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| Kestrel |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Stained Lesser Black Backed Gull |
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| Mute Swan |
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| Goosander |
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| Magpie |
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| Swallow |
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| Yellowhammer |
I left the house at around 11am and walked to the nearest bus stop. Only a few Herring Gulls were seen as I waited, but en route into town I added a Woodpigeon and Blackbird on Dens Road plus Feral Pigeons on the grass by the top of the Wellgate Centre. Passing along the High Street I heard a Pied Wagtail and managed to spot it landing on one of the ornamental points on the roof of the building holding the RBS branch. Around 15 minutes later I was getting off the bus on Perth Road to walk down to the Nature Park. House Sparrows noisily chittered from the gardens on both sides of the road and a few Carrion Crows flew over. A Woodpigeon sat unconcerned in a conifer as I passed below it. A pair of Robins seemed to be having a little territorial dispute by the underpass at the railway line.
Crossing into the park, a Woodpigeon landed in the trees by the entrance. I took my camera and binoculars out of my bag and set things up so that I was hopefully ready to see what I could find. First up, was a Song Thrush perched in a bush at the first wooded area. As I stopped to take a photo, a second Song Thrush flew up and chased it off its perch, taking its place as it did so. A Herring Gull drifted slowly over in the grey sky above the trees. A Blackbird flew into Buzzard Wood, and to the west I could see a number of Carrion Crows in the treetops further into the park, with a few more overflying.
I decided to explore the flooded area in front of Buzzard Wood in the hope of finding Snipe, or maybe even Jack Snipe. As it turned out I found neither. The male Kestrel was showing well perched on the telegraph poles by the road and as I walked through the long grass it shifted position a few times onto the next pole along. A Greenfinch flew out of the bushes and headed for Buzzard Wood. Behind me a Skylark was climbing skywards and I managed to see it eventually as it sang continuously on its upward journey.
Three Mallards, a female and 2 drakes flew rapidly round from the west and back to the flooded area by the car park. A Meadow Pipit flew by and a few Goldfinches headed for Buzzard Wood, landing briefly in the trees before moving on again. A few Chaffinches foraged around among the branches but there was little else to be seen in what is usually a busy spot. Surprisingly, a Teal flew out from the wood and headed towards the Lochan. Haven't seen one this far over before. A Pied Wagtail overflew eastwards and I spotted a distant bird in the top of a bush which turned out to be a Yellowhammer.
I wandered around the edge of the wooded area by the car park, Woodpigeons and Mallards plus a pair of Long Tailed Tits all seen by the car park. Further round I encountered a pair of Reed Buntings and a Starling flew over towards the railway line. I managed better views of the Yellowhammer and a Song Thrush was perched in the open on a branch by the bottom of the path. Doubling back on myself, I headed for the car park. From the flooded wooded area by the car park I could hear, and sometimes see, Mallards swimming around. I also heard what I took to be a Moorhen. I had heard one, but failed to see, at Buzzard Wood on my last visit. I decided to try and see if I could spot the bird in the slightly more open area. I spent ages trying, hearing the bird calling from time to time, sometimes close, sometimes further away. At one point, it became apparent that there were actually two Moorhens, with one calling to my left and one to the right within seconds of each other. Still there were only tantalising glimpses of ripples on the murky water through the tangle of branches but nothing I could be certain was definitely a Moorhen.
In addition to the Long Tailed Tits that were hunting around in the trees, a small group of 3 Blue Tits flew in and Blackbird and Chaffinch were also seen whilst hunting for Moorhen. Reluctantly, I decided to give up and try round by the bay for some additional birds for the list. A few Feral Pigeons overflew and I spotted an Oystercatcher flying over the river as I searched the hill and compost area for Wheatear to no avail. There were plenty Carrion Crows around and well out on the river there was a flock of gulls, the white showing well against the dark mud and silver-grey water. Scanning from the raised viewpoint of the side of the hill, I could see a few Shelduck out on the mud with Teal dotted around in pairs. Looking towards Invergowrie I could see a few Lesser Black Backed Gulls with Herring Gulls and Oystercatchers in the channel. Redshanks foraged along the edges of the burn. Further out on the mud, I could see a few Black Headed Gulls, their dark heads helping with ID even at distance. Well out on the mud was a small gaggle of around 10 Pink Footed Geese.
