[kinnordyvolunteer]

I was up at kinnordy again this morning and again, it wasn't raining. It was dull and overcast but still good for seeing what was around. It was still fairly quiet but lots of mallards along with 4 tufties. I sat in the gullery hide and looking eastwards found a common tern sitting on a log that lies in the water at that end of the loch. It only satyed for a few mins before heading off somewhere else. a common sandpiper also made a fly past of the hide, a bird i hadnt seen here for a few weeks. marsh harriers, lapwing, oycs, heron, mute swans, buzzards, blackcap, goldcrest, wrens, reed bunting, willow warblers, sedge warblers, swift, swallows, house and sand martinswere also present. Will be up again on sunday, but there is the kirriemuir show on tomorrow where the RSPB have a stall, trying to raise the puplics awareness that the reserve does exist on their doorstep!!

Darell

[kinnordyvolunteer]

4 Marsh Harriers flying around this morning!!! 2 adults and 2 juvs, great to see they have been successful again this year!!!

Darell

[Ratal]

Originally Posted by kinnordyvolunteer

4 Marsh Harriers flying around this morning!!! 2 adults and 2 juvs, great to see they have been successful again this year!!!

Darell

Kinnordy is second from top on my 2013 must visit list. Sounds fabulous.

Never seen a Marsh Harrier so the travel would be well worthwhile.

[delia todd]

I was there for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon/early evening and saw one of the youngsters sitting on top of the lone pine (a very gingery head). That was the only one in sight, though someone said the male had gone to the west end earlier.

No sign of any Osprey. Loads of swans and the usual ducks on the far side.

[kinnordyvolunteer]

Other birds today were Mallard, wigeon, tufties, snipe, lapwing, oycs, song thrush, bullfinch, common gulls, black headed gulls, herring gulls, mute swans, greylag geese, wren, robin, reed bunting, willow warbler, sedge warbler, dunnock, goldfinch, blue tit, great tit, buzzards, osprey.

[kawwauser]

3 marsh harriers in the air together today at the swamp hide area,2x females plus 1male,the male was carrying prey,the females both youngsters (i think)were sticking close to each other and fighting at the same time,they were landing in the grass plus perching on the bush last year youngsters seem to favour

[Ratal]

3 Marsh Harriers together? Nice! You folks certainly make it 'a must visit' with your narrative.

[ArbroathBirder]

Originally Posted by Ratal

3 Marsh Harriers together? Nice! You folks certainly make it 'a must visit' with your narrative.

Kinnordy is a great place at any time of year, just wish it was a bit nearer Arbroath!

Great to see the Marsh Harriers doing well. While on holiday in East Anglia I managed to visit Minsmere and Strumpshaw Fen. Practically tripping over Marsh Harriers! Saw more of them than any other bird of prey.

[delia todd]

Originally Posted by ArbroathBirder

just wish it was a bit nearer Arbroath!

Hey! You've got the coast!!!! Don't be greedy AB! I'm just glad it's near Blairgowrie

[kawwauser]

kinnordy is the only place i have seen marsh harrier,we have them in the tay reedbeds but that is like searching for a needle in a haystack,viewing wise is kinnordy the most reliable spot for marsh harriers in east scotland?

[kinnordyvolunteer]

Both the juveniles are very dark coloured at the moment with a pale head. We dont know if they are males or females the males take a while to develope their own colouring. Fantastic to watch them copying their parents looking for food and then taking what ever the male brings back.

Darell

[Ratal]

Do the marsh harriers migrate in winter or are they year round like their hen barrier brethren? Newbie question I know but info appreciated.

[kinnordyvolunteer]

The Marsh Harriers do migrate, probably to the south of England. We tend to see Hen Harriers at kinnordy during the winter months when they come down from the moors where they have hopefully been breeding.

Darell

[Capercaillie71]

A few years back, Roy Dennis satellite-tracked a Scottish Marsh Harrier to West Africa:

http://www.roydennis.org/animals/rap...ing/2004-2005/

[kinnordyvolunteer]

RSPB group from Dundee were to have their annual BBQ at Kinnordy tonight. For some reason its been cancelled!! Can't think why lol

Darell

[delia todd]

'cos they're all sugar lumps and afraid they'll disolve?

[Osprey7]

Hi Guys.

Posting on a forum is all new to me, but thought I would share my sightings at Kinnordy with you today.

I saw all four Marsh Harriers. The Male appeared to bring in food twice during the day. The two youngesters were playing around in the grass and fooling around in the air. Mum was never to far away either.

We had a visit from four Osprey at one time, never saw them take a fish, but there was lots of practicing going on.

[delia todd]

You really had a good day didn't you Osprey. That must have been great to see 4 of them in the air like that.

We'll maybe bump into each other again sometime.

[Ben Nevis]

Originally Posted by Osprey7

Hi Guys.

Posting on a forum is all new to me, but thought I would share my sightings at Kinnordy with you today.

