When I first looked out my living room window on Saturday morning and saw extensive blue sky and sunshine I thought to myself 'looks like an Eagle day', and decided that I should really get out and do some birding. With Spring migrants beginning to arrive - Osprey, Sand Martin, Wheatear, Blackcap and Swallow among those species already having reached Scotland in small numbers, I chose to target Blackcap as my priority species, though Sand Martin was also a slight possibility. I had no real idea where I was going to go but I would play things by ear, and just see where I ended up. With a bit of luck I'd come home later in the day with a few new species on the year-list, which is edging ever closer to 100 species already, and all within Dundee.
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Song Thrush
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I wandered out into the relatively warm sunshine just before 1030. Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon and Magpie were all seen almost immediately and a Meadow Pipit called from somewhere overhead but I failed to pick it out against the sky. As I wandered up Court Street the calling of Herring Gulls from above to my right caught my attention but I didn't look up initially. However, as the sound continued I glanced up above the tenements and there was an adult White Tailed Eagle circling with attendant group of Herring Gulls keeping a mostly safe distance behind and above. I found a spot at the end of Arklay Terrace to get a few photos of the bird without it appearing as if I was pointing a camera at any windows of the tenement blocks.
The Eagle soared higher and higher and I watched it as I continued onto Clepington Road. I took a few more photos as a brave (or foolhardy) Herring Gull swooped closer before watching the Eagle head westwards following the line of Clepington Road. Photos showed it to have 2 wing tags meaning it is likely to be the Fife female - which should be sitting on a nest just now - though she may have just been stretching her wings in the sunshine. Whatever the reason, my earlier thought about it 'looking like an Eagle day' had proved surprisingly accurate and I headed on with a renewed spring in my step. Dunnock, Lesser Black Backed Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw and Goldfinch were added before I reached Swannie Ponds.
Coots, Mute Swans, Tufted Ducks, Mallard and very few Herring Gulls made up the majority of species at the ponds. A Sparrowhawk circling off to the west was noted before I set off to Baxter Park. Coal Tit and Song Thrush were noted before I'd got very far into the park and a Buzzard was seen circling to the south a little. Spring Grove was slightly quieter than on recent visits but still provided a selection of species and some good photo opportunities - Wren, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, House Sparrow, Blackbird and Woodpigeon as well as Dunnock and Song Thrush all kept my attention for a while. A few Stock Doves were flying around and a Goldcrest was heard singing before an unexpected male Blackcap showed just long enough for me to grab 2 photos before vanishing again.
Following a chat about birds with a lady I talked to at the same spot a year or so ago I moved on to Eastern Cemetery which was very quiet compared to previous visits. I decided to pop down to Stannergate to see if there was anything out on the river, or perhaps a Sand Martin or a Wheatear to be had. A female Sparrowhawk flew up from the bushes near the railway line giving me brief but close views (though my camera unfortunately was still in the bag). A couple of Rabbits and a Pied Wagtail were noted before I reached the end of the harbour. On the shoreline were a few Redshanks as well as Common and Black Headed Gulls. Oystercatcher flew in and joined them. A Grey Heron was spotted near the outflow pipe and I watched it swallow a rather large fish it caught. A few Rooks flew past before I wandered off to try to see a singing Chiffchaff. Turnstone were seen among the rocks on the beach but the Chiffchaff stayed out of view, as did a calling Bullfinch.
I had been out for roughly 3.5 hours and had taken a few longer breaks between my spells of walking. Having checked Google Maps on my phone I decided I would head for the Dighty Burn and walk back along at least the stretch between Douglas and Whitfield on my way back home. Robin and Long Tailed Tit were seen as I headed for the burn, and I had a close view of a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly on Strathern Road. A Peacock butterfly also gave me close views just before I crossed the Dighty to reach the path. Unfortunately birds were in rather short supply though I did spend a few minutes 'helping' a couple of ladies doing a butterfly transect - noting at least 5 or so Small Tortoiseshells in quite a small area behind the recycling plant.
I decided that I might as well continue to follow the paths west between Mid-Craigie and Whitfield. A Pheasant was heard but not seen near where the Longhaugh Hotel once stood. It has been quite a few years since I walked along the Dighty between Fintry and Linlathen so I decided to continue on. The whole area has changed since I was a kid, but not to the extent it wasn't still very familiar. As with the previous 2 sections the 3rd wasn't particularly successful either with nothing except a Grey Wagtail added. I skirted round the Finlathen viaduct which I used to cross daily on my walk to both primary and secondary school, now rather a long time in the past. A Treecreeper and a Dipper, as well as a pair of Grey Wagtails made the western end of Finlathen Park more interesting. In addition there were a number of Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies, and a decent sized moth that crossed the burn as I tried to get a better view to try to determine the species.
I wandered further along the burn until I reached the road up into Caird Park where I checked the area around the ponds. Moorhen and Siskin were added to the list there and a few displaying Stock Doves were also noted. A Grey Squirrel was the final addition to the day's species before I reached home having walked a little under 10 miles, recording a total of 47 species of bird (including a year-tick - in bold), 2 of butterfly and 2 of mammal. It was a pleasant enough walk in the sunshine and it even managed to feel a bit Spring-like. The White Tailed Eagle of course was once again the 'big' highlight though. All in all, a good day out.
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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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White Tailed Eagle & Herring Gull
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White Tailed Eagle
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Sparrowhawk
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Tufted Duck
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Coot
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Tufted Duck
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Coot
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Herring Gull
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Song Thrush
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Buzzard
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Magpie
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Song Thrush
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Blackbird
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Greenfinch
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Chaffinch
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Chaffinch
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Blackbird
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Carrion Crow
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Song Thrush
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Blue Tit
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Blue Tit
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Wren
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Blue Tit
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Chaffinch
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Stock Dove
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House Sparrow
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Woodpigeon
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Blackcap
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Woodpigeon
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Lesser Black Backed Gull
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Great Tit
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Blackbird
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Goldfinch
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Blackbird
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Dunnock
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Goldfinch
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Pied Wagtail
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Rabbit
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Redshank
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Carrion Crow
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Rook
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Grey Heron
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Grey Heron
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House Sparrow
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Chaffinch
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Carrion Crow
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Turnstone
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Herring Gull
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Small Tortoiseshell
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Birds - Blackbird,
Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Coot, Dipper, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Stock Dove, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, White Tailed Eagle, Woodpigeon, Wren.
Butterflies - Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell.
Mammals - Grey Squirrel, Rabbit.
