22 - OCTOBER 2011 BIRD SIGHTINGS (ANGUS)

[Nicola Main]

9.45am. Thirteen Whooper Swans flew over the garden heading in a south-westerly direction.

[joncook]

1 Bar-headed Goose with c200 Canada geese at Loch of Lintrathen yesterday pm, from the old hide. Also 130 Coot on loch, with parties of Crossbills and Bullfinches and a Jay on the path to the hide.
Jon

[simonbusuttil]

Managed a quick look off Usan yesterday 1700 hrs, there were over 5,000 kittiwakes feeding in a narrow band maybe one km from the shore between Montrose and well to the south of Usan. Again, several skuas (great and Arctic) menacing them

[Bob McCurley]

October 20th 12-30pm MEDITTERANEAN GULL 1ST.WINTER At Lunan Bay in front of Redcastle ADBC Hide

October 20th 12-=30PM MEDITTERANEAN GULL AD. ( DEAD ! LEFT IN HIDE BY DAVID PORTEOUS FOR I.D. )

October 20th 1430hrs. MEDITTERANEAN GULL AD. On Foreshore along Arbroath Victoria Park Esplanade

[gus guthrie]

2 Green Woodpeckers on track to old hide, bar-headed goose with canada geese and large numbers of wigeon and coot present.

[gus guthrie]

Drake Green-winged Teal from Swamp Hide this morning. Feeding with a group of other Teal, though mobile.

[Mickey Mellon]

20 )ct 2011 Crudies Acre Farm 616415 0500 barn owl sitting on fence

[Harry Holbrook]

Drake Scaup this morning at Lintrathen, from new hide. Bar-headed Goose still present with Canada's.

[Mickey Mellon]

23/10/2011 0600 Letham Grange 632460 disturbed a Barn Owl which flew in front of headlights

[Mickey Mellon]

23/10/2011 Easthaven Magpie. Think this maybe the first record of this species at Easthaven

[Grant Balfour]

23-10-2011 13:00-15:10
Mediterannean Gull (1st Winter) still present & was found in amongst the c450 gulls on the beach in front of the hide.
Lots of Scoter (c300 Common + Velvet); Long-tailed Duck (c55) - all quite close inshore, probably being driven in by the wind.
Great Skua (1).

[Mickey Mellon]

24 oct 2011 Arbroath Keptie pond. Very surprised to find Mallard with 4 very small and very young ducklings

[srgreen]

Sorry Micky, Magpie records on and off for donkeys years from East Haven, SRG

[Mickey Mellon]

26/20/2011 for SRG many thanks for putting me right

[Harry Holbrook]

Surprised to see a very late 'comic' tern fishing and loafing at Forfar Loch today. No bins so couldn't id specifically (my tern jizz skills not being that good). Perhaps someone could get their optics on it. Is this a latest record?
Also 25 or more Goosander and 7 Whoopers.

[Roy Adamson]

I was amazed to almost fall over a young pigeon this morning as I left for work. It was so young that it was unable to fly. Goldcrest, Redwing, Song Thrush, and 2 GS Woodpeckers in the garden at 5.15

[srgreen]

There was an adult Arctic Tern at Forfar Loch I photographed on Tuesday, presumably the same bird H. Holbrook is referring to, hope that helps, SRG

[Mickey Mellon]

27/10/2011 late migrant at Easthaven a Willow Warbler in the trees Carnoustie side of bridge

[Mark Caunt]

From stuart green via text message
dusky warbler In willows in the burn that runs down from cliffburn hotel, arbroath. Thurs 1145, srg

[Grant Balfour]

27 Oct.

Lintrathen:
Bar Headed Goose still present along with one Barnacle Goose and one Canada/Greylag hybrid. Canada Geese counted at 343.

Kinnordy:
Smew (1 Red Head). First seen from the Swamp Hide, then from the Gullery Hide. It then moved along the loch to the east end where I lost sight of it.

[Bob McCurley]

October 28th 11-30am BLACK REDSTART A cracking Male Bird on Barry Buddon - From Monifieth end entrance - as you meet main encampment area it was on the Large White Building on Right hand side

[Michael Morphy]

USAN: 28th October

Single Brent Goose just offshore south of Mains of Usan around Brans Craig.

[stevendoig]

30+ Fieldfare seen couple miles out of Montrose on the Forfar road, quite obvious in trees at roadside. Seen in morning, and again on way hame!!

[Brian&Carol]

October 28th 11am Immature Sea Eagle harried by 3 buzzards over fields near the new S.W.T. hide at Lintrathen Reservoir. Flew over reservoir towards Braes of Coul.

[islemartin]

Heard but only had fleeting glimpses of Dusky warbler in gully below Cliffburn Hotel this morning and till 4.30pm. Moving up and down the gully at times. Also saw a 2nd warbler in tops pf willows by bank at bottom of. Gully late pm. Good views. Prominent supercillium, very pale underneath and no wing bar. All thought not right jizz for the Dusky. Question - was it a Raddes? As yet unidentified, different observers had differing views.

