[delia todd]

I walked along the River Ericht in town this afternoon, and heard my first inland Chiffchaff. It was the other side of the river so couldn't see it.

I think he'd lost his hymn sheet though as it was more chiff, chiff, chiff, chaff, chaff, chiff, chaff, chaff.

D

[Rhummy]

There is a lone Pink Footed Goose chilling with a pair of Mallards in a slightly flooded field just outside Alyth. I wonder if it will stay in the area all year.

[Stonefaction]

Cracking views of two White Tailed Eagles (with a third bird a bit more distant at the same time) at the Eden estuary in Fife today. Supporting cast of 10 Pintails, a Long Tailed Duck, 3 Goldeneye, a small flock of Golden Plover, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Peregrine and lots of Buzzards. Photos of the WTEs on my Flickr page.

www.flickr.com/stonefaction

[forthbirder]

Hi to all.
I will be staying near Kinloch Rannoch for the last week in May. Never visited that area before and was wondering if any members had suggestions for birding in the vicinity. I will be on foot so any ideas within about five miles of the village would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Mark

[kinnordyvolunteer]

We were up in Glen Lethnot with the Dundee RSPB group yesterday and saw Ring Ouzel, Common Sandpiper, red and black grouse, short eared owl, buzzard, wheatear, meadow pipit, skylark, grey and pied wagtails, raven, lapwing, oycs, mistle thrush and kestrel.

darell

[Capercaillie71]

Originally Posted by forthbirder

Hi to all.
I will be staying near Kinloch Rannoch for the last week in May. Never visited that area before and was wondering if any members had suggestions for birding in the vicinity. I will be on foot so any ideas within about five miles of the village would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Mark

There are forest walks from Carie about 3 miles west of KR on the south side of Loch Rannoch - I imagine you will get a good selection of woodland birds here although it was raining hard when I was there! A little further along the same road at Dall (5 miles from KR) there is the entrance to the Black Wood of Rannoch which is ancient pinewood. There are tracks up the glens to the south of the village which should give access to upland species - I've seen Twite up the Tempar burn which lies to the west of Schiehallion. Dunalastair Water to the east of the village usually supports a variety of wildfowl and I have heard grasshopper warblers reeling from the marshes on the south side of the loch, along with reed buntings and sedge warblers.

This site may be of some use:

http://www.rannoch.net/Natural%20History.htm

[delia todd]

Originally Posted by forthbirder

Hi to all.
I will be staying near Kinloch Rannoch for the last week in May. Never visited that area before and was wondering if any members had suggestions for birding in the vicinity. I will be on foot so any ideas within about five miles of the village would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Mark

Hi Mark

It's ages since I've been up there, but do make sure you take the south road along the loch in your explorations, not only is it a lovely run but it's a quieter road, stop in any lay by you can and scan the water. I've seen RTD but can't remember the month now. Look for Dippers and Grey Wags in the burns running down into the loch and Sandpipers along the loch shore. I remember a Cuckoo landing on a telegraph wire.

The run out to Rannoch Station is well worth it - take your time to enjoy the road through the moor and watch out for raptors. There were feeders beside a house at the station which attracted Siskins.

Enjoy.

D

[forthbirder]

Thanks Caoercaillie, looks like there will be plenty of areas to explore and a good range of habitats too. Cheers, Mark

[delia todd]

It's nice to know SEO's are up there Darell, they seem to have disappeared from the places I used to find them.

D

[kinnordyvolunteer]

Yeh, it was good to see they are still up there. Was good to see the ring ouzel too.

