STONEFACTION BIRDING: 07/07/15

0179 : Wednesday Wanderings (1/7/15)

As I've previously outlined, my Wednesday outings with Nat are sometimes more or less improvised with destinations decided on the day, and sometimes even while we are under way. With the weather forecast meaning the possible trip to the Isle of May was postponed, we had to look for somewhere else to go, where we might find something of interest. Although July is slightly later than most of my visits to the Angus glens in previous years we decided to head inland with a bit of an upland trip in mind and see where we ended up after that.

Spotted Flycatcher

Swifts overflying got the list off to a decent start at 8am when Nat arrived to pick me up. After deciding on a particular location we headed towards the Forfar Road and the A90 northbound. Woodpigeon, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull and Feral Pigeon were all seen on the way, with the Swallows which appear to be nesting on a large house on Clepington Road providing an early view of the species. Blackbird was added on the outskirts. Buzzard, Carrion Crow and Black Headed Gull were seen as we headed up the A90. Rather than our usual route to the glen, we decided to try a different approach road which would hopefully give us a bit more variety though we had no real idea what to expect.

Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, House Martin, Yellowhammer, Skylark and Collared Dove all went on the list as we explored this 'new' road for us, though a turn into a dead end did also give us Siskin and Chaffinch. We then chanced upon a large pool surrounded by trees and bushes and with lots of plant growth in the water. At least 3 families of Tufted Ducks totaling at least 20 ducklings and 3 adult females were on the water along with a few Mallards and Little Grebes. We stopped to watch a pair of Willow Warblers catching flies among the bushes next to the car. Driving on a little, I spotted a raptor above a conifer plantation on the hill above the road. This turned out to be a Red Kite and it was soon joined by a Buzzard. The Kites do appear to be increasing their numbers in the Angus glens mostly it appears from Aberdeenshire. Hopefully, the 'local' grouse moor gamekeepers and their employers will allow these birds to prosper, though I'm not overly hopeful that there won't be casualties along the way, and I don't mean the gamekeepers.

Nat continued her knack of spotting Partridges by the roadside, with a Red Legged Partridge on my side of the car, though it ran below a hedge before I could take a photo. Our first Roe Deer of the day ran across the road and disappeared into a field a bit further on. We still had a few miles to go to reach our glen of choice and the new species kept on coming - Rooks, Lapwings, Pheasant, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow. With the sun shining things were looking quite promising already for a good day out. Common Gull, Goldfinches, Meadow Pipits and even a Kestrel perched in a tree that I only spotted as we passed it all were added to the burgeoning list.

We eventually reached the road into 'our' glen and among the Rabbits and Jackdaws, a Wheatear flew off up the small slope by the road to perch atop a rock. A few Mistle Thrushes flew over, and a Stock Dove whizzed past as we parked the car to go for a walk. At least another 3 Red Kites and a few more Buzzards were seen here, as well as more meadow Pipits, Woodpigeons, Jackdaws and Carrion Crows. A flock of Starlings and Mistle Thrushes could be seen quite distantly. A Reed Bunting singing from the overhead wires was a surprise. We watched a family group of two juvenile Willow Warblers and at least one adult bird among the bracken by the road. A Robin popped up onto a fence post as we wandered back to the car to move onto another parking place a little further on.

A Goldcrest and a few Blue Tits as well as more Willow Warblers were in the bushes, and a few Sand Martins and Swallows darted over as we walked further along the road towards a farm. We stopped to look down towards the river and a wooded area on the opposite bank. I spotted movement in one of the larger trees and found a Great Tit. A bit more persistence resulted in our first Spotted Flycatcher of the day. Pied Wagtails were seen along the road, but we had to settle for a flyover Grey Wagtail. A recently fledged Mistle Thrush posed for us as it called for its nearby parents.

Curlew was added when one scolded us from a good distance away as we trekked a bit further on past the farm buildings. We stopped to try and find a few Siskins high in a tree, and in addition to them we also added a pair of Lesser Redpolls too. Another Kestrel flew by, and we sopped to watch at least 3 juvenile Pied Wagtails feeding among the grass. A trio of Oystercatchers watched us from a ruined drystane dyke. A Common Gull flew up to harass one of two Buzzards as they glided over. Coal Tit was another new addition before we made it back to the car to move on a bit further and we stopped to photograph another Spotted Flycatcher perched on a roadside fence.

