Having not done any birding on my days off since Saturday 22nd May (though I did do some insect photography on Saturday instead) I was planning on making an early start on Wednesday 2nd June with either Riverside Nature Park or Balmossie my likely destination. The weather has been sunnier though not much warmer but enough to generate some 'haar' that burns off sometime in the morning but starts to roll back in around 1600. Not ideal. However, a message from Lainy on Tuesday evening made me rethink my plans. Once again, she'd found a warbler I hadn't seen in Dundee before, near Clatto Reservoir. She was planning on heading out again early on Wednesday to get more photos. I said I would meet her there a little later than she would be out and about though still around the time I would normally be getting up for work.
  |
Great Crested Grebe
|
The alarm woke me around 0345 and after breakfast and some decisions on what to actually wear - with cooler temperatures early rising to warmer than I like a bit later - I headed out around 0450. I was undecided initially on my best route to Clatto, though I decided to go via Ardler village pond, in the hope that it was just about possible that a Reed Warbler might be there. The small patch of blue sky I'd seen during breakfast had disappeared behind lowish cloud by the time I headed out which wasn't great news. Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Herring Gull and Dunnock were all noted in my first minute outside with House Sparrow a little further on. Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon and Goldfinch were not unexpected additions nor were the Swift, Starling or Blue Tit that followed.
Of late I've been seeing a lot of Siskins and one calling over Clepington Road was a welcome bird for the list. Continuing on along Clepington Road gave me Lesser Black Backed Gull, Pied Wagtail, Magpie and Chaffinch as well as a singing Song Thrush. Having crossed the Kingsway I heard and then saw a single Oystercatcher flying in to join the gulls on the football pitches behind the fire station. Long Tailed Tits were seen opposite the Crematorium. As I walked up Rosemount Road a Coal Tit and a very vocal Great Spotted Woodpecker joined the other species on the list. As I got closer to the Ardler Village Pond a small flock of House Martins were seen circling above the houses just off Turnberry Avenue. Obviously there is still someone somewhere around there who doesn't knock down these bird's nests.
The resident Mute Swan pair at the pond had 6 Cygnets, and an adult Moorhen, a young Coot, a pair of Mallards and a Grey Heron were easily seen too. A singing Blackcap just to the south and a squabbling pair of Reed Buntings was the best I could rustle up of the smaller birds. Heading up Dalmahoy Drive Greenfinch and a singing Wren were added. The closer I got to the Reservoir the more obvious the mist was becoming. A pair of Roe Deer were in the Scottish Water compound and panicked when a car drove into the site. On reaching the reservoir the visibility was extremely limited with only a short distance ahead clear enough to see anything at all. I did succeed in getting Great Tit and a pair of Grey Wagtails onto the list despite the visibility issue.
A pair of Blackcaps, a Goldcrest and a Rabbit were spotted around the entrance into the small wood where being a little back from the water the visibility was marginally better. I met up with Lainy near the gate just beyond the northeastern corner of the reservoir. We had a hunt around in the less than perfect (and quite chilly) conditions managing to see or hear Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff, Pheasant and Yellowhammer. Having not heard Garden Warbler singing for 2 years I failed to recognise one which refused to show near the 'new' house - though when I did work out what it was, I was able to get it onto my Dundee list, and the day's list. More wandering gave us more of the same as well as a Jay in flight, before we wandered back to the reservoir to try and photograph the Great Crested Grebe family (adults and 3 youngsters).
I had already been out birding for 3 hours and thankfully the mist had largely cleared from the reservoir. The Grebes drifted further away from their nest site below one of the tree 'islands' and having deterred one of the youngsters from clambering onto his back, the male (I assume) Great Crested Grebe set about finding some breakfast for the family, successfuly bringing up a few reasonably sized fish - though one that was still a bit lively was swallowed instead of an attempt being made to feed it to the youngsters. While we watched the Grebes, a pair of Swallows and a Rook flew over. We headed back to where Lainy had seen the Garden Warblers the previous day to see if the better weather would tenpt them out.
We were eventually successful and had reasonably good views in the sunshine. Willow Warblers, Robin, a Sparrowhawk with prey, a few Swifts, Bullfinch, Whitethroat, House Martin, a Stock Dove and the almost constant background noise of calling Great Spotted Woodpeckers kept us company for the next few hours. Orange Tip and Green Veined Butterflies also flitted around as we were able to finally warm up. Skylark could be heard singing to the west as we wandered back around the reservoir around 1230. A few 'young' Damselflies were seen but not well enough to identify to a particular species - though I suspect they were most likely Common Blues. We had further views of the Grebe family and a group of schoolkids annoying the Mute Swan pair, with the adults 'supervising' them out of sight at the car park and completely oblivious. We then watched two Buzzards, one of which was harassed by the local crows, as we wandered back to Lainy's house having had a successful morning's birding.
After a quick chat to Adam, I decided rather than heading home I would head for Balgay Hill to see if I could get some photos of the Great Spotted Woodpecker youngster being fed by the parents. I was already rather tired with the early start and the heat both being a factor. I failed to add anything new on the walk to the hill. As on previous brief visits I watched the adult visiting the nest from a short distance off the path and relatively far back so as not to alarm the birds, or alert the local crows to the nest site. An older couple with a bridge camera didn't seem quite so concerned with the likelihood of disturbing the birds, sitting, then standing, within around 10 feet of the nest site.
I had a wander round the hill seeing if I could add anything else and near the eastern end I had a nice long chat with a couple (James & Fiona, I think) about all the local wildlife for around 20 minutes. While we were chatting a Nuthatch flew past rather unexpectedly and we had views of a number of other species including a few Swallows. Having been out by this time for a little under 12 hours I decided it was time to head for home and rather wearily headed in that direction. While chatting a little later to someone I know a Black Headed Gull drifted over taking my total number of species for the day to 54 with 1 year-tick (in bold), as well as 2 of butterfly and 2 of mammal. All in all, well worth the early start and the 12 and a half hour's worth of birding. I wonder what warbler species Lainy will conjure up next.....
 |
Bullfinch
|
 |
Lesser Black Backed Gull
|
 |
Lesser Black Backed Gull
|
 |
Great Crested Grebe
|
 |
Great Crested Grebe
|
 |
Great Crested Grebe
|
 |
Great Crested Grebe
|
 |
Great Crested Grebe
|
 |
Great Crested Grebe
|
 |
Great Crested Grebe
|
 |
Rook
|
 |
Willow Warbler
|
 |
Willow Warbler
|
 |
Yellowhammer
|
 |
Willow Warbler
|
 |
Blackbird
|
 |
Robin
|
 |
Swift
|
 |
Mallard
|
 |
Sparrowhawk
|
 |
Mute Swan
|
 |
Garden Warbler
|
 |
Garden Warbler
|
 |
Woodpigeon
|
 |
Garden Warbler
|
 |
Garden Warbler
|
 |
Buzzard
|
 |
Great Crested Grebe
|
 |
Great Crested Grebe
|
 |
Great Crested Grebe
|
 |
Buzzard & Carrion Crow
|
 |
Carrion Crow & Buzzard
|
 |
Buzzard & Carrion Crow
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
 |
Blue Tit
|
 |
Blue Tit
|
 |
Coal Tit
|
 |
Coal Tit
|
Birds - Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Coot, Dunnock,
Garden Warbler, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sedge Warbler, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterfly - Green Veined White, Orange Tip.
Damselfly - unidentified sp.(probably Common Blue).
Mammals - Rabbit, Roe Deer.
