Sunday July 22nd
I left Dundee this morning in the pouring rain and was happy to find it alot lighter and almost brighter at kinnordy....a false setting for what we were about to receive. The rain started to get heavier and heavier not long after i arrived. It was 8 o'clock and i was hoping to do a guided walk at 9. Delia had said she would be attending the mornings walk...surely not in this weather!!
At 9 o'clock i proceeded to the carpark to find Delia ready for a nice walk in the rain, so off we went.
We started at the swamp end, where there were a few mallards, coots and a heron sitting in the grass. It was then along to the gullery hide. More mallards, moorhen youngsters, a pair of little grebes, teal, a pair of female shoveler and black headed gulls. After a few more minutes it was off to brave the elements again. We couldn't really hear many birds around for the sound of the rain hitting the leaves. The birds were obviously the sensible ones sheltering in the bushes. At the east hide we tried our best to look for the water rail. The area in front of the hide had been strimmed back to allow this to be possible.
Swans, coots, mallards, tufted duck and more gulls were present at the hide along with reed bunting. Just as we were about to leave i caught a glimpse of a young water rail. Unfortunately, Delia was looking in a different direction and so missed it!! I did see it, honest!!
Off we went again towards the edge of the reserve, where the path carries on to Kirriemuir, past the "plug" area, over the slues bridge where the water was really quite high and on to the second bridge. I had thought of turning round at this point, but we found that a new path had been put in place to allow us to go round to the other side of the loch. Hey, we were already wet so why not.
We still seemed to come across a lack of bird movement. A reed bunting could be heard as we headed towards the lilly pond. A couple of Buzzards, a parent and a youngster could be heard in the wooded area ahead, but we only saw the adult. Through the woods to a field at the other side, we decided to go along at the bottom of the field to an old barn, that can be seen from the gullery hide, on the other side. Now we started to hear some bird sounds..a whitethroat at last and some willow warblers.
After looking round for other birds, we headed off, back to the cars. We skirted round the woods and came across a pair of yellowhammers, reed buntings, great tits and willow warblers. Back on to the path and we stood for a good ten minutes watching willow warblers, long tailed tits, great and blue tits, and a garden warbler...a first for Delia.
We carried on back to the main part of the reserve and decided to look inat the east hide again to see if we could find the water rail. We weren't disappointed. People in the hide were busy watching some chicks, running in and out of the reeds. As we watched the mother came out and led the four chicks into the reeds. We only had to wait a few more minutes before the mother again came out to find her young and stayed out in the open preening, for a good five minutes. I had had brief glimpses of them in the reeds and flying between reed beds bfore today, but nothing compared to what we saw today. It was one of those WOW moments. We also had good views of reed bunting and sedge warblers.
It was back to the cars to get our lunch out, which we ate in the gullery hide. While eating lunch, Delia spotted the female marsh harrier along at the swamp end and was also first to spot the Osprey along at the swamp end. We were surprised that we hadn't seen more of the osprey.
It had been a good walk with lots to see, plenty of rain in the morning and almost sunshine in the afternoon.
Sorry Delia, but when you departed, i went and had some more good views of the water rail and also 3 osprey!!