A short walk hoping for Red Grouse produced nothing except a distant calling bird, so we pushed on a bit further into the glen. The hot sunshine from earlier was starting to diminish in strength as a thin layer of high cloud moved in from the west. As well as Meadow Pipits on the wires we found a female Stonechat, and a male and a juvenile were close by also. We could hear a Cuckoo calling but failed to locate it from the moving car and decided against stopping to try. A Common Sandpiper flew up from the roadside as we moved on again. We had decided to stop for something to eat at a spot by the burn a bit further on, but as grass-cutting was taking place we changed our plans and pushed on a bit further.

As things turned out however this was exceedingly lucky for us. As we drove along beside the fields where most of the waders seem to nest in the glen, it was very quiet with the breeding season for these birds looking like it had ended. We suddenly stopped with Nat exclaiming that she thought she had hit something on the road. Looking in the rear-view mirror, the something looked like a brown leather belt strung out on the road. It wasn't a belt though, it was a snake. I grabbed my camera and shot out of the car to run the short distance to check firstly if the animal was still alive and to photograph what was my first ever Adder. Nat soon joined me as the now coiled snake watched us as we photographed it from about 6 feet away or so. It suddenly moved forward, prompting Nat, who was wearing open-toed sandals to change position rather quickly. The snake wriggled across the rough tarmac and into the grass where it moved much more smoothly. My photos were slightly out of focus but luckily I had managed to shoot a short video clip.

A bird perched on the wires as we approached the end of the road turned out to be a juvenile cuckoo with its 'parent' Meadow Pipit in attendance. A Kestrel had flown off as we approached and we spotted the Cuckoo from far enough away that I could get a few photos because of this. We had something to eat, and decided against going for a walk further along the track. We had further views of the Cuckoo on the way back out, as well as a Song Thrush. Our first Red Grouse, a female, was found among the heather in an area where we have seen the species in the past. We drew a blank on any Black Grouse however. A Linnet was the only further addition to the list before we headed for Montrose with the intention of walking to Scurdie Ness from Ferryden.

When we arrived at Ferryden, it was apparent that a heavy rain shower wasn't far away and so it proved with the heavens opening just minutes after we had parked, though thankfully before we had exited the car. A number of Eiders were on the river, a pair of Goosanders were hauled out on the far shore and a Razorbill was swimming upriver. Instead of hanging around we decided to try Fishtown of Usan for a spot of seawatching though with the car much closer to hand, in case of rain. A singing Whitethroat greeted us here, and having walked down to the beach we made a makeshift seat out of a pallet to watch the birds flying by.

With a much smaller 'window' to watch, it was easier to track birds, though our low viewpoint and the rather grey background of sea and sky made photography tricky. There were plenty of birds passing though - Guillemots, Razorbills, Cormorants, Kittiwakes, Herring Gulls and Gannets. A pair of Common Terns flew from their perches on two poles offshore and a Sandwich Tern passed by also. With rain starting to threaten we headed back up to the car, spotting a Wren on the wall beside the car. Lunan Bay was our next port of call and we passed a pair of Grey Partridges (spotted again by Nat) en route and had another close encounter with a oe Deer which crossed the road just in front of us.

Fulmars perched on Redcastle at Lunan Bay, and Yellowhammers sang from the wires as we walked down the track to the hide, passing a small group of Tree Sparrows and House Sparrows in the gardens. from the hide we could see plenty Kittiwakes in the water with a few Herring Gulls. A Shag was not too far offshore but birds passing by were muc further out. A trio of Dunnocks were down on the track as we walked back to the car after what was a short visit. A bird on wires by the road gave us a reason to stop. I suspected Corn Bunting and a burst of song as we pulled to a halt confirmed this. Auchmithie to try for Puffins was next and we succeeded quickly with a small group in the water just off the rocks just below the northern end of the village.

With the time now just after 4pm we headed back towards Dundee with a quick visit to Arbroath, near the cliffs where we added Rock Pipit to the day list and a brief stop at the western end of the park so Nat could take a phone call allowed me to spot sn approaching Red Throated Diver as it flew past. With the Iceland Gull still being reported in the area near the museum, we headed there for a quick look, finding the bird without any problem in its usual spot. There was much more grey feathering coming through on the wings and it is interesting to compare it with how it looked when it was initially found. It will also be interesting to see how long it remains in the area. I had one further idea for adding a couple of new species without any great detour on the way home, and our drive past of Swannie Ponds succeeded in giving us Coot and Mute Swan rounding off our day list at a rather decent 78 species.

Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Coot, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Cuckoo, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Grey Partridge, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Iceland Gull, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet, Little Grebe, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Puffin, Razorbill, Red Grouse, Red Kite, Red Legged Partridge, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Wheatear, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.