STONEFACTION BIRDING: May 2015

0165 : Subdued Saturday (23/5/15)

Saturday morning and it was one of those where I was undecided where to go and because of that I lay in bed longer than I should. By the end of May there is still a chance of something good turning up as it migrates, either overshooting from the south, or ending up on the wrong side of the North Sea on its way to Scandinavia or the Arctic. However, most of the waders seem to have departed early this year for their breeding grounds. With the glens the best place to visit around this time of year and me having no means of getting there ruling out that option, that really only left a trip to the coast for some sea-watching.

Yellowhammer

I left the house at about 1010 to walk down to the Arbroath Road to catch a bus picking up some usual suspects along the walk - House Sparrow and Feral Pigeon almost as soon as I was out the door, Lesser Black Backed Gull and Starling a bit further on, House Martins near the primary school buildings, and a Blue Tit flying into a tree near Dura Street. While waiting for the bus to arrive I watched 2 Swifts circling around above the tenements nearby. The sky should be full of their screams just now, but it appears that the colder than normal weather has meant they have relocated elsewhere this Spring, so local breeding is going to be very late at best, if it even happens.

I tend to sit upstairs on the bus when I'm heading somewhere on a birding trip as it gives a view into places that can't be seen from downstairs - gardens, fields etc. Blackbird in a garden was a predictable sighting. What was more of a surprise was a drake Mallard zooming towards the river from the north as we headed along Strathearn Road. More expected birds followed as the bus passed through Broughty Ferry and Monifieth - Jackdaws, Carrion Crows and Woodpigeons.

Leaving Monifieth behind for the short section of road bordered by golf course, caravan park and fields added Rook and Swallow to the list while on the outskirts of Barry village, Sand Martins were seen. Heading through Carnoustie a Dunnock was seen in a garden. As I walked down to the shore at Westhaven, I spied a Collared Dove on a lamp post. As expected it was rather quiet by the beach with only a few distant Cormorants on the rocks by the water's edge and a few Oystercatchers.

I decide to walk to Craigmill Den along the cycle path rather than the beach, so headed back up through the houses, stopping only to sort out my camera gear in preparation for finally finding some birds. A Goldfinch flew in and landed on an overhead wire, while a Pied Wagtail scurried around, tail wagging, on the grass below. A short distance further on I watched as a Kestrel flew in and hovered above the railway line.

Once into Craigmill Den itself, passing the House Sparrows on the feeders at the house and the Swallows and House Martins above the field to the east, I added Yellowhammer to the list and a Blackcap female high in a mature deciduous tree. The vegetation made it tricky to see much, though I did manage to see a Robin and a Great Tit before a Stock Dove flew through. A Whitethroat among the gorse on the opposite side of the burn sang loudly before flying a bit closer.

Near the top end of the Den I chanced upon a family of Treecreepers among the trees calling loudly to one another as they foraged among the trunks and branches. At the footbridge I watched a Grey Wagtail make short fluttering flights to grab insects on the wing before pirouetting back to a stone breaking the surface of the water before repeating the process again and again. I managed to capture a bit of video, though the bird's movements were tricky to follow through the tiny viewfinder and I was always playing catch-up to the bird almost flying out of shot.

A flash of blue caught my eye as a Kingfisher shot off down the burn and I hurried back hoping to catch a bus to Arbroath back at Westhaven. Linnet was added to the list on the way and I made it to the bus stop with more than 5 minutes to spare, thankfully. From the bus to Arbroath bus station I managed to spot a Skylark lifting off from a field by the road in typical Skylark fashion, wings flickering rapidly in fast strokes. Mute Swan and Mallard were seen on Keptie Pond in Arbroath.

Walking out to the cliffs where I hoped there might be some offshore passage I stopped to watch a pair of Meadow Pipits as they wandered around, finding food among the grass stalks near the start of the parkland which leads out to the sandstone cliffs. Fifteen minutes or so later I had found my perch atop the cliffs to scan and scan, looking at distant shapes above the waves, trying to distinguish which species, sometimes from plumage, sometimes from a combination of action and plumage.