[islemartin]

islemartin wrote:
> Heard but only had fleeting glimpses of Dusky warbler in gully below Cliffburn Hotel
> this morning and till 4.30pm. Moving up and down the gully at times. Also saw a
> 2nd warbler in tops pf willows by bank at bottom of. Gully late pm. Good views.
> Prominent supercillium, very pale underneath and no wing bar. All thought not right
> jizz for the Dusky. Question - was it a Raddes? As yet unidentified, different
> observers had differing views.
Arbroath Cliffburn - supplemental to above, 3 now agree it was a Raddes warbler.

[Barry Farquharson]

Have just posted the rather poor photos of the warbler mentioned above I took, on Bird Forum ID thread to get a few opinions. Can be viewed here....

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php ... ost2277145

Hoping for confirmation of Radde's as that would give me two lifers today.

[Barry Farquharson]

Hi Chris

I'd moved down to the southern end of the gully as the Dusky had stopped calling and disappeared where we were watching it, near the bend. When I got down there I spotted a warbler higher up in the trees. I started attempting to get a photo but the camera was struggling to focus through the branches. I was then joined by the others who watched the bird as I tried to get photos. Apparently another bird appeared in the same area at the same time and I have no idea if these photos are of the possible Radde's" bird, or the "other" bird (which may have been the Dusky), or even a mixture of the two, as I struggled to get onto the bird(s) with the camera.
Reading up on (and looking at pics/videos of) the 2 species, I agree that my photos look much more like a Dusky but the other more experienced birders (both Radde's and Dusky would be lifers for me) who were watching through binoculars had far better, and prolonged good views of a bird that appeared to be more like a Radde's and appeared different to what we had been watching minutes before, in appearance and behaviour. Hopefully someone will get better photos of the "Radde's" tomorrow in better lighting conditions.

[simonbusuttil]

After the good numbers of skuas present of Usan in the last couple of weeks only one was present this morning. This looked like a bird present two weeks ago - which I noted as paler and smaller in comparison with Arctics. With much better and longer views this morning including seeing the bird hovering and stalling before landing on the sea I think this is an immature long-tailed skua. I have not seen this species in this plumage before and I can pick up no barring on the plumage so if anyone else sees this bird and wants to comment I'd be grateful. Other features do see to tally up

14 barnacle geese on the Basin this morning

[RAB]

Further to discussions above re Raddes/Dusky in Cliffburn Gully, Arbroath:

I visited the gully at first light this morning. I quickly located the Dusky Warbler half-way down the gully. I notified the other birder present (David Douglas) who was at the top of the gully, he replied "I've just seen it here!" After a further 1/2 hour of watching, getting very good views of both birds, we confirmed that there was definitely two birds present and we were confident that both were indeed Dusky Warbler, however unlikely that seems. A number of visiting birders have confirmed this over the course of the day.

[Richard Maurins]

Lunchtime wander up Montreathmont showed a couple of Goldcrests,not noticed them up there before,usual suspects at the nicely atired hide,including plenty of Spotted Woodpeckers,Coal,Blue and Great Tits,Chaffinch and a couple of Jays,was hoping for a squirrel too,but none showed.

[Andrew Whewell]

I was considering the possibility that there were possibly Dusky Warblers a Cliffburn Gully earlier on Sat afternoon ( left before the possible Radde's was seen). I had been watching a bird relatively high up in the willows at the bottom end of the gully which looked pretty good for Dusky very shortly before a Dusky was found towards the top of the Gully by the main group. It seemed odd that the bird would have moved so quickly but assumed it either must have or the bird hadn't been a Dusky - were there any Chiffies there?

[Grant Balfour]

As I'd managed to see the Dusky Warbler on Friday, I went back to more 'normal' birds yesterday.

30-10-2011 3.00pm
SIxteen Crossbills high in the trees just down from the parking area for the Montreathmont hide. Good view of 3 red males and got the count when all the birds flew off.

30-10-2011
Redwing, Fieldfare & Mistle Thrush seen in several smallish flocks (50-60 birds) in the Powmouth to Farnell area.

[Mickey Mellon]

31/10/2011 Elliot !st wintering Jack Snipe returning in reed beds to right of railway line

[Mickey Mellon]

01/11/2011 Arbroath Timmergrees 2 Redwing feeding on rowan behind supermarket

[Bob McCurley]

Nov. 1st 12-30pm POMARINE SKUA ADULT 1 > S FROM ADBC REDCASTLE HIDE - LUNAN BAY -
Above seen by Bob and Jon
Also seen from Hide - 2 KITTIWAKES ( please report late sightings of Summer migrants ) SANDWICH TERN 1 JUV. 20 LONG TAILED DUCK - 6 RED THROATED DIVERS - 24 SANDERLINGS 11 RINGED PLOVER

[Richard Maurins]

Fairly lengthy view of an adult male Goshawk on the wing,close by,not far from where usually seen displaying in the spring.
Plenty of other woodland birds too,great afternoon.