0070 : Bio-Blitz At Riverside (13/7/14)

Micro moth species 1

Crane Fly species

Common Whitethroat

Ringlet

Bee species

Bumble Bee species 1

Blackcap

Pond Skater species

Hoverfly species

Nettle Tap moth

Micro moth species 2

Grasshopper species

Shaded Broad Bar moth

Stock Dove

Ichneumon species

Marmalade Hoverfly

Greenbottle

Micro moth species 3

Bumble Bee species 2

Micro moth species (1?)

Micro moth species (2?)

Plume Moth species plus Soldier Beetle

Pond Life

Micro moth species 4

Beetle species


A little late with this particular post, but better late than never. My rather neglected (by me this year) local patch, Riverside Nature Park was to be the venue for a Bio-Blitz event earlier this month. As I had paid very few visits to the park this year, I decided to pop along to meet up with friends from the Friends of Riverside Nature Park committee, of which I was previously a member, and to help out in the recording of species at the location, mostly birds and insects (I'm useless with plants!). July can be very quiet on the bird front, but there can be a variety of insect species around if the weather is warm enough to tempt them out.

I headed down to the park for around 1120-ish, spotting Woodpigeon as I entered the park. Instead of looking up and sticking to the paths I wandered off into the longer grass to see what I could find. The sun was quite strong and warm, with a bit more wind than ideal, but still not too strong to deter flying insects too much. There were lots of micro moths among the grass, taking flight and landing quickly further on, only to be disturbed again. I found a small black 'money' spider on a fence post, then the first Cranefly (Daddy Long Legs) of the day. One or two species of Bumblebees buzzed around.

Overhead a few Swallows zipped around with Swifts a little higher in the air. A few butterfly species were seen as I headed further away from the path, with at least one of the Whites and the far more numerous Ringlet and Meadow Brown which fill the park at this time of year. My next find was a small Ichneumon species which I have seen around the park before but which has gone unidentified so far. A Common Whitethroat sang from the roadside wires. A couple of carrion Crows flew over, with Herring Gull a few minutes later gliding towards the bay. The next insect find was a not unexpected Green Capsid Bug. At Buzzard Wood, a Chaffinch was seen in the trees. The puddle held a number of Pondskaters. Goldfinches twittered over and into the trees. Next up bird-wise was Black Headed Gull and a small shiny metallic looking  fly rested on a stone by the puddle behind the fence in Buzzard Wood.

A young Blackcap foraged among the tangle of bushes as I watched a Hoverfly darting around by the fence. A Nettle-Tap moth was on a leaf. I wandered off through the grass again, spooking a Shaded Broad Bar moth before finding another species of micro moth and the only grasshopper of the day, which tried to hide near the base of the grass it rested on. I spotted a bird approaching at speed and managed a few photos of what turned out to be a Stock Dove. A Pied Wagtail called as it flew in the opposite direction to the dove. Another fly species was found before I headed over to the small marquee-type tent which was 'hosting' the event. I spotted the local moth expert over by his trap and had a quick chat before being distracted by a Song Thrush.

In the tent itself there were a few insects including a small froghopper/leafhopper, a larger Ichneumon, a slim bug and a small moth all resting on the canvas. I chatted to a few folk I knew for a while, enjoying the cool shade inside away from the warm sun. I had another short walk around the area behind the car park where I found yet another macro moth species, along with Marmalade Hoverflies, a Greenbottle and a different micro moth species. An Oystercatcher was surprisingly difficult to spot despite it calling loudly as it flew by.  family of Long Tailed Tits called from the bushes and a Starling glided over at speed. Yet another unidentified micro moth was found next.

I decided to join the small group walk being led by Ian Ford, spotting Blue Tit, Blackbird and House Sparrow before we had gone very far. A Robin showed briefly. A noisy flock of Common Gull, Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull and Sandwich Terns overflew from the direction of the bay heading towards the factory roof to the east where they roost at high tide. There were more micro moths seen, along with a spider on its web. A Plume Moth species was found by one of the visitors along with a Soldier Beetle. Another bee species and yet another micro moth were found before I parted company from the group to head for the Lochan and the bay. At the Lochan, Kate Treharne had done a spot of pond dipping which showed a mix of the expected beasts such as Water Boatmen and various other things.

