As regular readers of this blog will no doubt already be aware, I usually lead a couple of guided bird walks per year around my one time "patch" at Riverside Nature Park, here in Dundee. I try to do one around the beginning of May and the other in early October. Both are intended to coincide with migration times, and the October one does tend to work out well for seeing 'vis-mig', or visible migration. The May one is timed to highlight the summer visitors arrival at the park, with the half-dozen (or so) Warbler species, and in particular the park speciality - Lesser Whitethroat, being the main focus, though with the hirundines (Swallows and Martins) likely to be encountered, and maybe even a passing Osprey there is still a good variety of Summer migrants around, as well as the regulars.
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| Willow Warbler |
I had agreed to lead a walk at 0830 on Saturday 6th May, though a slight mishap with the poster for the walk had the time shown as the wee bit too early for me 0630. Thankfully, it was quickly spotted and rectified and as far as I know, no-one turned up at 0630 expecting a guided walk. I headed out at around 0730 to hopefully catch a bus out to the park to get me there for around 0820 or so. Herring Gull was first on the list followed by Feral Pigeon flying over. A Magpie had to rapidly re-position as it flew round the corner at head height and realised I was coming the other way. Nice close encounter for me.
Blackbird and Woodpigeon were seen on Dens Road before I decided to wait for the bus into the city centre. I didn't have long to wait and it meant I was able to catch the number 9 Circular route bus which is the one which passes closest to the park. I added Lesser Black Backed Gull and Starling on the way out along Perth Road and a nice selection of others were seen on the short walk down to the road, with Blue Tit, a singing Blackcap and a Dunnock all new for the day. I headed across the road and into the park choosing not to try and find the singing Chiffchaff near the railway line.
Once into the park, I quickly added a number of species on my way to the car park. A Carrion Crow flew over while a Magpie, and Oystercatcher and a male Blackbird all picked around in the field next to the entrance path. A couple of Swallows zipped low over the grass and a Herring Gull flapped slowly over towards the airport. A Woodpigeon clattered out of its treetop perch and flew off. I stopped to check for Lesser Whitethroat calls but heard none, nor was there any obvious movement. A Buzzard mewed across the park and I watched it being pursued by the local Carrion Crows. I spotted a distant Sand Martin over the hill.
A pair of Mallards flew past as I arrived at the car park where Friends group committee member, Graham Cross was already waiting. We had a quick chat during which I added a flypast Pied Wagtail and a Robin to the increasingly long looking list. I decided I would head round to visit the composting toilet overlooking the bay before anyone else turned up while Graham decided to go and check the feeders. I added Whitethroat, Jackdaw, Dunnock, Skylark and Linnet to the list on the walk round past the hill. Looking back towards the burn mouth I could see a few Lesser Black Backed Gulls in with the Herring Gulls and one of the resident Mute Swans. There were a number of Shelduck on the water as well.
When I emerged a few minutes later a dog walker with 3 or 4 dogs off the lead was passing. I commented about the dogs being meant to be on a lead in the upper part of the park. His dogs were not running around all over the place like some do but like a lot of people these days, this grey haired "gentleman" in his late 50s was one of those "rules don't apply to me" types and a discussion of sorts took place about the reasons for the signs and restrictions and why he was not going to comply, regardless of the validity of the reasons. Needless to say, I got nowhere, though when he arrived back at the car park 30 seconds behind me I pointed out to the new arrivals for the walk that he was the man I'd just had a discussion with about dogs not being on leads which had put me in a bit of a grumpy mood, before he gave us all a rather dirty look and got into his wine coloured Skoda car to drive off.
I really hope that the Council take on board the amount of folk like this man who refuse to abide by the rules in the Nature Park, and that they consider implementing fines and putting dog wardens into the park at weekends and other 'peak' times to actually enforce the rules. They'd make a few quid towards the upkeep of the park by doing so, and the birds would benefit. Otherwise, it won't be just the Skylarks that will fail to breed. There are plenty of responsible dog walkers who use the park, and who are happy enough to comply with the rules. The council has compromised this year, allowing dogs off the lead in the whole 'lower area' rather than restricting them to one particular area there as the year before, but that is still not good enough for some. But I digress.....
