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| Pink Footed Geese |
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| Pink Footed Geese |
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| Redwing |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Swallow |
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| Redpoll |
| Meadow Pipit |
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| Snipe |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
I wanted to be at the park early enough to hopefully avoid the dog walkers thus giving me, at least in theory, more chance of the Jack Snipe not having been flushed by Fido. I left the house earlier than I do for work, and before the sun had come up, with some nice orange areas of underlighting on the dark clouds appearing to the east. Blackbird and Carrion Crow were first on the list soon followed by a single Starling and a couple of Herring Gulls further on. Dunnock and a Grey Wagtail overflying as I walked towards the underpass at the bottom of King Street were next with Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon added before I wandered up through the city centre to catch the bus out to the Nature Park.
The sky had lightened a little by the time I reached the park and the Pink Footed Geese circling around over the river south of the airport had a pink glow to them. A Carrion Crow and a scolding Wren were seen as I wandered around to the flooded area in front of Buzzard Wood. A Fieldfare overflew catching the sun on the underside of the wings and belly. A Woodpigeon hurried over. Lots of wandering around through wet vegetation with varying amounts of water underfoot produced nothing remotely Snipe-like, though overhead a small flock of Starlings, some more Pink Footed Geese heading north and a handful of Mistle Thrushes convinced me that a spot of vis-mig (visible migration watching) might be productive, so I decided to head to the highest point in the park to test my theory after a quick wander round past the Lochan.
A variety of birds pass over the park on migration at various levels from just above the ground to just below the clouds and all points in between. No doubt others pass over actually in the clouds but as these can't be seen (though sometimes heard) they are generally only of passing interest (no pun intended). Some of the species are those that wouldn't usually be thought of as migrants - Song Thrushes, Tree Sparrows and Chaffinches to name three, while the 'winter thrushes' like Fieldfare and Redwing can be quite visible and a more obvious sign of migration. There is always a chance of something really unusual and unexpected passing over but it will probably require better trained eyes and ears than mine to clinch those (Lapland Bunting or Hawfinch potentially?).
Chaffinches passed over in singles and pairs initially not too high above the hill-top heading out over the bay westwards. Some birds call a lot as they pass over, alerting you that they are on their way, while others remain silent and it is just luck that you are looking the right way at the right time to pick them up. A Pied Wagtail, which may or may not have been a migrant bird, was seen next and a calling Meadow Pipit was another potential migrant. The Pink Footed Geese out in the river were growing restless with small groups taking flight, circling round then settling again back on the water. There were plenty of Blackbirds in the bushes by the Lochan but nothing to see on the water itself. A small party of Mistle Thrushes headed over noisily calling to one another as they went. The Geese in the bay decided it was time to head out to the fields to feed and hundreds of the birds lifted from the Tay and passed over in one large skein strung out the width and length of Invergowrie Bay. Below them a small group of Oystercatchers and another of Curlew flew in to the mud in the bay.
A bit of scanning across the bay produced Teal feeding along the water's edge with Herring Gulls and Black Headed Gulls dotted around. A Robin sang from a bush near the water. Scanning towards the railway line added Mallard, Mute Swan and Redshanks to the list. A Cormorant was out near the end of the pipe and a few Carrion Crows wandered around on the mud. There were a few Common Gulls around too and a small flock of Dunlin arrived unseen from somewhere. One minute they weren't around the next they were mingling with the Redshanks by the edge of the mud. A single Redwing passed overhead and a Lesser Black Backed Gull was picked out among the gulls bathing and roosting in their usual place at the bend in the burn outflow.