I headed off towards the bay next, a few Carrion Crows and Jackdaws being seen en route. With the tide fully in the bay was quiet, and the vegetation made viewing tricky. I did managed to see Mallards, a Mute Swan and Lesser Black Backed Gulls, as well as the other usual gull species. A Wren showed briefly on one of the "windows" of the hide but shot off into the bushes to a suspected nest site before I managed a photo. I walked back round the path to the car park, seeing a small flock of Goldfinches at the Buddleia trail. Another micro moth was photographed nearby and a Cormorant was spotted out on the river. A pair of Yellowhammer were atop one of the piles in the compost area.

Back at the tent, I had another chat and added my sightings to the lists on the boards. Others had heard Spotted Flycatcher and Sedge Warbler along towards the hide. A Skylark flew over, and I helped to pack things up before heading towards the eastern exit. A Reed Bunting was a late addition to my bird list for the day. The insect list was not quite finished either with a small red rounded beetle being spotted on a plant stem. As I knelt down to get photos I spotted ants around my feet, some of which found their way onto me, quickly being brushed off again. I stopped to photograph a wasp and a fly near the gate before heading up to catch the bus back into town and then home.

Although a lot of my insect photos are so far unidentified (lack of time so far) it was quite a successful day with at least a few new micro moth species for me seen. My own bird list reached 31 species for the day.

Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant, Goldfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Robin, Sandwich Tern, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer

If anyone can supply IDs for any of the creatures in the photos, please leave a comment. Thanks in advance.

0069 : Lazy Birding. (12/7/14)

Roe Deer

Grey Heron

Goosander

Grey Heron

Herring Gulls

Goosander

Sandwich Tern

Gannet

Oystercatcher

Red Throated Diver

Shags

Puffins

Little Gull

Juvenile Arctic Tern

Kestrel

Common Scoters

Magpie

Buzzard and Kingfisher

Common Sandpiper

Juvenile Blue Tit

Great Crested Grebe

Black Tailed Godwits

Woodpigeon and Linnet

Shelduck, Teal and Curlew

Having both had a busy and rather tiring week at work, myself and my pal, Jacqui Herrington didn't really fancy anything too strenuous on the birding front for the Saturday. However, as a Bridled Tern had been seen a few days earlier in the Forth and was prone to a spot of long distance wandering from its summer home on the Farnes we decided a seat in the sunshine on the rocks at Fife Ness would give us possibilities of the Tern passing by as well as giving me a chance to get skuas, shearwaters and maybe something more exotic onto my year-list.

I arranged to meet Jacqui at Guardbridge around 10am, so headed out in the sunshine to catch the bus to Guardbridge. Herring Gulls glided over as I stepped outside, with chirping House Sparrows across the road. Swifts screamed over in a small group. I managed to catch a bus into town, adding Feral Pigeon to the list as I alighted from the bus at the top of the Wellgate. An Oystercatcher flew noisily over as I reached the bus station. The bus left a few minutes earlier than I thought. As always there wasn't a huge amount to see en route. A Song Thrush on the five roads roundabout was a surprise. Black Headed Gull, Woodpigeon and House Martin were seen before reaching Leuchars where Jackdaw, Rook, Collared Dove, Carrion Crow Starling and Blackbird were all added to the list.

Crossing the Motray, I managed to add Mute Swan, and a Lesser Black Backed Gull and Herring Gull were perched on the paper mill buildings as I waited for the bus to stop. Jacqui was already waiting with the top down on the car, so we decided against popping into the hide for a look. Swallows and Swifts were seen as we passed through St Andrews and the first Buzzard of the day was spotted as we drove out from Crail past Balcomie. We drove down over the golf course with an unseen Sedge Warbler singing loudly from the scrubby area at the top of the hill while allows chittered from the wires by the houses.

Jacqui spotted a Roe Deer feeding on the plants on the hill behind the pink cottage and we managed a few photos before it disappeared back into the gorse. A Whitethroat flitted around in front of the deer. A Grey Heron was prominent out on the rocks as were a small group of Great Black Backed Gulls. We wandered out to the rocks looking for a relatively comfortable area to sit with a decent view to north and south. Once we were settled we started to see what else was around. A large group of Eiders were in the water to the north, Gannets headed towards their feeding grounds in small groups and Shags stood on the rocks to the north. Three Pied Wagtails flew by in front of us. most likely a family group although they could also have been (very) early autumn migrants on the move. A Curlew flew low along the rocks just above the waves before landing slightly to the south. We spotted a Goosander just offshore, eventually finding another few a while later. Razorbill was the first of the auk species to shoot past though Guillemot and more surprisingly Puffin were also seen within a few minutes. The first Terns announced their presence loudly before we picked them up, an adult and juvenile Sandwich Tern - the first of many. Two Herring Gulls chased each other, one with food, the other with the urge to steal it.

