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| Swift |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Curlew |
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| Shelduck |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Blackcap |
 | ||
| Ancylis badiana |
I left the house around 0740 to walk into town to catch the bus out to the park. Swift and Lesser Black Backed Gull were the first species seen, with Starling, Feral Pigeon and Herring Gull all seen before I reached Dens Road. Blackbird and Woodpigeon plus more Feral Pigeons were seen on Victoria Road. I caught the number X5 bus out the Perth Road and hurried into the park where Rhona was already waiting for me. Woodpigeon and Blackbird were the first two birds seen with a Kestrel hunting near Buzzard Wood.
I met Rhona in the car park as a couple of Swifts flew over from the direction of the composting area. Swallows zipped through the car park and there was even a House Martin above too. A Whitethroat took a little bit of finding, eventually making it easy for us by carrying out a short display flight. We added the male Blackcap to the list before we set off in the direction of the bay seeing Goldfinch and Herring Gull on our way round. A single Linnet overflew us.
The tide was around halfway out but there weren't too many birds around, the majority of waders having already moved on to their breeding areas leaving a few Oystercatchers and a Curlew or two. Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed and Black Headed Gulls were dotted around on the mud. Shelduck wandered around in pairs and a few Mallard were on the water. There were three Cormorants on the pipe. There were also some Carrion Crows around on the mud. A Chaffinch called from the trees in front of us and another Whitethroat sang from a bush before flying to another tree.
We headed round in the direction of the hide managing to spot a Skylark as it spiralled upwards singing as it did so, even though it was quite distant. From the hide we saw a few Jackdaws bathing and slightly unusually a Rook by the water as well. Not a common bird in the park. A few Feral Pigeons came in and landed on the pipe. A Willow Warbler was in the trees behind the hide and we managed good clear views as it worked its way through the branches.
On our way to the Lochan a Pied Wagtail flew past us. The Lochan was rather quiet with only the Shelduck pair to be seen there. Starlings shuttled back and forward going to and from nest sites. Another Willow Warbler sang from the top of a tree and a Blackcap proved elusive. There was no sign of the Lesser Whitethroats however which was slightly disappointing but given the secretive nature of these wee birds, not a big surprise.
We heard Long Tailed Tit contact calls and spotted a couple of the birds as they flew across the path in front of us. A Great Tit flew back in the opposite direction and into the lower reaches of a bush. Our next find was a singing Yellowhammer, and a Robin flitted through the hedge. A male Reed Bunting called and we found it after a short search through the trees with binoculars. We walked around the back of Buzzard Wood and a bird showing a flash of white flew out from a small bush by the path. My initial reaction was Chaffinch but better views when it landed in a tree on the edge of the wood showed it be a male Bullfinch. A little further on we had a pleasant surprise when something scurried across the path in front of us. Having seen where it had gone into the grass we spotted a wee Vole looking back at us before it turned and disappeared back down its run through the undergrowth.
Buzzard Wood proved to be very productive with Chaffinch, Long Tailed Tit (including youngsters), Blackbird, Great Tit, Blackcap and even a House Sparrow seen here. A Greenfinch flew in to join a small group of Goldfinches working their way through the tops. We decided to head back to the car park, then head to the Lochan again. A Wren which we could hear singing turned out to be perched much higher than usual in the trees. Another Reed Bunting was seen here, and once again we had a few glimpses of Blackcap. A few Woodpigeons flew out from the trees.
We discovered a few feathers dotted around, some of which were a soft blue grey, most likely from a Woodpigeon, and some pale feathers with brown V markings on them. These were most likely to be from a female duck, I think. While picking up a selection of these I spotted a colourful micro moth on a plant. It was of a species that I saw in the park last summer - Ancylis Badiana. We discovered another of these further on, having seen it in flight and following it until it landed.
There was nothing unusual to see at the Lochan with only a few Jackdaws and a Woodpigeon in addition to the Shelduck pair. Starlings, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Feral Pigeon were all seen as we headed back to look over the bay. The tide was fully out now, and most of the birds were more distant than earlier. We managed to see around half a dozen distant Seals hauled out on the sand banks. As Rhona had other arrangements for later in the morning we headed back to the car park to call an end to our wee wander.
We had managed to see 36 species. Having said cheerio to Rhona I discovered a small family group of Song Thrushes feeding on the ground below the bushes at the back of the car park. On my way past Buzzard Wood I spotted a Buzzard over the airport taking the morning's total to 38 species.
Species seen - Backbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Cormorant, Curlew, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.