I walked along the fence line in the direction of the hide, allowing closer views of the gulls and waders in the burn. One of the Lesser Black Backed Gulls had a lot of orange staining on its tail and underwing making it look unusually colourful. I heard the characteristic beat of Mute Swan wings and spotted a pair approaching over the bay heading more or less straight towards me. They passed slightly to the south of me heading in the direction of the Lochan. Three Goosanders flew out from the burn, a female and two drakes, and headed off towards Kingoodie. I could hear a Wren scolding from in the undergrowth but a calling Chiffchaff took priority and I headed to the hide to see if I could see it. I drew a blank, but it seemed to be coming from over the other side of the railway line. I had a wander out of the park to try and see the bird but it had fallen silent in the few minutes I had taken to get around to that side. Out of luck again.
I headed back to the hide where a pair of Mallards by the burn outflow and a few Feral Pigeons was all there was to see. From very close by, I heard the chuckle of a Magpie. I imitated the call, and got a response. I changed my position slightly and spotted the bird in one of the trees behind the hide. Unfortunately the bird spotted me too and flew off a short distance before perching in one of the bushes by the path. I took a few photos before it flew off again into another bush by the path. It then flew off over the road and into the treetops on the other side of the road. A large flock of Carrion Crows with a few Jackdaws were near the junction of the paths but flew off as I got closer.
There wasn't much to see at the Lochan, just a few Teal around the edges and a single Carrion Crow. A Great Tit called a few feet above my head and I managed to see it through the leafy branches of the hedge. Further along, I could hear a Chiffchaff but I wasn't sure how close it was. A loud burst of unidentified song, possibly Blackcap, distracted me but I failed to find the source of the song. A few Chaffinches flitted around nearby and a male Yellowhammer popped into the treetops opposite where it called a few times. I wandered around the bushes on the hill in the hope of finding a Chiffchaff, but another Yellowhammer was the only thing here. Returning to near the bottom of the hills, a bird in flight over the trees caught my eye and I quickly managed to get the binoculars onto it, just as it disappeared behind the trees. It was a hirundine of some sort, so I ran uphill to get a clear line of sight. The bird was rather distant and at one point looked like it was going to disappear below the brow of the hill. Thankfully it didn't and I managed a few rather poor photos which identified the bird as the first Swallow of the year. A nice, and very welcome, surprise.
A Curlew called from over towards the bay and I managed to spot it high over to the west as it circled round. The first of the day. One or two Herring Gulls drifted around overhead and a pair of Long Tailed Tits worked their way through the bushes calling to each other quietly as they went. I decided to try again for the Moorhens and walked round to the car park. I tried a few different places but the Mallards were rather easier to see, although surprisingly tricky at times. Eventually after a lot of fruitless effort, I spotted some movement near the opposite edge of the wooded area and managed to get the binoculars onto the dark shape, just in time to see the distinctive white broken line against the black sides of a Moorhen as it scurried through the swampy undergrowth. A new tick for the park. Number 135 for the park in less than 3 years.
I decided to try again for Snipe but only succeeded in finding a pair of Dunnocks in the hedge. The sky looked rather heavy with rain so I decided to head outwith the park and try for Chiffchaff along the railway. A Song Thrush was calling from the trees by the underpass, and a few Chaffinches were all I had to show for my efforts as the rain came on. I hadn't even managed to hear one above the traffic noise but as I walked back I heard the distinctive chiff-chaff-chiff-chaff-chiff call from a particularly thickly wooded area. Peering through the tangle of branches only produced a female Chaffinch, but I could still hear the bird. I changed position a few times and eventually spotted a bird perched on a high branch of a tree in someone's back garden on the other side of the tracks. Chiffchaff - my first of the year, and the second year-tick of the day for me.
The rain wasn't getting any lighter, or thankfully any heavier, so I headed off to get the bus back into town. Carrion Crow, House Sparrow and Oystercatchers were all seen as I waited for the bus to arrive. When I got back to the City Centre, in addition to a few Feral Pigeons in City Square, I heard, and then saw, a Goldfinch singing from a small tree in front of Boots at one of the busiest spots in the City Centre. I'm not sure anyone else noticed but I had a wee smile as I stopped for a few seconds to listen before heading for home.
All told, a very decent day, after a frustrating start. 38 species seen (year-ticks in bold) -
Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Teal, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.