A few Black Headed Gulls flew by, and a Swift headed out over the water before reversing its route and heading back inland. Surprisingly a Woodpigeon also headed out across the water, but it appeared to keep going eastwards. A single Common Scoter flew into the bay to land among the Eiders and Shags diving among the small wave crests. Kittiwakes have a quite distinctive flight style and I picked up a few heading north a bit further out over the sea. Two small waders darted south low across the water a bit further offshore than would be ideal for getting an ID. Checking the photos later they appeared to be Sanderling in summer plumage. Carrion Crow and Oystercatcher were spotted during another scan of the rocks avross the bay towards the golf course.

It was quite relaxing sitting in the warm sun, with the rather calm sea in front of us and good visiblity with surprisingly very little heat haze to make life difficult for spotting and identifying distant birds. We were joined by Willie Irvine and the three of us chatted away about birds as we slowly added more species to the day list. A Fulmar glided past and a Red Throated Diver powered its way north low above the water. Common Gull and then Common Tern were the next two additions, both out over the sea. A black hooded Little Gull flew over almost directly above us and was a nice bird to get. Gannets, auks, terns and gulls continued to stream past holding our interest as we hoped that a skua or a shearwater, or the Bridled Tern might show for us.

The next addition to the list was indeed a tern, though not the Bridled. A juvenile Arctic Tern flew in and landed on the rocks in front of us for a minute before flying off. A male Kestrel landed on the mast behind the former coastguard station. A small group of Common Scoters flew north low over the waves. Having spent around three hours sea-watching and with the sky beginning to cloud over we decided to head for the hide at Guardbridge. A Rock Pipit landed on the rocks near us as we wandered back towards the car. Driving up across the golf course we had superb close views of a Magpie which posed long enough for me to get my best ever photos of this usually evasive species. Woodpigeons, Carrion Crows and a Yellowhammer were seen as we headed back towards St Andrews but overall it was quiet.

We arrived at the hide at Guardbridge around 1450 and realised that the tide was in, which is never the best time for seeing much at the site. Undaunted we opened the windows and pulled up a couple of seats. As I opened the window an unnoticed Kingfisher flew off from its perch on a post in front of the hide and across the river where it landed on a fence post not too far from a Buzzard, allowing me to get an unusual photo. Blue Tits were on the feeders by the side of the hide. Scanning through the birds out on the water, I found a small group of six Canada Geese. A Tree Sparrow visited the feeder to our left. Herring Gull and Lesser Black Backed circled round. A family group of Great Tits joined the Blue Tit family on the feeders. Two geese swam out from behind the salt marsh. These were Pink Footed Geese, likely to be injured stragglers from the winter flocks wounded by wild-fowlers. Swallows darted low above the river feeding on insects.

Jacqui spotted a Common Sandpiper as it walked along the top of the wall  down from the hide, with water lapping at its feet. Carrion Crows flew by the hide upriver and over the trees. A Shelduck creche was visible offshore with an Eider creche further towards the airfield. A Blackbird popped in below the feeders briefly and an Oystercatcher flew upriver. I heard distant Sandwich Terns but it took a while to find the birds making the noise. Three swept round in an arc before heading back towards the sea. Two Jackdaws headed over the hide. More scanning found the first Mallards of the day and some distant Mute Swans were well out in the river. A few Curlews could be seen along the far edge of the saltmarsh area.

