Lesser Black Backed Gull


Jackdaw


Blackcap


Blackcap


Magpie


Carrion Crow


Pied Wagtail


Greenfinch


Goldfinch


Green Veined White


Bullfinch


Blackcap


Blackcap


Blackcap


Green Veined White


Peacock


Carrion Crow


Oystercatcher


Chiffchaff


Nuthatch

Birds - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Knot, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

Butterflies - Green Veined White, Orange Tip, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell.

Mammals - Rabbit.

Normal text - Riverside Nature Park only.
Normal Text & underlined - Riverside Nature Park & Outside Park.
Bold - Year-tick.
Italic - Outside Park only.