STONEFACTION BIRDING: 0167 : Signs Of Summer (30/5/15)

0167 : Signs Of Summer (30/5/15)

Around this time of year there is a bit of a lull in the birding year, with Spring migration coming to an end, the Dawn Chorus beginning to fade out, vegetation hiding a lot of birds and some species keeping a low profile due to breeding, or moulting. Deciding where to go birding at this time of year can be tricky. With a Saturday afternoon to fill I had a decision to make.

Red Throated Diver

Having seen a Coot from a car on the previous Wednesday at Swannie Ponds, I decided to pay the ponds a visit to see if it was still around, or had moved on. I left the house at around 1150. There wasn't too much to see at first but eventually I managed to see a bird. OK, it was only a Starling but it started the list for the day off. Other species followed, Herring Gull and House Sparrow and a Blackbird pair.

Walking along Clepington Road towards the ponds, I added the expected summering House Martins hawking around near Mains Loan and Feral Pigeons in the same area. A Lesser Black Backed Gul glided over the houses, and the Jackdaws were around their nest on the chimneys at the crossroads. A Great Tit flew over the road and into the gardens as I reached the ponds. Mallards were on the water with a few around the edges, though there were many more Herring Gulls stood around. Around 50 or so, with similar numbers of Lesser Black Backeds. A Swallow skimmed low over the water, coming within touching distance of me at times, but moving too fast for a flight-shot with the P900.

A Song Thrush shot out from the bushes and flew to the island. A Moorhen swam out into the open. There were plenty House Sparrows around the edge of the pond all leaning forward as if looking for something. Photos showed that it was insect larvae that they were after. I suddenly realised that there was also a Coot out on the water, on its own, though on the north side of the island where there were very few other birds. Moving further round, I discovered that there was not just one, but two, of these black and white birds, the other close into the island stood on some vegetation, which could possibly have been the beginnings of a nest. A Moorhen adult was joined by a pair of youngsters who stayed close in to the island, probably to lessen the chances of predation by the gull flock nearby.

Watching the House Sparrows, I was joined by a Pied Wagtail male catching flies above the pond in little hovering sorties. A pair of Tufted Ducks slept at the top end of the island. A single Black Headed Gull flew low over the water and round behind the island but was gone when I was in a position to check all the gulls present. A group of House Martins hawked for insects over the eastern side of the pond. A Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon were also seen, before I decided to head into town to City Quay to check on the latest state of Dave the Diver's breeding plumage.

I walked part of the way but caught a bus to the city centre and walked to the Quay area from there. As soon as I arrived at the quay, there in front of me on the water was Dave. Sleeping. It appeared that there was more grey on the front of the neck but there was no way of telling how much red there was. I chatted to a wedding photographer who was recce-ing the area for an upcoming wedding. I decided to walk along to Discovery Point to see if the Coastguard S-92 helicopter which had been searching the area earlier was still around.

I had intended on walking back up into town to catch a bus out to Riverside Nature Park but instead ended up walking out along the river and past the airport to the park. Not too many birds seen, except a pair of Herring Gulls. I did get a very close flypast by the helicopter before it departed back to its home base at Inverness. Goldfinch was seen as I neared the airport. A few Swallows twittered around near the control tower. Following the fence-line I chanced on a singing male Linnet on the fence which was joined by a male House Sparrow.

On reaching the Nature Park, there were plenty Rabbits but it appeared that birds were in short supply. Carrion Crow and Woodpigeons were in the same field as the Rabbits. A Chaffinch sang from the bushes. Further into the park, Lesser Redpoll overflew and Swallows swept low over the grass. Further round into the park, a few House Martins overflew, and a Blackbird flew up into the bushes. A Greenfinch sang from atop the hedge by the boggy area.

A Starling flock of 10 birds flew over. A few minutes later beyond the car park I watched a singing Song Thrush for a few minutes. A Buzzard circled over towards the bay before the hill hid it from my sight. I wandered around in the direction of the Lochan adding Blue Tit and Herring Gull to the list of birds seen in the park. A Feral Pigeon flew by. A pair of Mute Swans were at the Lochan with Jackdaws feeding in the grass around the edges.

A Whitethroat sang near the hide, and Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls were in the water of the burn outflow and along the exposed pipe. A Cormorant stood out towards the end. Scanning across the mud I found a distant Shelduck across the Invergowrie side of the bay. Black Headed Gulls and Common Gulls were strung out along the water's edge. A group of Mallards roosted near the railway line down below the hide.

A Willow Warbler sang from one of the trees to the south of the hide. Yellowhammer and Goldfinch were seen as I headed back towards the main body of the park. From further round I watched a Grey Heron amble out along the pipe in the bay, and a pair of adult Shelduck swam out with 9 black and white fluffy ducklings in tow.

A pair of Swifts zipped around to the west of the hill before heading out across the bay in the direction of Invergowrie before I could get a photo. I could hear Oystercatchers calling continuously from somewhere near the hide, but the vegetation in the way meant I could not see them, no matter where I stood. After a few minutes of scanning and searching I finally caught sight of a single bird in flight. Needless to say a few minutes later, a group flew right over the top of me on their way into the bay.

A pair of Shelducks were in the compost area wading around in the rubbish-strewn puddle. I captured a short video clip as the birds took flight and headed off. A Reed bunting flew into the flooded area as I wandered out of the park to catch a bus back to town. I decided rather than heading for home immediately that I would venture down to City Quay to see if Dave was awake. Thankfully he was, though he did appear to be rather tired, looking ready to doze off again more than once. I could now see that there was some red feathering beginning to show on his throat. I took a few photos and some video before heading for home.

A reasonable afternoon with some nice video clips captured, and confirmation of the Coots at Swannie Ponds.

37 Species seen (birds only seen at Riverside Nature Park in brackets, birds only seen outwith the park in italics) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, (Blue Tit), (Buzzard), Carrion Crow, (Chaffinch), (Common Gull), Coot, (Cormorant), Goldfinch, Great Tit, (Greenfinch), Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, (Lesser Redpoll), Linnet, Mallard, Moorhen, (Mute Swan), (Oystercatcher), Pied Wagtail, Red Throated Diver, (Reed Bunting), Feral Pigeon, (Shelduck), Song Thrush, Starling, Swallow, (Swift), Tufted Duck, (Whitethroat), (willow Warbler), Woodpigeon, (Yellowhammer).