Goldfinches flew in to the trees next to the hide, their calls alerting us that they were on their way. Another goose swam out into the river. This time it was a Greylag - the third goose species of the day. We watched a few Swifts zip around above the hide, and a Dunnock sneaked in and out again below the feeders. A female Chaffinch fed on the peanuts above. Another uncommon bird for the Eden was found next in the shape of a Great Crested Grebe. The next addition was three Black Tailed Godwits which flew in to join the Curlews on the saltmarsh as the tide began to recede. All three birds appeared quite orange. A Cormorant flew upriver from the direction of St Andrews Bay. Feral Pigeons headed up over the hotel from the direction of the paper mill. A Woodpigeon on the fence on the opposite bank was joined by a male Linnet. A small flock of Starlings wheeled around above the horse field. Jacqui left to attend to household chores but I decided to hang around and try to see a 60th species for the day list.

A few Black Headed Gulls dropped in near the Shelducks and waders. More surprising was the Little Gull that I was watching when a flock of ducks flew through my viewfinder. These turned out to be mostly Teal but with three Shovelers also. Fortunately I managed to get the Little Gull in one of the photos of the ducks as it landed confirming the ID for me. A Sand Martin darted around above the pools in company with a few Swallows. A Buzzard with prey lifted from the fence and headed into the conifers. A Grey Heron flew down from the direction of the bridge. A small group of Lapwings dropped in just before I decided to pack up and head for home.

66 species without too much effort expended.
Species seen - Arctic Tern, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Scoter, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Gull, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Puffin, Razorbill, Red Throated Diver, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sand Martin, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Shelduck, Shoveler, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.

0068 : Glens Again (29/6/14)

Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

Red Kite

Wheatear juvenile

Mistle Thrush juvenile

Lesser Redpoll juvenile(?)

Meadow Pipit

Wheatear

Small Heath

Willow Warbler

Great Spotted Woodpecker juvenile

Common Sandpiper

Linnet

Whinchat

Raven

Chaffinch

Rook

Robin

Red Squirrel

Osprey

Grey Heron

Black Headed Gulls
With another reasonable weather forecast for a large chunk of the day, myself and my pal Jacqui Herrington decided a visit to the Angus Glens was on the cards, having had only a few this year so far, thus missing out on decent views of species such as Redstart and Cuckoo. We decided on a departure around 0845, not too early but not too late either.

I left the house around my normal time and quickly got Herring Gull, Starling, Goldfinch and Swift on the list for the day before meeting up with Jacqui. House Martin and Blackbird were added before we exited Dundee northbound with Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon just to the north of the city. Not much else was seen as we headed up the A90 until we were near Forfar where a Swallow overflew the dual carriageway. A Buzzard drifted over and Jackdaw was seen a few seconds later.

We turned off the A90 to head up into the hills. House Sparrows were seen near a small group of houses by the road. Oystercatchers were in the fields with Black Headed Gulls a little further on. One or two Rooks were added, with Chaffinch, Linnet and Mistle Thrush all seen before we took the road into the bit we knew as the glen (although technically we had been in the glen for a few miles previously).

Our first bird in the glen was a rather pleasant surprise. A Spotted Flycatcher on the roadside fence, showing very well, indulging in frequent forays out to catch insects before returning back onto the wires. Another very nice surprise was a Red Kite, not yet a common sight in Angus (and the main reason for the vagueness of location in this particular blog post) which glided overhead. I had a short walk but only added Buzzard and Coal Tit. We drove on a bit further seeing Pied Wagtail and the first Lapwings of the day.

A brief stop gave us good views of Meadow Pipit and Mistle Thrush with a Sand Martin whizzing over. A Common Gull glided past as we drove on into the glen. The first Wheatear flew ahead of the car but chose to stay directly in front of the car instead of perching on the roadside heather making for less than ideal photo opportunities.

Our next stop proved to be very productive with just a few trees and bushes producing a surprising number of different species around and about them. A couple of juvenile Swallows perched on the wire fence being visited by an adult with food for them from time to time. Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail flitted down onto the dirt track. A warbler flitted around in the bush, giving brief glimpses before we managed enough of a view to ID it as a Willow Warbler. A family party of Great Tits passed through and Jacqui spotted a Wren low in the bushes. I wandered up the dirt track where I found a couple of juvenile Wheatears and a Chaffinch was in the trees as I headed back to the car. One or two Lapwings and Oystercatchers were seen here too, a bit further away.