There were around 8 or 9 of us ready for the walk and I'd added Yellowhammer and Song Thrush on the way back to the car park. A decent sized group, and with some ADBC birders in the group and a bit of knowledge among the others too. My mood picked up quickly and we set off soon after watching a pair of Long Tailed Tits fly past as we stood waiting to see if anyone else would turn up. A Blackcap sang loudly just to the west of the car park. A few Starlings fed down on the grass as we headed for Buzzard Wood first. Goldfinches and a Willow Warbler were seen here. A female House Sparrow proved tricky to ID from a distance with the light being rather harsh. Feral Pigeons overflew and Chaffinch and Blue Tit were also added. There was no sign of any Lesser Whitethroats though which was slightly worrying considering the influx of the species into Scotland over the previous week.
Buzzard and Oystercatcher were seen and another Blackcap was watched as we looped back towards the car park to walk round to the bay. I checked for Ringed Plover beyond the compost site but didn't see them, though a pair of Wheatears made up for it. There were at least 3 or 4 Common Whitethroats
singing around the area by the bench overlooking the bay and we all managed to have good views of at least one. A few Skylarks could be seen and heard rising skywards, some from the hill, others from beyond the fence. Linnets also showed here. Down in the bay we found a few Teal while a small group of Black Headed Gulls contained a couple of Common Gulls as well. A couple of Cormorants stood out on the pipe.
A Reed Bunting and a Yellowhammer gave good views before one of the ADBC contingent picked up a single Redshank down in the bay. He also found the next good birds, a year-tick for me (and him) with a pair of high flying
Swifts. We cut up over the hill and then looped back along past the Lochan. Again we tried some of the previous known Lesser Whitethroat areas but again we drew a blank. Jackdaws were pulling at the hair on the back of one of the Highland Cattle lying near the Lochan. Further on, a Sedge Warbler was heard near the hide, along with possibly a second nearby, but it stayed hidden. Things were relatively quiet out in front of the hide with only a Grey Heron stood over near the reeds at Invergowrie Station added to the list.
We doubled back on ourselves past the Lochan to the car park having seen 41 species (and heard Chiffchaff). Everyone agreed it had been an enjoyable and productive walk, despite the lack of Lesser Whitethroat. We'd seen a few species of butterfly including Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Orange-Tip as well. As we were saying our cheerios a House Martin shot past taking the total to 42 species in the park. I decided to see if I could add anything else and also hopefully track down a Lesser Whitethroat.
I had no luck with Lesser Whitethroat at all, despite lingering where they've been seen, or heard, in previous years. It is possible that 'our' Lessers have not returned for a number of reasons,but if that is the case then hopefully others will arrive to take their place. I had better luck with the Sedge Warbler near the hide when it performed a song flight as I passed. A Grey Wagtail was seen down by the burn from the hide. A Stock Dove flew past near the Lochan and a Siskin called as it headed over Buzzard Wood. I also heard a Wren singing when I stopped to chat to Bob McCurley about the lack of Lesser Whitethroats, and a Goldcrest near the car park. I did encounter a Spaniel off the lead and not under control near one of the Lesser Whitethroat sites where it was running around in among the bushes, but the woman dog-walker did put it on a lead when asked.
I decided to head for home at around 1300 and was able to add Song Thrush to the 'non-park' list on the way to catch the bus. A decent enough morning's birding with one year-tick added (in bold) and a total of 46 species seen at the park, and 12 outside (though all of these were also seen in the park).
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| House Sparrow |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Swift |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Jackdaw |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Orange-Tip |
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| Magpie |
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| Buzzard & Carrion Crow |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Jackdaw |
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| Shelduck |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Swallow |
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| Blackbird |
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| Magpie |
Species seen (those seen in and out of the park in italics) -
Blackbird,
Blackcap, Black Headed Gull,
Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant,
Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail,
Herring Gull, House Martin,
House Sparrow, Jackdaw,
Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit,
Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin,
Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark,
Song Thrush,
Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow,
Swift, Teal, Wheatear, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler,
Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
