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| Yellow Wagtail |
Ian messaged me on the 7th of May to say he was headed for Easthaven for a few hours birding on Saturday afternoon (the 9th of May) and would I like a wee change of scenery. Yellow Wagtails (including a potential 'Channel ' Wagtail) were to be the main target for the afternoon. Naturally, I said yes, having not done any birding outwith Dundee so far this year, nor had the chance to catch-up with Ian. Having almost exhausted all that Dundee appeared to have to offer during my week off, it would also be nice to see some birds that weren't likely to feature around my usual haunts. Arrangements were made to meet Ian at the Arbroath Road.
Ian messaged to say he was on his way just before 1230, which was slightly earlier than I was expecting. Nevertheless, I was already organised and headed out. Herring Gull, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow and Lesser Black-backed Gull were the only birds noted as I headed for the rendezvous point. I spotted a lady with an arm in plaster who appeared to have fallen, so I asked if she needed a help. She did, so I crossed the road to help her get back to her feet, and having checked that she was OK, I continued on. As it turned out, I was still a bit early. Ian arrived just before 1255 and we set off for Easthaven.
Nothing else was noted from the car on the way to Easthaven, which I hoped wasn't any sort of omen. Thankfully, once we reached the car park at Easthaven, there were birds around. It was slightly colder than expected, but it was dry (though there was a possibility of showers as the afternoon progressed). Swallow and Skylark were seen from the car park and a quick look from the top of the beach added a few distant Gannets well offshore as well as a Grey Heron down amongst the rocks along the shore. Sand Martin, Linnet and Starling were next onto the list, with Eiders seen out over the water. House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail and Goldfinch were noted just past the 2 cottages, east of the car park.
As we neared the eastern end of the small field next to the cottages, Ian spotted a male Yellow Wagtail near the edge of the field, just before it flew down to the small burn to bathe. This meant we were treated to some really good views and I was able to get some rather nice photos. A male Reed Bunting also showed rather well. A Whitethroat was nearby. Continuing on along the path in search of the hoped-for 'Channel' Wagtail we were able to add Mallard, Jackdaw, Curlew and Sandwich Tern. A Corn Bunting was heard singing before we picked it out perched on the fence a little ahead of us. We had a brief sighting of a male Yellow Wagtail along another small 'burn', which may or may not have been the same bird we'd already seen. Near the Hatton waterworks area, where the Yellow Wagtails had been seen previously, we were able to spot a Buzzard being harassed by crows. Along the edge of the field to the south of the path were a pair of Wheatear.
Common Gull, Cormorant, Yellowhammer, House Martin and a number of Rabbits made it onto the list while we scanned for the wagtails. I was fairly sure I could see a few Kittiwakes offshore but I couldn't get a clear view with just my binoculars. A Great Black-backed Gull was noted and Whimbrel and another couple of Corn Buntings were heard, before a pair of Whimbrel was seen in flight. There was no sign of the wagtails though. We had a slow wander back towards the village with a couple more Wheatear being seen on the way. The Whimbrels were heard a few more times and scanning offshore eventually got us definite Kittiwakes (and Black-headed Gull). Ian found a few Guillemots and I picked up a Red-throated Diver low over the sea. Magpie, Oystercatcher and Shelduck were all found before we made it back to the small burn where we'd seen the male Yellow Wagtail earlier.
Ian checked the small field by the cottages with his scope and managed to find the male Yellow Wagtail again before then finding a second male which appeared to have a blue-ish head. It turned out to be the hoped-for 'Channel' Wagtail and as we were watching it coming closer, a female Yellow Wagtail also put in an appearance. This bird and the 'Channel' Wagtail both ended up wandering quite close to where we were stood, giving us much better views than we were expecting. We called it a day and headed back to Dundee. Although none of the 41 species of birds counted for my #2026Dundee150 list and I'm not really bothering with a 'year-list', it was still a very productive afternoon's birding with plenty of photo opportunities. Thanks again to Ian for the opportunity of a change of scenery which was very much appreciated.
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Wheatear |
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| Wheatear |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Skylark |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| House Sparrow |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Yellow Wagtail (female) |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Kittiwake & Black-headed Gull |
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| Yellow Wagtail (female) |
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| Yellow Wagtail (female) |
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| Yellow Wagtail (female) |
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| Yellow Wagtail (female) |
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| Yellow ('Channel') Wagtail |
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| Yellow ('Channel') Wagtail |
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| Yellow ('Channel') Wagtail |
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| Yellow ('Channel') Wagtail |
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| Yellow ('Channel') Wagtail |
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| Yellow ('Channel') Wagtail |
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| Yellow ('Channel') Wagtail |
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| Red-throated Diver |
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| Curlew |
Birds - Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Eider, Gannet, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Red-throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Shelduck, Skylark, Starling, Swallow, Wheatear, Whimbrel, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Yellow Wagtail, Yellowhammer.
Mammals - Rabbit.
