Tayforth Birding (4 Viewers)

There was a nice Male Marsh Harrier through going south at Carsebreck on Friday.

On the way up to my Patch is an area I call 'Migrants Corner' - it's been quiet there but today I saw loads of mixed finches and thrushes, also a Treecreeper.

D

Loads of Ospreys to be seen at Loch Leven at the moment and the Marsh Harrier still at Vane.

Just in case anyone missed this thread, some great pics of one of the Fife White-tailed Eagles:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=94523

went on my usual trip to the sidlaws today, on the way there i saw three buzzards sitting on bales of hay hunting voles/mice/ also saw numerous swallows sitting on telegraph lines, on the sidlaws i saw five buzzards in the air at once, plus one kestrel sitting nearby, a few wrens were jumping about but what caught my eye was the young stonechats, they were just learning to catch insects and were jumping about in the ferns ,perching on the top of the ferns they were puzzled by the flys which were at times almost touching the birds head, i photographed the adults of these young earlier this year, and its good to see their offspring are nearly adults

Nice pics.

kawwauser said:

went on my usual trip to the sidlaws today, on the way there i saw three buzzards sitting on bales of hay hunting voles/mice/ also saw numerous swallows sitting on telegraph lines, on the sidlaws i saw five buzzards in the air at once, plus one kestrel sitting nearby, a few wrens were jumping about but what caught my eye was the young stonechats, they were just learning to catch insects and were jumping about in the ferns ,perching on the top of the ferns they were puzzled by the flys which were at times almost touching the birds head, i photographed the adults of these young earlier this year, and its good to see their offspring are nearly adults
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hi kawwauser

Seeing all the birds that you have on this trip must have been something else. I have just moved away from the countryside recently.
One thing I miss is the Buzzards, their mewing, and their daily presence, (from where I stayed in Aberdeenshire)

I love your pictures of the Stonechat Juv. What a lovely bird. The flies in the photo, buzzing around, and are very apparent too.

Stonechats are high on my list of favourite birds now :-O

Had to go into Perth this morning and was reminded of Kinnoull Hill recently so thought I'd take a run up there. I've not been there since the mid-70's when I actually saw a Capercaillie there.

It was a superb day, clear blue skies, wall to wall. Before I left the car park I'd seen a Buzzard enjoying the thermals and heard a Jay squawking.

There's a whole myriad of paths wandering through the woods but I headed straight up (and up and up) to the view point at the top.

Great Tits and Chaffinch were flittering about in the trees and ther whoosh a Sparrowhawk shot across the path right in front of me. I was to see him (or another) a little further along. There were a couple of Crossbills too.

Red and Grey Squirrels were also seen in this section.

The view from the top is fantastic. Sitting with a cup of coffee I could hear a Wren singing away, then a Robin came to see what I was doing.

I moved on then towards the castle where I had my lunch. Two Buzzards, juveniles I think, were chasing each other round and round.

Following the 'Nature Trail' back down the hill, was really pleasant. At one point the trees were alive with birds and I managed to pick out Blackbird, another Robin, Blue Tits and then Goldcrest.

A Dunnock and heard Collared Dove finished off my trek.

D

Well, today i had to go to my local patch, Cullaloe to attend the advisory group meeting (Just to discuss things going on, plans for the reserve, etc) and saw a few things of interest.
There was a few buzzards later on, Kestrel was hovering over the hills at the back. PLenty of gulls were flying overhead.
We found out for the first time that the male swan on the reserve (Successfully bred this year for the first time, raising 3 cygnets) was ringed, so after a bit of work, we identified the ring. A quick phone call later reveals that he was ringed as a cygnet just outside Edinburgh. It's always good to know where the birds have come from. There were plenty of tufties, mallard, wigeon, coot and moorhen on the loch, with swallows darting in and about, too.
The feeders had the usual suspects of great tit, blue tit, coal tit, chaffinch and great spotted woodpecker.
There were several warblers about, and at least 2 chiffchaffs were calling. Both chiffchaff and willow warbler were seen.
Bear in mind, when there's a group of 10 people traipsing through the reserve, i wasn't really expecting to see much, let alone anything of significane.
Most importantly, and most impressively was the one bird we saw near the start of the trip. We'd just climbed to the top of the steps where the old dam was when a BIG bird flew in. At first we all thought it was a large heron, but we were very wrong! Once the binoculars were trained on the beast, it was clear to all that we had ourselves our first ever sighting of an East Coast WHITE-TAILED EAGLE! It flew over the reserve and landed in the field opposite. It sat there for a few minutes, then flew off to the far end of the field, where it sat on a post (and frankly looked almost as big as the trees on either side of it!) We collected the tag information and this will be sent off. A stunning bird and a very very special sighting! Definitely unexpected!
I wonder if i'll ever see it again?

Hi Grahame... you must be thoroughly made up about the WTE great news for your patch.

Apparently there's been reports of one on the Angus coast the last few days too.