Gannets as usual were the easiest to pick out, their long black tipped white wings and their cruciform shapes standing out even at long distance, sometimes a single bird, sometimes a string of several or more. A Fulmar glided past at eye level a few times, using the thermals from the cliff face to fly almost effortlessly past. A handful of Kittiwakes moved through, though there was none of the passage of auks which had been so noticeable on my previous visit.

A Shag hurried by, low above the water, greenish-black wings powering it onwards. A Rock Pipit performed a short display flight before dropping back below the brow of the cliff face and out of my sight once again. A Great Black Backed Gull drifted by, and out beyond the rocks below a group of 5 Eiders, 4 adults and last year's youngster sped by. The one and only Guillemot of my short and not particularly productive sea-watch headed north before I decided it was time to call it a day and head for the bus station and home.

Not the most productive of days but certainly more productive than sitting at home doing nothing with only 44 species seen, and none of those new for the year-list. I also took very few photos, and slightly more videos, though not all of those were of birds. These along with plenty others can be found on my Youtube channel at

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU_X4ZLd9hbj3mLDaNygH-QA

Species seen - Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Cormorant, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Kittiwake, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sand Martin, Shag, Skylark, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Treecreeper, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.

Goldfinch

Pied Wagtail

Kestrel

Whitethroat

0164 : Midweek Meanderings (20/5/15)

I recently dropped my working hours to 30 per week (over 4 days rather than 5)to benefit my health and overall well-being, so with now having every Wednesday free I am able to get another day of birding in. My birding buddy Nat is also usually free on a Wednesday so we are trying to get out and about if possible and bump up Nat's life-list in the process, having already seen a wide variety of birds on our days out so far this year. With Nat having not yet seen a Redstart we decided to try for one in the Angus glens.

Stonechat

Heading out just before 8am, the local House Sparrows and Herring Gulls welcomed me into the daylight, with Starling and a lone Swift added before I reached Nat's car. While discussing the plan for the day we added Feral Pigeon. Some of the Angus glens are better than others for particular species, while some other birds can be found in most, if not all, of them. We were off to try one that I had managed to see Redstart in before, though it wasn't one I visited very often.

On the road up we added Carrion Crow first of all, followed by Pheasant, Black Headed Gull, Buzzard, Blackbird and Swallow. As we turned down the main glen road we added a few more species on the first stretch - Woodpigeon, Chaffinch and then both Mistle and Song Thrush in the same field. We found a place to stop and have a walk along the road to see what we could find.

I had seen Spotted Flycatcher at this point before and sure enough the first bird we found was a Spotted Flycatcher flying up from a fence, catching insects and returning back to the fence. As we approached however it flew up into a large tree. A calling Chiffchaff gave its position away and was added to the list. Willow Warbler and Siskin were next in what was turning out to be a rather productive small section of the glen. Blue Tits flashed around among the greenery on the next tree along. I spotted another bird fly into a tree slightly further down the slope. It turned out to be a nice male Bullfinch.

A Tree Pipit sang and gave a short display flight from yet another tree, though clear views were tricky to get through the tangle of branches. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was the next addition. I could hear a bird singing as we wandered back, and was sure it was a Redstart but it proved rather tricky to find high in the trees. Eventually I found a spot on the road from where I could see it. Unfortunately it moved again before Nat could get onto it. I succeeded in finding it once again but it was not settling for any longer than a second or two and Nat only managed to see the bird in flight as it flew into the main plantation area on the opposite side of the road.

We headed on further into the glen where a Linnet was a slight surprise. Long Tailed Tits were working their way through the trees, contact calls ringing out. We had another walk watching Spotted Flycatchers catching insects on the wing from a variety of perches. Lesser Redpolls flew over trilling as they went. Jackdaws were in another field. The first Meadow Pipit of the day perched on a fence watching us. A Robin was discovered in a small bush.