Darell

[kawwauser]

backwater resevoir/1 pair of stonechats,(i seen this pair on the 17/04/12but lost my internet connection and couldnt report)1 common sandpiper, 1 osprey, 2 willow warblers, pied wagtails,common gulls,buzzards,lapwings,oystercatchers, mistle thrush and meadow pipits with food in their beaks,linnets,woodpigeons,1 swallow on nearby telegraph pole plus 4 roe deer and 1 hare,red grouse heard calling

[forthbirder]

Cheers, Delia, I'll be sure to check out the south side of the loch.Can't wait to get there really.
Mark

[Stonefaction]

Really enjoyable day out to the Isle of May yesterday with my pal, Steph. Ferry crossing going out was a wee bit choppy so didn't get many photos from the boat. We did have a pale phase Arctic Skua fly past eastwards around halfway across which I spotted and called to Steph to grab a photo - which she did. I'd heard that there had been good numbers of migrants on the island, so my plan was to search for them rather than photographing Puffins etc, so I let the crowds disperse and stayed around the landing area for a while. A few Ring Ouzels scooting around here. Spotted movement on the pebbles and there was a nice male Wheatear. A Pied Wagtail joined it searching among the pebbles for insects, as did the first Chiffchaff I would see on the island.

Got distracted by another Ring Ouzel so moved uphill where a Robin was hunting around near the tractor shed. A Meadow Pipit took off from the drystane dyke calling as it went. (There had apparently been a male Redstart here, but no sign of it unfortunately). A Rock Pipit was the next bird seen but another bird caught my eye. Another Pipit, but "cleaner" looking than a Meadow or Rock Pipit. It wasn't too fussed by me standing nearby but it searched among the grass in a different manner to a Meadow Pipit, almost crouching on the backs of its legs at times. Looking at the photos I suspected Tree Pipit, which I confirmed later when looking at the photos on the computer.

Wandered up the hill further, seeing more Robins and Chiffchaffs on the way, and another Ring Ouzel down in the dip where the Eiders congregate. Also another Wheatear. Got up to the big lighthouse and searched through the walled garden from above. Robins and Chiffchaffs being the most conspicuous. Speaking to another photographer, he mentioned there were more Ring Ouzels around. Spotted a flying thrush which was ID'd from the grabbed photo as a Fieldfare. Headed down to the lower light area where I was hoping for a few more warblers but surprisingly apart from a few Robins this are was quite quiet. Stopped off further south along the track to photograph Puffins in flight and spotted a bird picking around in the tussocky grass at the top of the hill. My first Brambling of the year.

Headed back along the track towards the lower light and saw a bird feeding on the ground - a nice male Blackcap. Had fleeting glimpses of pale looking Pied Wagtails flitting around, but finally managed to see a perched White Wagtail. Time was against me so I headed back towards the boat seeing more Wheatear, Chiffchaff, Robin and Ring Ouzel on the way back.
Thankfully the crossing back was a bit calmer, 4 Common Scoter being the highlight.

More photos on my flickr page over the next few days...
www.flickr.com/stonefaction

and Arctic Skua photo here....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephaniecowie/7123772701/

[Elf]

Went hill walking yesterday in Glenshee hillwalked for years but got my first sighting that I can remember of anyway of a Dotterel also got this atmospheric capture of a Red Grouse in one of the snow showers Also on Saturday saw a black grouse lek in the middle of the afternoon in the Angus Glens
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63545080@N02/

[Steve G]

Nice images!!!
The Red Grouse image is particularly effective!

[kawwauser]

1 magpie feeding on the short grass on the kingsway close to the old swallow hotel,1 lssb gull collecting nesting material in the dryburgh estate,there has been a small colony of roofnesting lssb gulls here for some time,buzzards circling overhead,likely ground nesting lssb gulls are eyeing up some ground on the killspindie estste,there used to be a sizeable colony ground nesting just off dock street maybe some of the same group

[Stonefaction]

Busy weekend for me with some really good birds seen. Saturday I headed for Crail and Fife Ness hoping for migrants and some seawatching. Got my first Sedge Warbler of the year in the bushes at Kilminning. A few Common Terns passed northwards some distance offshore (ID'd from photos). A nice flock of wee waders (Ringed plover, Dunlin and a summer plumaged Sanderling) landed on the rocks just a few feet away from me. Common Scoters and Red Throated Diver were probably the offshore highlights though I did managed a few nice pics of some of the more usual birds.
Got a lift to Guardbridge from local birder/photographer John Anderson (thanks, John) where I had a wander to do a bit of exploring. Found an interesting looking muddy pool behind the Motray water but it only held a few Pied Wagtails and a pair of Shelduck. Could see it turning up a few passage waders though dependent on water levels. An Osprey circled over the water a bit to the north. Crossed the road to the wee local nature reserve and had close flyovers of two Peregrines (male and young female) and got to see them perched too.

