It has been a wee while since I posted an update blog-post about my birding while heading to and from work. The main reason for that is it has been pretty 'same-y' with much the same selection of birds being seen each day. Meadow Pipits have continued to pass overhead with Siskins latterly making an appearance doing likewise and adding to the list. The main surprise however was a good one...
 |
| Oystercatcher |
The 2nd of April highlights were Pink Footed Geese, Jay, Bullfinch and Goldcrest. The 3rd gave me some overflying Meadow Pipits as well as both Rabbits (on the slopes of the Law) and Grey Squirrels but overall was fairly standard fayre. The 6th added Stock Dove to the list with an overflying bird on my way home. A relatively late Redwing, plus Jay and Bullfinch made for a reasonably decent selection. The 7th was unspectacular with Chiffchaff the best of a rather ordinary list, though there were still a few Meadow Pipits heading over. Siskin was added on the morning of the 9th along with a high flying Sparrowhawk being mobbed by a Carrion Crow high over the Law. Chiffchaff was again noted there also, as were the local Rabbits.
On my walk home having seen a Jay but nothing else too exciting I wasn't expecting anything too unusual. However I spotted a relatively high-flying large bird on the latter half of my walk. The behaviour and style of flight said 'raptor' and I stopped to get a better view. It looked a bit like a Crow, then a Buzzard, with a slight hint of Peregrine but was clearly none of those. It had a very leisurely flap-flap-glide, with the flapping rather slow and the glides very brief. I was puzzled but dug out the small binoculars from my bag to try and get a better view. Thankfully, the main road I was on was quiet and I was able to get onto the bird with the small pocket binoculars. These confirmed it was a raptor and not just an odd-flying crow. They also confirmed it wasn't a Sparrowhawk - though at no time had the bird 'felt' like a Sparrowhawk.
It could only really be a
Goshawk. Not a bird I'd expect over Dundee. However, the relative proximity of the bird to the Law and a theory of mine that the Law is used as a navigational waypoint by migrating birds does lend some credence to the bird actually being a Goshawk - possibly a Scandinavian bird heading back northwards after a winter in Scotland, or further south. (It could also conceivably be a falconer's bird - either being flown, or an escapee).
I watched videos of Goshawk flight when I got home and these only further convinced me that what I had seen was indeed a Goshawk. Some photos from France posted on Birdforum that showed the Buzzard-like shape my bird had had, also helped firm up the ID. An unexpected year-tick, in a very unexpected setting (unless it turns out to have been a falconer's bird after all). Needless to say the 10th couldn't compete with that, despite Jay, Bullfinch and Chiffchaff being noted as well as both Rabbit and Grey Squirrel once again. Photos illustrating this post are all 'older' photos, and the one new year-tick is in bold.
Birds seen Thursday 2nd April (23 species) - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Herring
Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie,
Oystercatcher, Pink Footed Goose, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Woodpigeon.
Friday 3rd April (22 species) - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring
Gull, House Sparrow, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie,
Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Starling, Woodpigeon.
Mammals seen - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
Monday 6th April (25 species) - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Herring
Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie,
Oystercatcher, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Feral Pigeon, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon.
Mammals seen - Grey Squirrel.
Tuesday 7th April (20 species) - Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Herring
Gull, House Sparrow, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie,
Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Song Thrush, Starling, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals seen - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
Thursday 9th April (23 species) - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Goldfinch,
Goshawk, Greenfinch, Herring
Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Magpie,
Oystercatcher, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Song Thrush,
Sparrowhawk, Starling, Woodpigeon.
Mammals seen - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
Friday 10th April (21 species) - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring
Gull, House Sparrow, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Oystercatcher, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Woodpigeon.
Mammals seen - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
 |
| Robin |
 |
| Buzzard |
 |
| Blackbird |
 |
| Long Tailed Tit |
 |
| Carrion Crow |
 |
| Magpie |
 |
| Blue Tit |
 |
| Jay |
 |
| Goldfinch |
 |
| Great Tit |
 |
| Jackdaw |
 |
| Meadow Pipit |
 |
| Stock Dove |
 |
| Woodpigeon |
 |
| Lesser Black Backed Gull |
 |
| Herring Gull |
 |
| Pied Wagtail |
 |
| Starling |
 |
| House Sparrow |
 |
| Chaffinch |
 |
| Feral Pigeon |
 |
| Song Thrush |
 |
| Sparrowhawk |
 |
| Goshawk |
Full list - 45 species - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion
Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal
Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch,
Goshawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring
Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed
Tit, Magpie,
Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed
Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Song Thrush,
Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Treecreeper, Whooper Swan, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals seen - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
