Tayforth Birding (4 Viewers)

It's prime osprey territory with about 6 lochs in a few square miles, plus lots of forestry. They have nested in the past just a couple of miles away at Piper Dam.

Goshawks do that Talon grappling too, though usually in March or April. Re Tench, I'm a mad keen coarse Angler who used to fish for Tench south of the border, I was told that they are quite rare in Scotland, they have been introduced into quite a few waters, including the Canal that runs between Edinburgh and Glasgow

Had a walk down to Lunan Bay, what makes the trip interesting is not what I saw, but what I didn't see, no Terns and only one Gannet, food shortage again? There were a few Point of the compass jellyfish around, so the mackerel should move closer to shore soon, so maybe the Gannets will show up soon. Plenty of song birds on the track down, Sedge Warbler and Yellowhammer singing, along with Skylarks, heard a Grey Partridge, but didn't see it in the long grass. Swallows in good numbers, but few House Martins around.

Still bringing in very nice sized tench today.

Went on a cycle ride near Auchmithie this afternoon, 3 Corn Buntings, half a dozen Yellowhammers and a dozen Skylarks heard singing away, didn't notice a single Swallow or House Martin, not even round the couple of farms we passed?

I had a hike up lundie craggs yesterday,a lot of people are hiking here just now and nobody seems to have seen the ravens,good news they are still there,i found a single bird perched on the crags and when I got home and examined my pics found another 2, I also saw 2 kestrels a bird I seldom see now,other birds braving the heat were swifts/swallows/linnets/goldfinches/pied wagtails/great black backed gull/carrion crows/misstle thrush/buzzard and a sunbathing siskin which I nearly stood on,lots of butterlys about including fritillaries and common blues which I haven,t seen here before,there were large dragonflys flying about but they too fast to get a pic,at riverside nature park the moorhens only have 1 chick,this pair usually average 5 the birds were busy adding to their nest so we might get another 5 soon

Mmmmm..... what a grand walk that must have been K. It's such a lovely area for a wander and you had some right nice sightings too.

Thanks for the report laddie.

a pair of magpies which have been nesting at the side of my house for a couple of years had their family in tow today,8 birds in total,haven,t seen my greenfiches or song thrushes for a while tho

I've not seen a Magpie since Christmas/New Year time.

Ir'll be interesting to see if they visit again in the Autumn.

A bit too hot for me just now, so I've not been doing much in the way of birding (other than to/from work). However in the past 48 hours from the comfort of my living room, in a very urban part of Dundee (near the football stadiums) I've managed to see 5 species of raptor (there are a few glens in Angus I've seen fewer species of raptor over the course of a number of visits *).

On Saturday evening I looked out in time to see a Peregrine circling. Most likely the same male I've seen a lot recently, (including twice already from home), which suggests there is a(t least 1) youngster needing fed a lot. Lunchtime on Sunday I happened to look out again and saw a large bird being harassed by two smaller birds. White Tailed Eagle and a few gulls. I suspect it is the female from the Fife pair - but I've been unable to get a recent photo to compare the feather moult/damage. A few hours later, I heard a lot of commotion from the local breeding gulls and was just in time to see a rather stressed Buzzard about to vanish over the roofs opposite. A female Sparrowhawk was seen a little later, circling unmolested. What was possibly the same Sparrowhawk was seen a little later too but I was unable to get a photo because of where the bird was relative to my window.

Around 1800 tonight I happened to look out my window as a small-ish raptor was circling. It didn't look right for Sparrowhawk, or Peregrine, so I grabbed the camera and got a few photos. It turned out to be a Kestrel, which was a welcome surprise. The nearest parks to me are around 1/4 of a mile away so other than the Sparrowhawk(s) I'm quite surprised to see hunting raptors from my window. Sparrowhawks are the most common, followed by Buzzards. I've now seen the Peregrine 3 times in a little over a week, and the White Tailed Eagle sighting was the 3rd this year from home (& 1 other very nearby that would've been visible from home). I have seen Kestrel once before around here. My only other raptor on my 'house list' is an Osprey from 12th July last year.

Fingers crossed for a Red Kite, Honey Buzzard or a Hobby next....

* I'm not seeing many Red Grouse from home, must be all these raptors......

10 swifts flying about at the south entrance to the technology park in Dundee

2 young Peregrines calling as they fly over our garden this morning.

I would like to see some Bearded Tits, and i know the reed beds at Errol are a good place to look.
Has anyone had any luck spotting them in the reed beds area just up river from Kingoodie, where the burn from Monorgan joins the Tay?

Have personally had them mostly near the Port Allen pools, Mike - though I generally only manage to get down there once or twice a year (not at all in 2020 or this year). Ian Ford has had them in the small reedbed at Invergowrie Station later in the year when the younger birds are dispersing for pastures new, but you'll need a lot of luck/persistence to get them there I suspect. The Tay reedbeds are such a large area that in theory you could probably get them anywhere, especially outwith the breeding season, but I've not heard of anyone having them there (though my sources are rather limited).

I only tried once on the Tay and failed, when looking for them in Norfolk I found early summer when they are breeding is easier to find them because you can hear them calling, once heard I'd just sit down and usually I'd get a sighting. They need grit to help digest their food, at Kinnordy some tables have been put out, they are good places to hang around.

Stonefaction said:

Have personally had them mostly near the Port Allen pools, Mike - though I generally only manage to get down there once or twice a year (not at all in 2020 or this year). Ian Ford has had them in the small reedbed at Invergowrie Station later in the year when the younger birds are dispersing for pastures new, but you'll need a lot of luck/persistence to get them there I suspect. The Tay reedbeds are such a large area that in theory you could probably get them anywhere, especially outwith the breeding season, but I've not heard of anyone having them there (though my sources are rather limited).

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burnie said:

I only tried once on the Tay and failed, when looking for them in Norfolk I found early summer when they are breeding is easier to find them because you can hear them calling, once heard I'd just sit down and usually I'd get a sighting. They need grit to help digest their food, at Kinnordy some tables have been put out, they are good places to hang around.

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Thanks guys.
I'll probably head up to Errol sometime this week if anyone fancies joining me.

I came across 2 godwits yesterday at hatton looking at ganders pics i was thinking bar tailed ?

Yes, Bar Taileds. Not a foolproof way of seperating them but Bar Taileds seem to be more likely right at the coast, and Black Taileds a bit further upriver/inland. May be somehow related to salt/fresh water preferences. Do see both species together at likes of Guardbridge and Invergowrie Bay at times. Pics from Friday at Riverside Nature Park.

So the Bearded Tits didn't want to come out to play. Tried at the Kingoodie end as well as the Port Allen area.
Looks like i'll just have to spend more time in the area.

I was once told the best time to see the bearded tits was when it was frosty never seen ine myself