With overnight snow forecast and tide times that were 'wrong' for good birding, I had no idea where to go for some birding on my Wednesday off. Having lain in my bed a bit longer than intended, it was after mid-day before I was ready to head out somewhere. The sky had been blue when I had risen from bed but it was beginning to cloud over and the wind seemed to be increasing in strength. Undeterred I decided to take a walk to Swannie Ponds and then to decide whether or not to head somewhere else after that.
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| Lesser Black Backed Gull & Herring Gull |
Herring Gulls hung in the wind above the streets nearby as I walked up towards Clepington Road. However, it was rather quiet overall with nothing else seen, not even a pigeon or a crow until I reached the top of the hill. Black Headed Gulls seemed to have claimed the lamp posts as their own while the Herring Gulls had the roofs of the DIY type stores opposite. A trio of Starlings flew over. Ahead of me I could see Feral Pigeons flying across the road to the roofs of the big houses.
I decided to take my Mains Terrace detour in the hope of adding a few species. There was a bit of commotion from the gulls beyond the houses and I saw what I thought was a Buzzard circling round above the wasteground. Feral Pigeons and Carrion Crows milled around too. I walked down towards the wasteground and saw the possible Buzzard circling round once more. A quick check through the binoculars confirmed that it was actually a Buzzard, probably from Caird Park. Walking along Mains Terrace I heard Goldfinches but didn't see them. A single House Sparrow was seen though.
Continuing in the direction of Swannie Ponds I walked along Lammerton Terrace. The call of a Redwing from behind the houses opposite prompted me to stop and look in that direction. As I did so, a single Redwing flew between the houses and over my head and into the back gardens behind me. A oodpigeon was perched on a chimney at Forfar Road.
Arriving at Swannie Ponds I could see there were plenty of birds around, mostly on the water, though there were a few on the path around the top pond too. The local Mute Swans were close in to the path, along with a number of Mallards and Tufted Ducks. Out on the water were a mix of Black Headed and Herring Gulls, with some of the Black Headeds already showing almost complete brown hoods. A Dunnock hopped around at the bottom of the steps. I was distracted briefly by a calling Magpie from a large conifer in a garden across the main road from the ponds. Unfortunately it remained hidden.
Having a proper look through the birds on the water I discovered that there were 3 Lesser Black Backed Gulls among the Herring Gulls. A single Moorhen by the edge of the path, dropped into the water and swam in the direction of the island, its head moving forward and back in characteristic fashion. A pair of Dunnocks foraged in below the bushes as I walked round anti-clockwise and a pair of Blue Tits fed in the branches above them. I scanned through the gulls on the path looking for any ringed birds but drawing a blank. I did manage to find a single Common Gull though.
Further scanning produced a Goosander female hauled out at the small ramp into the water, stood beside a few Black Headed Gulls. Behind them a single Jackdaw picked around on the path. A drake Goosander swam towards me, obviously expecting some food. When he found out I had nothing for him, he swam off again. Further scanning found a slightly out-of-season Coot (I've previously only seen the species here in Summer). A few Woodpigeons were in the trees and as I walked towards Pitkerro Road I spotted a white ringed Black Headed Gull which proved to be regular J4U2 ringed in Norway.
With the temperature getting colder and the sky looking increasingly snowy, I decided to head down Pitkerro Road. If the weather held I would continue to City Quay to check on Dave the Diver and anything else of interest. If not I would head for home. I made a short visit to Brand's Books to see if there were any books of interest and after a short chat to the owner about Kingfishers I left with 2 additions for my collection. It was now snowing so home I went, via Dora's for a warming bag of chips.
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| Tufted Duck |
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| Tufted Duck |
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| Moorhen |
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| Mallard, Black Headed Gull & Goosander |
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| Goosander |
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| Goosander |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Coot |
20 species seen in less than an hour made it a worthwhile walk. Species seen - Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Coot, Dunnock, Goosander, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Redwing, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Tufted Duck, Woodpigeon.
