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| Fieldfare |
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| Redwing |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Red Breasted Merganser |
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| Redshank |
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| Dunlin |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Turnstone |
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| Wigeon, Bar Tailed Godwit & Herring Gull |
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| Herring Gull & Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Black Headed Gull (White J4CP) |
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| Bar Tailed Godwit |
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| Bar Tailed Godwit |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Common Gull |
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| Tufted Duck & Moorhen |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Robin All photos taken with Canon SX-50 HS |
With bad weather forecast for the weekend around the local area, with high winds especially prevalent, and likely to prove disruptive, I decided it would probably be quite prudent to cancel the provisional plans for a day out with birding pal, Nat. Even my fall-back plan of catching a train to Fife was potentially under threat with all trains around Scotland having been cancelled the previous morning owing to high winds. However, despite the poor forecast there was a window of opportunity to get out for a couple of hours before any rain was due. I knew there was a good chance of getting the winter thrushes and maybe a few other species onto my year list if I headed to the right places.
I headed out into the biting cold wind, well wrapped up, at around 0915. Before I made it outside I saw a male Blackbird through the back door window. As is often the case, Herring Gull was next onto the list for the day and Feral Pigeon shortly after. I headed uphill to Clepington Road to walk to Swannie Ponds adding a Carrion Crow as well as a Common Gull which chased a Black Headed Gull off its perch on the top of a lamp post. More Feral Pigeons were seen near Mains Loan.
On reaching Swannie Ponds, the usual species (minus Moorhen) were present and easy to see. Mallards, Tufted Ducks, Mute Swans and the three regular winter gull species - Common, Herring and Black Headed. Still no sign of any returning exotics from last winter (Iceland or Mediterranean) or anything else unusual. A Pied Wagtail wandered across the path in front of me as I walked around the water. I headed next for Eastern Cemetery where I felt I had a good chance of adding Fieldfare and Redwing to the day and year lists. En route, a Goldfinch overflew and a few House Sparrows were seen around the gardens.
Entering the side gate to the cemetery, it seemed rather quiet, though I started to hear bird calls when I was a little further in. I could hear the calls of Redwings but couldn't see where the calls were coming from. I did spot a few Blackbirds flying out from some of the trees around me. I then heard a Fieldfare call and managed to see it protecting 'its' tree with lots of posturing and tail flicking going on. A few Redwings and a few more Fieldfares put in an appearance as did a few more Blackbirds. Other than these thrushes there were a few Blue Tits and a Great Tit working their way through the bare branches of the trees. Further on, I added Coal Tit to the list and a few Herring Gulls overflew, hanging in the gusty wind. Woodpigeons hunched up against the cold in some of the trees. A Mistle Thrush flew off as I wandered towards the gate by the south-east corner, having watched plenty thrush movement on my walk through the graveyard.
Crossing the Abroath Road to head downhill to Stannergate I spotted a Robin, surprisingly the first of the day, on a fence, as well as a Starling on a chimney. Two more birds for the day list. Nearing Broughty Ferry Road, a Collared Dove flew into a garden. The main road was a bit busier than of late and it took a little longer for a break in traffic to get across. As is usually the case, Carrion Crows were dotted around on the wall and fences as well as on the road. Down by the water, there were a handful of waders - a few Redshanks and an Oystercatcher. The same three gull species already seen were also around, as were a few Feral Pigeons. Linnets were added as I wandered east towards the path that runs to Douglas Terrace.
There was little to be seen as I wandered along, with even people being in short supply. I did manage to see a couple of Red Breasted Mergansers out on the river but that was pretty much it until I neared the end of the path. There were some birds down on the shoreline, a Curlew, a few Redshanks and at least one Turnstone, as well as a few Herring Gulls. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get closer views as I had to change my route away from the beach on police instructions, as there was police activity down on the beach mostly hidden behind a blue plastic sheet (I discovered from news reports later that a body had been found on the beach earlier).
I rejoined my original planned route somewhere near the lifeboat station and continued on towards the castle, stopping to check the area of pebble beach where the Mute Swans and gulls tend to congregate. Black Headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Mute Swans and Mallards were dotted around in small groups, while a Redshank was chased in by a Black Headed Gull landing out of my line of sight below the wall. I noticed that some of the Mute Swans were ringed and wandered round for a better view. I read off the rings on 7 of the swans (green NBY and NHB, plus pale turquoise PDC, PIC, SBU, PID and LYF). A few Feral Pigeons completed the picture here.
