With a run of bad weather at the weekends of late and not feeling 100% last Wednesday I was in dire need of some sunlight, and birding this weekend. The weather on Saturday wasn't suitable for birding but forecast blue skies and even some sunshine on Sunday did offer the potential to get out somewhere. I did consider a trip to Arbroath to see if I could see some Little Auks passing up the coast, but with high winds from the west the prospect of standing on the cliffs in the cold didn't seem too appealing. It had been a while since I last visited Swannie Ponds to check on the gulls to see if any of the ringed birds had returned. Also I hadn't heard of any recent sightings of 'Dave' the Diver at City Quay so I would pop down there too. A wee detour to Eastern Cemetery also had potential for finding Waxwings if there were any around.
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| Red Throated Diver |
I headed out just after 1000 to walk to Swannie Ponds. It was cold and windy and the sun had disappeared behind some clouds to the south, so the light was rather dim which wasn't ideal for photography. Herring Gull and Starling were the first birds onto the list for the day as I wandered towards Clepington Road. A Black Headed Gull glided around near the top of Court Street. Further east along Clepington Road a Woodpigeon was huddled up in the bare branches of a tree in a garden. A few Feral Pigeons circled round above the road before landing on a roof. A Collared Dove was next onto the list with one overflying and another perched on a chimney pot near the crossroads.
As I neared the ponds I spotted the tell-tale "flap flap glide" of a Sparrowhawk as it made its way across the ponds at rooftop height and out of my sight behind the trees. The Mallard drakes swam towards me expecting an easy meal as I reached the bottom of the stairs. Black Headed Gulls and a few Herring Gulls rested on the water. A Carrion Crow fed down on the path. There were also a few Tufted Ducks, a pair of Mute Swans and a single Moorhen on the water. As I walked around the pond I stopped to chat to Roddy McKenzie, another local birder. A flock of Redwings overflew and a Mistle Thrush dropped into the trees on the island, only its head visible above the foliage. Roddy headed off to Eastern Cemetery and I scanned through the gulls on the path for ringed birds.
A Great Tit in the trees by the path called and after a bit of looking I finally found the bird foraging among the branches. A Common Gull landed among the Black Headed Gulls along the water's edge, but there were no ringed birds. However, across the far side I spotted a green ringed bird. A few photos confirmed the identity as JN69 - a Black Headed Gull which had wintered here as a 1st winter bird last winter having been ringed as a chick in Norway earlier in 2014. A single Goldfinch overflew and from the island a flock of Redwings and a few Mistle Thrushes lifted from the trees and flew off. There didn't appear to be any other ringed gulls around so I headed for Eastern Cemetery instead.
A Magpie flew across the TA centre as I walked along Rodd Road. A Blackbird and a Robin were added at the cemetery and another Magpie chuckled unseen from a conifer by the path. A few minutes later it flew to another tree across the graveyard. There were a few Mistle Thrushes and Redwings dotted around but no obvious flocks or even groups of more than 1 or 2 birds. A few Woodpigeons could be seen hunched up in the taller trees but it was rather quiet. A Sparrowhawk suddenly flashed across the track ahead of me in pursuit of a smaller bird which I think managed to dive into the thick cover of a conifer while the Sparrowhawk continued on. I found it perched in a tree before seeing it flying off again.
With no sign of any Waxwings I headed for the Arbroath Road to catch a bus to the city centre to walk to City Quay. Thankfully I didn't have too long to wait for a bus and I was soon crossing the road to the quay area. I heard a Pied Wagtail calling and spotted it flying behind me. Another one for the list. First priority was to find Dave the Diver and I didn't have much searching to do, as he was in one of his favourite locations, resting on the water near the corner in front of the Taza restaurant. I took a few photos then headed off to see if there was anything else of interest in the quay.
A single Cormorant was seen flying around near the Unicorn and I found it perched atop one of the lamp posts a few minutes later. It looked like a possible Sinensis race bird. A Grey Heron was roosting across the old dry dock. I heard House Sparrows but they were in cover across the harbour. A second Grey Heron was roosting at the outer quay area while on the water a drake Red Breasted Merganser was hunting. A Little Grebe was close into the harbour wall across the far side, and I found a second Merganser before it flew off out onto the river. I considered heading out to the Nature Park but after a quick scan of the river I headed back to get a few more photos of Dave (which appear to show more feather growth on his damaged wing tip than in previous years) before heading for home.
26 species seen and confirmation of 2 regulars still being around, so a worthwhile few hours out and about.
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Carrion Crow, Collared
Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Herring
Gull, Little Grebe, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan,
Pied Wagtail, Red Breasted Merganser, Red Throated Diver, Redwing,
Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon.
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| Common Gull & Black Headed Gull |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Redwing |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Mistle Thrush |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Red Breasted Merganser |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Cormorant (Sinensis race) |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