D

i was planning on a day in glen doll today but the cloudy weather put a stop to that, i had a poor day last week at kinnordy mallard/mute swan/song thrush so ive decided to wait till the feeders go up to return, in fairness i had no scope or binos with me ,but im looking to buy a pair of lightweight good quality binos any suggestions?they have to be lightweight and under £200,i headed for the sidlaw hills just after nine and on the way saw loads of swallows sitting on lines, i never saw any flying, must be saving energy for that long flight , i saw two buzzards perched on telegraph poles but never seen any on the bales of hay, im thinking maybe the voles/mice have sussed the situation out and went to ground, last week every field with bales had buzzards in it, i saw one kestrel hunting near the roadside and two red legged partdriges running along the road at auchterhouse, at the base of the sidlaws i heard a lot of chattering from the stonechats and decided to investigate, turns out they have abandoned the ferns on the high ground and are habiting the gorse bushes at the bottom. i never noticed this spot before and it looks promising, there is a small open area surrounded by gorse bushes plus it has several dead bushes which are used as perches, i sat for a while watching the chats but couldnt get close enogh for a decent pic,here is the area
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/scrubland.jpg

the birds were using the branches rather than sitting on the gorse

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/stne2.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/stne1.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/stne3.jpg

one of the pics on close inspection maybe a ignorant male reed bunting

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/stoenreed.jpg

a willow warbler also made a brief apperance

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/w1.jpg

once on the top the sun came out and i took these two pics first looking north

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/sid1.jpg

second a stiched photo(2) of the area at the top which few people bother to venture

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/sidlawspanobb.jpg

the only bird i saw at this height was a solitary red grouse,the high pond has just been inhabited by damselflies even though the vegetation is pretty poor

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/kawwauser/dams1.jpg

once i get my new binos ill maybe spot more birds rather than rely on my eyesight

It must have been nice to see all those Stonechats Kawwauser.

What a lovely area it is up there, really looks beatiful with the heather out.

D

kawwauser said:

... im looking to buy a pair of lightweight good quality binos any suggestions?they have to be lightweight and under £200

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Can you say a bit more about what you're looking for? The Opticron Verano 8x32 is about the best lightweight roof you can get for around £200 (I know you said 'under' but the extra £20 will be well worth it). If you can stand a bit more size and weight, the Opticron HR WP 8x42 is probably the best quality binocular you can buy for under £800.

Michael

they will be solely for birdwatching but must be lightweight because i carry camera gear, the pair i use now are about thirty years old and ive never felt the need to change them, but since buying a digital camera plus lenses im now looking to lighten the load and could go £50 above the £200

Take a look at the Minox BL series. They are extremely lightweight (just over 600 grams for the 8x42 model) and have very good optics. When compared with the RSPB's top binos and the Nikon Monarchs, they come out tops in a recent review, yet they're cheaper than both. Take a look at the minox thread in the binocular section. Plenty of info on them there. They come in at just over £200 (the 8x42s are £229 at warehouse express) so should just be in your price range. Have to admit, i love mine to bits.

I went for a walk at the lurgies this afternoon and then went along to the SWT visitors centre.

At the lurgies we saw treecreeper, little grebe, goosander, curlew, greenshank, kingfisher, goldeneye, linnet, blue and great tits and herons. There were also alot of mute swans, with one pair looking after 8 cygnets.
An Osprey was could also be seen on its usual perch.

There were also lots of geese around the area. There were between 2 + 3 hundered over in the direction of Duns dish and when we got to the centre, there were a few thousand over at the north east corner of the basin. Many were starting to take to the air as the tide continued to make its way in.

Also in the basin were lots of eider duck, cormorant, razor bill, guilliemots, black tailed godwits, oystercatchers, lots of herons and a single white egret over towards the lurgies.:t:

Sounds like a good day.Dont think you shall see much more of the Osprey this year.

Hi everyone

I hasten to say that I have got a bit left behind on this thread, as Scotland is dear to my heart in many ways :-C

So I will try to catch up from my last posting, and if I leave anyone out, it is not meant not to be personal at all. So I will take postings from my last post on this thread

Hi Delia: Just to say I enjoyed reading your post about Perth and all what you did see in your travels

To see a Jay and a Crossbill was a feat in itself. From what has been said, it sounds although the Jay are quite noisy characters.
Crossbills are super birds and to get an opportunity to see one is a great experience, and it is based on pure luck of the moment.
The one I have seen a Crossbill myself was while I was on a visit to Callander, while walking in the forested reserve at the back (name slips my mind at the moment). It was a while ago.

It is just the thoughts and enjoyment of seeing birds in their full glory.

Hi Graham

Again a lovely report to read and what you say about ringing cygnets makes me think it should be compulsory for all young birds in this case (I have not worked out if the cygnets in Bedford Park have been ringed or not).

As to see a WTE that is quite a find. You must have been over the moon with that find. A great addition to your bird list. :t:

Hi kawwauser

Again, I am in awe of all your photos that you have taken, and your interest in your subject at hand.

I love your photo of the Warblers. Super shot and I loved that a lot. It made me smile.
Having said this I loved all your pictures and the time you have taken to get the best of your subjects.

Have you managed to find the bins you want yet?

Hi Kinnordyvolunteer

Shame on me that I have never visited the area you have mentioned here. I hide the blushes and hang my head here in shame. :-C

To go to the Lurgies, and see a Treecreeper, Little Grebe and a Kingfisher was again, a super find. I remember seeing a Kingfisher in Edinburgh once a long time ago.

All in all it sounded although you had a great day out and have collected some good memories of the experience you had on your trip.

Lovely reports all around :t:

I hope I have manged to fit everyone in here. :eek!:

I popped into Vane Farm this afternoon at about 3.30 and found three whooper swans in the bay infront of the first hide. Has anyone else seen any around yet? I don't remember seeing them quite this early before.

25 fieldfares yesterday at lundie, 22 lapwings,loads of swallows,plus flocks of starlings