Surprisingly we saw no sign of any grouse, either Red or Black despite having seen both in the past in the area we passed through next. A Curlew overflew calling loudly. A few Lapwings and Oystercatchers were in the fields by the road but the majority of waders appeared to have moved on already. A Song Thrush was a slight surprise and a male Blackbird needed a second glance to rule out the possibility of Ring Ouzel. We reached the end of the road and as we pulled in to turn the car around, a Wheatear showed really well on a fencepost. Stopping for a photo we were frustrated in our efforts by a Mistle Thrush which flew up to displace the Wheatear from its perch before flying off too. Thankfully the Wheatear showed well on another perch near the car.

We had a wander around the area in the hope of maybe a raptor or two, or maybe a Ring Ouzel, but had to settle for a Buzzard. We spotted a few 'moths' flitting around which turned out to be Small Heath butterflies with three on show together at one point. Meadow Pipit, Curlew, Lapwing and Sand Martin were also seen here. We could hear Common Sandpiper calling from the burn so we decided to try and find it. Despite looking along the edge of the burn we could see no sign of the calling bird. Movement caught our eyes as the bird lifted and flew upstream from a boulder in midstream. We were both surprised as it had sounded like the calls were coming from the grassy bank.

A Willow Warbler was perched on an overhead wire and telegraph pole as we drove back, and a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker flew deeper into the trees from near the roadside. Another stop further on saw a family of Oystercatchers by the roadside and a Common Sandpiper on the opposite side of the burn. Slightly further on we stopped to check four birds perched on the wires of a fence. Unusually they were four different species - a Lesser Redpoll, a Linnet, a Whinchat and a Meadow Pipit. A couple of Ravens were picked out at the top of a hill, perched on the skyline.

We stopped again at the area with the bushes and trees which had proved productive before. A Rook flew over. Curlew and Oystercatchers were in the field. The Swallows still zipped about. I wandered along the road while Jacqui watched from the car. I spotted a couple of Ravens hanging in the wind above the hills to the south. I spotted something flying low over the bracken down the hill. It turned out to be a large dragonfly but it was too far away to identify the species. Jacqui waved to let me know there was a Spotted Flycatcher on the fence between her and me. It flew off before I got a photo but there was a second bird on the fence up from the car. A Chaffinch and a juvenile Robin were in the bushes. A nice male Lesser Redpoll was on the wires by the humpback bridge. A few Meadow Pipits and Wheatear were all that was seen as we headed back down the glen. We passed a car with another couple of birders, one I recognised. I found out later that she had seen a juvenile Cuckoo being fed by a Chaffinch as well as Red Grouse. wo species we failed to see.

We decided to head for Balgavies Loch to see the Ospreys and anything else that might be around. When we arrived the feeders were disappointingly empty, limiting the prospects. A Red Squirrel popped in briefly to check out the feeders before scampering off empty-pawed. The Ospreys were perched in the trees - one lower down and the other by the nest. A chick showed briefly above the rim of the nest. Out on the water, Coots, Mute Swan, Mallard and Tufted Ducks swam around. Large numbers of Greylags were up the far end of the loch, at least 100 I estimated. Jacqui spotted a Moorhen near the two Grey Herons. I spotted a Jay flying from the island into the trees beyond the Herons. A Sedge Warbler and a Reed Bunting sang from the reeds. With the sky clouding over and Jacqui having to be home for around 4pm we decided to head off for a flying visit to Murton.

The Rooks were by the entrance as we drove into the car park. There was plenty of activity in the Black Headed Gull colony with a few Lapwings and Oystercatchers around the edges. We walked down to the other pond to scan through the Tufted Ducks hoping to find the Ring Necked Duck, but there were fewer than the previous week around, although they weren't asleep this time. Despite carefully checking through them, there was no sign of the Ring Necked Duck. Gadwall were dotted around the edges, preening and sleeping. A Redshank fed along the waters edge. A few Greylags were out on the water, and were joined by a Pink Footed Goose and a Great Crested Grebe. A flock of Starlings flew across the water. Jacqui headed back to the car, and I took a slight detour to check the pool further on. A Little Grebe was out in the middle. A Buzzard soared above. A quick check of the pool as the rain came on added a Teal to the day list.

We headed back down the road to Dundee. Herring Gull, House Martin, Swift Blackbird and Swallow were all seen as I walked home from Clepington Road. A decent enough day out with some good photo opportunities and 56 species seen in all.

Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Coot, Curlew, Gadwall, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lapwing, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet, Little Grebe, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Raven, Red Kite, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Song Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wheatear, Whinchat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer