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| Wigeon |
It actually felt a bit like the Summer we haven't had as I walked into town, though birds were in really short supply. I did hear a few Blackbirds, Robins and Blue Tits but saw none of them instead having to make do with Herring Gull and a pair of Woodpigeons until I reached the Wellgate where I added Feral Pigeon. I decided to detour through The Howff and through the Overgate Centre on the way to catch the bus to the Nature Park. It was very quiet in the old graveyard and a pair of feuding Robins was all I saw.
Arriving at the Nature Park a little while later, the first bird seen was a Woodpigeon as I wandered along the road towards the Invergowrie end of the park. A Carrion Crow wandered around on the grass while a Black Headed Gull drifted over. The Lochan held a pair of Teal, a single Wigeon and the Mallard family. A presumed Blackcap scolded loudly from the bushes across the road but went unseen. A Buzzard glided over towards the bay, circling up on a thermal before drawing the attentions of a Carrion Crow which chased it back towards where it had came from.
I walked down to the hide, the vegetation hiding almost all the potential view from the track, though a few Herring Gulls could be seen through the small gap. From the hide, there was a bit more to see with Mallards near the burn outflow tunnel, a few Feral Pigeons and Carrion Crows plus a single Curlew, a few Lapwings and at least a few Lesser Black Backed Gulls. Oystercatcher could be seen across the far side of the bay among the rocks.
I worked out a potential route that would allow me to check most of the park and headed off into the park proper. A Blackbird and a Robin were seen along the track before I found a young Goldfinch in the top of a bush near the junction of the paths. I took the right-hand fork to follow the path parallel with the bay. Teal were on the mud with a few Redshanks, while along the water's edge there were a few Black Tailed Godwits and more Redshanks. A few Swallows swept overhead. Heading round towards the car park I had a few fly-over Chaffinches. I headed round for a better view of the ducks at the Lochan. It was a bit of a surprise to see Wigeon here, and the Teal pair were still in eclipse plumage too.
From having seen no dogs, the park now appeared to be full of them, with very few of them 'under control', mostly miles behind an oblivious owner. Hardly surprising that there appeared to be more visible dog poo than there were birds around. I headed round to check out the lower half of the park, but it was even quieter bird-wise with only a few Chaffinches and a Robin seen at Buzzard Wood. Wren, Chiffchaff and Magpie were heard but none of the three were seen. I did find a grasshopper and a Common Darter dragonfly plus Small Tortoiseshell and Large White butterflies plus a possible Red Admiral though, before I headed out of the park to find I had a 17 minute wait for the next bus into town. A Coal Tit put in an appearance just above my head in a tree as I was about to get on the bus. House Martins were seen as we headed along the Perth Road.
As it was such a nice day I decided not to go straight home but instead to take a detour via Swannie Ponds. I got the bus up to the end of Dura Street and walked the rest of the way. A pair of Blue Tits flew across the road as I walked under the trees at the beginning of the walk up. When I arrived Herring Gulls, Lesser Black Backed Gulls and Black Headed Gulls were in the lower pond with a few others in the top pond. Mallards, a pair of Moorhens, a single Tufted Duck and another surprise Wigeon were on the top pond. A Collared Dove flew over as did numerous small groups of both Swallows and House Martins.
I shot a few video clips and scanned for ringed gulls when the opportunity arose. I did find one Black Headed Gull with one metal ring. Only the first 3 digits were seen '618' and the beginnings of the words 'Stavanger Museum'. I suspect this is a returning Norwegian ringed bird that was around last Winter. Round the back of the island the Mute Swans were hauled out, lying in the shade, while two Coot youngsters fed out on the water with the adults closer in to shore. A pair of Feral Pigeons, a Carrion Crow and a Woodpigeon were all seen before I decided to head for home. House Sparrow and Starling were both added to what was quite a short list on the way back home.
A rather disappointing afternoon overall though the Wigeons were a welcome sight at both locations and it was interesting to see another Norwegian Black Headed Gull had returned again. I will need to see if I can read the full ring on my next visit.
30 species seen in total.
20 species seen at the Nature Park - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Curlew, Goldfinch, Herring Gull, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Swallow, Teal, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.
20 species seen outwith the Nature Park - Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Coot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Swallow, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.
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| Wigeon |
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| Wigeon and Mallard |
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| Mallard |
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| Mallard |
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| Teal |
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| Teal |
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| Grasshopper sp. |
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| Common Darter |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Coot |