Another bird we were hoping to find was Whinchat and I had seen a pair in this particular part of the glen before. I could hear a bird singing that I didn't recognise and I figured it was likely to be Whinchat so I searched around the area of hillside where the sound was coming from. After about 5 minutes I picked out the bird quite distantly, perched atop a small conifer. I managed to somehow describe the correct tree and to direct Nat onto the bird.

We wandered uphill a bit adding a Wren picking around in a fallen conifer, as well as a House Martin skimming the treetops for insects. A Great Tit flitted around while above it Willow Warbler and Spotted Flycatchers made short airborne forays for unseen targets. A Pied Wagtail was seen on a stone in the burn, and after a bit of searching the Grey Wagtail I could hear calling was also found.

We headed on up the glen a bit further to an area where Red Grouse and Black Grouse can usually be found, though sometimes rather distant. Lapwings and Oystercatchers were in the field on one side of the road, while a Snipe made a short display flight before dropping back into the heather on the hillside. A Curlew landed further up the hill. Scanning through the heather I found a Red Grouse male stood on a slight rise, surveying all in front of him. A male Black Grouse flew low before dropping into the heather and disappearing from our sight.

Having seen the two hoped for species we pushed on further down the glen to the end of the road. We grabbed a quick bite to eat before wandering up a track for a bit. Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Mistle Thrush and Starlings were the main species seen. Arriving back at the car, we watched a Grey Heron flying down the glen. At a fork in the road on our way back, we decided to take the alternative route from the one we had been on earlier. We stopped to search for Redstart again but drew a blank.

Further on, I almost missed a Cuckoo perched on overhead wires behind a cottage. Nat stopped the car and we craned back over our shoulders to confirm that it was indeed a Cuckoo, before it flew off and we moved on again. We stopped at another place where I had seen Redstart in the past, and sure enough we could hear a bird singing when we got out of the car. A few Pheasants in a field nearby ran off down the hill, and a Mistle Thrush flew into the trees. No matter where we stood along the road we could not pick out the Redstart among the trees. It seemed to move at various times but we never even saw the movement taking the bird from tree to tree. We did see a Great Spotted Woodpecker below the trees though. Eventually we had to give up and move on.

We decided on a quick visit to another glen to see if we could add anything else to our list for the day. Mallard was a surprising addition as a pair overflew. A little further on a Sparrowhawk flew over the raod and across the glen with a bit of harassment from a Carrion Crow as it went. A Stonechat by the side of the road was another nice surprise. A Kestrel was next and on reaching the end of the road we watched a few Sand Martins whizzing around.

We had a walk back along the road a bit for hopefully better views of the Stonechat. A squabble between 3 Ravens resulted in a high speed chase over us involving 2 of the 3 birds. We could hear a few Red Grouse but couldn't see them. A Meadow Pipit popped up on the fence but a little further on, so had the Stonechat male. We approached slowly and the bird moved into a small roadside tree where it gave us very close views and was joined by the slightly shyer female. We took a few photos and headed back to the car.

With a bit of time left before Nat had to be home, we decided to pop into Loch of Kinnordy for half an hour or so just to round off the list. A Red Legged Partridge was seen on our way out of the glen. Black Headed Gulls were on the bogbean islands at the Loch when we arrived, with Shelduck near the hide, and Coot, Mallard, Shoveler and Tufted Ducks dotted around on the water. A few Moorhens picked around on the islands. A few distant Reed Buntings were visible in the reeds across the far side of the loch. A Common Gull flew by and we had brief flight views of the male Marsh Harrier before it was time to head for home.

61 species seen in what was once again a good day out with Nat, though the hoped for Redstart for her life-list didn't give good enough views to go on the list proper. If at first you don't succeed.....

