With Easter Monday being a holiday I was hoping to get out and do some birding. The weather forecast however did not make that an appealing prospect with an unseasonal northerly gale straight out of the Arctic and wind-chill temperatures a good bit colder than anything resembling comfortable. I could hear the wind actually howling as the day progressed and a few visits to the briefly open front window allowed me to feel just how cold it actually was. However as the afternoon wore on, I decided I should probably make an effort to go somewhere. With the wind direction I figured there was a chance that the Tay estuary might be relatively calm and City Quay might potentially host a sheltering Slavonian Grebe or two, or maybe a Red Throated Diver - both of which I still require for my year-list.
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Herring Gull
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It was around 1525 when I ventured out. Only the larger birds seemed to be braving the conditions with Carrion Crow, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Lesser Black backed Gull and Woodpigeon noted before I had gone too far. Reaching Dens Road, I found that it had begun to snow. I contemplated turning round and going home but as there seemed no prospect of it lying or getting too heavy I continued on. A Dunnock was heard singing and a Blue Tit and a Blackbird were seen. Magpie was added before I reached the Olympia, having avoided by about a second being smacked in the head by a leafy branch which snapped off a bush landing a few feet in front of me.
As I waited to cross the road at City Quay I spotted a trio of small birds heading west. I thought the flight style was Meadow Pipit-like and hearing a few of the species later and seeing a few more heading in the same direction, I think it is probably safe to assume that was indeed what they were. A pair of Mallard were feeding around one of the Foxlake pontoons and a small flock of Goldfinches flew towards the flats as I crossed the footbridge. I decided to check the river so I would be out of the cold wind for a wee while. An Oystercatcher flew in as I walked up the side of the flats towards the water. Out at Submarine River were a decent number of Herring Gulls and at least 6 or 7 Cormorants, a few of which were fishing while others stood around on the seweed covered rocks. A Grey Seal was also hunting between the rocks and where I was.
A rather white headed immature gull caught my attention but despite hoping it might be something slightly more exotic I am fairly certain it wass only a Herring Gull. A pair of House Sparrows flew down onto the wooden platform by the seawall in front of the flats but quickly retreated back to where they had come from. I caught a glimpse of a small bird just as it disappeared in behind a small bush by the lock gates, but I was unable to see it - though I suspect it might have been a Meadow Pipit taking shelter and the opportunity for a bit of a rest. Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull, Oystercatcher and Starlings were all feeding on the other side of the old dry dock. A Pied Wagtail flew over.
It began to snow again so I headed for a bit of shelter myself below the canopy on the north side of the Quay. A surprise sighting was a Sparrowhawk over the Apex Hotel which seemed to upset the local gulls for a minute or two as it disappeared towards the City Centre. When the snow ceased again I headed for home, adding a singing Chiffchaff and a Chaffinch around two-thirds of the way up Dens Brae. Long Tailed Tits were heard calling in the bushes opposite the old Dens Road Market building and Jackdaw was the final addition before I headed back in out of the cold. Not a particularly exciting 90 minutes or so worth of birding but the Chiffchaff, Meadow Pipits and Sparrowhawk were all slightly out-of-place. A total of 22 species were noted.
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Mallard
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Mallard
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Mallard
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Cormorant
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Cormorant
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Grey Seal
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Cormorant (possibly Sinensis ssp.)
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Herring Gull
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Herring Gull
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Cormorant
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Cormorant
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Oystercatcher
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Oystercatcher
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Herring Gull
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Herring Gull
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Herring Gull
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Herring Gull
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Cormorant
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Starling, Woodpigeon & Feral Pigeon
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Starling
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Starling
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Herring Gull
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Herring Gull
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Birds - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Cormorant, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Feral Pigeon, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Woodpigeon.
Mammals - Grey Seal.