Sunday, I diidn't stray too far from home with a walk from Monifieth to Broughty Ferry before the rain started. A few nice surprises along the beach - 2 Whimbrels flew by eastwards and 3 Common Sandpipers were near the mouth of the Dighty. A small group of Turnstones were seen briefly from a distance. A Guillemot, 4 Wigeon and 3 Goosanders were offshore at Balmossie along with at least 80 Mute Swans and a mixed flock of gulls. Chiffchaff was seen in the wee local nature reserve and Willow Warbler was heard too.

Monday, had a really enjoyable day out around Angus with my pal, Joan. Started at Kinnordy where both Marsh Harriers and an Osprey were nice to see. Sedge Warbler and Common Sandpiper were the summer visitors.
From there we headed for one of the glens with a few targets in mind. No sign of target number 1, but we did eventually hear target number 2 singing and with a bit of luck I did manage to see (and photograph distantly) a nice male Redstart. The usual Wheatears and Meadow Pipits were around but not in any great numbers. A single Raven flew over. A few Grey Wagtails were dotted around. A Red Grouse sat among the heather near the roadside. A couple of Kestrels added to our raptor totals (lots of Buzzards around). No sign of Ring Ouzel at the end of the road, but a heavy rain shower meant we didn't look too hard. Heading back down the glen we stopped the car to look at a Wheatear when target number 1 decided to show up, flying low over the ground. My first Cuckoo of the year. My second was seen seconds later flying off from the fence ahead of us in the opposite direction. We did see another later in a more usual location. Found 4 Black Grouse back from the road at their usual spot, with another two a bit closer not much further on. Joan spotted one on her side of the car just off the road. I got out the car and peered round the end at the rather tatty looking male which wasn't concerned by me at all, ambling away slowly then turning back towards me before edging forward to cross over the road. Unfortunately some approaching road traffic meant I had to jump back into the car to get out of the way and the speeding landrover probably sent the grouse into the air, or back into the long grass. A bit further on we had a great view of a Wheatear perched on a fencepost.

Headed to Bridge of Dun next in the hope of Grasshopper Warbler but drew a blank, though we did see about a dozen species from the bridge alone, including Common Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail and Sand Martin. A wee wander along the river further upstream added a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers and my first Whitethroat of the year.

Tonight, my first Swift of the year from my living room window - a day later than last year (though it was raining last night). Summer starts now.....

[gus guthrie]

11 Dotterel showing well in a pea field south of Kirriemuir on the Glamis Road, also in the same field are 5 Golden Plover and a Wheatear. Best viewed from Ladywell farm entrance and look west, just south of Pluckerstone farm. Please bear in mind this is a busy road and don;t enter the field please.

[gus guthrie]

Originally Posted by gus guthrie

11 Dotterel showing well in a pea field south of Kirriemuir on the Glamis Road, also in the same field are 5 Golden Plover and a Wheatear. Best viewed from Ladywell farm entrance and look west, just south of Pluckerstone farm. Please bear in mind this is a busy road and don;t enter the field please.

Dotterel numbers have now increased to over 30 birds.....amazing !!!!