Species seen - Black Grouse, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Coot, Cuckoo, Curlew, Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Red Grouse, Red Legged Partridge, Redstart, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Shoveler, Siskin, Snipe, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Stonechat, Swallow, Swift, Tree Pipit, Tufted Duck, Whinchat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Spotted Flycatcher

Buzzard

Spotted Flycatcher

Bullfinch

Willow Warbler

Buzzard

Whinchat

Red Grouse

Black Grouse

Mistle Thrush juvenile

Cuckoo

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Sparrowhawk

Raven

Meadow Pipit

Stonechat

Meadow Pipit

Buzzard

Shoveler

Coot

Shoveler

Marsh Harrier

Shoveler

0163 : Sunday Spin (17/5/15)

With 8 days of birding completed I had one last throw of the dice before having to return to work the following day. A day out with Rhona had been provisionally planned though no route or preferred sites, or even preferred target birds had been discussed. However, this was fairly standard operating procedure for our outings and if we happened to see something good along the way, then all the better.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Rhona arrived to pick me up at the usual departure time of 0815 and we started the list with fairly standard species for my local surroundings - Blackbird, Starling, Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gull, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Feral Pigeon and Woodpigeon. I knew of an area near where we had stumbled upon the Short Eared Owl two days previously, where some really nice Cuckoo shots had been taken in the past, with the bird perched on roadside fenceposts, so I suggested we head for there, and if Rhona got to see the Short Eared Owl in the passing then all the better.

Heading inland across country we picked up a stream of new day-list species starting with Swallows. Mistle Thrush, Jackdaw, Oystercatcher, Rook and Pheasant were all seen in fields as we passed. Blue Tit, Robin and a surprise Magpie were seen in more wooded stretches of road. Rhona saw a Whitethroat on a gorse bush and I suggested a slow, stealthy approach down the opposite side of the road if she wanted photos. The bird wasn't impressed by her attempts and she returned to the car without photos.

As we neared the area where Cuckoo was a possibility we slowed down and scanned ahead of us. A Buzzard flew off away from the car. Chaffinch and Greenfinch were seen in trees by the road. A Curlew flew across the road but there was no Cuckoo to be seen, or heard. A pair of Linnets showed well in front of the car and Rhona eventually managed a photo or two of the rather flighty birds. A Meadow Pipit shared the fence with them from time to time.

As we drove along, Rhona spotted a large bird on the ground on her side of the car. It lifted from the ground and flew in the general direction of the car and across the road as Rhona snapped a few photos. Unfortunately the window on the passenger side of the car doesn't work, so I missed out on decent shots, but this was no big deal having seen the bird on Friday. We watched the bird hunt low above the ground, making a few unsuccessful short dives into the vegetation but coming up with empty talons.

Eventually the bird was successful in its attempts and flew off purposefully with a suspected rodent in its feathered talons. Rather than eating its prey near where it had caught it, the fact it had flown off suggested a nest somewhere in the vicinity. Hopefully, it will remain undisturbed by over-eager photographers and un-persecuted by those "less keen" on raptors and be able to raise a brood this year.

We headed onwards still searching for Cuckoo but seeing none, nor any other hoped for species that might frequent the area. We did however see Kestrel, Lapwing and a rather out-of-place Mallard flying past at speed. We did a spot of exploration of some of the wee single-track roads in the area, adding Willow Warbler and a Little Grebe and Tufted Duck on a fishery lochan. House Martins skimmed overhead nearby.

We decided to head east stopping off at any likely spot along the way and ending up wherever we finally ended up at "time to go home" - time. Loch of Kinnordy was the next 'likely' spot, so we set course for there picking up a few new day-ticks on the way such as Song Thrush, Common Gull and Swift. Things were rather quiet at the Loch but we spent some time in the hide which bumped the list up a few more notches. The Black Headed Gulls were still on their bogbean island nests and a Cormorant overflew.

Scanning around added Greylag, Mute Swan and Coot on the water and round the edges, with Redshank wandering about on the bogbean. Shoveler edged in close to the hide again which meant more decent photo opportunities with what is usually a hard-to-get-close-to species. A few Moorhens and a pair of Shelducks put in an appearance. Swallows and Sand Martins skimmed low over the islands and the water, with a Swallow resting for a few minutes on a branch near the hide sticking out of the water. A Great Tit showed in the trees as we walked back to the car to head for Murton nature reserve.