I wandered out to the end of the pier where the viewing platform is, struggling against the wind until I got behind the building. I scanned out over the river, hoping to perhaps see a few more species. The gull flock drifted over on the wind, mostly Herring Gulls of various ages, allowing me to attempt flight shots with the SX-50 bridge camera. I managed a few reasonable shots which surprised me, given the small viewfinder making it tricky to track the birds, coupled with the erratic flight in the wind. Thankfully the gliding and hanging in the wind helped greatly.
Scanning out across the water I picked out a small group of drake Red Breasted Mergansers relatively close in. A drake Eider flew upriver well out across the water towards Tayport. A pair of Oystercatchers stood out on the harbour beside the castle. I popped into the castle as a shower of rain threatened, the first I'd encountered. From the top floor windows I could see for some distance but there appeared to be very little out on the river. My next intended stop was the small local Nature Reserve just off the esplanade and I headed off in that direction from the castle. I could see what I took to be Bar Tailed Godwits along the shore further on. I decided to use the wooden groynes on the beach to allow me to get a bit closer to scan through the flock.
Although the Godwits were the most obvious birds, there were also numerous Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Sanderling around, plus a handful of Redshanks as well as the gulls (same three species again). The smaller waders wandered closer and closer but being out on the beach bearing the full force of the wind wasn't exactly much fun so I left the birds to their feeding and headed up off the beach and into the small reserve. Unfortunately it was very quiet and only Chaffinch and Blue Tit were seen, though House Sparrows and Starlings were heard from the gardens beyond the railway line. Blackbirds were the only birds seen further on at the rock garden, though a small flock of Starlings and an Oystercatcher were on the grass at the eastern end.
I crossed back over to scan the beach once again, picking out a Grey Plover stood out on its own. Heading along towards the mouth of the Dighty I could see some Wigeon out along the edge just beyond the waders. Checking through the gull flock found a couple of Great Black Backed Gulls. A Turnstone picked through the strand-line debris ahead of me, flying off a short distance as I got closer. Starlings flew back and forward down to the beach and back to the gardens. A few Feral Pigeons also dropped down onto the beach. Carrion Crows completed the mix of species. Out on the water, I managed to find a couple of female Goldeneye and a male Eider. A Grey Heron flew in to land, upsetting the nearby waders and gulls, with most of them wheeling up and around for a short while before settling back down again.
Redshanks and a Turnstone were roosting on small islands in the burn outflow, with Mallards swimming around in the fast flowing water. Opposite on the Monifieth side of the burn a few Black Headed Gulls, Bar Tailed Godwits, Oystercatchers and Redshanks could be seen. I spotted that one of the gulls had a white leg ring and decided to try to get close enough to either read it off or photograph it and read it from the photo. Thankfully, despite most of the other birds either scurrying further away or flying across the burn, the ringed birds stayed put allowing me to get a few photos which showed it to be yet another white-ringed Norwegian bird. This time the code was J4CP, making this yet another wintering bird to add to the Monifieth bird and the Swannie Ponds selection.
With the cold starting to affect my hands I decided to head for home and wandered up to catch a bus back to somewhere near home. Somehow I managed to get my journey for free with the conductor initially not realising that he hadn't come to see me for my fare which was in my hand, and then when he finally realised that he hadn't, deciding against charging me a fare as he was unsure where I'd got on. I got off opposite Eastern Cemetery again and cut up through a much quieter site than it had been earlier with only a few Blackbirds seen.
Swannie Ponds was next with the usual mix seen, including Moorhen this time and also Blackbird and a Robin seen. On my way home, I added Jackdaws to the list and saw a few extra Feral Pigeons, Woodpigeons, Herring and Black Headed Gulls plus Carrion Crows and Blackbirds before I got home for a welcoming hot cup of tea. Only 41 species seen, but 9 new for my year-list, so not the worst outing, despite the conditions (and I unexpectedly stayed dry too), taking the year-list to 61.
Species seen (new ticks in bold) - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Fieldfare, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Plover, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Linnet, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Redwing, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sanderling, Starling, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.