[gus guthrie]

went out to the Isle of May today with our local group and had a great trip there and back......90,000 puffins there as well as shag, Guillemot, Razorbill, Gulls galore and Terns.
Not many migrants there today, several Wheatear, a Willow Warbler, Blackcap , White Wagtail and something small and brown that would not come of hiding !!!
On the way back I got my 1st Bonxie of the year and then we had a visit up the coast to Fife Ness.
We were lucky enough to find a lovely Long-eared Owl roosting in a tree which was a new bird for many of the group and we also saw a Short-eared Owl too.
A great day out and really enjoyed by everyone.

ps. still 7 Dotterel at Pluckerston farm, south of Kirriemuir on the glamis road......same pea field as before.

[IanF]

A really good day out today. Nice and sunny and lots to see.

Starting off we headed over to Backwater Reservoir as it's proved to be a pretty good location previous years when we've visited this area. Today was no exception.

Particularly nice to see were Whinchat x4 in the same spot we've seen them the last two years. One male was repeatedly displaying despite a female being perched nearby. Another pair were perched on top of the heather.

Altogether we came across at least six Cuckoo. A little frustrating to photograph as a couple were very close to the road but must have been just behind the trees. Two flew along the road one in particular giving good views being pursued by a Meadow Pipit.

Around a dozen Oystercatcher were along the dam along with half a dozen Mistle Thrush. On the water side of the dam Common Sandpiper x5 were along the wall.

Willow Warbler, Meadow Pipit, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail and a pair of Stonechat were along the road beyond the dam with Siskin, Coal Tit and Chaffinch in the roadside trees.

At the end of the road we could see a pair of Goldeneye and Mute Swan at the top end of the reservoir.

As we returned down the road we came across Kestrel x2, Buzzard x1 and a Merlin being mobbed by a Mistle Thrush.

Next up was the Loch of Lintrathen. Last time we tried to visit the hide on the west bank we had to turn back due to fallen trees. It was good to see these have been cleared and an easy to follow path. Lots of birds around in the trees from the car park area to where you cross the ditch with Garden Warbler, Goldcrest, Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush and Robin.

From the hide we saw Great Crested Grebe x3, Heron x1, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Shelduck and Mallard. An Osprey was over the far side plus a Buzzard. We'd have stayed longer but there were too many fishing boats disturbing everything.

As we returned to the car an Osprey flew over head carrying a large fish heading west.

We popped into Peel Farm Shop for a look around. Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Oystercatcher, Swallow and Sand Martin were around the car park. Buzzard x2 were circling above the hill.

We made a brief stop at Loch of Kinnordy but didn't stay long as the hides were pretty full with people eating their lunches. We saw the male Marsh Harrier briefly. We'd called here on Saturday and seen 3-4 Lapwing chicks and around a dozen adults. The Crows were after the chicks. No sign of any chicks today and only three Lapwing with just one on a nest. Still lots of Black-headed Gulls on nests.

[IanF]

We revisited Backwater Reservoir yesterday. A little cooler and a lot hazier than our previous visit. Also a lot quieter for birds. No sign of the Stonechat or Whinchat and a Cuckoo only seen once and heard once.

The Oystercatchers and Common Sandpiper were still along the dam wall.

Best bird of the day was a Goshawk carrying prey.

Both Marsh Harriers were seen at Loch of Kinnordy plus a pair of Pink-footed Geese from Swamp Hide.

The beavers were showing well at Bamff again last night.

[delia todd]

You had another good day, didn't you Ian. Cracking 'hawk pictures those.

I did send you a text, when I knew what I was doing, but I suppose it got lost in the ether, or have you changed your phone?

D

[IanF]

Originally Posted by delia todd

You had another good day, didn't you Ian. Cracking 'hawk pictures those.

I did send you a text, when I knew what I was doing, but I suppose it got lost in the ether, or have you changed your phone?

D

Same phone but with being at Bamff there's no signal so I've been leaving it switched off. I forgot to turn it on when we went out yesterday. No doubt I'll pick it up this morning when we go out. It's a little foggy this morning so we've been in no hurry to go out until it clears a little.

[Capercaillie71]

Originally Posted by IanF

Best bird of the day was a Goshawk carrying prey.

Fantastic pics! Nice to see a real Goshawk on BF for a change!