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| Drake Goosander |
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| Female Goosander |
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| Black Headed Gull (Norwegian ringed bird on right) |
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| Dave the Red Throated Diver |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Dave again |
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| Redshanks and a Dunlin |
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| Teal, Oystercatcher and Mallard |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Moorhen |
| I had decided an early start would increase my chances of seeing and photographing the Mediterranean Gull at Swannie Ponds so the alarm was dutifully set for early o'clock and I even managed to get up after a couple of extra snoozes. Having spent until almost 2am the previous night editing the photos of the Iceland and Mediterranean Gulls (plus supporting cast) this was pretty impressive going for me. I left the house around 8.20 and the first birds seen were the customary Herring Gulls above my street. Blackbird and Feral Pigeons were next onto the list, both not being difficult to see right on my metaphorical doorstep. Further on, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit were picked up on call first then spotted and a lone Chaffinch was singing in a tree near Clepington Road. A pair of Collared Doves chased each other across the road in front of me. Knowing that there was sometimes a flock of gulls on the football pitches at the top of Caird Park, I headed down Mains Loan to see if there were any 'exotic' gulls among them. Unfortunately, when I got there the gulls had moved on, leaving a handful of Woodpigeons feeding on the grass, so I retraced my steps across the Kingsway and halfway up Mains Loan again. I crossed the wasteland and found a flock of House Sparrows in their usual hedge by a garden. When I reached Swannie Ponds the top pond was pretty quiet although a couple of drake Goosanders were a welcome addition to the previous day's birds. A small skein of Pink Footed Goose flew over silently, although a straggler called loudly as it tried to catch up with the main group. Mallards, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan and a few female Goosanders were the only other birds visible. I walked round to scan the other pond which held around 150 Black Headed Gulls with a few Common and Herring Gulls with them. No sign of Mediterranean or Iceland Gulls though. The local RSPB group on their monthly outing showed up for 10 minutes or so but left disappointed that there was no sign of either rarity, despite the Iceland having been seen around 8am in the air. A few other birders came and went throughout the morning, but the birds remained much the same with only a Collared Dove in the trees on the island, an overflying Jackdaw and a few Wodpigeons to help pass the time. The Goosanders were showing well, coming into feed on bread and sometimes clambering out onto the path to feed a few feet from the children and adults throwing the food for the birds. Eventually, I decided that I should move on and I managed to catch a bus into town from where I headed down to City Quay to see what stage of moult "Dave" the local Red Throated Diver was at. "Dave" has been stuck in City Quay since at least Christmas Day 2012 when I discovered 'him' while I was out for a walk (he could as easily be a she but I have no way of knowing). A damaged wing and a long-term stuck lock gate at the entrance to the river has meant an enforced stay, although given the damage to the primaries and his almost flightless state, this is possibly not a bad thing. He gets plenty food and the local gulls generally leave him well alone (I did see him dive and surface below a young Herring Gull that got a bit too nosey for his liking). Last year, he didn't moult into summer plumage and his wingtip feathers remained little more than quills, however this year the feathers are growing in though they do not appear to be lying flat as they should be, so it may be the case that full flight capability will elude Dave for a bit longer. A single Herring Gull and Dave were on the water between the North Carr lightship and the restaurants. Dave was preening as he seems to do a lot of the time, rearing up and flapping his wings from time to time, allowing me to see how the damaged wing is currently looking. I wandered on, spotting a few Starlings chattering away in a small tree. At the dry dock area, an Oystercatcher was sheltering from the wind behind some discarded cabling and assorted electrical bits and pieces, and a few Herring Gulls were dotted around where they nest (possibly staking their claim on territory already?). On reaching the outer quay area I was surprised to find first one, then the other, of the Little Grebes that I had seen a few weeks earlier. Less of a surprise but no less welcome were the Red Breasted Mergansers of which around half a dozen were actively hunting in the choppy waters. A couple of Black Headed Gulls were in the corner out of the wind and a Carrion Crow flew down onto the wall opposite as the rain started. Thankfully the rain didn't last too long and I headed back towards the City Centre to catch a bus out to my patch at Riverside Nature Park. A flyover Linnet and a Pied Wagtail on the other side of the quay were added before I left the harbour area. Things were pretty quiet overall at the Nature Park with the tide state (fully out) and the wind keeping most of the small birds out of sight. A few Curlews were over the airport no doubt having been scared into the air by the airport staff. A Goldfinch and a Robin were the first birds seen within the park, and a Grey Heron lifted from the flood in front of Buzzard Wood. I explored the edges in the hope of Snipe or Jack Snipe but saw neither. A Skylark flew by and a Blackbird burst out of the bushes calling loudly in alarm. Crossing the path to the other flooded area the Mallards took flight before I got too close and wandering through the boggy areas I spooked a couple of Meadow Pipits which flew around and landed further over. A small bird burst out of the vegetation in front of me, but turned out to be just a Wren. Wandering round to look over the bay there was little to see, and there wasn't too much more having reached the bench where I scanned from. A few Teal dotted around the edges of the burn where it cut through the mud and a Redshank but very little else. I wandered further along to scan through the small group of Gulls but they were mostly Herring Gulls and a Common Gull or two. There was only a Feral Pigeon in front of the hide, though I did have a chat with a family who were interested in what there was to see (and I maybe managed to sell another copy of my ebook too). I headed along to the Lochan next where it appeared all the birds were. Usually there are a few birds around here, but there were a flock of roosting Redshanks with a single Dunlin among them, as well as Teal, Mallard and Oystercatcher. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Carrion Crow plus Black Headed and Herring Gulls made up the numbers. Easily the most variety I have seen here at one time. Oystercatchers and Jackdaws rooted around in the nest field up. Not much else was seen between here and the exit except a Robin and a few Carrion Crows. I caught a bus within a few seconds of arriving at the bus stop and headed back into town. Rather than head home I decided to try Swannie Ponds again. I bumped into Bob McCurley and Gus Guthrie at the ponds but neither had seen any of the two good gulls. The same mix of birds as the morning were around on the water, though a Lesser Black Backed Gull and three Moorhens were welcome additions to the day list. I hung around for a while but gave up a little later than the day before and headed for home around 5pm. Not a classic day, but it got me out of the house. 36 species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Curlew, Dunlin, Goldfinch, Goosander, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Grebe, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Skylark, Starling, Teal, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon, Wren. |