As the opportunities to get outside for some exercise and fresh air may become more and more limited over the next few weeks/months I decided that I should head out somewhere on Sunday as the weather was probably the best it has been so far this year. With no real plan again I decided I might as well head first for Swannie Ponds then possibly to Baxter Park again, and maybe go further afield from there depending on how much/little I managed to see.
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| Wren |
It was just before 1300 when I headed out. It was relatively quiet bird-wise with mostly the larger species seen on the walk to Clepington Road. As I walked along towards the Forfar Road junction I spotted a raptor flying over towards the ponds. Rather than the more expected Sparrowhawk it was a Peregrine. Movement caught my eye up to my left and as I looked up a second Peregrine flew over the top of me, not too high above rooftop height, heading in the same general direction as the other bird (co-operative hunting by a pair perhaps, with one bird flusing birds towards the other?). The ponds were once again rather quiet with none of the smaller gulls, nor any sign of the Mute Swans (though they may have been out of my line of sight on the island).
I headed into Baxter Park again and stopped again at the 'Spring Grove'. Although things were marginally quieter than Wednesday there was still a good spread of species to be seen. Dunnock, Wren, Woodpigeon, Blue Tit and Blackbird gave the closest views. Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, House Sparrow, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Goldcrest and Song Thrush all put in an appearance or two as did a pair of Long Tailed Tits collecting feathers for a nest somewhere nearby. Magpie, Carrion Crow, Lesser Black Backed and Herring Gulls were seen over head. One or two bumblebees were also seen on the wing.
At one point I happened to look up and saw a very large bird flying over. Even more unexpected than the Peregrine pair earlier this turned out to be a White Tailed Eagle - my first sighting over 'central' Dundee (I've seen two together over Ninewells/Riverside Nature Park once and seen one from Monifieth perched on the Fife side of the river - though I have also seen the Tentsmuir bird(s) flying off in the direction of Dundee from the forest a few times, usually after circling high into the sky first). A little later another Peregrine flew over the park. I headed for home around 1600 adding Starling to the list for the day taking the total to 27 species - definitely a case of quality over quantity however.
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| Goldfinch |
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| Lesser Black Backed Gull |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Blue Tit & Chaffinch |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| House Sparrow |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Wren |
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| Robin |
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| Wren |
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| Wren |
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| Wren |
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| Blackbird |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Dunnock |
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| Dunnock |
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| Dunnock |
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| Dunnock |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
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| Robin |
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| Blackbird |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Dunnock |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Peregrine |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Dunnock |
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| Dunnock |
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| Dunnock |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Chaffinch |
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| House Sparrow |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Coal Tit |
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| Coal Tit |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Magpie |
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| Great Tit |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Wren |
Species seen - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Coot, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Peregrine, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Starling, Tufted Duck, White Tailed Eagle, Woodpigeon, Wren.