I headed up the hillside to spend an hour or so watching the sky. The hill gives a 360 degree perspective with potentially plenty of warning of birds approaching from the east as the traffic noise from the road is surprisingly muted despite its apparent closeness. The airport traffic does sometimes add a bit of noise but it is fairly minimal especially the earlier it is in the morning. I sat and waited for some birds. I didn't have long to wait with a Song Thrush the first over. Pink Footed Geese landed back in the bay, and a few Chaffinches passed over. The first Tree Sparrow movement, a pair, were next. The movement was fairly steady with birds passing by every 30 seconds to a minute or so. Skylarks give a distinctive call as they pass over and I picked up a group quite early by their call and then watched them pass by. More Chaffinches followed then the only Siskin of the day, a male, went over.
More Chaffinches followed then a pair of Reed Buntings, which may have been a local movement within the park, then a few more Chaffinches. A quick scan across towards Kingoodie picked out four Grey Herons stood together in the shallow water while a small group of Black Headed and Common Gulls circled around nearby. A small flock of Starlings passed through at just above eye level. These also may or may not have been migrants on the move. A single Blackbird passed west and yet more Chaffinches did likewise. A Greenfinch had me scratching my head at first when I checked the photo, as the light and poor quality of the photo made it look a bit strange. It was identified later on the computer screen at home. More Skylarks and a few more Mistle Thrushes passed over a bit higher than the finches but both groups rather vocal as they went.
A single Meadow Pipit, another flock of Mistle Thrush, a small group of Skylarks headed west following the line of the river in short succession. I spotted two birds rather high in the sky above the hill. They were moving through but were flitting around rather erratically. Their almost continuous flapping didn't tally with the shape of the birds and I tried to work out what I was seeing through the binoculars. Shape-wise I suspected Martins but the flapping was odd. I managed to get the birds in the camera sights and snapped a sequence of photos which provided the identification of the pair. Juvenile Swallows and rather late ones at that, although I have seen a Swallow on the coast on 1st of December before. Still, they were a bit of a surprise. A few Carrion Crows showed up near the hill top but flew off when they spotted me.
Similar species to previously passed over - Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Mistle Thrushes, Tree Sparrows and Chaffinches. A Yellowhammer was likely just a local bird catching my eye on a short local flight in the park. More Chaffinches, another flock of Starlings and a Dunnock were all photographed in the space of a few minutes. I spotted a Buzzard perched on the airport boundary fence, as another small group of Starlings headed on by. Two Redpoll were next to go over but whether they were Lesser or Common/Mealys it was impossible to say from the two photos I managed to get. Then it was more Chaffinches, another group of Starlings and a few Meadow Pipits followed by yet more Chaffinches and the first of two small flocks of Tree Sparrows in a row (maybe around 10 birds or so in each group - the biggest flocks of the morning passage - most being singles or pairs with larks and thrushes usually being 5 or 6 birds).
A small flock of Goldfinches flew over towards the car park followed around ten minutes later by a few Linnets over the compost area. The movement overhead seemed to be tailing off a bit and so I decided to give it a few more minutes before heading off for a walk to the hide and Invergowrie Station. Meadow Pipit and yet more Tree Sparrows brought the dedicated vis-mig part of my morning to an end (although I did see other birds go over later on). On my way to the hide I was passed by a group of Long Tailed Tits feeding in the hedge, their constant contact calls announcing their presence well in advance. A Dunnock and a Robin were near the end of the hedge both in close proximity to each other.
With the tide well out there wasn't a huge amount to see from the hide. A few Jackdaws bathed, Herring Gulls roosted while a Blue Tit foraged in the bushes by the hide. A young Blackbird with quite a dark bill (sometimes attributed to continental birds, though I haven't seen conclusive proof either way yet) was in the bushes out front of the hide as well. Scanning over the reedbed by the station there was nothing obvious to see. This wasn't a great surprise although it was a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, I figured that it was probably still worth wandering round to the area around the railway station for a closer look.