I saw all four Marsh Harriers. The Male appeared to bring in food twice during the day. The two youngesters were playing around in the grass and fooling around in the air. Mum was never to far away either.

We had a visit from four Osprey at one time, never saw them take a fish, but there was lots of practicing going on.

Possibly a family party of Ospreys visiting the Loch.Sounds like a great day,all the same.

[kinnordyvolunteer]

Just a couple of photos from last fridays visit to kinnordy. The sedge warblers we out in force at the swamp hide which is probably the best place to watch the Harriers from. Saying that, they will now go to the east end of ther reserve!!!

Darell

[JTweedie]

I saw a tweet about this from the RSPB yesterday, come along to this thread to see if there was any mention of the harriers. Good to see they've been showing so well, and yet again making me vow to visit this excellent looking reserve. Just need to hire a car first...

[kawwauser]

3 ospreys in the air together yesterday,these birds were not fishing but just flying together before landing in the trees at the back,another osprey appeared carrying a small fish which it ate on the post opposte the gullery hide,torrential rain kept most birds out of sight but the swallows were still flying,a small group of snipe circled and a flock of 100+ lapwings braved the elements,another watcher spotted a bird of prey drying out it,s wings in a tree on the far right of the reserve,(seen from gullery hide)it had a light colouring on the rear of its head,osprey/marsh harrier were discussed but looking through my pics /vid it looks like kinnordy has a buzzard with some confusing light colouring on the rear of its head

[kinnordyvolunteer]

I was at kinnordy for a few hours this morning and didnt see the harriers. I think they might have departed the scene. The ospreys are busy and there is a flock of 200+ lapwing at the east side of the loch, along with 12 snipe. Both mute swan families seem to be thriving. Today was the first time ive seem them all together at the same area. Lots of mallard, 4 coot, heron, buzzards, sedge and willow warblers, coal tits, long tailed tits, chaffinch, wrens a plenty, blackcap, great spotted woodpecker and song thrush were also seen. Water rail were very vocal outside the gullery hide. Going back up tomorrow for a walk round.

[kinnordyvolunteer]

Yesterday i said that i thought the harriers had gone, and then this morning the male harrier proved me wrong!!! Didn't see any sign of the others though. i had a really good walk round to the old barn and back again with lots to see. Bullfinches, long tailed tits, goldcrest, whitethroats x6 diff areas with juvs, yellowhammers, song thrush, blue tit, coal tit, great tits, lapwing, oycs, snipe, osprey, mute swans, reed bunting, sedge warblers, willow warblers, spotted flycatcher, great spotted woodpecker, pheasant, wigeon, coot x6, wigeon, wrens, robin, blackbird, buzzard butterflies included meadow brown, peacock, small tort, red admiral, green veined white.

Darell

[kinnordyvolunteer]

Sorry, i forgot to post for last sundays visit which was really good, same birds as usual, a lovely day and the only new birds seen were sparrowhawk and hobby. Lots of warblers still around last week and both adult harriers were both present.

This morning i arrived a bit before 8 anthere wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was reall warm. Summer!!! at last.
I spent the first while in the gullery hide with one of our regulars. Along at the east end, greylag geese could be seen and heard, 104 to be exact. The mute swans were all out in the open along with mallard, wigeon and coot. Lapwings rose from the area next to the ospreys post but we couldn't see what had put them up, but they were joined in the sky by a group of 22 snipe. The greylags eventually moved to the back of the reserve near where the lapwing were. Other birds seen were osprey, sparrowhawk, water rail and curlew.I went off for a walk in the sunshine, round to the lilly pond at the back of the reserve. Yellowhammers, long tailed tits, blue tits, coal tits, great tits, willow warblers, reed bunting, buzzard, chaffinch, goldcrest, great spotted woodpecker were all at the plug area at the end of the loch. Robin, wren, song thrush, blackbird, dunnock and lots more tits and yellowhammers were seen on my way across the two bridges. The first bridge has now been widenned so that easier access can be had to work between the bridges.
At the back of the reserve there are still alot of warblers around, especially whitethroats and willow warblers. I tried for a while to get some photos of the whitethroat but they just wouldn't sit still for me. I wont be able to get to kinnordy for the next couple of weeks, and am sure when i return, all these warblers will be away to climates warmer. Mind you, after this morning, they might have thought different, but looking out of the window just now, they would be much better off where they are going!!!
I headed back to the gullery hide where i stayed until about 1pm. The present residential volunteers, Ruth and David are doing a fantastic job on the reserve and along with the warden Kim, are putting on a "mini bugs and beasts" event next saturday afternoon from 1 til 3pm. See the reserves page on the RSPB website for details.
Also coming up soon, are the two saturday mornings when the local laird and friends get to take pot shots at the ducks. I will post the dates as soon as i find out which ones they are. hopefully there wont be many ducks around at that time, but mallard numbers are nearly 200 at the moment and maybe more. Lets hope the guns don't work!!

Darell