We popped into the hide by the car park when we arrived at Murton, but once again there wasn't a huge amount of variety out on the water, though we did add 3 new species. Great Crested Grebe, Gadwall and a few Wigeon. While walking down to check the lower pool both Lesser Redpoll and Siskin overflew. Pied Wagtails scurried around on the mud and a sleepy Pink Footed Goose was found among the Greylags. On the way back to the car again, we watched a Long Tailed Tit fly across the path and into the trees.

A quick stop at Balgavies Loch found a busy hide with no chance of a seat so we made do with a quick look at the Osprey nest, where a head was visible above the rim. Although we had considered heading for the coast around Montrose Basin, time was against us as Rhona needed to be at Blairgowrie for a Beaver tour around 6pm. We settled on Montreathmont Forest as our final stop of the afternoon.

On the walk to the hide we spotted Chifchaff, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Robin. Once into the hide we watched as bird after bird dropped into the feeders, sometimes settling inches from the hide for a few seconds, either oblivious or unworried by our presence and the clicking of camera shutters. Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Dunnock, Yellowhammer all shuttled in and out. A Jay arrived and stayed for just seconds and departed at speed just as quickly. A Great Spotted Woodpecker uncharacteristically stayed put on the feeders while we snapped away. Even when we spoke to one another it stayed put. A pair of Pheasants wandered in, and a Bank Vole appeared below the table, before rushing back into cover. I eventually succeeded in getting a video clip of it.

A Green Woodpecker called repeatedly from its usual spot, unseen across the relatively open area behind the feeders. No matter how hard we looked we could not see the bird. Eventually we managed to catch a glimpse of the bird as it flew into another tree where it promptly seemed to vanish again. With time wearing on, we walked back to the car again to head back to Dundee, adding 1 final species as we neared home, a Sparrowhawk.

All in all, a decent enough day out with 63 species seen, despite the apparent lack of variety at each of the sites visited.

Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Lesser Redpoll, Linnet, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Short Eared Owl, Shoveler, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tufted Duck, Whitethroat, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.

Short Eared Owl

Meadow Pipit

Swallow

Pink Footed Goose

Willow Warbler

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Chaffinch

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Yellowhammer

Great Spotted Woodpecker

0162 : On The Ponds (16/5/15)

Having spent the previous 7 days birding, I was a wee bit tired by the Saturday, but was also determined to keep going to try for a full 9 days worth of birding before having to go back to work again. I was largely undecided where to go but eventually settled on getting out for a walk locally and to see what I could find.


Moorhen

It was much later than normal when I finally headed out at about 1230 and I headed initially for Caird Park via Graham Street. As is usually the case, by around lunchtime birds are much less visible than they are early in the day when feeding after roosting overnight keeps the activity levels high. Blackbird, Herring Gull and House Sparrow got my list underway with Carrion Crow and Feral Pigeon the next additions. Starlings and a few more House Sparrows were seen on Graham Street.

Once into Caird Park I followed the path down through the golf course, with more golfers than birds around. I did find a handful of birds though - Blue Tit, a few Woodpigeons and a distant Buzzard circling over the ponds area. I was surprised when a Magpie flew across the path in front of me. A Wren gave a quick burst of song before flying up the burn and into the vegetation. A Great Tit was in the trees by the top end of the ponds.

I could hear a Blackcap singing in the trees up the slope, but it took a few minutes of searching to finally find it. A Chiffchaff calling loudly proved a lot more elusive and went unseen. A Song Thrush scrabbling around below the trees gave its position away and I managed to see it in the gloom as it hopped away into cover. A few Chaffinches fed among the tress along with a few more Blue and Great Tits.

On the ponds a pair of Mallards splashed down. I wandered up the hill to try and see a calling Long Tailed Tit and to also try for views of the still elusive and still vocal Chiffchaff. I managed to see the Long Tailed Tits but the Chiffchaff stayed out of sight. Back down at the ponds I was surprised to see a Moorhen collecting nest material and bringing it to a nest under construction a foot or so from the path round the ponds. It completely ignored me as I stood watching as the bird would dive under the water and surface with a length of vegetation which it would drag to the nest and fix it in place then repeat the procedure.