Crossing the bridge over the railway I headed downhill to check out the burn. A Dipper with leg rings was by the waters edge but flew off up the burn a short distance. More Pink Footed Geese overflew. A couple of Meadow Pipits went over. A small flock of House Sparrows flew off from some feeders in a front garden as I neared them. There were no birds that I could see in the reeds so headed into the station to cross the footbridge. I could hear Long Tailed Tits in the trees but failed to spot them. I wandered down to the edge of the reedbed but it was very quiet. With the tide well out there was no danger of 'spooking' any birds on the mud. I heard Magpies chittering away in the tall trees behind me and managed to see two of them, most likely the same birds that show up across the bay in the Nature Park more and more these days. A Robin was in the bushes below the trees. I managed to see the Long Tailed Tits at the second attempt as I arrived back on the platform at the station. Walking back from the railway station I spotted a distant Jay fly into trees. I passed the House Sparrow flock again and a few Starlings on a chimney. Another small group of Mistle Thrushes headed west.
One of the benefits of being a member of the local bird groups is the text grapevine service which lets you know of sightings of less common species in the area. Both Mark Caunt in Angus (Angus & Dundee Bird Club) and Malcolm Ware in Fife (Fife Bird Club) provide a great service in this respect. I had received a few texts which suggested that there were some very good birds around, despite me not finding any at the Nature Park. Three Common Cranes had overflown Arbroath with Yellow Browed Warbler and Lapland Bunting also being reported later from the coast. In Fife, Barred and Yellow Browed Warblers had been seen at Kilminning. The easiest bird for me to consider trying to see however was a Great Grey Shrike which had been reported on the perimeter fence at RAF Leuchars. I decided that once I was finished searching round the park I would catch a bus back into town then a bus to Leuchars before walking the couple of miles out to the eastern end of the base to see if there was any sign of the Shrike. A similar bird has been seen in previous years in that area and nearby at Guardbridge so it would hopefully have lingered rather than moved on.
Resuming my birding in the park, I popped into the hide where the same Dipper that I'd seen earlier was in the burn outflow perched on a small rock. A Chiffchaff was foraging around in a small bush down by the fence towards the bay. I headed for the Lochan next. Mallards and Teal, the usual autumn and winter birds when the water isn't frozen were around the edges with a few on the water. A Carrion Crow wandered around. I spotted a bird roosting between a Teal and a pair of Mallard. Rather surprisingly given its position out in the open, this turned out to be a Common Snipe. A lot easier to see than paddling through the flooded areas to see a bird shoot off into the distance at speed from a few feet in front of you, never to be seen again. Yet more Pink Footed Geese overflew. This skein returning to the bay from the north. A single Skylark passed over the hill following the line of the river westwards. A pair of Chaffinches followed a few seconds behind.
Having not spent a great deal of time in decent light around the lower end of the park, I headed round towards the car park. A Great Tit was in the trees here, as was a flock of Long Tailed Tits. As I wandered over towards Buzzard Wood, a small mixed flock of finches - Goldfinches and Greenfinches came the other way. Two Mute Swans were seen turning in towards the Lochan before they disappeared behind the trees. I heard the distinctive call of a Great Spotted Woodpecker. These tend to only really be seen at the park in autumn, and could conceivably be migrant birds on passage, or just local youngsters dispersing from their places of birth. A few seconds later I saw the bird fly out from the wood and fly across the cow field west before dropping into the trees. I had one last wander through the flooded area in the hope of Jack Snipe but I had to make do with Reed Bunting, Wren and Greenfinch instead. With the time around 1pm and 47 species seen in the park I headed up to catch the bus into town.
I caught the bus to Fife at the bus station and worked out a rough timetable in my head. With around 4 hours of usable daylight left I had a walk of around an hour out to try for the bird and an hour back with an hour or so to look for the bird before heading for home. I wanted to be back in Leuchars for around 5.30 at the latest to catch the bus back to Dundee and home. Mid-afternoon is usually rather quiet for seeing birds and the bus journey over seemed determined to prove this with only a few Rooks in a field near St Michaels seen.
