Three and a half weeks have passed since my last update post on the wildlife seen on my walks to and from work. During that time, sunrise has crept ever closer to the time I reach work which has meant an increase on the amount of usable 'daylight' which in turn has seen an increase in the number of species I've seen and heard. A week of snow also meant an early finish from work on 3 of the days. I took the opportunity on 2 of those days to take a leisurely walk home meaning I also saw and heard more species. Although there hasn't been any major surprises in the species seen or heard, the milder temperatures following on from the snow days has seen a huge increase in 'Spring' behaviour with birdsong almost constant now and including birds other than just Blackbird, Robin and Wren.
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Redwing (Thursday 11th February)
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The numbers of species noted at the end of January were around a dozen with Redwing being the least common among those. A Fox was found on the football pitches at Lochee Park using the thermal imager - though it was only when it stood up and trotted away that I was able to ascertain what the 'hot lump' I could see on one of the football pitches actually was. It appeared to have caught something and was obviously hoping for an uninterupted meal before the arrival of the numerous dog walkers that turn up as daylight approaches. At work on the 29th, myself and a colleague had to drop something off at a nearby location and were surprised to see a quartet of Roe Deer running across the road between 2 wooded areas at around 1530 in the afternoon.
The first week of February saw a drop in the number of species noted as a result of wet weather. A Sparrowhawk on my walk home on the 2nd was the highlight of the 9 species noted. I only managed a total of 7 on the 4th and the first Black Headed Gull at the football pitches was seen on the 5th. On the 8th, Bullfinch and Redwing were noted in addition to Black Headed Gull as the species numbers edged higher to 14 species. The snow arrived with a vengeance on Tuesday the 9th though it did mean the light was 'better' on the morning walk through Balgay Park where a Buzzard drifted over and Jay and Bullfinch were also added. A 1400 finish at work meant a bit of a trudge home in a veritable blizzard meaning it wasn't much good for seeing or hearing anything of interest on the way. A 1500 finish on the 11th in slightly better conditions (a bit of sunshine, though it was a bit of a struggle to walk in the snow) meant I was able to take my time which resulted in a big jump to 27 species noted that day. In addition to Bullfinch, Black Headed Gull and Redwing, I also noted Collared Dove, Fieldfare, Jay, Siskin, Sparrowhawk and Stock Dove.
I stopped to watch a few Redwings feeding in below the trees at Balgay Hill and decided it might be worthwhile taking a camera with me on the Friday in case of a similarly early finish, given there being no real change in the weather forecast. With regards the Fieldfares and Redwings in particular, there appeared to be an influx of these birds from mainland Europe ahead of the incoming bad weather. It did indeed prove to be a good idea to take a camera with me as I was able to get some decent photos of Redwings feeding among the bushes on Pentland Avenue on my walk home. Although the species noted on the Friday were rather similar to the Thursday selection I also added Long Tailed Tits and Song Thrush though a few species from the previous day went unrecorded, with a total number one less than the day before.
Although the snow from the previous week hadn't completely cleared by the time Monday the 15th came around, there was a definite thaw happening. I managed 24 species with a heard only Great Spotted Woodpecker the main highlight, though Bullfinch, Redwing, Long Tailed Tit and Siskin were all welcome. Most of the snow had vanished by Tuesday morning and as the temperature crept upwards more birds seemed to think Spring had arrived and birdsong accompanied my walk to work. Greenfinch and the first few small skeins of Pink Footed Geese for a while were both welcome sightings among the 22 species noted.
On Thursday the 18th I was able to see or hear a total of 26 species as well as a new mammal picked up with the thermal imager in the morning at the foot of the allotments just off Kinghorne Road - a Brown Rat in among the Brambles. Bird-wise, there was a decent amount of variety with Pink Footed Geese again and the first signs of Oystercatchers returning to breeding/feeding areas away from the coast. The numbers of gulls on the football pitches seemed to be on the increase with more Black Headed Gulls noted. In addition both Sparrowhawk and Buzzard were noted as well as Bullfinch in Balgay Cemetery, Long Tailed Tit, Siskin and singing Song Thrush. Things were a bit quieter on Friday the 19th with only 21 species noted though it was raining in the morning. Common Gull on the football pitches and Oystercatchers on a roof at work, as well as Bullfinch, Song Thrush and Siskin were the main highlights.
It will soon be a complete year that I have been walking to and from work during which time I've been pleasantly surprised by some of the species noted as well as the variety overall. During the timeframe covered in this post I've seen or heard a total of 35 species of bird as well as 4 of mammals. All photos featured are from this year, though mostly not taken on my walks to and from work.
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Coal Tit
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Chaffinch
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Magpie
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Sparrowhawk
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Bullfinch
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Siskin
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Feral Pigeon
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Black Headed Gull
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Great Tit
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Goldcrest
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Woodpigeon
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Jay
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Sparrowhawk
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Herring Gull
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Song Thrush
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Carrion Crow
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Roe Deer
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Blue Tit
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Common Gull
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Robin
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Great Spotted Woodpecker
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Oystercatcher
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Buzzard
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Species noted - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Oystercatcher, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals seen - Brown Rat, Fox, Rabbit, Roe Deer.
