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| Meadow Pipit |
This year, for most of the month of May I've spent it looking down instead of up, with insects my main focus rather than birds. Spring migration through Dundee this year has been beyond disappointing with the waders more or less disappearing very early in May and nothing unusual showing up amongst the smaller birds either. Dundee birding can be hard work at the best of times but it has been incredibly difficult to get motivated to get out birding and most of my time has been spent around the Law seeing what insects I could find. As a result I have started a photo-heavy insects blog - https://dundeeinsectsetc.blogspot.com/2026/06/0001-dundee-law-8526.html - though posts on there will be rather more sporadic than this one.
With May rapidly coming to a close, Rohan suggested a trip outside of Dundee. The original plan had been to visit one of the Angus Glens. With my previous favourite, Glen Lethnot, now apparently much changed (and not for the better) we settled on Glen Esk. However, the weather forecast kept changing and by the time the weekend drew closer, it appeared very likely to be rather wet in the glens. A change of plan was required so we decided to go to Fife Ness and Kilminning instead. Rohan arranged to pick me up at 0730 on Saturday the 30th. 10 minutes before pick-up time, word came through that Jared Wilson had found a Turtle Dove (a bird I'd never seen) at Kilminning. I headed out to meet Rohan. Goldfinch, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon and House Sparrow got the day's list underway.
From the car, Carrion Crow, House Martin, Swallow, Jackdaw, Skylark and Collared Dove were all noted as we made our way across Fife to Crail. We chose not to check Denburn Wood (as it has apparently been 'tidied up' beyond all recognition, and thus now rather less likely to harbour lost strays) and instead continued on to Kilminning. I suspected our chances of seeing the Turtle Dove were rather slim so we headed down to the bottom end of Kilminning to see what we could find there. This was my first visit to Kilminning since the lower part was purchased by the local community (and via donations from birders). Disappointingly there were a small group camping by the new pond, so there were no birds to be seen around the edges. Great Tit, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Meadow Pipit (with a nest nearby), Swift, Corn Bunting, Greenfinch, Linnet, Dunnock, Wren, Whitethroat, Pheasant, Reed Bunting (with nest material), Yellowhammer and Willow Warbler were all found as we wandered around the lower half of the site.
We bumped into Will Cresswell and had a bit of a chat. Will had seen a Spotted Flycatcher a little earlier, so it appeared the Turtle Dove wasn't the only migrant around. Offshore we spotted Gannets and a Great Black-backed Gull but little else bar a few distant unidentified auks. We managed to find a few butterflies - Green-veined White and Small Tortoiseshell, as well as a few Rabbits and a Roe Deer. A Buzzard was seen circling to the west and north before we found the first of the day's Silver Y moths. A Rook was seen before Rohan spotted a bird in a tree which turned out to be a Spotted Flycatcher. A Cinnabar moth and a Brimstone moth (which was seen initially in flight - giving strong Clouded Yellow butterfly vibes) added to the list. Stock Dove and Starling were our final species at the 'bottom end' before we headed up to check the 'top end'.
A couple of campervans rendered the eastern side of the road pointless for birds. A Coal Tit and a Holly Blue butterfly were seen as we checked out the other side. A wee wander along the road towards the golf course allowed us to pick out some distant Eiders, Shags and a Grey Heron down by Balcomie Beach and offshore. As it was now around 1100, we headed for a look at Boarhills where a Sedge Warbler, Guillemot and Fulmar were the only new birds (a couple of likely Wall butterflies were only seen chasing each other briefly, but went unconfirmed). We then stopped off at Guardbridge where things were rather quiet out on the Eden, though a quartet of Black-tailed Godwits, a few Curlews and lots of Eider ducklings were all noted. Sand Martin, Robin, Pied Wagtail, Oystercatcher, Mute Swan, Mallard, Magpie, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Cormorant and Black-headed Gull were all also around.
We finished the day's birding with a total of 53 species of birds, 3 of butterflies, 2 of mammals and 3 moth species. Although things were relatively quiet overall, it was still a very enjoyable morning's birding with enough variety to keep things fairly interesting. It was also good to see the changes made at Kilminning and nice to get a wee catch-up with Will Cresswell too. With no further sightings of the Turtle Dove, our decision to assume it wasn't still around seemed to be vindicated. We had contemplated a walk down to Boarhills Pond but time got the better of us. While sat at home later, word came in of a Quail calling there. You win some, you lose some. That's birding.
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Skylark |
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| Skylark |
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| Linnet |
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| Roe Deer |
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| Roe Deer |
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| Buzzard |
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| Buzzard |
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| Buzzard |
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| Buzzard & Rook |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Whitethroat |
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| Gannet |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Whitethroat |
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| Black-tailed Godwit |
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| Mallard |
Birds - Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blackcap, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shag, Skylark, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterflies - Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell.
Mammals - Rabbit, Roe Deer.
Moths - Brimstone Moth, Cinnabar, Silver Y.
