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| White-billed Diver |
Having successfully twitched Lainy's White-billed Diver on the Tay on Saturday, I was undecided what to do on Sunday. I spent a bit longer in my bed, as I didn't need to be anywhere before sunrise. By the time I did get up, I still hadn't decided where to go for the day's birding. Trying for Jack Snipe was an option, as was Riverside Nature Park. Another option was to stay in and try to catch up with my backlog of photo editing and blog-posts. In the end however, I decided I might as well take the chance to study the White-billed Diver up close, assuming it hadn't moved on elsewhere overnight.
It was just after 0945 when I headed out. Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Magpie, Blue Tit and Goldfinch started things off relatively slowly. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Long-tailed Tit and Carrion Crow soon followed as I made my way to Baxter Park and beyond. Wren, Robin, Starling and Black-headed Gull were noted as I headed down Craigie Avenue towards the Stannergate. Oystercatcher were seen roosting along with some Herring Gulls at the end of the docks. The day's first Greenfinch was seen in the trees behind Alpha Projects. Out on the river I immediately added Cormorant and Red-breasted Merganser, with Redshank seen down on the shore.
Eider, Common Gull and a nice breeding plumaged Shag were spotted as I headed eastwards along the river, having encountered a birder by the car park who said he hadn't seen any sign of the White-billed Diver which wasn't what I wanted to hear. I scanned from the high ground at the 'Eagle feathers' and managed to pick out the White-billed Diver in close to the sea wall just to the east of the sailing club sheds. I hurried on and managed to get some nice views. I messaged Lainy who was headed for Arbroath to let her know the bird was still around and she joined me for an hour or two, as we observed the bird relatively closely as it fished close in to shore between Douglas Terrace and the Stannergate. At one point, the bird even surfaced just offshore where a father and young son were 'skiffying' flat stones, (probably around 20 feet out, at most). I was able to grab a spot of video of the bird shortly afterwards as it swam back eastwards.
Eventually the bird drifted out further on the river and while off the lifeboat station, it flapped its wings a few times before a departing ship headed out following the Pilot boat. After that there was no further sign of the bird. I spent a fair bit of time looking for it, both upriver and downriver. Lainy headed off to the Angus coastand I decided to wander along to the castle to scan from there. I managaed to add Turnstone and Pied Wagtail on the walk along. From just beyond the castle I failed to re-find the White-billed Diver but news of a Great Northern Diver over by Tayport harbour gave me something else to look for. I did find Rock Pipit and had a fly past by a drake Goosander while I scanned from the castle.
It took a fair bit of effort but I eventually managed to pick out the Great Northern Diver as it fished just east of the harbour on the Fife side, and I was even able to get some photos too. A drake Goldeneye flew upriver before I decided to head in the direction of home. There was some heavy rain forecast around 1500, so I wanted to be at least part of the way home by then. I added a Grey Heron just after 1400 and as I scanned from the Douglas Terrace slipway, Gus Guthrie turned up hoping to see the White-billed Diver. I had to break the news to him that it had drifted out and then disappeared a couple of hours previously. My suspicion was that, given the wing-flaps, it had flown off. Whether it would return or not, I couldn't say for certain.
I ended up having a fairly lengthy chat with Gus before calling it a day around 1500, with Gus heading homewards empty-handed and me heading back westwards along the river. Unfortunately the forecast rain arrived before I had gotten very far and it was a rather wet walk home after that. I did manage to add Curlew and Mallard on my walk home which took my list for the day to a fairly disappointing 34 species. Although this was relatively low, it wasn't unexpected given my focus for the day was on the White-billed Diver and I had only really walked from the Stannergate to the Castle and back a few times. I did get some closer views of the White-billed Diver, in less glaring light than the previous day. It was probably safe to say that I made the right choice for my Sunday birding.
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| Redshank |
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| Cormorant |
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| Eider |
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| Shag |
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| White-billed Diver |
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| White-billed Diver |
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| White-billed Diver |
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| White-billed Diver |
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| White-billed Diver |
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| White-billed Diver |
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White-billed Diver
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Turnstone |
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| Common Gull |
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| Black-headed Gull |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Cormorant |
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| Rock Pipit |
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| Eider |
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| Rock Pipit |
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| Goosander |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Great Northern Diver |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Great Northern Diver |
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| Black-headed Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Turnstone |
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| Grey Heron, Turnstone & Redshank |
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| Red-breasted Merganser |
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| Red-breasted Merganser |
Birds - Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Northern Diver, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Red-breasted Merganser, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Shag, Starling, Turnstone, White-billed Diver, Woodpigeon, Wren.
