For my final day off before going back to work again on Thursday I decided I would try to add at least 1 new species to my year-list. A trip to Balmossie was the plan. With a very high tide due around 0530, I knew as long as I got there for around 0730 the birds would hopefully not be too far away. It would also mean that hopefully there wouldn't be too much disturbance on the beach to contend with. I decided that I would take the thermal imager and try to 'see' the Water Rail I'd heard a few days before near the Dighty Burn. Given that it is roughly a 2 hour walk from mine to Balmossie, I knew I'd need an early start and most of the first hour or so would be in something like darkness. The weather forecast was dry and cold but overcast, which wasn't ideal but it could have been a lot worse.
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Stock Dove
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I headed out into the rather quiet streets at around 0530. Despite the lack of light I was able to note Robin, Herring Gull and Blackbird. As I passed Swannie Ponds I added Mute Swan, Mallard, Coot and a Grey Heron which was stood by the pond on the path relatively unconcerned by my relative proximity. Song Thrush, Dunnock and Carrion Crow were all heard (and seen later). Nearing the Dighty, Oystercatcher was added to the list, followed by a heard only Blue Tit (another species seen later in the day). A light, and thankfully intermittent, drizzle accompanied me part of the way.
Using the thermal imager I picked out a Roe Deer on the opposite bank of the Burn. I then spent a bit of time trying to re-find the Water Rail but without success. Wren, Pheasant, Jackdaw and Woodpigeon were noted. Surprisingly I failed also to find any Dipper. At Sainsbury's car park I found a bush full of House Sparrows chirping loudly. Heading onto Balgillo Road, the first Magpie of the day was spotted. Siskin and Chaffinch were noted before I finally reached the river, not far from the lifeboat station. A few Starlings flew over and an Eider was seen out on the river. Redshanks were in short supply roosting on the jetty at the lifeboat station but there were thankfully still a couple to be seen.
A Pied Wagtail was next onto the list followed by Cormorant and Black Headed Gull. Turnstone and Rock Pipit were both found near Broiughty Castle, where there were also a number of Feral Pigeons to be seen. I checked the time and found it was 0730 and Broughty Ferry was slowly waking up. A Curlew was seen on the beach below the castle along with a Redshank, a few Turnstones and Carrion Crows. I hurried on towards Balmossie, silently cursing the runner on the beach heading in the same direction as me, but much faster. Would there be any birds to see given she'd get there before me?
A Goldeneye was picked out distantly on the river and a Bullfinch was perched in the trees by the nature reserve. A small flock of waders on the beach comprised of Bar Tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and best of all, a few Sanderling - a year-tick for me. Reaching the mouth of the burn at Balmossie I scanned through all the birds I could find. A Common Gull with an orange ring (ringed in Aberdeenshire) took a bit of patience before I was able to read the full 4 digits to ID it. A distant Red Breasted Merganser was found well out on the river though as it was actively fishing it spent most of the time below the surface. A Greenfinch sang from one of the trees by the footbridge over the railway.
A small group of Wigeon were feeding on some of the pebbled bits of the burn outflow. I thought I heard a Dipper call but thought I must be mistaken. However there was actually one on the far side of the burn by the footbridge. It flew to my side of the river before disappearing upriver a few seconds later. A second bird which I hadn't noticed, but much closer to where I was standing, followed it shortly after. By now dog walkers were starting to appear in numbers so I decided to move on as there was nothing much to be gained by lingering.
A Great Black Backed Gull was seen on the beach by the water's edge but I failed to add any rarer gulls, not even a Mediterranean Gull. I detoured into the nature reserve where a Coal Tit and a couple of Redwings went on the list. I climbed the steps of the bridge to get a better angle on the Redwings for a photo and was in the right place when a Stock Dove landed in the tree at eye level, giving me a very nice photo opportunity. Long Tailed Tits, Bullfinch, Great Tit and Goldfinch were also noted in the reserve before I headed back to the beach.
Scanning back eastwards I was slightly surprised to spot a Little Egret by onr of the larger pools. A dog walker was between me and the bird so I hurried to pass her to allow me to get photos. A Herring Gull chased the Egret off towards Monifieth after I'd managed to get a few. I wandered back towards the Castle again. There were a few Eider around just offshore along with Turnstone and Oystercatcher on the rocks. A Grey Heron was in the harbour and I watched it struggle with a small-ish Eel it had caught. I stopped to scan from the road end where a worker on his teabreak with an interest in birds, joined me for a short chat before he had to head back to work again. As we chatted a distant skein of Pink Footed Geese headed west over the river.
A Grey Seal was seen 'bottling' near the lifeboat station. A few more Grey Herons, Turnstone and Oystercatchers as well as a few Curlews were seen on the walk back along the waterfront. A pair of Lesser Black Backed Gulls were new for the list as they lounged on the rocky shoreline at the Stannergate. It was almost 1145 when I wandered into Eastern Cemetery where a Grey Squirrel was probably the only thing of note. A brief stop at Swannie Ponds added Moorhen and the drake Gadwall which had reappeared from wherever it had been for a few days. I finally made it home around 1245, feeling rather tired after the early start and the long walk.
Slightly disappointingly I ended what was another 13.5 mile round trip with only 54 species on the list (though including a year-tick - in bold). I suspect that the early start probably played a large part in the reduction in number of species recorded compared to more or less the same route from just a few days before. Over the course of my 5 days off work (Saturday to Wednesday) I estimated I'd walked between 50 and 55 miles, recording a total of 77 species of bird, 4 of mammal and a single butterfly, which I suppose wasn't too bad of a haul for late February/early March while restricted to Dundee.
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Ringed Plover
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Sanderling
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Dunlin & Bar Tailed Godwit
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Herring Gull
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Bar Tailed Godwit
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Common Gull (2H15) & Black Headed Gull
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Wigeon
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Wigeon
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Goldeneye
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Dipper
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Dipper
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Bar Tailed Godwit & Great Black Backed Gull
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Pied Wagtail
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Coal Tit
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Redwing
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Redwing
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Stock Dove
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Stock Dove
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Redwing
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Long Tailed Tit
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House Sparrow
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House Sparrow
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Bullfinch
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Robin
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Wren
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Goldfinch
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Long Tailed Tit
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Greenfinch
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Little Egret
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Little Egret
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Little Egret
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Little Egret
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Little Egret & Herring Gull
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Little Egret & Herring Gull
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Grey Heron
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Eider
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Oystercatcher
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Grey Heron
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Grey Heron
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Turnstone
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Redshank
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Eider
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Eider
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Pink Footed Goose
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Grey Seal
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Herring Gull
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Herring Gull
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Grey Heron
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Common Gull
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Redshank
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Grey Heron
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Herring Gull
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Curlew
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Oystercatcher
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Curlew
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Grey Heron
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Red Breasted Merganser
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Lesser Black Backed Gull
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Carrion Crow
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Carrion Crow
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Gadwall
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Tufted Duck
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Gadwall
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Gadwall
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Birds - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dipper, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Egret, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Redwing, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit,
Sanderling, Siskin, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Mammals - Grey Seal, Grey Squirrel, Roe Deer.