After a few minutes it swam towards the island where a pair of tiny bald headed chicks met it, begging for food. Their presence was a surprise given the nest-building, which may have actually been nest-restoration, which I had just been observing. A second adult bird and a third chick also put in an appearance and I watched, and filmed, the family as they fed and foraged around the margins until a heavy shower of rain interrupted proceedings.

A few Swallows arrowed over at speed as the sun came out again and as I wandered around the top pond, I heard the Chiffchaff call from the island and spotted movement among the branches of a small bush. At last, a Chiffchaff for the list. I added Coal Tit to the list before I headed for the old graveyard. I could hear the rasping call of a Jay in the trees nearby and spotted it shuttling back and forward to the ground from the trees through a gap in the cover.

Although the Trottick Ponds nature reserve entrance was meant to be blocked off due to demolition I decided to head along the Dighty anyway to see if I could maybe find a Dipper. Crossing the main road onto the old road which runs parallel and is used these days as a path, I spooked a Grey Heron from the bank of the burn where it had been standing unseen. It flew upstream and I didn't see it again, though views of the burn were rather limited by vegetation and a fence.

Reaching the bridge at Claverhouse, House Martins were swooping around the children's nursery buildings and nearby. A Pied Wagtail scurried around on the road. I was surprised to see the demolition crew collecting up the 'road closed' signs but as they had finished for the day it was actually possible to enter the Trottick Ponds site via the main entrance bridge next to the old pub.

Starlings picked around in the grass, and a few Goldfinches overflew. I found a break in the vegetation that allowed me to reach the edge of the burn to check for Dippers, but I saw none. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into a tree a short distance away and worked its way upwards and out of my view. On the ponds were a few Mallards, a Tufted Duck pair, a Herring Gull and a Mute Swan was sleeping on the area between the ponds.

Wandering round the edges following the path which follows the burn, I found a Robin and watched as a Blackbird decided against eating a dead bumblebee. A little further on, I was slightly surprised to watch a few Sand Martins overhead. A Willow Warbler gave a few snatches of song from a bush by the path. I wandered as far as the next footbridge over the burn from where I watched a Pied Wagtail catching flies on the burn.

As I walked back, I could hear Long Tailed Tits and noticed that they seemed to be taking a close interest in a small bush nearby. This seemed slightly odd, and a quick check discovered the reason. They were in the process of building a nest in the bush. From a distance I watched through a gap in the leaves and branches as one of the pair arranged the materials making up the soft ball that would become their nest. Great to see, and yet another unexpected find.

I don't actively seek out nests and prior to this year I rarely spotted anything that wasn't an obvious nest like a Starling's or a House Martins/Swallows/Sand Martins/Swift's or a Rookery, indeed mostly just in recent weeks I seem to be noticing the clues that suggest a nest is nearby a lot more. It is amazing just what I must have missed in the past. Open eyes and ears make a huge difference to what I find.

Wandering back I spotted a Greenfinch high in the trees. I watched a male Blackbird feeding a pair of youngsters on the opposite bank of the burn as I headed back to the bridge as well as Starlings collecting food to take to youngsters in nests unseen around the gardens backing onto the reserve. From the bridge I watched a male Grey Wagtail on the stones in the burn flitting around catching insects.

I wandered back up through Caird Park adding an Oystercatcher on the football pitches near the Kingsway to the list for the day. Although I suspected I was unlikely to see much of interest I decided to detour to Swannie Ponds before heading home. Jackdaws were seen, but no Collared Doves as I wandered along Lammerton Terrace. Lesser Black Backed Gull was the only addition at Swannie Ponds, not unexpectedly, so I didn't linger there long, instead heading back along Clepington Road towards home. One final species made the list. Two of the very few Swifts seen around the tenements locally so far this year.

An interesting wee walk with some more nice video footage added to my growing collection and a fairly respectable total of 38 species seen.

Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tufted Duck, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren.