Winter is an unpredictable time to try and go birding. The weather can be too icy, or too wet, windy or just plain wild. Sometimes the sun shines and you get a blue sky overhead, though the low winter sun can also make things a bit tricky if you're facing in the general direction of it. Lack of daylight hours available is also an issue. Having spent most of the previous six days inside, I decided that as the wet weather of Saturday had (thankfully) moved on, I would try to get some birding in on Sunday. I didn't really have a particular plan, or any particular target species to try for, but I knew it would be beneficial to get out in the fresh air regardless.
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White Tailed Eagle
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A late night on Saturday meant a later start and it was already around 1215 when I headed out. I had decided I would head first for Swannie Ponds to check the gulls for waifs and strays and then check the Rowan trees down Kingsway East for Waxwings. After that I would weigh up my options, based on the amount of available daylight remaining at that point in time. Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow got the list underway followed shortly after by Starling, Magpie, Blackbird and Wren. Robin, Blue Tit, Jackdaw and Chaffinch were noted around the Mains Terrace area.
The Swannie Ponds were unfrozen which was a slight surprise. There were some Black Headed Gulls and a few Herring Gulls dotted around plus a single Moorhen. Coots, Mallards and Tufted Ducks were all seen as well as the resident Mute Swan pair. With a lack of Black Headed Gulls resting along the edges of the path meaning no chance to check for ringed birds, I kept the camera in my bag and moved on again. I added House Sparrows in a garden hedge as I neared the Kingsway. I wasn't really expecting to find any Waxwings but it is always best to check, just in case. There were a few Mistle Thrushes around in some of the Rowans which still had some berries, but unsurprisingly, no Waxwings. A Goldfinch flew over the old Stewart's Cream Of The Barley site as I headed down towards Arbroath Road. Reaching the Scott Fyffe roundabout I weighed up my options.
I could continue east to check more potential Waxwing sites along Balgillo Road, or I could continue down to the river at the Stannergate and either go east towards Broughty Ferry and Balmossie, or head west to City Quay. Another option, and the one I chose, was to head into Eastern Cemetery to check for 'winter thrush' flocks. So far this winter things have been relatively quiet there with only a few birds noted on previous visits. A Coal Tit was calling in the tree by the gate at the southeastern corner. There were some Redwings and Mistle Thrushes in the tops of a few trees further in but they were more flighty than normal and it proved very difficult to get the sun behind me, so I could get something other than silhouettes on my photos.
A Rabbit was sunning itself further up the track but disappeared into cover when it noticed me. There didn't appear to be any really large flocks of thrushes around, though there were a few smaller mixed groups. I bumped into a birder from Dundee I've met a few times at Guardbridge and Kinnordy - Jed (surname unknown). We chatted and stood around hoping for a Fieldfare or an unlikely Waxwing flock. A bird we suspected we would probably see was a Sparrowhawk, and sure enough, one flew past us, though it appeared to have just eaten and didn't trouble any of the nearby birds. We added Chaffinch and Greenfinch as we watched the thrushes wheel around above the cemetery before settling again in the tops of the trees. A few Grey Squirrels were noted as they scurried around.
Around 1455, I heard the gulls to the north making a bit of noise and thought that perhaps one of the local Buzzards had put in an appearance but there was no sign of one and things quickly quietened down. Around a minute later I happened to look up as I turned round to face northwards. "White Tailed Eagle", I quickly exclaimed and Jed tried to get his bridge camera to focus on the bird as it passed almost directly over us. I took plenty photos and it was easy to see that it was the female (turquoise 1) from the Fife pair and the fifth time I've seen White Tailed Eagle in Dundee this year.
Once the eagle had passed over we decided to have a wander round some of the graveyard to see if we could find anything else. A pair of Oystercatchers were heard calling and then spotted a little to the south. A flock of Starlings in a tree near where I'd seen the Rabbit earlier held a single Fieldfare along with Redwing, Mistle Thrush and Chaffinch. Jed had heard that a Tawny Owl has been seen by dog walkers in the past around dusk so we headed for the area where it had apparently been seen, but unsurprisingly drew a blank. There were plenty Woodpigeons going to roost, and gulls were starting to pass over on their way to down to the river for the night. The thrush flocks seemed to be increasing, with birds starting to arrive in numbers, most likely to roost in some of the conifers and Yew trees overnight.
Around 1530, Jed decided to call it a day and I set off for Baxter Park in the slim hope of getting Tawny Owl there. As I wandered through the cemetery towards the western gate, I heard a raptor call and turned around in time to spot a Peregrine. Seconds later there was a tussle with another Peregrine. Photos showed them to be an adult and a youngster. A nice bonus sighting following on from the White Tailed Eagle earlier. As I reached the east gate at Baxter Park a flock of Long Tailed Tits silhouetted against what was left of the pale sky, flew across in front of me calling as they went. There was no owl to be heard though and I didn't hang around to see if one would be heard. Instead I headed for home having noted 30 species of bird and 2 of mammals. All in all, it was a decent enough three and a half hour's birding and a reasonable way to spend a December Sunday afternoon.
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| Rabbit |
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| Redwing |
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Mistle Thrush
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| Redwing |
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| Redwing |
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| Redwing |
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| Magpie |
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Mistle Thrush & Redwing
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| Redwing |
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Mistle Thrush
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Mistle Thrush
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| Redwing |
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| Redwing |
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| Redwing |
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Herring Gull
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Mistle Thrush
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Mistle Thrush
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Mistle Thrush
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Carrion Crow
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Mistle Thrush
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Mistle Thrush
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| Greenfinch |
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Mistle Thrush
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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Mistle Thrush
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White Tailed Eagle
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White Tailed Eagle
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White Tailed Eagle
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Mistle Thrush
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Chaffinch & Mistle Thrush
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Starling, Mistle Thrush, Redwing & Fieldfare
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Fieldfare, Starling & Chaffinch
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Fieldfare (& Starling)
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Mistle Thrush
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
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| Peregrine |
Birds - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Coot, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sparrowhawk, Starling, White Tailed Eagle, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.