Last Friday, especially during the evening, was very stormy and unusually the winds were from the north. This did result in the large tree which partially blocked the view from my bedroom window being uprooted and blown over despite being protected on three sides by buildings, thankfully missing all the breakable bits of the building it did come to rest against, at least as far as I can tell. Saturday was still bitingly cold with the winds still coming from the Arctic but there was a chance that birds might be displaced from further north and perhaps some of those might seek shelter from the wild seas in the relative calm of the Tay, and also possibly the even calmer waters of City Quay. So, my plan for the day's birding was to check City Quay then walk out to Balmossie along the river. My relatively recently purchased Country Innovation Kestrel trousers would also get their first outing - having found them exceedingly warm at home when I got them, I hoped they would prove capable of keeping the cold off, while also not causing me to overheat.
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| Bullfinch |
In winter I don't like my start times to be too late as the available daylight is severely curtailed but it was just before 1030 when I headed out. Jackdaw, Herring Gull and a skein of Pink Footed Geese were noted dealing with the still strong winds in a variety of ways, while a Blue Tit kept to cover along with a Robin. Feral Pigeon and Carrion Crow were added before I reached City Quay. Disappointingly it appeared to be very quiet with a Herring Gull breaking mussel shells on one of the pontoons. A Rock Pipit and a Linnet were seen before I found a lone Mallard sheltering out of the wind in the outer part of the Quay. The usual Oystercatcher pair were hanging around near the stuck gates. There were a few Cormorants around - both Sinensis and Carbo birds. A Grey Heron was roosting under the quayside outside of the gates.
A small flock of Starlings were seen around the flats as I checked the river. A Red Breasted Merganser was hauled out on a small rocky islet and I found a Red Throated Diver fishing below the Tay roadbridge, as well as a 'bottling' Grey Seal. Despite much scanning I failed to add anything else. I set off for Balmossie around 1115. A Buzzard was a slightly unexpected surprise circling over the wasteground to the north of the outer quay before it drifted off eastwards towards the roadbridge. There wasn't too much to see as I walked along the cycle path eastwards. Network Rail have decimated the trees and bushes on the north side of the railway along this stretch as they have done further west towards the airport. Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Woodpigeon were noted as well as a Wren. A slight surprise was a Great Spotted Woodpecker seen flying between some of the few remaining trees.
Reaching the Stannergate around 1155, I found a pair of Ringed Plover and a Redshank down on the shoreline. A few Black Headed Gulls, a Common Gull and a handful of Herring Gulls were seen nearby. There were House Sparrows in the bushes by the small car park and a few more Oystercatchers and the odd gull were found as I wandered along the esplanade. I spotted a bit of a fracas out on the river as a Great Black Backed Gull fought to relieve a Cormorant of its prey, which after a minute or so of tussling it succeeded in doing. A second Buzzard was seen overhead near the prominent conifers half way along the railway line towards Douglas Terrace, as the local corvids gave chase.
At Douglas Terrace I added Turnstone, Curlew and Eider near the outflow pipe as well as another Redshank. A Magpie was in the trees of a garden opposite. Disappointingly I failed to add anything new between there and the small nature reserve beyond the Glass Pavillion restaurant where a Bullfinch showed nicely. In addition, Siskin, Redwing and Great Tit were noted here before I detoured back down to check the shoreline and the river. A Dunnock was in the bushes near the fenceline while Dunlin and Bar Tailed Godwit were seen out on the sand. A Blackbird was feeding among the bushes a little further on.
Scanning through the mass of birds feeding along the shore as I neared the mouth of the Dighty Burn added Knot and Sanderling to the list as well as Wigeon. I scanned through the gulls near the burn mouth but again failed to find anything unusual among them. A Grey Wagtail flew past me and a few Rooks and Jackdaws were noted nearby. A few Goldeneye were seen in the calmer water where the burn outflow met the river. Knowing that the light would start to go soon, I packed up around 1430 and headed westwards again. The trousers were doing their job quite well, and it was only really my fingers that were feeling the cold - though I chose not to put on the gloves I had in my pocket.
As I scanned the still distant waders again, I spotted the distinctive run and stop actions of a plover. A quick double check gave me my first Grey Plover for Dundee this year - my 134th species in the city in 2021. A Pied Wagtail flew past and there were a few Rock Pipits feeding among the seaweed piles along the beach. As I reached the end of the esplanade road I spotted someone with a camera down on the beach. It was Lainy. I shouted to get her attention but she seemed not to hear me. I was then joined by Lainy's husband, Adam, and we added a flyover Mistle Thrush to the day's list as we chatted. The three of us then had a wander back along towards the burn mouth, though the pull of a warm car and internet proved too much for Adam to resist, who turned back before we got there. Lainy and I checked the birds around the burn mouth as the light levels started to go, as the sun disappeared behind the clouds near the horizon.
I gratefully accepted the kind offer of a lift home from Adam and Lainy which saved me from a five mile plus walk which was unlikely to have added much else for the day's list. Tufted Duck and Mute Swan were added as we passed the Swannie Ponds. As most birds were silhouetted by this time I failed to add Coot to the list. Adam and Lainy dropped me off at home around 1545 having managed to see, or hear, 51 species for the day. Best of all was finally managing to get Grey Plover on the 2021 Dundee list. I'm rapidly running out of strong possibilities to add but there are still a few slim possibilities such as Waxwing and Woodcock that I might yet be able to catch up with. I don't know if there are any Ring Necked Parakeets these days in the city, the last I heard about was a few years ago (2019?) but that or another owl species are also potential additions. With only around a month to go, I wonder how much further past my 125 target I can get....
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Herring Gull
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Cormorant (Sinensis)
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Cormorant (Sinensis)
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| Oystercatcher |
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Grey Heron
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| Cormorant |
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Red Breasted Merganser
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Grey Seal
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Red Throated Diver
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Feral Pigeon
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Cormorant (Sinensis)
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| Buzzard |
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| Buzzard |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Woodpigeon |
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Ringed Plover
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Common Gull & Black Headed Gull
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| Oystercatcher |
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Great Black Backed Gull & Cormorant
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Great Black Backed Gull & Cormorant
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| Buzzard |
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| Oystercatcher |
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Common Gull
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House Sparrow
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| Mallard |
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| Redshank |
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| Bullfinch |
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| Bullfinch |
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Bullfinch |
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Bar Tailed Godwit
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Bar Tailed Godwit, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Common Gull & Black Headed Gull
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Bar Tailed Godwit
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Dunlin, Sanderling, Ringed Plover, Black Headed Gull
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Rock Pipit
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Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Carrion Crow
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| Goldeneye |
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Rook & Jackdaw
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Rook & Jackdaw
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Pink Footed Goose
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Grey Plover
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Grey Plover
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Mallard, Dunlin, Sanderling, Bar Tailed Godwit & Common Gull
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Rock Pipit
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| Goldeneye |
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| Rook |
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Pied Wagtail
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Birds - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Cormorant (Sinensis & Carbo), Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Plover, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Knot, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Redwing, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Siskin, Starling, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals - Grey Seal.