A Woodpigeon was the first bird seen in Leuchars village with Song Thrush, Starling, Robin and House Sparrow added along with a single Black Headed Gull before I reached the Earlshall Road junction. Blackbird and Jackdaw were seen before I left the village. Passing the farm I heard a commotion over towards the motocross track. A pair of Rooks were spotted harassing a Buzzard above the conifers before I lost sight of them behind the treetops. I hoped there might be a Wodcock or two in their usual place but there was no sign. A few Wrens were heard but the only bird seen before I reached Reres Wood was a Skylark. The wood itself was similarly quiet with just a Chaffinch seen.
I reached the beach where there had been quite a bit of further erosion since my last visit earlier in the year. Cormorants and Great Black Backed Gulls could be seen over towards the West Sands and a large Oystercatcher roost of hundreds of the black and white birds were by the waters edge on my side of the river with small groups of a few birds dropping into join the throng as I walked by as far up the beach as I could. I reached the approach lights and scanned along the fence top. I spotted a distant bird-shaped spot atop a concrete post. Unfortunately it was Robin-shaped rather than Shrike-shaped. I scanned and scanned but drew a blank. The directions as to where the bird had been seen coupled with the large area to check from a restricted viewpoint meant that it was always going to be tricky so with the tide on its way in I decided to head back along the beach and back through the wood, stopping to scan again from various points, just in case.
There were a few Dunlin just visible along the outer edge of the burgeoning Oystercatcher roost and I was pleased to see that the birds, although watching me warily, stayed put as I passed along the length of the flock albeit at the top end of the shrinking bit of beach. Before I reached the end of the flock there was an amazing show of either defiance or smart thinking from the assembled flock of waders as a juvenile Peregrine swept in a few feet above them at speed before pulling up into a steep climb, talons empty. As defensive strategies go, staying put on the ground is a better choice than taking to the air where the more agile Peregrine has the definite edge. The falcon eyed me up as it passed me by before it climbed higher into the sky above the river to the south. A Curlew flew in to join the roost as a small flock of Dunlin flew north over the sea. Something disturbed another wader roost to the north, which appeared to be mostly Grey Plovers.
I headed back along the track that runs along the southern edge of Reres Wood, stopping to try and see a small flock of Long tailed Tits and Goldcrests foraging in the conifer branches. I then bumped into Malcolm Ware, the Fife bird recorder on his way to try for the Great Grey Shrike and discussed my lack of luck with the bird and whether or not I had been looking in quite the right area or not (almost!). A Coal Tit, and a female Bullfinch were in the top of a smallish deciduous tree though the fact we were looking into the sun made identifying the Bullfinch trickier than it should have been. I decided to have a second attempt at getting the Shrike with Malc, figuring that we had twice the chance with two pairs of eyes/binoculars (and Malc's scope). A skein of Pink Footed Geese overflew before we reached the end of the airfield. With the beach almost disappearing we headed to an area where Malc had seen one of the previous years' birds and scanned and scanned but no luck. We had little choice but to give up or risk getting rather wet feet on the way back.
I did manage to add a distant Eider to my day list and a few Common Gulls had joined the Oystercatcher throng but there was very little seen as we headed back to the farm where Malc had parked his car. A very welcome lift back to Leuchars village was accepted although my departure from the car was rather hurried when I realised there was a bus approaching the bus stop that we were nearing from the opposite direction. A very quick stop and a thank you followed by a mad dash across the road saw me managing to catch the bus. A Kestrel was seen near St Michaels and a Pied Wagtail overflew as I neared home.
All in all, despite the disappointment of not seeing the Shrike it was a good day out with 61 species seen in total.
47 species at Riverside Nature Park - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dipper, Dunlin, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, (Lesser?) Redpoll, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Siskin, Skylark, Snipe, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
15 species in Dundee & Invergowrie (outside park) - (5 species not seen in park in italics) - Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Dipper, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jay, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Pink Footed Goose, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Woodpigeon.
27 species seen in Fife (9 in italics not seen elsewhere earlier in the day) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Goldcrest, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Plover, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Long Tailed Tit, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Robin, Rook, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Woodpigeon.